Monthly Archives: December 2011

28 DEC

A lot to live up to: Liverpool v Newcastle Preview

By John Acaster

Friday night at Anfield is the setting for two teams who many attribute to serving up the most entertaining game the Premier League has ever seen. Kevin Keegan’s head slumped over the advertising boards in April 1996 brought down the curtain on a pulsating 4-3 win for Liverpool in a truly entertaining game fought out between greats such as Collymore, Fowler, Asprilla and Ginola.  Read More »

Posted in Entries, Liverpool, Newcastle United Tagged , , , | Leave a comment
22 DEC

Mikel Arteta epitomises the new Arsenal

By Imran Marashli

It was the lowest point of Arsène Wenger’s tenure at Arsenal. With Nasri and Fabregas gone, Arsenal collapsed to their worst defeat in over 100 years,in the infamous 8-2 humiliation at Old Trafford. The Gunners appeared in disarray, provoking Wenger to raid the transfer market in a desperate bid to resurrect the faith of disillusioned fans and mute the circling vultures of critics. Read More »

Posted in Arsenal, Entries Tagged , , | Leave a comment
19 DEC

Dismiss Liverpool At Your Peril

By Ryan Giblin

Liverpool’s comfortable 2-0 victory over Aston Villa went largely unnoticed yesterday, mainly due to the enthralling action at the Etihad Stadium which began shortly after the final whistle ended at Villa Park. Read More »

Posted in Entries, Liverpool Tagged , , | Leave a comment
15 DEC

Consistent Allen crucial to Swans success

By Abigail Davies

Following Leon Britton’s departure at the end of the 2009-10 season, Joe Allen was drafted into the side to fill the void left by the diminutive midfielder.

Having come through the ranks at Swansea, the Welsh international indisputably relished his chance, instantly establishing himself in the side, as he enjoyed a run of games which saw him play a pivotal role in the heart of midfield during Swansea’s promotion winning campaign. Read More »

Posted in Entries, Swansea City Tagged , , | Leave a comment
13 DEC

Adaptable AVB proves why Roman dug so deep into his pockets for him

By Josh Handrick

After last night’s victory over the unbeaten league leaders Manchester City, AVB’s Chelsea seem to have turned a corner from a run of tough games after some previously bad results. Is the erratic Portuguese manager now proving why Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich paid his buy out clause at former club Porto.

Despite enduring mass criticism of his tactics, Andre Villas Boas has shown that learning from your mistakes can provide huge results. With a number of recent unexpected loses (Liverpool, Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen), more than likely down to his defences high line creating numerous mistakes at the back, AVB has shown great adaptability. Read More »

Posted in Chelsea, Entries Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment
12 DEC

Henry Winter on the impact of Twitter on football journalism

Daily Telegraph Football Correspondent and keen Twitter user Henry Winter gives us his take on the impact of the social network on football journalism. He also has some advice for all aspiring writers about how to make yourself stand out in the industry.

Posted in Video Tagged , , | Leave a comment
10 DEC

Adebayor proves the most vital asset on a new side of North London

By Steven Slayford

Tottenham’s early success this season has been attributed to their possession of, arguably, one of the best midfields in the Premier League. Aaron Lennon has rekindled the form of years previous; the central combination of Luka Modric, Rafael van der Vaart and Scott Parker has proved irresistibly majestic and gritty in equal measure and Gareth Bale continues to combine the stamina of a triathlete with the technique of a dancer. With their brand of stunningly attractive, fast-paced attacking football the whispers of ‘title contenders’ that have started to rattle around White Hart Lane are increasingly understandable. Read More »

Posted in Entries, Tottenham Hotspur Tagged , , , | Leave a comment
08 DEC

Barclays Premier League still top prize

By Casey O’Brien

From the moment the names were drawn from the pot in Monaco back in August, this was the fixture Manchester City had been waiting for. Bayern Munich at the Etihad marked a huge moment of progress for a club haunted by its shortcomings for over three decades. No longer did City have to wait for invitational pre-season tournaments to face Europe’s elite. Finally, they were competing with the biggest of boys on the biggest of stages.

But as Stephane Lannoy got last night’s fixture under way, it wasn’t quite nail-biting tension or uncontrollable excitement that consumed the Eastlands crowd. Instead, a feeling of polite resignation loomed over the 46,000 faithful. Of course, City knew their chances of progression were slim, but there was another factor at work here. City are learning to walk before they run, and for the fans especially, the Champions League remains a novel adventure.  It is the Premier League that is truly shaping Roberto Mancini’s reign. Read More »

Posted in Entries, Manchester City Tagged , , | Leave a comment
07 DEC

‘Football Moralists’ Are Detrimental To Our Wonderfully Competitive League…

By Jack Heaney

Arrogant accusations have come with Stoke’s steady risers: they are brutes, they play ‘ugly’ football. It is clear to me that though this has been debated endlessly, ‘pretty’ success must not matter. Read More »

Posted in Stoke City Tagged , , | 1 Comment
02 DEC

Whatever the coming months bring, Liverpool are on the right path under Dalglish

By Andrew Hassall

It has been a wonderful ten days for Liverpool. A battling draw against runaway league leaders Manchester City sandwiched in between two victorious assaults on Stamford Bridge, it is fair to say that the mood has seldom been happier on Merseyside in the past three years. It is also fair to say that had it not been for the herculean Joe Harte, Liverpool would have deservedly ended City’s unbeaten record. As it turned out, City’s aura of invincibility was only dented and not fatally wounded. Read More »

Posted in Entries, Liverpool Tagged , , | Leave a comment