It's On!

Yup, in little under 3 days time the most important football league in the world will kick off the 2015/2016 campaign to see who will be crowned Champions of England. Yes while the competition might be just for teams in England, it's fan base knows no boundaries as I'm sure if there were intelligent life out there in the universe, they to would have vested interest in the Barclays English Premier League. 

Anyway back to matters on earth and particularly, England, it's very hard to say if current Champions Chelsea have what it takes to retain their title. Yes, manager Jose Mourinho still has a very strong squad and the spine that turned out to be his winning formula is still very much intact, their summer signings aren't one to make the headlines apart from the signing of United flop, Falcao. Now we don't want to delve into why the Colombian wasn't a success in Manchester but Jose obviously feels that it had nothing to do with the league but rather the team and management. Time will tell whether he would be a worthy acquisition and if history goes to show anything, Jose gets out the best in the players he wants. 

Moving things across to Manchester, starting off with the biggest side, Manchester City... (see what I did there), their ever flowing cash reserves continued to flow during the summer transfer window with their biggest signing to date being Raheem Asswipe, I mean Raheem Sterling. Okay, take nothing away from the kid, he is a quality player and has a lot to offer any team, and he's British but I still think he is an unfinished product, he might have felt that he was wasting his time at Liverpool but no one knew him better than Brendan Rodgers and maybe just one more year at Anfield could have sharpened those skills he needed to be that great of a player but he and his dumbass agent chose to move on and things didn't start off too badly for the lad with him scoring within the first 5 minutes of his Citeh debut. City do have a strong squad that could prove to be one of the main contenders for this seasons title but this year might not be a two horse race, because the Wenger Boys are coming to the party. 

Yup, Arsenal of late are starting to show a lot of promise, besides beating Chelsea last Sunday in the Community Shield, they really did prove the doubters wrong last season, one of them being myself. Arsenal always get off the mark really well but fall down in the second half of the season, credit to them, even though they had a bad patch they still kept fighting till the end and with that in mind, I can see them pushing Cheslea and Man City all the way till the end. They have a young squad, they play some beautiful football and they have a manager that is out there not only to prove a point but to save his job! Whilst winning the FA Cup might have been a life line for Arsene, he knows he has to deliver again this season or he might find himself out of favour with the fans and the club board. 

Now that we got the certain top 3 out of the way, it's time to talk about who will take 4th, last season those Manc's pipped it and with that made it in to Europe. Their season wasn't the best and the star signings they made last season have all gone, in Falcao and DiMaria, their drunk manager van Gaal has however added another two big names during the summer break in German Midfield sensation Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneidelin. Both very talented midfielders but is that what they really needed? Their defence is currently in a mess and with the departure of Rafael, it's not looking any better, hence the biggest thing for them is keeping the services of DeGae in goal. Then again the window is still open and they'll be fighting harder than the Nights Watch at the wall against the white walkers to keep him there!

Next up my beloved Liverpool, I honestly don't know what is going to happen this season, from the total collapse of all things last season to the emotional goodbye to our stalwart Steven Gerrard and then Brendan completely formatting the backroom staff, who knows what to expect this season? It's going to be a fresh new look for sure as coaching styles will differ with the new men in charge, new players coming in the likes of Danny Ings, Christian Benteke and the man that everyone is looking forward to see play in Red, Firmino. I still think our key players will be Henderson, Coutinho and Skrtel with James Milner coming into play a pivotal role in midfield. Lovren needs to up his game this season, our defence has been shocking for the past two seasons but last season our lack of goals was more worrying. Hopefully with the new look strike force and a fit again Sturridge things might change and we will contend for 4th. 

Other teams that will cause a headache for these teams are Spurs, who with Harry Kane in the front could do damage to anyones goal average. Ronald Koeman still seems to be working wonders at Southampton, so they're another danger side. Alan Pardew and his Crystal Palace team will want to upset a few and at his old club Newcastle, long lost manger Steve Mclaren will want to prove he still has what it takes to manage in the Premier League. Another Premier League oldie returns, with Claudio Ranieri to Leicester City, but I doubt they will be a thorn in the side just yet.

One things for sure, given what happened last season, it's going to be an open race, if Chelsea have the start they had last season, they could runaway with it again but nothing can be predicted in this league, BRING IT ON!

League of its own

Its little under a month left before the start of the Barclays Premier League and the clubs have began their pre-season tours. No doubt the eyes of many will be cast on the top four with last years champions Manchester United being the pick of the bunch due to the new man at the helm. So far it hasn't been an easy start for the former Everton Manager David Moyes as he has only recorded one win from their first three fixtures. Not many will read into these games as there are just pre-season friendlies but no doubt he will be feeling the heat from the fans. The glory hunters.... I mean United fans aren't used to losing, so for his sake I hope this is just minor hiccups. 

We're also entering the business end of the summer transfer window, where most of the clubs will try to secure their signings well before the season begins. Which gives the new players time to settle in, Liverpool have been pretty active in the market after securing the signings of Iago Aspas, Luis Alberto and goalkeeper Simon Mignolet. So far all of the players have featured in the pre-season tour with Luis Alberto being the pick of the bunch for many from the new guys. There is still some time left in the window so we may be seeing more signings but Brendan Rodgers and Ian Ayre are keeping their cards close to their chest as for the first time in a while we're seeing things being done in the legendary "Liverpool way". 

Of course with the media there is always going to be rumours flying about, they don't call it the silly season for nothing. The biggest story is the Suarez Saga, will he stay or will he go? And if he goes, where will he end up? The player needs no introduction to controversy and is already serving an 10 match ban for biting Chelsea's Ivanovic during the fixture last season, he still has a further 6 games to serve in the new season. During his involvement with Uruguay during the Confederations Cup in Brazil, he spoke out to the media claiming his displeasure during his time in England, especially with the media labelling him as a cheat and a disgrace to the game. Well he can't really blame them but its part and parcel of the game and if he doesn't change his ways, it will carry on.

I always supported the player, yes I agree there is certain things that he does that I am not in favour of, obviously biting being one of them but there is no doubting that he is one of the most naturally gifted player in the league currently. Because of his comments, there have been a host of rumours doing the rounds with Real Madrid being the main club being linked to sign the player. Yes there have been bids from Arsenal but if Suarez really has a problem with the English media would he really stay in England?! 

With the signing of Simon Mignolet who was one of the EPL's top goalies last season, there is obvious speculation around the future of Pepe Reina, he never did wear the number 1 jersey for Liverpool but he is most certainly our number 1 keeper no matter what number is displayed on his back. The Spaniard come Scouser has Liverpool in his veins, he was one of the few that could actually understand what Jamie Carragher said but if rumours are true, former Reds boss Rafael Benitez has his sights set on getting the shot stopper for his new team Napoli, then all I can do is wish him well and thank him for all that he has done for this great club. 

There are still a few more games to be played before the season kicks off officially and many have their countdowns on the go for the 17th of August 2013 and just like the rest of them I cannot wait to see what this season has in store. A lot has changed since the 2012/2013 season and its hard to predict who will be the front runners. If Liverpool can carry on where they left off from the second half of last season, there is a reality of them reaching the hallowed top four. With Captain Steven Gerrard who recently signed a two year extension leading the ranks, along with the midfield sensation Philippe Coutinho, it going to be very exciting times ahead for Liverpool Football Club.

You'll Never Walk Alone!

The not so beautiful game

When the idea was first mentioned to me, I thought it was the most absurd thing I've ever heard! TV officials for football? you must be crazy! it will ruin the flow of the game! It will make matches more longer than they're already are, not to mention waste time and take away momentum from the attacking team. Yes having a TV ref for football games doesn't make the least bit of sense but of recent the English Premier League in particular has seen a host of refereeing blunders that are causing massive consequences for teams.

 

I can dig back to many past games but I'll stick to the ones that are fresh in our minds, that is this weekends events. First up Everton vs Liverpool, the Merseyside Derby never fails to disappoint as each side fights for bragging rights of the city. It is a usually no holds barred match with loads of ferocious tackles flying in left right and center. With such high tentions and fast pace of the game there always is loads of cards being shown with the odd red card being brandished as proven over the years. This weekend was no different but getting back to the matter at hand, with so much happening it is only natural for the officials to miss certain things that we at home have the benefit of television replays to help with, for example Suarez treading on a defenders calf only to be shown a yellow when many of the opposition thought it deserved a red.

Then theres the case of Evertons second goal, the ball clearly went out off an Everton player and the touchline official awarded Liverpool the throw but the match official over ruled and awarded the throw in to Everton which subsequently led to the goal. Was the ref 100% sure that it was an Everton throw in? why didn't he consult with his official on the side line who felt it was the other way around? Then the big question mark was the disallowed goal. Suarez clearly onside, blasts home in front of the goal what was sure to be Liverpools winning goal. When questioned after the match by captain Steven Gerrard whether Luis was offside, the touch line official replied "I think so".... now I've harped on this before and many also believe that the EPL is the biggest league in the world and has the largest global audience, is there really room for a "I think so decision?". That decision cost Liverpool 2 valuable points and it was away from home.

Moving onto the next game, a table topping clash between Chelsea and Manchester United. 2-0 up and comfortably in the lead, Chelsea then score 2 goals to put themselves back on level terms. They then had their right back Ivanovic sent off for fouling Ashley Young, minimal contact at that but contact none the less and he was sent off as he offended Young's right at goal. Little later on, Evans catches Torres on his way to goal, albeit it he wasn't past the last defender but was caught,  he did go to ground but the ref seemed to have though that he dived. Torres was then brandished his second yellow and sent off, thus causing Chelsea to play the remainder of the match with 9 men. Inevitably, United did mange to score a winner from Hernandez, but again video replays show he was clearly coming from an offside position to slot home the winner. None of the officials spot this, end result was United get all 3 points and Chelsea are left with 2 men facing bans.

Suarez offisde/ Hernandez onside

Now, if the game did have the technology to review or refer these decisions the outcomes in both matches could have been very different. Yes just like how we have in cricket and rugby, video referrals do tend to take a while but 9 out of 10 times the correct decision is made. Football being a fast pace game, one would think there is no place for such a thing in it. Yes, I still agree that we should just take some of these bad decisions on the chin as its part and parcel of the game as they do tend to swing in favour of every team, one more than the rest *cough* Man Utd *cough* but of recent bad decisions are becoming a bit too common. The only solution other than introducing technology is for the ref's to get a proper beat down to up their game, just like footballers they are professionals at what they do and they have to be the best to be in this league. If I cant do my job properly, I will be replaced and they need to realize that they're aren't there to make "I think so" decisions, it has to be a conclusive one. I can go on about the topic but I think I'll give a rest for now. Lets hope this weekend sees a much better performance by the officials.

The Beautiful Game

First and foremost, I am a Liverpool supporter and proud to be one, our season may be dismal but I would never shy away from that fact. Secondly I am a fan of football and todays round up of the Barclays English Premier League 2011/12 season just goes to show what an amazing game we have. Lots of moans going around about the money City spent but take away the money, the raw passion, gutts and glory seen today has made us love the game even more. Come the 89th I was sure that Manchester United had secured their 20th league title but then goals in quick succession by Dzeko and Aguero proved me otherwise. Great season finale but for my team theres tons of work to do. Everton finishing above us just goes to show how bad a season it was, yes we have a trophy but league progress needs to improve.

Well done City, looking forward to more exciting football next season but first, the Euro's!