By: Alan
Soccer City FC
Clubs in the Premiership are beginning to dive into the market with only four weeks before the first league matches kick-off.
Newcastle have made their second summer signing by clinching the transfer of midfielder Danny Guthrie from Liverpool after a fee was agreed. Manager Kevin Keegan believes he has signed a player with a big future ahead of him, saying “He proved himself in the Premier League last season so we know he can play at that level.” Guthrie, who spent last season on-loan at Bolton, has signed on a four-year deal and he follows Argentine winger Jonas Gutierrez to St James Park. While one player has left Anfield, Xabi Alonso’s switch to Italian giants Juventus is in doubt following their announcement that “we can say that we have concluded our transfer activity." Liverpool’s own targets may be scuppered as those funds were expected to pay for Gareth Barry of Aston Villa and Tottenham’s Irish striker Robbie Keane. Arsenal are rumoured to have entered the race to secure the signature of Barry, who has already declared that he wants to move to Liverpool with the lure of Champions League football proving too hard to resist.
Samir Nasri has switched life in France for England as his long-awaited move to Arsenal from Marseille has been completed. The French playmaker has been described as a “young, quick and technically an outstanding player" by Arsene Wenger and the signing has enabled Alexander Hleb to leave for Barcelona for £12m. Brazilian midfielder Gilberto Silva is also expected to depart to Greek outfit Panathinaikos.
While captain Gareth Barry is almost certain to leave, Aston Villa have signed US goalkeeper Brad Guzan from Chivas USA and he is their second addition following Steve Sidwell’s £5m move from Chelsea. Portsmouth have signed England’s towering striker Peter Crouch from Liverpool in a move that will see him form a partnership with compatriot Jermain Defoe. "I've worked with the manager before and he gets the best out of me," Crouch said, who also said the ambitions of his new club matched his own.
One of the standout stories of the summer has been that of Ronaldinho’s proposed move to Manchester City, but the Eastlands side failed despite offering the former World Player of the Year wages that doubled AC Milan’s offered £100,000 per week. Barcelona will receive a fee which could rise to around £19m. Mark Hughes conceded that all was done to sign the Brazilian and he will now move onto securing other targets, with Chelsea’s Tal Ben Heim reportedly being one of them. On the departure list heading out of Manchester is Georgios Samaras, having made his move to Celtic permanent.
Steve Bruce has raided his former club Birmingham to be re-united with French midfielder Olivier Kapo for an initial £2.5m and released former Holland-21 international Daniel de Ridder. Kapo scored 5 times in 26 appearances last season and Bruce spoke of his desire to sign him. "He's the one I really wanted to get on board," said Bruce. "Olivier's a real fighter, but he has a touch of quality about him.” Fulham have signed West Ham duo Bobby Zamora and John Pantsil for a combined fee of £6.3 million. Both players found their first-team opportunities were limited, with Zamora only managing one goal in 14 appearances last term. Zamora has said “The prospect of working with a coach of Roy Hodgson’s caliber was a great opportunity”.
Newly-promoted Hull City have added several players in a matter of days, George Boateng being the stand-out of them. The Dutchman signed from Middlesbrough for £1m along with Hungarian winger Peter Halmosi for an undisclosed fee and Fulham goalkeeper Tony Warner on a free transfer, which rounded off three transfers in the same day. Stoke, meanwhile, have agreed a fee for England international goalkeeper Scott Carson in the region of £4 million but face competition from ‘one or two other clubs involved in the mix’. West Brom have also signed Slovakia left-back Marek Cech from Porto for £1.4m - the defender is seen as an impressive signing due to Cech’s role in helping the Portuguese side win their league title for the last three seasons.
Related items at Soccer City FC:
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Transfer Roundup: Premiership Focus
Saturday, June 28, 2008
2008 UEFA Intertoto Cup Begins
The 2008 UEFA Intertoto Cup's first round will come to a close this weekend. The first round is comprised of 28 clubs who played first leg matches on 21 June and 22 June 2008 and will now complete the second leg.
Three matches of note from this weekend's second leg:
Welsh side Rhyl F.C needs to score against Irish outfit Bohemian F.C. After a 5-1 first leg victory, Bohemian holds a commanding edge. Slovenia's ND Gorica is up 3-0 having scored three away goals at the home ground of Maltese football club Hibernians F.C. And Swedish side IF Elfsborg has a three-goal advantage after a 4-1 defeat of Havnar Bóltfelag in the Faroe Islands.
Teams advancing to the second and third rounds will find the likes of Sivasspor, Grasshopper-Club Zürich, Odense BK, Hibernian F.C., Rosenborg BK, VfB Stuttgart, and Aston Villa waiting for a chance to qualify for the 2008-2009 UEFA Cup. 11 teams will qualify for the UEFA Cup via the Intertoto Cup.
Norwegian international Morten Gamst Pedersen in action with Blackburn Rovers during the 2007 UEFA Intertoto Cup.
Image details: Blackburn Rovers v FK Vetra served by picapp.com
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
2008 Premiership Best XI of the Year Sans the Big 4
Image details: West Ham United v Aston Villa - Premier League served by picapp.com
Goalkeeper: David James (Portsmouth)
James reinvented himself this year. He guided Pompey to a top ten position in the Premiership as well as a historic victory in the FA Cup final versus Cardiff City. He also earned back his starting place with the English national team.
Right Back: Vedran Corluka (Manchester City)
Perhaps the shrewdest of Sven's summer signings, Corluka entered the Premiership as one of the lesser known summer transfer signings, but was soon recognized for his capable play. His versatility was a vital asset for City as he saw time at both centre back and holding midfield when injuries took their toll. The 22-year-old defender is year's away from his prime.
Centre Back: Martin Laursen (Aston Villa)
The 30-year-old defender was voted the Supporters Player of the Year for his outstanding play in 2007-2008. While Villa's attacking playmakers received the majority of attention throughout the season, Laursen and his backline mates where crucial to the club's success.
Centre Back: Phil Jagielka (Everton)
This past weekend, Jagielka received his first senior international cap for England against Trinidad and Tobago. His signing in the summer of 2007 helped to stabilize Everton's defense. The club now appears focused to make a run at the Big 4 with the help of the versatile Jagielka.
Left Back: Joleon Lescott (Everton)
Lescott began 2007-2008 in spectacular form providing solid coverage in the back coupled with three goals in his first eight matches. He also ended the season with the highest shot to goal ratio in the Premiership. He converted 42.1% of his shots into goals. On May 8, 2008, he was voted Everton's Player of the Year and the Players Player of the Year.
Right Midfielder: David Bentley (Blackburn Rovers)
Bentley ended the 2007-2008 Premiership season with 8 goals and 13 assists. He truly excelled in his right wing position and his crossing ability did not disappoint. How will the new manager utilize him now that Mark Hughes is off to Manchester City?
Central Midfielder: Gareth Barry (Aston Villa)
With over 325 appearances for Villa, Barry has finally begun to garner worldwide recognition as Aston Villa returned to the upper echelon of Premiership clubs this past season. Liverpool appears ready to make an offer for the central midfielder. Will his career in the Second City come to an end?
Central Midfielder: Elano (Manchester City)
Brazilians historically have not performed well in the Premiership. Elano broke down the stereotype with his performance in 2007-2008. He ended the campaign with 8 goals and 9 assists. When he was healthy, he was nearly unstoppable. He was clearly a cut above during the first half of the season.
Left Midfielder: Martin Petrov (Manchester City)
When City was at its best, the attack ran through Petrov who ended with 5 goals and 8 assists. He would have ended with double-digit figures in assists if City's forwards could have finished off several of his sublime crosses.
Forward: Roque Santa Cruz (Blackburn Rovers)
One could make a case that he was the best transfer signing of the 2007 summer period. He ended with 19 goals. The Paraguayan striker was named Barclays Premier League “Player of the Month” for December 2007.
Forward: Yakubu Aiyegbenji (Everton)
The 25-year-old Nigerian striker finished the campaign with 15 league goals and 21 goals in all competitions. His brace in the last match of the season versus Newcastle United sealed Everton's 5th place standing in the Premiership table.
Honorable Mention for the 2008 Premiership Best XI of the Year Sans the Big 4
Goalkeeper: Tim Howard (Everton), Joe Hart (Manchester City)
Defenders: Richard Dunne (Manchester City), Micah Richards (Manchester City), Sol Campbell (Portsmouth), Glen Johnson (Portsmouth), and David Wheater (Middlesbrough)
Midfielders: Ashley Young (Aston Villa), Niko Kranjčar (Portsmouth), Sulley Muntari (Portsmouth), and Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough)
Forwards: Dimitar Berbatov (Tottenham Hotspur), Robbie Keane (Tottenham Hotspur), Kenwyne Jones (Sunderland), and Michel Owen (Newcastle United)
Who did Soccer City FC leave off of the list? Let us know in the comment section.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Premiership Best XI of the Year Sans the Big 4
Soccer City FC will soon be releasing a list of the Best XI of the Year comprised of players from outside of the Big 4 clubs. Feel free to post comments and suggestions on who deserves to make the squad.
I have a feeling we may see Ashley Young on this list. David James? Probably. Roque Santa Cruz? Certainly.
After these three, the list is up for great debate. Drop back in and find out who has made Soccer City FC's Premiership Best XI - Sans the Big 4
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Olof Mellberg - A Bearded Legend
By: Phillip Boran
Soccer City FC
Wednesday, July 18th, 2001, a truly great day for all fans of Aston Villa, as they signed Swedish international centre-half Olof Mellberg from Spanish club Racing for a fee of £5 million, which has been regarded as the best £5 million spent by then manager John Gregory. Many fans also believe that he plays better with a full grown beard than he does clean cut or with stubble. Mellberg’s beard also has legendary status with the club.
Proved to be an instant success, his partnership with Alpay Ozalan, better known as Alpay, showed to better the former partnership of Southgate and Ehiogu of years before. From the years 2003 to 2006, Olof Mellberg captained the Villans to mid-table finishes even with such a small squad. During that time, he was only on the bench once when fully fit. A decision that was proven by the manager to be a mistake.
On his last season with Villa, it has proved to be a very successful season for both Mellberg and the club, as they pushed and finished in the top 6 in the English Premier League. In the final rivalry match against Birmingham, where Aston Villa won comfortably 5-1, many will remember the Bearded Legend being substituted off as he received the best sending off for a player being substituted. He showed the energy back as he threw his fists in the air, parading around proudly.
The last home match for Olof Mellberg, even though losing 2-0 to Wigan, was to be seen as the greatest tribute to a player to wear Claret and Blue. Everyone attending the match were seen wearing Viking helmets, fake (or real) beards, Swedish National Team kits, and to top it off, his name was sung through-out the match. The honor of Man of the Match went to none other than Olof Mellberg.
Mellberg’s last match, which came to a 2-2 draw against West Ham, truly a glorious day for any Villa fan attending the match at Upton Park as he bought 3,000 mixed home and away kits from the 2007/2008 season and handed them out to the traveling supporters.
Olof Mellberg,
All fans of Aston Villa wish you the best of luck in your dream to dominate Europe.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Premiership Rundown - April 10th
From action today in the Barclay's Premiership.
- Birmingham City and Everton draw. Birmingham City with a 83' goal from forward Mauro Zárate and to answer Everton's goal by Joleon Lescott in the 78'.
- Sunderland falls to Manchester City. City takes a 1-0 lead on Elano's 79' PK. Sunderland answers with a goal from captain Dean Whitehead in the 82' but Darius Vassell in the 87' to finish off the scoring at 2-1.
- Fullham takes 3 from Reading. Brian McBride puts Fulham ahead for good in the 24'. A late goal from forward Erik Nevland in the 90' ends the match at 2-0.
- Villa embarrasses Derby. Aston Villa scored six against Derby in this 6-0 thrashing. Goals came from Ashley Young (24'), John Carew (25'), Stiliyan Petrov (36'), captain Gareth Barry (59'), Gabriel Agbonlahor (77') and Marlon Harewood (86').
- Bolton fights to stay up with a 1-0 victory over West Ham. A 46' minute goal from forward Kevin Davies ensures a crucial three points.
- Spurs and Boro draw. An own goal from neophyte Jonathan Grounds could have spelled disaster for Middlesbrough until Stewart Downing's 70th minute goal tied the game back at 1-1.
- Portsmouth and Newcastle United end tied at 0-0.
