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
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Tuesday Transfer News
A busy few days in the world of transfer news, rumour, and speculation:
Finnish international midfielder Mika Vayrynen appears ready to move from PSV Eindhoven to Belgian side Club Brugge.
Also leaving PSV, forward Jefferson Farfan looks ready to join Bundesliga side FC Schalke 04. The transfer will net PSV a reported £7.9million.
Recently promoted Ligue 1 side Nantes added Hearts defender Ibrahim Tall for the 2008-2009 campaign.
Former Newcastle United defender David Rozehnal is staying at Lazio after a loan to the Italian side this spring. The 27-year-old is currently on international duty with the Czech Republic at Euro 2008.
29-year-old Hungary midfielder Zoltan Gera is leaving recently promoted West Bromwich Albion for Fulham. Gera single-handily carried West Brom at times this past season; he will be sorely missed in their battle to remain in the Premiership.
PSV Eindhoven's Jefferson Farfan battles against Liverpool in the 2006 UEFA Champions League -- His role with Schalke in the upcoming 2008-2009 Champions League remains to be seen.
Image details: UEFA Champions League: Liverpool v PSV Eindhoven 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.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Newcastle United: He Who Dares Wins
By: Lee of Do Soccer 24/7
For Soccer City FC
It's going to take a humongous effort by all involved with Newcastle United football club just for them to maintain their Barclays Premier League status. At the start of the season things couldn't have looked better - a seemingly capable manager in Sam Allardyce, a billionaire owner with pockets so deep he paid off the clubs debts, and a set of supporters so hungry for success, they'd make the dollar menu at McDonald's look appetizing.
Lets take a look at where things have gone wrong:
Newcastle were bought out just days after new manager Sam Allardyce was appointed by the old regime of Freddie Shepherd. Not being the new owners appointment, Big Sam was always under that extra amount of pressure to make an impact - something he failed (miserably) to do. Big Sam had a small club mentality, meaning that the methods he used to be successful at Bolton, would no longer work at Newcastle. The mindset at Newcastle is something to be experienced. Some players *cough* Jermain Jenas *cough* referred to it as living in a goldfish bowl. The scrutiny you come under from the media and the fans is intense - which is the way it should be in a one football club city. Big Sam was adamant that he could live up to the billing. The supporters, and more importantly, the results, begged to differ.
Overpaid underperforming players have always been Newcastle's downfall in the transfer market history. Stephane Guivarc'h, Marcelinho, Hugo Viana, Alert Luque, Carl Cort, Patrick Kluivert are the most prominent. Apparently those times were behind us, but when Allardyce brought in Jose Enrique and Claudio Cacapa, questions were once more asked of the motives behind such transfer policy. Cacapa had a fantastic pedigree in France and Enrique was supposedly targeted by the biggest clubs in Europe. Enrique has barely played a game while Cacapa has looked well out of his depth after some decent early appearances. The additions of Alan Smith, Habib Beye, Geremi, Mark Viduka, David Rozenhal and Joey Barton were all typical Big Sam purchases - a lot of effort and hard work but no flair. It could be said that headless chickens running around on the St James' Park pitch could have put in the same amount of effort (if not more), and they'd be right, only headless chickens would run faster.
Newcastle fans have not asked for much - if eleven players give us 100% effort and commitment we're happy. It's when players who clearly do not give two flying ones about the club put in performances that are not satisfactory for a pub team. It's clearly evident that a new approach is needed. Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger's policy of buying young players and bringing them through is duly noted. As supporters, we should hope that this kind of policy will pay dividends, now and into the future.
Where Now?
The Manager
I'm going to put my neck on the line and say I'm not one of Kevin Keegan's greatest admirers. I think he was a terrific player, one of the best, but when the announcement broke that he would be Newcastle's manager for the second time, my heart sank. He's a great man motivator, and perhaps that's what Newcastle need the most right now, but as far as coaching methods go I think he's behind the times, tactically and technically. I just don't think he has the ability to make good players great and poor players better. He's the type of guy that is great at spending money, but there's only so much of that to go around. It didn't work the first time in his first managerial stint at Newcastle and I just don't see it working a second time.
The Supporters
The lifeblood of every soccer team, the St. James' Park faithful are a different breed. Newcastle is a one city soccer club, going to watch soccer on a weekend is a tradition passed down from father to son for generations. This is probably a bit of a cliche, but unless you've lived in the area or been to a game in Newcastle, it's hard to understand. The supporters can sometimes be the twelfth man, and in Newcastle's case, they need them now more than ever.
*Note - This article was originally posted on March 4th, 2008 at Soccer City FC's Corner Kicks which is now being merged with Soccer City FC.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Samir Nasri Staying on at OM Through 2011
According to this report at Football Transfer Market Web, Samir Nasri has agreed to remain at Olympique de Marseille through 2011. Several media reports and other rumor mills had the midfielder moving on to clubs such as Newcastle United or Juventus at the conclusion of the 2007-2008 season.
[Update] Sky Sports confirms the earlier report.
Plus a little video to highlight Nasri's skills.
And from the same website, comes news that forward Dieumerci Mbokani has extended his contract with Standard Liege. He will remain with the Belgian side until 2013.
And yet another video to highlight Mbokani's skills.
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.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Newcastle United Article at Corner Kicks
My colleague Lee at Do Soccer 24/7 has written a wonderful article on the current state of Newcastle United for Soccer City FC. Lee will routinely drop by Soccer City FC to discuss Newcastle United and The Premiership. His initial article can be found below.
