Barclays Premiership season review (Part 1) Club-by-club

NEARLY a month now since the Premiership season finished.  Here is my club-by club review in order of their finishing positions.

Manchester United                                                                                                                                                                                            

MANCHESTER United may have won another Premiership title and it is their 19^th league championship, overtaking Liverpool at last.  However, they came up short in the Champions League final by some distance and Sir Alex Ferguson will know that the squad must improve over the summer to become a European force again.  At home, Old Trafford was a fortress, with only West Brom (2-2) in October stealing a point.  Away from home was a different matter, with just five wins, the lowest of any side on their way to winning the title.  Luckily, there were enough turning points which showed the class of champions.  Fightbacks against Aston Villa in November, Blackpool in January and West Ham in April were the foreground for the title success, with a New Years Day away win at West Brom when they were comprehensively outplayed being another deciding factor.  Edwin van der Sar and Paul Scholes have ended their glittering careers, whilst who knows where Ryan Giggs head will be at next season, after all the recent tabloid allegations.  Javier Hernandez was definitely the signing of the season and Wayne Rooney was beginning to look like his old self by the season’s end, after an indifferent beginning, which nearly led to his departure.  Marked improvements are needed, but no-one wins the title by accident and at the end of day, Manchester United looked head and shoulders above everyone else this season.

HIGHS: Comeback victories from seemingly definite losing positions against Blackpool in January and West Ham in April.

LOWS: Wayne Rooney's transfer saga, dodgy away form and having to cope with the retirements of Scholes and Van der Sar.

Chelsea                                                                                                                                                                                                              

CARLO Ancelotti lost his job after a trophy less season at Stamford Bridge.  How have things changed after the Double Winning season last time around.  Unfortunately, Chelsea have an ageing squad, which needs significant rebuilding if they want to stay in the position of Manchester United’s closest pursuers.  They were frighteningly good early in the season, but the loss of Frank Lampard to injury hit them hard, and it turned into a very bleak winter, which saw them tumble from dominant pacesetters to distant challengers.  A mighty run-in gave them an unlikely sniff, but a shambolic first half display in the title decider at Old Trafford summed up their season and had Ancelotti heading for his P45.  Didier Drogba didn’t look himself this season, Florent Malouda seems to have lost a yard of his pace and the signing of Fernando Torres in January for 50million will go down as the most expensive flop in transfer history so far.  One goal only for ‘El Nino;’ Liverpool will feel like they’d won the lottery.  Lampard was a thorn when he returned from injury, and Branislav Ivanovic had a very consistent campaign too.  Despite a bumbling game at Old Trafford, David Luiz did look fairly solid and is a good acquisition.  However, the new boss (probably Guus Hiddink) has a lot of work to do in West London and a clearout is necessary, without a doubt.

HIGHS: Beating Manchester United 2-1 in March and deadly early season form with 6-0 onslaughts of Wigan and West Brom.

LOWS: Being beaten twice by Liverpool, failing to turn up in the first half at Old Trafford and the signing of Fernando Torres.

Manchester City                                                                                                                                                                                         

AN FA Cup final victory and guaranteed Champions League football meant it was an excellent season and one to remember for Manchester City.  They are only going to get stronger, so the rest of the opposition better beware.  Highlights this season in results include home victories over Chelsea and Liverpool and impressive demolitions of Aston Villa and West Brom.  The scoring form and consistency of Yaya Toure also has to go down as a major positive.  However, Carlos Tevez seems really unsettled at Eastlands and if he departs, it will be a body blow for City.  Roberto Mancini made some tactical errors this season, notably leaving David Silva and Nigel de Jong out, then crumbling 3-0 at Anfield in April, and he must also have some nightmares about Everton.  He has come up against David Moyes four times, and lost on every single occasion.  Ultimately, the 2-1 loss before Christmas at home was probably the night the fans realised it wasn’t going to be a championship winning season.  Some signings haven’t gelled either.  James Milner has struggled to live up to his price tag, whilst Mario Balotelli has a major attitude problem which needs urgent attention in the summer.  However, it was a campaign of positives more than negatives and I’d expect a major assault at the Premiership title from Mancini’s men next season.

HIGHS: Champions League football guaranteed, Yaya Toure's unlikely scoring form and Emmanuel Adebayor's departure.

LOWS: Carlos Tevez unsettled, negative tactics against the top teams and Roberto Mancini's inability to beat Everton!

Arsenal                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

WELL, it’s the same old story for Arsenal; quality football, the best in the league by a country mile, but no silverware to show for their efforts.  It is now six long years since Gunners fans saw a trophy head back to North London and time is starting to run out for Arsene Wenger.  He has given the young guns enough time, and it is now time to bring in some experienced heads.  Robin Van Persie had an incredible run of goalscoring form in the second half of the season, which might mean now an ultimate replacement for Thierry Henry has finally been found.  Marouane Chamakh had to make do with a place on the bench and must improve next season if he is to fulfil his tag of goal-getter, which he was in France.  The exciting emergence of Jack Wiltshire leaves hope and encouragement for the future, whilst Samir Nasri finally showed his full potential.  However, Arsenal still have big weaknesses.  The signings of Laurent Koscieny and Sebastian Squillaci were disastrous and the goalkeeping area is still a problem.  Manuel Almunia is hopeless; Lukasz Fabianski is far too injury-prone and Szcenzy needs more time to develop before being thrown into the limelight.  Arsenal also has a tendency to throw away advantages.  Silly home losses against Newcastle and West Brom, combined with a 2-0 home lead chucked away in the North London derby and the 4-goal lead squandered at St. James Park in February still show up something that has plagued the Gunners for a while now.  Wenger must deliver a trophy under new ownership next season, or face the consequences of the unthinkable, the sack!

HIGHS: More quality football, the goalscoring form of Robin van Persie and Jack Wilshire's emergence.

LOWS: Failing to win a trophy, AGAIN!

Tottenham Hotspur                                                                                                                                                                                          

TOTTENHAM had a season full of highs, but ultimately, 5^th place will be seen as a disappointment to their fans.  However, this does highlight the sensational progress they have made under Harry Redknapp.  They had a fantastic run to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, but it will only be UEFA Europa League football next campaign.  The Premiership highlight of the season was undoubtedly coming from 2-0 down to beat Arsenal 3-2 at the Emirates in November.  They looked dead and buried at half-time, but came back with one of the greatest Premiership comebacks of all time.  There was an impressive double over Liverpool too for the first time in Premiership history.  However, their form at the end of the season nearly cost them another European adventure.  Dropped points at Wigan and home draws with West Brom and Sunderland ultimately cost them a shot at the top four.  Redknapp has already strengthened for next season, with the capture of dependable Brad Friedel on a free transfer from Aston Villa.  Does this mean the end for the bumbling Hereulho Gomes?  Once again, Gomes produced some stunning performances, together with shots that a three-year old could save in his back garden!  If Gomes was seriously error-prone, Gareth Bale was sensational and deserved to win PFA Player of the Year.  If the Welshman can continue his development next season, we could be looking at Wales’s next biggest talent – now Ryan Giggs has shown his true colours! 

HIGHS: A fantastic Champions League adventure, beating Arsenal at the Emirates and Gareth Bale's sensational form.

LOWS: Hereulho Gomes and failing to reach the top four, due to a lacklustre finish to the campaign.

Liverpool                                                                                                                                                                                                           

AS SOON as the Liverpool fans found out Kenny Dalglish had been turned down for the Liverpool job last summer, Roy Hodgson was a dead man walking.  His transfer business last summer was terrible and ultimately, poor results cost him his job in January.  There is no doubting Hodgson is a quality manager; he was just the wrong man at the wrong time for Liverpool.  There were very painful home defeats in the league to Wolves and Blackpool and pitiful away displays at Manchester City, Stoke and Blackburn.  In fact, Liverpool looked to be in a relegation battle at the turn of the year, so sixth place is some achievement at the end of a tricky campaign.  Kenny Dalglish eventually returned to manage his beloved club, and he guided Liverpool to stunning victories away at Chelsea and at home to both Manchester United and Manchester City.  Dalglish also sold Fernando Torres to Chelsea and not even El Nino’s departure could dampen the spirits.  Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll came in and both look world class already.  If Carroll can stay injury-free, it could be a very fruitful partnership.  Liverpool’s academy looks like blossoming too, with Jay Spearing, Martin Kelly and Jack Robinson all showing signs of a promising future.  Dirk Kuyt had his best season yet and Raul Meireles looks like somewhere near his 2010 World Cup pedigree, which makes up for the dire signings of Christian Poulsen, Joe Cole and Paul Konchesky.  Ultimately, Liverpool missed out on European football and won’t be playing in a continental competition for the first time since 1999.  However, it might be a plus for Dalglish, as he aims to build a new dynasty of young and emerging talent.  A dark campaign in general for Liverpool, which ended with lots of light at the end of the tunnel.

HIGHS: The return of King Kenny, stunning victories over Chelsea and Manchester United and the signing of Luis Suarez.

LOWS: Roy Hodgson's reign in charge at Anfield and being beaten at homes by Blackpool and Wolves.

Everton                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

SEVENTH place was an improvement on last season for Everton, but they will feel it was a season of missed opportunities.  Like Liverpool, the Toffees were embroiled in the relegation scrap for the majority of the season, with the nadir being a 2-0 loss at Bolton on February 13.  That left David Moyes side only two points above the danger zone.  After that, Manchester United and West Brom were the only clubs to beat Everton, with a run of form that would have seen the Blue half of Merseyside challenge for a top four position.  Yet again, there was an impressive double over Manchester City, with their 2-1 win before Christmas at Eastlands one of the performances of the whole season.  Goodison Park was as tough as ever, with Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea all being beaten.  In fact, four points off Liverpool means local pride belongs to Everton this season.  However, Moyes will know that the lack of goals is hurting his side.  Once Tim Cahill disappeared to the Asian Cup in January, there was no regular source for goals.  Jermaine Beckford scored ten in his debut season in the top flight, which was a solid tally, but there needs to be more back-up.  Louis Saha misfired all campaign, and Yakubu became so bad, he was loaned out to Leicester City for the second half of the season.  With no major finance to strengthen the squad again, it could be the same story next season and Moyes will do well to hold onto the likes of Jack Rodwell, Leighton Baines and Mikel Arteta.  However, Maroualine Fellani’s loss of confidence and form will be a worry.  The Belgian has immense talent, but seems stagnated at Goodison Park and maybe a move would be best for both parties.  If Everton make a better start next term, I’d expect them to be right in the European shake-up at the end of the campaign.

HIGHS: Another league double over Manchester City and impressive wins at home to Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea.

LOWS: The lack of goals, no finances to strengthen and Maroualine Fellani's loss of confidence.

Fulham                                                                                                                                                                                                               

THE sudden departure of Mark Hughes after just one season at Craven Cottage spoilt Fulham’s end of season form, which bought their second ever highest league finish, and qualification for the UEFA Europa League via the Fair Play route.  Hughes insists he wants a bigger challenge, but he was developing something good in West London, so his resignation was a real surprise.  However, Mohammed Al-Fayed has moved quickly and by appointing ex-Tottenham and Ajax boss Martin Jol, he has definitely found a very shrewd replacement.  Fulham’s season looked to be in dire straits once Bobby Zamora broke his ankle in their 2-1 win over Wolves in September.  Goals and confidence became a real problems, and after a shock 3-1 loss at home to West Ham on Boxing Day, the Cottagers were in the bottom three.  Zamora’s return to fitness, combined with the consistency of Brede Hangeland, Danny Murphy and Clint Dempsey allowed for a very strong second half of the season.  It was also nice to see Andy Johnson return to fitness and find the net again occasionally, even though Moussa Dembele was a real disappointment.  Jol will have finances to spend and as long as they can hold onto their key players, Fulham certainly have the capability to break into the top seven on a regular basis. 

HIGHS: A strong second half of the season and Brede Hangeland's consistency.

LOWS: Mark Hughes's sudden departure and Bobby Zamora's broken ankle, which ruined the Cottagers season.

Aston Villa                                                                                                                                                                                                         

THERE can be no doubt that this was a messy season for Aston Villa and the summer doesn’t seem to have improved things.  Once Martin O’Neill walked out on Randy Lerner days before the start of the season, Villa were destined for a scrappy campaign and that’s what happened.  In fact, they flirted with relegation more often than not, and only a strong end to the season under Gary McAllister got them into the top half.  Kevin McDonald stepped into the breach after O’Neill left, but a 6-0 slaughtering at Newcastle finished his hopes of getting the job on a permanent basis.  To the fans surprise and dismay, Gerard Houillier returned to Premiership management and despite an opening win under the new regime at Wolves in September, things never improved afterwards.  Gabby Agbonlahor scored one goal all season, Emile Heskey looked as worse as ever and John Carew couldn’t hit a barndoor if his life depended on it, so he was farmed out to Stoke on loan.  The only plus of Houiller’s appointment was the signing of Darren Bent from Sunderland in January.  Yet again, Bent found the net on his debut in the win over Manchester City at Villa Park and couldn’t stop scoring in a Villa jersey.  Eventually, a heart scare forced Houillier out of the role and ultimately, out of the job.  Lerner’s pursuit of a new boss has been poor too.  Rafa Benitez was refused money, Roberto Martinez opted to stay at Wigan and now, a messy situation with Alex McLeish and Birmingham City faces up with the possibility of an autumn court case with the lawyers.  With Ashley Young and Stewart Downing destined to leave, plus a lack of team harmony around the dressing room, a bleak future looks like being the way throughout the Midlands.  This was a totally wasted and shambolic campaign for Aston Villa. 

HIGHS: Darren Bent's signing.

LOWS: The appointment of Gerard Houillier and basically no goals upfront from their strikers (excluding Bent)

Sunderland                                                                                                                                                                                                        

A TOP half finish for Sunderland was a solid result, but it could have been so much better.  For two-thirds of the campaign, Steve Bruce and his players looked capable for a shot at European qualification via the league.  However, a run of one point in 11 games almost cost them their Premier League status and it must have been a relief to Bruce to see the Black Cats recover and win three of their last four games that kept them comfortably afloat.  Beating Newcastle in the league will also satisfy the fans.  They won’t want to be reminded of a terrible day on Tyneside in October, when bitter rivals Newcastle dismantled them 5-1, which was the only black spot on a brilliant first half of the season.  That included a 3-0 demolition of champions Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in November, which for me, is the performance and shock result of the entire campaign.  Asamoah Gyan came in on deadline day in the summer, and bought his World Cup flair to Wearside, whilst the loan signings of Danny Wellbeck and Nedum Onuoha were shrewd pieces of businesses.  Unfortunately, the club were afflicted with players ending up more likely to be on the treatment table, rather than the training ground.  Darren Bent’s departure to Aston Villa in January seriously hurt them, as did Lee Cattermole’s lack of discipline and the unsettled goalkeeping position, with both Craig Gordon and Simon Mignolet lacking a consistent run of games.  Jordan Henderson may have departed for Liverpool, but now Sunderland have money to spend on improving the squad and they could be a dark horse to watch next season.  The potential is there for the Black Cats to deliver something special, so there can be no excuses from Bruce and the board next campaign. 

HIGHS: A 3-0 demolition of champions Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in November.

LOWS: Horrific form from February/April which nearly cost them Premier League status and a 5-1 spanking at Newcastle.

FA Barclays Premiership Report (11th - 13th September 2010)

After the international break, the FA Premier League returned and served up one of the all-time classics on Saturday lunchtime, and an England hopeful seeing his dreams crushed by an unlucky and cruel injury.

Saturday 11^th September: Everton 3-3 Manchester United

For the second time this season, Manchester United threw away a winning advantage in the dying seconds, this time at the hands of Everton, after a masterpiece of a match on Merseyside.  Despite falling behind to a goal from Steven Pienaar, United charged into a 3-1 lead, largely down to clinical defending and a nightmare outing from the dopey Sylvain Distin.  Darren Fletcher levelled the scores before half-time, stealing infront of Distin from close range, before Nemanja Vidic pounced unmarked, then Dimitar Berbatov robbed Distin to continue his rich vein of scoring form.  Entering stoppage time, United were cruising, but got sloppy and conceded injury-time efforts from Tim Cahill’s header and Mikel Arteta’s deflected shot.  It was the first time United chucked away a two-goal lead in ten years in the Premiership and with Wayne Rooney having been pulled out of the match by Sir Alex Ferguson; everyone could talk about the match and not headlines off-the-pitch.

Saturday 11^th September: Newcastle United 0-2 Blackpool

Blackpool leapt into the Champions League positions, after an impressive away win at St. James’s Park against a very disappointing Newcastle United.  It was Newcastle’s first home defeat in sixteen months and their impressive unbeaten record fell as flat as a pancake.  Charlie Adam converted a stoppage time penalty and then deadline day signing DJ Campbell struck home a crispy driven strike in the dying stages on the counter-attack.  Blackpool’s win was dedicated to their youth coach Gary Parkinson, who collapsed with a stroke on Friday night.

Saturday 11^th September: West Ham United 1-3 Chelsea

Chelsea maintained their 100% record and inflicted a fourth successive defeat on West Ham United and Avram Grant.  Two headed goals from Michael Essien set the benchmark for the champions, who rarely were troubled.  Salomon Kalou scored the other goal for the Blues, pouncing on another error from calamity Robert Green in the Hammers goal.  Scott Parker scored a late consolation, before Frederic Piquionne somehow hit the crossbar from one yard out in time added on. 

Saturday 11^th September: Arsenal 4-1 Bolton Wanderers

Arsenal held onto their unbeaten record, with a typical, starring performance, with a bit of help from the referee against Bolton Wanderers.  Laurent Koscieny tapped in after a scrappy build-up, but Johan Elmander took full advantage of a defensive mix-up involving Koscieny and Sebastian Squillaci to draw Bolton level on the stroke of half-time.  Marouane Chamakh had the Gunners back infront early in the second half, before Stuart Attwell sent off Gary Cahill for a late challenge that only merited a yellow card.  Afterwards, Arsene Wenger’s side picked off Wanderers, with Alex Song scoring the 1000^th goal of the Wenger reign before Carlos Vela finished off a picture book 25-pass move with a cool finish eight minutes from time. 

Monday 13^th September: Stoke City 2-1 Aston Villa

Stoke City earned their first points of the season, with a hard-fought and deserved 2-1 success over inconsistent Aston Villa last night.  Despite the tragic death of his mother on Monday morning, Tony Pulis turned up on the dugout at the Britannia Stadium in the second half, and his presence turned the fortunes around for the Potters, who were trailing 1-0 at half-time, due to a Stewart Downing header.  The home side dominated the second half, and won the game with two goals in the last ten minutes, courtesy of a header from Kenwyne Jones, his first goal for his new club, then an injury-time winner from German defender Robert Huth.  Kevin MacDonald was still in caretaker charge of the Villains, with new manager Gerard Houillier absent, as his contract with the FFF (French Football Federation) not expiring until September 26^th. 

Saturday 11^th September: Fulham 2-1 Wolves

Fulham collected their first win of the season, but it came at a cost, with a shocking injury to their star striker Bobby Zamora.  Zamora, who signed a new four-year contract on Friday, laid in agony after an altercation with Karl Henry in the 27^th minute.  Henry’s challenge was excellent, and it was the awkward landing that did the damage for the England striker.  Scans revealed that Zamora suffered a broken leg, with ligament damage also showing up.  He will be out of football for the best part of eight months.  By this stage, Fulham were already behind, when Jelle van Damme arrived unmarked on ten minutes to score for the visitors.  New signing Moussa Dembele turned the game around after the break with two goals, his second coming in the 89^th minute.  Wolves’ day turned bleaker as the match went on, with defender Christophe Berra dismissed for two daft yellow cards.

Saturday 11^th September: West Brom 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur

The 50^th goal of Chris Brunt’s league career was enough for West Brom to earn a deserved draw against Tottenham Hotspur.  Spurs gave debuts to William Gallas and Rafael van der Vaart, and went ahead early on through Luka Modric.  By half-time though, Harry Redknapp’s side were on the backfoot, with Modric leaving the Hawthorns on crutches and Brunt levelling the scores after Spurs failed to clear Marc-Antoine Fortune’s looping cross. 

Sunday 12^th September: Birmingham City 0-0 Liverpool

Liverpool had Pepe Reina to thank for, as they battled to a fortuitous point against a far better Birmingham side at St. Andrews.  The Spanish goalkeeper produced two stunning saves in the first half, to deny Cameron Jerome and Craig Gardner.  Missing Dirk Kuyt through injury and with Fernando Torres still nowhere near his best, Roy Hodgson’s side showed a lack of creativity and will be relieved to escape the Midlands with another point on the board.

Saturday 11^th September: Manchester City 1-1 Blackburn Rovers

Despite their dominance, Manchester City failed to secure the three points against a hard-working Blackburn Rovers at the City of Manchester stadium.  Nikola Kallinic pounced on a dreadful miscommunication between Joe Hart and Kolo Toure to score his second goal of the season, once again from a goalkeeping blunder.  Despite Patrick Vieira rolling back the years with a fine equaliser early in the second half, Roberto Mancini will be frustrated by his team’s failure to convert their opportunities into goals.  This was definitely two points dropped by the multi-millionaires.

Saturday 11^th September: Wigan Athletic 1-1 Sunderland

Asamoah Gyan began repaying the £13million that Sunderland spent on him on deadline day, with the Ghanaian coming off the bench to earn Steve Bruce’s side a share of the spoils at the DW Stadium.  Sunderland were on the backfoot, once Lee Cattermole was sent off for the second time already this season, following two rash tackles inside 27 minutes.  Gyan came on for Danny Wellbeck at half-time and within fifteen minutes, powered the Black Cats ahead from Jordan Henderson’s cross.  They were denied the three points by a late scrambled equaliser from Wigan centre-back Antolin Alcaraz.  

FA Barclays Premiership Report (28th - 29th August 2010)

Three weeks in and it is still very early days in the 2010/11 FA Barclays Premiership.  Here is a round-up of the action from the final weekend in August.

Saturday 28^th August: Blackburn Rovers 1-2 Arsenal

Arsenal had to show a lot of grit and fight to overcome a determined Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park in the Saturday lunchtime kick-off.  Theo Walcott continued his flying start to the new domestic campaign, firing the Gunners ahead on twenty minutes.  Seven minutes later, Mame Diouf levelled the game up with his first goal for the club, since his loan deal went through from Manchester United.  Andrei Arshavin scored the winner midway through the second half, and despite losing Robin van Persie to an ankle injury, Arsene Wenger’s side did well to pass a very stiff test in Lancashire.

Sunday 29^th August: Bolton Wanderers 2-2 Birmingham City

Ten man Bolton Wanderers produced a stirring comeback from two goals down, to rescue a draw with Birmingham City at the Reebok.  Birmingham looked in complete control with an hour gone, ahead inside of three minutes courtesy of a tap-in from centre-back Roger Johnson, his first goal in Birmingham colours.  A moment of madness from Juusi Jaaskelainen which saw the experienced Finnish goalkeeper slap Johnson in the face resulted in a deserved dismissal.  Craig Gardner then bundled home a scrappy second goal, but Owen Coyle’s side are made of sterner stuff nowadays and did exceptionally well to battle on.  Kevin Davies won a lucky penalty and converted it and with fifteen minutes remaining, substitute Robbie Blake hit a wonderful curling free-kick to ensure a share of the spoils.

Saturday 28^th August: Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Wigan Athletic

Tottenham suffered a dreadful European hangover, as Wigan Athletic secured a priceless victory at White Hart Lane, which gave under-fire Roberto Martinez some much-needed confidence to perform at the top level as a manager.  The only goal of the match was scored by Hugo Rodallega with ten minutes remaining, as Tottenham looked sloppy, lacklustre and got what they deserved, which was nothing from the game.

Saturday 28^th August: Blackpool 2-2 Fulham

After a 39-year absence, top-flight football returned to Bloomfield Road and it witnessed a cracking encounter, as Blackpool and Fulham shared a point apiece and four goals.  Fulham, now having drawn their first three games went infront through Bobby Zamora, though a shoulder injury has now ruled Zamora out of England’s first two Euro 2010 qualifiers this week.  A cataclysmic own goal from John Pantsil put the Seasiders on level terms and they went into a deserved lead, through loan signing from Derby County, Luke Varney.  A clinical late equaliser from Nigerian international Dickson Etuhu earnt the Cottagers a draw but Ian Holloway will be delighted with the response by his players, after last week’s drubbing at the Emirates and the League Cup exit in Milton Keynes last Tuesday.

Sunday 29^th August: Aston Villa 1-0 Everton

After a dreadful week on a domestic and international basis, Kevin McDonald’s final caretaker game in charge of Aston Villa ended with a fortuitous win over a wasteful Everton at Villa Park.  The sole strike came after nine minutes, after Ashley Young took advantage of an air shot by Maroualine Fellani to feed in his namesake, Luke Young.  The right-back took his goal with some aplomb, enough to lift Villa into fourth place in the Premiership table and stake McDonald’s chances of getting the vacant position on a full-time basis.  Poor finishing from Everton’s attackers and brilliant goalkeeping from veteran Brad Friedel made it a very frustrating day for David Moyes’s side; the Toffees now only have one point from three matches.

Saturday 28^th August: Manchester United 3-0 West Ham United

After a fruitless summer, Wayne Rooney ended the longest goal scoring drought of his career, by scoring a penalty in Manchester United’s Saturday evening stroll against a West Ham side that seem to get worse with every passing week.  Rooney’s penalty after 33 minutes broke a 13-game drought and set Sir Alex Ferguson’s men on their way, with further goals from Nani and an acrobatic effort by Dimitar Berbatov putting the seal on another impressive performance.  Avram Grant has the big test to steady the ship for the Hammers and it only gets easier for him, Chelsea is next after the international break.

Sunday 29^th August: Liverpool 1-0 West Brom

In nine attempts, West Brom have failed to score a Premiership goal against Liverpool, but their hard-working approach nearly frustrated Roy Hodgson and the Anfield crowd on Sunday afternoon.  Watched on by new signings Paul Konchesky and Raul Meireles, Liverpool lacked the fluidity required, but a first goal since April for Fernando Torres was the difference between the two sides.  James Morrison was sent off in stoppage time for a terrible lunge on Torres.

Saturday 28^th August: Chelsea 2-0 Stoke City

For once, Chelsea didn’t actually win by six clear goals, though they always were in command against a Stoke side, yet to get a point so far this term.  Frank Lampard had a first-half penalty saved comfortably by Thomas Sorensen and then limped off and out of England’s Euro 2012 qualifiers.  However, Florent Malouda and Didier Drogba continued their impressive form, each scoring as the champions remained the only team to remain 100% after the first month.

Sunday 29^th August: Sunderland 1-0 Manchester City

The first blip on the Manchester City radar came on Wearside, where a stoppage time penalty from the reliable Darren Bent sank Roberto Mancini’s multi-millionaires.  Carlos Tevez chalked up an early contender for miss of the season, firing over with a gaping net to aim for in the 10^th minute and after that, City never recovered.  A push on Bent by Micah Richards in the box, led to the England striker’s opportunity, which he dispatched underneath Joe Hart’s body for a massive result for the Black Cats.

Saturday 28^th August: Wolves 1-1 Newcastle United

Both sides were fairly satisfied with the final outcome at Molineux, which saw Wolves and Newcastle dispute a hotly-contested 90 minutes, which ended all-square.  Whilst Karl Henry and Joey Barton seemed to be having their own private duel throughout, the goals were scored by the in-form Sylvain Ebanks-Blake for Wolves and Andy Carroll for Newcastle, a goal in each half.  Wolves remain unbeaten, Newcastle probably the happier of the two sides with the point.

Fabio Picks His Final 30 - Will It Be Enough For The Three Lions?

On Tuesday, Fabio Capello has some tough decisions to make and tricky questions to answer, as he name his 30-man provisional squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals in South Africa.  By June 1^st, he must cut seven more from the list.  Eyebrows were certainly raised by the selection of some, though all the familiar and predicted names made the list.  

The squad in full is:

GK: Joe Hart (Birmingham City), David James (Portsmouth), Robert Green (West Ham United)

DEF: Leighton Baines (Everton), Jamie Carragher (Liverpool), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Michael Dawson (Tottenham Hotspur), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Ledley King (Tottenham Hotspur), John Terry (Chelsea), Matthew Upson (West Ham United), Stephen Warnock (Aston Villa)

MID: Gareth Barry (Manchester City), Michael Carrick (Tottenham Hotspur), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Tom Huddlestone (Tottenham Hotspur), Adam Johnson (Manchester City), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur), Scott Parker (West Ham United), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City), Joe Cole (Chelsea), James Milner (Aston Villa)

ATT: Darren Bent (Sunderland), Peter Crouch (Tottenham Hotspur), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham Hotspur), Emile Heskey (Aston Villa), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

The surprises were the selections of Ledley King and Jamie Carragher.  King’s form of recent for Tottenham has been nothing sort of stunning, but his injury history would suggest taking him in the final 23 would be a massive gamble for Capello.  Carragher has been persuaded out of international retirement, having not played for his country since 2007, but he won’t be guaranteed a first-team place and he quite probably is more likely to be warming the bench more often than not.  Plus, his form for Liverpool has been very patchy this campaign.  This can only suggest that Capello can’t trust Glen Johnson’s defensive naivety, plus the form of disgrace former captain John Terry and Rio Ferdinand’s tendency to break down with injuries.

In the midfield, Fabio has taken another risk, with the selection of Gareth Barry.  An ankle injury suffered in Manchester City’s penultimate Premiership match against Tottenham Hotspur has left the ex-Villa player with a race against time to be fit for the World Cup opener in Rustenberg on June 12^th, against the USA.  Injury keeps Owen Hargreaves and as expected, David Beckham out, whilst Stewart Downing was a shock absentee from the final shortlist.  Instead, Adam Johnson’s gamble on swapping Championship football with Middlesbrough for Manchester City in January, as he has managed to win himself a chance of making the plane.  An out-of-form and out of contract Joe Cole is his rival for the left-midfield place, with Ashley Young another missing out.  Tottenham’s Tom Huddlestone and West Ham’s Scott Parker have been rewarded for their fine campaigns with the chance of going to South Africa, though one, maybe both may miss out on the final cut.

Upfront, Capello looked set to pick Bobby Zamora, after his tremendous season with Fulham.  However, Zamora, who limped through 55 minutes of Fulham’s brave defeat in Wednesday’s UEFA Europa League final, told Capello he would be unable for selection, as he requires minor surgery on an Achilles problem.  With Gabby Agbonlahor fading badly with club form, and Carlton Cole’s fitness problems a gamble too far, it made Capello’s striking dilemma not an issue, with Darren Bent, 2^nd top English goalscorer this season, at Sunderland joining the regulars, Wayne Rooney, Emile Heskey, Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch. 

Who makes the final 23 remains to be seen and Capello must make his final decision whilst on a England training camp in Austria, but he has picked a very strong initial 30-man squad, one of the strongest out of all the major nations.  Staying injury-free and playing well in England’s final friendly on home shores against Mexico in ten days time could provide to be the final piece in the jigsaw for Fabio, as he seeks to end forty-four years of hurt.