FA Barclays Premiership Report (30th April - 1st May)

THE most pivotal weekend in this season’s Premiership saw some crucial results for those at the bottom of the table and a pivotal moment at the top, which give us an unexpected title race to look forward to.  Plus, it was another dodgy weekend for referees and their linesman in the Barclays Premier League.

SIGNIFICANT: Ramsay's winner could change the Premiership destination

     It was by far a classic, but Arsenal’s famous 1-0 win over Manchester United yesterday blows the title race wide open again.  It could turn out to be a significant result in the destination of this season’s Premiership.  There was a clear injustice against Arsenal in the first half, when Nemanja Vidic clearly handballed in the penalty area, denying Robin Van Persie a clear goal scoring opportunity.  Then again, Chris Foy had a dreadful game and missed a penalty shout for United as Michael Owen tumbled under the challenge from Gael Clichy.  It looked a hopeful claim, but replays suggested minimal contact was made and penalties have been given this season for far less.  The only goal came just before the hour mark.  Made by Van Persie, Aaron Ramsay stroked the ball in beautifully into the bottom corner of Edwin Van der Sar’s net.  It is a landmark goal for the Welshman, his first for the Gunners since his horrible broken leg at Stoke in February 2010.

     There would have been loud cheers from Stamford Bridge at Ramsay’s goal and Chelsea’s title ambitions were renewed on Saturday evening in controversial circumstances against Tottenham.  Sandro did power Tottenham into the lead, before the equaliser which started up the rumble of goal-line technology once again.  Frank Lampard’s shot was spilt by calamity Spurs keeper Hereulho Gomes and the ball landed on the line.  Replays were inconclusive, yet the linesman gave the goal, despite not being in any position to give it!  Lampard deserved some fortune after Bloemfontein and the World Cup last summer, but although Gomes proved again that he can’t catch a football, it was staggering to see such a certain decision made.  In the 89^th minute, Salomon Kalou stabbed the ball home from close range, despite looking like in a clear offside position.  Chelsea won 2-1, but got their fair share of fortune for the result.  It is now 21 years since Tottenham last won at Stamford Bridge. 

     The basement battle at the bottom this weekend was the Midlands clash between Birmingham City and Wolves.  A scrappy 1-1 draw edges Birmingham closer to safety, but Wolves remain in the bottom three.  It started well for the visitors, as Steven Fletcher struck from the penalty spot in the 7^th minute.  However, Wolves conceded another terrible goal, as Sebastian Larsson gobbled up a chance, gifted as an early Bank Holiday present by Michael Mancienne.  Craig Gardner was dismissed in a dramatic first half by referee Kevin Friend.  The Birmingham midfielder got a second yellow card for simulation and ultimately, it was the right decision.  However, Wolves couldn’t make the extra man advantage count.  Still propping up the table is West Ham, following a spirited 2-1 defeat at Manchester City.  The Hammers looked brittle in the first 15 minutes and looked like they might capitulate at Eastlands.  They went 2-0 down, courtesy of a powerful strike from Nigel de Jong (his first goal in over 100 City matches) and Pablo Zabaleta.  At this stage, the home side took their foot off the gas pedal and Demba Ba capitalized on slack defending to produce a good finish and make a game of it.  However, City held on and the Champions League edges ever closer for Roberto Mancini.

     City’s closest challengers are now Liverpool, although the Reds are seven points behind and have played a game more.  They sit in England’s final Europa League spot after cruising to a 3-0 success over Newcastle United.  Maxi Rodriguez opened the scoring, via a cruel deflection off Danny Simpson in the ninth minute.  Dirk Kuyt continued his rich vein of scoring form, scoring a penalty after Mike Williamson dumped Luis Suarez to the ground.  Sizzling Suarez bagged the third with 25 minutes to go and the good times seem to be back at Anfield.  Only Chelsea and Manchester United have gathered more points than Liverpool since Kenny Dalglish took over in January.

DECISIVE: Martin Olsson celebrates his pivotal winner for Blackburn

     There was plenty of pride and passion from Wigan at the weekend, but they only picked up a 1-1 draw against Everton, on a weekend when they probably needed the three points.  Charles N’Zogbia smashed Wigan into a first half lead, but Mikel Arteta dragged Everton level after a stupid handball from Hugo Rodallega in the penalty box.  Ali Al-Habsi saved an Arteta penalty in the first half, so the result could have been even worse for Wigan.  At Ewood Park, Bolton’s poor away form continued, allowing Blackburn to record a 1-0 win and their first maximum three points in the league since January 22.  Martin Olsson scored the decisive goal in the first half, which eases some of the pressure on Steve Kean.  The first ever 0-0 draw in the Premiership at Bloomfield Road happened on Saturday.  There was little to report from the Blackpool v Stoke game, as both teams attacking was poor and defences ended up well on top.

     In the academic matches, West Brom beat Aston Villa 2-1 to record their first win against the Villains in the league since 1985, when ‘Easy Lover’ by Phil Collins was no.1 in the music charts!  Yusuf Mulumbu wrapped up the victory for Albion, despite Paul Scharner seeing red for a rugby tackle on Villa captain Stilian Petrov.  Meanwhile, Gary McAllister is still in charge of Villa, as Gerard Houillier continues his recovery at home, having now been released from hospital.  Lastly, goals from Gael Kakuta and two from Simon Davies pushed Fulham to a 3-0 win at Sunderland, who always looked like enduring a tough afternoon at home, with no first-choice recognised striker fit to play.

Next Sunday, all eyes are on the title showdown: Manchester United v Chelsea!  BRING IT ON!

FA Barclays Premiership Report (5th - 6th March)

IT WAS another captivating weekend of Premiership football, which saw more form from the teams battling to beat the drop and the top sides misfiring.  Goals and talking points aplenty on another weekend of pure theatre, as this campaign is becoming one of the best ever to have graced the Premiership’s 19-year history.

HAT-TRICK HERO: Kuyt grabbed three tap-ins in sweet victory

     The most anticipated game of the weekend was at Anfield, where Dirk Kuyt hit his first ever treble for Liverpool in a highly impressive 3-1 success over leaders Manchester United on Sunday.  Kuyt’s hat-trick were all simple tap-ins, and he was helped by the enigmatic Luis Suarez, who produced a magical piece of play to take out three United players in setting up Kuyt’s first goal.  Five minutes later, he header in from close range after a wayward header from Nani.  His third was courtesy of a Suarez free-kick which was spilt by Edwin Van Der Sar.  Even £35million man Andy Carroll made a late cameo, for his Anfield debut after injury.  It was almost the perfect day for Liverpool and surely Kenny Dalglish’s appointment on a full-time basis is now only a formality.  Even Javier Hernandez’s stoppage header consolation couldn’t take the gloss off a marvellous day for Liverpool.  As their revival continued, tempers flared at times in a boiling match.  A horrible tackle from Jamie Carragher saw Nani stretchered off before half-time and seconds later, a poor challenge from Rafael on Lucas got him booked and led to a serious confrontation between the players.  This was a real off-day for United, who refused to speak to Sky Sports, BBC, MUTV or TalkSport afterwards and they have now lost three of their last five games.

     Kuyt’s hat-trick blew the title race wide open, but Arsenal failed to take their opportunity on Saturday, as the Gunners were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by Sunderland.  Arsene Wenger felt justice wasn’t done on two dodgy decisions, with Andrei Arshavin unfortunate on both occasions.  First, the Russian was pushed to the ground in the penalty area by Titus Bramble, which should have been a penalty.  Later, Arshavin was denied a perfectly good goal, when he was wrongly ruled offside.  Nevertheless, Simon Mignolet produced an outstanding goalkeeping display for the visitors and Steve Bruce’s side thoroughly deserved their draw.

     Chelsea’s latest mini revival continued last night, as they recorded an impressive 3-1 win at Blackpool, to leave Ian Holloway’s men only two points clear of the drop zone.  John Terry powered the Blues infront on 15 minutes and two quickfire goals in the second half from Frank Lampard had Chelsea coasting along to another three points.  Carlo Ancelotti insists that the title is gone, but only nine points behind with a game in hand, it is completely over quite yet.  Jason Puncheon scored a consolation for Blackpool, but with only one win in nine games, the Tangerines are looking nervously above the trapdoor.

HAUNTED: Duff came back to continue Rovers slide down the league

     So too are Blackburn Rovers, after another loss; 3-2 at Fulham.  Steve Kean has now seen his team lose five of their six matches as Rovers perilous slide down the table.  Damien Duff haunted his old side with two goals, but it was Mark Clattenburg who made the headlines once again, for the wrong reasons.   With the scoreline at 2-2 in the 88^th minute, Clattenburg denied Andy Johnson a blatant penalty after Grant Hanley tripped him.  Seconds later and probably feeling guilty, he awarded Fulham a spot kick for a gentle tug by Hanley on Aaron Hughes.  If these were given every game, we’d be looking at rugby scores every weekend.  Bobby Zamora converted the penalty in his first Premiership match since September and the drama didn’t end there at Craven Cottage.  Gael Givet ran onto the pitch at full-time, angrily remonstrated with Clattenburg and got sent off.  Clattenburg had a stinker and after the Wayne Rooney elbow scandal last Saturday, his abilities as a top flight referee must be questioned.  He can do the job, he’s proven that before, but a few lower profile matches in the Football League wouldn’t go amiss to take him out of the firing line.

     Birmingham City got brought back to reality after their sensational Carling Cup success on Saturday lunchtime.  In a crunch relegation clash, Birmingham looked second best throughout their Midlands derby with West Brom and ultimately lost 3-1 at St. Andrews.  Goals in the second half from Yusuf Mulumbu, James Morrison with a great strike and a Paul Scharner headed moved Albion clear of the drop zone.  Although Jean Beausejour brought the home side level soon after Mulumbu’s opener, Birmingham got what they deserved and slip into the bottom three.

     They replace West Ham United, as they continue their impressive run of form.  Avram Grant’s side comfortably overcame Stoke City 3-0 at Upton Park in a dress rehearsal for their FA Cup quarter-final this weekend.  A nightmare piece of goalkeeping from Asmir Begovic allowed Demba Ba in for a tap-in and a Manuel Da Costa header shortly afterwards doubled the lead.  Thomas Hitzlsperger’s 82^nd minute bullet shot wrapped the match up and nearly burst the net as a result.  Stoke shouldn’t be in any relegation danger, but need to stop the rot on the road, as they recorded their sixth successive away defeat.

HORROR: Al-Habsi, after his gaffe cost Wigan a result

     Begovic didn’t make the worst goalkeeping cock-up of the weekend.  That went to Ali Al-Habsi, who produced a goalkeeping calamity that is bound to appear on every Christmas blooper DVD for years to come.  The Wigan goalkeeper allowed David Silva’s tame strike through his grasp at his near post and it consigned Wigan to a 1-0 loss at Manchester City.  Roberto Martinez will be pleased with the performance, but once again, no points, which leaves Wigan closer to slipping out of the Premier League.

     The game of the weekend came at Molineux as Wolves and Tottenham played out a wonderful match, drawing 3-3 at Molineux.  It was a moving and fitting tribute to the late Dean Richards, who represented both clubs.  A minute’s applause was held at the start of the match, in honour of the charismatic defender, who died last week after a long illness.  Wolves led on seven minutes, when Kevin Doyle got infront of Hereulho Gomes to head home Nenad Mijias cross.  Jermain Defoe single-handily turned the game on its head with two superb strikes in quick succession, taking his Premiership all-time total to 99 on his 300^th Premier League appearance.  Doyle doubled up from the penalty spot after Mijias was pulled back by Alan Hutton.  Despite being the last defender, Hutton was only booked, which was a staggering decision by anyone’s standards.  Spurs grabbed the lead back, courtesy of a Roman Pavyluchenko pile driver two minutes into the second half, but Wolves deserved their point and earnt it in the 87^th minute.  Steven Fletcher met Matt Jarvis cross and the Scottish international powered a header out of Gomes’s reach.  Richard Stearman was also denied a legitimate goal, whilst Defoe hit the post for the visitors.  The game was breathtaking to watch.

     To conclude the weekend, Bolton Wanderers strengthened their quest for European football, with a 3-2 win over Aston Villa.  Gary Cahill scored twice against his former club and Ivan Klasnic won the match in the 87^th minute for the home side, despite being dominated by Villa for large periods.  Everton virtually secured their Premier League status for another campaign, as they beat Newcastle 2-1 at St. James Park.  Mikel Arteta was the star of the show, setting up the goals for Leon Osman and Phil Jagielka (his first in three years) to see the Toffees bounce back from their dreadful FA Cup exit at the hands of Reading in midweek.

     As the finishing line approaches closer, the entertainment seems to get even better.  Maybe it is more than a two-horse race in the title battle and as for relegation, more than half the league is engulfed in fighting to beat the drop.  I think everyone will be glad for a week off, as the FA Cup retakes centre stage this weekend.

FA Barclays Premiership Round-up (1st - 2nd February)

MORE engrossing action took place in midweek from the Barclays Premiership, as the competition settled back into some form of continuity, following the craziness of deadline day on Monday.  Here is a quick round-up;

POWER: Wayne Rooney looked back to his best in midweek

Manchester United maintained their unbeaten record, as they recorded a 3-1 win over Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Tuesday night.  It took the pacesetters just 49 seconds to score the opener, as Wayne Rooney smashed home his first home goal since August.  United doubled their lead on the stroke of half-time when Rooney tucked in his second goal; his first brace since March 2010.  A typical Darren Bent goal bought Gerard Houiller’s side briefly bought Villa back into it, but their hope only lasted five minutes, as Nemanja Vidic killed the game off with a finish that Rooney would have been proud of.  Had it not been for Brad Friedel, the scorelines could have been even more emphatic.

Arsenal came from behind against Everton to win 2-1 at the Emirates and keep their title hopes alive.  On a controversial night, which ended with David Moyes accusing Cesc Fabregas of meeting the referee in the half-time interval, the Gunners showed real character to overcome a gritty Everton unit.  Louis Saha’s recent revival continued as he fortuitously put the Toffees infront midway through the first half.  He was in an offside position, when he latched onto Seamus Coleman’s pass.  Arsenal got on terms with twenty minutes to spare.  Fabregas’s clipped ball flicked off Jack Rodwell and was vaulted in by the woefully out-of-form Andrei Arshavin.  Four minutes later, an unmarked Laurent Koscieny met Robin Van Persie’s corner to head home his first Premiership goal and consign Everton to another defeat.  They now haven’t won at Arsenal since January 1996.

Chelsea are beginning to return to their best after their winter wobble, highlighted by an excellent 4-2 win at Sunderland.  The Black Cats were ahead inside of four minutes, as Phil Bardsley ghosted past an invincible John Obi Mikel and left Petr Cech with no chance.  The left-back second goal in a month was cancelled out by a Frank Lampard penalty and Salomon Kalou’s first goal in the league since November.  A third goal in two games for Kieran Richardson has the game tied at 2-2 with just 25 minutes gone.  It was all Chelsea though after the interval and they gradually pulled away from their opponents.  Craig Gordon produced a brilliant save to deny Lampard, but the Scottish international could do nothing about the follow-up from John Terry on the hour mark.  In time added on, the impressive Nicolas Anelka put the seal on a fantastic away performance, to move Chelsea to within two points of third placed Manchester City.

City dropped more points, this time away to Carling Cup finalists Birmingham City.  The home side were behind early on, when top scorer Carlos Tevez scrambled home an opener, which Ben Foster probably could have done better dealing with.  Nikola Zigic turned home from close range for Birmingham midway through the first half, only for a beautifully flighted free-kick from Aleksandar Kolarov to restore the visitors lead.  Birmingham have only won one of their last eight Premiership matches, but showed great character and deserved their point.  Kevin Phillips was pushed over in the penalty area by Patrick Vieira, allowing Craig Gardner to smash home the penalty and earn a share of the spoils in a 2-2 draw.

DREAM: Luis Suarez is off and running at Anfield

Liverpool began life after Fernando Torres with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Stoke City at Anfield, their third successive league win.  After a frustrating first half, it took Liverpool less than two minutes into the restart to grab the lead.  Steven Gerrard’s free-kick was deflected into the path of Raul Meireles, who scored his third goal in four matches, finally starting to justify his massive price tag.  The moment Liverpool fans wanted came with 11 minutes to go, as Luis Suarez scored his first goal for the club, having come off the bench.  He rounded Asmir Begovic and after scuffing his shot horribly, it needed help from Andy Wilkinson to cross the line.  He will score prettier goals, but at least the Uruguayan is off and running as the Reds new No.7.

DEBUT: It was a dream start to Robbie Keane's new life at West Ham

At the bottom of the table, West Ham United moved off the foot of the table, courtesy of a 3-1 win at Bloomfield Road over Blackpool.  Robbie Keane scored on his debut for the Hammers and could turn out to be a very valuable signing for Avram Grant.  Wolves replace West Ham at the bottom, after suffering another morale-crushing loss, this time 1-0 at Bolton.  The winner came in the 90^th minute, from another deadline day signing, Daniel Sturridge; acquired from Chelsea on loan until the end of the campaign.  An entertaining 2-2 draw on Tuesday night did little to help West Brom or Wigan Athletic in their quest to move out of the danger zone, but one club going in the right direction is Fulham.  Damien Duff scored the solitary goal of a tight and dire match at Craven Cottage on Wednesday evening to beat his former employers, Newcastle United.  To round-off the midweek action, Tottenham earnt their first win since New Year’s Day.  Peter Crouch’s fine first half header was good enough to beat Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park. 

More weekend matches on the way, including Chelsea v Liverpool, West Ham v Birmingham and Newcastle United v Arsenal.  However, can anyone stop Manchester United?  On current form, it’s a tough ask.

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.

Germany 4-1 England: Sorry England Humiliated In Bloemfontein

England’s players looked dejected at full-time, and no wonder, after a pitiful and abject display in Bloemfontein on Sunday, that pretty much summed up their World Cup campaign.  Forgettable!

Fabio Capello’s team weren’t the Three Lions; they looked like eleven Lambs to the slaughter, as they were thrashed by Germany.  The scoreline ended 4-1, and quite frankly could have been a whole lot more, had it not be for some smart stops from goalkeeper David James.  Although England had a perfectly good goal ruled out, when Frank Lampard’s delicate chip bounced over the line, but was remarkably missed by the clueless Uruguayan match officials, there could be no doubt which side deserved to go through.

Capello didn’t make any changes from the side that worked hard to beat Slovenia in Port Elizabeth last Wednesday.  Consequently, he resisted the urge to bring Ledley King back, ahead of schedule and stuck with Matthew Upson.  Twenty minutes in, he might well have been regretting yet another tactical error.  A long goal-kick by Manuel Neuer went a full 80 yards.  John Terry mistimed his jump and Upson was caught ball-watching.  In a flash, the prolific Miroslav Klose stole through and beat the despairing James to cap a fine return from suspension.  For England, it was a shambolic goal to concede, the sort of goal you concede on a Sunday League pitch, not a World Cup second-round match.  Eleven minutes later, the defence once again was exposed, by a neat German move which involved Klose and the energetic Thomas Muller.  As Glen Johnson went to close Muller down, Upson was miles away from the action, and that allowed Lukas Podolski the freedom of Bloemfontein.  Despite a poor first touch, he still managed to squeeze the ball inside James’s near post to make it 2-0 and leave England in big trouble.

Within of six crazy minutes though, England could have been level, if not for a sharp turn of fortunes.  First, the Germans fell asleep on a short corner, and Steven Gerrard curled a delightful cross, Upson rose furthest and beat Neuer to the ball, nestling in the bottom of the net.  It was Upson’s second international goal for England and ironically, the first one had come against the Germans in a friendly win in Berlin back in November 2008.  Less than ninety seconds later, Jermain Defoe’s sharp turn had the defence on the backfoot again.  The ball approached Lampard, who hit a delicious lob, which beat the unconvincing Neuer and bounced miles across the line.  England fans went wild; Capello punched the air in delight, Lampard wheeled away in celebration.  It was now 2-2, or was it?  Amazingly, everyone in the stadium, on TV saw it cross the line, yet it wasn’t given.  The match officials had not seen it.  Television replays confirmed the blundering miss by the officials.  Once again, the rejection of goal-line technology earlier in the year had come back to haunt FIFA on the global stage.  I personally hope Sepp Blatter; the President of FIFA was squirming in his seat, wondering where he goes from here, if he doesn’t introduce the technology that football badly craves for.

After an absorbing end to the first half, surely England would carry on their momentum into the restart.  Well, they did briefly, with Lampard coming close again, a free-kick beating Neuer, but shaving off the crossbar.  With twenty-five minutes remaining and Joe Cole brought into the attack, England were throwing the dice, but once more, their hopeless defending was exposed by the deadly German counter-attack.  Gareth Barry was robbed with possession and away came Joachim Low’s team again, with the outstanding Meszut Ozil and Bastian Schweinsteiger pulling all the strings.  This time, the ball landed at Muller’s feet and the 20-year old lashed a powerful drive past James, which killed the game off.

Moments later, Glen Johnson was carelessly caught out and Ozil outstripped him for brutal pace, squaring the ball past James, allowing Muller to tuck away his second in quick succession.  To cap off Capello’s miserable day, at 4-1 down, he took off goal threat Defoe, for the dopey Emile Heskey.  To be honest, it summed up England’s game, England’s tournament, England’s nightmare.  Germany eased through the last twenty minutes, and now can prepare their youngsters for a tasty quarter-final on Saturday with Maradona’s Argentina in Cape Town.

For England’s flops, it was an early flight home.  For the players, it was the chance to feel that they blown it yet again!  They went to South Africa with high hopes, but instead performed like a bunch of clueless highly-paid superstars, putting in the country’s worst performance at the World Cup for sixty years. 

Wayne Rooney looked unfit, lacked fitness and match practice.  He looked more likely to be sent off, than score in South Africa.  Gerrard lacked the dynamic passion as a leader, surprising considering his Liverpool glory as their inspirational leader.  Lampard rarely featured, Heskey was just the bumbling clown everyone predicted, Rob Green needs to learn how to catch and hold onto a ball and even the usually energetic and buzzing Ashley Cole was at least a yard short.  Capello must wait another two weeks, before learning whether he will be leading England into qualification for Euro 2012.  This has been another tournament full of hope and expectation, but once more, delivered the usual failings and disasters you would associate with our national team.  England’s worst ever World Cup defeat and dire South African performance must leave for some serious scratching of heads in the coming months.    

Bleakley Departs For ITV - Where's The Loyalty?

Last night, ITV announced that they had poached the services of the popular One Show host, Christine Bleakley.  The deal is rumoured to see Bleakley earning £1.5million a year in her new role, which will see her partnered again with old co-host of The One Show, Adrian Chiles on the new ITV breakfast show, which will begin this September.

Christine has been at the centre of a major bidding war for weeks now, between the two major UK broadcasters and part of the deal will not only see her be part of the new breakfast programme, replacing GMTV this summer, but other prime-time projects, including new entertainment and lifestyle shows.  Bleakley, also being well-known for the high-profile girlfriend of prolific Chelsea and England footballer Frank Lampard, was only earning £100,000 a year with the BBC, which wonders how much she had sold out for?  The BBC did offer her a new, much more improved deal, but it seems like that money and the close bond with Chiles seems to be more important than loyalty and trust in her case.

When Adrian Chiles quit the BBC two months ago, largely to replace Steve Rider as the new figurehead of ITV’s football coverage, their plans were to remodel the One Show firmly around Bleakley – whose contract with the Beeb expired this September.  Popular breakfast presenter Chris Evans and comedian Jason Mannford had been signed up to co-host the show, alongside the Northern Ireland golden girl.  They had given Bleakley a new £450,000 a year deal, and a week to mull over the future.  With no contact from Christine, the BBC felt there was little option but to withdraw their very tempting and more secure offer.

The departure of Bleakley follows Chiles out of the BBC door, and with Jonathan Ross also leaving the corporation when his contract ends next month, leaves the nation’s favourite TV channel facing a bit of a shortfall in presenting talent.  The BBC insist that they have made the right decision, by not entering into a bidding war with their main rivals, for a presenter’s services.  I believe that they have made the right decision.  After all, no presenter is more important than the service of the BBC to the British public.

The Bleakley/Chiles combination is no doubt going to be a winning one, and will pull more audiences into ITV at breakfast time, which has suffered from the stale progress of the award-winning GMTV in recent times.  However, the massive money deal that it is giving Christine suggests that they are putting a lot of faith into her abilities, and there is no guarantee that it will definitely work out.  This is a massive gamble for her career and for ITV as a whole, as it will be seen as an expensive flop should things not work out.  Although ITV have won this battle, I think the BBC has made a shrewd move and time will move on with new presenters and new talent, to replace Bleakley and Chiles on The One Show. 

Some must question though, how important is loyalty?  

FA Cup Final Review - Cool Chelsea Land Historic Double

On a pitch that would have been more suited for rallycross yesterday, John Terry and Frank Lampard held the FA Cup aloft, as Chelsea maintained their grip on the trophy, in a one-sided final at Wembley.  Carlo Ancelotti’s men overcame a brave, if limited Portsmouth side 1-0, to add the FA Cup to their Premiership title success seven days ago.  With it, he becomes the first Blues coach to land the double, even managing to achieve something that managed to elude the ‘Special One,’ Jose Mourinho.  Well, now Ancelotti can have his own claims to that particular mantle.

Chelsea were firmly in command from the outset yesterday, and had it not been for a bit of luck, plus coming up against an in-form David James, could have turned the final into a routine Sunday training exercise.  No less than FIVE TIMES did they hit the woodwork in the first half.  Frank Lampard and John Terry were both thwarted, whilst Didier Drogba has a free-kick wonderfully turned onto the bar by the inspired James.  Later in the exchanges, Drogba smacked the post again, then kicked at it in frustration, was this to be their day?  It was made all the more galling by Salomon Kalou’s shambolic miss from 3 yards out.  Ashley Cole set the chance up on a plate, but the unpredictable Kalou somehow smacked the crossbar with a gaping goal, a chance that to be honest, Stevie Wonder could have scored! 

However, Avram Grant’s spirited Pompey side didn’t give in, and had it not been for inspired Cech reactions, denying Frederic Piquionne from close range, his side might have had an unlikely lead.  Ten minutes into the second half, they squandered a golden opportunity to inherit the lead.  Steve Finnan’s strong work down the right-hand side, fed through Aruna Dindane, who bamboozled and forced a careless lunge out of Chelsea departure-bound Juliano Belletti.  Five weeks ago, Kevin-Prince Boateng has slotted away the decisive spot kick in the semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur, but this time, the Ghanaian (responsible for ending Michael Ballack’s game in the first half), scuffed his kick horribly.  Cech saved the poor penalty with his feet, and with it, went Pompey’s glory moment.  Less than three minutes later, they were behind.

Papa Boupa Diop tripped Nicholas Anelka on the edge of the box, and Drogba, always deadly from set-pieces produced another moment of magic.  His free-kick beat the disorganised Portsmouth wall, and just grasped out of James’s reach, striking the post.  This time though, his accuracy was spot-on, as it struck the post and bounced in.  The Ivorian was celebrating his seventh goal in an English cup final, and gave the Stamford Bridge the deserved edge.  In the late stages, Michael Brown’s silly lunge on Lampard earned another penalty, but for once, Lampard cracked under the pressure and sent his kick wide, James not even been forced to save the kick.  Lampard became the first player to actually miss a spot kick in the Wembley showpiece and it’s the first time in FA Cup Final history that two penalties haven’t been converted in normal time.

However, that couldn’t take the edge off Chelsea’s success, as their players celebrated for the second time in six days.  They are the dominant force again in England and the question is, can they turn this into a sustained period of success….with one of two new acquisitions in the summer, there is a good chance of this happening.  For Portsmouth, it’s the end of the FA Cup fairytale and the squad will break-up for pastures new, as will Grant, who despite his love and incredible affection with the passionate South Coast fans, looks set to take over the vacant West Ham United job.  With the Fratton Park side still in administration, their future looks very bleak.  For Chelsea, their future looks far more bright and promising.