Anti Halsey comments unacceptable

It has been reported on the BBC website that Mark Halsey has made a complaint to the police. It comes as he received comments linked to suffering from cancer via twitter. Some have referred to him dying of cancer. Frankly I find this extremely disgusting. Whilst we may not agree with decisions a referee makes during the game, it doesn't mean that anyone can make sick comments about cancer. Talk about the game yes and I'm sure many referees will accept the stick that they get from the games from bad decisions. 

Cancer is not a pleasant illness, for those who suffer or the families that have to cope with it and therefore to go onto a social forum and aim bile at someone who may or may not have made the right decision is completely unacceptable. Many of us have often slated the ref making a poor decision, it's all part of the job. None of us fans who are decent would have even thought about using personal insults or things relating to an illness.

Whilst I always been a person who believes in freedom of speech, even this cannot be acceptable for such a line. I hope those who have resorted to such pathetic behaviour will face the consequences for such behaviour. These fans are not reflective of the whole fans of Liverpool FC and hope that the majority of fans will condemn the actions of yet another minority of morons taking one step too far.

Hillsborough - The Truth At Last

I'm sure all of those who were around that fateful day will remember what they were doing. That Saturday afternoon on April 15th 1989. It was FA Cup Semi Final Day, one of the big days on the domestic football calendar. It should have been two sets of fans enjoying a fantastic day out watching Liverpool play Nottingham Forest for a place in Wembley. Sadly that day would be remembered for all the wrong reasons. It was the day 95 innocent football fans died. It would later become 96. It should have been a day when one set of fans would be celebrating a big day out in London but the game would be irrelevant as fans did their best to help fellow supporters to escape the crushing that had taken place in the Leppings Lane end. 

That day would not be deemed as a tragic disaster, it would be the start of a long fight to get names cleared, reputations cleared and ultimately the truth. The truth that would be denied for 23 years. As a Liverpool fan, it was wanting to see the truth of what had happened, wanting to see the families of the victims get the justice that they so deserved, their brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, nieces and nephews etc. These individuals who had just wanted to enjoy the club that they loved so much. For 23 years they would be seen as victims from drunken disgraceful Liverpool fans without tickets.

The reality of it was that the emergency services failed to act, they ignored pleas for help, pushed away as though their concerns didn't matter. Had the police reacted differently instead of seeing it as crowd trouble, many more lives could have been saved. It was not just the emergency services who should have been answering questions. The local council and the Football Association should have never allowed this stadium host this match let alone try and give Liverpool FC, which would have had a bigger fan base, the smaller end than the Forest end which had space.

It was not just the emergency services that Liverpool FC and it's fans were battling against. It was the media and certain newspapers that opted to jump on the bandwagon. To deflect the blame onto the fans would no doubt be easy pickings.  There had been trouble at Euro 88 the year before, so I imagine what better way than to focus the blame on the fans. This is just my opinion but during the 80's it was not the best time for English football abroad. Decent football fans of English clubs had already suffered once and didn't need to suffer again.

The police it would seem were more interested in pinning the blame elsewhere, questions regarding drinking being the notable ones aimed at those who had died. The disgusting thing being that many of the fans were youngsters and just out to support their team. That didn't stop there as the police would falsify accounts and move the real problem away from themselves.

Of course the police are not the only ones to blame. The Football Association and the local council and it would seem Sheffield Wednesday, must take their fair share. It would seem that Hillsborough was a ticking time bomb waiting to go off. As far back as 1981 in an FA Cup Semi Final featuring Tottenham and Wolves, there were incidents. Recommendations were made and because of the cost, they were not implemented. Had they been in place, the Hillsborough Disaster would more than likely never have happened.

On a personal note as a Liverpool fan, I have found myself at times having to defend Liverpool supporters who on that day did more to help than anything. Defending the fact that the 96 didn't deserve to die, that the families of the 96 didn't need to be fighting for the truth when it could have come out. I may have not been directly affected, but as so many untruths were out there the reality had to be shared even if people wanted to ignore it. Now myself and other Liverpool fans and indeed many fans of other clubs who have wanted to see justice will also not have to defend the facts to those who swallowed the untruths.

To those families and groups that pushed and pushed, we salute you. Your determination to get the truth is admirable. You didn't want anything but the truth and finally it is here. Your journey is almost over. Only once people have been brought to justice it is when you can truly relax.

 You'll Never Walk Alone

Justice For the 96

Transfer deadline day - The fall out

It would sometimes seem that whatever you do in the summer, it counts for nothing unless you find that last minute transfer on transfer deadline day. Some Arsenal fans maybe thinking why didnt they sign anyone..well I think Podolski and Giroud do count for something. Wenger was involved during deadline day as Bendtner got a loan deal to Juventus. I wonder how long before he permanently leaves Arsenal.  The Dane was one of a few players to leave Arsenal on loan.

Man City players could feel reasonably happy after transfer deadline day, Javi Garcia, Maicon, Nastasic, Scott Sinclair and Richard Wright....Yes Richard Wright, the former England goalkeeper. Now they'll have to do a bit of commercial selling to get the income and stay inside the Financial Fairplay rules if they dont want to find themselves kicked out the Champions League in seasons to come.

The biggest fall out no doubt came at Liverpool, on the evening before Andy Carroll was allowed to go on loan to West Ham, a deal that had previously been seemingly shot down. Rodgers did attempt to bring in players but it was not to be. The club did allow players to leave either permanently or on loan and it led to the cut in the wage bill. The Clint Dempsey saga came to an end as the USA international made his way to Spurs for £6 million. Despite the signing by Spurs, Fulham still seem intent on taking forward a complaint for Liverpool's pursuit of Dempsey. The club believe that Liverpool did wrong. It will be interesting to see how this one plays out, but seeing as nothing came from it, I'd hardly see what value they get from it.

Spurs of course were busy themselves. They not only acquired Dempsey but French No1 goalkeeper Hugo Lloris who joined for £12 million. Day's after the arrival of the Frenchman Andre Villas-Boas stated that the new arrival would not be guaranteed first team football and I assume that he would have to battle with Freidel, Cudicini and Gomez. Naturally it would appear Lloris would not be impressed, but we do see that this is Andre Villas Boas and he seems to have previous at upsetting players. Giving that Lloris has only been here a few days, this could quite end up being a record.

Andy Carroll who made his debut on the Saturday pulled his hamstring and it would seem that he will be out for 6 weeks. Just to be honest what West Ham didnt want after taking a risk in him.

Liverpool crash, United owned, Toon time

So with two new managers at the helm, one of which was facing his old club. It was Steve Clarke v Br...I mean West Brom v Liverpool. A game that would see a fresh new start. One which had seen Liverpool have good performances in pre season especially with many reserve players and youngsters. Naturally, West Brom were not going to lay down and let Liverpool play. They took it to Liverpool and took a 3-0 victory. Had Suarez been on form, it may have been a different story, but West Brom took their chances and took all three points. Liverpool have never really been great on opening day of the new season and so this adds to the book. Liverpool do tend to bounce back and this coming weekend the red half of Merseyside hosts the blue half of Manchester. These tend to produce good games and hope more of the same this Saturday with preferably 3 points to Liverpool.

The blue half of Merseyside had a more positive start to the season with a home win against Man United with the recently signed Robin Van Persie. Everton were all over United, so much in fact that had the previously criticised De Gea kept  it to just the one goal. Fellaini was on form and ran the United ragged. The defeat must have really got to Sir Alex Ferguson as he poured out the insults and the standard bad loser lines.He said Everton just lumped the ball forward and that they were the better football team. 

Some may have thought Everton maybe lacking having seen Rodwell and Cahill depart, but far from it. The Toffees looked like they hadnt finished the 4-4 draw which cost United the title last season.  Everton finished 7th last season and if they play like they did against United, they could well push that further. 

Newcastle United had the opening game against Tottenham on the Saturday tea time kick off. Both Spurs and Newcastle wanted to get off to good starts and when Demba struck for the first time in ages, it looked like that the home side would take all three points. Spurs though moved up a gear and eventually found an equaliser through Jermain Defoe and then it looked like it would be points shared but Aaron Lennon's foul on Ben Arfa saw a penalty awarded and converted by Ben Arfa. Both sides will no doubt be up there this season and if Ba has found his shooting boots again, it could well be Newcastle United's time for the Champions League.

Van Persie - Arsene's genius or not

So the Robin Van Persie transfer saga is over before the season started and his destination will probably leave a bitter taste in the club's supporters that have stayed by him through thick and thin. Van Persie is moving to Manchester United. Short of joining former Arsenal colleagues at City, the Dutchman has probably made himself unpopular whilst the rest of the Premier League fans either frown at such a move or laugh at the expense of Arsenal.

Wenger's hands were tied to a point. Did he sell him now or did he wait and let him go for free. With Van Persie edging closer to 30 it was possible that his value would not be great, but naturally when you have a resource, there will always be someone to buy it and that buyer happened to be Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United. Man United who narrowly missed out on the title which was the highlight of an otherwise below average season, could do very well with signing RVP although naturally, his history of remaining fit and healthy would be one question mark. 

For Wenger when a club comes in with a healthy bid of around the £20 million plus mark, he will no doubt be thinking that whilst he would rather the Dutchman go somewhere else, he could at least with the money sign one or two new players. If Wenger had either waited till January or the end of the season, he could in theory lose him for nothing. It is of course not the first time that Arsenal have lost a big name player, but they have managed to cope. This time they have two top name strikers who could do just as well and remain more fit to play.

It will of course be interesting to see what happens at United now they have a number of strikers. This will certainly spell the end of Berbatov, although now Owen's gone the, subs bench may seem a little more comfortable. Hernandez may find himself further down the list. It is likely that Rooney will play behind Van Persie (suspensions permitting). Man United fans of course will think that they can walk to the title with the addition of RVP, but I think it would be a bit too soon to make that judgement so early. Whatever happens, it will be an interesting season ahead.

It will also be interesting to see what Wenger does with the income from the RVP transfer. Arsenal fans will of course be hoping that he buys some new players.

The future bleak for Portsmouth

So 10th August is the date that Portsmouth Football Club could come to an end.A history of 114 years could disappear with just memories and recorded moments left of the south coast club. This date in August stated by joint administrator Trevor Birch. This could be avoided if senior players leave or take pay cuts. I know players have contracts but surely there comes a time when the future of a club, something that brings the local community together should be put first. A player will come and go, but a club should be around much longer. Of course no club has a right to exist, but it should be allowed to exist. They should be no different from a normal business some might say. The thing is that to a point, Portsmouth Football Club is no ordinary business. It is a football club, it inspires, it brings people together, brings in money into the area. 

 It would seem that in glory with their FA Cup win, that the precursor to the downhill spiral would begin. In February it was administration entry number two. Portsmouth would have had 30 points deducted should they make it to the new season. In my opinion that will not help the situation. If you want a debtor to repay then you need to have it producing money. With redundancies already made, people's lives are affected. I do not know what contracts or what Portsmouth owe to creditors, but it could mean more businesses possibly disappearing if something doesn't happen. 

It is possible that the club could be saved as there are two interested parties, but it does mean those senior players have to take action and make some decisions.I hope that those players but their own interests aside to do what is right for the club and its future.

King retires

Sadly Ledley King has called time on his playing career which sadly blighted by injuries. The club captain who will no doubt be a firm favourite and club legend in years to come, will become an ambassador for the club and rightly so.

Whilst some fans may not have been sympathetic to King's situation, the Spurs fans have stuck by their man through the bad and good. His commitment has shown why he has been a respected player. Whilst he only had a League Cup win to hold to his name, he was not seen to be running off to the nearest club in search of money and glory. Something these days is not seen that often by some players in the Premier League.

Whilst not a Spurs fan, I have to say that it is a sad day for football to sat farewell to a player who has shown loyalty and commitment. If injury had not plagued him, who knows what may have seen in his international career.

Carroll going home?

Ever since the possible signing of Borini from Roma, to Brendan Rodgers being willing to allowing him to go on loan, the future of Liverpool's Andy Carroll has been in question. First AC Milan, then West Ham and now Newcastle United have put in a loan bid. Newcastle if reports are true would be looking to sign the England striker permanently at the end of the loan deal.

Whilst Carroll had a good end to the season together with a good Euro 2012, it may have come too late especially with a new manager. Brendan Rodgers' style of football differing to previous managers, it would appear that the tall striker may no longer appear in the manager's plans. Rodgers seems to lean towards the 4-3-3 attacking style of football that would not favour the big man.

Opinion of course will no doubt be divided. You will have the Liverpool fans who say one more chance, others who will agree with the loan deal and those who will say he should be sold straight off and not loaned out. This situation may not be too different from a case down soutg

The Robin Van Persie contract situation leaves opinion split. There are those saying force him to stay till the end of the season. That maybe all very well but doing so could see a player refuse to play and sit on the sidelines causing more issues. With Van Persie I would imagine that he will play and respect the club. Whilst he has said he does not want to sign a new contract, I dont believe he has said he would be unhappy to play.

We also have the other view that Arsenal should sell him now because be has forgotten how much time and patience that he doesn't deserve to wear the Arsenal shirt again and that they should sell him and strengthen the squad with the money.

It will be interesting to see what happens over the next few weeks, two different players, two different paths but with one same future and that future is a new club will be on their doorstep.

Russian FA want Harry;Carroll on loan and more

The Russian Football Association listed their list of possible managers for the job to lead the Russian national side following the departure of Dick Advocaat. He joins a high profile list that includes Pep Guardiola and Fabio Capello. Rafa Benitez and Marcelo Lippi appear amongst some Russian candidates. 

Capello has 'turned it down' and Harry according to the BBC is not to keen. I can't think why, although I imagine his dog Rosie may not be too keen and could have barked his disapproval at the thought of seeing the Russian mafia out with their friendly dogs. I also imagine Moscow in winter is not quite the same as walking in North London. I guess one positive thing though, more money and less games and no Sir Alex Ferguson. His agent is quoted that he would consider the job, there is some appeal to managing on the international stage apparently. I guess we will have to wait and see.

Andy Carroll's Liverpool future looks mixed as manager Brendan Rodgers appears to be willing to let him go on loan if I imagine the right club comes along.  That club could very well be AC Milan who were impressed by his performances at Euro 2012. Would it be premature to judge Andy Carroll on a handful of appearances at the European Championships, or would they include his pre end of season cameo appearance where he played well. At the same time Rodgers is hoping to complete the signing of young Italian Fabio Borini. This Roma player is someone that the Liverpool manager worked with in his time at Chelsea and Swansea and believes he can do a job at Anfield.

There is maybe a possible permanent transfer away from Liverpool too. The Independent reported that Liverpool would be prepared to take a £20 million loss on the former Newcastle man. It would be interesting to see if they would sell him but talks of Dempsey heading to Anfield may not help the matter. Personally the idea of Dempsey playing at Anfield impresses me, he has always shown himself to be a capable player and goalscorer.

Van Der Vaart's Spurs career looks to be at an end as he continues to be linked to Germany. It would also give Spurs money to reinvest under the leadership of Andre Villas Boas.  Modric looks certain to leave Spurs too and will get the North London club a large sum of money. Whilst they have signed Sigurdsson , they will still need to strengthen following the loss of Modric. Staying on the subject of Spurs signings, Hugo Lloris being linked with a move to London. This would be a great move. Whilst Friedel was a good servant, he did have his moments and being over 40 surely his time to hang up the gloves moves ever closer. Spurs or any club would not go wrong in appointing him as a goalkeeping coach. 

QPR have made intentions well known as they look to retain their Premier League status.They signed Park Ji-Sung believed to be around £5 million as well as Fabio on loan, from Man Utd. Samba Diakite became a permanent deal from French club Nancy. England goalkeeper Robert Green signed free from West Haj, Ryan Nelsen from Spurs and Andrew Johnson from Fulham. Johnson if he remains fit could prove crucial in getting goals as they look to avoid going to the last game of the season to stay in the Premier League. 

New York float the answer to United's problems?

The debt ridden Glazer family are looking to float Manchester United on the New York Stock Exchange. Not only that, they intend to register Man Utd in the Cayman Isles. A sharp intake of breath for Manchester United fans. Whilst they maybe making reasonable turnover, their debt stands at £423 million. This is of course not to mention the half a billion pound in extra add ons and payments. 

It would come as no surprise to say the least if relying on Paul Scholes coming out of retirement had anything to do with it as a lack of real spending money. Whilst spending big on players doesn't guarantee your success, it is not unreasonable to think that the club will give you a relative transfer kitty. In fact Man Utd (as reported in the Guardian back in May 2012) have a net spend over the last 5 years of around £50 million. Far less than the big guns. For a team such as Man United, whilst it is good to nurture the youngsters, you are not going to be able to rely on that policy on its own unless you mix it with big name players.They may have signed Kagawa for £12 million but that is not a title winning signing it will need more than that.

Going back to the potential Man Utd floating on the NYSE, whilst it would raise $100 million or £64 million in our money it would be unlikely to be used on transfers for the new season either. Reducing the debt would no doubt take priority and the way the share release would work would give two sets of shares. One lot of shares that the Glazer family would get would see them maintain power, whilst the rest would see no power for the new investors. The idea of Man United being registered in the Cayman Isles, is not great. It was something that Hicks and Gillett did with the taking over of Liverpool FC.

Whilst going on the stock market could be greatly beneficial, if United take a downward spiral post Sir Alex, who is to say that shares and value may not decrease. It is interesting to note that Man Utd's debt increased by £26 million this year a sum that could be a possible transfer target. Should Man United continue to have trophy less seasons, this could also have a major impact on transfer funding and debt reduction.

One final thought, Facebook found trouble on the NYSE, who is to say that Man Utd may not find the same...

The AVB appointment a Dan Raywood guest blog

It was the evening of my third wedding anniversary when having dinner with my wife (and Arsenal season ticket holder) Vicky that the news broke – Harry Redknapp had been sacked by Spurs.

At first I was devastated. Harry had been a real ‘constant’ for Spurs, signed and managed some great players, overseen probably the best Spurs squad in 30 years and taken us into the Champions League. Not to mention achieving a fourth place, to which us fans were disappointed with.

This to me was a terrible idea, not to mention the following decisions to allow coaching staff Joe Jordan, Kevin Bond and Clive Allen to leave as well. Then I started to think about how last season had gone – I was at the 5-0 win against Newcastle which was the last great result before the season went downhill.

I’ll cite the excellent article by the BBC’s Phil McNulty, where he laid out some of the failures of the management in regard to the second half of the season. From my view, the biggest failings are what our newly appointed manager Andre Villas-Boas will have to correct, but one of the main failings was the refusal to rotate or rest players, despite Luka Modric looking visibly tired and too much reliance on Adebayor regardless of his low scoring rate.

Firstly, I have remained positive yet sceptical about AVB. I see him as a manager who has had a very good grounding via Bobby Robson and Jose Mourinho and who has seen the way management should be done. His success at Porto is pretty unknown, mainly because Mourinho signed a lot of his Champions League-winning team to Chelsea, and AVB arrived at Chelsea without such an impact as ‘the special one’.

His time at Chelsea was unfortunate; he was faced with an old guard that even the most experienced manager would have struggled to reason with. Yes his tactics were a little questionable, his direction is unorthodox and his high defensive line was the cause of some goals conceded.

The fact is that AVB was not given enough time at Chelsea because the fans, players and owner expected results and trophies; at Spurs I doubt he will face such a wall of demand. He will be expected to deliver results; otherwise he would not have been entrusted with such a heavy task.

However Spurs are not expecting to win the league, we expect a top six finish and the return of Champions League football would be a delight, but I expect that this demand will allow AVB to be given time to instil his tactics and signings into the squad and succeed over a longer period.

There were some Spurs fans comparing him to Juande Ramos, I don’t see that – I see a young manager with great ambition to succeed and with a task that can go one of two ways. And there will be no room for failure.

That said, there does need to be some changes and my suggestions are as follows:

1 – Sign some strikers: we looked woefully short last season with loan signing Adebayor, emergency signing Saha and squad player and perpetual bench-sitter Defoe our only available options. We do have Van Der Vaart as an attacking midfielder and this week’s signing of Gylfi Sigurdsson this week will add competition for places and offer a viable option for a 4-3-3 formation or 4-5-1 and to cover the right wing.

2 – Reintroduce the reserve team: this was removed by Harry and led to us loaning our players to lower division teams rather than sit on our bench. A credible argument, but this led to us being under-resourced with the likes of Caulker, Townsend, Carroll, Nicholson, Smith and Kane being on loan elsewhere. The reintroduction of the reserve team will allow these players to play regularly against their peers and alongside established squad players to be match fit and available to play immediately.

3 – Make decisions on squad players: I was happy to see the club make the decision to let Krancjar and Corluka go, mainly because you had to question what they brought to the first 11. More decisions need to be made on the likes of Jenas, Bentley, Gomes and Dos Santos (among others) and decide what they offer to the team. If the answer is nothing and they can be sold at a good price and replaced in the 25-man squad with a young player, then that should be done.

4 – Treat the Europa League properly: Ok so the Europa League is not the Champions League and I had no argument with Harry’s decision to use it as a run-out for the aforementioned young players, but with the right amount of ambition we can win this tournament and what we want is trophies, and a European one would be well received by all in AVB’s first season.

5 – Look at the long term for our goalkeeping options: We have been blessed by the form and presence of Friedel, Cudicini has been a viable replacement and the fans still love Gomes, but we need to look at a 20 something arriving in the next year who will be our next number one. A goalkeeper can take time to settle (see Szczesny at Arsenal, Krul at Newcastle) so having someone arrive sooner to work with these keepers can only be a positive.

I therefore welcome AVB with an air of suspicion – that it may take time to deliver the project and that we may have to see the AVB era as a long-term option. I hope Daniel Levy shares this view.

Many thanks to Dan Raywood a Spurs fan and friend, for his contribution and thoughts on the appointment of Andre Villas-Boas. Also check out his guest blog on Sol Campbell from earlier.

Where will he go? What now for RVP

As Arsenal fans digest the news that they hoped they wouldn't hear, but maybe were resigned to preparing for, where will Robin Van Persie go at the end of his contract. It seemed to be irrespective of money, but instead direction which the Dutchman found himself not on the same page as his current employers.

Where would he go? There are several clubs that would love to see Van Persie at their club and one of them is current Premier League Champions Man City. Recently we have seen Arsenal players depart take the trip north to Man City, would the Dutchman dare to upset the Gooners again and team up with Nasri, Toure and Adebayor?  Would he ignore their thoughts, loyalties and take the reported £220k a week to play for the Champions? It didn't bother Samir Nasri who jumped and saw himself with a title medal. Nasri could say that he was right to leave but fans may say that he did it in the wrong way, but I imagine that the £185,000 a week wasnt really anything to do with it....

There is hope from United fans that Fergie may tempt to sign him, but it would seem that it would have to be on a free transfer. Would Fergie dare to make that signing. Would Van Persie even dare to incur a bigger wrath from the Arsenal fans. Arsenal fans can accept players moving on, but players who move on to fierce rivals just isnt acceptable. Of course the only other way to make the fans despise Van Persie would be if he went to Spurs. Whilst Spurs fans may have smiles the size of cheshire cats if it happened, Van Persie at the same time may damage any status that he had built at the club.

The reality is that if by his own accord it is not money but the ability to win things, then he will go abroad, destination Barcelona or Real Madrid. The favourite in that battle would be Barca who could happily wait a season for the Arsenal striker.  The Spanish giants will no doubt rub their hands at the prospect of signing Van Persie for free. Given the Spanish domination of recent times it would no doubt hard to resist the temptation. He would also find himself teaming up with old mate Fabregas if he were to sign for Barcelona. That is of course not to rule out Real Madrid and their team of stars who won the La Liga. Van Persie to Real would certainly make them favourites to retain the Spanish title and who knows go one step further and win the Champions League in 2013.

Should Van Persie stay with a Premier League club that will be great for the Premier League, if not it will be a loss.

One final point is that whilst Van Persie may have run out of patience with the club, RVP should remember the support of the club and fans during his times he was injured, that loyalty is something that money can never buy.

Euro 2012 Balotelli sends Azzuri to glory

The much misunderstood Mario Balotelli gave a superb performance grabbing two goals to send Italy to the final. They eliminated the favourites Germany in a game where surprisingly Germany had played not to their usual standard. The Italians who narrowily missed out on keeping back to back clean sheets, could be rightly proud of taking their place in the final where they meet Spain.

For Spain it will be a tester with the fast paced Balotelli. The Man City star will no doubt force the Spanish defence on the back foot as the current holders also look to deny the influence of Pirlo who has been one of the big guns in the competition. An unmarked Pirlo can cause problems for Spain unless they can stick a player on him and not let him pick out the passes for Balotelli to finish. Somehow I dont think this will go to penalties.

For Germany this was a minor setback for the young team as they continue to build for the future. They will now focus on qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. For this team a group which features Sweden, Republic of Ireland, Austria, Faroe Isles and Kazakhstan, qualification should be an easy process.

Euro 2012 :De ja vu: Young and Cole join the infamous list

After getting through the group Stages, England faced an Italian side that to be honest, was most certainly a shadow of its former self. England set up to face the Azzuri and an early positive start looked like England could get something. They did however let the Italian's in although it seemed that Man City's Balotelli was doing most of the offensive work. As the game went on the Italians looked like they would edge it and then half time came. It couldnt have come at a better time for England. An opportunity to regroup and go out and start again.England started the second half well and almost went ahead, again though Italy were allowed to get back in the game. John Terry had a good game and found himself unlucky not to win England a penalty after finding himself flung to the ground after having his shirt pulled.

Rooney who had disappointed against the Ukraine, was still a distant self from his Premier League performances. Steven Gerrard who had been at his best in an England shirt in this tournament, had also not been at his best. Glen Johnson who had been often criticised more than praised had a good game and was unlucky not to score as in previous matches. James Milner though continued to disappoint and how long he can continue wearing an England shirt is beyond me and many others.

It came to penalties Italy went first with Ballotelli and he scored in the corner with Hart given no chance. England's captain Gerrard stepped up lead by example and slotted it into the corner. All seemed fine at 1-1. Montolivo stepped up and sent it wide. Hope was starting to build in the England fans. Rooney who had not had his best stepped up next. A bit of penalty spot patting and thoughts immediately turned to Beckham's Portugal penalty miss. All would be good though as the Man Utd front man sent Buffon the wrong way. Pirlo, who had been in control in midfield was next and he cheekily chipped the ball in. Ashley Young who had been disappointing again, completed his misery by slamming his penalty against the crossbar. It was now 3 taken each and 2 scored. Italy up next and an opportunity to make it advantage Azzuri. Nocerino calmly stepped up and made it 3-2. Up next was Ashley Cole. The man who never seemed to shirk responsibility prepared himself. Cole saw his penalty saved in what was a poor penalty. It remained 3-2 and Diamante just had to place his penalty past Joe Hart. Not only did he score but he sent Hart the wrong way and Italy into a semi final against Germany.

Euro 2012 - The Pain with Spain

Spain's late win enabled their defence of the trophy to continue at least for another 45 minutes. Having seen the opening game without a recognised striker, the Spanish got a point against Italy. They pasted Ireland with a striker, but that was hardly a shocker. So going into the final game against a strong Croatia who also need victory to ensure qualification, Del Bosque knew that it was a win that would see a passage to the quarter finals especially with Italy still in the frame to qualify. The Croatian's fought bravely but a second half goal from Jesus Nava secured top spot. Italy needed to win although even that may not have been enough had Spain and Croatia drawn 2-2 it would have been good night Azzuri, thankfully for Prandelli's men that was not to happen and a 2-0 win saw them take top spot and await the winners of Group D.

Spain to be honest will have to pull their socks up. Yes people will say they haven't lost and that's a fair point but they have played an Italian side that has been slow and a Republic of Ireland side that has been disappointing compared to previous. Hopefully they will recover from this and will be stronger.

There is a lot of talk that if England play Spain that England will lose. It could happen, but then we might as well go home now. We should look to Chelsea, no one gave them any chance against Barcelona. They proved them wrong. Why can't we prove the rest of  Europe wrong. A game lasts 90 minutes, we play to 90. We should not panic, not react like headless chickens, we must remain composed and take it to the opposition.

Walcott Welbeck Wonderful: young guns kill off Swedes

A delayed kick off for England saw England get the vital three points to take them on the verge of the knockout stages. After Andy Carroll's header had given Hodgson's side a first half lead, it looked like England would just need to defend and build. Of course we all know with England these things don't tend to be simple.

Both teams came out in the second half and it didnt take long for the Swedish to level. The equaliser didnt come with out its fortunes as a deflection saw Glen Johnson look like he may claw it off the line. The bounced off the post and in.

England found themselves 2-1 down as Olaf Mellberg headed home. Visions of Euro 92 may have started to come back to haunt England. Hodgson did what we all had hoped he'd do and in the 60th minute, the yet again disappointing James Milner ( why was he in the squad?) was replaced by Theo Walcott.

Walcott's introduction on the right mafe an immediate difference, he took players on, he looked comfortable and confident. In the 64th minute Stevie G's corner was cleared to just outside the penalty area and a sublime finish from the Gunner saw the game level.

A draw for England wouldnt necessarily have been a disaster, but it would have meant having to beat the Ukraine or face elimination. That event was taken out the equation when Walcott was involved again. He crossed the ball and found Welbeck who cheekily struck the winner with the back of his foot.

England have a good chance to get all three points on Tuesday against Ukraine. Despite flashes of good attacking, I dont see too much trouble. I can see Walcott starting together with Welbeck and Oxlade-Chamberlain. The hot pace of the youngsters could do some real damage against the Ukranian defence. The way the qualification for nations level on points is like, England could very well win having two shiny stickers and a club badge sticker. Should both England and France finish level I would assume given the draw, it may go down to the results against the others unless goal difference does count at some point. I imagine for England fans so long as the Three Lions qualify thats all that matters.

Harry to go? Di Matteo to stay

Over the last few days Harry Redknapp's future at Tottenham has appeared to be thrown into doubt. Despite his denials regarding resignation, talk is rife that there is no agreement getting close in regards Redknapp's new deal. It's reported that Chairman Daniel Levy is not happy about the way Spurs season went downhill as they took 4 wins in the final 13 games. This is clearly not acceptable for Spurs fans or I imagine the Chairman, who had hoped they would not have to worry about 4th spot Champions League worries. Spurs saw their North London rivals Arsenal pip them to third and Champions League football. It will also be interesting if this uncertainty and no Champions League football will lead to players leaving the Lane. 

One man who looks to be going nowhere is Roberto Di Matteo. The decision makers at Stamford Bridge look like they will be keeping the Champions League winning Italian for a little bit longer. It is an interesting one. Di Matteo was there with Andre Villas Boas whose disappointing run saw his departure from the Bridge. Minding that Di Matteo was a link and assistant manager, usually he would get the boot. Something  was different for the former Chelsea player, they seemed to enjoy playing for him (although John Terry seemed to enjoy directing behind RDM's back). With the new signings arriving at the Bridge, it will be interesting to see if the form continues into the new season.

Euro 2012 - England good start, Rusian fan trouble

Despite all the fears and worries regarding England's performance against the 'Mighty France'. The French seemed to get the rub of the green with several decisions 'missed' by the referee. The French attack also found themselves to long range shooting as the England defence held strong despite the Nasri goal that deceived his club team mate Joe Hart.The big issue from England was that the defence went to deep which inevitably lead to the goal. There were many positives and an all round decent performance and the debut of Oxlade-Chamberlain brings great promise not just for this competition but to England's future.So long as England management don't rush him too soon seeing how young he is, Oxlade-Chambers can become and England great.

Co hosts Ukraine got their campaign off to a win over Sweden. Not sure how many would have called this result but it gives hope to England when they face them this Friday. Former Chelsea man Andrei Shevchenko got both goals to put his side 2-1 up and an unbeaten start.

Russian fans continued to bring trouble to the championship. Following incidents at the opening game against the Czech Republic, Russian 'supporters' clashed with Polish 'supporters' before the game. Clashes lead to arrests and Uefa are going to investigate. It will be interesting to see what they do, I hope they come down tough, but whether they do, will be another matter.

Euro 2012 opener - More than we expected

When the opening game was decided as Poland v Greece, did anyone expect it to be anything other than 3 points for the joint hosts. Well 2 red cards and a missed penalty later and it indeed turned out to be a decent game. Poland took the lead after the Greek keeper Chalkias went awol and let Lewandowski in. It looked like it was game over just before half time, the Greeks found themselves rather harshly down to ten men after Papastathopoulos was adjudged to have held Obraniak, who appeared to have no more than lost his footing. A second yellow card saw the 2004 winners a man down a goal down and up against it. Well that was what we may have been thinking. An early substitution for Greece proved to be inspired as Salpingidis levelled the score. Greece seemed to be on the charge and it looked like they could get something from the game. Poland's Szczesny gave the Greeks an opportunity with a foolish tackle and giving himself an early bath and a one game suspension. Up stepped Karagounis with a chance to put the Greeks ahead but a dive to his left saw substitute goalkeeper save the penalty and keep it level. The save proved vital and the game finished as a draw.

Russia took on the Czech Republic in the other Group A game. The Russian's took the Czechs apart despite the good early start from the Czechs, the Russians were in control. For one Chelsea goalkeeper it would be a night to forget. A while since the big man conceded 4 goals in one game, whether it happens again who knows, but the man with the Champions League medal will be hoping that his national team mates can turn it round so he can have small hope of having a European Championship medal added to his collection.

Chelsea Blues - short guest blog post by Riz Hafiz

It's a good portent that a London club wins the Champions League when the city is hosting the Olympics. But any neutral big-ups are nullified, at a stroke, when you see the unedifying antics of John Terry..the most shameless, in your face footballer going. It shows he has no regret for what he has done while the case is impending.. it leaves a huge distaste in the mouth. Get to the back of the victory bus; it's called keeping a respectful, low profile. You could say Hodgson has picked him because of his clout; as is quite evident Terry is a force unto himself and the manager was afraid not to pick him.

Then there's Torres also undermining the win; he causes trouble wherever he goes. This wasn't the time to try and overshadow the moment; it wasn't about him. He was the option, albeit an expensive one, he wasn't going to dislodge focused Drogba.

When your hands are in the fate of others it can go against you as Tottenham found out. Having lost 5-1; the bigger the match the bigger the implosion, their destroyers in chief delivered that final blow. Arguably Spurs stopped playing as a team when it began to dawn on some individuals that it would indeed be another false dawn. The 5-2 against Arsenal was the seminal bad result and the team will break up.

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So it comes to an end

So another season comes to an end. Manchester City the noisy neighbours gatecrashed the party in style. They did it in Fergie time. Fergie might have been pleased had it been the other way round, but this time he had to watch his team do their bit and still find it not enough. By United's standards a season bereft of trophies is not something they enjoy. Manchester City looked dead and buried for the title even when Joey 'psychology' Barton opted to end the season in the most unsportsmanlike way. Frankly I cant imagine him playing until October if he does play again for QPR. City eventually picked up and the rest is as thee y say history.e

Arsenal stuck one in the eye over their North London rivals Tottenham. For most of the season the Gunners were playing catch up and it would seem that Champions League footy would be a no go. I don't know if Arsene had words with the media and planted the Harry for England campaign in the world, it seemed to upset the boys at White Hart Lane. Spurs suddenly self destructed which included a capitulation in the FA Cup semi final against Chelsea. It came down the last game and it was all to play for. West Brom nearly gave a great leaving present for Roy Hodgson and a gift for Spurs. Once again Spurs fans would be left wondering what may have been when the games came to an end.

Liverpool departed with Kenny Dalglish, 8th place a League Cup win and FA Cup runners up may have been good for other clubs, but not for Liverpool FC as Dalglish found out. The search for a new manager began and ever since various names have been linked and rejected but Roberto Martinez of Wigan and Andres Villas Boas formerly of Chelsea have now been connected in high regard. One thing that can be said of Kenny Dalglish for all his pitfalls and errors of judgement, is that he united a club that had not been so long from being on the brink of administration. The club had new owners and Roy Hodgson had been removed.after a start not seen at Anfield since the early 50s.

Chelsea had a bad start, the players blamed the manager and his way of doing things. Chelsea were out of the top 4 and having a bad run. This inability to take collective responsibility for their on field performances lead to the departure of yet another manager at Stamford Bridge. Despite progessing in the Champions League and FA Cup it wasnt enough and the Portuguese manager was gone. In came Chelsea legend Roberto Di Matteo as Interim manager. He got the players 'united' and the club moved on. They went on a run in the league before dropping points against Newcastle which would make the move towards 4th place more difficult. This would lead to one night in Munich which would make history.  They would be the first London club to win the Champions League not only that they would beat German opposition on penalties. They had a week or two before won the FA Cup at Wembley. 

Newcastle fans had something to be pleased about. They finished a respectable fifth narrowly missing out on fourth, which although wouldnt bring Champions League, it would be a decent placing under the leadership of Alan Pardew. Pardew of course a man derided on arrival to the club after the departure of Hughton in 2010. Having signed some players that would make a difference to the season, Pardew rightly received Manager of the Year award. Next season barring a crazy self destruction I would expect the Toon to continue marching upwards.

Tottenham's failure to get Champions League football next season could prove costly. Luca Modric is rumoured to want away and this could see the Modric to Chelsea saga raise its head again. Bale has been linked with a move away but to whom will be a question. Of course he may very well put his loyalty to the club and stay with Spurs and fight to get Champions League footy next season. We will have to wait and see.

Two players that will be definitely at different clubs are Didier Drogba and Owen Hargreaves. Drogba who had wanted two years and not the one year that Chelsea offered, could not have signed off his Chelsea career in a better way by winning the Champions League. The last few days saw him staying and going but it took himself to finally say that his Chelsea career was at an end. Love him or hate him, his skill and knack for scoring will be missed in the Premier League. It will now be upto others new signings or current player and whinging Fernando Torres, to carry on the mantle. 

Owen Hargreaves was released by Manchester City. It was always a risky signing for the former Man United player who was beset by injuries, so it was no surprise that his time at City has come to an end. Whether he continues or hangs up his boots is a matter for him. I guess we'll find out in time.