19. Slumdog Milner

Premier League round-up 23/08/2010

Last week I talked about champions Chelsea being frustrated by one of the minnows of the Premier League before emerging with an inconceivable 6-0 win. I didn’t in my wildest dreams believe I’d be repeating myself this week.

Chelsea’s second-half performance at the DW Stadium was by all accounts a procession, but they had been more than matched in chances and commitment by a determined Wigan side keen to erase the memory of an embarrassing 4-0 home loss to Blackpool on the opening weekend.

Roberto Martinez has a lot of thinking to do

Unfortunately for Roberto Martinez’s side they collapsed after falling a couple of goals behind, a situation all-too-familiar to the Spaniard. Indeed you only have to go back to the end of last season to find an example of a Latics capitulation at the hands of the same opponents who defeated them on Saturday.

Amazingly, this was not the only case of a team racing to a flattering 6-0 win in a game they might have drawn or even lost. Aston Villa looked to be cruising against Newcastle in the early stages, but John Carew’s penalty miss (not the first or last of the weekend, but more on that later) seemed to provide a catalyst for the Toon Army to wake up and run away with the tie.

Chris Hughton’s side displayed a flair and counter-attacking verve completely absent in their relegation campaign two seasons ago, and if the 3-0 scoreline at half-time was generous, they never looked in danger of relinquishing their lead. The manner in which Newcastle cruised through the second half suggests they will have few concerns come May, and in Andy Carroll they have a striker capable of tucking away the chances squandered by the likes of Shola Ameobi in the past.

There was, believe it or not, a third 6-0 game this weekend. The only difference as far as Arsenal’s triumph over Blackpool is concerned is that the hosts were fully deserving of the crushing victory. Of course things may have been different if Ian Evatt had not scythed down Marouane Chamakh before the break, but the Tangerines already knew they were going to be in for a long afternoon.

How costly will Carlton Cole's penalty miss prove to be?

It was, it seems, a week of missed penalties. Of the six awarded only two were converted, by Mark Noble and Andrei Arshavin. And Noble’s goal came only after West Ham team-mate Carlton Cole had sent a feeble effort into the hands of Bolton goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen. In a classic game of two halves, the Finn’s save ensured the Trotters ended a West Ham-dominated first period on level terms before outplaying their opponents after the break to emerge with a 3-1 victory.

Just as costly a penalty miss was Nani’s for Manchester United against Fulham. With four minutes left on the clock he had the opportunity to make the game safe, but David Stockdale pulled off an impressive save and Brede Hangeland’s late header allowed Mark Hughes’ side to escape with a 2-2 draw.

What is it with English goalkeepers and penalty saves? The day before Stockdale’s heroics, former United number one Ben Foster tipped Morten Gamst Pedersen’s spot-kick onto the woodwork, paving the way for his Birmingham side to edge past Blackburn 2-1. The hero at the other end was Craig Gardner, a young man enjoying his football after making the move across England’s second city from rivals Villa.

If English goalkeepers provided one of the main talking points this summer, another was provided by the argument for or against goal-line technology. It would of course only be a matter of time until that particular debate reared its ugly head once more, and the Britannia Stadium was the setting for the source of pub debates across the country.

Did Jonathan Walters’ late effort cross the line? Probably. Would sensors or cameras have confirmed whether a goal should have been awarded? Possibly. With a clear view of the incident, should Chris Foy have made a decision himself rather than delegating to an unsighted linesman? Definitely.

Ebanks-Blake might finally be finding his feet in the Premier League

While Stoke may have lost their opening two games, they still look like an established Premier League team, and Mick McCarthy’s Wolves are looking to follow their example. While many (myself included) tipped Wolves to struggle, they already seem a more solid outfit than they did last season, as demonstrated by a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Everton at Goodison Park. One of their problems last campaign was their strikers’ lack of confidence in front of goal, so Sylvan Ebanks-Blake’s equaliser will have done him a world of good at this early stage.

Speaking of strikers looking to benefit from an early-season pick-me-up, Peter Odemwingie got his West Bromwich Albion career off to the perfect start, netting the winner against Sunderland. Perhaps just as important for Baggies boss Roberto di Matteo was the clean sheet, erasing the memories of the opening-day defeat at Stamford Bridge.

Finally, one of the advantages of writing my round-up on a Monday night is that I can comment on the final match in this round of fixtures. Manchester City’s victory over Liverpool was as comfortable as they come, and a perfect present for watching owner Sheikh Mansour. With Carlos Tevez getting into his goalscoring stride and James Milner slotting into the first-team as if he had been at Eastlands for years, City look capable of a top-four finish if not better.

Team of the week (4-3-2-1):

Jaaskelainen (Bolton); Richards (Man City), Roger Johnson (Birmingham), Williamson (Newcastle), Cole (Chelsea); Scholes (Man Utd), Henry (Wolves), Gardner (Birmingham); Walcott (Arsenal), Adam Johnson (Man City); Carroll (Newcastle)

Nigel Reo-Coker: a rare second chance?

Tonight, in his club’s Europa League play-off against Rapid Vienna, Nigel Reo-Coker was given the captain’s armband. This marked some achievement for a player all-but frozen out by Martin O’Neill, but four years ago the young Englishman would have been looking for far more than the captaincy of an inexperienced Villa side at this stage of his career.

Indeed his career trajectory can be viewed as a lesson to young stars with the world at their feet. Not everyone will be given a second chance.

Reo-Coker in the form of his career at West Ham

Reo-Coker made the step up to the Premier League with consummate ease, playing a big part in West Ham United’s promotion after joining from Wimbledon and bringing his stirring performances to the top flight. After captaining the Irons to a very respectable 9^th place in their return to the top division, he was called up as a standby for Sven-Goran Eriksson’s England squad ahead of the World Cup in Germany.

And that’s when things started to go downhill.

With the increased media attention that comes with an England call-up, it was perhaps inevitable that the transfer rumours would start flying. Suggestions that Arsenal were interested in the then-22-year-old seemed to distract Reo-Coker, who saw his form and commitment dip in the following campaign. It was intimated that the East London club rejected a bid without consulting their captain, although even now it is impossible to say whether such unconfirmed speculation was the key to what followed.

Here we had something of a chicken and egg situation. Did the smell of a big move cause Reo-Coker to throw his toys out of the pram, or had he merely grown tired of life at Upton Park and decided to jump at even the merest sniff of an exit.

Either way, the exit was not forthcoming, and his form stank of someone waiting for the next chapter in his career to begin. Toothless displays filtered through the whole West Ham team, leading to Alan Pardew’s sacking in December. The heavily-publicised signings of Javier Mascherano and Carlos Tevez cannot have helped, relegating a number of West Ham’s young-stars to the status of bit-part players, but if Reo-Coker wished to go about his business quietly and professionally he could not have asked for a better opportunity.

Instead he came to epitomise the ‘Baby Bentley culture’ so despised by Pardew’s replacement Alan Curbishley, only finding refuge in the England under-21 squad alongside Ashley Young, Gabby Agbonlahor and Gary Cahill. It was thought, therefore, that a move to Villa Park to join the trio would help rejuvenate Reo-Coker’s career.

A move to Villa worked out far better for Milner

But that was far from the case. He has only managed 73 league appearances for Villa, netting once (against Tottenham in his debut season), and a public fall-out with Martin O’Neill saw him frozen out of the first team for much of the season. His appearance against West Ham last week was his first in Villa colours since January.

In the meantime, Reo-Coker’s England prospects have disintegrated. While former under-21 team-mates Young, James Milner and Joe Hart all got a run-out at Wembley last week, he was watching at home. There may still be time for him to resurrect an international career which looked dead and buried not that long ago, but even if another call-up comes his way there may be a feeling that it has come several years too late.

While a footballer’s career is said to be shorter than most, that is no reason to run before you can walk. Nigel Reo-Coker may well get a second chance. Others will not be so lucky.

Welcome back Premier League, we missed you

Last week I brought you a round-up of the opening weekend’s of the football league, but many fans will have seen that action as nothing more than a warm-up for the big one: the Premier League kick-off.

Almost every club has been busy in the transfer market, and supporters have been eager to see how their side’s new recruits coped with the demands of top-flight football. But it was an uncharacteristically familiar Chelsea side who took the plaudits after an exciting start to the season up and down the country.

Drogba: hat-trick

Carlo Ancelotti has only made two senior signings this summer, and with neither Ramires or Yossi Benayoun ready to start it was left to Didier Drogba and Florent Malouda to fire a warning shot to the rest of the league. Hat-trick hero Drogba looks to be on worryingly good form already, and the champions are in no danger of stumbling out of the starting blocks

But it would take more than that 6-0 demolition of West Brom to take the shine of the performance of Premier League newcomers Blackpool. The Seasiders coasted (pun intended) to victory at Wigan, with the 4-0 scoreline putting them second in the table, their inexperienced side showing no signs of stagefright.

‘Pool manager Ian Holloway has had limited success in the transfer market so far, but in French under-21 international Elliot Grandin he seems to have found a bargain. The former Marseille and CSKA Sofia youngster ripped the Wigan defence to shreds, creating the third goal for Marlon Harewood when his shot was saved, and could provide the creativity Holloway’s team will need if they are to continue surprising their opponents.

Albrighton: unplayable

Another future star of the game announced himself at Villa Park. Marc Albrighton may be called upon more frequently if James Milner moves to Manchester, but on the kind of form he showed against West Ham there are many who would argue he deserves to start ahead of the England utility man. The young winger created two goals and ran the Hammers’ full-backs ragged as he switched wings with Ashley Young over the 90 minutes.

Avram Grant’s side, like fellow bottom-three residents West Brom and Wigan, were worryingly toothless, demonstrating that an unbeaten pre-season counts for nothing. The return of Manuel da Costa and Thomas Hitzlsperger will help, but Grant may need to bring in more new faces.

Elsewhere, several goalkeepers hit the headlines, none more than Manchester City’s Joe Hart. After an accomplished if unremarkable performance at Wembley on Wednesday, Hart was a one-man barrier between Spurs and the City goal after his back four decided to take the day off. At least half a dozen top-class saves meant the score stayed 0-0, and Hart’s form may well see Shay Given decide he needs to find a new club.

That club could be Arsenal, for whom Manuel Almunia faltered once again. Beaten at his near post by David N’Gog, Almunia’s days at Arsenal must surely be numbered. With his every move under close scrutiny, the Spaniard could not afford to make any mistakes.

Reina: howler

At the opposite end of the Anfield pitch, Pepe Reina looked to be enjoying a more fruitful 90 minutes, with a world-class stop from Tomas Rosicky set to round off a stirring performance. That was until, just minutes after flapping at a cross to nearly let Theo Walcott in for a late equaliser, Reina somehow contrived to scoop the ball into his own net in the last minute of normal time.

With Rob Green and Ben Foster doing little to enhance their international prospects this weekend, Fulham’s David Stockdale staked his claim for inclusion in Fabio Capello’s next squad. Called upon as an eleventh-hour replacement for Mark Schwarzer, Stockdale denied Bolton victory with a number of impressive saves. The Trotters already look more of an attacking force under Owen Coyle than they ever did during Gary Megson’s tenure, with even Johan Elmander starting to find some form.

Cattermole: predictable

At the Stadium of Light, Lee Cattermole surprised no one by becoming the first player to be sent off this season. Failing to recognise the line between reasonable aggression and persistent fouling, the Sunderland captain picked up two yellow cards before the half-time interval. Opposite number Stephen Carr attempted to match Cattermole in the embarrassment stakes with a comical own goal, but he was ultimately bailed out by his team-mates, with two scrappy goals seeing the Blues overturn a two-goal deficit.

The remaining two games both – perhaps surprisingly – ended in home victories. Wolves eased past Stoke after scoring twice in the same game for the first time this century* while yet another goalkeeping howler (this time from Tim Howard) saw Blackburn’s Nikola Kalinic score the only goal against Everton.

Mick McCarthy’s Wolves side have made the necessary improvements to their squad this season, and know they will need to turn Molineux into a fortress if they are to prolong their stay in the top flight. And they can do far worse than look at Blackburn for inspiration, the Ewood Park side picking up 36 of their 50 points last season on home soil.

*statistic may or may not be exaggerrated for comic effect

Team of the week (4-5-1):

Hart (Man City); Onuoha (Sunderland), Samba (Blackburn), Dunne (Aston Villa), Agger (Liverpool); Albrighton (Aston Villa), Jones (Wolves), Grandin (Blackpool), Huddlestone (Tottenham), Malouda (Chelsea); Drogba (Chelsea)

Premier League predictions 2010/11 – part 1

As you may have realised by now, I like to make predictions about football, with varying results.

I may have tipped Holland to reach the World Cup final, but some of my other predictions for the tournament were less than accurate.

That hasn’t stopped me though, and today I will bring you the first part of my team-by-team predictions for the new Premier League season. Just wait a few months and you can laugh at them come May (or maybe even sooner).

Arsenal:

Manager: Arsène Wenger

Last Season: 3^rd

Players in: Laurent Koscielny (Lorient, undisclosed); Marouane Chamakh (Girondins de Bordeaux, free)

Players out: Eduardo (Shakhtar Donetsk, undisclosed); Fran Merida (Atlético Madrid, free); Philippe Senderos (Fulham, free); William Gallas, Mikaël Silvestre (released)

Chamakh

Arsenal coped well without key players for large parts of last season, and they should be able to maintain their place in the top four as long as Robin van Persie and Cesc Fabregas stay fit. While Fabregas looks like staying for another year at least, Wenger will need to turn his attention to defensive matters – expect him to invest in a goalkeeper before the end of the transfer window, and maybe another centre-back as cover for the untested partnership of Koscielny and Vermaelen.

Prediction: 4^th

Aston Villa:

Manager: Martin O’Neill

Last Season: 6^th

Players in: None

Players out: Steven O’Halloran (Coventry City, free); Wilfred Bouma, Marlon Harewood, Andy Marshall (released)

Milner

Villa faded badly towards the end of last season, with players like Ashley Young running out of steam after a testing campaign. With O’Neill often reluctant to use a number of his squad players, it is imperative he keeps hold of the core of his first team squad. A lot will depend on how he replaces wantaway midfielder James Milner, assuming his seemingly imminent move to Manchester City goes ahead. Europe may provide Villa’s best chance of success this season.

Prediction: 8^th

Birmingham City:

Manager: Alex McLeish

Last Season: 9^th

Players in: Ben Foster (Manchester United, £6m); Nikola Zigic (Valencia, £6m), Enric Vallès (NAC Breda, free)

Players out: Gary McSheffrey (Coventry City, free)

Foster

Birmingham over-reached themselves last season, exceeding all expectations to finish in the top half, and the manner in which they did so suggests this season may be one of consolidation. Boss McLeish has already experienced relegation once with the Blues, and his desire to avoid a repeat might lead to them playing a cagy game yet again in the notoriously ‘difficult’ second season. He has spent well, with Foster an able replacement for Joe Hart and Zigic able to lead the line alone or alongside Cameron Jerome. There will be fewer 1-0 victories, but City should have enough.

Prediction: 12^th

Blackburn Rovers:

Manager: Sam Allardyce

Last season: 10^th

Players in: None

Players out: Steven Reid (West Bromwich Albion, free); Andy Haworth (Bury, free)

N'Zonzi

Some Blackburn fans may be concerned by the lack of transfer activity at Ewood Park, but they need not be. Sam Allardyce showed last season that he is able to get results for a small, relatively inexperienced squad and we can expect more of the same in the 2010/11 campaign. ‘Big Sam’ will look to build a team around youngsters Phil Jones and Steven N’Zonzi, and we can expect him to bring in another striker to deliver the goals Rovers need to keep their heads above water.

Prediction: 11^th

Blackpool:

Manager: Ian Holloway

Last season: 6th (Championship)

Players in: None

Players out: Alhassan Bangura (Mersin Idmanyurdu, free); Ben Burgess (Notts County, free); Daniel Nardiello (Exeter City, free); Hameur Bouazza (AC Arles-Avignon, free); Joe Martin, Danny Mitchley (released); Stephen McPhee (retired)

Ormerod

We can expect Blackpool to be everyone’s second team this season, but it is difficult to see them staying up. Enthusiastic players and an enigmatic manager in Holloway can only get you so far, but ‘Pool’s squad looks on paper like it would struggle to survive in the Championship, let alone in the Premiership. The romantic in me wants to see them surprise us all, but in all likelihood the harsh reality of Premier League life will soon set in. When that happens, the likes of Brett Ormerod and Ian Evatt probably won’t have what it takes to turn things around.

Prediction: 20^th

Bolton Wanderers:

Manager: Owen Coyle

Last season: 14^th

Players in: Robbie Blake (Burnley, free); Martin Petrov (Manchester City , free)

Players out: Ali Al-Habsi (Wigan, loan); Ricardo Vaz Tê (Panionios, free); Aaron Mooy (released)

Petrov

Freed from the shackles of Gary Megson’s negative football, which irked more or less every single fan last season, Bolton should enjoy a resurgent year. Owen Coyle has moved fast to bring in Martin Petrov in one of the transfer coups of the summer, and for once the Wanderers fans could see their sides winning games while playing exciting football. Still, a European finish may be beyond them unless they can bring in a quality striker to fill the gap left by Nicolas Anelka’s departure in 2008.

Prediction: 10^th

Chelsea:

Manager: Carlo Ancelotti

Last season: 1^st

Players in: Yossi Benayoun (Liverpool, £5.5m); Tomáš Kalas (Sigma Olomouc, £5.2m); Matej Delač (Inter Zaprešić, 2.7m)

Players out: Miroslav Stoch (Fenerbahçe, £4.95m); Michael Ballack (Bayer Leverkusen, free); Juliano Belletti (Fluminense, free); Joe Cole (Liverpool, free); Nana Oforo-Twumasi (Peterborough United, free)

Benayoun

Chelsea’s league win last season was perhaps more a result of their opponents faltering than of Ancelotti’s side impressing, although when it came to the crunch they played some of their best football all year. Their squad may be ageing, but the likes of Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka have arguably reached their peak at the age where others are said to be past their prime. That said, the departures of Ballack and Cole (and probably Deco too in the near future) will leave a big hole to fill, and they may fall just short of a repeat triumph barring a marquee signing between now and the end of August.

Prediction: 2^nd

Everton:

Manager: David Moyes

Last season: 8^th

Players in: Magaye Gueye (Strasbourg, undisclosed); João Silva (Aves, undisclosed); Jermaine Beckford (Leeds United, free); Ján Mucha (Legia Warszawa, free)

Players out: John Ruddy (Norwich City, undisclosed); Dan Gosling (Newcastle United, free); Carlo Nash (Stoke City, free)

Beckford

Everton suffered last season due to long-term injuries sustained by some of their key players. Young replacements like Rodwell and the now-departed Gosling impressed when asked to fill in, and this season – with Arteta, Fellaini and Cahill returning – David Moyes’ side should be able to push on. Question marks remain over their strikers, with Beckford unproven and Yakubu seemingly a shadow of his former self, but enough goals should come from midfield.

Prediction: 6^th

Fulham:

Manager: TBC

Last season: 12^th

Players in: Jonathan Greening (West Bromwich Albion, undisclosed); Philippe Senderos (Arsenal, free)

Players out: Chris Smalling (Manchester United, undisclosed); Wayne Brown (Bristol Rovers, free); Christopher Buchtmann (FC Cologne, free); Erik Nevland (Viking FK, free); Stefan Payne (Gillingham, free); Michael Uwezu (Lincoln City, free); Andranik, Toni Kallio (released)

Johnson

Fulham have shed a lot of their squad in the build-up to the 2010/11 season, but no loss will be felt more than that of manager Roy Hodgson. The former Internazionale boss got the best out of a largely mediocre bunch of players, taking them to the Europa League final and a respectable mid-table finish. Whoever replaces him will have a tough task grinding out the same kind of results, and their Premier League survival will depend a lot on the form of striker Andrew Johnson when he returns from injury. In a relatively strong Premier League, Fulham are my surprise tip to fall through the trap-door.

Prediction: 18^th

Liverpool:

Manager: Roy Hodgson

Last season: 7^th

Players in: Danny Wilson (Rangers, £2m); Jonjo Shelvey (Charlton Athletic, £1.7m); Joe Cole (Chelsea, free); Milan Jovanovic (Standard Liège, free)

Players out: Yossi Benayoun (Chelsea, £5.5m); Mikel San José (Athletic Bilbao, £2.6m); Nikolay Mihaylov (FC Twente, £1.5m); David Martin (MK Dons, free); Robbie Threlfall (Bradford City, free); Fabio Aurelio (released)

Jovanovic

Fulham’s loss is Liverpool’s gain, and Hodgson should help ensure a certain degree of stability at Anfield. Finances appear to be tight, meaning his thriftiness in securing the services of Joe Cole counts for even more, and Fernando Torres may well be forced to leave the club this summer. If that is the case, Hodgson can be trusted to replace the Spanish international with players who can benefit from the service of Cole, Jovanovic and Steven Gerrard. The Champions League may be beyond them, but any fears of further decline can be put to bed.

Prediction: 7^th