BobBev Posted July 31, 2003 Author Share Posted July 31, 2003 European Soccer Weekly Friday August 1st, 2003 Hello and welcome to the first edition of a brand new weekly publication in which we will be covering all the important soccer news and views from around Europe. We will be keeping all you football fans up to date with the latest happenings in the major European leagues and many of the minor ones too. We will be bringing you all of the key results and each week we will have an in depth look at one of the European Divisions and highlight our Match of the Week. Most of the Continent is gearing up to a brand new season and we intend to keep you abreast of their pre-season activities. However, in some countries the season is already well underway. In this, our inaugural issue, we will take a brief look back at last season for all of the national leagues that will be featured throughout the year. So, without further ado, let's get started. Belgium (starts August 8th) Last season the recent dominance of Anderlecht was broken by Lierse, who caused a major upset by finishing as First Division champions. They pipped equally unfancied Charleroi to the title by a single point when the runners-up could only draw their final match of the season. Anderlecht finished the season without a trophy as they were beaten in the Cup Final by Racing Genk thanks to a stoppage-time goal. Croatia (started July 26th) There was another surprise title winner in Croatia last season when Slaven Belupo beat both Dinamo and Hajduk to the First Division championship. The "big two" did contest the cup final however, with Dinamo triumphing 5-3 on aggregate. Denmark (started July 27th) Brøndby will be going for a third successive Premiership title after their triumph last season. They won the title by a 9-point margin over second-placed OB with rivals FC København a further 3 points back. However, København did have the consolation of winning the Cup, beating AaB in a one-sided final. England (starts August 9th) Liverpool won their first Premier League title last season, holding off the challenge of defending champions Arsenal. Newly-promoted Preston found things tough and finished in last place, managing just 5 wins all season. The other new boys, Wolves and Millwall, both avoided the drop, with Manchester City and Birmingham the other teams relegated. Charlton won the First Division championship and will be joined in the Premiership by Brighton and Everton. The Toffees were relegated in 2001/2002 but have bounced straight back. Liverpool added the League Cup to their league title with a victory over Arsenal, and Manchester United beat the Gunners in the FA Cup Final. It just wasn't Arsenal's season as they also finished runners-up in the Charity Shield to Manchester United. Bristol City beat Oldham in the Vans Trophy Final and in the FA Trophy Yeovil triumphed over Barnet. Finland (started April 26th) In Finland MyPa won the Premiership for the first time in their history. The Cup was won by Tampere Utd who beat Jaro on penalties after a 2-2 draw. After 16 games of this season the defending champions are in 2nd place, 11 points behind leaders HJK. France (starts August 8th) Lens captured the First Division crown with the previous seasons champions Lyon finishing second. Lens missed out on a double, losing the League Cup Final to PSG. However, this cup win did little to satisfy the PSG fans following a disastrous league campaign in which they finished 12th. PSG are now on their third manager in 12 months, with the ex-coach of the national side, Henri Michel, now in charge. The Cup Final saw a victory for Second Division underdogs Toulouse over St. Etienne. The Cup winners rounded off a memorable season by gaining promotion to the First Division. In the Champions Trophy Lyon had a comfortable victory over Troyes. Germany (started July 27th) Last season FC Bayern continued their recent domination by capturing their 5th successive title, squeezing past Dortmund on goal difference. In the most thrilling finish for many years Bayern overtook Dortmund in the final match of the season, thanks to a 5-0 win over relegated Bielefeld. Dortmund beat Nürnberg 4-1, but it was not enough and Bayern ended up just a single goal better off on goal difference. Dortmund also lost out to Bayern in the League Cup, with a narrow 1-0 defeat but did gain some consolation by beating 1860 München 2-1 in the German Cup Final with Jan Koller getting the injury-time winner. Greece (starts September 14th) Olympiakos captured their 7th title in the last 8 years, their winning sequence only broken by great rivals PAO (Panathinaikos) in 2001/2002. This was another championship decided on goal difference, with AEK Athens finishing level on points but losing out by a single goal. PAO defeated AEK in the Super Cup and PAOK beat Iraklis in the Greek Cup. Holland (starts August 6th) PSV won their 4th Premier title in a row, although they were unable to complete the domestic clean-sweep that they had achieved in season 2001/2002. They did beat Ajax in the Super Cup but suffered a shock defeat in the Dutch Cup Quarter Final when Groningen triumphed on penalties. However, an even better treble was completed when PSV won the UEFA Cup, beating England's Blackburn Rovers 2-0. Feyenoord won the Dutch Cup, beating Heerenveen 2-1 after extra time. Italy (starts August 31st) Roma captured the Serie A title, finishing 7 points ahead of Milan and thus reversing the positions of the previous season. They completed the domestic double by beating Juventus 3-1 on aggregate in the Italian Cup. Unfortunately, the third leg of a magnificent treble was just beyond them as they lost the Champions League Final to Barcelona on penalties after a scoreless match. Milan beat Parma in the Super Cup and Genoa beat Venezia in the Serie C Cup. However, Venezia did get some compensation by beating Avellino in the C1 Super Cup. Fiorentina just missed out on a second successive promotion following on from their promotion from Serie C2/B the previous season. They will be trying to get into Serie B this season and so keep up their fairy-tale climb back to the top level. Northern Ireland (starts August 9th) Linfield were runaway Premier Division champions, with a 20 point lead over their nearest rivals. Portadown, champions the previous season, had a terrible campaign, eventually finishing in 5th position. Linfield completed the domestic double with a victory over First Division Carrick in the Irish Cup Final. Carrick's appearance in the final was all the more surprising considering that they finished last in Division One. Bangor defeated favourites Portadown in the League Cup Final and rounded off a marvellous season by also capturing the First Division title. Portadown's only trophy of the season came in the Charity Shield where they defeated Distillery. Norway (started April 13th) Norwegian football is dominated by one team - Rosenborg. Last season they won their 11th straight Premier Division title. In the Cup, Viking repeated their triumph of 2001 with a 1-0 victory over Molde after a replay. At this point in the season Rosenborg are top of the league with a 2-point lead over Brann. Poland (started July 19th) Wisla Krakow have won the Polish First Division for the last two seasons and are looking to make it a hat trick this year. A free-scoring team, their main strength is in attack and they have some skilful forwards. Their main threats are likely to come from Legia Warsaw and Zaglebie. Legia won the Polish Cup last season but finished some way off the pace in the league. After just a couple of games both Legia and Wisla head their respective groups. Portugal (starts August 24th) Sporting dominated the Premier League last season, winning by a margin of an incredible 27 points. They completed the domestic double by defeating Porto in the Cup Final and in the Super Cup, previous champions Benfica triumphed over cup winners Vit. Guimarães. Republic of Ireland (starts August 15th) This season Dundalk will be trying to capture their third consecutive Premier Division title. Last season the titleholders also walked off with the League Cup, beating Shamrock Rovers in the final but finished runners-up in the Presidents Cup, losing out to Bohemians. Shamrock Rovers won the Senior Challenge Cup with a victory over Shelbourne. First Division U.C.D. (University College Dublin) were surprise winners of the Super Cup after finishing first in a very tough group. The Munster Senior Cup saw a victory by Waterford Utd over Leeds Utd (not that Leeds!) and in the Leinster equivalent St. Pat's Athletic beat Longford. One of the oddities of the Irish league is that the Super Cup is played in June and therefore this season's trophy has already been contested. Dundalk, St. Pat's Athletic, Shamrock Rovers and Bohemians battled it out with Dundalk coming out on top to take their first trophy of the season. Russia (started March 22nd) Last season Spartak Moscow won their 10th Premier title in 11 years. The Cup competition is another that spans two seasons and the 2002 winners were Saturn who beat Spartak Moscow 1-0 in the final. Once again the 2003 competition is complete with Spartak having beaten First Division Sokol Saratov 3-2 in a thrilling match. Moscow were 3-0 ahead at half time and their opponents were down to 10 men but they fought back strongly and almost took the match to extra time. In the 2003 Premiership surprise package Krylja Sovetov hold a two-point lead at the top after 17 matches. Scotland (started July 26th) In 2002/2003 Celtic just missed out on the domestic treble. They won the Premier League, beat Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup but lost out to Dundee United in the League Cup. United were the holders of the trophy from the previous season, a season in which they narrowly lost out to Rangers in the Premier League. Alloa won the Challenge Cup, defeating Partick Thistle in the final. Spain (starts August 24th) Barcelona ran away with the First Division title in Spain and capped off a fabulous season by defeating Roma in the Champions League final in Paris. Athletic Bilbao upset Deportivo in the Super Cup at the start of last season and repeated the feat against Real Madrid in the Spanish Cup final at the end of the season. Sweden (started April 6th) Last season the surprise winners of the Premier League were IF Elfsborg, seeing off the challenge of better-known teams such as Malmo, Helsingborg and AIK. The Swedish Cup was won by IFK Göteborg who defeated First Division Sylvia in the two-legged final. Sadly their opponents were relegated to the Second Division that season. Oddly, the cup competition straddles two seaons, with the first three rounds played in the "previous" season and the remaining games played in the "current season". So this season's final has already been played with Trelleborg beating Malmo 3-2 on aggregate. In the Premier Division, the current pacesetters with 12 games played are AIK with Malmo, Helsingborg and Elfsborg close behind. Turkey (starts August 8th) Fenerbahçe captured the Premier Division last season, finishing above great rivals Galatasaray and defending champions Besiktas. In the Turkish Cup Malatyaspor beat holders Çaykur Rizespor. Wales (starts August 16th) Last season Cwmbran Town went from zero to hero as the side that finished bottom of the Premiership in 2001/2002 won the title by a clear 12 points - talk about a turnaround. Caersws triumphed over Carmarthen Town in the Welsh Cup and Port Talbot Town beat Newtown in the League Cup. Port Talbot just lost out to Cardiff in the Premier Cup. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted July 31, 2003 Share Posted July 31, 2003 European Soccer Weekly Friday August 1st, 2003 Hello and welcome to the first edition of a brand new weekly publication in which we will be covering all the important soccer news and views from around Europe. We will be keeping all you football fans up to date with the latest happenings in the major European leagues and many of the minor ones too. We will be bringing you all of the key results and each week we will have an in depth look at one of the European Divisions and highlight our Match of the Week. Most of the Continent is gearing up to a brand new season and we intend to keep you abreast of their pre-season activities. However, in some countries the season is already well underway. In this, our inaugural issue, we will take a brief look back at last season for all of the national leagues that will be featured throughout the year. So, without further ado, let's get started. Belgium (starts August 8th) Last season the recent dominance of Anderlecht was broken by Lierse, who caused a major upset by finishing as First Division champions. They pipped equally unfancied Charleroi to the title by a single point when the runners-up could only draw their final match of the season. Anderlecht finished the season without a trophy as they were beaten in the Cup Final by Racing Genk thanks to a stoppage-time goal. Croatia (started July 26th) There was another surprise title winner in Croatia last season when Slaven Belupo beat both Dinamo and Hajduk to the First Division championship. The "big two" did contest the cup final however, with Dinamo triumphing 5-3 on aggregate. Denmark (started July 27th) Brøndby will be going for a third successive Premiership title after their triumph last season. They won the title by a 9-point margin over second-placed OB with rivals FC København a further 3 points back. However, København did have the consolation of winning the Cup, beating AaB in a one-sided final. England (starts August 9th) Liverpool won their first Premier League title last season, holding off the challenge of defending champions Arsenal. Newly-promoted Preston found things tough and finished in last place, managing just 5 wins all season. The other new boys, Wolves and Millwall, both avoided the drop, with Manchester City and Birmingham the other teams relegated. Charlton won the First Division championship and will be joined in the Premiership by Brighton and Everton. The Toffees were relegated in 2001/2002 but have bounced straight back. Liverpool added the League Cup to their league title with a victory over Arsenal, and Manchester United beat the Gunners in the FA Cup Final. It just wasn't Arsenal's season as they also finished runners-up in the Charity Shield to Manchester United. Bristol City beat Oldham in the Vans Trophy Final and in the FA Trophy Yeovil triumphed over Barnet. Finland (started April 26th) In Finland MyPa won the Premiership for the first time in their history. The Cup was won by Tampere Utd who beat Jaro on penalties after a 2-2 draw. After 16 games of this season the defending champions are in 2nd place, 11 points behind leaders HJK. France (starts August 8th) Lens captured the First Division crown with the previous seasons champions Lyon finishing second. Lens missed out on a double, losing the League Cup Final to PSG. However, this cup win did little to satisfy the PSG fans following a disastrous league campaign in which they finished 12th. PSG are now on their third manager in 12 months, with the ex-coach of the national side, Henri Michel, now in charge. The Cup Final saw a victory for Second Division underdogs Toulouse over St. Etienne. The Cup winners rounded off a memorable season by gaining promotion to the First Division. In the Champions Trophy Lyon had a comfortable victory over Troyes. Germany (started July 27th) Last season FC Bayern continued their recent domination by capturing their 5th successive title, squeezing past Dortmund on goal difference. In the most thrilling finish for many years Bayern overtook Dortmund in the final match of the season, thanks to a 5-0 win over relegated Bielefeld. Dortmund beat Nürnberg 4-1, but it was not enough and Bayern ended up just a single goal better off on goal difference. Dortmund also lost out to Bayern in the League Cup, with a narrow 1-0 defeat but did gain some consolation by beating 1860 München 2-1 in the German Cup Final with Jan Koller getting the injury-time winner. Greece (starts September 14th) Olympiakos captured their 7th title in the last 8 years, their winning sequence only broken by great rivals PAO (Panathinaikos) in 2001/2002. This was another championship decided on goal difference, with AEK Athens finishing level on points but losing out by a single goal. PAO defeated AEK in the Super Cup and PAOK beat Iraklis in the Greek Cup. Holland (starts August 6th) PSV won their 4th Premier title in a row, although they were unable to complete the domestic clean-sweep that they had achieved in season 2001/2002. They did beat Ajax in the Super Cup but suffered a shock defeat in the Dutch Cup Quarter Final when Groningen triumphed on penalties. However, an even better treble was completed when PSV won the UEFA Cup, beating England's Blackburn Rovers 2-0. Feyenoord won the Dutch Cup, beating Heerenveen 2-1 after extra time. Italy (starts August 31st) Roma captured the Serie A title, finishing 7 points ahead of Milan and thus reversing the positions of the previous season. They completed the domestic double by beating Juventus 3-1 on aggregate in the Italian Cup. Unfortunately, the third leg of a magnificent treble was just beyond them as they lost the Champions League Final to Barcelona on penalties after a scoreless match. Milan beat Parma in the Super Cup and Genoa beat Venezia in the Serie C Cup. However, Venezia did get some compensation by beating Avellino in the C1 Super Cup. Fiorentina just missed out on a second successive promotion following on from their promotion from Serie C2/B the previous season. They will be trying to get into Serie B this season and so keep up their fairy-tale climb back to the top level. Northern Ireland (starts August 9th) Linfield were runaway Premier Division champions, with a 20 point lead over their nearest rivals. Portadown, champions the previous season, had a terrible campaign, eventually finishing in 5th position. Linfield completed the domestic double with a victory over First Division Carrick in the Irish Cup Final. Carrick's appearance in the final was all the more surprising considering that they finished last in Division One. Bangor defeated favourites Portadown in the League Cup Final and rounded off a marvellous season by also capturing the First Division title. Portadown's only trophy of the season came in the Charity Shield where they defeated Distillery. Norway (started April 13th) Norwegian football is dominated by one team - Rosenborg. Last season they won their 11th straight Premier Division title. In the Cup, Viking repeated their triumph of 2001 with a 1-0 victory over Molde after a replay. At this point in the season Rosenborg are top of the league with a 2-point lead over Brann. Poland (started July 19th) Wisla Krakow have won the Polish First Division for the last two seasons and are looking to make it a hat trick this year. A free-scoring team, their main strength is in attack and they have some skilful forwards. Their main threats are likely to come from Legia Warsaw and Zaglebie. Legia won the Polish Cup last season but finished some way off the pace in the league. After just a couple of games both Legia and Wisla head their respective groups. Portugal (starts August 24th) Sporting dominated the Premier League last season, winning by a margin of an incredible 27 points. They completed the domestic double by defeating Porto in the Cup Final and in the Super Cup, previous champions Benfica triumphed over cup winners Vit. Guimarães. Republic of Ireland (starts August 15th) This season Dundalk will be trying to capture their third consecutive Premier Division title. Last season the titleholders also walked off with the League Cup, beating Shamrock Rovers in the final but finished runners-up in the Presidents Cup, losing out to Bohemians. Shamrock Rovers won the Senior Challenge Cup with a victory over Shelbourne. First Division U.C.D. (University College Dublin) were surprise winners of the Super Cup after finishing first in a very tough group. The Munster Senior Cup saw a victory by Waterford Utd over Leeds Utd (not that Leeds!) and in the Leinster equivalent St. Pat's Athletic beat Longford. One of the oddities of the Irish league is that the Super Cup is played in June and therefore this season's trophy has already been contested. Dundalk, St. Pat's Athletic, Shamrock Rovers and Bohemians battled it out with Dundalk coming out on top to take their first trophy of the season. Russia (started March 22nd) Last season Spartak Moscow won their 10th Premier title in 11 years. The Cup competition is another that spans two seasons and the 2002 winners were Saturn who beat Spartak Moscow 1-0 in the final. Once again the 2003 competition is complete with Spartak having beaten First Division Sokol Saratov 3-2 in a thrilling match. Moscow were 3-0 ahead at half time and their opponents were down to 10 men but they fought back strongly and almost took the match to extra time. In the 2003 Premiership surprise package Krylja Sovetov hold a two-point lead at the top after 17 matches. Scotland (started July 26th) In 2002/2003 Celtic just missed out on the domestic treble. They won the Premier League, beat Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup but lost out to Dundee United in the League Cup. United were the holders of the trophy from the previous season, a season in which they narrowly lost out to Rangers in the Premier League. Alloa won the Challenge Cup, defeating Partick Thistle in the final. Spain (starts August 24th) Barcelona ran away with the First Division title in Spain and capped off a fabulous season by defeating Roma in the Champions League final in Paris. Athletic Bilbao upset Deportivo in the Super Cup at the start of last season and repeated the feat against Real Madrid in the Spanish Cup final at the end of the season. Sweden (started April 6th) Last season the surprise winners of the Premier League were IF Elfsborg, seeing off the challenge of better-known teams such as Malmo, Helsingborg and AIK. The Swedish Cup was won by IFK Göteborg who defeated First Division Sylvia in the two-legged final. Sadly their opponents were relegated to the Second Division that season. Oddly, the cup competition straddles two seaons, with the first three rounds played in the "previous" season and the remaining games played in the "current season". So this season's final has already been played with Trelleborg beating Malmo 3-2 on aggregate. In the Premier Division, the current pacesetters with 12 games played are AIK with Malmo, Helsingborg and Elfsborg close behind. Turkey (starts August 8th) Fenerbahçe captured the Premier Division last season, finishing above great rivals Galatasaray and defending champions Besiktas. In the Turkish Cup Malatyaspor beat holders Çaykur Rizespor. Wales (starts August 16th) Last season Cwmbran Town went from zero to hero as the side that finished bottom of the Premiership in 2001/2002 won the title by a clear 12 points - talk about a turnaround. Caersws triumphed over Carmarthen Town in the Welsh Cup and Port Talbot Town beat Newtown in the League Cup. Port Talbot just lost out to Cardiff in the Premier Cup. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HD Posted July 31, 2003 Share Posted July 31, 2003 Excellent Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spurzgrrl Posted July 31, 2003 Share Posted July 31, 2003 Sneak, this was my next idea, for after I eventually get sacked from Canada... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted July 31, 2003 Author Share Posted July 31, 2003 Thanks HD and sorry spurzgrrl, but I think that it will be some time before Canada dispense with your services Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gino Posted July 31, 2003 Share Posted July 31, 2003 Good Luck BobBev Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjorn Posted July 31, 2003 Share Posted July 31, 2003 Great start and good luck Bobbev Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacemaker7 Posted August 1, 2003 Share Posted August 1, 2003 Good idea, some screenshots etc would liven it up a bit... and wheres page three Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacemaker7 Posted August 1, 2003 Share Posted August 1, 2003 Good idea, some screenshots etc would liven it up a bit... and wheres page three Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted August 6, 2003 Author Share Posted August 6, 2003 Thanks for your messages of support. PM - I am running CM01/02 so I hadn't planned on any screenshots. As for page 3 - you do not want to see me topless, believe me Friday August 8th, 2003 There is no doubt that the main news story this week concerns the transfer activities of Milan and Real Madrid. French superstar Zinedine Zidane (31, AM C) has been out of favour at Real and he has now been transferred to Milan for £16.5M. A few days later it was announced that Clarence Seedorf (27, DM RLC) was moving in the opposite direction from Milan to Real for £14.25M. The other big transfer this week was the move of young French striker Djibril Cisse (21, SC) from Auxerre to Betis for £16.25M. Champions League The first leg matches of the Third Qualifying Phase took place on Wednesday and some big names were in action. Manchester United beat Levski of Bulgaria 5-1 at Old Trafford and Real Madrid had a 2-1 victory over Slovenian team Maribor. But probably the biggest match of this round was between Rangers and Feyenoord with the Scots recording a 2-1 win at Ibrox. UEFA Cup The Qualifying Round First Leg matches were played on Thursday and there were some interesting ties. Barry Town of Wales faced the once-mighty Red Star of Belgrade. Alas there was no fairytale result as Barry were thumped 5-0. Northern Ireland's Distillery (a grand name for team) had a creditable 1-1 draw in Slovenia against Olimpija. Their compatriots from the Republic, St. Pat's Athletic, went one better with a 1-0 win in Lithuania against Zalgiris. But probably the most noteworthy performance came from another team from the Republic as Shamrock Rovers beat Motherwell 1-0 in Dublin. Spotlight on.....The Scottish Premier League Last season Celtic regained the Premier League title having relinquished it to Rangers the previous season. Season 2001/2002 is not one that the Celts will be keen to remember, having finished a disappointing 4th, a full 18 points behind the Gers. Dundee United pushed Rangers all the way that season, eventually ending up just 2 points adrift in second place. But last season normal service was resumed with the Old Firm totally dominating the league. Another two-horse race is expected this season, but maybe there will be another surprise package. Aberdeen 2001/2002 - 7th 2002/2003 - 7th Despite finishing outside the top 6 for the second season in succession, the Dons had a good run in the cup competitions. They reached the League Cup Quarter Finals and lost the Scottish Cup Final to Celtic. Aberdeen put a strong emphasis on youth development and manager Steve Patterson has one of the youngest squads in the Division. Last season's top scorer was Murray Watson (19, S C) with 24 goals. Key acquisitions this season include Frederic Dindeleux (29, DC) for £2.1M and James Fowler (22, F RC) for £1.2M, both from Kilmarnock. Celtic 2001/2002 - 4th 2002/2003 - 1st John Toshack took over as Manager when Martin O'Neill was poached by Newcastle to replace the retiring Bobby Robson. It was a good first season for the Welshman, with a league and cup double. There have been no additions to the squad in the off-season but Sylvain Legwinski (29, DM RC) was sold to Lille for £2.2M. He was bought from Fulham last November for £1.5M but never managed to establish a first team position. Last summer he purchased Argentinean forward Julio Ricardo Cruz (28, SC) from Bologna for £8.5M. At the turn of the year Toshack sold Parkhead legend Henrik Larsson (31, F C) to Deportivo for £9.25M. In 177 games for the club the Swede scored 126 goals. He also disposed of influential midfielders Alan Thompson (29, AM LC) to Chelsea for £5.5M and Neil Lennon (32, DM C) to Everton for £1.2M. Chris Sutton (30, S C) was last season's Scottish Player of the Year and hot prospect Mark Kerr (21, MC) was the Young Player of the Year. Dundee 2001/2002 - 3rd 2002/2003 - 4th Manager Jim Duffy has established Dundee as a top-6 team but the squad lacks the class required to really challenge for the title. Last summer Dundee spent nearly £4M on players, with the single biggest outlay being the £2.1M paid to Aston Villa for Robert Edwards (21, D RC). There has been no transfer activity at Dens Park so far this season. Without doubt their key player over the last couple of seasons has been Beto (31, AM/F RLC). Last season he was the club's top scorer with 21 goals and was voted Supporters Player of the Year. Dundee United 2001/2002 - 2nd 2002/2003 - 5th Having almost won the league title the previous season much was expected from Alex Smith's team last season. Unfortunately they couldn't sustain their league form but they did go on to retain the League Cup. With Icelandic international Arnar Gunnlaugsson (30, F LC) transfer listed after a disagreement with Smith, United rely too much on the veteran Billy Dodds (34, SC) for their goals. Last season he was top scorer with 17 goals. Dunfermline 2001/2002 - 10th 2002/2003 - 8th Having sacked manager Jimmy Calderwood in March last year much was expected of his replacement, the up and coming David Moyes. But after a mediocre season Moyes left East End Park for the bright lights of Nottingham Forest. A rather interesting hiring decision by the board meant that Moyes was replaced by Walter Smith who had just recently been fired by.....Nottingham Forest! Dunfermline's big problem recently has been a lack of goals. Consider that for each of the past two seasons the top scorer has been Stephen Crawford (29, S C) with 10 and 11 goals respectively and you can see the problem! Hearts 2001/2002 - 11th 2002/2003 - 11th Despite having just avoided relegation for the last two seasons, the Hearts board continue to show faith in manager Craig Levein, although another season of underachievement may stretch their patience too far. With limited funds available to strengthen the squad, Levein's prospects do not look good. Hearts are another side that lacks a good goalscorer, with Andy Kirk (24, S C) finishing as top scorer last season with 10 goals. Hibs 2001/2002 - 8th 2002/2003 - 9th When manager Bobby Williamson was sacked in 2002 and replaced by ex-Wolves manager Dave Jones, much was expected by the Easter Road faithful. Unfortunately Jones gave them little to cheer about last season and, with no squad improvements made in the summer, it looks like more of the same this season. Some key players are now the wrong side of 30, including Eduardo Hurtado (34, S C), Paul Fenwick (33, D C), John O'Neil (32, AM LC) and Luna (31, S C). Livinsgstone 2001/2002 - 9th 2002/2003 - 6th Working on a tight budget, and with few star players, manager Jim Leishman continues to work miracles by keeping Livingstone in the Premier Division. Javier Sanchez Broto (31, GK) and Marvin Andrews (26, D C) are key players for the club. They also have a good young goalscorer in the shape of Stephen Whalen (23, AM/F C) who found the net 21 times last season. Motherwell 2001/2002 - 6th 2002/2003 - 3rd Manager Terry Butcher guided Motherwell to a fine third-place finish last season, although they were a long way behind the Old Firm at the top of the table. In the off-season Butcher has signed the experienced Craig Nelson (32, GK) from Ayr for £660K and Andrius Skerla (26, DC) on a Bosman from Dunfermline. With last season's top scorer (23 goals in 40 games) Jerry Simons (33, S C) out for 3 months with a serious hip injury suffered in a pre-season friendly, Motherwell may struggle to find the net this season. Raith Rovers 2001/2002 - Second Division Champions 2002/2003 - First Division Champions Raith Rovers are the fairytale club of Scottish football at the moment, as under the guidance of manager Jocky Scott, they have achieved back-to-back promotions. Raith have one of the oldest squads in the division, with more that half of the first team regulars the wrong side of 30, and this may cost them this season. Jocky is one of the more active manager in the transfer market, having signed no fewer than 19 players in the last 10 months. Pick of the bunch is probably Dariusz Adamczuk (33, D/M RC) who cost 350K from Rangers and is now a key element in Raith's success. Most people's favourites for relegation but the romantics amongst us will be hoping that Jocky can keep the Raith bandwagon rolling along. Rangers 2001/2002 - 1st 2002/2003 - 2nd Alex McLeish has brought domestic success to Rangers but has failed to make any kind of impression in Europe, with the Gers having failed to get to the Champions League group stages for the past two seasons. In Barry Ferguson (25, MC) Rangers possess the jewel of Scottish football and the squad was strengthened further by the £5.5M purchase of John Terry (22, DC) from Chelsea. McLeish also has at his disposal ace striker Michael Mols (32, S C) who scored 24 goals last season. St. Johnstone 2001/2002 - First Division Champions 2002/2003 - 10th Last year's promoted team proved that it can be done as they maintained their Premier Division status. In the early part of the season this achievement looked unlikely as the Perth club were bottom of the table with just a single point near the end of September. This spelt the end for Manager Billy Stark, who was fired and replaced by the experienced Jim Jeffries. Jim slowly turned things around and 5 wins in their last 6 matches made then safe for another season. St. Johnstone's best player is probably teenage prospect Kiegan Parker (19, F RC) who was the club's top scorer last year with 14 goals. 2002/2003 Table <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st C Celtic 38 14 1 3 39 14 13 3 4 48 25 85 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd Rangers 38 15 2 3 44 13 11 2 5 37 27 82 3rd Motherwell 38 10 2 6 31 24 9 4 7 34 28 63 4th Dundee 38 10 2 7 43 35 8 5 6 38 34 61 5th Dundee Utd 38 11 4 4 30 21 5 5 9 23 28 57 6th Livingston 38 9 6 4 34 23 6 3 10 25 32 54 7th Aberdeen 38 10 7 3 45 32 5 2 11 28 43 54 8th Dunfermline 38 7 3 9 28 32 7 2 10 29 37 47 9th Hibs 38 9 2 8 37 34 4 4 11 22 39 45 10th St. Johnstone 38 6 4 9 27 34 4 2 13 19 35 36 11th Hearts 38 6 5 8 28 32 2 4 13 15 45 33 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12th R Kilmarnock 38 6 2 11 27 42 1 4 14 18 40 27</pre> Game of the Week Wednesday August 6th, 2003 Champions League Third Qualifying Phase, First Leg Rangers 2 Feyenoord 1 Feyenoord came to Ibrox with a very defensive game plan and for the first 30 minutes or so they frustrated the home team. Rangers were working hard but had little to show for their efforts apart from an early free kick from Neil McCann that was well saved by Edwin Zoetebier. But as Feyenoord started to put slightly less emphasis on defence, a few more opening were created. Barry Ferguson found Peter Lovenkrands in the area, but his shot was tipped around the post for a corner. Then youngster Stephen Hughes had a powerful run and shot that was also well saved. The Rangers pressure continued as McCann latched on to a knockdown from Mikel Arteta but once again Zoetebier saved well. Big Defender Craig Moore was the next player to bring the best out of the Feyenoord keeper as he got his head to a McCann cross. Seconds later Zoetebier was the hero again, somehow keeping out a Ronald De Boer header. Song Jong-Kook cleared the ball up field, Sylvain Wiltord latched on to the clearance and spotted Pierre van Hooijdonk free in the Rangers area. His chipped pass found the big striker and he volleyed home spectacularly to give Feyenoord the lead. Rangers didn't let their heads go down and just two minutes later they were all square. A superb through ball from Ferguson found Lovenkrands unmarked and the Danish forward made no mistake, guiding the ball past the Feyenoord keeper for the equaliser. In the second half Rangers continued to pressurise the visitors but were unable to create any clear openings. But then in the 64th minute we saw a sublime piece of skill from Lovenkrands as his exquisite turn lost his marker and a pinpoint pass found De Boer who smashed the ball home. The visitors almost snatched an equaliser near the end, but Anthony Lurling's powerful shot grazed the top of the crossbar, much to the relief of Ranger's keeper Stefan Klos. Teams Rangers: Stefan Klos, Fernando Ricksen, Michael Ball, Craig Moore, John Terry, Barry Ferguson (captain), Stephen Hughes, Mikel Arteta, Peter Lovenkrands (MOM), Ronald De Boer, Neil McCann Subs not used: Isaac Osbourne, Jesper Christiansen, Michael Symes, Kevin Muscat, Shota Arveladze, Steven Thompson, Bert Konterman Feyenoord: Edwin Zoetebier, Pieter Collen, Ramon van Haaren, Song Jong-Kook, Glenn Loovens, Shinji Ono, Paul Bosvelt (captain), Carlos Alberto (Gerard de Nooijer 59), Sylvain Wiltord, Pierre van Hooijdonk (Mariano Bombarda 50), Anthony Lurling Subs not used: Zbignlew Malkowski, Ebi Smolarek, Leonardo, Brett Emerton, Johan Elmander Scorers Rangers: Lovenkrands 41, De Boer 64 Feyenoord: van Hooijdonk 39 Man of the Match: Peter Lovenkrands Yellow Cards Feyenoord: Paul Bosvelt Attendance: 50,376 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted August 9, 2003 Author Share Posted August 9, 2003 Author's Note This is a Cm01/02 game that has all of the European Leagues running in foreground. I put it on holiday until the current date. It is my intention to post a weekly update in (more or less) real time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HD Posted August 9, 2003 Share Posted August 9, 2003 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR><pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">12th R Kilmarnock 38 6 2 11 27 42 1 4 14 18 40 27</pre><HR></BLOCKQUOTE> YAS! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted August 14, 2003 Author Share Posted August 14, 2003 Friday August 15th, 2003 The major transfer news of the week was the £16M paid by Sevilla to Valencia for Argentinean midfielder Pablo Aimar (23, AM C). Capped 21 times by his country, Aimar had struggled to establish a place in the Valencia first team for the last couple of years. The FIFA World Club Championship was concluded this week. Newcastle won their third place playoff against Botafogo of Brazil on penalties after a 1-1 draw, but the winners were Barcelona who had a fine 3-0 win over Mexican side Cruz Azul. In Belgium the first trophy of the season was decided when Racing Genk beat Lierse 2-1 in the Super Cup. Last weekend also saw Liverpool triumph over Manchester United 1-0 in the Charity Shield and in France Toulouse beat Lens 1-0 in the Champions Trophy. In Greece PAOK won the Super Cup after a penalty shootout against Olympiakos following a 1-1 draw. The Dutch Super Cup was won by Feyenoord on penalties after their 1-1 draw with PSV. In Northern Ireland Carrick beat Linfield 2-1 in the Charity Shield. The Polish Super Cup was won by Wisla who defeated Legia 3-1 and in the Super Cup in Portugal Porto beat Sporting on penalties after a 0-0 draw. In the Republic of Ireland Dundalk look like the team to beat having already secured the Presidents Cup with a 3-1 win over St. Pat's Athletic and the Super Cup, topping the group with 2 wins and a draw. In the German League Cup Final FC Bayern defeated Dortmund 1-0 in a repeat of last year's final. In Finland HJK hold a 14-point lead at the top of the Premier Division over defending champions MyPa, although MyPa have 4 games in hand and last weekend they inflicted a 4-0 away win over the leaders. In Norway Rosenborg continue to set the pace with a 3-point lead over Brann. In Russia Krylja Sovetov from Samara are still the surprise leaders of the Premier Division, a point clear of CSKA. In Sweden Malmo hold a 3-point lead over rivals Helsingborg with last season's First Division champions Trelleborg propping up the table with a mere 9 points from 15 games. Spotlight on.....The English Premier League Liverpool won their first Premiership title last season, holding off the challenge of defending champions Arsenal and Manchester United. The top three start the season as favourites, with Newcastle hoping to sustain their challenge. Arsenal 2001/2002 - 1st 2002/2003 - 2nd The Gunners will undoubtedly be mounting a strong challenge to regain the title. Manager Arsene Wenger has made a few summer signings to strengthen the defence, including Uruguayan Paolo Montero (31, SW/D C) for £6.75M from Juventus, Swede Nils-Eric Johansson (23, DC) from Blackburn for £4.9M and French youngster Philippe Mexes (21, SW/D C) who cost £3.8M from Auxerre. Veteran keeper David Seaman was released and has now retired from playing and seeking a coaching position. The other high-profile departure was the sale of winger Robert Pires (30, AM RLC) to Real Madrid for £15.75M. Thierry Henry (25, S C) had a fine season, finishing as top scorer with 28 goals and being voted Supporters Player of the Year. Aston Villa 2001/2002 - 11th 2002/2003 - 12th Perennial under-achievers Villa sacked Manager Graham Taylor in February and hired Micky Adams from Leicester to replace him. Last summer Taylor had made several expensive signings, including the experienced Christian Ziege (31, D/DM L) from Tottenham for £3.5M, young Dutch midfielder Youssef Hersi (20, AM/F LC) from NEC for £9.5M and defender Anthony Reveillere (23, D RL) from Rennes for a club-record £11.25M. Despite this expenditure, little success was achieved and his departure was no surprise. With rumours that talented youngster Gareth Barry (22, D/DM LC), the Villa Supporters Player of the Year, is unsettled there seems little sign that Adams will be much more successful than his predecessor. Blackburn 2001/2002 - 14th 2002/2003 - 5th With Blackburn languishing in the bottom half of the table Manager Graham Souness was sacked in March last year and replaced by Irishman Brian Kerr. Kerr's impact was immediate, with a 5th placed finish in the league and a UEFA Cup run that took them all the way to the final before losing to PSV. Kerr's most influential signing took place at the start of last season when he captured highly rated young midfielder Scott Parker (22, M C) from Charlton for a bargain £2.7M following the relegation of the Londoners. However, an ageing strike force of Andrew Cole (31, S C) and Dwight Yorke (31, S C) may be a limiting factor this season. Brighton 2001/2002 - 18th in First Division 2002/2003 - 2nd in First Division Newly promoted Brighton are the bookies favourites for an immediate return to the First Division. Manager Roddy Collins has been preparing for life in the Premier League by strengthening his backroom staff and bringing in Rory Delap (27, M RC) from Southampton for £1M and Ryan Robinson (22, D/M LC) from St. Mirren for £1.4M. Having just avoided the drop in 2001/2002 Brighton surprised everybody with their promotion last season. Signing of the season must have been Spanish striker Sergio Floro (22, S C), picked up as a free transfer, who found the net 30 times last season, outshining the highly rated Bobby Zamora (22, S C). Charlton 2001/2002 - 20th 2002/2003 - First Division Champions Relegation in 2001/2002 spelt the end of the road for long serving Manager Alan Curbishley and he was replaced by Roy Hodgson who guided The Addicks to the First Division title and an immediate return to the top flight. But then in a move that surprised everyone, Hodgson left Charlton for Birmingham who had just been relegated from the Premier League - Roy clearly relishes a challenge! Steve Coppell was hired as the new Manager in May. Coppell has made some interesting signings in the summer, including experienced keeper Zeljko Kalac (30, GK) (who has 44 caps for Australia) from Wigan for £1.9M and veteran Graeme Le Saux (34, D L) from Bolton for £700K. Influential midfielder Claus Jensen (26, AM C) is reported to be looking for a move so it could be another difficult season for the Charlton fans. Chelsea 2001/2002 - 6th 2002/2003 - 11th Just as he was beginning to get the hang of the language, Manager Claudio Ranieri was fired in November last year and replaced by Gary Megson. During last season Megson bought Laurent Robert (28, AM/F L) from Newcastle for £5.75M and Vladimir Smicer (30, AM/F RLC) from Liverpool for £9.75M. This summer he has signed the mercurial but unpredictable Georgi Kinkladze (30, F LC) on a Bosman from Derby. Powerful striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (31, S C) has recently been put on the transfer list at his own request. There are also rumours that recent signing Robert and versatile defender William Gallas (25, D RLC) are unhappy and looking for a move. Everton 2001/2002 - 18th 2002/2003 - 3rd in First Division The replacement of Manager David Moyes with Peter Reid in March last year could not prevent Everton's slide in to Division One. However, Reid was able to gain immediate promotion through the playoffs to restore Everton to the Premiership. With no major signings in the off-season The Toffees are expected to struggle to hold avoid relegation this season and much responsibility rests on the young shoulders of Wayne Rooney (17, S C) to get the goals required to survive. Fulham 2001/2002 - 7th 2002/2003 - 7th Most observers were surprised when, having won the League Cup in 2001/2002 and the team doing well in the league, Manager Jean Tigana was sacked in November of last year and replaced by Harry Redknapp. Harry has done little to strengthen the squad but he did sign the talented Sergey Semak (27, AM/F C) from CSKA for £2.3M. In the summer he sold Steed Malbranque (23, AM RC) to Schalke 04 for £8M and Steve Marlet (29, F RC) to Auxerre for £1.9M. Fulham will do well to finish in the top 10 this season unless Harry gets back into the transfer market. Leeds 2001/2002 - 9th 2002/2003 - 8th With talented players such as Mark Viduka (27, S C), Harry Kewell (24, AM/F LC) and Alan Smith (22, S C) in the squad, the Leeds fans expect more from Manager Terry Venables than he has so far delivered. The squad has been further strengthened this summer with the addition of the skilful Israeli Haim Revivo (31, F LC) from Urawa Reds for £4.2M and Angolan Jordao (31, AM C) on a Bosman from West Brom. The feeling is that unless El Tel delivers the goods this season his days at Elland Road may be numbered. Liverpool 2001/2002 - 3rd 2002/2003 - 1st Having delivered the one prize that the fans wanted above all others, Gerard Houllier has now become an Anfield legend. Add victories in the Charity Shield and the League Cup, together with a Champions League Quarter Final appearance, and he has probably been elevated to sainthood in the red side of Liverpool. There is quality throughout the squad with renowned defenders Sami Hyypia (30, D C) and Stephane Henchoz (29, D C) the rock around which last season's success was built. With just 21 goals conceded in the league campaign (and only 6 conceded at home), Liverpool were almost impossible to beat. Michael Owen (23, S C) and Emile Heskey (25, F LC) formed a very effective strike partnership, scoring 34 goals between them. The most significant signing of the summer was Dutch winger Bobby Petta (29, AM L) from Middlesbrough for £6.25M. Manchester United 2001/2002 - 2nd 2002/2003 - 3rd The league title has eluded Sir Alex Ferguson for the past two seasons, although the trophy cabinet has not been completely bare, with consecutive FA Cup wins. But with precious little success in Europe either, Sir Alex is increasingly frustrated at what he sees as a lack of achievement. With the only addition to the squad in the last 2 years coming in the shape of Costa Rican Solis (30, AM LC) from OFI Crete for £7M last summer, many observers feel that it is time that United put some of their cash to good use. But Sir Alex obviously feels that his team is good enough as it stands. And when you have the likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy (27, S C) scoring 42 goals in all competition last season, who is to say he's wrong. The Dutch goal machine was voted the English Players Player of the Year, The Supporters Player of the Year and the World Footballer of the Year. Middlesbrough 2001/2002 - 4th 2002/2003 - 10th After an excellent 4th place finish in 2001/2002 Manager Steve McLaren must have been very disappointed to slip down to 10th place last season. The squad has been strengthened this summer with the arrival of the talented Matthew Taylor (21, D/DM L) from Portsmouth for £10.25M and the Nigerian Tajjani Babangida (29, AM/F R) from Urawa Reds for £5.5M. The fans at the Riverside will be keen to see further European action so a top-6 finish must be the target, although most observers would feel that this is unlikely to be met. With the club's top scorer for the last 2 seasons Alen Boksic (33, F C) released on a free transfer, it is hard to see where the goals will come from. Millwall 2001/2002 - 6th in First Division 2002/2003 - 16th Having reached the Premiership courtesy of the playoffs two seasons ago, Millwall escaped the drop by the comfortable margin of 10 points last season and will be looking to build on that success. Manager Mark McGhee has had a major clear out this summer, with no fewer than 11 players departing, mostly on free transfers. The only addition has been Dominic Matteo (29, SW/D/M LC) from Leeds for £1.8M. With a squad devoid of star players, McGhee relies upon the work ethic that he has instilled into the team. His players will have to work very hard indeed this season if they are to preserve their place in the top flight. Newcastle 2001/2002 - 10th 2002/2003 - 4th Who can forget the fairy tale ending to season 2001/2002 when Sir Bobby Robson's beloved Newcastle captured the Champions League trophy with a stirring 2-1 victory over Milan. The memory of Craig Bellamy's stoppage time winner will stay with us forever. As Sir Bobby slipped into graceful retirement, young gun Martin O'Neill was tempted from Celtic as the great man's replacement. O'Neill steered The Magpies to a respectable 4th place finish in his first season. Unfortunately, the defence of their Champions League title was short lived, as they failed to get past the first group stage. However, they did have the consolation of winning the Intercontinental Cup, defeating Vasco of Brazil 3-0 in Tokyo. Veteran striker Alan Shearer (33, S C) can still deliver the goods, as his performances in the recent World Club Championship showed, where he finished top scorer with 6 goals in 5 games. Southampton 2001/2002 - 15th 2002/2003 - 15th Manager Gordon Strachan continues to keep a somewhat mediocre squad of players in the top-flight, but quite how he does no one knows. The grim process of league survival has been lightened by a couple of good cup runs, reaching the League Cup Final in 2001/2002 before losing 3-1 to Fulham, and Reaching the FA Cup Semi Final last season, losing 1-0 to Arsenal after extra time. This summer's major signing has been Ricardo Gardner (24, D/AM L) from Bolton for £9.25M. Sunderland 2001/2002 - 12th 2002/2003 - 14th A couple of mediocre seasons has meant the recent departure of Howard Wilkinson and the arrival of Gary McAllister from Blackpool. With no major signings so far this season, McAllister has the unenviable task of coaxing a higher level of performance from the existing squad. It would be a brave man who would bet on him succeeding, but stranger things have happened. Much will depend on the partnership up front of Tore Andre Flo (30, S C) and Kevin Phillips (30, S C). Tottenham 2001/2002 - 13th 2002/2003 - 9th Manager Glenn Hoddle has not dipped into the transfer market so far this season so his league campaign will begin where it left off last season. Much will depend on the form of star player Robbie Keane (23, F C) and midfield dynamo Simon Davies (23, M RC). The strike partnership of Sergei Rebrov (29, F RC) and Steffen Iversen (26, S C) will need to be much more productive than it has up till now if progress is to be made. Some notable departures during last season included the veteran Teddy Sheringham (37, F C) released on a free, Darren Anderton (31, AM RC) to Notts Forest for £3.3M and Gary Doherty (23, D/S C) to Blackburn for £4.6M. West Brom 2001/2002 - 5th 2002/2003 - 13th To everyone's amazement (including his own in all likelihood) Gary Megson steered The Baggies to a place in Europe in the 2001/2002 season. With Megson head-hunted by Chelsea at the end of last year, Ian Holloway was the man chosen as his successor. With an unchanged squad Holloway will have his work cut out to emulate his predecessor. The closest that West Brom have to a star player is Jason Koumas (23, AM RLC) capped 15 times for Wales. West Brom's biggest weakness is probably up front and they will find goals hard to come by this season and may struggle as a consequence. West Ham 2001/2002 - 16th 2002/2003 - 6th A rather poor performance in 2001/2002 led to the departure of Glenn Roeder and the appointment of Steve McMahon. The new Manager made an immediate impact, reaching the League Cup Semi Final and gaining a UEFA Cup place. McMahon was fairly active in the transfer market last season, but his only acquisition so far this season is the signing of veteran Paul Merson (35, AM C) on a Bosman from Portsmouth. He has also sold Sebastien Schemmel (28, D R) to Charlton for £1.1M. Talisman Paolo Di Canio (35, F RC) continues to be an influential presence in the team but the jewel in the crown is still Joe Cole (21, AM LC). Cole already has 15 caps for England and was last seasons Supporters Player of the Year and English Players Young Player of the Year. Wolves 2001/2002 - 2nd in First Division 2002/2003 - 17th Having guided Wolves to the Premier league in 2001/2002, it was surprising to say the least when Manager Dave Jones was sacked in July last year and replaced by Alex Totten. Even more surprising was the survival of Wolves even though they did not add a single player to their squad throughout the entire season. This tight-fisted approach has continued so far this season - perhaps Chairman Jack Hayward is running a bit short of money. Veterans Paul Ince (35, DM C) and Denis Irwin (37, D RL) both left the club this summer on free transfers. It is hard to see how Wolves will last another season in the Premiership without bringing in some additional players. 2002/2003 Table <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st C Liverpool 38 17 2 0 44 6 10 7 2 29 15 90 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd Arsenal 38 16 1 2 39 10 12 1 6 34 23 86 3rd Man Utd 38 16 2 1 49 11 10 4 5 29 19 84 4th Newcastle 38 16 2 1 43 15 5 7 7 25 35 72 5th Blackburn 38 12 3 4 34 16 9 1 9 29 30 67 6th West Ham 38 12 6 1 40 22 6 3 10 25 37 63 7th Fulham 38 12 2 5 30 18 5 4 10 23 39 57 8th Leeds 38 11 2 6 41 18 5 3 11 19 31 53 9th Tottenham 38 9 4 6 38 30 5 6 8 18 25 52 10th Middlesbrough 38 11 3 5 32 21 4 3 12 18 36 51 11th Chelsea 38 11 2 6 28 16 2 6 11 18 32 47 12th Aston Villa 38 10 5 4 37 26 3 3 13 19 40 47 13th W.B.A. 38 9 5 5 29 25 3 6 10 13 27 47 14th Sunderland 38 9 6 4 32 21 3 3 13 25 43 45 15th Southampton 38 6 8 5 18 18 4 5 10 18 34 43 16th Millwall 38 9 4 6 24 23 2 4 13 14 30 41 17th Wolves 38 8 7 4 32 21 1 2 16 18 45 36 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18th R Man City 38 5 6 8 29 34 2 4 13 19 40 31 19th R Birmingham 38 3 6 10 14 33 4 2 13 11 28 29 20th R Preston 38 5 2 12 24 34 0 4 15 14 48 21</pre> Game of the Week Saturday August 9th, 2003 Scottish Premier League Celtic 5 Hearts 0 Celtic gained their third straight victory in their league campaign with a clinical demolition of hapless Hearts. The home side were quickly into their stride and Julio Ricardo Cruz forced Hearts keeper Michael Heidrich into action 3 times in the first 15 minutes. Cruz had 2 headers and a free kick well saved by the young German. In the 24th minute a controversial incident changed the complexion of the match when Hearts captain Steven Pressley was shown the red card for an off the ball incident. Less than 10 minutes later and Celtic were in the lead. Heidrich made another fine save from Cruz but Stilian Petrov was first to the rebound for an easy tap in. A couple of minutes before half time saw Celtic double their advantage when Chris Sutton latched on to a long clearance from Ooijer, jinked past two defenders and sent an unstoppable shot past Heidrich. Within 5 minutes of the restart Hearts fell further behind when a Cruz free kick deflected off the defensive wall and Joos Valgaeren was presented with an easy chance. In the 63rd minute Cruz got the goal that he so richly deserved when he headed home a long cross from Venetis to make the score 4-0. The final goal came from the penalty spot after a determined run from Didier Agathe was stopped illegally by Stephen Simmons in the area. Chris Sutton gleefully dispatched the spot kick to make the final score 5-0. Teams Celtic: Magnus Hedman, Didier Agathe, Tassos Venetis, Dianbobo Balde, Ulrik Laursen, Joos Valgaeren, Andre Ooijer (captain), Stilian Petrov, Chris Sutton, Julio Ricardo Cruz, David Vaughan Subs not used: Stephen Crainey, Michael Herbert, David Fernandez, John Hartson, Michael Lamey Hearts: Michael Heidrich, Thomas Flogel, Austin McCann, Gary Sundgren, Steven Pressley (captain), Stephen Cosgrove, Jon, McCarthy, Stephen Simmons, Andy Kirk (Ryan Davidson 61), Scott Severin (Jimmy Sandison 62), Robert Sloan (Dixon 55) Subs not used: Andy Webster, Andy Carlin Scorers Celtic: Petrov 33, Sutton 43, 84 (pen), Valgaeren 51, Cruz 63 Man of the Match: Chris Sutton Yellow Cards Hearts: Stephen Simmons, Jimmy Sandison Red Cards Hearts: Steven Pressley Attendance: 44,951 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HD Posted August 14, 2003 Share Posted August 14, 2003 I know how much work goes into a story like this - it's very much appreciated Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted August 14, 2003 Author Share Posted August 14, 2003 Thanks HD. To be honest, it's much more time consuming than I had expected before I started. However, it is very satisfying and I plan to stick with it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spurzgrrl Posted August 15, 2003 Share Posted August 15, 2003 We got 4.6 MILLION for that lump Doherty? Whoo-hoo! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted August 22, 2003 Author Share Posted August 22, 2003 European Soccer Weekly Friday August 22nd, 2003 News The major transfer story this week concerns the move of young Italian defender Enzo Maresca (23, DM LC) from Chelsea to Middlesbrough for £12M. Chelsea bought the youngster just over a year ago from Paicenza for £1.3M - not a bad profit in 12 months. On the same day Brazilian Matuzalem (23, DM C) moved from Brescia to Sampdoria for £7.75M and Xavier Becas (24, M FR) was sold by Angers to Caen for £3.9M. Champions League On Wednesday the Third Qualifying phase was completed and the qualifiers for the first group stage were decided. Celtic had a comfortable 6-1 aggregate win over Croatian side Slaven Belupo and Manchester United had the same aggregate score in their tie against Levski Sofia. Meanwhile Rangers lost a thrilling match in Rotterdam 3-1 after extra time with Feyenoord going through 4-3 on aggregate. With the home side holding a 2-0 lead with 3 minutes remaining, Rangers looked down and out, but Neil McCann grabbed a late equaliser to force extra time. However, Feyenoord were not to be denied and Pierre van Hooijdonk got the winning goal near the end of extra time. UEFA Cup The next evening the Qualifying Round second leg ties were played. Welsh side Caersws just lost out to Teuta Durres of Albania 3-2 on aggregate and compatriots Barry Town recorded a fine 1-0 win over Red Star in Belgrade. Unfortunately for Barry, they had already lost the first leg 5-0 but at least they went out on a high. Northern Ireland's Distillery had a disappointing 3-1 loss at home to Olimpija to go out 4-2 and Carrick lost 6-0 overall to Denmark's OB. But the Republic of Ireland had some success, with Bohemians recording an excellent 7-1 aggregate over fallen Hungarian stars Ferencvaros, Shamrock Rovers shocked Motherwell with a 2-0 win at Fir Park for a 3-0 total and St. Pat's Athletic beat Zalgiris 2-0 on aggregate. Spotlight on ..... The Bundesliga Whilst no one would predict a repeat of the thrilling climax of last season's Bundesliga, when a single goal separated first and second, another close contest is expected. FC Bayern will be looking for their 6th successive title but Dortmund will be desperately keen to deny them. 1.FC Köln 2001/2002 - 3rd in Second Division 2002/2003 - 14th One of last season's promoted clubs, Köln finished a couple of spots above the relegation places. Manager Freidhelm Funkel has certainly splashed out on players in the summer, spending no less than £18M on four acquisitions and at the same time releasing 9 of the existing squad, mostly on Bosmans. His two major signings have been Frank Fahrenhorst (25, D LC) from Bochum for £6M and Hungarian International Pál Dárdai (27, M LC) from Hertha BSC for £8.25M. After such an outlay the Board and the fans will be expecting a good season. 1860 München 2001/2002 - 3rd 2002/2003 - 5th Under the guidance of Peter Pacult, "the other" team in Munich have done well in the last couple of seasons. Last season they reached the second group stage of the Champions League and were German Cup finalists, losing 2-1 to Dortmund. Last summer the club splashed out £14.5M to obtain the services of Danish striker Ebbe Sand (31, F C) from Schalke 04. This year there has been a massive clear out of the squad, with no fewer than 16 players leaving on free transfers or Bosmans. This has been offset somewhat with the addition of 9 players, a mix of veterans and youth, for a total outlay of £10M. Borrusia M'gladbach 2001/2002 - 13th 2002/2003 - 10th It has been a story of mid-table mediocrity for coach Hans Meyer recently, but an active summer in the transfer market may signal better things. 10 players have been unloaded and 8 have been brought on board. The biggest signing has been that of Marcel Ketelaer (25, AM L) from Rostock for £8.25M. They do have a potential goalscorer in the shape of promising Danish striker Morten Skoubo (23, S C) but suffer through the lack of a creative midfielder. Cottbus 2001/2002 - 18th 2002/2003 - Second Division Champions Relegated in 2001/2001, Cottbus proved too strong for the Second Division and return to the top division as champions. Manager Eduard Geyer has had a busy summer in the transfer market, spending £22M on 11 new players. This has been balanced by the sale of 13 players for a total of £18.75M. It remains to be seen the impact that such a change in personnel will have and Cottbus are amongst the favourites for the drop. Dortmund 2001/2002 - 2nd 2002/2003 - 2nd Manager Matthias Sammer is convinced that this will be the season when Dortmund break FC Bayern's grip on the title. They couldn't have come closer last season, losing out on goal difference by a single goal. Consecutive victories in the German Cup have provided some consolation, but the fans are desperate for the league title. Dortmund have some wonderful talent available including Czech pair Tomás Rosicky (22, AM/F RC) and the giant Jan Koller (30, S C), Brazilian Dédé (25, D/DM L) and the hugely impressive Christoph Metzelder (22, D C). The squad has been further strengthened by the addition of the exciting young American Landon Donovan (21, F RLC) from Shakhtar for £3.1M and the highly experienced Dietmar Hamann (29, DM C) from Liverpool for £9M. Hamman will be hoping that he makes a bigger impact than his club mate Markus Babbel (30, D RC) who came from Liverpool at the end of last year for £6M but has so far only made 4 appearances for his new club. FC Bayern 2001/2002 - 1st 2002/2003 - 1st Despite their recent domestic success, Bayern have not enjoyed much success in Europe, failing to get to the knockout stages for the past two seasons. This is something that Ottmar Hitzfeld will be keen to rectify this season. There is quality throughout the squad, including last seasons German Midfielder of the Year Michael Ballack (26, AM C) and German Goalkeeper of the year Oliver Khan (34, GK). Other top players are Sebastian Deisler (23, AM RC), Brazilian striker Élber (31, S C) and England International Owen Hargreaves (22, D/DM RLC). There have been no significant additions to the playing staff for a year or two, and some observers feel that some new blood is required to stimulate the team. Greuther Fürth 2001/2002 - Second Division Champions 2002/2003 - 15th The new boys just managed to avoid relegation by a single point last season and Manager Eugen Hach will do very well to repeat the feat again this season. This is another team that has a much-changed squad, with 6 players coming in and some 11 departing. With no household names in the team, the nearest thing to a star player for Greuther is Austrian Gernot Plassnegger (25, D/DM RL) who joined last summer for a club-record £2.3M from SVW Mannheim. Hannover 96 2001/2002 - 9th 2002/2003 - 4th 2002/2003 was Hannover's best ever season, finishing 4th in the league and reaching the German Cup Semi Finals. Much credit must go to Manager Ralf Rangnick for the way he has developed the team. This summer Ralf has been allowed free rein in the transfer market and he has taken full advantage of his opportunity. 12 players have gone to pastures new and a baker's dozen have arrived for a total cost of £24.5M. Big money indeed for a relatively small club. His signings include Rayk Schröder (28, D C) and Paulo Roberto Rink (30, F C), both from Cottbus for £5.25M and £5.5M respectively. But his most expensive signing is René Rydlewicz (30, AM/F R) who cost £6.75M from Rostock. Hertha BSC 2001/2002 - 10th 2002/2003 - 13th The Hertha Board have been changing managers with alarming frequency recently. First to go in March of last year was Huub Stevens. His replacement, Klaus Augenthaler lasted 6 months before he was sacked. The current man in the hot seat is the experienced Dutch coach Guus Hiddink. This summer Guus has been seriously re-vamping his squad. No less than 17 players have departed. Most have been released, but Hungarian Pál Dárdai (27, M LC) did raise £8.25M from 1.FC Köln. A total of £25M has been spent on 7 new players. These include David Mendes (21, D/DM C) from Olympiakos for £6M, Steven Pienaar (21. AM C) from Ajax for £6.25M and Chen Yang (29, S C) from St. Pauli for £6.5M. After such an investment it will be interesting to see how long Chairman Bernd Schiphorst will be prepared to wait for success. HSV 2001/2002 - 5th 2002/2003 - 12th A disappointing showing in the league last season saw the departure of Manager Kurt Jara in March of this year. His replacement is the legendary Sepp Maier, one of Germany's greatest ever goalkeepers with 95 caps for his country. This far there have been no significant dealing in the transfer market by Sepp and with an unchanged squad, he will be relying on his motivational and tactical skills to elevate the team's performance. The wonderfully named Argentinean Bernardo Romeo (25, S C) has been both the top scorer and the Supporters Player of the Year for the last two seasons, and much will depend on his continued good form. Kaiserslautern 2001/2002 - 7th 2002/2003 - 3rd Manager Eric Gerets guided his team to their best finish in the league for some years last season. The fans will be hoping for more of the same this season, but with no major signings to bolster the squad they may end up being disappointed. Much of last season's success was built around striker Miroslav Klose (25, S C). He has a wonderful year, scoring 25 goals and winning both the German Striker of the Year and the Player of the Year. A repeat performance will be required this season. He does have an able strike partner in Czech Vratislav Lokvenc (29, S C) and is well supported from midfield by the Brazilian Lincoln (24, AM C). Leverkusen 2001/2002 - 12th 2002/2003 - 6th Despite reaching the Semi-Finals of the Champions League in 2001/2002, Leverkusen had a disappointing league finish. Last summer coach Klaus Toppmöller ruthlessly pruned his squad, disposing of 13 players and generating £46.5M in transfer fees. The unhappy Oliver Neuville (30, F RC) went to Atletico Madrid for £18.75M and Boris Zivkovic (27, D RLC) raised £10M from Kaiserslautern. Toppmöller has yet to spend a penny of his windfall but with players of the quality of Brazilian Lucio (25 D C), Bernd Schneider (29, AM RC) and the masterful Jens Nowotny (29, S/D C) at his disposal he may well feel that he has no need of new players. Nowotny was the recipient of the German Sweeper of the Year award last season and it is unfortunate that he is somewhat injury prone. In the last two seasons he has missed over 5 months through injury. Nürnberg 2001/2002 - 6th 2002/2003 - 8th Since their promotion to the top division Nürnberg have been tipped for the drop each season, but have continued to confound the pundits by finishing in the top half of the table. Manager Michael Skibbe has done an excellent job to get his team playing at such a high level. Towards the end of last year Skibbe smashed the club's transfer record when he paid Hannover 96 £12M for Fredi Bobic (31 S C) and it has proved to be an inspired signing as Fredi scored 15 goals in 26 games last season. This summer has seen the arrival of Richard Knopper (25, AM C) from Lorient for £5.25M. Most of this fee has been covered by the departure of 9 players, including the £3.6M fee received from Cottbus for Kai Michalke (27, F LC). SC Freiburg 2001/2002 - 8th in Second Division 2002/2003 - 3rd in Second Division Having secured promotion to the First Division for the first time in their history, pretty much everyone expects Freiburg to make an immediate return to Divison Two. With limited transfer funds available Manager Jürgen Röber will certainly not be able to buy success. A dozen players were released in the summer, with out of favour Georgian Levan Tskittishvili (26, D/DM RL) bringing in a useful £4.4M from Wolfsburg. With key attacker Ibrahim Tanko (26, F C) out with a long-term injury it may turn out to be a long, hard season. Schalke 04 2001/2002 - 4th 2002/2003 - 11th A disappointing league position last season, after an excellent 2001/2002, saw the departure of coach Frank Neubarth in February of this year. New Manager Bernd Schuster will be expected to produce an improvement quite quickly. He has already released 9 players this summer, all for free with the exception of Kristijan Djordjevic (27, AM R) who was sold to Cottbus for £4.8M. A couple of promising young players have been brought into the squad - Dutchman Mike Zonneveld (22, D/DM L) cost £6.75M from NEC and Belgian Steed Malbranque (23, AM RC) was bought from Fulham for £8M. Malbranque joins fellow Belgian Emile Mpenza (25, S C) who, along with Gerald Asamoah (24, AM FR), will be key to any revival in Schalke's fortunes. VfB Stuttgart 2001/2002 - 16th 2002/2003 - 2nd in Second Division The last of the promoted teams, Stuttgart have had a couple of volatile seasons. Relegated in 2001/2002 they bounced straight back last season. The team has had 3 Managers in that time with Felix Magath and Miroslav Votava both fired. Klaus Augenthaler is the current incumbent and most pundits are forecasting an ultimately unsuccessful struggle to beat the drop. With a small and ageing squad, Augenthaler will do well indeed to defy the predictions. 9 players were released during the summer, with 3 signings coming in. Their most influential player last season was the Croatian Bosko Balaban (24, S C) who was signed last summer from Aston Villa for £4.2M. It was Bosko's 25 goals in 36 matches that were instrumental in gaining promotion. Werder Bremen 2001/2002 - 14th 2002/2003 - 9th Manager Thomas Schaaf has overseen a steady improvement for the last couple of years with the highlight being an appearance in the 2001/2002 German Cup Final (they lost 2-1 to Dortmund). With half a dozen of the squad having left in the summer and only a couple of replacements brought in, Schaaf may struggle to continue this trend. There are a couple of decent Brazilians in the team - Ailton (20, S C) and Roni (26, F RC), but a few more quality players are required. Wolfsburg 2001/2002 - 11th 2002/2003 - 7th The current Manager Volker Finke joined the club in April last year, replacing Wolfgang Wolf. This was a big disappointment to many journalists as Herr Wolf had provided many amusing headline opportunities whilst at Wolfsburg! Last summer the club invested over £20M on new players and it paid off, with Wolfsburg finishing in a creditable 7th position and gaining a UEFA Cup place. This summer Finke has been more constrained, with just 2 players joining, although 15 have departed. Their most highly rated players are Spaniard Diego Klimowicz (29, S C) and Brazilian Robson Ponte (26, F RC). 2002/2003 Table <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st C FC Bayern 34 13 3 1 38 8 11 2 4 28 10 77 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd Dortmund 34 15 1 1 47 8 9 4 4 28 20 77 3rd Kaiserslautern 34 13 1 3 39 18 6 4 7 25 25 62 4th Hannover 96 34 12 2 3 35 19 6 5 6 29 25 61 5th 1860 München 34 11 5 1 24 9 6 4 7 14 16 60 6th Leverkusen 34 9 4 4 27 11 8 1 8 28 25 56 7th Wolfsburg 34 11 3 3 28 13 5 3 9 23 33 54 8th Nürnberg 34 13 1 3 37 20 3 5 9 25 41 54 9th Werder Bremen 34 12 3 2 28 11 2 4 11 17 33 49 10th M'gladbach 34 10 3 4 34 24 2 7 8 13 22 46 11th Schalke 04 34 12 2 3 33 18 1 4 12 19 47 45 12th HSV 34 9 5 3 27 15 2 3 12 19 36 41 13th Hertha BSC 34 8 5 4 28 23 1 4 12 13 37 36 14th 1.FC Köln 34 4 7 6 26 24 4 3 10 11 24 34 15th Greuther Fürth 34 5 4 8 23 26 3 2 12 9 27 30 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16th R Bochum 34 5 5 7 26 30 2 3 12 18 37 29 17th R Bielefeld 34 7 1 9 29 37 1 2 14 18 48 27 18th R Lübeck 34 2 7 8 20 30 1 2 14 7 43 18</pre> Game of the Week Thursday August 21st, 2003 UEFA Cup Qualifying Round Second Leg Motherwell 0 Shamrock Rovers 2 (aggregate 0-3) Having been surprisingly beaten 1-0 in the first leg in Dublin, Motherwell were anxious to get an early goal. However, the visitors kept things tight at the back and the home team struggled to create an opening. The first effort on goal was not until the 25th minute, but a fine effort it was. Steven Rennie picked up a loose ball and his chipped pass reached James McFadden on the corner of the penalty area. The youngster's first-time volley looked a goal all the way until it smashed off the bar and rebounded to safety. A few minutes later Rovers almost caught Motherwell napping. A low cross from Shane Robinson played behind the defence found Martin Kavanagh but his shot was too near the keeper and Craig Nelson was able to get a hand to it. Motherwell's next opportunity came from a free kick played in by Martyn Corrigan. Dirk Lehmann outjumped David Healy but his header was palmed away by Tony O'Dowd. Stephen McGuinness was first to the ball and his long clearance fell to Sean Francis who powered his way down the right flank. His cross reached Kavanagh in the area but his first time volley flew wide. On the stroke of half time McFadden made a determined run to the byline and hit the ball in hard and low. Corrigan got a touch but once again O'Dowd made the save. In the second half the visitors started to venture forward a bit more and had a spell of sustained pressure. A 4-man passing move resulted in Nelson making a good save from substitute Anthony Stewart. From the resulting corner Patrick Deans forced Nelson into action again as the keeper turned his header away for another corner. Rovers right wingback Shane Robinson was having an excellent game and he sent in a well-placed corner. Mark Campbell just beat Pat Scully to the ball, at the expense of yet another corner. This time Robinson's delivery wasn't quite so good and Motherwell managed to clear the ball at last. But the visitors kept up the pressure, denying the home side any time and space. And then in the 61st minute a fine run and cross from Robinson was met by the head of Alan Doherty and Rovers were in front. Motherwell now had a mountain to climb, with the away goal meaning that they would have to score 3 to go through. They almost equalised straight from the restart as a flowing move presented Derek Adams with a great chance. Unfortunately he lost his composure and sliced his shot well wide. Then with 20 minutes left Rovers made the tie safe. Once again Robinson was the provider as another strong run and cross found Sean Francis. His shot was slightly mis-hit but it was still good enough to slip past Nelson. To their credit Motherwell kept coming forward, and created 4 good chances before the end of the game. However a combination of poor finishing and determined defending kept them at bay and allowed Shamrock Rovers to record an excellent victory over their more-favoured opponents. Teams Motherwell: Craig Nelson, Graeme Mathie, David Partridge, Mark Campbell, Steven Rennie, Scott Leitch (captain), Martyn Corrigan, Keith Lasley (Mark Canning 54), Joe Osei-Kuffour (Derek Adams 59), Dirk Lehmann, James McFadden Subs not used: Mark Mills, Steven Woods, David Clarke, Ian Morris, Martin Lauchlan Shamrock Rovers: Tony O'Dowd (captain), Shane Robinson, Patrick Deans (Colin Boyle 66), Stephen McGuinness, Terry Palmer, Pat Scully, David Healy (Jason Colwell 75), Alan Doherty, Martin Kavanagh (Anthony Stewart 50), Sean Francis, Richie Byrne Subs not used: Kevin Kenny, Paul Bailie, Kevin O'Shea, James Keddy Scorers Shamrock Rovers: Doherty 61, Francis 71 Man of the Match: Shane Robinson Yellow Cards Motherwell: Scott Leitch Shamrock Rovers: David Healy Attendance: 6,520 Stop Press The European Super Cup was decided tonight, with Barcelona beating PSV 1-0 after extra time. An open and entertaining game ended 0-0 at full time. Neither side could make a breakthrough in extra time but, with penalties fast approaching, Dani broke the deadlock in the last minute with a "Golden Goal". Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
\"Joe\" Posted August 22, 2003 Share Posted August 22, 2003 Great stuff... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzzza Posted August 22, 2003 Share Posted August 22, 2003 This is awsome, keep it up!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted August 28, 2003 Author Share Posted August 28, 2003 Thanks guys European Soccer Weekly Friday August 29th, 2003 News Seven days is a long time in football. Last week we were commenting on the fine job that Thomas Schaaf has been doing at Werder Bremen; this week our top news item is his sacking. Bremen have played 5 competitive matches so far this season and lost them all. They were defeated in both legs of their Inter-Toto tie against Turkish side Gaziantepspor and have lost both of their league matches and lie bottom of the table. But the final straw was their defeat in the German Cup 1st Round to Ahlen from the Regional League. The biggest transfer of the week also took place in Germany with Luizao (27, S C) leaving Hertha for 1.FC Köln for a fee of £9.25M. The Brazilian was not a regular starter at Köln but when he got a game he usually also managed to get a goal. His scoring rate of 14 goals in 25 games is not to be sniffed at. The Finnish season is two-thirds complete and HJK still head the table but defending champions MyPa have 3 games in hand but an 11-point deficit to make up. At the bottom of the table AC Allianssi and KuPS are beginning to lose touch with the teams above them. With 6 games remaining in Norway it is very tight at the top. Brann have top spot on goal difference over Rosenborg, with Molde two points back and Lyn one point behind them. At the foot of the table Lillestrøm, Sogndal and last seasons First Division champions L/F Hønefoss prop up the table. In Russia Krylja Sovetov continue to set the pace, with a 4-point lead over Lokomotiv Moscow with CSKA a point further back. At the opposite end of the table things look grim for Uralan and Chernomorets. There is a fine old battle taking place in Sweden with just one point separating the top three. Hamlstad hold first place on goal difference from defending champs Elfsborg with Malmo third. At the bottom Trelleborg look doomed, lying 9 points from safety and running out of games. The Spanish Super Cup was decide this week, with Athletic Bilbao recording a superb 6-3 aggregate win over Barcelona. Having lost the first leg 2-0 away from home, the Spanish Cup winners from last season demolished Barca 6-1 in Bilbao. Spotlight on ..... The Spanish Primera Liga Many commentators would say that the Spanish First Division (the Primera Liga) is the perhaps the most competitive league in Europe. With so many strong teams there is rarely an easy game and whoever wins this title are worthy champions indeed. Athletic Bilbao 2001/2002 - 1st 2002/2003 - 4th Athletic Bilbao caused a major upset two seasons ago by winning their first title since 1984. German Manager Jupp Heynckes has continued to bring success to the club. Despite a slightly disappointing 4th place finish last season, Bilbao won the Spanish Cup and the Super Cup, and reached the Quarter Finals of the Champions League before bowing out to Inter. Their achievements are all the more impressive considering the club's policy of only signing Basque players. Key players include Julen Guerrero (29, AM C), Ismael Urzaiz (31, S C) and Tiko (26, AM C). Urzaiz won the Spanish Player of the Year award last season having score 26 goals in 49 games. Atlético Madrid 2001/2002 - 5th 2002/2003 - 5th Their veteran Manager Luis Aragones was sacked this summer and replaced by Fernando Castro Santos who himself had been fired by Valencia a few weeks earlier. The board are clearly desperate to move out of the shadows of their neighbours, the famous Real Madrid. Despite the change of manager, there are rumours of much discontent and disharmony, with a number of players unhappy with their current contracts. Last season's major signing Oliver Neuville (30, F RC), bought from Leverkusen for £18.75M, had a fine debut season, scoring 23 goals. Other important players include the young Argentinean defender Fabricio Coloccini (21, D C) and Javi Moreno (28, S C). Badajoz 2001/2002 - 16th in Second Division 2002/2003 - 3rd in Second Division Following an undistinguished season in 2001/2002 it was quite a surprise when Badajoz were promoted from the Second Division last year. It will be an even bigger surprise if they do not return there this season. Last summer their young Manager Rodri made wholesale changes to the squad, bringing in no less than 16 players with 6 departing. His most inspired purchase was the Costa Rican international Senteno (28, S C) from AEK Athens for £1.1M. His 24 goals played a big part in their promotion. Another half a dozen players have come in this season. Rodri has played the transfer market very astutely in the last couple of seasons. He has brought in 27 players for an outlay of £4.1M, but this has been more than balanced by the sale of just 8 players for £5M. Barcelona 2001/2002 - 2nd 2002/2003 - 1st Under the guidance of Dutch coach Louis van Gaal, Barca have been one of the most successful clubs in Europe over the past two seasons. In 2001/2002 they won the UEFA Cup, beating Rosenborg 1-0 after extra time. Last season they won the Champions League as well as the First Division title. This was in addition to the European Super Cup. It was no surprise that the Dutchman won the Spanish Manager of the Year award for the second consecutive season. The only significant acquisitions in that time was the purchase of Lilian Thuram (31, D RC) from Juventus for £12M in June and Victor (29, F RC) for £4.3M from Villarreal in July. With a squad packed full of talent, it is difficult to highlight individual players. However, the strike partnership of Patrick Kluivert (27, S C) and Javier Saviola (21, F C) takes some stopping. Combine that with midfield talent such as Gaizka Mendieta (29, AM RC) and Juan Roman Riquelme (25, A MC) and you can see why they have had such success. Betis 2001/2002 - 6th 2002/2003 - 2nd Real Betis had the best season in their history last year, finishing as runners-up to Barcelona in the league under the control of Manager Paco Fortes. Their best-known player is probably the Brazilian midfielder Denilson (26, AM/F LC). However at the end of last month they set a new transfer record by splashing out £16.25M on Djibril Cisse (22, S C) from Auxerre. Unfortunately Cisse is currently sidelined with a groin strain and is not expected to see any action for at least 2 months. It would be surprising if they can repeat their heroics of last season and mount a championship challenge. Celta 2001/2002 - 7th 2002/2003 - 9th Celta Vigo invested nearly £20M in new players last season but still managed to finish lower in the league than in the previous season. Hernan Jorge Crespo (27, S C) was signed from Inter for £7.5M last summer. Crespo had done OK at Inter so his sale was a surprise and, based on his performance for Celta he has been a bargain signing. His 28 goals made him the First Division's highest goalscorer last season. In December last year, 3 more players joined - Boudewijn Zenden (27, AM/F L) for £5.25M from Chelsea, Josep Guardiola (32, DM C) for £4.2M from Roma and Dida (29, GK) from Milan for £2.8M. None of these players have been much of a success thus far. We suspect that Manager Miguel Angel Lotina may find his position in jeopardy if he fails to deliver a better league performance this season. Celta did reach the 4th round of the UEFA Cup before losing to eventual finalists Blackburn. Deportivo 2001/2002 - 3rd 2002/2003 - 6th Manager Irureta was another big spender last December, bringing in Celtic legend Henrik Larsson (31, F C) for £9.25M and Jose Maria Movilla (28, DM LC) from Atletico Madrid for £10.75M. Deportivo continue to depend on the goals of Diego Tristan (27, S C) and the creative play of Roy Makaay (28, F RC). Much is expected of the team by their supporters this season, and failure to deliver could result in a change in management. Elche 2001/2002 - 2nd in Second Division 2002/2003 - 13th Following their promotion from the 2nd Division last season, Elche surprised everybody by not just retaining their place in the Primera Liga, but finishing a respectable 13th. Manager Txetxu Rojo has brought the best out of a small but tightly knit squad. Key players include last season's top scorer Jose David Cabello (25, F C) and fellow forward Manuel Serrano (30 S C). It would be another fine achievement to avoid the drop this season. Espanyol 2001/2002 - 15th 2002/2003 - 16th The "Other" team in Barcelona are even more firmly in the shadow of their illustrious neighbours than Atlético Madrid are compared to Real. Perennial strugglers in the league, the club parted company with Javier Clemente towards the end of last year and replaced him with Julian Rubio. With little money to spend on players, the squad has not been improved materially in the past two seasons. Their most prominent players are Savo Milosevic (29, S C) and Martin Posse (28, F RC). Savo will be well known to Aston Villa fans and is not the most prolific of goalscorers. There seems little prospect of Espanyol having any more success than of recent times and they look likely to be in the thick of the relegation struggle. Levante 2001/2002 - 7th in Second Division 2002/2003 - 2nd in Second Division The second of last season's promoted teams, Valencia's less-distinguished neighbours Levante are inevitably regarded as a prime relegation contender this season. Manager Gonzalo Arkonada has steadily improved the squad over the last 12 months or so. His most expensive signing took place earlier this month with the purchase of Hector (28, D R) for £1.5M from Deportivo. The books have been more than balanced by a couple of big sales - at the end of last year Felix Dja Ettien (23, D RC) went to Tenerife for £3.5M and this summer saw the departure of Dani Pendin (28, M RC) to Oviedo for £2.3M. There are many veteran players in the squad, with one of last season's top performers the experienced Antonio Diaz (34, AM C) who scored a remarkable 20 goals in 36 appearances. Malaga 2001/2002 - 8th 2002/2003 - 15th Having dispensed with the services of Manager Joaquin Piero last summer and replaced him with Rafa Benitez, the club must have been very disappointed to have had such a poor season. The new manager spent over £13M on players, including Anatoliy Tymoschuck (24, D/DM RLC), Fernando Sales (25, AM RC), Savio (29, AM L) and Luis Garcia (25, F LC). Although not a prolific scorer, Dario Silva (30, F C) remains the fan's favourite, winning the Supporters Player of the year award for the last 2 seasons. Oviedo 2001/2002 - 3rd in Second Division 2002/2003 - 14th Under the guidance of Quique Marigil, little Oviedo had a marvellous 2001/2002, gaining promotion from the Second Division and reaching the Spanish Cup Final, losing to penalties to Real Madrid after a 1-1 draw. Having maintained their top-flight status last season, the club has invested some £7M in players this season. One of the most interesting purchases is the £2M spent on ex-Liverpool keeper Sander Westerveld (28, GK) who joined from Real Sociedad. Established players such as Roberto Losada (26, F RC), Ãñigo Idiákez (29, DM RC) and Oli (31, S C) will need to be at their best to keep Oviedo out of the relegation dogfight. Racing Santander 2001/2002 - 17th 2002/2003 - 11th Having just avoided relegation in 2001/2002, Manager Manuel Preciado did very well to steer the club to a mid-table finish in the last campaign. Young Nigerian Julius Agahowa (21, F RLC) was purchased from Shakhtar for £4.2M last December and was a key figure in Santander's success. The fans were therefore disappointed when he was sold to Real Madrid in the summer for £12.75M, but from a financial perspective, it was an offer that could not be refused. Most of the profits have been used to strengthen the squad, buying players such as Jesuli (25, F LC) for £3.9M and Pablo Coira (23, D R) for £3.3M, both from Celta. Veteran Albert Ferrer (33, D RC) also joined from Sunderland for £525K. Real Madrid 2001/2002 - 4th 2002/2003 - 3rd The hiring of Juande Ramos to replace the sacked Vicente Del Bosque in April last year has not resulted in any significant success. A solitary Spanish Cup win in 2001/2002 is all that Real have won in the past 2 seasons. Even worse, they have failed to progress past the Phase 1 group matches in the Champions League in that time. With nearly £45M spent on players in that time we cannot see Ramos lasting much longer without some significant improvement. Having said that, he has recouped some £35M in sales over the same period. This summer has seen the arrival of Robert Pires (30, AM RLC) from Arsenal for £15.75M and Clarence Seedorf (27, DM RLC) from Milan for £14.25M. On the selling side, big names Figo (30, F RLC) has gone to Lazio for £8.25M and Zinedine Zidane (31, AM C) has joined Milan for £16.5M. With major stars in the squad such as Raul (26, F LC), Fernando Morientes (27, S C), Ronaldo (26, S C) and Roberto Carlos (30, D L), everyone expects Real to be challenging for major honours this season. Real Sociedad 2001/2002 - 16th 2002/2003 - 10th A poor 2001/2002 saw the departure of Gonzalo Arkonada and the arrival of Vicente Del Bosque. Last summer Del Bosque made some excellent signings, including exciting young Swede Kim Källström (21, DM C) for £3.1M from Djurgarden and Costa Rican forward Ronald Gomez (28, F RLC). Gomez excelled last season, scoring 23 goals. This summer the veteran Russian Alexander Mostovoi (35, AM LC) joined on a Bosman from Celta. Still a class act, despite his advancing years, Lexi could be a shrewd signing as his experience will be invaluable. Sevilla 2001/2002 - 12th 2002/2003 - 7th Sevilla rocked Spanish football earlier this summer when they concluded the purchase of the promising young Argentinean Pablo Aimar (23, AM C) from Valencia for £16M. With this level of investment, Manager Joaquin Caparros will be expected to be pushing for a place in Europe this season. Sevilla have another young midfielder of huge potential in the shape of Jose Antonio Reyes (19, F LC). They are somewhat handicapped however, by the lack of an effective goalscorer to take advantage of their creative midfield talent. Tenerife 2001/2002 - Second Division Champions 2002/2003 - 17th Tenerife finished last season just 1 point away from relegation and with Manager Ewald Lienen failing to strengthen the squad so far, it looks like more of the same this season. Their only significant purchase in the last two seasons was in December last year when Felix Dja Ettien (23, D RC) was purchased from Levante for £3.5M. Key players include David Charcos (28, SW/D C), Ivan Ania (25, AM/F L) and Bruno Marioni (28, S C). Valencia 2001/2002 - 9th 2002/2003 - 12th A lack of recent success has meant a "revolving door" policy on the managerial front, with three managers in the last two seasons. First to go was Rafa Benitez, sacked in May last year. His successor, Fernando Castro Santos lasted one whole season before his departure. The current man in the hot seat is Mario Reis and we wish him luck! Some major sales over the last 12 months have generated significant transfer revenues. The sale of world-class defender Roberto Fabian Ayala (30, SW/D C) to Roma last July raised £19.5M and the recent departure of Pablo Aimar (23, AM C) to Sevilla a further £16M. It is a matter of some surprise that these riches have not been used to bring in any new players. Valladolid 2001/2002 - 18th 2002/2003 - Second Division Champions Manager Pepe Moré paid the ultimate price for relegation in 2001/2002 when he was sacked in December last year. His replacement, Juan Manuel Lillo, guided the club to an immediate return to the Primera Liga. Around £15M has been spent on players in the last 14 months, with some 18 players joining the squad. These include young Romanian Florin Cernat (23, AM C) who was transferred from Dinamo Kiev for £2.5M last summer. He was a key figure in the promotion campaign last season. The biggest purchase this season has been Daniel Lopez Ramos (26, D L) for £2.7M from Cordoba. Their best-known player is probably Jordi (28, S C) who cost £4M from Zaragoza last summer. Villarreal 2001/2002 - 14th 2002/2003 - 8th A disappointing start to the 2001/2002 season saw the departure of coach Benito Floro who was replaced by Fernando Vazquez. The new manager has overseen a marked improvement in fortunes that culminated in a place in the UEFA Cup. This was helped by the signing in December last year of Quique De Lucas (25, AM RC). De Lucas has been a very influential player since his arrival from Chelsea for £7.5M. Villarreal have a highly regarded attack featuring the experienced Argentinean Martin Palermo (29, S C) and a young Spaniard by the name of Guayre (23, F C). 2002/2003 Table <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st C Barcelona 38 18 1 0 43 11 9 4 6 25 19 86 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd Betis 38 14 5 0 27 6 8 7 4 23 20 78 3rd Real Madrid 38 13 4 2 31 13 7 6 6 27 21 70 4th Athletic Bilbao 38 14 3 2 40 11 7 3 9 32 34 69 5th Atlético Madrid 38 12 4 3 38 14 8 5 6 24 19 69 6th Deportivo 38 11 8 0 24 8 7 5 7 22 21 67 7th Sevilla 38 11 6 2 37 13 4 5 10 16 30 56 8th Villarreal 38 9 4 6 31 23 7 4 8 24 22 56 9th Celta 38 12 4 3 35 17 3 7 9 18 35 56 10th Real Sociedad 38 11 4 4 36 21 3 7 9 21 28 53 11th Racing Santander 38 9 7 3 40 36 4 5 10 28 36 51 12th Valencia 38 9 4 6 32 23 4 7 8 23 36 50 13th Elche 38 13 1 5 38 14 0 4 15 12 41 44 14th Oviedo 38 7 8 4 23 21 3 5 11 15 26 43 15th Málaga 38 7 3 9 26 29 4 4 11 22 31 40 16th Espanyol 38 5 8 6 26 27 4 3 12 21 35 38 17th Tenerife 38 3 7 9 21 36 5 2 12 18 37 33 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18th R Mallorca 38 5 4 10 17 25 3 4 12 14 34 32 19th R Alavés 38 4 6 9 21 29 2 5 12 13 43 29 20th R Osasuna 38 5 4 10 31 35 1 3 15 14 49 25</pre> Game of the Week Sunday August 24th, 2003 Spanish Super Cup Second Leg Athletic Bilbao 6 Barcelona 1 (aggregate 6-3) Barcelona arrived at the San Mames stadium holding a 2-0 lead from the first leg and were strong favourites to get their season off to a winning start. The home side started brightly and forced a series of early corners. Larrazábal forced a fine save from Bonano with a well-struck free kick and Cuyami also came close but Bonano saved well once again. Barcelona first meaningful attack was started by Overmars who picked out Riquelme with an accurate pass. []bRiquelme[/b] neatly beat his man and shot from the edge of the area, only to see Lafuente tip the ball round the post. The resulting corner was cleared up field by Lacruz. Alfonso latched on to the clearance and showed great close control to get past 3 Bilbao defenders before tucking the ball home for a sensational goal. Barca were now 3-0 up and it looked all over for the home side. Urged on by their fanatical supporters, Bilbao pushed forward trying to get back into the game. They were quickly rewarded when Tiko played a slide-rule pass into the path of Bittor Alkiza who chipped the ball over the onrushing Bonano and into the net. Two minutes later the Bilbao captain Julen Guerrero skipped past Mendieta and Gerard and, from 35 yards out, curled the ball into the top corner for a wonderful goal. From the kick-off Carles Puyol sent a long cross into the penalty area and Victor was first to the ball but his header was well saved by Lafuente. The keeper found Felipe with a quick throw out and he in turn picked out Tiko. Tiko played it first time to Alkiza who, spotting Bonano off his line, played a wonderful lob for Bilbao's third goal. Three goals in four minutes and it was now all square on aggregate. The home side really had their tails up now and continued to pressure an increasingly nervous looking Barcelona defence. Ten minutes before the break Urzáiz got their 4th, running on to a pass from Guerrero and firing home a dipping shot that deceived Bonano. Four minutes later Urzáiz claimed his second of the match when he headed home an out swinging corner from Alkiza. Half time arrived with match completely transformed and the scoreline 5-1 to the home side. Overmars did not return for the second half as he had picked up a knock just before the break. The second half was not as dramatic as the first, but both sides did have further chances. Alfonso had a powerful shot well saved by Lafuente and the excellent Alkiza went close for Bilbao with a long range shot that just skimmed the crossbar. But substitute Sivori wrapped up the game in the 66th minute when he headed home a Larrazábal free kick. Teams Athletic Bilbao: Iñaki Lafuente, José MarÃa Lacruz, Aitor Larrazábal, Ãñigo LarraÃnzar, Óskar Vales (Pablo Orbaiz 75), Bittor Alkiza, Tiko, Felipe, Ismael Urzáiz, Jon Remigio Cuyami (SÃvori 54), Julen Guerrero (captain) Subs not used: Daniel AranzubÃa, Santiago Ezquerro, Aitor Aldeondo, Francisco Javier Yeste, Karanka, David Barcelona: Roberto Bonano, Carles Puyol, Fernando (Luis Enrique 86), Lilian Thuram, Patrik Andersson (captain), Marc Overmars (Xavi 44), Gaizka Zabala Mendieta, Juan Román Riquelme, Alfonso, Victor, Gerard Subs not used: Michael Reiziger, Robert Enke, Gabri, Oleguer, Dani Scorers Athletic Bilbao: Alkiza 22, 26, Guerrero 24, Urzáiz 35, 39, SÃvori 66 Barcelona: Alfonso 16 Man of the Match: Ismael Urzáiz Yellow Cards Athletic Bilbao: Ismael Urzáiz Barcelona: Xavi, Luis Enrique Attendance: 39,991 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 29, 2003 Share Posted August 29, 2003 Just to say that your hard work makes really good reading. keep it up! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted September 4, 2003 Author Share Posted September 4, 2003 Thanks Brovski, glad you're enjoying it European Soccer Weekly Friday September 5th, 2003 News The major transfer news this week concerns the move of young English striker Alan Smith (22, S C) from Leeds to Celtic for a club record £11.5M. Attracting a top English international north of the border is a major coup for Celts manager John Toshack. On the job front German club Werder Bremen have appointed Bernd Krauss as their new manager. Krauss was sacked by Second Division Eintracht Frankfurt in May of this year. There has been a busy week of action in the Euro 2004 Qualifiers this week. In Group 1 the Czech Republic booked their place in Portugal with a 3-1 win over their nearest rivals Israel. Holland made sure of winning Group 2 with a 1-0 victory over Estonia and a scoreless draw in Georgia. In the same group Belarus made sure of a playoff place by drawing with Poland and beating Estonia. In Group 3 Yugoslavia have long since secured their place in the sun having won all of their matches so far. Norway and England are neck and neck in Group 4. The Norwegians picked up maximum points in their matches against Macedonia and Malta whilst England disposed of Wales comfortably but stumbled against Switzerland, failing to score in a 0-0 draw. Group 5 sees Spain and the Ukraine tied on points with both teams guaranteed at least a playoff place. In Group 6 Ireland's 2-2 draw away to Slovenia ended their slim chance of topping the group and France are confirmed as group winners. The Irish continue to chase a playoff place and their narrow 2-1 home victory over Azerbaijan has eased them ahead of Romania. However, the Republic's last game is in Bucharest, so there is still a lot of work to do to get to Portugal. Russia are chasing Italy all the way in Group 7, although a comprehensive 4-0 win for the Italians in Moscow on Wednesday have put them in pole position to win the group. In Group 8, fierce rivals Denmark and Sweden are battling it out at the top. The Danes hold a 2-point lead and Sweden now depend on Austria doing them a huge favour in Copenhagen next month, assuming that they themselves can beat Moldova away from home of course. The final group sees Germany on top, two pints clear of Turkey and with a home match against lowly Luxembourg to come. Scotland's disappointing campaign sees them in 4th place, rendering their final match at home to the Turks meaningless. Spotlight on ….. The Danish Superligaen The Danish Premier League, or Superligaen, has been in progress for several weeks now. Brøndby have won the title for the last two seasons and currently lie third in the table. FC Midtjylland are the surprise leaders at this stage, with equally unfancied Frem in second place. The Danish national team is currently ranked 12th in the World but most of Denmark's best players are based outside of their home country and Danish domestic football suffers as a result. Akademisk Boldklub (AB) 2001/2002 - 2nd 2002/2003 - 5th Manager Ivan Nielsen guided AB to one of their best seasons in 2001/2002, finishing second in the league and reaching the Danish Cup Final. In comparison, last season was an anti-climax, although they did have some Cup success, reaching the Semi-Finals. One of their most exciting players is a young Egyptian attacker, Mohamed Zidan (21, F C), the winner of the Superligaen Young Player of the Year last season. In addition they have two more young players being tipped for great things - Rune Rasmussen Lind (18, S C) and Frenchman Jimmy Briand (18, S C). Aarhus Gymnastik Forening (AGF) 2001/2002 - 3rd 2002/2003 - 6th At the start of last season, Manager Frank Petersen embarked on a major squad restructuring with 7 players leaving the club and some 15 coming in. His biggest investment was the £1.6M spent on the versatile Carsten Olsen (22, D/DM/F RC). So far Olsen has failed to make any impression and his first team opportunities have been very limited. This summer Danish legend Peter Schmeichel (39, GK) joined as a player/coach, leaving Manchester City on a free transfer. One of last season's top performers was South African Josta Dladla (24, AM/F RC) but so far this season he has been upstaged by the exciting young Danish striker Allan Borgvardt (23, S C). Aalborg Boldspilklub (AaB) 2001/2002 - 10th 2002/2003 - 9th Last summer Manager Henrik Larsen spent over £5M on players, a very significant sum for a small club. His biggest purchase was Henrik Lykke (33, D/DM RC) who cost £1.2M from Herfølge. This fee was eclipsed at the start of this season when Ulrich Vinzents (26, D/DM R C) was purchased from First Division Farum for £1.8M. Larsen clearly likes his defensive midfielders! Despite their poor league from AaB did reach the Danish Cup Final last season, losing 3-1 to FC København. AaB have some of the most talked-about youngsters in Danish football, including Claudio (20, M RC), Rasmus Würtz (19, M C) and Michael Silberbauer (22, AM/F RLC). Unfortunately Silberbauer has publicly expressed his frustrations at his lack of first team opportunities and his position at the club is in some doubt. Brøndby 2001/2002 - 1st 2002/2003 - 1st Brøndby have been far and away the most successful team in Denmark in recent seasons, completing the domestic league and cup double in 2001/2002 and retaining their league title last season. Managed by Michael Laudrup, the elder of the legendary Laudrup brothers, the squad has not changed in the last 2 years, and many fans are impatient to see new blood arrive. Despite their domestic success, Brøndby have failed to make any real progress in Europe, going out in the first group phase for the last two years. Key players include Peter Madsen (25, F RC), last seasons Superligaen Player of the Year, and Swedish international Mattias Jonson (29, AM/F RLC). They also have the exciting midfield prospect Thomas Khalenberg (20, AM C) and Brazilian prospect Ricardo (21, D RC). Esbjerg fB 2001/2002 - 12th 2002/2003 - 2nd in First Division Relegated in 2001/2002, Esbjerg made an immediate return to the top flight last season. Last summer saw Manager Ove Pedersen make extensive changes to the squad, with 15 players joining and 19 leaving. Another half a dozen players came on board this summer with a further 7 in on loan. As a consequence, Esbjerg have one of the largest squads in the division but, unless the Danish FA allow then to field a few extra players in each match, this seems unlikely to preserve their Superligaen status. FC København 2001/2002 - 6th 2002/2003 - 3rd The second biggest team in Denmark (at least according to Brøndby fans), København's recent domestic success has been limited to a Danish Cup success last season. Once again a lack of new signings by Manager Poul Hansen has fuelled some discontent amongst supporters, but the squad is still strong. The team includes players such as the highly valued South African Sibusiso Zuma (28, F RLC), the vastly experienced Norwegian international Erik Mykland (32, M C) and defender Bora Zivkovic (29, D C). They also have the form striker in Danish football, Swede Jorgen Pettersson (27, S C). Pettersson has made a sensational start to the season, having scored in all 7 matches that he has played in, he has 10 goals to his credit already. FC Midtjylland 2001/2002 - 8th 2002/2003 - 10th Having narrowly escaped relegation last season, it is a major surprise to say the least to see Henrik Jensen's team at the top of the Superligaen, with 5 wins out of 6. With no household names in the squad it is the contribution of unsung players such as Mogens Laursen (23, S C) and Morten Rutkjær (29, D LC) that have been significant. But the biggest contribution so far has come from Christian Magleby (26, AM RC) whose 6 goals in 6 games have propelled Midtjylland to the top of the table. Frem 2001/2002 - 1st in First Division 2002/2003 - 8th Frem are the employers of Brian Laudrup, the younger of the famous pair, who heads their scouting operation. Manager Johnny Petersen credits him with much of the success of the club as some of the cheap, or even free, players that the scouts have unearthed have been significant. None more so than veteran attacker Christian Lundberg (33, F C), purchased from First Division Aarhus for £130K last September. His 14 goals in 26 games were a major factor in keeping Frem in the top flight and this season he has found the target 7 times in 6 games to push Frem up to second spot. Herfølge 2001/2002 - 2nd in First Division 2002/2003 - 4th Herfølge had a dream debut following their promotion to the Superligaen, finishing 4th in the table and clinching a place in Europe. Unfortunately, their UEFA Cup adventure was short-lived as they lost to Gil Vicente of Portugal in the Qualifying Round on penalties. Manager Frank Andersen has assembled a reasonable squad. The team is spearheaded by the striking partnership of Kaan Metin (28, F C) and Chris Hermansen (28, S C), with the re-vitalised Dutch player Richard Sneekes (34, AM RC) pulling the strings in midfield. Odense Boldklub (OB) 2001/2002 - 5th 2002/2003 - 2nd Last season's runners-up have got off to a terrible start so far, with just 4 points from 5 games, and there are already some mutterings of discontent over Manager Ebbe Skovdahl, particularly in his failure to add to the squad over the summer. Two of the clubs most influential players, Zambian internationals, Andrew Tembo (32, DM RLC) and Mwape Mipi (30, F LC), are now both in their thirties and the fans are anxious to see some youngsters getting a chance. Last season's top player, the versatile Dennis Siim (27, SW/D/DM RLC), has had a public falling out with Skovdahl and has not seen any first team action this season. Last year's runner-up in the league's Player of the Year award, Siim was an essential part of the OB rearguard and his presence has been sorely missed. A player for the future is German youngster Matthias Wolf (19, DM RLC) but it may be a season or two before he sees any first team action. Vejle 2001/2002 - 9th in First Division 2002/2003 - First Division Champions Following a dreadful league campaign in 2001/2002, a major rebuilding exercise last summer by Manager Keld Bordinggaard saw Vejle capture the First Division title last season. Their fight to remain in the top flight is spearheaded by experienced defender Jacob Rasmussen (28, D C) who was purchased from Silkeborg for £210K last September. He has proved to be an excellent buy and is a very steadying influence at the back. Up front, the youthful pairing of Kenneth Knudsen (22, S C) and Johnny Randløv (18, S C) are troubling the opposition defences. Viborg FF 2001/2002 - 7th 2002/2003 - 7th The archetypal mid-table team under Manager Ole Mørch, Viborg have an ageing squad and are expected to struggle this season. Players such as Martin Birn (35, D C) and Jan Laursen (35, AM/F RC) have been brought in this summer for their experience, but time is catching up with them. However, they do have a youngster with a lot of potential in the shape of Poul Erik Mikkelsen (20, D/DM RC). 2002/2003 Table <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st C Brøndby 33 12 4 1 37 11 8 7 1 25 11 71 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd OB 33 7 6 3 33 27 10 3 4 33 19 60 3rd FC København 33 8 8 0 30 12 7 4 6 27 24 57 4th Herfølge 33 9 5 2 32 20 6 4 7 25 29 54 5th AB 33 10 3 4 24 19 5 3 8 19 28 51 6th AGF 33 10 2 5 31 23 3 4 9 19 30 45 7th Viborg FF 33 10 2 5 27 18 3 3 10 28 37 44 8th Frem 33 6 6 4 28 23 3 8 6 20 28 41 9th AaB 33 8 3 5 37 31 2 6 9 15 32 39 10th FC Midtjylland 33 4 6 6 20 20 3 6 8 25 34 33 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11th R Farum 33 6 4 7 29 31 1 2 13 20 45 27 12th R Silkeborg IF 33 1 6 10 16 30 1 5 10 9 27 17 </pre> Game of the Week Wednesday September 3rd, 2003 European Championship Qualifying Group 7 Italy 4 Russia 0 Russia walked out at the Olimpico in Rome at the top of Group 7 on goal difference from their hosts. 90 torrid minutes later they found themselves 3 points behind and looking at a place in the playoffs. Italy totally dominated this match with a vibrant attacking display. Such was the quality of their defence and midfield that the visitors did not register a single shot on target all evening. Italy got off to a dream start when Gianluca Zambrotta put them ahead after just 3 minutes. Nesta brought the ball out of defence and fed the ball to Panucci on the right flank. The Italian right back easily beat Russian captain Onopko and sent in a wonderful cross for the inrushing Zambrotta to head home. The game settled down for the next 20 minutes or so, with Italy keeping possession and probing for chances but the Russians denying them space and time. Cristiano Doni created a good chance for Inzaghi with a near post cross, but the striker's header was high and wide. Doni was becoming increasingly influential and he forced a good save from Nigmatullin with a strongly struck free kick. On the half hour mark Doni and Inzaghi once again combined but the final header was wide of the mark. Italy got their second goal right on the stroke of half time. Doni was again the initiator, sending in a low cross that was controlled first time by young Matteo Brighi who ghosted past the static Onopko and lashed the ball home. Early in the second half the ineffective Inzaghi was replaced by the Juventus forward Marco Di Vaio who made an immediate impression by scoring the third just a few minutes after his introduction. He finished off a wonderful flowing 6-man passing move with a powerful header that left Nigmatullin helpless. The Russians were looking increasingly disconsolate and the game was wrapped up 20 minutes from time when the excellent Luca Toni punished the visiting keeper for some sloppy handling by firing home Italy's fourth of the night. Coach Alberto Zaccheroni will have been very pleased with his team's performance. The defence never looked troubled and the midfield dominated the match. Doni in particular was outstanding and fully deserved his Man of the Match award. []bToni[/b] and Di Vaio were a lively pair up front and caused endless problems to a sluggish Russian defence. On this showing, Russia will have to perform at a much higher level if they hope to progress through the playoffs to Lisbon next year. Teams Italy: Ivan Pelizzoli, Christian Panucci, Paolo Maldini (captain), Fabio Cannavaro (Mark Iuliano 22), Alessandro Nesta, Damioano Tommasi (Francesco Totti 73), Gianluca Zambrotta, Matteo Brighi, Filippo Inzaghi (Marco Di Vaio 52), Luca Toni, Cristiano Doni Subs not used: Carlo Nerva, Francesco Toldo, Max Tonetto, Fausto Rossini Russia: Ruslan Nigmatullin, Andrey Solomatin (Rolan Gusev 73), Oleg Kornaukhov, Dmitry Ananko, Eugeny Bushmanov, Viktor Onopko (captain), Dmitry Khokhlov (Rustem Bualtov 73), Omari Tetradze (Alexander Mostovoi 53), Vladimir, Alexandr Kerzhakov, Sergey Semak Subs not used: Dmitry Sychev, Vitaly Baranov, Alexandr Kolotilko, Alexandr Shirko Scorers Italy: Zambrotta 3, Brighi 45, Di Vaio 58, Toni 73 Man of the Match: Cristiano Doni Yellow Cards Russia: Omari Tetradze Attendance: 82,916 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 5, 2003 Share Posted September 5, 2003 Originally posted by BobBev:_2002/2003 Table_ <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st C FC Bayern 34 13 3 1 38 8 11 2 4 28 10 77 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd Dortmund 34 15 1 1 47 8 9 4 4 28 20 77 3rd Kaiserslautern 34 13 1 3 39 18 6 4 7 25 25 62 4th Hannover 96 34 12 2 3 35 19 6 5 6 29 25 61 5th 1860 München 34 11 5 1 24 9 6 4 7 14 16 60 6th Leverkusen 34 9 4 4 27 11 8 1 8 28 25 56 7th Wolfsburg 34 11 3 3 28 13 5 3 9 23 33 54 8th Nürnberg 34 13 1 3 37 20 3 5 9 25 41 54 9th Werder Bremen 34 12 3 2 28 11 2 4 11 17 33 49 10th M'gladbach 34 10 3 4 34 24 2 7 8 13 22 46 11th Schalke 04 34 12 2 3 33 18 1 4 12 19 47 45 12th HSV 34 9 5 3 27 15 2 3 12 19 36 41 13th Hertha BSC 34 8 5 4 28 23 1 4 12 13 37 36 14th 1.FC Köln 34 4 7 6 26 24 4 3 10 11 24 34 15th Greuther Fürth 34 5 4 8 23 26 3 2 12 9 27 30 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16th R Bochum 34 5 5 7 26 30 2 3 12 18 37 29 17th R Bielefeld 34 7 1 9 29 37 1 2 14 18 48 27 18th R Lübeck 34 2 7 8 20 30 1 2 14 7 43 18</pre> that must of been ****ing off for Dortmund to lose league by a single goal Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Philip Rolfe Posted September 8, 2003 Administrators Share Posted September 8, 2003 this really is superb Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James M Posted September 8, 2003 Share Posted September 8, 2003 Terrific story. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted September 11, 2003 Author Share Posted September 11, 2003 Thanks for your support fellas European Soccer Weekly Friday September 12th, 2003 League Roundup Charleroi are setting the pace in Belgium and they recorded their 5th straight win this week to take a 3-point lead over Racing Genk. In Croatia, Hajduk have 4 wins out of 4 and already have a 3-point gap at the top. FC Midtjylland are the surprise leaders in Denmark and big boys FC København continue to struggle and are second from bottom. Middlesbrough are the early leaders in England and in Finland HJK are still top but MyPa are nibbling away at their lead. Marseille are a perfect 5 and 0 in France whilst in Germany both Nürnberg and Schalke 04 have won their first 3 matches. In Northern Ireland Glentoran have a narrow lead over Portadown after the first 4 games. Things are very close in Norway with Lyn, Brann and Rosenborg all on 43 points with Molde 2 points behind, although Molde and Rosenborg both have a game in hand. In Poland Legia head Group A with Groclin and Wisla neck and neck in Group B. The group stages there will continue until the start of November. In the Republic of Ireland Shamrock Rovers head the table with 4 straight wins but St. Pat's Athletic also have a 100% record although they have only played 2 games due to their UEFA Cup commitments. Krylja Sovetov are stretching their lead at the top in Russia and are now 7 points clear of Lokomotiv Moscow having played a game more. It's no surprise to see Celtic at the top of the SPL with Rangers 3 points behind in second. It's tight at the top in Sweden with just 3 points separating the top 4. Malmö head the table with Elfsborg, Halmstad and AIK all challenging. In Turkey Fenerbahçe, Besiktas and Kocaelispor all share 10 points after 4 games. Finally in Wales, Welshpool and Newtown battle it out, each with 3 wins out of 4. Champions League The Phase 1 group matches got underway this week. In Group A Manchester United got off to a flying start with a fantastic 3-0 win over FC Bayern in Munich. In Group B Athletic Bilbao shocked Roma with a 2-0 win in Spain. Liverpool triumphed 2-1 at home to Nantes in Group C and in Group D PSV recorded a good 2-1 away win against Kaiserslautern. Group E saw both Celtic and Arsenal off to a winning start. The Gunners beat Parma 3-2 at Highbury and in Glasgow the home side beat Spartak Moscow 2-0. In a hard fought Group F match Hannover 96 pushed Barcelona all the way before finally succumbing 2-1. In Group G Milan played well to beat Feyenoord 3-1 at home and in Group H Fenerbahçe had a comfortable 4-0 win over the Swedes of Elfsborg. UEFA Cup The UEFA Cup entered the 1st Round proper yesterday. Atlético Madrid look to have secured their place in the 2nd Round with a comprehensive 4-0 away win over MyPa of Finland. Lazio had an equally good 3-0 win against Kaunas in Lithuania and Ajax won 2-0 against Sartid in Yugoslavia. Juventus had a narrow 1-0 away win over Auxerre and Deportivo were held 1-1 in Poland by Zaglebie. West Ham managed a narrow 2-1 home win over Beira-Mar of Portugal and Rangers achieved a good 2-0 away win in Macedonia against Cementarnica. Aberdeen beat their Slovakian visitors Slovan Bratislava 2-0 and Porto triumphed 2-0 in Croatia against Zadar. Bohemians will struggle to overcome a 3-0 deficit when Wolfsburg visit Dublin but St. Pat's Athletic will travel to Toulouse with a 1-1 draw under their belts. Newcastle will take a very comfortable 6-0 lead to Cyprus for the return leg against AEK Larnaca and Blackburn are looking good following their 3-0 triumph over Zilina in Slovakia. Shamrock Rovers managed a creditable 1-1 draw in Austria against Tirol Innsbruck and Inter will travel to Croatia with a 2-0 lead over Dinamo. Spotlight on ….. The Dutch Eredivisie Between them the "Big Three", PSV, Ajax and Feyenoord, have pretty much dominated domestic Dutch football recently, with PSV winning the Eredivisie title for the past two seasons. ADO Den Haag (ADO) 2001/2002 - 10th in First Division 2002/2003 - 5th in First Division ADO achieved promotion last season via the playoffs and have spent the summer strengthening their squad in an attempt to avoid an immediate return. Manager Rinus Israel has brought in a dozen players at a total cost of some £3.8M. The most expensive purchases have been Remco Evers (28, DM C) for £875K from Fortuna and Christian Opschoor (22, M C) from NAC fro £750K. With several of his squad unsettled and influential players such as Roy Stroeve (26, S C) and Daniel Rijaard (26, D/DM R) actively seeking a move, Israel will have a fight on his hands to avoid the drop. AZ Alkmaar (AZ) 2001/2002 - 16th 2002/2003 - 9th Having survived a relegation playoff in 2001/2002, Manager Hendric Duut was sacked in September last year. His successor Huub Stevens was somewhat more successful, gaining a mid-table finish. Key midfielder Reinier Robbemond (31, AM R) is struggling with a calf injury and top defender Peter Wijker (32, D C) has requested a move, causing some discontent in the squad. It is rumoured that striker Robin Nelisse (25, S C) is at loggerheads with Stevens and this is also disrupting the team so the signs are not good for this season. Ajax 2001/2002 - 3rd 2002/2003 - 3rd Ronald Koeman paid the price for his failure to obtain any silverware for the Ajax trophy cabinet when he was fired in April this year and replaced by Ruud Gullit. Ruud has not dabbled in the transfer market so far, except for the recent sale of young South African midfielder Steven Pienaar (21, AM C) to Hertha BSC for £6.25M. With what is generally regarded as one of the best youth development programmes in world football, the Ajax squad is packed with high-potential youngsters. Players such as Rafael van der Vaart (20, AM LC), Mido (20, F LC), last season's Player of the Year Cristian Chivu (22, D LC) and Zlatan Ibrahimovic (21, S C) were all highly talented. Most commentators agree that the team needs to blend some experienced pros in with the youngsters to bring out the best in them. Cambuur 2001/2002 - 2nd in First Division 2002/2003 - 2nd in First Division Cambuur triumphed in the playoffs at the second time of asking and make their debut in the top flight. Manager Rob McDonald has done nothing to strengthen the squad for life in the Eredivisie and the bookies expect the newcomers to go straight back down again. Key players Dominique van Dijk (24, AM LC) and Dirk Jan Derksen (31, S C) will have to work wonders to defy the predictions. Feyenoord 2001/2002 - 2nd 2002/2003 - 2nd Eredivisie runners-up, Dutch Cup winners and Champions League Quarter Finalists, last season was a good one for Manager Bert van Marwijk and it won him the Dutch Manager of the Year award. He obviously has great faith in his players, as there have been no additions to the playing strength for 2 years. The team features experienced players such as last season's top goalscorer Pierre van Hooijdonk (33, S C), midfielder Paul Bosveldt (33, M RC), and French forward Sylvain Wiltord (29, F C). They also have a number of impressive young players, including Johan Elmander (22, AM/F RLC), Glenn Loovens (19, D C) and Ebi Smolarek (22, AM/F L). Groningen 2001/2002 - 15th 2002/2003 - 4th After a poor 2001/2002, Manager Dwight Lodeweges was replaced by Aad de Mos who guided the team to an excellent 4th place finish last season. This was achieved without any significant changes in the playing staff. Top players Glenn Salmon (25, S C), Hugo (29, AM C) and Ignacio Tuhuteru (30, AM/F L) will need to maintain their fine form if Groningen are to continue to challenge the Big Three. Haarlem 2001/2002 - 15th in First Division 2002/2003 - First Division Champions Manager Heini Otto transformed Haarlem from no-hopers into First Division Champions in one season. However, it seems highly likely that this will be as good as it gets, with a quick return from whence they came seen as the most likely outcome this season. Their most influential players are Antony Berghahn (26, M C) and Ronald Molenaar (21, S C) but they will need to be at the top of their game to stay out of the relegation struggle. Heerenveen 2001/2002 - 5th 2002/2003 - 6th Manager Foppe de Haan led his team to the Dutch Cup Final last season where they lost 2-1 to Feyenoord after extra time. Influential defender Tieme Klompe (27, D C) was sold to PSV this summer for £4.5 and this will undoubtedly affect their defensive stability despite the presence of highly-respected club captain Hans Vonk (33, GK). One of the club's brightest prospects is young Colombian Johnnier Montano (20, F C). MVV 2001/2002 - 4th in First Division 2002/2003 - 15th Following their promotion through the playoffs a season ago, Manager Roger Reijners defied the odds by keeping this small and unfashionable club in the Eredivisie. At the start of last season some 14 players were brought into the club with a further 7 joining this summer. The pick of this season's signings so far has been Belgian Garry De Graef (28, AM L) who came from First Division RKC on a Bosman. Given his very unremarkable squad, it will be a major triumph if Reijners can repeat his performance of last season and keep MVV in the top flight. NAC 2001/2002 - 10th 2002/2003 - 12th Frans Adelaar is the third Manager at NAC since September last year - will it be third time lucky for their long-suffering supporters? Forward Niels Kokmeijer (23, F LC) has so far proved to be a very astute free signing from Heerenveen. Experienced Hungarian international Gabor Babos (28, GK) is an important player (he was voted Goalkeeper of the Year last season), as is his compatriot, team captain Tamás Petõ (29, AM RC). NEC 2001/2002 - 12th 2002/2003 - 11th NEC are another fairly comfortable mid-table team. There is a feeling amongst their supporters that Manager Joahn Neeskens lacks ambition. He certainly has a reputation for selling off the club's most exciting young players. In August last year Youssouf Hersi (21, AM/F LC) went to Aston Villa for £9.5M and this July Mike Zonneveld (22, D/DM L) was sold to Schalke 04 for £6.75M. Some of the profits have been spent on Karim Touzani (22, D C) who came from Utrecht for £3.4M. However, young defensive prospect Peter Wisgerhof (23, D C) has been made available and there is some concern that the exciting Frank Demouge (21, S C) may be the next to go. PSV 2001/2002 - 1st 2002/2003 - 1st When Guus Hiddink left PSV after a league and cup double to take charge of Hertha BSC in October last year, his replacement Frank Rijkaard had a hard act to follow. But follow it he did, retaining the championship and winning the UEFA Cup. PSV remain the team to beat in domestic football, and are firm favourites to make it a hat trick of league titles this season. The squad is packed full of talent, with players such as Mateja Kezman (24, S C), Dennis Rommedahl (25, AM/F R), captain Marc van Bommel (26, DM C), Kevin Hofland (24, D C) and Arjen Robben (19, AM/F LC). They also have the most splendidly named player in Europe - Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink (25, S C)! Roda 2001/2002 - 8th 2002/2003 - 10th Georges Leekens has put together a solid, if unspectacular, squad and has established Roda as a safe mid-table team. An experienced defence is the basis of the team, with the keeper and 3 of the back 4 all in their 30's. Club captain Ger Senden (32, D RC) is a well-respected leader on the pitch and his fellow full back Tim de Cler (25, D L) is a steady performer. Their most exciting prospect is young striker Jordy Reneerkens (19, S C). Twente 2001/2002 - 9th 2002/2003 - 7th Twente are yet another solid, if slightly dull mid-table team. Manager Martin Jol is somewhat cash-strapped, so his forays into the transfer market are few and far between. Key players include club captain Tom van der Leegte (26, DM LC) and in-form young striker Thijs Houwing (22 S C) who won the Young Player of the Year award last season. Utrecht 2001/2002 - 4th 2002/2003 - 5th Manager Foeke Booy has coaxed some impressive performances out of his team but he lacks the financial resources to seriously challenge for the title. His biggest addition to the squad has been the purchase of Rui Monteiro (26, AM/F L) from First Division Sparta for £1.5M. Club insiders tell us that there is a great deal of disharmony in the squad at present with many players unhappy with their current contracts. If this situation isn't resolved soon then it will start to have a detrimental effect on the field. Utrecht's most influential players are captain Pascal Bosschaart (23, D/DM LC), long-serving keeper Harold Wapenaar (33, GK) and striker Dirk Kuijt (23, S C). Vitesse 2001/2002 - 14th 2002/2003 - 8th Ex-Ajax manager Ronald Koeman replaced Wim Jansen in May of this year and the Vitesse supporters will be hoping for some success under his leadership. Considering the number of good players in the squad, their recent league positions can only be seen as a significant underachievement. With talent such as Matthew Amoah (22, F C), Bob Peeters (29, SC), Emile Mbamba (20, F C) and Dejan Stefanovic (28, D C) Koeman has some decent raw material to work with. Willem II 2001/2002 - 13th 2002/2003 - 13th Hans Westerhof is in charge of another one of those teams that never looks like being relegated but, on the other hand, lacks the resources to compete for trophies. Moroccan Yassine Abdellaoui (28, AM/F L) is probably their best player and youngster Gwenn Van de Poel (20, D/DM L) is tipped for great things. Zwolle 2001/2002 - 7th 2002/2003 - 14th If last season's slump is repeated then coach Peter Boeve will probably be seeking alternative employment before the end of the year. Young Slovakian midfielder Marcel Majoros (22, AM RLC) has impressed since his Bosman move from PSV. On the downside, strike partnership Ivan Cvetkov (24, F C) and Bert Zuurman (30, S C) are both unsettled and looking to move to bigger clubs. Midfielder Andre de Ridder (29, AM RC) continues to under-perform but thankfully Ronald Dassen (28, D R) is as reliable as ever. 2002/2003 Table <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st C PSV 34 16 0 1 52 12 11 3 3 35 22 84 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd Feyenoord 34 15 2 0 40 7 9 3 5 25 18 77 3rd Ajax 34 12 3 2 30 8 7 5 5 24 26 65 4th Groningen 34 10 5 2 32 16 7 4 6 26 28 60 5th Utrecht 34 9 5 3 29 19 8 2 7 26 26 58 6th Heerenveen 34 11 1 5 31 20 5 5 7 29 27 54 7th Twente 34 11 2 4 34 23 5 4 8 21 23 54 8th Vitesse 34 10 4 3 39 22 4 5 8 23 28 51 9th AZ 34 6 6 5 22 18 7 3 7 20 21 48 10th Roda 34 8 6 3 21 12 4 5 8 12 17 47 11th NEC 34 8 2 7 32 25 5 3 9 21 32 44 12th NAC 34 8 3 6 27 28 1 5 11 15 35 35 13th Willem II 34 3 3 11 17 28 6 3 8 26 32 33 14th Zwolle 34 3 5 9 19 28 4 4 9 25 31 30 15th MVV 34 5 4 8 20 28 2 4 11 16 38 29 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16th R Helmond 34 4 5 8 28 37 3 3 11 20 43 29 17th R de Graafschap 34 3 7 7 24 35 3 2 12 15 39 27 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18th R RKC 34 5 5 7 15 21 0 5 12 8 26 25</pre> Game of the Week Tuesday September 9th, 2003 Champions League Phase 1 Group A FC Bayern 0 Manchester United 3 Bayern had slightly the better of the first 20 minutes, with Santa Cruz and Elber both having half-chances but failing to test Barthez before Ruud van Nistelrooy opened the scoring for United. There seemed to be no danger as he gathered the ball some 35 yards from goal. But spotting Oliver Khan slightly off his line he floated the ball over the keeper's head and into the top corner - sheer brilliance! Bayern were looking a little rattled and their frustration showed when Santa Cruz obstructed David Beckham and gave a way an indirect freekick. Beckham whipped in one of his trademark crosses and van Nistelrooy was first to the ball to head powerfully home. 2-0 up after 24 minutes and a dream start for the visitors. For the remainder of the half United settled back to defend their lead. Mehmet Scholl tested Barthez with a well-struck freekick but the keeper was equal to it. Then Santa Cruz picked up a knock down from Ballack and sent a half volley goal wards, only to see Barthez make a brilliant stop. Sebastian Deisler was first to the rebound but he was denied a goal by a last ditch tackle from Roy Keane. Ten minutes after the restart Bayern made a double substitution, removing the ineffective Santa Cruz and Ballack, replacing them with the Peruvian striker Claudio Pizarro and young English international Owen Hargreaves. The home side had plenty of possession but United were defending well and denying them any clear chances on goal. Keane almost gave United a third, but his header was brilliantly saved by Khan. The resulting corner cause chaos and confusion in the Bayern defence with Keane's header bouncing free off the keeper. Scholes almost took advantage, but Pizarro threw himself in front of the ball, saving a certain goal at the expense of a corner. The reprieve was short-lived, as Beckham's in-swinger was badly defended and Rio Ferdinand headed home for the third. Both teams should still come through the first qualification phase, but this excellent result give United a big psychological advantage over their great rivals. Teams FC Bayern: Oliver Khan (captain), Willy Sagnol, Bixente Lizarazu, Thomas Linke, Martin Demichelis, Mehmet Scholl, Sebastian Deisler, Roque Santa Cruz (Owen Hargreaves 55), Elber, Hasan Salihamidzic (Alexander Zickler 68), Michael Ballack (Claudio Pizarro 55) Subs not used: Markus Feulner, Stefan Wessels, Tobias Rau, Samuel Kuffour Manchester United: Fabien Barthez, Gary Neville (Phil Neville 70), Mickaël Silvestre, Rio Ferdinand, Wes Brown, Juan Sebastián Verón (Paul Scholes 51), David Beckham, Roy Keane (captain), Diego Forlan (Ole Gunnar Solskjær 70), Ruud van Nistelrooy, Ryan Giggs Subs not used: Roy Carroll, Jimmy Davis, John O'Shea, Nicky Butt Scorers Manchester United: van Nistelrooy 21, 24, Ferdinand 70 Man of the Match: Ruud van Nistelrooy Yellow Cards FC Bayern: Owen Hargreaves Manchester United: Gary Neville, Roy Keane, Ryan Giggs Attendance: 70,513 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HD Posted September 11, 2003 Share Posted September 11, 2003 still class Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PMLF Posted September 13, 2003 Share Posted September 13, 2003 Very interesting so far. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spurzgrrl Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 Love to see you give us something from Brasil, PMLF... Still a must-read, BobBev. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raptor Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 Too right it is, and that's why it just won Story of the Week Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian of Nazareth Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 Congratulations Bobbev. Totally deserved this Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
flipsix3 Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 Congratulations Bob. From someone who tried a similarly time-consuming project, but on a smaller, my cap is doffed to you Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacemaker7 Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 Yup well deserved indeed, takes an awful lot of work to pull off something like this! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted September 14, 2003 Author Share Posted September 14, 2003 Folks, As always, I am humbled by your kind words of supprt. I am also somewhat guilty that a story intended to be updated only once a week has been granted the Story of the Week accolade I shall just have to get creative and slot in a midweek update or two somehow. Bob. P.S. Glad to see you back PM. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spurzgrrl Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 Well-deserved indeed. Bravo, BB. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 Well deserved BB Great work on this (as usual) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raptor Posted September 15, 2003 Share Posted September 15, 2003 Don't worry about updating just once a week, a fixed format will help set this story apart from others. Though an extra midweek edition to celebrate this accolade wouldn't go amiss. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjorn Posted September 16, 2003 Share Posted September 16, 2003 Congratulations Bobbev, It is deserved and I know it's a lot o work to write such a story. My story is only about the Premier League and it's a lot of work so surely it's deserved. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted September 16, 2003 Author Share Posted September 16, 2003 European Soccer Weekly Midweek Supplement Welcome to the first in an occasional series of Midweek Supplements where we will take an in-depth look at an aspect of the European Soccer scene. In this edition..... The Toon's Greatest Triumph In the 2001/2002 season Sir Bobby Robson led his beloved Newcastle United to their supreme moment of glory when they captured the Champions League. In this article we will follow in their footsteps as we relive their crowning glory. The season got underway on August 8th, 2001 with their Champions League 3rd Qualifying Round match against Slavia Mozyr of Bulgaria. Their European adventure was almost ended at the first hurdle as they slumped to a horrendous 4-1 defeat in the first leg in Bulgaria. As things turned out the away goal would prove to be very important as they turned the tie around with a 5-1 home win to progress 6-5 on aggregate and take their place in the lucrative group stages. Newcastle were drawn in Group E with Sparta Prague of the Czech Republic, Ajax of Holland and Juventus of Italy - a tough group that they would do well to qualify from. Before the group phase started the bread and butter of the league season got underway. The Magpies did not have the best of starts, with a draw and two defeats in their first 3 games. The media were not optimistic about Newcastle's chances of qualification, but they got off to a decent start, beating Sparta Prague 1-0 in Prague. In the other game in the group, Ajax recorded a narrow 1-0 win over Juventus in Amsterdam. In the second group game 6 days later, Newcastle gave notice that they were a team to be reckoned with when they outplayed Ajax to get a great 3-0 win at St. James's. With Juventus beating Sparta Prague 1-0 in Turin, the Magpies were top of the table with 2 wins out of 2. Next up was the visit of Juventus, and Newcastle lost a thrilling match 3-2 to drop their first points in the group. Ajax suffered a shock 4-0 reverse in Prague and the group remained wide open. Come mid-October and their visit to Turin, the Magpies had only 2 league wins to their credit and were firmly in the bottom half of the table. However, they were able to put their indifferent league form behind them and fought out a battling 2-2 draw to keep their qualification hopes very much alive. The penultimate Phase 1 matches were to prove critical. Newcastle beat Sparta Prague 2-0 at home whilst Juventus lost a tight match 2-1 to Ajax in Turin. This sent Newcastle to the top of the group on 10 points, Ajax second on 9 and Juventus third with 7. The 3-point gap was important, as it meant that if the Magpies could avoid defeat in their final game in Amsterdam then they would qualify. Newcastle travelled to Holland still struggling badly in the league but this didn't seem to affect them and they got the point they needed with a 2-2 draw and qualified for Phase 2 as group winners. Ajax also qualified despite Juventus winning 4-2 in Prague to go level on points, as the Dutch team had defeated the Italians both home and away. The Phase 2 draw proved interesting as Newcastle ended up in the same group as Celtic, Inter and Leverkusen. The first Phase 2 matches took place towards the end of November and by that time Newcastle had gained only three league wins and had been dumped out of the League Cup by Blackburn. Their poor results continued as Leverkusen just edged a tight contest 1-0 at St. James's. Celtic fared better in Italy, getting a gritty 2-2 draw with Inter. Newcastle's next Champions league encounter saw them travel to Glasgow and record a narrow 1-0 win over Celtic, with Inter coming off best in an exciting 3-2 win over Leverkusen in Germany. Either side of the Celtic match the Magpies picked up a couple of league wins, both by the same 1-0 margin. It wasn't pretty but it provided badly needed league points and a valuable confidence boost to the players. Sir Bobby was clearly concerned by their league form but remained upbeat under the constant media pressure. The Champions League then entered the winter hiatus, with hostilities suspended until mid-February. In the intervening period, Newcastle continued their up-and-down form in the league and ended up on the wrong side of an FA Cup upset when they were beaten away from home 2-1 by Second Division Notts County in the 3rd Round. In many ways the Champions League was a welcome relief from their domestic struggles. Out of both cup competitions and looking unlikely to gain a place in Europe through their league form, Newcastle had nothing else to play for. Sir Bobby had even joked that their only hope of playing in Europe next season was to go and win the final. February 13th and 20th saw back-to-back matches against Inter, the outcome of which would prove to be pivotal. In the first match in Italy, Newcastle put in a battling performance and left the Guiseppe Meazza with a 1-1 draw. Leverkusen beat Celtic 2-1 at Parkhead to go to the top of the group with Milan second and Newcastle third. A week later Inter came to St. James's Park and lost a tense encounter 1-0, with Leverkusen recording the same score at home to Celtic. These results effectively eliminated the Scots and lifted the Magpies to second above Inter. The win over Inter gave Newcastle's league form a boost and they won their next two Premiership games before facing their final group matches. The penultimate match would be absolutely critical as Newcastle travelled to the BayArena to face Leverkusen. Despite being under intense pressure for much of the game, the Magpies sneaked a 1-0 win. Celtic's 2-1 win over Inter in Glasgow meant that the Italians could not qualify and both Newcastle and Leverkusen would enter the Quarter Final draw. The final group matches were somewhat of an anti-climax as Newcastle beat Celtic 3-1 at St. James's and Inter had a 1-0 win over the Germans. In the Quarter Finals Newcastle were drawn against their Phase 1 group opponents Ajax, with the first leg to be played in Amsterdam. Two goals from the excellent Jari Litmanen put the home side in the driving seat in the first half. Injuries to Alan Shearer and Laurent Robert didn't make Newcastle's task any easier but a second half goal from Shola Ameobi gave the Magpies hope for the return. The second leg was a thrilling encounter and Newcastle took a 2-0 lead in the first half thanks to Kieron Dyer and Nolberto Solano. However, the young Egyptian player Mido scored for Ajax within minutes of the restart. As the match moved towards extra time Craig Bellamy grabbed a dramatic winner in stoppage time to send the Toon Army wild as the Magpies secured their Semi Final place. In the other Quarter Final encounters Manchester United had a very impressive 5-0 aggregate win over Deportivo, the foundation of which was an outstanding 4-0 win at the Raizor. Leverkusen beat Spatak Moscow 5-3 over the two legs and Milan had a narrow 2-1 aggregate win over Olympiakos. Newcastle were to face Leverkusen in the Semis, with the first leg being played at St. James's Park. Kieron Dyer was on target once more to give the Magpies a great start after just 10 minutes. However, 15 minutes later Oliver Neuville scored the equaliser for the visitors. There was no further scoring in an exciting match, but both keepers were called into action several times as the sides each looked for a winner. The 1-1 result gave Leverkusen a distinct advantage for the return match in Germany. Shearer and Robert had still not recovered from injury when Newcastle travelled to Leverkusen and Sir Bobby made a courageous decision in selecting the youngster Michael Chopra to partner Craig Bellamy up front. Captain Nikos Dabizas opened the scoring for Newcastle just before half time but within minutes of the restart the Brazilian Franca got an equaliser for the home side. With the scores tied, there was very little to choose between the two sides. Newcastle suffered a blow when Kieron Dyer had to be replaced with 20 minutes remaining. But with extra time just 10 minutes away, Craig Bellamy was once more the hero as he scored the winning goal. The 2-1 win on the night meant a 3-2 aggregate victory and a place in the Champions League Final. Their opponents in the Final at Hampden Park in Glasgow were to be Milan. Manchester United had won a thrilling first leg 3-2 at Old Trafford but could not hold on to their narrow lead in the return. They held out for 70 minutes until Andriy Shevchenko scored from the penalty spot. Vitaly Kutuzov added a second in stoppage time and Milan triumphed 4-3 on aggregate. Newcastle ended their disappointing league campaign by finishing in 10th place in the Premiership, but all thoughts were on the forthcoming match against Milan for the biggest prize in European football. Wednesday May 22nd was a wet evening in Glasgow with a steady drizzle making the conditions underfoot quite treacherous. The talismanic Alan Shearer was back in the side for the biggest match in the history of Newcastle United. Both teams were very evenly matched and scoring opportunities were few and far between. The first half ended scoreless which was probably a fair reflection of the balance of play. However, the second half got off to an explosive start when Andriy Shevchenko displayed deadly finishing skills to put Milan into the lead. Showing what may be called a "typical Italian" attitude, Milan prepared to shut up shop and deny their opponents an equaliser. As the match entered the final 30 minutes, Sir Bobby was pacing around in the technical area, oblivious to the steadily falling rain. With typical Robson bravery, the great man made a triple substitution, removing 3 defensive minded players and replacing them with attackers. The gamble paid off in style as one of the subs, Lomana Lua-Lua, grabbed the equalising goal with some 20 minutes remaining. The influential Rivaldo had to be taken off a few minutes later and Newcastle continued pressing for the winner. Extra time looked to be a certainty but the young Welsh dynamo Craig Bellamy was once again the hero. With seconds remaining in stoppage time his electrifying pace took him clear of the Milan defence and he slid the ball home for the winning goal. With his last remaining ambition fulfilled, Sir Bobby decided that the time was right for him to retire gracefully and allow a younger man to take over. But the Toon Army will never forget that night in Glasgow and the memory of Bellamy's dramatic winner will stay with those who were there for many years to come. Do you want to know how your team is doing? Is there a particular player that you want to know about? DO you have any ideas for future features or articles that you would like to see? ESW welcomes feedback and questions from our readers - you can contact our intrepid reporters using the email address in the author's profile. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HD Posted September 16, 2003 Share Posted September 16, 2003 Too lazy to use email Would like to know how Ayr are getting on, also the progress of Wigan's Gary Teale Another great addition to the tale, by the way Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
abu645 Posted September 17, 2003 Share Posted September 17, 2003 Congrats BB, This is superb work, keep it up. p.s. wondering if coventry are inept in this game as they are in real life ??? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hufctigers Posted September 17, 2003 Share Posted September 17, 2003 Congrats Bob. Story of the Week or not I'd be proud of this. KUTGW!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted September 18, 2003 Author Share Posted September 18, 2003 European Soccer Weekly Friday September 19th, 2003 News On Wednesday this week Danish Premier Division club AB sacked their manager Ivan Nielsen. With only 2 wins out of 7 games so far this season, AB are just a point off the relegation places. In England, it seems only a matter of time before Terry Venables and Leeds part company. The Yorkshire club are bottom of the English Premier League with only 1 win out of 5 matches so far. French First Division club Troyes, in deep trouble at the foot of the table with "nil points", have dispensed with the services of Faruk Hadzibegic. In Norway, Premier League Odd Gernland have waved goodbye to Arne Erlandsen. Arne has paid the price for a disappointing league campaign this season. With the Portuguese season only just started, Academica have wasted no time in sacking Jose Couceiro; 2 defeats in 2 games was all it took. League Roundup Charleroi march on in Belgium with 6 wins out of 6 and in Croatia Hajduk dropped their first points of the season with a home draw but remain top. Danish leaders FC Midtjylland suffered their first defeat but in England Middlesbrough continue their fine start to the season. HJK still set the pace in Finland and nearest challengers MyPa are now 13 points adrift with a couple of games in hand. In Germany Nürnberg and Schalke 04 both have 100% records and AZ currently top the table in Holand after 4 games. Northern Ireland sees Portadown with a narrow lead at the top and Institute propping up the rest with not a point to their name so far. In Norway Brann head Rosenborg on goal difference, but the leaders have played a game more. Gil Vicente have 3 wins out of 3 in Portugal and Shamrock Rovers are setting the pace in the Republic of Ireland. Krylja Sovetov maintain their 4-point lead over Lokomotiv Moscow with 6 games remaining in the Russian Premier Division. In Scotland Celtic have stretched their lead at the top to 6 points but the Raith Rovers fairy tale continues. The Fife minnows lie 3rd in the table and last weekend they recorded a wonderful 2-1 home win over Rangers. Sevilla are still top in Spain with a 100% record. In Sweden Malmö and Halmstad are neck and neck with only goal difference keeping Malmö on top. Fenerbahçe have established a narrow lead in the Turkish Premier Division and in Wales Newtown set the pace and poor Afan Lido are bottom with a perfect zero point total. Champions League The Phase 1 Group matches continued this week. In Group A Manchester United continued to progress, beating Rosenborg 2-0 at Old Trafford. FC Bayern recovered from their defeat at home last week with a solid 4-0 win over Anzhi in Russia. Group B saw Roma get their first points with a 3-0 home win over Lens. Liverpool were held to a 0-0 draw away to Dinamo Kiev in Group C and in Group D, PSV made it 2 out of 2 with a 3-2 win at home to Betis. Both Celtic and Arsenal had away draws in Group E and in Group F Barcelona cruised to a 3-0 home win over Olympiakos. In Group G Milan easily beat Lyon 3-0 in France to stay top and Feyenoord had their first success, beating Sporting 2-1 in Rotterdam. In Group H []bDortmund[/b] got back on track with a 2-0 home victory over Fenerbahçe but Real Madrid had their second consecutive draw, 0-0 at Elfsborg. Spotlight on ….. The Italian Serie A Roma finished as Serie A champions last season with a 7-point lead over Milan and Parma and they will be looking to make a determined defence of their title. Lazio, Inter and Juventus will be striving for an improvement having finished 5th, 6th and 7th respectively and 4th placed Bologna will hope to maintain their fine form. Ancona 2001/2002 - 9th in Serie B 2002/2003 - 2nd in Serie B Having guided his team into Serie A last season, manager Luigi Simoni retired and was replaced by Massimo Carrera. Carrera's biggest signing of the summer was Stefano Rossini (32, D/DM LC) from Genoa for £1.6M but this was more than paid for by the sale of Stefano Lombardi (27, D LC) to Lecce for £1.8M. Ancona have a very experienced squad (some would say an ageing squad), with the bulk of the first team well into their 30's. This is having a demoralising effect on some of their younger players who are frustrated at their lack of first team opportunities. Ascoli 2001/2002 - 11th in Serie B 2002/2003 - 3rd in Serie B In contrast to their fellow newcomers Ancona, Ascoli have a much younger squad and manager Marino Magrin has nurtured them into quite an effective outfit. The undoubted star of the team is young Bosnian striker Zlatan Muslimovic (22, S C) but he is rumoured to be very unsettled and actively seeking a move to a bigger team. Other key players include Salvatore Monaco (30, SW/D C), a bargain summer signing from Serie B side Catania for £240K, and club captain Cristian Sebastian Cejas (28, GK). Atalanta 2001/2002 - 6th 2002/2003 - 8th Manager Giovanni Vavassori has done little to change his squad in the last 2 seasons. Last July he did spend £7.5M to bring midfielder Beto (28, M C) from Flamengo but the Brazilian failed to impress last season. This summer has seen the departure of Ivan Javorcic (24, DM R C) to Slaven Belupo for £2.1M. There are some fine players in the squad, including experienced internationals Fausto Rossini (25, S C), Luciano Zauri (25, D/DM RLC) and Cristiano Doni (30, AM LC). A couple of youngsters also stand out - Gianpaolo Bellini (23, D/DM RL) and Giampaolo Pazzini (19, S C). Bologna 2001/2002 - 7th 2002/2003 - 4th Francesco Guidolin led his side to am impressive 4th place finish in Serie A last season and the fans will be hoping for a repeat performance this time round. The Manager's transfer dealings have been very shrewd. Last summer he splashed out £8.75M for the Danish midfielder Martin Jørgensen (27, AM RL) who was a key contributor to their success in the league. This July Giovanni Tedesco (31, DM C) joined from Perugia for £5.75M. However, he has turned a nice profit by offloading Julio Ricardo Cruz (28, S C) to Celtic for £8.5M and Pierre Wome 24, D/DM LC) to Bielefeld for £2.6M last year and Giulio Falcone (29, D RC) to Inter for £6M this summer. Chievo 2001/2002 - 16th 2002/2003 - 4th in Serie B After the disaster of relegation in season 2001/2002, the Chievo board kept faith with Manager Luigi Del Neri. Their patience was rewarded with an immediate return to Serie A via the playoffs. This has been achieved with a substantially unchanged squad, although the addition of Ermin Rakovic (26, FC)from Maribor on a free transfer has strengthened the attack and taken some of the load off Massimo Marazzina (29, F RC). Veteran German striker Oliver Bierhoff (35, S C) is on the transfer list at his own request and has been loaned out for the season to German regional club Aue. Empoli 2001/2002 - 12th 2002/2003 - 12th Empoli have clung to their Serie A status for the last two seasons and the signs are that Manager Silvio Baldini will repeat this feat again this season. Summer signing Massimo Maccarone (24, S C) who joined from Middlesbrough for £1.3M has strengthened the attack and he is proving an effective partner for Luca Suadati (25, S C). However, key defensive pairing of Emilson Sanchez Cribari (23, D C) and Stefano Lucchini (22, D RC) are both rumoured to be looking for a move and they will be hard to replace if they do decide to move on. Inter 2001/2002 - 4th 2002/2003 - 6th Hector Cupar will be hoping for an improvement on last season's 6th place in the League, although Inter did contest a Champions League Semi Final, losing narrowly to Roma by the aggregate score of 2-1. This summer's major purchase was the £6M transfer of Giulio Falcone (29, D RC) from Bologna. Inter are well equipped to compete for the title with players of the calibre of Christian Vieri (30, S C), Francesco Toldo (31, GK), Fabio Cannavaro (30, D C) and club captain Javier Zanetti (30, D/DM R). If they do have a weakness it may be the lack of a world-class creative midfielder, although the club has high hopes for Danish youngster Mads Beierholm (18, AM RC) and Mohamed Kallon (23, F RLC) from Sierra Leone was voted Young Player of the Year last season. Juventus 2001/2002 - 5th 2002/2003 - 7th Marcello Lippi will want to put a disappointing season behind him and look to mount a serious title challenge this year. Juve did reach the Italian Cup Final last season, but were beaten 3-1 on aggregate by Roma. There have been no additions to the squad for the past 2 seasons, and this, combined with the departure of some major names, is causing some concern amongst the Juve faithful. The sale of superstar Lilian Thuram (31, D RC) to Barcelona for £12M in June caused some raised eyebrows but the departure in July of Paolo Montero (32, SW/D C) to Arsenal for £6.75M and Edgar Davids (30, DM C) for £14.75 to Lazio have really sent tongues wagging. However, there is still talent aplenty in the squad. When you can field David Trezeguet (25, S C) and Alessandro Del Piero (28, F RLC) up front and have Marco Di Vaio (27, F RC) and Marcelo Salas (28, S C) on the bench, then you are not short of firepower. With the likes of Gianluca Zambrotta (26, AM RL) and Pavel Nedved (31, AM LC) in midfield and the excellent Gianluigi Buffon (25, GK) between the sticks the rest of the team isn't too shabby either. Lazio 2001/2002 - 8th 2002/2003 - 5th Despite an appearance in the Italian Cup Final (they lost 4-1 to Roma on aggregate) in 2001/2002, Lazio parted company with manager Roberto Mancini and hired Marco Tardelli in his place. With 80 caps for his country Tardelli had a very successful playing career and made a reasonable start to his managerial career, finishing 5th in the table. Having spent £23M this summer on Figo (30, F RLC) and Edgar Davids (30, DM C), more of the same is expected this year. Defensively they are very strong with club captain Angelo Peruzzi (33, GK) having gained 30 caps for Italy. Jaap Stam (31, SW/D RC) and Juan Pablo Sorin (27, DM L) are also part of a solid back line. If exciting young Georgian prospect Sandro Iashvili (18, S C) can adjust to life in Italy then he may make quite an impact in the next few years. Lecce 2001/2002 - Serie B Champions 2002/2003 - 10th Lecce followed up on their Serie B championship of 2001/2002 with a very solid mid table finish last season. Manager Delio Rossi has kept his squad together during this period and has fashioned them into a pretty effective outfit. Their forward pairing of Davor Vugrinec (28, S C) and Alessandro Corallo (24, F RLC) have a great understanding. But sources at the club tell us that Vugrinec, who was voted the Foreign Player of the Year last season, is keen to move on and that his strike partner is rather upset at the prospect of his departure. It remains to be seen how this will affect the team on the pitch, but they do have a competent replacement in the shape of Uruguayan Chevanton (23, F C). They also have a teenage Bulgarian striker, Valeri Emilov Bojinov (17, S C), waiting in the wings who could be a star in the making. Milan 2001/2002 - 1st 2002/2003 - 2nd 2001/2002 was a fine season for Carlo Ancelotti as he saw his side take the Serie A title and also reach the Champions League Final before losing out to Newcastle 2-1. Last season was less successful as they saw Roma take their title and only progressed as far as the Quarter Final in the Champions League, losing out to Roma once again. This summer has seen Clarence Seedorf (27, DM RLC) departing for Real Madrid for £14.25M and Zinedine Zidane (31, AM C) being signed from the same club for £16.5M. However, based on early season form the best signing of the summer was the arrival of Joaquin (22, D/AM R) from Betis on a Bosman. The young Spaniard has looked a class act in the right wingback position. Up front, Andriy Shevchenko (26, S C) continues to terrorise Serie A defences everywhere he goes. The defence is marshalled superbly by Dario Simic (27, D RC) and Rivaldo (31, AM LC) is still a major influence in midfield. The seemingly ageless Paolo Maldini (35, SW/D LC) continues to inspire the team as club captain, as well as captain of the national side, where he recently won his 143rd cap. Palermo 2001/2002 - 2nd in Serie B 2002/2003 - 14th Palermo defied the odds last season by retaining their place in the top flight. Manager Ezio Glerean will do well to do the same this season, with much of the squad grumbling about limited first team opportunities or seeking to negotiate new contracts. This disharmony is already affecting on-field performances and needs to be resolved soon. On the transfer front the sale of Filippo Maniero (31, S C) to Sampdoria generated £6M. Much of this was spent on acquiring 5 new players, including £3.3M for Roberto Guana (22, AM C) from Brescia and another £1M on Abdellah Saber (29, D/DM R) from Napoli. Parma 2001/2002 - 3rd 2002/2003 - 3rd Clauido Cesare Prandelli has made no additions to the team that has finished in 3rd place for the last two seasons. Last summer he brought in the experienced Brazilian Edmundo (32, F LC) for £6M from Japanese team Verdy and promising Swedish youngster Alexander Farnerud (19, AM/F RLC) who cost £1.2M from Landskrona. The teenage midfielder looks like a real star in the making and already has 9 caps for his country. Prandelli puts great faith in his youngsters with many of the first team in their early 20's. Parma have a terrific strike partnership in the form of Brazilian phenomenon Adriano (21, F C) and Romanian star Adrian Mutu (24, F RLC). Another Brazilian, Alex (26, AM LC) is a key midfield creator and French keeper Sebastien Frey (23, GK) is tipped for great things. Perugia 2001/2002 - 9th 2002/2003 - 9th Manager Serse Cosmi has a solid and reliable squad and has established Perugia as a hard-to-beat mid table team. This summer saw the departure of long-serving midfielder Giovanni Tedesco (31, DM C) to Bologna for £5.75M and the arrival of Frenchman Julien Escude (24, D LC) from Rennes for £8.25M. Defensively they may struggle a little this season with stalwart William Vialli (28, SW/D C) still several months away from seeing any action as he recovers from groin surgery. Team captain Marco Di Loreto (28, D C) is reported to be unsettled and looking for a move. Goalkeeper Sebastiano Rossi (39, GK) is one of the oldest players in Serie A and understudy Guiseppe Aprea (26, GK) lacks experience at this level. Star forward Zissis Vryzas (29, F LC) and strike partner Fabrizio Miccoli (24, F RC) will need to be at their best to avoid being dragged into a relegation struggle. Roma 2001/2002 - 2nd 2002/2003 - 1st Roma were undoubtedly the best team in Italy last season, winning the Scudetto and the Italian Cup and only being denied a historic treble by Barcelona after a penalty shootout in the Champions League Final. Coach Fabio Capello, Serie A Manager of the Year last season, will do very well to emulate this success in the current season. The purchase of Roberto Ayala (30, SW/D C) from Valencia for £19.5M last summer was a major factor in Roma's success, as he has been a key component of an awesome defensive unit. In combination with fellow centre back Walter Samuel (25, SW/D C) and young keeper Ivan Pelizzoli (22, GK), a mere 16 goals were conceded in the league last season. Their home record was second to none, with a record of 16 wins and a draw at the Olimpico, with only 4 league goals conceded. Samuel won the Player of the Year and the Defender of the Year awards last season for his faultless defensive displays. This summer scoring sensation Luca Toni (26, S C) was snapped up from Brescia for £3M. With 4 goals from 5 games already this season he is proving to be an absolute bargain. Other top players in the squad include Francesco Totti (26, F C) and Vincenzo Montella (29, S C). Sampdoria 2001/2002 - 3rd in Serie B 2002/2003 - 13th Following their promotion from Serie B in 2001/2002, Sampdoria struggled badly and in December last year manager Walter Alfredo Novellino was sacked and replaced by Alberto Zaccheroni. The new boss made an immediate impact and relegation was avoided. However, this summer the club's saviour was head hunted to become the Italian national coach and Guiseppe Pillon is now the man in charge. He has wasted no time in adding to his squad, with Filippo Maniero (31, S C) joining from Palermo for £6.5M and Brazilian Matuzelam (23, DM C) bought from Brescia for £7.75M. After this outlay much will be expected of the team this season. Torino 2001/2002 - 14th 2002/2003 - 11th The glory days for Torino are long gone and Manager Giancarlo Camolese is unlikely to bring much joy to the success-starved supporters with his current squad. The best of the bunch are Cristiano Lucarelli (27, S C) and club captain Simone Vergassola (27, M C). His major summer signing, Giuseppe Colucci (23, M RC), who cost £2.7M from Serie B side Modena, has done little to impress so far and looks a disconsolate figure out on the pitch. It seems that the weight of expectation is proving difficult for him to live up to. Udinese 2001/2002 - 15th 2002/2003 - Serie B Champions Many observers expected Manager Luciano Spalletti to be sacked when Udinese were relegated in 2001/2002 but he not only kept his job, he led the team to the Serie B championship and an immediate return to the top flight. Spalletti will have his work cut out to stop his team from yo-yoing back to Serie B, as his squad is none too impressive. One of their most important players is ex-Bayern striker Carsten Jancker (29, S C) and the big front man notched up 25 goals in Serie B last season. The young South Korean forward Lee Chun-Soo (22, F LC) shows some promise, as does Giampiero Pinzi (22, DM RC). 2002/2003 Table <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st C Roma 34 16 1 0 34 4 7 7 3 19 12 77 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd Milan 34 10 4 3 36 13 11 3 3 34 15 70 3rd Parma 34 11 5 1 28 11 9 5 3 27 18 70 4th Bologna 34 13 3 1 31 12 7 3 7 23 24 66 5th Lazio 34 11 4 2 26 8 9 1 7 26 17 65 6th Inter 34 10 5 2 25 10 9 2 6 23 15 64 7th Juventus 34 12 3 2 40 17 5 5 7 30 26 59 8th Atalanta 34 10 5 2 24 8 6 4 7 15 18 57 9th Perugia 34 10 2 5 26 13 5 4 8 18 20 51 10th Lecce 34 7 3 7 26 27 5 4 8 22 29 43 11th Torino 34 5 4 8 21 23 7 2 8 25 29 42 12th Empoli 34 6 3 8 17 28 3 5 9 18 27 35 13th Sampdoria 34 4 4 9 14 24 4 6 7 12 23 34 14th Palermo 34 7 1 9 28 35 3 2 12 17 31 33 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15th R Brescia 34 6 3 8 26 31 2 2 13 13 40 29 16th R Siena 34 2 6 9 13 25 2 3 12 6 23 21 17th R Reggina 34 4 4 9 18 28 1 2 14 5 37 21 18th R Como 34 2 3 12 10 32 2 3 12 16 39 18</pre> Game of the Week Saturday September 13th, 2003 Spanish Primera Liga Elche 4 Barcelona 4 Barcelona's league campaign did not get off to the best of starts against lowly Elche at the Martinez Valero stadium. Despite creating the majority of the scoring opportunities and displaying some scintillating attacking play, slack defending and poor discipline meant that a comfortable 2-goal lead was thrown away. Barca started very positively and after just a couple of minutes Xavi forced a good save from Toni with a scorching left foot half volley. From the resulting corner Saviola beat Pedro Garcia to the ball but his header clipped the bar and went over. After 10 minutes a slick passing move ended with Kluivert threading a pass into the area for the run of Mendieta who flicked it first time past the Elche keeper. Elche were finding it difficult to get hold of the ball as Barcelona maintained possession and passed the ball around, probing for an opening. Saviola came close to a second goal when he beat first Montoya and then Boriseiko but his shot was well saved by Toni at the expense of a corner. Xavi's near post corner was flicked on by Kluivert, De Boer picked up the ball and squared it to Saviola but his shot was bravely blocked by Capdevila. Elche's first real opportunity came when Cabello made a powerful run from midfield but his attempted shot flew well wide as Frank De Boer did enough to put him off. But moments later the home side did equalise when Zepeda beat an uncertain looking Bonano to a cross from Boriseiko for an easy header. This would not be the last time that the Barca keeper undid the good work of his colleagues. Mendieta's intelligent off the ball running and positioning paid off again on 33 minutes. Saviola sent in a teasing low cross to the near post and Mendieta was first to the ball to restore Barcelona's lead. But just 3 minutes later it was all square again when Bonano failed to collect a Cabello free kick, leaving Pedro Garcia with a free header. For the remainder of the half Barcelona pinned Elche back in their own half and finally got back in front when Xavi played a one-two with Saviola to beat the offside trap and dinked the ball over Toni for a 3-2 lead. The visitors got their 4th in the 63rd minute when Gerard got behind the Elche defence and sent in a low cross to the far post for Luis Enrique to shoot home. Just 3 minutes later the hapless Roberto Bonano got himself sent off when he rashly challenged Serrano in the area. Saviola was taken off and substitute keeper Robert Enke came on, but he was unable to prevent Rebosio converting the penalty. With a man short, Barca decided to try to defend their lead but they were undone by a breathtaking goal from Pedro Garcia. The defensive midfielder is not normally known for his attacking flair but he took full advantage of the freedom that having an extra man brought. Picking up the ball in the centre circle he went on a dazzling run, beating 4 Barcelona players before unleashing a powerful shot that left Enke helpless. Elche almost grabbed a dramatic winner when Boriseiko was allowed to run from deep in his own half all the way to the Barca goal line but his cross was blocked by Thuram. Teams Elche: Toni, Cesar Miguel Rebosio, Joan Capdevila (Antonio Moreno 62), Curro Montoya, Joaquin Bornes (captain), Pedro Garcia, Miguel Zepeda (Loren 73), Angel Sanchez, Manuel Serrano (Sergio Santamaria 73), Jose David Cabello, Dmitry Boriseiko Subs not used: Jose Ramon De La Fuente, Jose Louis Rondo, Miguel Melgar, Daniel Platero Barcelona: Roberto Bonano, Gabri, Luis Enrique, Patrik Andersson, Frank De Boer (captain), Lilian Thuram, Gerard, Gaizka Mendieta, Javier Saviola (Robert Enke 66), Patrick Kluivert, Xavi Subs not used: Marc Overmars, Alfonso, Carles Puyol, Victor, Dani, Haruna Babangida Scorers Elche: Zepeda 23, Pedro Garcia 36, 71, Rebosio 67 (pen) Barcelona: Mendieta 10, 33, Xavi 45, Luis Enrique 63 Man of the Match: Gaizka Mendieta Yellow Cards Barcelona: Gabri, Luis Enrique Red Cards Barcelona: Bonano Attendance: 26,911 Reader's Letters HD writes Dear ESW, Can you tell me how my favourite team, Ayr United, are getting on at the moment? Also how is Gary Teale doing? Well HD, things are not going well for you favourites at present. They are currently bottom of the Scottish First Division with just 4 points from 5 games. In the last two seasons they have finished 4th and 6th but they did reach the League Cup Final in 2001/2002 before losing 2-0 to Dundee United. During that great cup run they disposed of three Premier League teams - Aberdeen, Partick Thistle and Hearts, before falling at the final hurdle. Gordon Dalziel resigned from his managerial position in April this year and was replaced by ex-Morton manager Gary MacKay. Over £4M has been spent on players in the last couple of years, about half of which has been recouped through sales. Their most expensive purchase was the £1.5M spent on Iain Nicolson (26, D/DM RC) from St. Mirren 12 months ago, but his performances have not justified this expenditure. Their biggest sale was in June this year when Craig Nelson (32, GK) was sold to Motherwell for £600K. Experienced forward James Grady (32, S C) has been the club's top scorer for the past 2 seasons and his strike partner Eddie Annand (30, S C) has been the Supporters Player of the Season twice in succession. The former Ayr favourite Gary Teale (25, AM/F R) was transferred from Wigan to Chelsea in October last year for £3.3M. He had a productive first season for the Blues, making 27 appearances, scoring 5 times and being credited with 10 assists and 1 MOM award. He won his first Scotland cap earlier this month in the Euro 2004 qualifier against Luxembourg when he made an appearance as a 56th minute substitute. Now valued at some £5M, he is a regular starter in the Chelsea midfield. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spurzgrrl Posted September 18, 2003 Share Posted September 18, 2003 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> HD writes Dear ESW, Can you tell me how my favourite team, Ayr United, are getting on at the moment? Also how is Gary Teale doing? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Sweet, BB. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HD Posted September 18, 2003 Share Posted September 18, 2003 Thanks ESW, would it be too much to ask for a Gary Teale poster in next weeks edition? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eldritch7 Posted September 22, 2003 Share Posted September 22, 2003 Fantastic stuff, keep it up...is anyone else annoyed that there isn't something as high in detail and quality as this in real life? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted September 25, 2003 Author Share Posted September 25, 2003 Thanks again for all the kind words - glad that so many people are enjoying what is turning into a labour of love. I am having such fun with this that my other stories are taking a back seat at the moment. European Soccer Weekly Issue 9 - Friday September 26th, 2003 News As predicted last week Terry Venables was sacked by the Leeds board at the weekend. This was despite a fine 3-0 home win over Newcastle. A UEFA Cup Semi Final in 2001/2002 was the height of Leeds’s achievements under Venables. On the transfer front, FC Bayern have signed experienced striker Jardel (30, S C) from Sporting for £9M. In a career stretching back 10 years the Brazilian has scored 345 goals in 368 games, a very impressive strike rate. Earlier today we received confirmation that Leeds have signed Darren Anderton (31, AM RC) from Notts Forest for £5M. Anderton joined the Midlands club in June of last year from Tottenham for £2.1M, so not a bad bit of business for Forest manager David Moyes. League Roundup In Belgium Charleroi continue their electric start to the season with their 7th straight win. Their young strike partnership of Lokman Atasever (19, F RC) and Alexandr Kolotilko (24, F RC) have scored 11 goals between them so far this season. Hajduk maintain their narrow 1-point lead over Sibenik in the Croatian First Division and in Denmark FC Midtjylland hang on to top spot. In the English Premier League Middlesbrough are still setting the pace. Their latest match was a narrow 1-0 win at home to Sunderland, a result that saw the visitors drop to last in the table. The Quarter Finals of the Finnish Cup took place this week and two First Division teams have made it through to the Semis. FC Hämeenlinna beat fellow First Division side FC Mikkeli and FC Lahti upset Premier Division FC Jazz with a fine away win. The Semi Final draw sees these two teams playing one another, so a First Division side is guaranteed to be in the Final. Marseille remain unbeaten in Le Championat and Troyes, with new manager Alain Perrin in place, are still rock bottom and pointless. Monaco’s nightmare start continues and they are second-bottom with a paltry 3 points. In the Bundesliga Nürnberg and Schalke 04 still boast perfect records but defending champions FC Bayern have had a slow start and are currently 9th. At the foot of the table Hannover 96 have just a single point after 5 games. With the Greek season just underway, surprise leaders after 2 games are Aigaelo, the only team with 2 wins out of 2. In Holland AZ have stretched their lead at the top to 4 points over Twente. PSV languish in 9th position, but then again they have only played 3 games. In Serie A Sampdoria continue their fine start to the season with their 3rd straight win but at the foot of the table poor Torino are still pointless. In Northern Ireland, Linfield have taken over at the top but Institute are still destitute at the bottom and looking for their first point of the season. In Norway the challenge of Brann seems to be collapsing as they suffered a 2-1 defeat last weekend at the hands of Vålerenga whilst Rosenborg beat Moss 3-2. Rosenborg are now 3 points clear with a game in hand and only 4 games remaining. In Poland Widzew still head Group A and Wisla top Group B. Gil Vicente maintain their perfect record in the Portuguese Premier League. The title race in Russia is hotting up as leaders Krylja Sovetov lose 2-1 to Shinnik and second-placed Lokomotiv Moscow get a fine 4-2 away win over local rivals Torpedo Moscow. Lokomotiv are now just 1 point behind with 5 games remaining. In the SPL, Celtic keep their 6-point lead over Rangers and Raith Rovers hang on to 3rd place. Sevilla drop their first points of the season with a draw against Athletic Bilbao but stay top of the Primera Liga at present. In Sweden Halmstad open up a 2-point gap over Malmö with 6 games to go. Fenerbahçe maintain their lead in Turkey, with rivals Galatasaray 4th and Besiktas 5th. Champions League The third round of group matches in Phase 1 took place this week. In Group A Manchester United racked up their third straight win with a 3-0 demolition of Anzhi in Russia. FC Bayern continue to struggle, losing a 4-3 thriller in Norway against Rosenborg. In Group B Athletic Bilbao go top with a 2-1 win at home to Lens and Roma go second after beating Rapid Vienna 4-0 at the Olimpico. In Group C Liverpool slumped to a disappointing 1-0 defeat by AEK in Athens but remain in second place. PSV dominate Group D and had their 3rd win, beating Torpedo Moscow 2-0 at home. Arsenal cruised to the top of Group E with a stunning 4-1 win over Celtic in Glasgow and Parma’s 2-0 away win over Spartak Moscow takes them up to second. Barcelona are in control of Group F with 3 wins out of 3 and Olympiakos lie second. Group G sees Milan at the top and a good 1-0 home win over Feyenoord moves Lyon up to second. In the final group, both Dortmund and Real Madrid had comfortable 3-0 home wins and are first and second respectively. UEFA Cup The First Round Second Leg matches took place this week. Newcastle completed a comfortable 7-1 aggregate win over AEK Larnaca and Ajax and Atletico Madrid both qualified with ease. West Ham crashed out 4-2 on aggregate to Beira-Mar but Blackburn went through 4-1 on aggregate over Zilina. Deportivo, Inter, Lazio and Juventus all progressed as did Leverkusen, Porto, PSG and Rangers. Aberdeen held Slovan Bratislava to a 1-1 draw in Bratislava and qualified 3-1 on aggregate. St. Pat’s Athletic went down 2-0 in Toulouse for a 3-1 aggregate defeat. But Shamrock Rovers did get through, with a 0-0 draw in Dublin against Tirol Innsbruck following a 1-1 draw in Austria being enough to squeeze through on away goals. Spotlight on ..... The French Le Championat The French First Division (Le Championat) was expanded from 18 to 20 teams at the start of last season. Lens will be looking to retain their title but they should expect a tough challenge from Lyon and Nantes. It has been some years since teams like Monaco and Paris-Saint-Germain (PSG) have won the championship and perhaps this season will see a resurgence in their fortunes. Auxerre 2001/2002 - 3rd 2002/2003 - 4th Veteran Manager Guy Roux guided Auxerre to an excellent season in 2001/2002. They won the League Cup, got to the UEFA Cup Semi Final and finished 3rd in the League. He retired this summer and was succeeded by Philippe Bergeroo. The new boss has made a few big sales, generating over £20M in income. The bulk of this was the £16.25M obtained for Djibril Cisse (22, S C) from Betis. He has spent over £14M however, including £6.25M on Olivier Dacourt (29, DM C) from Mallorca and Assane N’Diaye (29, D/DM RC) from Lorient for £4.4M. The squad has a couple of promising youngsters in the shape of Lionel Mathis (21, AM RC) and Boumsong (23, D C). Bastia 2001/2002 - 16th 2002/2003 - 9th After narrowly avoiding relegation in 2001/2002, Manager Gerard Gili did well to achieve a mid-table finish last season. There is some good young talent in the squad including Nicolas Penneteau (22, GK) Pablo Contreras (25, D/AM RC) and Mickael Secondi (21, M RC). Club insiders tell us to keep an eye on another young keeper, Austrian teenager Markus Kubesch (18, GK). Bordeaux 2001/2002 - 5th 2002/2003 - 5th Elie Baup has turned Bordeaux into a very consistent team, although they seem to just lack the ability to go that one step further and really challenge for honours. The acquisition of experienced French international Christian Karembeu (32, DM RC) from Olympiakos for £1.2M in the summer will add maturity to a young midfield. Their top player is Portuguese striker Pauleta (30, S C) and they have an exciting midfield prospect in Pascal Feindouno (22, F RC). Caen 2001/2002 - 4th in Second Division 2002/2003 - 15th Patrick Remy did well to keep Caen in the top flight last season following their promotion. For a small club, the board have invested heavily in players, spending in excess of £20M in the last 12 months. Last summer Florent Malouda (23, AM/F L) joined from Guingamp for £4.5M. This summer saw the arrival of Romain Ferrier (27, D L) from the same club for £4M, Mile Sterjovski (24, F RC) from Lille for £3.4M, Xavier Becas (24, M/F R) from Angers for £3.9M and several more players besides. The club’s most exciting prospect is probably Mathieu Bodmer (20, D/DM C) who is already a regular starter in the centre of defence. Guingamp 2001/2002 - 18th 2002/2003 - 3rd in Second Division Relegated in 2001/2002, Bertrand Marchand masterminded an immediate return to the top flight. Frankly, his squad does not look strong enough to have strong expectations of remaining in the First Division and we expect to see them struggle this season. Their top player is probably Drogba (25, S C) and his 23 goals last season were a major factor in their promotion. Lens 2001/2002 - 8th 2002/2003 - 1st Manager Joel Muller led Lens to a fabulous season - Le Championat champions, League Cup finalists and French Cup semi finalists. There has been no significant change to the squad this summer with the departure of Daouda Jabi (22, D/DM RC) to Auxerre for £2.1M balanced with the arrival of Patrice Evra (22, D/DM RL) from Monaco for £1.9M. Midfielders Antoine Sibierski (29, F LC) and club captain Jocelyn Blanchard (31, D/DM C) play an important role for the team with striker Dagui Bakari (29, S C) the main goalscorer. Lille 2001/2002 - 7th 2002/2003 - 4th Last season saw a steady improvement for Lille under the direction of Claude Puel. His signings have been few and far between but do tend to be significant. Last summer young Nigerian international Joseph Yobo (23, D/DM RC) joined from Everton for £1.3M and quickly established himself as a key player in the centre of defence. This time around it has been the experienced Sylvain Legwinski (29, DM RC) from Celtic for £2.2M. Lille have a highly-rated forward line of Chilean Hector Tapia (25, S C) and Bulgarian Vladimir Manchev (25, F RC). Club captain Sunday Oliseh (29 DM C) performs a critical role in midfield. Lorient 2001/2002 - 12th 2002/2003 - 10th Under Manager Yvon Pouliquen, Lorient have a reputation of being a club that sells its best players. Last summer Seydou Keita (23, AM LC) went to Monaco for £5M. This year has seen the departure of Assane N’Diaye (29, D/DM RC) for £4.4M to Auxerre and Richard Knopper (26, AM C) raised £5.25M from Nürnberg. The team tends to have a very defensive outlook and is not renowned for its goalscoring exploits. Key players include Pape Diop (28, D/DM C) and Momo Sylla (26, D/DM/F RC). Lyon 2001/2002 - 1st 2002/2003 - 2nd Paul Le Guen will be keen to see his team regain the title from Lens. He has not changed his squad very much with his only acquisition being Gael Givet (21, D LC) from Monaco for £3.2M. This was offset by the sale of a couple of fringe players for a combined £3.3M. A strong, but relatively young squad includes players such as Sidney Govou (24, F RC), Jeremie Brechet (24, D LC) and Mahamadou Diarra (22, AM RC). This is balanced with experienced performers such as Rui Costa (31, AM C) and Sonny Anderson (33, S C). Anderson is still in great form and was voted Player of the Year by the fans for the last 2 seasons. Marseille 2001/2002 - 11th 2002/2003 - 6th Marseille have been getting through managers at a rate of knots recently. First to go was Alain Perrin who was sacked in March last year. His successor, Luis Fernandez, was poached by Spanish club Alaves after 12 months. Alan Giresse is the man currently in charge and the well-respected ex-international has got off to a great start. The club’s biggest signing remains Thomas Buffel (22, AM LC) who cost £5.25M from Feyenoord in October of last year. Veteran Frank Leboeuf (35, SW/D C) is still an influential player in central defence and French youngster Cyril Chapuis (24, F LC) is turning into a very exciting goalscorer. Monaco 2001/2002 - 6th 2002/2003 - 13th It has been 4 seasons since Monaco last tasted domestic success, which is a long time for a club of such pedigree. In December of last year one French legend was replaced with another when manager Didier Deschamps was sacked and Jean Tigana came on board. There have been a couple of big signings this summer. First to appear was Seydou Keita (23, AM LC) from Lorient for £5M, followed by Fabian Andres Vargas (23, D/DM C) from AEK for £9M. So far this outlay has not produced much in the way of results and if the team doesn’t start to perform soon then Monsieur Tigana may soon be waving au revoir. Nantes 2001/2002 - 3rd 2002/2003 - 2nd Manager Angel Marcos has turned Nantes into a very strong outfit in the past couple of seasons. With the addition of Ousmane Dabo (26, DM RC), Marcos feels that his squad can really challenge for the title this season. Many of his top players have youth on their side and the fans feel that he is building a team that can compete for years to come. Ariza Makukula (22, S C) is their main goalscorer and Mathieu Berson (23, DM C) plays a vital role in the midfield anchor position. Keeper Mickael Landreau (24, GK) is very highly rated, as is Wilfried Dalmat (20, AM/F R). Nice 2001/2002 - Second Division Champions 2002/2003 - 16th Rolland Courbis kept his team in the top flight last season following their promotion and spent over £4.5M in strengthening the squad this summer. His three additions, Stephan Appiah (22, DM C), Alonso Solis (24, AM RC) and Miranda (29, D/DM R), have all started very well. Veteran keeper Bruno Valencony (35, GK) is in great form, as are the strike partnership of Laurent Gagnier (24, F RC) and Abdelmalek Cherrad (22, S C), and the club are currently flying high in the league. PSG 2001/2002 - 14th 2002/2003 - 12th PSG are another club with a proud history but with little recent success, although they did win the League Cup last season, with a surprise 3-0 win over Lens. In an effort to revive the club’s fortunes, Chairman Laurent Perpere has changed managers with alarming frequency. In March of last year Vahid Halilhodzic was replaced by Christian Gourcuff. The new man lasted less than a year before Henri Michel was drafted in. Little has been spent on players this season, but with a number of departures (including Andre Luiz (28, AM L) to Sedan for £7.75M) raising nearly £13M in revenue, the fans are keen to see some new blood. Key players are Ronaldinho (23, F LC) and Christophe Dugarry (31, F RLC) but look out for exciting prospects such as Ouassini Jardini (21, M L) and Bartholomew Ogbeche (18, S C). Rennes 2001/2002 - 10th 2002/2003 - 8th Following the retirement of Philippe Bergeroo, Manuel Amoros was appointed Manager a couple of months ago and he is still very much finding his feet. Rennes have raised £27M in transfer revenues in the last 14 months or so and with the team struggling so fat this season the supporters are very keen to see some of that profit re-invested in new players. Despite a highly-rated strike pairing of Gonzo (27, S C) and Lucas (24, F C), the team is really struggling to score goals and are in need of some creative midfield talent. Sedan 2001/2002 - 13th 2002/2003 - 11th The club parted company with Manager Henri Stambouli earlier this year and replaced him with Guy Lacombe. There were a couple of signings in the summer with Vaclav Drobny (23, D C) joining from Strasbourg for £2.3M and Andre Luiz (28, AM L) coming from PSG for £7.75M. Club captain Mathieu Verschuere (31, DM RC) is a very influential figure in the team and there is much excitement about a young Paraguayan prospect Dante Rafael Lopez (20, F RLC). St-Etienne 2001/2002 - 2nd in Second Division 2002/2003 - 14th St-Etienne enjoyed a reasonable season after their promotion from Division 2, with Frederic Antonetti guiding them to the French Cup Final where they lost 2-1 to Toulouse. Chairman Alain Bompard has invested some £13M in new players in the last year or so. His best purchase so far has proved to be the experienced Polish international Radoslaw Kaluzny (29, SW/DM C). A more recent addition is skilful winger Fabrice Fernandes (23, AM/F RL) bought from Southampton for £3M. Strasbourg 2001/2002 - 6th in Second Division 2002/2003 - Second Division Champions Newly-promoted Strasbourg may find life in Le Championat quite challenging, although Manager Ivan Hasek has assembled a tight-knit squad with a strong team spirit. Captain Ismael Bah (29, AM/F R) commands the respect of his teammates and Valerien Ismael (27, D C) and the veteran Teddy Bertin (34, SW/D C) have a good understanding at the back. Toulouse 2001/2002 - 3rd in National Division 2002/2003 - 2nd in Second Division Under the guidance of Manager Erick Mombaerts, Toulouse have had an unbelievable last couple of seasons. In 2001/2002 they were promoted from the National Division. Last season they went one better by gaining a second consecutive promotion to the top league. Not only that, but they won the French Cup into the bargain. A key purchase this summer was Pierre-Alain Frau (23, F RC), a snip at £1.8M from Sochaux. He has established an immediate understanding with strike partner Cedric Faure (24, S C) and their goals will be essential in keeping the club in the top flight. Troyes 2001/2002 - 9th 2002/2003 - 17th Following their dreadful slump last season when they only just escaped relegation, and their even worse start to this season, Manger Faruk Hadzibegic was sacked a couple of weeks ago and replaced by Alain Perrin. With £11M spent on players in the last year, the new boss will need to achieve a quick turnaround in fortunes if he is to have much of a future. Virtually the whole team is under performing, with the exception of their central defensive trio. Mehdi Meniri (26, D RC), Frederic Jay (27, D RLC) and Frederic Danjou (28, D C) are playing well, despite the team’s terrible run of results. 2002/2003 Table <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st C Lens 38 12 4 3 33 10 12 4 3 36 22 80 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd Lyon 38 16 2 1 48 12 8 2 9 31 31 76 3rd Nantes 38 15 2 2 34 9 5 9 5 27 23 71 4th Auxerre 38 15 2 2 48 20 6 4 9 25 29 69 5th Bordeaux 38 11 5 3 34 14 9 3 7 29 22 68 6th Marseille 38 12 5 2 30 11 5 6 8 26 35 62 7th Lille 38 14 2 3 41 22 4 6 9 21 33 62 8th Rennes 38 11 4 4 39 19 5 8 6 24 24 60 9th Bastia 38 9 5 5 37 29 6 4 9 22 30 54 10th Lorient 38 11 3 5 27 18 3 6 10 15 27 51 11th Sedan 38 7 6 6 20 19 7 2 10 19 27 50 12th Paris-SG 38 9 8 2 28 21 3 3 13 22 37 47 13th Monaco 38 11 3 5 28 24 3 2 14 16 38 47 14th St-Etienne 38 6 4 9 27 27 6 6 7 27 34 46 15th Caen 38 8 5 6 36 31 4 1 14 12 34 42 16th Nice 38 7 6 6 26 23 3 4 12 17 33 40 17th Troyes 38 9 2 8 32 32 2 2 15 17 38 37 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18th R Sochaux 38 4 7 8 18 24 3 5 11 20 35 33 19th R Créteil 38 6 7 6 22 24 1 5 13 6 34 33 20th R Metz 38 5 3 11 27 42 2 3 14 19 49 27</pre> Game of the Week Wednesday September 24th, 2003 Champions League Phase 1 Rosenborg 4 FC Bayern 3 With one win apiece going into this match, both teams understood the significance that 3 points would bring to their qualification challenge. It was therefore no great surprise to see a slightly nervous and cagey start to the game. But in the 25th things burst into life. Mehmet Scholl sent in a long diagonal cross that Elber did well to reach, and his header brought a smart save from Arason. The keeper’s quick throw was gathered by Fredrik Winsnes and his powerful run took him past the challenge of Lizarazu but his final shot was comfortably held by Khan. The Bayern keeper emulated his opposite number with a quick throw out to Deisler. The young midfielder showed both pace and strength as he beat first Johansen and then Nordseth before unleashing an unstoppable shot into the top corner for an outstanding opening goal. Rosenborg made the perfect response by equalising almost directly from the restart. A beautifully angled pass from Johansen found left back Hai Ngoc Tran in space and his dangerous cross was well cut out by Thomas Linke at the cost of a corner. Winsnes sent in a nasty out swinger that tempted Oliver Khan off his line but Azar Karadas got to the ball first and it was all square. A few minutes later a rash challenge from Lizarazu cost him a yellow card and gave Rosenborg a free kick in a dangerous position. Rune Buer Johansen struck the ball well but Khan was just able to get a hand to it. This heralded a good spell of possession for the visitors and they were able to place Rosenborg under sustained pressure. It quickly paid off when Roque Santa Cruz showed his skill on the ball by drifting past two defenders and beating Arason with a low shot. The keeper will have been disappointed with this goal as he seemed to be slow to react. The home side were back on terms not long after the restart when Linke was adjudged to have fouled Karlsen in the area and a penalty was awarded. The Bayern players protested long and hard but the referee’s mind was made up. Captain Fredrik Winsnes made no mistake with the spot kick and Rosenborg were back on level terms. With less that 20 minutes remaining substitute Christer George put the home side into the lead. Winsnes, playing in a holding midfield position, started the move when he disposed Elber and found Håvard Karlsen. Karlsen played the ball on to Johansen who slipped the ball into the area for George to shoot home. As the clock ticked away it began to look more and more like a win for the home team until Hasan Salihamidzic was set loose on the right flank. Leaving two Rosenborg players in his wake he sent in an excellent cross onto Elber’s head and it was 3-3. But with virtually the last kick of the game, the super-sub George scored his second of the night. Winsnes was the initiator once again, finding Strand in the area who made a cushioned lay off for George to strike a powerful shot past Khan and give Rosenborg a dramatic late win. Teams Rosenborg: Arni Gautur Arason, Børge Hernes, Hai Ngoc Tran, Erik Hoftun (Odd Inge Olsen 47), Azar Karadas, Roar Strand, Håvard Karlsen, Fredrik Winsnes (captain), Bala Ahmed Garba (Vidar Riseth 47), Trond Nordseth (Christer George 53), Rune Buer Johansen Subs not used: Espen Johnsen, Per Egil Swift, Lars Nymo Trulsen, Ørjan Berg FC Bayern: Oliver Khan (captain), Willy Sagnol, Bixente Lizarazu (Tobias Rau 85), Thomas Linke, Robert Kovac, Mehmet Scholl, Sebastian Deisler, Roque Santa Cruz, Elber, Hasan Salihamidzic, Owen Hargreaves (Martin Demichelis 52) Subs not used: Markus Feulner, Stefan Wessels, Erdal Kilicaslan, Alexander Zickler, Claudio Pizarro Scorers Rosenborg: Karadas 29, Winsnes 52 (pen), George 73, 90 FC Bayern: Deisler 26, Santa Cruz 36, Elber 87 Man of the Match: Christer George Yellow Cards Rosenborg: Azar Karadas FC Bayern: Bixente Lizarazu Attendance: 20,972 Reader’s Letters Abu writes Dear ESW, Can you give me a progress report on Coventry please? Well Abu, the Sky Blues have struggled for the past couple of seasons. In 2001/2002 they were deep in the relegation dogfight at the start of April. The Board decided that a change of manager was required and Gary McAllister was replaced by Joe Kinnear. The new boss managed to turn things around and 4 draws and a final-day win saw them beat the drop by the skin of their teeth. They retained their Division One status on goal difference, with Norwich the team to lose out after they lost their final 3 games of the season. A mid-table finish last season was an improvement but they are struggling again this season and sit just above the relegation places once again with only two wins from their 9 league matches. There has been little transfer activity in the last couple of years, with almost no money spent on players. They have generated some revenue through sales, most notably the £3.1M obtained from Preston for John Eustace (23, DM RC) last summer. Their best performer last season was the exciting young forward Gary McSheffrey (21, F LC), who was the club’s top scorer with 15 goals and was also voted the Supporter’s Player of the Year. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted September 25, 2003 Author Share Posted September 25, 2003 European Soccer Weekly - Special Accouncement As our readership continues to increase we are proud to announce the launch of our new Web Site - ESW Online. This is available free to all our subscribers and contains archives of all of our previous issues, together with a variety of facts, figures and statistics designed to supplement our main publications. You can also access our Live Leagues section where the latest league tables for all of our featured countries will be found. Please check it out and see what you think. Loyal reader HD will even find the Gary Teale poster that he recently requested Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Philip Rolfe Posted September 25, 2003 Administrators Share Posted September 25, 2003 Damn, how much work have you put into this? It's brilliant (not Gary Teale though ) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted September 26, 2003 Author Share Posted September 26, 2003 Junichi, I have got a bit carried away I must admit! ESW Online Updated A new Live Stats section has been added to the ESW Web Site. It contains some current statistics for all of our featured leagues for all you stats junkies out there. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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