King Jeff Posted June 21, 2018 Author Share Posted June 21, 2018 Now we’re down to the biggest club game of the year, the newly-branded Champions League Final, between Marseille and Benfica. 1993 UEFA Champions League Final Marseille vs Benfica Olympiastadion, Munich The French champions start as favourites and jump out to a first half lead thanks to a goal from their German striker Rudi Voller. In the second half, Benfica pull even thanks to their 20-year-old attacking midfielder, Rui Costa. The man who was playing in the third tier of the Portuguese pyramid last season gets his name listed in the record books forever. The teams end 90 minutes even. In extra time, Benfica start to become the more dominant club and their superiority shows in the 108th minute when Russian striker Sergei Yuran scores the goal that wins Benfica their third European Cup. Final Score Marseille 1-2 AET Benfica (Rudi Voller; Rui Costa, Sergei Yuran) Man of the Match: Sergei Yuran, Benfica *** One last bit of business before we wrap up the 1992/93 season is the Team of Year. When the votes are counted, the team is revealed: Everton, Manchester United and Manchester City all have two representatives in the team. Team of the Year GK: Tony Coton, Man City DL: Denis Irwin, Man Utd DC: Dave Watson, Everton; Gary Mabbutt, Tottenham DR: Andy Hill, Man City ML: Ryan Giggs, Man Utd MC: Andy Townsend, Chelsea; Gary McAllister, Leeds MR: Chris Waddle, Sheff Wed Att: Peter Beardsley, Everton; Dean Saunders, Aston Villa Manchester City boss Peter Reid is named Manager of the Year while Peter Beardsley is named Player of the Year. Young Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs wins Young Player of the Year. *** With the domestic season over, Graham Taylor’s England squad takes centre stage for its World Cup 94 Qualifying Campaign. England will host Dick Advocaat’s Netherlands squad at Wembley before travelling to Katowice to take on Poland and on to Oslo to face the unbeaten Norwegians. England vs Netherlands World Cup Qualifier (Group 2) Wembley Stadium, London England: Chris Woods; Paul Parker, Stuart Pearce, Tony Adams, Steve Bruce; John Barnes, Paul Gascoigne (Ian Crook HT), Peter Beardsley, Nigel Clough, Chris Waddle ©; Les Ferdinand Netherlands: Ed de Goey; Danny Blind, Frank de Boer, Jan Wouters, Richard Witschge, Aron Winter, Dennis Bergkamp, Frank Rijkaard, John Bosman, Ruud Gullit, Marc Overmars Not a bad starting eleven for the Netherlands is it? England start in dreamland when Liverpool winger John Barnes slams the Three Lions in front after only two minutes. Things go from good to great for England in the 23rd minute when Chris Waddle makes it 2-0. The Dutch are rocked but recover well ten minutes later when Dennis Bergkamp finishes a tidy bit of play from the Oranje and it’s 2-1 at the break. The half time substitution of Paul Gascoigne for Norwich man Ian Crook reverted England to a more defensive 4-4-2 as it looked like Graham Taylor was looking to shut down the game rather than push for a third. That decision ultimately backfired in the dying minutes when Steve Bruce was beaten for pace by Marc Overmars and he dragged him down for a penalty. Substitute forward Peter van Vossen stepped up and beat Chris Woods and the game ended in a 2-2 draw. For England, they now face a crucial matchup in Poland if they want to keep their hopes of qualifying for the World Cup in America alive. Final Score: England 2-2 Netherlands (Barnes 2, Waddle 23; Bergkamp 34, van Vossen pen 85) Six days later, England were back at it with a huge tie against Poland. Poland vs England World Cup Qualifier (Group 2) Stadion Slaski, Katowice Poland: Jaroslaw Bako; Piotr Czachowski, Roman Szewcyk, Andzrej Lesiak, Dariusz Adamczuk, Roman Kosecki, Jerzy Brzeczek, Piotr Swierczewski, Marek Kozminski, Marek Lesniak, Jan Furtok England: Chris Woods; Paul Parker, Tony Dorigo, Tony Adams, Steve Bruce; Peter Beardsley (Ian Wright 70), Chris Waddle ©, Paul Gascoigne (Nigel Clough 79), Matt Le Tissier, John Barnes, David Hirst “I don’t like that” was the refrain from hapless England manager Graham Taylor after seeing his England side fall behind 1-0 to Poland in the first half. Midfielder Dariusz Adamczuk scores his first ever goal (for club or country) to give the home side the lead. In the second half, Taylor made two attacking changes to try and find a goal and England found its leveler in the 84th minute when Ian Wright scored his first international goal. Despite all the attacking options on the pitch they couldn’t find a winner. England slump to their second draw within a week and are now going to need some help to qualify for the World Cup. Final Score: Poland 1-1 England (Dariusz Adamczuk 34; Ian Wright 84) To wrap up this run of three international games, England travelled to Oslo and Graham Taylor is probably wishing they hadn’t… Norway vs England World Cup Qualifier (Group 2) Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo Norway: Erik Thorstvedt; Gunnar Halle, Tore Pedersen, Rune Bratseth, Stig Inge Bjornbye, Jostein Flo, Erik Mykland, Oyvind Leonhardsen, Jan Age Fjortoft, Kjetil Rekdal, Lars Bohinen England: Chris Woods; Steve Bruce, Gary Pallister, Tony Adams; Stuart Pearce, Paul Gascoigne, Peter Beardsley (Nigel Clough 63), Chris Waddle, Paul Parker; David Hirst (Ian Wright HT), Les Ferdinand Graham Taylor gambled his team’s place in the World Cup on a new formation and was left facing choruses of “We want Taylor out” and questions about his future. Norway were dominant in a 2-0 win, and while Taylor might point out that his team could still qualify for the World Cup, it would require picking up maximum points from their three remaining games, a feat that seems very unlikely, given they have to travel to the Netherlands. England were second best throughout the game and the group leaders might have very easily won by a bigger margin. In the end, the goals came on either side of hand time through Oyvind Leonhardsen and Lars Bohinen. With the summer to reflect on England’s predicament, will it be Taylor out? *** Year End Honour Roll Premier League: Manchester City Relegated: Crystal Palace, Arsenal, Norwich Top Scorer: John Fashanu, Wimbledon -- 16 Manager of the Year: Peter Reid, Manchester City Player of the Year: Peter Beardsley, Everton Division One Champions: Derby Promotion: Oldham Playoff Winner: Barnsley Relegated: Brentford, Cambridge, Oxford Top Scorer: Andy Hessenthaler, Watford – 26 Manager of the Year: Mel Machin, Barnsley Player of the Year: Martin Kuhl, Derby Division Two Champions: Swansea Promoted: Southend Playoff Winner: Port Vale Relegated: Luton, Bristol Rovers, Bristol City Top Scorer: Deniol Graham, Port Vale – 33 Manager of the Year: John Beck, Port Vale Player of the Year: John Cornwell, Southend Division Three Champions: Plymouth Promoted: Wigan Playoff Winner: Shrewsbury Relegated: Cardiff Top Scorer: Gary Powell, Wigan Manager of the Year: John Bond, Shrewsbury Player of the Year: Gary Powell, Wigan League Cup: Coventry FA Cup: Crystal Palace Anglo-Italian Cup: Cesena UEFA Cup: AC Milan Cup Winners’ Cup: Olympiakos Champions League: Benfica Up next … Season Two! (I have attached a screen grab of the Premier League table for posterity's sake) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 Benfica end the curse of Béla Guttmann. One little thing to point out - I'm pretty sure that you aren't allowed to attach screenshots and other images to your stories in this forum. You can provide a URL to the screenshot if you so wish. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jeff Posted June 26, 2018 Author Share Posted June 26, 2018 Preseason - 1993/94 Logistics - Version of the Game: CM93. Current team - Northampton (newly promoted to D3) ================================================== Week One The summer of 1993 begins with an exodus of players to Scottish football. Ian Rush, Bruce Grobbelaar, Gordon Strachan, Ray Wilkins, John Wark and John Aldridge all make the move north of the border. Aston Villa forward Cyrille Regis takes a different path to extend his career – he makes the move to join Martin O'Neill's Wycombe in non-league football. Nearer the top of the Englsh pyramid, the vultures are circling around relegated clubs Crystal Palace and Arsenal. Paul Williams was Palace’s leading goal scorer last year but he’s been picked up by Leeds for 650k; additionally, their number one goalkeeper, Nigel Martyn, is also off to Leeds for 500k. Over at Highbury, the heart of Arsenal’s famous back four is dismantled as Tony Adams leaves to join Aston Villa for 850k and Martin Keown moves to Liverpool for 1 million. Nigel Winterburn is expected to be the next one to go as he has requested a transfer. Lee Dixon - well, he seems happy to stay. In other business, Manchester United sign MIddlesbrough defender Gary Parkinson for 400k, and Liverpool sign Nottingham Forest forward Gary Bannister for 80k. Bannister scored five times for Forest last year and will be a useful squad player for the Reds. Week Two In the second week of the off-season, Crystal Palace sign Paul Williams (no, not that one) from Derby 500k. This is just one week after shipping his namesake off to Leeds. Champions Manchester City and Ipswich complete a swap deal of sorts, with Ipswich’s player of the year last year, Gavin Johnson, joining the champions for a new Premier League record fee of 1.7 million. Going the other way is Niall Quinn, who never really hit the heights with Manchester City last year, for 1.3 million. Quinn will be a first-team regular for Ipswich, so it looks like a good pickup for John Lyall’s side. We were very impressed with Gavin Johnson last season but it's worth noting that Andy Hill, who played right-back for City last year, was in the Premier League Team of the Year - it seems odd they'd try and add someone in that position. With the extra money from the Gavin Johnson sale, Ipswich also bring in Sheffield United winger Dane Whitehouse. He made eight appearances for the Blades last year and looks like he has a decent future ahead of him. Week Three Last year Paul Stewart left Liverpool to join Blackburn for 1.5 million. Today, he’s sent back to Liverpool for the original fee, plus 100k. Stewart managed only three goals from 14 appearances during his time at Blackburn. Barnsley are going to be hard-pressed to survive in their first Premier League campaign, but they break their club transfer record to sign Zimbabwean right back, Brian Statham, for 400k. Another newly-promoted club, Oldham, know they will need goals to survive and in an effort to add some goals to their squad, they sign Wolves forward Devon White for 150k. Week Four Chelsea are in a buying mood as the summer nears its end, swooping for two forwards: Kurt Nogan joins from Blackburn for 400k, while Iffy Onuora arrives from Huddersfield for 100k. The Champions have continued their busy summer, selling two: goalkeeper Andy Dibble joins Newcastle and midfielder Kare Ingebrigsten goes to Blackburn. Manchester United midfielder Mike Phelan crosses the city lines to join the Champions for 150k. The best bit of under-the-radar business during the summer just might be Sheffield United signing 17-year-old Sol Campbell from Tottenham for 100k. Campbell leaves White Hart Lane having never made a senior appearance. *** Charity Shield Manchester City vs Crystal Palace The defending champions take on the FA Cup winners in the annual kick-off to the season. Palace entered the game as underdogs but take the lead in the first half through a Nigel Jemson goal. Mike Sheron is expected to have a big year this year, especially with the sale of Niall Quinn, and he shows he is ready for the season ahead by scoring the equalizer. After that, the game peters out into a lifeless draw. There’s no extra time or penalties to determine the winner, so the trophy is not awarded. Instead, both teams are winners! Each club will hold the trophy for six months (? - ed). It’s the first time there were "joint winners" since 1991 when Arsenal and Tottenham played out a 0-0 draw, and will hopefully be the last time ever, as new rules are expected to come into effect in two years' time. Up Next: The Premier League Preview Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jeff Posted June 26, 2018 Author Share Posted June 26, 2018 Premier League Preview – Part One: The Relegation Strugglers Hello again, and welcome to our preview of the 1993-94 FA Carling Premier League season. The preview is split into four parts, focusing on the relegation battle, the teams in mid-table, the second tier, and ultimately those we expect to be in the title race. Of course, our predictions are notoriously awful so feel free to read on and mock me when you see how inaccurate they are! 20th - Barnsley Manager: Mel Machin – Back in the top-flight for the first time since being sacked by Manchester City in 1989. Now in his fifth season as Barnsley boss. Last Season: 3rd in Division One, Playoff Winners. Transfers in: Brian Statham, Brentford 400k Transfers out: Mark Morris, Bristol City 70k; Kevin Ashley, Coventry 200k Projected XI (4-4-2): Lee Butler; Gary Fleming, Michael Johnson, Phil Gridelet, Brian Statham; Keith Jones, Neil Redfearn, David Currie, Simon Sturridge; Andy Liddell, Wayne Biggins Key Man: Andy Liddell – the 20-year-old is in his second year as a senior pro and managed only three goals last year in Division One. Needs to score goals if Barnsley are to have any chance of staying up. Prediction: 20th. Promotion was a great story, but this lineup is horribly overmatched. They’ll fight hard but they need serious investment in quality players to stay up. 19th - Ipswich Manager: John Lyall – 20 years in football, and into his fourth year with Ipswich. Did well to keep Ipswich up last year. Last Season: 17th. Mission accomplished. Transfers in: Niall Quinn, Man City 1.3m; Dane Whitehouse, Sheff Utd 600k; Paul Groves, Grimsby 350k Transfers out: Gavin Johnson, Man City 1.7m Projected XI (4-3-1-2): Clive Baker; Nathan Thompson, Kit Symons, David Linighan, Eddie Youds; Dane Whitehouse, Simon Milton, Mike Stockwell; Jason Dozzell; Niall Quinn, Chris Kiwomya Key Man: Niall Quinn – the club's record signing will be expected to hit double digits if the Tractor Boys are going to survive. Prediction: 19th. They've invested in their squad to try and ensure another year of Premier League football, but their squad seems unbalanced and prone to being overrun in midfield. We think their time is up. 18th – Southampton Manager: Ian Branfoot – guiding the Saints to mid-table last year is probably his biggest achievement since taking over at the Dell. This is his third season at the helm. Last Season: 11th. Kerry Dixon’s shooting boots kept the south coast side out of trouble all year. Transfers in: Alan Stubbs, Hull 150k Transfers out: Jeff Kenna, Sunderland 400k Projected XI (4-2-4): Tim Flowers; Francis Benali, Steve Wood, Ken Monkou, Jason Dodd; Tommy Widdrington, Perry Groves; Chris Sutton, Iain Dowie, Matt Le Tissier, Simon Ireland Key Man: Matt Le Tissier – broke into the England setup last year and poised to join the ranks of the country’s elite players. Prediction: 18th. Too good to go down on paper, but we think Southampton's defence and midfield leaves them vulnerable to the drop. 17th – Oldham Manager: Joe Royle – one of England’s most highly thought of bosses, Royle has overseen the Latics since 1982. Last Season: 2nd in Division One. Secured promotion back in to the top flight despite selling their best defender and best forward. Transfers in: Nicky Morgan, Notts County 10k; Andy Jones, Fulham 30k; Devon White, Wolves 150k Transfers out: Dean Smith, Brighton 80k; John Robertson, Bournemouth 40k Projected XI (4-4-2): Jon Hallworth; Andy Barlow, Steve Redmond, Mark Hughes, Gunnar Halle; Nick Henry, Mike Milligan, Neil McDonald, Neil Adams; Roger Palmer, Devon White Key Man: Mike Milligan – the Irish international is their focal point in midfield. He's consistent, without ever dominating, but might be overmatched in the top flight. Prediction: 17th. This is a paper-thin squad, but Joe Royle’s management ability and tactical nous should be enough to see the Latics stay up. Just. 16th – Chelsea Manager: Dave Webb – was rumoured to be on the way out at a couple of points through his first season in charge. He’ll be on a short-leash in season number two. Last Season: 16th – toiled just above the line all year long. Not good enough. Transfers in: Kurt Nogan, Blackburn 400k; Iffy Onuora, Huddersfield 100k Transfers out: Robin van der Laan, Leyton Orient 100k Projected XI (4-4-2): Dimitri Kharine; Frank Sinclair, Gareth Hall, Paul Elliott, Steve Clarke; Damian Matthew, Andy Townsend, Craig Burley, Dennis Wise; Graham Stuart, Robert Fleck Key Man: Robert Fleck – a very good first season at Stamford Bridge, but they relied too much on his goals last year. He will need some help. Prediction: 16th. There is a decent squad here but it would be in Chelsea's best interest to find a better manager quickly, as the Blues have consistently under-performed for Dave Webb. 15th – Derby Manager: Arthur Cox – nearly twenty years of managerial experience, including ten years at Derby. Plenty of experience and very highly thought of. Last Season: 1st in Division One – led the pack nearly the entire way. Transfers in: Ian Rodgerson, Exeter 80k; Gary Bull, Barnet 80k; Ian Nolan, Tranmere 300k Transfers out: Paul Williams, Crystal Palace 500k Projected XI (4-4-2): Martin Taylor; Mike Forsyth, Craig Short, Chris Coleman, Jason Kavanagh; Paul Walsh, Mark Pembridge, Martin Kuhl, Richard Goulooze; Tommy Johnson, Paul Kitson Key Man: Tommy Johnson – the young forward, who can also play on the wing, will be counted on to match the 11 goals he scored in Division One last year. Prediction: 15th. We don't like the transfer business made over the off-season (80k players from Division Three aren’t likely to help you stay up), but the young strike force should be enough to keep them up. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
oche balboa Posted June 27, 2018 Share Posted June 27, 2018 There is something magical about this... loving it Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jeff Posted June 28, 2018 Author Share Posted June 28, 2018 Thank you! Glad to hear it. ===================== Premier League Preview- Part Two: Mid-Table Survivors In this section of our Premier League preview we are focusing on the teams we consider to be safely mid-table. Unlikely to get pulled into a relegation battle, but unlikely to push for much more than a top-half finish. 14th - Tottenham Manager: Doug Livermore. His second season as a full-time boss. First year was a bit of a learning curve with Spurs bringing in an entire new core. Last Season: 15th – a young team that spent the entire season looking over its shoulder. Transfers in: Perry Suckling, Southend 250k Transfers out: Sol Campbell, Sheffield United 100k Projected XI (4-4-2): Erik Thorstvedt; Andy Hinchcliffe, Steve Sedgley, Neil Ruddock, Dean Austin; Andy Turner, Kevin Watson, Vinny Samways, Darren Anderson; Nick Barmby, Teddy Sheringham Key Man: Teddy Sheringham - anchors a young team with a lot of potential. The team will count on him to pull them out of any rough patches. Prediction: 14th. We really like what they’re building, but we think they're still 1-2 years away from competing. 13th - Coventry Manager: Bobby Gould. In his second season of his second stint at Coventry – won a trophy in his first season, which was a great accomplishment. Last Season: 14th – League Cup winners and lifted by the signing of the year, Graeme Sharp. Transfers in: Kevin Russell, Stoke 100k; Kevin Ashley, Barnsley 200k; Martin Carruthers, Aston Villa 400k; Darren Rowbotham, Birmingham 150k Transfers out: None Projected XI (4-4-2): Jon Gould; Mitchell Thomas, Andrew Pearce, Richard Jobson, Peter Atherton; Phil Babb, Stewart Robson, Lloyd McGrath, Sean Flynn; Peter Ndlovu, Roy Wegerle Key Man: Peter Ndlovu - has a lot of promise, now 21, this is the year he needs to start to deliver. Prediction: 13th. There is the potential for it all to go wrong but we think there are enough goals in the front line to keep them up. 12th – Sheffield United Manager: Dave Bassett. Now in his seventh season as Blades manager, he guided them to their best ever league position last year. Last Season: 2nd. A fairytale season for the Blades. Best away record in the league. Transfers in: Sol Campbell, Tottenham 100k; Mick Harford, Tranmere 60k Transfers out: Dane Whitehouse, Ipswich 600k Projected XI (4-2-4): Alan Kelly; Tom Cowan, Paul Beesley, Bjorn Kristensen, Kevin Gage; Jamie Hoyland, John Gannon; Glyn Hodges, Brian Deane, Dion Dublin, Franz Carr Key Man: Brian Deane - last year the team was lifted by the unexpected goals of Alan Cork, but this is the real leader of the line. With Dion Dublin he will form a deadly combination. Prediction: 12th. Back to reality, we think. The Blades were a magnificent story last year but realistically this is a mid-table team and they'll come back to earth. 11th – Wimbledon Manager: Joe Kinnear. Impressed us during his first season as Dons boss. Last Season: 12th. Lifted by last year’s Premier League leading scorer, John Fashanu, a team expected to fight relegation survived with relative ease. Transfers in: Ian Olney, Birmingham 450k; Lee Duxbury, Bradford 200k Transfers out: None Projected XI (4-4-2): Hans Segers; Brian McAllister, John Scales, Roger Joseph, Neal Ardley; Robbie Earle, Vinnie Jones, Warren Barton, Aiden Newhouse; John Fashanu, Ian Olney Key Man: John Scales - An England international who holds the backline together. Prediction: 11th. We don't expect John Fashanu to win another Golden Boot, but we like the pieces here enough to feel confident the Dons will ensure another season of survival. 10th – QPR Manager: Gerry Francis. In his third season at Loftus Road, has solidified QPR’s place in the top flight. Last season: 13th. Mid-table obscurity thanks to a lack of goals Transfers in: Brian Tinnion, Bradford 100k; Mark Patterson, Bolton 150k Transfers out: None Projected XI (4-4-2); Jan Stejskal; Rufus Brevett, Darren Peacock, Brian Law, Danny Maddix; Andy Sinton, Ian Holloway, Simon Barker, Andy Impey; Les Ferdinand, Gary Penrice Key Man: Les Ferdinand - didn't quite reach the heights we expected last year but looks primed to take a step up this season. Prediction: 10th. Consistent and unspectacular, destined for another season mid-pack. 9th – Sheffield Wednesday Manager: Trevor Francis. Retired as a player in the summer to concentrate on managerial duties. In his third season as boss. Last Season: 9th. A disappointing year for the Owls after promising so much the year before. Transfers in: Paul Bernard, Charlton 550k; Peter Ward, Stockport 80k Transfers out: Trevor Francis, Retired. Projected XI (4-4-2); Chris Woods; Phil King, Ian Marshall, Carlton Palmer, Roland Nilsson; Danny Wilson, John Sheridan, John Harkes, Chris Bart Williams; Paul Warhurst, David Hirst Key man: Chris Bart Williams - one of the most exciting young players in England, has taken Chris Waddle's spot on the wing. Prediction: 9th. The pieces are there to contend, but the team would benefit from one or two more signings, specifically on the left side or in the centre of midfield Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted June 28, 2018 Share Posted June 28, 2018 Tottenham selling Sol Campbell on the cheap and signing Perry Suckling makes me feel a whole lot better about Arsenal's relegation. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jeff Posted June 28, 2018 Author Share Posted June 28, 2018 Ha! =============== Premier League Preview- Part Three: Top-Half Hopefuls 8th - Everton Manager: Howard Kendall. In his fourth season in his second spell with Everton, guiding them to their best finish since the title win of 1987. Last Season: 3rd – the final position flatters them somewhat. Finished the year strong after spending most of the season in 5th. Transfers in: None Transfers out: None Projected XI (4-4-2): Mark Hooper; John Beresford, Paul Mardon, Gary Ablett, Matt Jackson; Preki, Ian Snodin, Billy Kenny, Robert Warzycha; Tony Cottee, Peter Beardsley Key Man: Peter Beardsley. Last year's player of the year, Beardsley is into his mid-30s and still leads the team. He'll need another big year if Everton are to be there or thereabouts again. Prediction: 8th. Need to sell before they can buy but their defense needs some additional quality and a young forward wouldn’t go amiss either. 7th – Liverpool Manager: Graeme Souness. This is his make or break year; Liverpool have yet to reach expectations under the former Reds captain. Last Season: 5th - third most of the year, slipped down two spots at the end of the season when the title run ended. Transfers in: Gary Bannister, Nottingham Forest 80k; Martin Keown, Arsenal 1m; Paul Stewart, Blackburn 1.6m Transfers out: Ian Rush, Bruce Grobbelaar, Scotland Projected XI (4-4-2): Neville Southall; David Burrows, Marin Keown, Toben Piechnik, Rob Jones; John Barnes, Jan Molby, Ronnie Whelan, Steve McManaman; Mike Marsh, Paul Stewart Prediction: 7th. We can't help but feel like this team is moving backwards. The midfield is aging and not good enough, and there is an obvious lack of goals unless one of Marsh, Stewart or Don Hutchison steps up a lot. 6th – Blackburn Manager: Kenny Dalglish. Wrestling the expectations that come from Jack Walker’s backing, the Liverpool and Scotland legend is trying to solidify his legacy with a new set of supporters in his second full season as boss. Last Season: 10th - feels like they underachieved, even though this was their first year in the top flight. Transfers in: Eddie McGoldrick, Crystal Palace 550k; Kare Ingebrigsten, Man City 700k Transfers out: Paul Stewart, LIverpool 1.6m; Kurt Nogan, Chelsea 400k Key Man: Alan Shearer - managed only six goals last year. Needs to take the next step to justify his British record transfer fee. Projected XI (4-4-2): Bobby Mimms; Henning Berg, Colin Hendry, Nicky Marker, Patrik Andersson; Alan Wright, Eddie McGoldrick, Graham Hyde, Stuart Ripley; Mike Newell, Alan Shearer Prediction: 6th. We anticipated it would take a year for the team to get up to speed in the Premier League. They've had their year - now it's time to step up. 5th – Aston Villa Manager: Ron Atkinson. Big Ron had a successful season with Villa last year, winning a Manager of the Month award and thinks he has a team that can contend. Last Season: 8th – never quite cracked the lead pack but Dean Saunders carried the team on his back. Transfers in: Tony Adams, Arsenal 850k; Brian Mooney, Sunderland 200k Transfers out: Martin Carruthers, Coventry 400k; Cyrille Regis, Wycombe Free Projected XI (4-4-2): Mark Bosnich; Steve Staunton, Shaun Teale, Tony Adams, Earl Barrett; Dwight Yorke, Garry Parker, Mark Blake, Tony Daley; Dalian Atkinson, Dean Saunders Key Man: Dalian Atkinson - The 25-year-old is known for his flashy goals - he'll be hoping to fire Villa into Europe and himself into the England squad. Prediction: 5th. The signing of Tony Adams is a great bit of business. A strong squad on paper, our only concern is whether there is enough depth in midfield. *** Premier League Preview- Part Four: Top-Half Hopefuls Normally I would have made this a separate post but the group of teams is quite small, so we’ll tack it on. These are the teams that we think have a legitimate shot at the title. (Editor's note - last year we picked Man City to finish 13th and Arsenal to finish 4th so what do we know) 4th – Nottingham Forest Manager: Brian Clough. An all-time legend who is entering his 19th season with Forest with his best squad in many years. Last Season; 7th. The signing of Stan Collymore was a big boost and helped secure another top-half finish. Transfers in: Frank Talia, Notts County 50k Transfers out: Gary Bannister, Liverpool 80k Projected XI (4-4-2): Mark Crossley; Stuart Pearce, Steve Chettle, Carl Tiler, Gary Charles; Thorvaldur Orlgysson, Roy Keane, Scot Gemmill, Gary Crosby; Nigel Clough, Stan Collymore Key Man: Nigel Clough -Number 9 might not finish the year as their top scorer, but he’s still the man through whom the offense runs. Prediction: 4th. A dark horse title pick? We're probably nearing the end of the line for Brian Clough but with his son and Stan Collymore up front, and a centre midfield pairing of Keane and Gemmill, he has assembled one of the best squads in the country 3rd – Manchester United Manager: Alex Ferguson. The feisty Scot still hasn’t reached the heights we might have expected at Old Trafford. Transfers in: Gary Parkinson, Middlesbrough 400k Transfers out: Mike Phelan, Man City 250k Projected XI (4-4-2): Peter Schmeichel; Denis Irwin, Gary Pallister, Paul Parker, Gary Parkinson; Ryan Giggs, Paul Ince, Brian McClair, Andrei Kanchelskis; Mark Hughes, Eric Cantona Key Man: Ryan Giggs - last year's Young Player of the Year, the Welsh winger is the most exciting player in England Prediction: 3rd. Too inconsistent last season to hang with the leaders last year, but this is a team that should be full of excitement, pace and goals, and should be near the top of the pile all year. 2nd – Leeds Manager: Howard Wilkinson. The most successful manager at Elland Road in a generation, he has overseen Leeds for almost a decade. Last Season: 4th – never quite able to hang with the lead group of three but always among the best of the rest. Transfers in: Paul Williams, Crystal Palace 650k; Nigel Martyn, Crystal Palace 500k; Mike Ford, Oxford 100k; Sam Kitchen, Leyton Orient 80k Transfers out: Mervyn Day, Carlisle Free; Peter Haddock, Mel Sterland, Retired; Gordon Strachan, Chris Whyte, Scotland Free Projected XI (4-4-2): Nigel Martyn; Tony Dorigo, Jon Newsome, Chris Fairclough, David Kerslake; Gary Speed, Gary McAllister, David Batty, David Rocastle; Rodney Wallace, Paul Williams Key Man: Gary McAllister - rumoured to be on his way to the continent after this season ends, he anchors the most talented midfield in the country. Prediction: 2nd. We like the business they've done this year, clearing out some of the aging squad and bringing in a new number one in Nigel Martyn and a useful forward in Paul Williams. We expect they'll be among the leaders again. 1st – Manchester City Manager: Peter Reid. Combined being the manager of the year last year with still being a contributor to the playing squad. Last Season: 1st - the class of the league, leading nearly wire to wire. Transfers in: Gavin Johnson, Ipswich 1.7m; Paul Stephenson, Brentford 300k; John Gayle, Fulham 100k; Mike Phelan, Man Utd 250k Transfers out: Niall Quinn, Ipswich 1.3m; Andy Dibble, Newcastle 600k; Kare Ingebrigsten, Blackburn 700k Projected XI (4-4-2): Tony Coton / Terry Phelan, Keith Curle, Michael Vonk, Gavin Johnson / Mike Phelan, Paul Lake, Gary Flitcroft, Rick Holden / Mike Sheron, David White Key Man: Paul Lake - expected to move into a central midfield role this season. There will be a lot of expectations on the young centre midfield combination, especially if they are to compete on the European front. Prediction: 1st . We remain slightly unsure about the midfield but this is the best squad in the league right now. They have enough goals to shrug off the sale of Quinn, and the addition of Gavin Johnson is a great pickup. Up next – the season begins.. 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King Jeff Posted June 30, 2018 Author Share Posted June 30, 2018 Round 1 Defending Champions Manchester City start the season by sending a message to the rest of the division: they hammer newly-promoted Derby County 4-0 at Maine Road. Paul Lake scores twice for City, while Rick Holden and David White each grab one. The two other teams we projected to be near the top of the table start a bit slower – Leeds can only manage a scoreless draw at Everton, while Manchester United fall 2-1 to Aston Villa at Villa Park. Dean Saunders and Dalian Atkinson both find the back of the net for Ron Atkinson’s side, which is a very good sign for Villa fans. The only newly-promoted side to manage a win in their opening fixture is Joe Royle’s Oldham, who beat Wimbledon 2-0 at Boundary Park. One of the club’s summer signings, Devon White, grabs both goals in the win. The two goals already equal his production from all of last season with Wolves. Round 2 The biggest result of the round comes at Anfield, where Oldham shock Liverpool to pick up their second straight win. The Reds were 1-0 up at half time thanks to a Rob Jones goal, but second half markers from Gunnar Halle and Darren Beckford was enough for the Latics to record a historic win. At Elland Road, Manchester City have the better of the game between two title contenders but can’t beat Nigel Martyn and the game ends Leeds 0-0 Manchester City. It’s the second straight goalless draw for Howard Wilkinson’s side. Aside from Oldham, there are three other teams on maximum points from two games: QPR go top on goal difference after they batter Coventry 4-1 at Loftus Road – Ian Holloway scores twice, while Les Ferdinand and Gary Penrice both grab one. Southampton have used our relegation prediction as bulletin board fodder and look dominant in a 3-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday at the Dell. Matt Le Tissier scores for the second straight game, while young striker Chris Sutton also grabs one. The last team on maximum points is Nottingham Forest, who pick up a 1-0 win over Tottenham at the City Ground thanks to a Stan Collymore goal -- he has three goals in his first two games. At the other end of the table, Chelsea, Ipswich, Wimbledon and Coventry have yet to record a point. Chelsea lose 2-1 at Sheffield United, Ipswich fall 2-1 to Derby, and Wimbledon lose 3-2 to Everton even though last year’s top scorer John Fashanu scores twice, Round 2 Table: QPR, Southampton, Nottingham Forest, Oldham 6 Chelsea, Ipswich, Wimbledon, Coventry 0 *** Round 3 Two teams with unbeaten records squared off at Boundary Park in the round’s feature fixture when newly-promoted Oldham hosted table-toppers QPR. Last week Ian Holloway was a hero for the Rs with his two goals but he goes from hero to zero by picking up an early straight red. The numerical advantage worked to Oldham’s favour, as they proceeded to pick apart the visitors – goals from Roger Palmer, Devon White and Darren Beckford gives the Latics an eye-opening 3-0 win. They’re riding high now! The champions Manchester City are up to second place with a 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest at Maine Road. Stan Collymore scores again for Brian Clough’s side in a losing effort, his fourth goal in the first three games. Equal with City on 7 points from their first three games is Everton, who beat Manchester United 2-0 at Goodison Park. Southampton’s perfect start to the season came to a close at White Hart Lane. Two goals from midfielder Vinny Samways was enough to see Spurs run out 2-1 winners. At the bottom of the table, we might be starting the Dave Webb deathwatch already. He barely kept his job last season and following Chelsea’s 2-1 loss at home against Wimbledon, the Blues are one of two teams that have yet to record a point after three fixtures. The other club is Ipswich, who suffer an ugly 1-0 home defeat against Barnsley. Round 3 Table: Oldham 9; Man City, Everton 7; Southampton, Nottingham Forest, QPR, Tottenham, Derby 6 Coventry 1; Chelsea, Ipswich 0 Round 4 The last round of fixtures before our first international break of the season sees Oldham slip up for the first time, falling 1-0 to Sheffield United. Dion Dublin scores the loan goal for the Blades. Your new leaders are the defending champions. Manchester City beat Manchester United in a derby with the only goal a Paul Parker own goal. It’s the second straight game in which Parker has put the ball into his own net. Last year’s Division One champions Derby County are off to a strong start in their first Premier League season. They pick up their third win from their four games with a 1-0 win over Everton at the Baseball Ground. Tommy Johnson scores his second of the year for the Rams in the win. We pegged Brian Clough’s Forest side as a possible title dark horse this season and they continue their good start with a third win in four, as well, beating Ipswich 1-0 at the City Ground. Stan Collymore is kept off the scoresheet for the first time all season but midfielder Scot Gemmill comes through with the winner. Ipswich remain at the bottom of the table and have yet to record a point. Chelsea are off the mark after picking up a 1-1 draw against Barnsley at Oakwell. The fact this seems like a good point is a shocking indictment on how bad a start they’ve made. Leeds are still winless through their four games - a worrying sign if they're going to end up near the leaders – they picked up three straight draws to start the year and this time around they go one worse and fall 1-0 at home against Sheffield Wednesday. Paul Warhurst picks up the goal for the Owls. Round 4 Table: Man City 10; Oldham, Nottingham Forest, Derby 9 Coventry 2; Chelsea 1; Ipswich 0 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jeff Posted June 30, 2018 Author Share Posted June 30, 2018 England’s national team have some serious work to do if they’re going to qualify for USA 94. Norway look likely to win their qualifying group, and it looks like a shootout between the Netherlands, England and Poland to claim the second spot. With England having to travel to Rotterdam in October you’d give the advantage to the Dutch, but a loss at home to unebeaten Poland would be the first nail in the Three Lions’ coffin. Team Played Wins Draws Loss Pts Norway 6 5 1 11 England 7 3 3 1 9 Netherlands 7 3 3 1 9 Poland 5 3 2 8 Turkey 7 1 1 5 3 San Marino 7 1 6 1 Graham Taylor is under pressure to pick up results after a less-than-impressive World Cup qualification campaign to date. With the unimpressed eyes of a nation upon him, Taylor picks the following squad for the games at Wembley against Poland and in the Netherlands. The media seizes upon the lack of experience in both the defense and up front and questions why experienced pros like Peter Beardsley, Chris Waddle, David Platt and Stuart Pearce have been dropped for such crucial fixtures. Goalkeepers: Chris Woods, Sheffield Wednesday (41 caps); Tony Coton, Manchester City (no caps) Defenders: John Scales, Wimbledon (no caps); Rob Jones, Liverpool (1 cap); Tony Dorigo, Leeds (12 caps; Terry Phelan, Manchester City (no caps); Gary Pallister, Manchester United (9 caps, 1 goal); Paul Warhurst, Sheffield Wednesday (no caps); Paul Lake, Manchester City (no caps); Des Walker, Sampdoria (51 caps) Midfielders: Chris Bart-Williams, Sheffield Wednesday (no caps); Tony Daley, Aston Villa (7 caps); Kevin Watson, Tottenham (2 caps); John Barnes, Liverpool (69 caps, 11 goals); Paul Gascoigne, Lazio (27 caps, 4 goals); David Batty, Leeds (10 caps) Attackers: David Hirst, Sheffield Wednesday (8 caps, 1 goal); Mike Sheron, Manchester City (no caps); Les Ferdinand, QPR (3 caps, 1 goal); Nick Barmby, Tottenham (no caps) *** Round 5 Before the Poland international there is one round of Premier League fixtures to navigate through. Defending champions and current leaders Manchester City are made to work hard for a 2-1 win over Wimbledon at Maine Road. Rick Holden fires Peter Reid’s side into a first half lead, but England international John Scales pulls it back to one apiece. In the late going, 20-year-old Welsh forward Lee Jones comes from the bench to score the winner – it’s Jones’ first goal since joining City from Liverpool last year. In a battle of two overachieving promoted clubs, Derby emerge victorious over Oldham with a 2-0 win at Boundary Park. Derby’s ability to survive in the Premier League is largely going to be determined by how well their young forward pairing of Paul Kitson and Tommy Johnson adapt to top-flight football. There were no problems today as they each find the back of the net. Despite Oldham’s good start to the year, we expect they’ll be looking back at this fixture as a winnable game they shouldn’t have lost. For Derby, the win moves them up to second place in the league. At Goodison Park, Stan Collymore’s fine form continues. He grabs another goal in Nottingham Forest’s 2-2 draw with Everton. The point has Forest in third. At the bottom of the table, it’s another loss for Ipswich. John Lyall might want to start clearing out his personal items already – they were fortunate to avoid relegation last year and they’re already looking destined for the drop unless something changes quickly. This time it’s a 2-0 loss against Liverpool at Portman Road – Mike Marsh and Paul Stewart find the net for the Reds. Chelsea and Coventry are also both without a win and stuck in the bottom three. Coventry play out a bore 0-0 draw with Sheffield United at Highfield Road, while Chelsea are held to a 1-1 draw by another struggling side, Manchester United. Graham Stuart scores for the Blues, while Mark Hughes grabs the United goal. Leeds aren’t in the bottom three but they can’t win a game, either. Their fourth draw from five games is a 0-0 draw at Ewood Park. Round 5 Table: Man City 13; Derby 12; Nottingham Forest 10; Oldham 9 Coventry 3; Chelsea 2; Ipswich 0 Premier League Top Scorers 5- Stan Collymore, Nottingham Forest 4 – Tony Cottee, Everton 3 – Devon White, Oldham; Les Ferdinand, QPR; Tommy Johnson, Derby; Vinny Samways, Tottenham After the week’s fixtures, the first monthly awards of the season are announced. Manchester City boss Peter Reid is named as Manager of the Month, which we think is harsh on Derby’s Arthur Cox or Oldham’s Joe Royle. Stan Collymore is the obvious choice for Player of the Month. *** England vs Poland World Cup Qualifier (World Cup 94 Qualifying Group 2) Wembley Stadium England: Chris Woods; Rob Jones, Tony Dorigo (C), Gary Pallister, Paul Warhurst; Kevin Watson, Nigel Clough, Paul Gascoigne, Chris Bart-Williams; Les Ferdinand, David Hirst Poland: Jaroslaw Bako; Piotr Czachowski, Marek Kozminski, Andrzej Lesiak, Dariusz Adamczuk (Jacek Bak 78), Roman Kosecki, Jerzy Brzeczek, Robert Warzycha, Piotr Swierczewski, Jan Furtok (Jacek Ziober HT), Marek Lesniak England are inspired by a great performance by Paul Gascoigne and take an early lead in the fifth minute when Les Ferdinand scores after receiving a perfectly-weighted pass from debutant Chris Bart-Williams. The goal settled any nerves and England were on the attack throughout. In the second half, Gascoigne claimed a well-deserved goal, and four minutes later acting captain Tony Dorigo scored from a free kick about 22 yards out. The result sets up a crucial game against the Netherlands in Rotterdam in a few weeks’ time. England 3 – (Les Ferdinand 5; Paul Gascoigne 49; Tony Dorigo 53) Poland 0 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
argento Posted June 30, 2018 Share Posted June 30, 2018 this is class are Norwich faring any better since relegation? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jeff Posted June 30, 2018 Author Share Posted June 30, 2018 Funny you should ask – I have the first Division One update included in this post! It makes for good reading for any Norwich fan 😊 ============= Round 6 There’s a possibility that Manchester City’s squad will get stretched too thin from playing in four competitions but so far there is absolutely no need for concern. City pick up another three points by cruising to a 2-0 win over winless Chelsea. Summer signing Gavin Johnson scores his first for the club, while Mike Sheron adds the second. Derby continue their fine start to the season by beating Southampton 2-1 at the Baseball Ground. Derby have an exciting young core and if they can hold on to them, they might become Premier League constants. Two key players for Arthur Cox’s side, defender Chris Coleman and forward Tommy Johnson both score in the win. Matt Le Tissier, who is off to a fine start this season, nets the consolation goal for the Saints. Nottingham Forest and Oldham rounded out the top four heading into the round but both teams are turned over in their fixtures. Forest suffer a surprise 2-0 loss at Wimbledon, while Oldham are humbled 1-0 by an Ipswich side that hadn’t picked up a point all year up until this point. Club record signing Niall Quinn scored the goal that gets John Lyall’s men up and running. Those results open the door for Blackburn and Sheffield Wednesday to move up the standings. Blackburn beat Coventry 2-0 in comfortable fashion, while Wednesday eke past Aston Villa 2-1 at Hillsborough. With Alan Shearer not really achieving expectations so far at Blackburn, Mike Newell has been Rovers’ main man and he scores in their win, as does Alan Wright. Lastly, we highlight a wild one at Loftus Road between QPR and Manchester United. Andre Kanchelskis gives United the first half lead but in the second half it all gets a bit hairy. Eric Cantona is sent off for a vicious two-footed tackle on Darren Peacock then a few minutes later Kanchelskis goes for injuring Simon Barker. Substitute Bradley Allen then scores against the nine men to level the scores and secure the points are split. The box score for this one: one goal apiece, two QPR players stretchered off and two United red cards. Round 6: Man City 16; Derby 15; Blackburn, Sheff Wed 11 Ipswich, Coventry 3; Chelsea 2 With a handful of rounds under our belt it’s time to check in on how things are developing in Division One. Norwich are off to an absolute flyer with six wins from six. Mick McCarthy’s Millwall occupy the second automatic promotion spot with 13 points from their opening six fixtures. Crystal Palace are one back with 12 points, then Sunderland and Portsmouth with 11 and Arsenal round out the top six with 10 points. Round 7 Everton have been flying under the radar so far but we think they have the potential to be among the contenders this year. Their star man to date has been Tony Cottee who is the joint second leading scorer in the league with four goals from his six games – against Manchester City he makes that five from seven, giving Everton a first-half lead over the champions. We’ve become very used to City being able to always fight back and grind out results but that didn’t happen this time – an insurance goal from Preki made it a 2-0 Everton final. The City loss gave Derby the chance to move in to first place with a win but they were in tough against Nottingham Forest in a local derby. Considering the rivalry between the two clubs, the game was remarkably tame, with no bookings. Derby’s midfield played well, getting a man of the match performance from last year’s Division One player of the year, Martin Kuhl, but there wound up being no goals. The two teams are now tied on 16 points with City staying on top through goal difference. Blackburn had the opportunity to narrow the gap when they travelled to Stamford Bridge to take on bottom-of-the-table Chelsea. But, as we’ve seen so many times with these top vs bottom scenarios, it was the relegation strugglers who come out on top. Goals from Graham Stuart, Robert Fleck and Damian Matthew gave Chelsea a 3-2 win and helped relieve a bit of the pressure on Dave Webb. Chelsea do remain in the bottom three, though. Sheffield Wednesday did capitalize on their chance to go third and close the gap on the two leaders. They were dominant in a 3-1 win over Oldham at Boundary Park – Carlton Palmer, Chris Waddle and David Hirst all finding the net. Joe Royle must be a bit concerned with how things are developing for his side right now: they started the year with three wins on the bounce but have now lost four straight and are getting well beaten. At the foot of the table, Coventry and Ipswich play out an entertaining 2-2 draw. The point helps neither team in their hopes of escaping the bottom three but both managers should be happy with how their teams played. Richard Jobson and Peter Ndlovu scored for the hosts while Jason Dozzell and Chris Kiwomya found the net for Ipswich. Lastly, it took them seven tries, but Leeds are finally in the win column (not that we were ever worried about them). Goals from Rod Wallace and Paul Williams – his first for his new club - see Howard Wilkinson’s side through to a 2-1 win over Sheffield United. Round 7 Table: Man City, Derby 16; Sheff Wed 14; Blackburn, Southampton, Everton, Nottingham Forest 11 Chelsea 5; Ipswich, Coventry 4 Up Next: The European campaigns begin… Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jeff Posted June 30, 2018 Author Share Posted June 30, 2018 Mid-week and the UEFA Cup starts off the year’s European action. The first-round draw throws down a real glamour tie as defending champions Milan draw Liverpool with the first leg at Anfield. Sheffield United are in tough in their first-round tie as they take on Russian side Spartak Moscow, Leeds will face FC Zurich and Everton play Romanian side Inter Sibiu. Sibiu might not be long for this world as they were reportedly bankrolled by Romanian Communist President Nicolae Ceausescu and consequently “benefitted” from his interest in the club. Now, after the fall of the Communist regime, Sibiu’s funding has “shockingly” dried up and performances have dropped. The Romanians don’t make a particularly good impression in the first leg of their tie with Everton. They barely get a sniff in the game, managing only 35% possession, and don’t register a single shot, but Everton manage just a 1-0 win thanks to another Tony Cottee goal. This tie still seems very much in the balance as they head back to Transylvania. Does Sheffield United have one more fairytale in them? They just might. They take a 2-0 lead back to Moscow thanks to two goals from Jamie Hoyland. It’s looking less likely for Leeds, though – they lose 2-0 in Zurich. The big one is Liverpool vs AC Milan. Both teams seem evenly matched but a goal from John Barnes breaks the deadlock in the first half. Milan possibly start to shade it as they look for a way to get back even but can’t broach Neville Southall’s net and the clubs head back to the San Siro with Liverpool up a goal. *** Round 8 After 45 minutes at Old Trafford it looked like there might be a UEFA Cup hangover for Leeds. They headed back into the dressing room 2-0 down against Manchester United but whatever Howard Wilkinson told them at half time made a big difference. Second half goals from Rod Wallace, Paul Williams and a late winner from substitute Lee Chapman left Leeds fans forgetting all about the UEFA Cup and left Alex Ferguson livid. 3-2 Leeds is the final and you can’t help but feel like that just might be the real starting point of their season. 1st place Manchester City travelled to 20th place Coventry City and we all know how those matchups go – Peter Atherton hits the winner for a deserving Coventry side in a 1-0 final. Manchester City had all the possession but generated nothing, instead it was a counter-attacking Coventry who looked more likely to grab a second goal. It never came but it didn’t need to. A big win for Bobby Gould. That means Derby County are the new leaders of the Premier League. Their fans are in dreamland after goals from Craig Short and Paul Kitson give Arthur Cox’s men a 2-0 win over QPR. Sheffield Wednesday stay third in the league after being held to a scoreless draw at Ipswich. At the bottom of the league Chelsea escape the bottom three after beating Oldham 2-0 at Stamford Bridge. Dennis Wise and Robert Fleck score for the Blues and Oldham are in real trouble – they’ve lost five on the bounce and they’re getting absolutely hammered in nearly every game. I expect to see them in the bottom three very soon. In the meantime, Aston Villa sink into the relegation spots after a 0-0 draw with Everton leaves them equal with Coventry on 7 points. Round 8 Table: Derby 19; Man City 16; Sheff Wed 15; Nottingham Forest 14 Aston Villa, Coventry 7; Ipswich 5 Round 9 The Derby story just continues to get better and better with every week. Clear at the top of the table, the Rams travel to Selhurst Park and absolutely batter Wimbledon 3-0. Goals from three members of their young core: Richard Goulooze, Tommy Johnson and Paul Kitson propel Derby to 22 points from 9 games – a remarkable haul for a newly-promoted club. The gap from Derby to Manchester City widens to five points after the Champions are held to a 0-0 draw at home by Blackburn. That means second place now belongs to Sheffield Wednesday after they easily dispose of Coventry City, 4-1. The Owls get goals from mulleted legend Chris Waddle and the man who seems to have replaced him on England’s right wing, Chris Bart Williams, in the win. Fourth-place Nottingham Forest are beaten 1-0 by Liverpool at Anfield with ex-Forest man Gary Bannister getting the goal for the Reds. That means Doug Livermore’s Tottenham are up to fourth following their 2-1 win over Ipswich. Scott Sedgley and Teddy Sheringham get the goals for the young Spurs side. The loss leaves Ipswich rooted to the bottom of the table. Last round I made a not-so-bold prediction that we would see Oldham in the bottom three before long. As it turns out, I didn’t have to wait long – they went head-to-head with a team below them, Aston Villa, and were beaten for the sixth straight time, losing 1-0. That three points jumps Villa past both Oldham and Chelsea, who are now tied on nine points. Round 9 Table: Derby 22; Sheff Wed 18; Man City 17; Tottenham 16 Chelsea, Oldham 9; Coventry 7; Ipswich 5 *** As we head into the international break, several teams use the time to add reinforcements to their squad. Oldham desperately need some help so they pick up Reading man Matthew Lambert for a club record 200k. Lambert is 22 years old and played 42 times for the Royals last year – he’s a useful player in Division Two but we don’t think he’ll make a major impact at Premier League level. Sheffield United also add defensive help, bringing in Simon Ratcliffe from Barnsley for 250k. Ratcliffe was a starter in Barnsley’s promotion-winning campaign last year but hadn’t made an appearance for the Tykes this year. The biggest transfers all happen in the Football League. Bruce Rioch lets David James leave Arsenal to join fellow Division One side Leicester City for 700k. James did not make one appearance for the Gunners since being signed from Liverpool last year. That leaves Arsenal with two senior options in goal: Kasey Keller, who seems to be the number one choice, and his backup David Seaman. Also on the move are Shaun Goater, who moves from Bradford to Stoke for 150k, and Irish defender Kenny Cunningham who leaves Millwall for Brighton at a price of 70k. Up next: Netherlands vs England… Ronald Koeman and all that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jeff Posted July 1, 2018 Author Share Posted July 1, 2018 Netherlands vs England World Cup Qualifying de Kuip, Rotterdam Netherlands: Ed de Goey; John de Wolf, Frank de Boer, Ronald Koeman, Erwin Koeman, Jan Wouters, Marc Overmars (Aron Winter 74), Frank Rijkaard, Ronald de Boer, Dennis Bergkamp, Bryan Roy England: Chris Woods; Tony Dorigo, Paul Warhurst, Gary Pallister, John Scales; Kevin Watson, Paul Gascoigne (John Barnes HT), Nigel Clough (Mike Sheron 70), David Batty, David Platt (C); David Hirst We know how this one turned out. Ronald Koeman became Public Enemy #1 by avoiding a red card and a penalty thanks to some questionable officiating by the German referee. Then, to pile on more misery for England, Koeman gets a chance from a free kick at the edge of the box – the first attempt is charged down but the referee orders it to be retaken, as Ince moved off the line too quickly. To England’s surprise, but not Brian Moore’s, Koeman’s second attempt was chipped over the wall and past a bewildered Chris Woods. After Koeman’s goal, England manager Graham Taylor, whose time in charge of the national team is surely running out, is caught on camera telling the fourth official, “You see, at the end of the day, I get the sack,” and then tells the linesman, “I’m just saying to your colleague that your referee has got me the sack. Thank him ever so much for that, won’t you?” Well, on behalf of England fans everywhere: Thank you, Graham, and good riddance. Netherlands 2- R. Koeman 61; Bergkamp 68 England 0 *** Midweek and it’s back to Europe and the return legs of the UEFA Cup first round. The most intriguing tie takes place at the San Siro where Liverpool take a precarious one goal lead to Italy to take on last year’s winner of the competition, AC Milan. As in the first leg, the two teams are very evenly balanced, although Liverpool has a slight edge in possession – surprisingly, it is Liverpool forward Gary Bannister who pops up from nowhere to score a huge goal to give the Reds a 1-0 lead in the game and a 2-0 lead overall. At halftime, Milan boss Fabio Capello adjusts his tactics to bring on a third forward, Jean-Pierre Pain, and the Frenchman repays his manager by scoring an equalizer. Milan would need to score two more, though, and that was a bridge too far. Martin Keown is solid at the back and John Barnes and Mike Marsh lively on the counter-attack, and Milan aren’t able to find another goal. Liverpool go through, Milan are out. That’s the only success for the English sides – Sheffield United capitulate in Russia, losing 4-0 to Spartak Moscow and going out 4-2 on aggregate. Everton are left bewildered by Inter Sibiu of Romania – the Blues are the better side and generate more chances but it’s the Romanians who go through after a 3-0 win on the night. Leeds were unlikely to progress after being beaten in Switzerland by FC Zurich – they do end up drawing the second leg 1-1 but go out 3-1 on aggregate. *** Round 10 Take a bow, Teddy Sheringham. The Tottenham striker becomes the first man to score four goals in a Premier League game as Spurs stun Manchester City 4-0 at Maine Road. Sheringham joins fellow Spurs player Nick Barmby as the only players to score a hat trick in EPL history, and his fourth of the game moves him to 19 goals since the inauguration of the Premier League, moving him ahead of John Fashanu as the all-time leading scorer. Also in Manchester, leaders Derby are continuing to impress. They pick up a well-won point at Old Trafford with a 1-1 draw against Manchester United. Last year’s Division One player of the year, Martin Kuhl, scores for the Rams while Guy Whittingham proves he is settling in well at Premier League level by scoring his team-leading fifth of the year for the hosts. Sheffield Wednesday might have the most exciting young player in the country right now in Chris Bart-Williams. Now part of the England setup, Bart-Williams marks his return to his club by scoring the game winner in a 2-1 win over Everton. Fellow England international David Hirst also scores for the Owls, while Tony Cottee scores his sixth of the year, putting him two behind Sheringham in the goalscoring chart. At the bottom of the table, Chelsea pick up a huge 2-0 win over Ipswich at Stamford Bridge. Captain Andy Townsend and young forward Graham Stuart score for the Blues. We predicted Ipswich to go down at the start of the year and feel pretty confident with that pick. At Villa Park, Coventry take a first-half lead through an unlikely scorer, Mitchell Thomas. It’s Thomas’s first goal in a Coventry uniform and first since February of 1992 when he scored in West Ham’s win over Oldham. In the second half, Villa equalize through Dean Saunders’ 3rd of the year and the game ends as a 1-1 draw. Speaking of Oldham, they halt their six-game losing streak by beating Blackburn 1-0 at Boundary Park. Despite the result, Rovers were by far the better club and we still fear for Joe Royle’s men. Today, though, they are out of the bottom three. Replacing them are Sheffield United who lose a shootout against QPR at Bramall Lane. QPR score at each end in the first half, Andy Impey giving them the lead and then Alan McDonald putting into his own net. In the second half, Les Ferdinand makes it 2-1 and a Brian Gayle own goal makes it 3-1 for QPR. Paul Rodgers pulls one back but it doesn’t make a difference – the Blades are poor and Dave Bassett, who worked miracles last year, is going to need to figure out a way to make improvements to a very tired squad. Round 10 Table: Derby 23; Sheff Wed 21; Tottenham 19; Liverpool 18 Sheff Utd 10; Coventry 8; Ipswich 5 Current Season Top Scorers 8 – Teddy Sheringham, Tottenham 6 – Stan Collymore, Nottingham Forest; Tony Cottee, Everton 5 – Guy Whittingham, Man Utd; Tommy Johnson, Derby 4 – Devon White, Oldham; Les Ferdinand, QPR; Matt Le Tissier, Southampton All-Time Scoring Leaders 19 – Teddy Sheringham, Tottenham 18 – John Fashanu, Wimbledon 15 – Alan Cork, Sheffield United; Les Ferdinand, QPR; Robert Fleck, Chelsea 14 – Tony Cottee, Everton 13 – Peter Beardsley, Everton; Mike Newell, Blackburn; Paul Warhurst, Sheffield Wednesday 12 – Kerry Dixon, Southampton; Dean Saunders, Aston Villa; Stan Collymore, Nottingham Forest Down in Division One, it looks like at least one of the relegated teams will bounce right back. Crystal Palace have taken over top spot in the table, just ahead of Norwich. In the playoff spots are Millwall, Middlesbrough, Portsmouth and Sunderland – Arsenal are a disappointing ninth place. To round off the month, Derby boss Arthur Cox is picked as Manager of the Month while Blackburn striker Mike Newell is Player of the Month. Newell becomes the first player in Premier League history to win a monthly award on multiple occasions. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jeff Posted July 1, 2018 Author Share Posted July 1, 2018 Ian Woan becomes the answer to a unique bit of Premier League trivia when it’s announced that he’s moving from Chelsea to Tottenham for £1.1 million. The trivia question? Who was the first player in Premier League history to complete two million pound-plus transfers. Also on the move this week is Ken Veysey, who leaves Everton for Manchester United for 300k. He’ll be Peter Schmeichel’s backup at Old Trafford. Down in the Football League, we notice Trevor Sinclair is on the move again – he’s now off to Bradford City in Division Two for 80k. Round 11 Derby County have wowed us all year but they’re ripped apart at the Baseball Ground by John Barnes this week. Barnes scores two goals and fires in a corner that is headed home by Torben Piechnik in a 3-1 Liverpool win. The win pulls the Reds within two points of first place. With Derby’s loss, it gives Sheffield Wednesday the opportunity to go top with a win over Manchester City. The champions had other ideas, though, with Mike Phelan opening the scoring. That man Chris Bart-Williams grabs an equalizer for the Owls but the second half solves nothing and the game ends in a draw. That leaves Trevor Francis’s men one point back of Derby. Tottenham are riding high right now and grab a double from Gordon Durie to beat Chelsea 2-0 at White Hart Lane. The win moves Spurs ahead of Sheffield Wednesday on goal difference, one point back of the leaders. At the bottom, Ipswich pick up a point at Villa Park in a bore draw. Sheffield United do the same with a 1-1 draw at Oakwell against Barnsley. Glyn Hodges grabs the goal for the Blades, while Charlie Bishop scores his first of the year for the Tykes. Coventry are the only team in the relegation fight to pick up three points, after they beat Oldham 1-0. Darren Beckford saw Red for the Latics and the Sky Blues capitalized with a goal from defender Peter Billing. That’s three big points for Bobby Gould’s men, while Joe Royle must be seeing that one as an opportunity lost. Round 11 Table: Derby 23; Tottenham, Sheff Wed 22; Liverpool 21 Sheff Utd, Coventry 11; Ipswich 6 During the week, Oldham break their club transfer record for the second time in a couple of weeks with the signing of striker Steve Cotterill from Wimbledon for £350k. That’s the same Steve Cotterill who has never scored a senior goal, so it goes to show you how desperate Joe Royle is getting. Also on the move to a newly-promoted team is midfielder Martin Allen, who leaves West Ham for Barnsley for 150k. We think this is a better signing. *** The English teams in the UEFA Cup didn’t get up to much and we’d be surprised if the nation’s representative in the Cup Winners’ Cup stays around long, either. Division One Crystal Palace draw Swiss side Grasshoppers in the first round; the first leg is in London at Selhurst Park and Steve Coppell’s men don’t do themselves any disservice but are 1-0 down at the half. In the second half, the Swiss make it 2-0 and effectively kill off the tie. George Ndah scores a goal that he’ll probably remember for the rest of his life – Crystal Palace’s first ever goal in Europe – but the game ends 2-1. In the Champions League Manchester City have a decent shot at progressing against IFK Gothenburg. They start the game all guns blazing and get first half goals from Mike Sheron and Mike Phelan to go up 2-0. In the second half the Swedes pull one back, but it’s Peter Reid’s side who hold the advantage heading in to the second leg. They’ll still have some work to do, though. Round 12 Back in the Premier League and Manchester City are potentially a bit tired after their Champions League tie during the week. They can only manage a draw at home against bottom-side Ipswich. Mike Sheron picked up the goal for City while defender Chris Price scores his first goal for Ipswich since his 90k move from Portsmouth. Derby County rebound well from being well beaten by Liverpool last week. The leaders travelled to Bramall Lane and beat strugglers Sheffield United 2-1 – Richard Goulooze and Paul Walsh get the goals for the Rams. Tottenham keep pace by beating Oldham 1-0 (but who doesn’t beat Oldham these days). Kevin Watson scores the winning goal and the result keeps Spurs one point back and drops Oldham back into the bottom three. New-man Steve Cotterill is on the bench but doesn’t feature for Joe Royle’s side. The sides in third and fourth-place, Sheffield Wednesday and Liverpool both slip up this week – Wednesday fall 1-0 to Blackburn thanks to an Eddie McGoldrick goal, while Liverpool are beaten 2-1 by rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford. Cantona and Giggs get the United goals while ex-United man Russell Beardsmore scores for Graeme Souness’s side. Out of the bottom three are Coventry who surprise Everton in a 1-0 win at Goodison Park. Peter Ndlovu is really starting to develop into an attacking threat and he picks up the lone goal in the Sky Blues’ win. Round 12: Derby 26; Tottenham 25; Sheff Wed 22; Liverpool 21 Oldham 12; Sheff Utd 11; Ipswich 7 *** We love stories of former England internationals who are way past their sell-by date but choose to continue their career in the lower divisions. That’s why we couldn’t help but smile at the news that Viv Anderson, formerly of European Cup-winning Nottingham Forest, Arsenal and Manchester United, has left Sheffield Wednesday to join Division One Sunderland. The price tag is a hefty 2k – I’m sure Viv could have paid it himself. The Coca-Cola Cup doesn’t seem to offer a lot of drama (or get a lot of love), but it has our attention now because it looks like we'll see a very unlikely group of contenders this time around. Blackburn, Sheffield Wednesday and defending champions Coventry are all bounced from the competition by lower league opponents in the third round, and Liverpool and Manchester United were both already out. Blackburn lose a game for the ages against Arsenal: 2-2 after 90 minutes, 3-3 after 120 minutes, Mike Newell getting sent off, and Arsenal winning 9-8 on penalties! Just five (Chelsea, Everton, Man City, Nottingham Forest and Wimbledon) of the last 16 teams in the draw are from the Premier League. In the next round, Manchester City will face Brighton, Everton will take on Wimbledon, Chelsea host Newcastle, and Wolves face Nottingham Forest. Meanwhile, Bruce Rioch's Arsenal will travel to fellow Division One side Swindon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jeff Posted July 2, 2018 Author Share Posted July 2, 2018 Round 13 One of the keys to Derby’s success this year has been that goals have come from a number of different sources. Sure, Tommy Johnson and Paul Kitson have chipped in with their fair share, but there are also goals coming from throughout the team – against Barnsley, the Rams get goals from two unlikely sources. Shane Nicholson, a 23-year-old defender, scores his first goal since joining Derby from non-league Lincoln City. Nicholson’s a strange character, as he has been reported to carry bottles of his own urine around from ground to ground. (editorial comment – it’s remarkable how many sad stories like this I have come across as I’ve done research on random players who I wasn’t familiar with.) Substitute Paul Simpson chipped in with Derby’s second goal. Barnsley weren’t going to be beaten, though: They get goals from Andy Rammell and David Currie, and overcome a Keith Jones red card to pick up a very good point at the Baseball Ground. 2-2 the final. Tottenham weren’t able to capitalize on Derby dropping points. They traveled to Highfield Road to take on Coventry and although they were the dominant side they weren’t able to find a goal and the game ended 0-0. As you were, then. Sheffield Wednesday were able to close the gap on the leaders, they’re now just two points behind Derby and one behind Spurs, thanks to a 1-0 win over Chelsea at Hillsborough. The goalscorer is Chris Waddle, who looked like being out of favour earlier this year, but has been one of Wednesday’s best players the past month. Fourth-place Liverpool are humbled 2-0 at home by Leeds, whose strike force of Wallace and Williams strike again. Objectively, I’d say that Paul Williams is one of the signings of the season so far. The win moved Leeds into a tie with the Reds on 21 points. At the bottom of the table, there’s signs of life from Oldham, who escape the bottom three with a 2-0 win over Everton. Goals from Neil Adams and Devon White (another candidate for signing of the season) give the Latics the three points and they leapfrog Chelsea. It’s not looking good for Sheffield United right now, as they are well beaten 3-1 at the Dell by Southampton – Dave Bassett’s men are now seven games without a win. Ipswich remain at the bottom of the table but pick up a point against Blackburn – Alan Shearer finally scores his first goal of the season for Rovers. Injuries have plagued the ex-Southampton man the past year and a half but there’s no doubt Shearer has a big career ahead of him, so Kenny Dalglish will be very happy to see him back in the goals. Round 13 Table: Derby 27; Tottenham 26; Sheff Wed 25; Leeds, Liverpool 21 Chelsea 13; Sheff Utd 11; Ipswich 8 *** Chelsea have struggled for goals this year but Dave Webb pulls off an inspired signing this week that we believe will ensure the Blues’ Premier League status. American striker Roy Wegerle signs from Coventry City for a club record £1.6m. For a team like Coventry whose objective every year must be to retain their top-flight status, it seems a strange decision to sell their best striker to another team fighting at the bottom of the table, but Bobby Gould must believe Peter Ndlovu is ready to step up and lead the line. Down in Division Three, there is controversy as Leroy Rosenoir becomes only the 8th player to cross the Bristol divide when he leaves Bristol City to join Bristol Rovers. Rosenoir scored 13 goals from his 57 appearances over 2-plus years for the Robins and is expected to step right into the starting lineup for The Gas. Rovers are currently 4th place in Division Three, whilst City are in 3rd. England’s last game of the World Cup 94 Qualifying campaign is against hapless San Marino. To qualify for the USA, England will need to beat the minnows by seven goals and hope the Netherlands drop points against Poland. In what will certainly be Graham Taylor’s last game in charge, he has selected the following squad. Goalkeepers: Chris Woods, Sheffield Wednesday (43 caps); Tony Coton, Manchester City (no caps) Defenders: Gavin Johnson, Manchester City (no caps); Rob Jones, Liverpool (2 caps); Terry Phelan, Manchester City (no caps); Tony Dorigo, Leeds (14 caps, 1 goal); Gary Pallister, Manchester United (11 caps, 1 goal); Tony Adams, Aston Villa (25 caps); Paul Lake, Manchester City (no caps); Des Walker, Sampdoria (51 caps) Midfielders: Tony Daley, Aston Villa (7 caps); Mark Blake, Aston Villa (no caps); Kevin Watson, Tottenham (4 caps); Alan Wright, Blackburn (no caps); Nigel Clough, Nottingham Forest (13 caps); David Platt, Sampdoria (34 caps, 12 goals); David Batty, Leeds (11 caps); Vinny Samways, Tottenham (no caps) Attackers: David Hirst, Sheffield Wednesday (10 caps, 1 goal); Mike Sheron, Manchester City (1 cap); David White, Manchester City (no caps); Teddy Sheringham, Tottenham (no caps) Back into Europe and it’s curtains for Crystal Palace in the Cup Winners’ Cup. They were always second favourites to progress against Grasshoppers and a 1-0 loss in Zurich ends their run early. Steve Coppell’s men fall 3-1 on aggregate. In Sweden it’s a different story for Manchester City. Up 2-1 heading into the game, City strike first with a first half goal from England international Mike Sheron. In the second half Gothenburg equalize but a draw is a fair result and the 1-1 final puts City through to the next round. Things will get much tougher for them in the next round, though, as they will face defending champions Benfica. *** Round 14 As we head into the international break, we have new leaders of the Premier League. Tottenham’s Teddy Sheringham celebrates his England callup with a goal and Gordon Durie grabs a second in a 2-1 Spurs win over Wimbledon at White Hart Lane. Spurs vault into first place after previous leaders Derby lose 1-0 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The goal scorer? Of course it’s Roy Wegerle, scoring on his debut. Not only does that result knock Derby off the top of the table, it lifts Chelsea out of the bottom three. Wegerle’s old club Coventry fall in to the bottom three after they lose 2-1 against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Coventry are probably the better side and generate more chances but goals from Clayton Blackmore and Guy Whittingham give Alex Ferguson’s men the win. If only Coventry had a striker who could have finished some of the chances… Ronny Rosenthal’s move from Liverpool to Sheffield Wednesday for a Premier League record fee has been an unmitigated disaster to date but the Israeli striker finally scores his first goal for the Owls after nearly a year. Unfortunately for Trevor Francis’s side, the goal comes in a losing cause as Wednesday are beaten 2-1. Les Ferdinand and Bradley Allen get the goals for the Rs. At the bottom of the table, Ipswich and Sheffield United both pick up draws. Ipswich hold Leeds 1-1 at Elland Road, while Sheffield United pick up a 1-1 draw at home to Aston Villa. It’s getting very tight at the bottom now, with Everton, Barnsley and Coventry all tied for 18th on 15 points, and Chelsea and Oldham just ahead of them on 16. Round 14 Table: Tottenham 29; Derby 27; Sheff Wed 25; Southampton, QPR 23 Everton, Barnsley, Coventry 15; Sheff Utd 12; Ipswich 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jeff Posted July 2, 2018 Author Share Posted July 2, 2018 San Marino vs England World Cup 94 Qualifying England: Chris Woods; Tony Dorigo (c), Des Walker, Gary Pallister, Gavin Johnson; Kevin Watson, Nigel Clough, David Platt, Tony Daley; David Hirst, Mike Sheron Over to you, John Motson… Quote “England needing to win by a seven-goal margin and hope Poland can do them a favour in Poznan – I’m sure you’re aware of what’s at stake. And the chalky (? -ed) number nine picks the ball up straight away and San Marino launch the first attack, and it’s a mistake by Tony Dorigo, and San Marino have scored!” 8.3 seconds, the fastest goal in World Cup Qualifying history. And that was that. For the remaining 89 minutes and 51 seconds it was one-way traffic and David Hirst, Nigel Clough and Mike Sheron used the game as an opportunity to pad their international stats – Hirst grabbed four, Clough two and Sheron his first international goal – but the result was inconsequential thanks to Holland winning in Poland. Graham Taylor announced his resignation days after the result. That’s yer allotment. San Marino 1 – Gualtieri 1’ (0:08) England 7 – Clough 22’, 73’; Hirst 34’, 46’, 78’ 90’; Sheron 38 *** Round 15 Back in the Premier League, new leaders Tottenham travel to third-place Sheffield Wednesday in the round’s feature tie. Doug Livermore’s Spurs embrace their role as leaders and are the far better side throughout the game. Vinny Samways didn’t feature in the England squad mid-week, but he stamps his authority on this one and scores the game’s only goal in a 1-0 win. Second-place Derby might be suffering from their first wobble of the year as they drop points for the second straight game, after being held to a 0-0 draw at home by Leeds. The latest team to fly under the radar but are now in a position to take on the leaders are Gerry Francis’s QPR. Equal fourth place heading in to the game, the Rs send a warning shot to the lead pack by travelling to Anfield and taking apart Liverpool 2-0. Andy Impey and Les Ferdinand score the goals for the visitors, while Russell Beardsmore gets himself sent off in the dying minutes of the fixture. At the bottom of the table, Ipswich and Everton play out a goalless draw that helps neither side. Sheffield United break their eight-game winless streak by surprising Wimbledon 3-1 at Selhurst Park, and Coventry breakout of the bottom three by beating Chelsea 2-1 at Highfield Road. Ex-Coventry man Roy Wegerle scores his second goal in two games since joining the Blues but his replacement in the starting lineup Graeme Sharp does one better and hits both goals for Bobby Gould’s side. Round 15 Table: Tottenham 32; Derby 28; QPR 26; Sheff Wed 25 Everton, Barnsley 16; Sheff Utd 15; Ipswich 10 Top Scorers 9 – Teddy Sheringham, Tottenham; Tony Cottee, Everton 7 – Guy Whittingham, Man Utd; Stan Collymore, Nottingham Forest 6 – Les Ferdinand, QPR 5 – Devon White, Oldham; Matt Le Tissier, Southampton; Paul Williams, Leeds; Rod Wallace, Leeds; Tommy Johnson, Derby Down in Division One, Crystal Palace have 34 points and lead the way by one point over Norwich. Millwall, Arsenal, Wolves and Portsmouth are all tied on 28 points, with a five-point gap to seventh-place Grimsby. To end the month, Gerry Francis of QPR is named Manager of the Month, while Tony Adams of Aston Villa is named Player of the Month. With monthly account ledgers cleared, there is a flurry of transfer activity in England. Sunderland forward Don Goodman joins Everton for a club record fee of 1 million. The proceeds are clearly burning a hole in Terry Butcher’s pocket as he signs two right away: ex-Liverpool and England man Steve McMahon joins from Manchester City for 100k, while young Aston Villa defender Ugo Ehiogu arrives for a club record 820k. Ehiogu played twice for Villa last year and four times this year – at 21 he is just starting to break through, and we think this will prove to be a very good signing for Sunderland. Elsewhere in the top flight, Chelsea unload striker Steve Livingstone, who is now surplus to requirements with the arrival of Roy Wegerle. Livingstone joins West Ham for 550k. Division One front-runners Crystal Palace sign Blackburn’s backup keeper Darren Collier for 250k – Palace hadn’t replaced Nigel Martyn, instead relying on 22-year-old Andy Woodman, but now they’re in a legitimate promotion fight more cover was required. *** Round 16 It’s first v second at White Hart Lane when Tottenham host Derby and the gulf in class is obvious. Led by Premier League top scorer Teddy Sheringham and his strike partner Gordon Durie, Spurs control the game throughout and end up 2-1 winners. Martin Kuhl pulls back a consolation marker for Derby. “We showed the country and our supporters what we’re capable of,” said Spurs boss Doug Livermore after the match. Derby is now winless in three and have to contend with their first wobble in form all season. It’ll be an interesting test to see what they’re capable of. Tottenham’s nearest contender is now QPR. Fresh off Gerry Francis being named Manager of the Month, his side send off Aston Villa 1-0 at Loftus Road. Darren Peacock gets the goal for the Rs. At Old Trafford, fourth-place Sheffield Wednesday go down a man when Paul Warhurst gets sent off and from there it’s pedestrian stuff as Manchester United cruise past Wednesday 2-0. Paul Ince and Mark Hughes get the goals for United. That opens the door for Southampton to make our pre-season pick of them going down look more and more ridiculous, and sure enough they deliver. Goals from Tommy Widdrington and Gary Kelly give Ian Branfoot’s men a 2-1 win over Everton at Goodison Park. Tony Cottee, the division’s joint top scorer, scores for the Toffees in a losing effort. At the bottom of the table, there’s a relegation six-pointer between the two bottom clubs in the division, and they put on a show. Sheffield United get a hat trick from Brian Deane, while Chris Kiwomya scores twice and Jason Dozzell adds Ipswich’s third goal in a 3-3 tie. Sheffield United’s point puts them level with Everton on 16, while Ipswich stay five adrift. Barnsley were tied with Everton heading into the round but they move three points clear of the drop zone with a big 1-0 win over fellow strugglers Coventry at Oakwell. Recent signing Martin Allen scores his first Barnsley goal in the win. Round 16 Table: Tottenham 35; QPR 29; Derby 28; Southampton 27 Everton, Sheff Utd 16; Ipswich 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jeff Posted July 3, 2018 Author Share Posted July 3, 2018 After eliminating AC Milan in the first round of the UEFA Cup, Liverpool must have felt confident heading into their second-round tie against Swiss side FC Zurich. However, this was the same FC Zurich side that beat Leeds in the previous round so they, too, must have felt confident of a win. The first leg at Anfield started as well as Graeme Souness could have hoped for, with Paul Stewart scoring two goals in the first half. Pundits often say there’s nothing like Anfield on a European night but the Swiss side were not intimidated by the atmosphere – instead they controlled the second half and pulled one goal back to make the final score 2-1 Liverpool. Heading back to Switzerland with a one-goal deficit and a crucial away goal, Zurich will feel confident of their chances of getting through. *** Last year Ronny Rosenthal signed for Sheffield Wednesday for a Premier League record transfer fee of £1.675 million. 18 appearances and one goal later, Rosenthal is shipped back to Merseyside for a pittance. The Israeli international will now line up on the Blue side of Liverpool, however, signing for Everton for just 650k. Honestly, we rated Rosenthal and are surprised that he’s been a complete bust at Hillsborough. At 30, we think he has a couple of good years left in him. Elsewhere in the transfer market, Leeds pick up left-sided player Mark Stimson from Newcastle for 350k. Stimson was a fringe player at Newcastle making just nine appearances last year and no appearances this season, so we don’t expect him to make much of an impact. Round 17 Ronny Rosenthal is in the lineup for Everton when they travel to Oakwell to face Barnsley. The new man plays alongside top-scorer Tony Cottee up front but it’s another recent signing to ends up stealing the headlines, as million pound man Don Goodman comes off the bench to grab the winner in a 2-1 Everton victory. Defender Matt Jackson opened the scoring in the first half then Keith Jones equalized for the home side, but when Michael Johnson was sent off it became advantage Everton. Cottee was replaced by Goodman, and the former Sunderland man grabbed the points for a deserving Everton side. At the top of the table, Tottenham are starting to pull away from the pack. Teddy Sheringham (who else?) scores the lone goal in Spurs’ 1-0 win at Old Trafford. Meanwhile, a David White double saw Manchester City knock off QPR 2-0 at Loftus Road. The home side were reduced to ten men after Brian Law saw red early on. That means the gap between first and second is now nine points. Leeds are up to second place after beating Chelsea 2-1 at Elland Road. Set piece goals from David Kerslake and Jon Newsome gave the hosts the victory; Damian Matthew scored in the loss. Elsewhere, Paul Stewart capped off a brilliant week by scoring his second brace in a matter of days in Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Coventry. One of the forgotten men, Steve Nicol, grabbed the other goal in a rare appearance. After being an ever-present for nearly a decade, it was only the Scot’s third league start of the season. Sheffield United’s win streak is halted at one thanks to a 1-0 defeat at home against Blackburn. Mike Newell has been Rovers’ star man this year and scores the only goal in this one, however the hosts were not helped by David Barnes getting sent off. It’s another loss for Ipswich, as well. They, too, fall 1-0 this week, losing to Wimbledon at Selhurst Park. Robbie Earle grabs the goal for the Dons. Everton’s win propels them out of the bottom three, with Coventry replacing them. Oldham stay outside of the drop zone on goal difference after drawing 1-1 with Southampton at the Dell. Richard Hall scored for the hosts while Darren Beckford picked up the goal for Joe Royle’s side. Round 17 Table: Tottenham 38; Leeds, QPR 29; Liverpool, Southampton, Derby, Sheff Wed 28 Oldham, Coventry 18; Sheff Utd 16; Ipswich 11 *** The transfer market is busy during the week with both Ipswich and Coventry splashing the cash in an attempt to avoid the drop. Ipswich spend 1 million on 24-year-old defender Paul Mardon. Mardon, who was signed from Birmingham last year, had become a regular starter for Everton this year so it’s surprising they’d sell; however, this does seem like an awfully high transfer fee. Coventry spend a total of 900k on upgrading their midfield. 700k is spent on Hungarian winger Istvan Kozma, signed from Liverpool, while the other 200k goes towards Vaughan Ryan of Plymouth. The 25-year-old Ryan made 61 appearances for the Pilgrims since signing from Wimbledon at the start of last season. Elsewhere in the league, Wimbledon make the curious decision to let Dean Holdsworth leave for Millwall. Holdsworth had 6 goals from 14 appearances in all competitions for the Dons this year. Millwall, on the other hand, have a forward who might be capable of helping them secure promotion to the Premier League. Lastly, we look to the bottom of Division One where Swansea are rooted to the foot of the table. How will they find a way to embolden the team spirit and results they need to fight their way out of the relegation zone? This man. Alan Pardew dad-dances his way to South Wales to sign on with the Swans. Charlton recoup a transfer fee of 50k for Pards and Alan Curbishley is probably tempted to do a little dance himself for that deal. In Switzerland, Liverpool are in tough against FC Zurich in the second leg of their UEFA Cup tie. But, as he has done so many times, John Barnes puts together a moment of brilliance, storming down the left, breaking through the defence, rounding the keeper and finishing a great individual goal to give the Reds the first half lead. From that point on, the result was never in doubt – Zurich pressed for a goal and had the better of the chances the rest of the way but Neville Southall and the Liverpool back four stood tall and the game ended 1-0 for the Reds. Up next is Estoril of Portgual. *** Round 18 With the teams nearly at the half-way mark, the league table makes for some happy reading if you’re a Spurs fan. Tottenham go from strength to strength winning again, this time 1-0 over Barnsley at home. Ian Woan scores his first ever goal for Spurs in the win. Remaining nine points back of the leaders is Leeds. Howard Wilkinson’s men turn over Aston Villa at Villa Park thanks to a brace from Paul Wiliams. QPR fall 12 points back, though, after they are beaten 3-2 by Everton at Goodison. Tony Cottee gets his nose in front of the scoring charts with a double, while Peter Beardsley scores his first of the season in the win. Ian Holloway and Simon Barker score for Gerry Francis’s side in defeat. In the relegation places, Ipswich are picking up a lot of draws but they’re not picking up enough wins. They hold Manchester United to a scoreless draw at Portman Road to inch one point closer to safety. The problem is that the team in 17th, Coventry , also picked up a draw against Derby so it’s as you were. The draws are better results than either Oldham or Sheffield United could muster – Oldham lose 2-0 at home against Nottingham Forest, while Sheffield United are easily turned over 3-0 by Manchester City. Round 18 Table: Tottenham 41; Leeds 32; Liverpool, Sheff Wed 31 Oldham 18; Sheff Utd 16; Ipswich 12 Up next -- we reach the halfway mark of the season... 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oche balboa Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 Great stuff. Was the 7-1 hard coded into the game? (San Marino vs England) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 Tottenham. Urgh. 23 minutes ago, oche balboa said: Great stuff. Was the 7-1 hard coded into the game? (San Marino vs England) On 14/06/2018 at 19:49, King Jeff said: there is no playable international management in the CM1 engine, but squads were still selected. So what I’ve done, as I’m sure it would have become apparent, is imposed the game’s squad selections into the real life results. It’s not ideal by any stretch but this is the creative licensing I had to apply in the early days! There's your answer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
oche balboa Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 Ah fair enough Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jeff Posted July 4, 2018 Author Share Posted July 4, 2018 Thanks, Chris, for confirming how we’re running the internationals on the CM1 engine. As I said, it is not ideal but once we move over to CM2 (and for the 20-odd seasons to follow) there will be no such concerns. And I felt like it was important to incorporate CM1’s international squad selections somehow, rather than ignore the feature. ========= And then there were three. After the third round of the Coca-Cola Cup we noted that there was a decent possibility of an unlikely winner or finalist in the competition, thanks to a lot of the Premier League clubs being bounced early on. Only five of the last 16 clubs in the draw were from the top flight, that has been reduced to three from eight. Manchester City advanced to the quarter finals thanks to a shambolic performance by Brighton – 29% possession, zero shots on target and two own goals in a night to forget for the Seagulls. Nottingham Forest were able to get by Division One Wolves at Molineux. Although Brian Clough’s side were the visitors, they shut down Wolves and Graham Turner’s side didn’t get a shot on target. Forest’s lone goal in the 1-0 win came from Northern Irish winger Kingsley Black. In the lone all-Premier League tie Everton hosted Wimbledon at Goodison Park. The hosts took the lead in the first half through a Tony Cottee goal, but Joe Kinnear’s men surged back in the second half and got goals from John Fashanu and a winner from Andy Clarke to book the Dons’ place in the quarter finals. The only Premier League team to lose to lower division opponents were Chelsea, who fell 2-1 in extra time to Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle. Craig Burley put the Blues in front in the first half, substitute John Spencer scored to tie it up in the second half and Andy Cole (remember him?) fired in the winner in extra time. In the quarter finals, Newcastle will take on Forest, Wimbledon will take on Man City, Arsenal will face Leicester in an all-Division One matchup, and Stoke will face Bolton in an all-Division Two contest. In a pre-taped segment aired during half-time of the Chelsea Newcastle game, November's Manager of the Month award is handed to Graeme Souness, while Nottingham Forest man Nigel Clough is named Player of the Month. When Nigel's manager (and father) Brian Clough is asked to comment on Nigel's performance, he responds: "Who's that? Number 8? He should score more goals." Parents... *** Round 19 We end the first half of the season with a first vs second matchup. Hopefully, we’ll see something similar 19 rounds from now, but without the nine-point gap that exists between Tottenham and Leeds today. Without spoiling too much from our mid-year report cards, we are not surprised to see Leeds in second, but Spurs performance has been somewhat unexpected. We knew they were building something good, but they’ve exceeded all of our expectations so far, especially when contrasted to the fortunes of their North London neighbours Arsenal. Spurs leading man this year has been Teddy Sheringham who has surged straight to the top of the goal scoring charts with 10 so far. The game was cagey in the first half, with three bookings and no goals, both sides not wanting to be left exposed to a counter-attack. In the second half, though, a goal came, and 10 goal Teddy Sheringham became 11 goal Teddy Sheringham after he latched on to a Scott Houghton cross. It was the only goal of a very even, nervous contest but Spurs’ lead over Leeds is now up to 12 points. Liverpool managed to keep pace with Tottenham, thanks to a 1-0 win over Aston Villa at Villa Park. Much was hoped for from Don Hutchison but he has yet to fulfill his promise. Liverpool fans will be hoping that his game winner is the start of the 22-year-old achieving his potential. With the win, Graeme Souness’s side remain 10 points behind Tottenham. Sheffield Wednesday were not able to keep pace with the leaders, losing 2-0 at home to Nottingham Forest. Carl Tiler and Stan Collymore score for Forest in the deserving win. At the bottom of the table, we predicted Ipswich would go down before the start of the year then doubled down on our prediction a couple of weeks into the year. At the halfway point we have yet to see anything (other than our horrible record with predictions) that leads us to believe they’ll be able to escape the drop zone. They round out the first half by losing 1-0 at home against QPR in a typically uninspired performance. We can’t help but wonder how much longer John Lyall will be left in charge. Sheffield United’s fall from grace has saddened us all year. Theirs was such a great story last year but it looks like all of the magic is used up. While we predicted a regression to the mean this year, we didn’t expect them to go down – now it seems quite likely. They, too, end the first half of the season with a lifeless 1-0 loss, in this case it’s at Everton. If Oldham are to avoid the drop, they’re going to have to stop beating themselves. Down 2-0 against Manchester United in the first half, Nick Henry exacts his form of revenge on one of the goalscorers, Ryan Giggs, with a fierce two-footed tackle. Henry is sent off and the result becomes a mere formality. The Latics are one point off safety and are more than capable of surviving but need to be smarter and more disciplined. Round 19 Table: 1) Tottenham – 44 2) Liverpool – 34 3) Leeds – 32 4) QPR - 32 5) Southampton – 31 6) Sheffield Wednesday – 31 7) Manchester United – 30 8) Derby – 30 9) Manchester City – 29 10) Blackburn – 26 11) Nottingham Forest – 26 12) Everton – 25 13) Wimbledon – 22 14) Aston Villa – 22 15) Coventry – 20 16) Chelsea – 19 17) Barnsley – 19 18) Oldham – 18 19) Sheffield United – 16 20) Ipswich - 12 Division One Table: Norwich, Crystal Palace 37 / Sunderland, Portsmouth 34; Arsenal 33; Millwall, Wolves 31 Up next: The Mid-Year Report Cards… Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minuy600 Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 Thoroughly enjoyable read so far, you're inspiring me to do something similar in FM19 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jeff Posted July 5, 2018 Author Share Posted July 5, 2018 Thanks, Minuy. If you end up trying to take on something similar, I hope you write about it! =================================== Welcome, everyone, to one of my personal favourites times of the year – mid-season report cards! Not only do I get to pass judgement on others’ performance, but I also get to look like a fool as we revisit my pre-season predictions. Win-win! Mid-Year Report Cards: Part One 20th – Ipswich Halfway Grade: 3 out of 10. Not just last but look some ways off the other relegation strugglers. Disappointing, even by the low expectations we had in advance. What we said: "19th. …their squad seems unbalanced and prone to being overrun in midfield. We think their time is up." Star Man: Niall Quinn – tough to fairly evaluate the Irish striker so far. From an absolute perspective, needs to score more goals, but has been the best player on a very bad team. What to expect: Relegation and John Lyall getting the sack. Sorry, Ipswich fans. 19th – Sheffield United Halfway Grade: 2 out of 10. It’s difficult to avoid using last year’s form as the benchmark, even though we knew they were going to take a step back from finishing second. However you look at it, this has been a disappointing first half of the year. What we said: "12th. The Blades were a magnificent story last year but realistically this is a mid-table team and they'll come back to earth.” Star Man: John Gannon… maybe? He’s been decent in midfield but the fact we’re singling out a decent midfielder as the star is a pretty damning indictment on what’s gone wrong for Dave Bassett’s men. What to expect: They’ll be in a relegation fight all year long. We still expect them to find a decent run of form and escape the drop. If things continue to regress, we’d also look for a managerial change, although we know Bassett will have built up a lot of cache with the Blades board. 18th – Oldham Halfway Grade: 4.5 out of 10. Started well but have quickly been exposed as one of the thinnest squads in the division. What we said: "17th. This is a paper-thin squad, but Joe Royle’s management ability and tactical nous should be enough to see the Latics stay up. Just.” Star Man: Devon White. Who would have seen his performances coming? A 30-year-old who had only played in one top-flight game before this year and managed only two goals in Division One last year, has 5 Premier League goals already this campaign. What to expect: More of the same. They’ve been well-beaten on several occasions already this year, which concerns us, but we think Royle’s managerial ability will be the difference and they’ll grind out another 20-25 points in the second half of the year, which should be enough to survive. But it’ll be close. 17th – Barnsley Halfway Grade: 7 out of 10. A team that looked hopelessly overmatched have done surprisingly well so far. What we said: "20th. Promotion was a great story, but this lineup is horribly overmatched. They’ll fight hard but they need serious investment in quality players to stay up.” Star Man: Lee Butler. It’s always a worry when your keeper is the star man but no outfield player has been particularly noteworthy while Butler has been an ever-present and helped the Tykes steal a few points already. What to expect: The signing of a striker. The top scorers on the team have two goals – someone is going to need to do more if they are to have any chance of staying up. 16th – Chelsea Halfway Grade: 5 out of 10. Deep down I just want to believe they’re better than the mediocre stuff we’ve seen the past 18 months… I might be wrong. What we said: "16th. There is a decent squad here but it would be in Chelsea's best interest to find a better manager quickly, as the Blues have consistently under-performed for Dave Webb.” Star Man: Andy Townsend. The captain has been really impressive in the centre of the midfield. Roy Wegerle looks like an inspired signing and has hit the ground running, too. What to expect: Either a climb up the table or a sacking. 16th just isn’t good enough, even if I predicted that to be their final position. 15th – Coventry Halfway Grade: 5 out of 10. A completely forgettable first half of the year, and we don’t mean it was bad, just not memorable in any way). What we said: "13th. There is the potential for it all to go wrong but we think there are enough goals in the front line to keep them up.” Star Man: Stewart Robson. A player who gets no love, he’s been the Sky Blues’ most consistent midfielder over the past two years. What to expect: Peter Ndlovu to hit double digits in goals. With Roy Wegerle gone, Ndlovu will take on a lot of the additional expectations. We think he can handle it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jeff Posted July 5, 2018 Author Share Posted July 5, 2018 Mid-Year Report Cards: Part Two 14th – Aston Villa Halfway Grade: 5 out of 10. Too inconsistent for a team that had hopes of being amongst the leaders this year. What we said: "5th. The signing of Tony Adams is a great bit of business. A strong squad on paper, our only concern is whether there is enough depth in midfield.” Star Man: Tony Adams. We stand by our pre-season evaluation: the former Arsenal captain has been a great buy for Ron Atkinson’s side, and he won Premier League Player of the Month in October. What to expect: Improvement! The all new central defence pairing of Adams and recent signing Steve Redmond from Oldham will become more comfortable together, Dean Saunders and Dalian Atkinson will score goals and the young midfield will get better. 13th – Wimbledon Halfway Grade: 6 out of 10. Pretty much exactly as expected. What we said: “11th. We don't expect John Fashanu to win another Golden Boot, but we like the pieces here enough to feel confident the Dons will ensure another season of survival.” Star Man: John Fashanu. The goals haven’t come like they did last year, but he has regularly been the Dons best player. What to expect: Mid-table anonymity – exactly what Joe Kinnear would have been hoping for this year. 12th – Everton Halfway Grade: 5 out of 10. Slightly underachieving so far this campaign despite the best efforts of Tony Cottee. What we said: “8th. Need to sell before they can buy but their defense needs some additional quality and a young forward wouldn’t go amiss either.” Star Man: Tony Cottee. He has really surprised us by being the Premier League’s joint top scorer. Considering how little Peter Beardsley has been used, someone needed to carry the torch. What to expect: We said at the start of the year that Everton needed to sell before they could buy. They’ve sold some squad players in the first half, we expect a couple of key signings will help lift them up the table. 11th – Nottingham Forest Halfway Grade: 4 out of 10. We considered them a darkhorse title contender, but they’ve proven to be too inconsistent. What we said: “4th. We're probably nearing the end of the line for Brian Clough but with his son and Stan Collymore up front, and a centre midfield pairing of Keane and Gemmill, he has assembled one of the best squads in the country.” Star Man: Nigel Clough. Maybe he doesn’t score as many goals as his old man would like but he’s got 10 man of the match awards in the first half of the year, which is a testament to his incredible influence on a game. What to expect: Cloughie to announce his retirement and Forest to rally around him and finish in the top six. 10th – Blackburn Halfway Grade: 5.5 out of 10. Another team stuck in mid-table that we expected more from. What we said: “6th. We anticipated it would take a year for the team to get up to speed in the Premier League. They've had their year - now it's time to step up.” Star Man: Mike Newell. A perfectly useful player but shouldn’t be leading a team that aspires to be a contender. What to expect: We’re not sure. We think it might be time to admit the plans to buy a title just aren’t going to work. There are too many comings and goings for them to be a contender so it’s a case of whether they’re happy in mid-table or sell some players to try and rebuild. 9th – Manchester City Halfway Grade: 4 out of 10. Up at the top of the table for the first quarter of the season but playing in four competitions is proving to be too much. What we said: 1st. We remain slightly unsure about the midfield but this is the best squad in the league right now. They have enough goals to shrug off the sale of Quinn, and the addition of Gavin Johnson is a great pickup. Star Man: Rick Holden. Mike Sheron would have been the obvious answer for his goals but Holden’s play on the wing has been responsible for most of the team’s good work. What to expect: A lot of games in the second half of the year! Something’s got to give, but we expect a very tired team that ends up sacrificing league form to focus one two (or three) cup runs. Good news for the other contenders. 8th – Derby County Halfway Grade: 9 out of 10. Starting to fade away now but were the early pace-setters and turned a lot of heads. What we said: “15th. We don't like the transfer business made over the off-season (80k players from Division Three aren’t likely to help you stay up), but the young strike force should be enough to keep them up.” (Update: The two 80k Division three players in question, Gareth Bull and Ian Rodgerson, have managed two combined appearances in the first half of the year) Star Man: Tommy Johnson. Has adjusted to life in the top-flight with ease scoring five goals. What to expect: We expect the team will sink to its true level, around 14th to 16th, by the end of the year. Youngsters Johnson and his partner Paul Kitson will begin to attract attention from bigger clubs. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jeff Posted July 6, 2018 Author Share Posted July 6, 2018 Mid-Year Report Cards - Part Three 7th – Manchester United Halfway Grade: 6 out of 10. Same as last year – never able to string together a run of results. What we said: " 3rd. Too inconsistent last season to hang with the leaders last year, but this is a team that should be full of excitement, pace and goals, and should be near the top of the pile all year.” Star Man: Mark Hughes. The inconsistency has continued but the Welsh forward has been leading the line all year. What to expect: Bragging rights at the end of the year for finishing higher than their Manchester rivals and a couple of players offloaded. 6th – Sheffield Wednesday Halfway Grade: 7 out of 10. After taking a step back last year they’ve solidified themselves in the second tier of teams. What we said: “9th. The pieces are there to contend, but the team would benefit from one or two more signings, specifically on the left side or in the centre of midfield.” Star Man: Chris Bart-Williams. We picked him to have a big year and he has come through in spades, now plays primarily up front. Honorable mention to Phil King who we saw as a weakness but has played so well he’s in consideration for an England setup. What to expect: A top six push and David Hirst announcing a move abroad. 5th – Southampton Halfway Grade: 9 out of 10. Note to self: stop picking Southampton to go down. What we said: “18th. Too good to go down on paper, but we think Southampton's defence and midfield leaves them vulnerable to the drop.” Star Man: Richard Hall. This has really been a team performance with no true standout, but Hall has been a rock at the back. What to expect: Okay, okay, they’re a good young side. We expect them to continue to prove us wrong and finish somewhere in the top half. 4th – QPR Halfway Grade: 8 out of 10. Consistent without being spectacular, but in a division plagued by inconsistency and parody that will always have you among the leaders. What we said: “10th. Consistent and unspectacular, destined for another season mid-pack.” Star Man: Ian Holloway. Yes he’s a bit of a character but he’s been the lynchpin in the centre of the park. What to expect: The signing of a strike partner for Les Ferdinand and trying to ready themselves for a title run next year. 3rd – Leeds Halfway Grade: 7.5 out of 10. Got off to a slow start but have climbed the table all year. What we said: “2nd. We like the business they've done this year, clearing out some of the aging squad and bringing in a new number one in Nigel Martyn and a useful forward in Paul Williams. We expect they'll be among the leaders again.” Star Man: Gary McAllister. The heart of the midfield, the Scottish international has been massive all year and looks a near certainty to be in the Premier League team of the Year at the end of the season. What to expect: With a couple of key players destined for the continent next year, we have a sneaking suspicion they might try to add one or two more players and make a real run at the title because this will probably be their last shot. 2nd – Liverpool Halfway Grade: 8 out of 10. Snuck up the table and have flown under the radar doing it. The sign of a champion? What we said: “7th. We can't help but feel like this team is moving backwards. The midfield is aging and not good enough, and there is an obvious lack of goals unless one of Marsh, Stewart or Don Hutchison steps up a lot.” Star Man: Torben Piechnik. Solid at the back and has chipped in with a few goals, which is a huge bonus. What to expect: Objectively we still think this team is flawed and too old to last the season but considering the team in front of them has no experience, too much experience may not be a bad thing. We’ll be curious to see how they respond to Tottenham’s first wobble. 1st – Tottenham Halfway Grade: 10 out of 10. A 10-point lead in the Premier League at the halfway mark – Spurs fans could not have asked for more. What we said: “14th. We really like what they’re building, but we think they're still 1-2 years away from competing.” Star Man: Teddy Sheringham. On track to being the top scorer this year, Sheringham’s goals have made Spurs contenders now. What to expect: We don’t expect Spurs to run away with the title but with a 10 point lead it’s tough to see who will catch them. There will be a loss in form at some point, how they respond will prove whether they’re pretenders or champions-elect. All things considered, we don’t feel that bad about our predictions, but there's still plenty of time for us to be proven wrong. As we look back in to our crystal ball, this is how we now see things shaping up at the end of the year. Manager of the Year: 1) Howard Wilkinson, Leeds (surprise! -ed); 2) Doug Livermore, Tottenham; 3) Ian Branfoot, Southampton Player of the Year: 1) Nigel Clough, Nottingham Forest; 2) Gary McAllister, Leeds; 3) Tony Adams, Aston Villa First Manager Sacked: Dave Webb, Chelsea. Can we just admit this isn’t working? The board and supporters have been very patient but that team is better than consecutive 16th-place finishes. Champions: Leeds. Before you roll your eyes, faithful reader, let us explain! In the summer Leeds are likely to lose McAllister, Gary Speed and Tony Dorigo to moves abroad. We expect Howard Wilkinson will double down and add to his squad with one or two more players to make a real title run. On the other hand, we aren’t sold on Tottenham yet – we think they need at least one season as contenders before they can become champions. Flawed logic? We’ll see. Relegated: 18th – Oldham; 19th – Barnsley; 20th – Ipswich. Up next… the second half of the year! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HawkAussie Posted July 6, 2018 Share Posted July 6, 2018 How is the wiki aspect of the save going at the moment? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jeff Posted July 6, 2018 Author Share Posted July 6, 2018 Good question, Hawk. I’d say a basic version will be posted at the end of Season Two. I have built a master spreadsheet already but it’s just a fraction of what I want it to become over time. (Only two years’ worth of data doesn’t make for particularly interesting all-time stats) So far, I’ve captured every goalscorer in each of the first two seasons, club record transfers, as well as the top 50 transfers overall, England internationals (current and all-time), Premier League Hat Tricks, Manager and Player of the Month Awards and the Annual Awards and Team of the Year. Those pieces will grow out every year. Over time we’ll include club and competition histories, managerial histories and maybe some other things, too. =============== We kick off the second half of the season with a foray back into Europe where both Manchester City and Liverpool are in action, and both teams are hosting sides from Portugal. City take on defending Champions League winners Benfica, while Liverpool host Estoril. Manchester City will know that they will need a bit of luck to knock out the defending champions. They seem capable of hanging with Benfica in the first half, and actually take the lead through an Ian Brightwell goal. Russian striker Sergei Yuran, who scored the winning goal in last year’s Champions League final is especially threatening for the Portuguese side and he imposes himself on the game as it progresses. Benfica pepper Tony Coton’s goal with chances, registering 20 shots throughout the game, but City’s defense holds and the game ends 1-0! Benfica will still feel very confident about their chances of advancing though. It isn’t exactly routine for Liverpool, either, but they also pick up a 1-0 win in their UEFA Cup tie. They benefit from an own goal in the first half, but when David Burrows is sent off, it’s nail-biting stuff for the Kop. Ultimately, Neville Southall holds strong and the Reds hold the advantage heading back to Portugal. *** Round 20 We went on record as predicting Leeds would end the year as champions despite being 12 points back of Tottenham. Suffice it to say they lost their next game, going down 1-0 at home against Everton. Tottenham lost, too, though – going down 1-0 to Sheffield United thanks to a Dion Dublin goal. Although the Blades generated more chances throughout the game, the match was pretty even, and a draw might have been a fairer result. Two teams near the top of the table managed to close the gap on Spurs: Liverpool, fresh off their UEFA Cup win, beat Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 at home. Steve McManaman grabbed the goal, and although the hosts went down to ten men for the second straight game when Martin Keown was sent off, Liverpool were deserving winners. The other team to close the gap was Southampton who got two goals from Irish defender-cum-forward Garry Kelly in a 2-0 win over hapless Ipswich. QPR keep chugging along in fourth place after a 2-2 draw at home against Chelsea. Les Ferdinand and Gary Penrice score for the hosts while Andy Townsend and Damian Matthew grabbed the goals for the Blues. At the bottom of the table, Oldham slipped to 19th after Sheffield United’s win and the Latics’ loss to Wimbledon at Selhurst Park. The Dons were 1-0 winners thanks to a John Scales goal but should have won by a wider margin, a worrying sign for Joe Royle’s side. We still expect Barnsley to go down at the end of the year and they slide into the bottom three after losing 2-1 at home against Blackburn. If the Tykes are to have any chance of staying up, they’ll rely heavily on Martin Allen and he scores Barnsley’s goal in this one, but they were more than cancelled out by Graham Hyde’s double. Round 20 Table: Tottenham 44; Liverpool 37; Southampton 34; QPR 33 Barnsley, Sheff Utd 19; Oldham 18; Ipswich Top Scorers 12 – Tony Cottee, Everton 11 – Teddy Sheringham, Tottenham 8 – Guy Whittingham, Man Utd; Stan Collymore, Nottingham Forest 7 – Les Ferdinand, QPR; Paul Williams, Leeds 6 – David White, Man City; Paul Stewart, Liverpool; Rod Wallace, Leeds; Tommy Widdrington, Southampton *** During the week we see a Premier League Record Transfer. During our mid-year report cards, we predicted we might see Blackburn sell some of their assets because their current approach didn’t seem to be working. They wasted no time. The Premier League transfer fee record is smashed when they sell 26-year-old midfielder Stuart Ripley to Everton for £2.3 million. The previous record was £1.7 million for the transfer of Gavin Johnson from Ipswich to Manchester City in the summer. It is worth noting that although this is a Premier League transfer record, it’s less than half of the British transfer record of £5.5 million Marseille paid for Trevor Steven in 1991 and Lazio paid for Paul Gascoigne in 1992. Premier League Record Transfers Stuart Ripley Blackburn --> Everton £2.3m Gavin Johnson Ipswich --> Man City £1.7m Ronny Rosenthal Liverpool --> Sheff Wed £1.675m David McEnroe QPR --> Man Utd £1.6m Roy Wegerle Coventry --> Chelsea £1.6m Paul Stewart Blackburn à Liverpool £1.6m *** Round 21 Getting nervous, Tottenham fans? Spurs hosted Nottingham Forest in one of the round’s feature ties and jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first half thanks to goals from Andy Hinchcliffe and Kevin Watson. In the second half Stan Collymore took over – a brace from the mercurial Forest striker meant the teams split the points. Meanwhile, up in Oldham, Liverpool were turning over a battling Oldham side. One of the surprises of the season, Torben Piechnik, opened the scoring in the first half for the Reds but Latics winger Neil Adams tied it up before the break. In the second half, Don Hutchison grabbed a winner – Oldham will feel hard done by as their efforts deserved a point but just like that the gap between first and second is down to five points. Third-place Southampton were in tough this week with a trip to Hillsborough to take on Sheffield Wednesday. Young defender Richard Hall has been one of the Saints’ stars this season, but he puts one into the wrong net to give the Owls a 1-0 lead. American John Harkes doubles the lead in the second half and Wednesday end up winning the game 2-0. That result puts both teams on 34 points. Up at Highfield Road, QPR are continuing their strong run with a 1-0 win over Coventry – Gary Penrice scores in the second straight game for Rangers to give them the win. At the bottom of the table, Ipswich pick up a point at home against Derby. Club record signing Niall Quinn scored for the hosts while Craig Ramage replied for Arthur Cox’s side. Sheffield United seem to be starting to get their season on track. After beating Spurs last week, they travel to London and pick up a draw at Stamford Bridge. Glyn Hodges and David Barnes score for the Blades in the first half. Damian Matthew and Graham Stuart scored for the Blues. That result, combined with Barnsley’s 2-0 loss at Villa Park means the Blades are out of the bottom three, while Mel Machin’s side are in the relegation spaces. Round 21 Table: Tottenham 45; Liverpool 40; QPR 36; Southampton, Sheff Wed 34 Barnsley 19; Oldham 18; Ipswich 13 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jeff Posted July 9, 2018 Author Share Posted July 9, 2018 Round 22 The key determining factor in whether Tottenham will be champions (in our minds, at least) will be how they deal with a temporary wobble in form. Heading in to this week’s game Spurs were winless in two and their ten-point lead has quickly shrunk to a five-point advantage over the last two rounds. With a trip to fourth-place Southampton on deck, it looks like a tough test for Doug Livermore’s side. But when the game starts, they are the better side and control the game. Kevin Watson scores in the first half and Teddy Sheringham adds an insurance marker in the second half. Southampton generate several chances in an attempted comeback, but the finishing is poor and the game ends 2-0. Within the chasing pack, Liverpool are held to a 0-0 draw at home by Blackburn even though they looked by far the more likely to score. Third-place QPR dominate their game with Oldham, the 1-0 scoreline not doing the result justice as Gerry Francis’s side had 70% possession. Les Ferdinand, who has improved a lot this season grabbed the only goal in the win. For Oldham it’s another worrying effort and we are nearly ready to write them off. With Southampton’s loss, Leeds jump back in to the top four with a 2-1 win over Coventry. Howard Wilkinson’s men get goals from Rod Wallace and Paul Williams in the win. At the bottom of the table, Barnsley and Oldham split the points in a 1-1 draw at Oakwell. Neil Redfearn scores Barnsley’s goal while Chris Price gets a rare marker for Ipswich. The point really helps neither side. The last game with implications at both ends of the table was the Steel City Derby between Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday at Bramall Lane. Dave Bassett’s men jump out to an early lead with first half goals from Mick Harford and Franz Carr but second half goals from David Hirst and an equalizer by substitute Dean Howells left the game a 2-2 draw. United stay one point above the drop zone, while Wednesday remain in fifth. Round 22 Table: Tottenham 48; Liverpool 41; QPR 39; Leeds 36 Barnsley 20; Oldham 18; Ipswich 14 *** Midweek we hop over to Portugal to see how England’s two remaining European representatives could do in the second legs of their respective ties. As a reminder, Manchester City were in tough against defending Champions League winners Benfica in the third round of their tie but headed back to Portugal with a 1-0 lead. Liverpool also carried a one-goal advantage to Portugal in their UEFA Cup tie against Estoril. A wild first half in Estoril put the result of the Liverpool tie beyond doubt. First half goals from Don Hutchison and Paul Stewart gave the Reds a 3-0 aggregate lead. Estoril then fought back with two first-half goals to level the score 2-2 on the night but maintaining Liverpool’s one goal lead overall. The second half saw Liverpool dominate but unable to add to their advantage – Estoril could barely manage a touch and didn’t threaten Neville Southall’s goal again for the rest of the game. Liverpool will now face Zefat of Israel in the quarter-finals. In Lisbon we confirmed that the Champions League will not have a repeat winner. Peter Reid’s Manchester City squad surprised us all with its performances on the domestic front last season and they’re now doing it in Europe. Sergei Yuran’s opening goal for Benfica erased City’s one goal deficit and it looked like the champions were going to go through when Michael Vonk put one in to his own net but two goals on the counter-attack by David White booked City’s spot in the group stages of the competition. Champions League Groups A: Legia Warsaw, PSV, Lillestrom, Inter B: Steaua Bucharest, Porto, Manchester City, Red Star If I were a betting man (and, well, I am), I would put a flutter on Inter cruising through Group A. Group B is much more open, and although I’d put City as fourth-favourite, I wouldn’t be surprised if any of the four teams made it through. *** After the highs of the Champions League, it’s back to action in the FA Cup Third Round. Manchester City cruise through to round four with a win at home over Division Three Barnet. Liverpool are also easy winners, knocking out Conference side Yeovil 4-1. There are also easy wins over lower-division opponents for Leeds, Manchester United Derby, Blackburn and Tottenham. In the all-Premier League ties, Southampton beat Sheffield Wednesday, while Villa beat Chelsea, Nottingham Forest beat Barnsley, and Crystal Palace knocked out Everton at Selhurst Park. In the transfer market, the biggest news comes from Nottingham where Scot Gemmill is sold by Forest to Aston Villa for £2.2 million. It’s the second-highest transfer fee in Premier League history. It’s a surprising sale but Nottingham Forest are underachieving this year—perhaps they think the money can be better spent elsewhere. In London, Chelsea make a big upgrade in the goalkeeping department. Kevin Hitchock will certainly lose his spot at the Blues’ number one keeper now that David Seaman has arrived at Stamford Bridge. Dave Webb only had to pay 450k for Seaman, who was desperate for a move away from Highbury now that Kasey Keller had taken the role as Arsenal’s number one. Also in the transfer market, former England international defender Alvin Martin leaves West Ham after 18 years to join Division Two strugglers Plymouth Argyle on a free transfer. Lastly, to put a wrap on 1993, Peter Reid was named Manager of the Month for December. QPR’s Gary Penrice is named Player of the Month. Up next … there's a new man in charge of the national team Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jeff Posted July 11, 2018 Author Share Posted July 11, 2018 Quote “I think it is time to restore fun and enjoyment and the only way to do that is by winning games.” - Terry Venables The FA appointed former Barcelona, QPR and Crystal Palace boss Terry Venables as the new first team manager on a two-year contract. “El Tel” replaces Graham Taylor who resigned from his post as manager following Engand’s disastrous World Cup qualifying campaign. As part of the search for a new boss, the FA also interviewed Leeds boss Howard Wilkinson and QPR manager Gerry Francis, but according to FA chief Graham Kelly, Venables was the unanimous choice. Venables’ first game will take place at home against Denmark. We know there will be no managerial merry-go-round as the result of England hiring Venables; however, there will obviously be a big change in the squad selection logic as he immediately looks towards Euro 1996. We will watch with interest how his picks differ from Taylor’s. *** Round 23 With big-name transfers, cup rounds, European ties, and the appointment of a new national team boss, it feels like an eternity since the last round of league fixtures was completed, but we’re finally back at it. The round’s glamour tie is a first vs second encounter when Tottenham hosted Liverpool. In the first half it is the hosts who jump out in front through a Gordon Durie goal. Although Spurs controlled the possession, in the second half it was Liverpool who generated all the chances—in the second half that paid off when Steve McManaman cut in from the wing and fired one past Erik Thorstvedt. The game ended in a 1-1 draw and the gap between first and second remained at seven points. At Ewood Park, Blackburn hosted third place QPR and the two teams proved to be evenly matched, each ending with 50% possession and 5 attempts on target. The difference ended up being a goal from Irish defender Eddie McGoldrick in a 1-0 win. Fourth-place Leeds were held to a scoreless draw by Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough, which allowed Manchester City to equal them on points when Peter Reid’s side beat Manchester United 1-0 at Maine Road. The goal scorer was 26-year-old substitute forward Paul Stephenson who scored his first goal for City in his second appearance since moving from Brentford. At the bottom of the table, Ipswich grind out a point at home in a 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest. Midfielder Simon Milton scored his first ever goal for Ipswich in the game, while Nigel Clough scored for the visitors. Strugglers Oldham are unlucky to lose 1-0 against Sheffield United – the Latics are clearly the better team but Paul Rodgers’ goal gives Dave Bassett’s men the three points and pulls them away from the drop zone. Also staying in the bottom three are Barnsley who lose 2-0 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge – a double from Roy Wegerle is the difference. Round 23 Table: Tottenham 49; Liverpool 42; QPR 39; Man City, Leeds 37 Barnsley 20; Oldham 18; Ipswich 15 *** Midweek we’re back to the Cups and it’s the Coca-Cola Cup Quarter-Finals on tap. With only three Premier League teams among the last eight, we start at Selhurst Park where Wimbledon took on Manchester City in the only all-top-flight tie. David White gave the visitors the lead, but John Fashanu pegged City back before half time. Although the teams were relatively evenly matched, it was the experience of Manchester City that made the difference – a second goal from David White puts Peter Reid’s side through to the last four. In the semi-finals they will play Nottingham Forest who were in tough against Division One side Newcastle but a second-half goal from Stan Collymore gave Brian Clough’s side the 1-0 win. Also in to the last four are Arsenal, who got past Leicester 2-1 thanks to goals from John Jensen and Paul Merson, and Division Two Stoke who beat fellow third-tier side Bolton 3-2 in extra time. *** Round 24 Tottenham navigated last round’s challenge against second-place Liverpool but they’re in tough again this week with a trip to third-place QPR up next. In the first half there is no score, although Tottenham perhaps get the better of the game. In the second half, Les Ferdinand pops up and scores a goal for the hosts against the run of play. It’s nail-biting stuff towards the end, especially when defender Brian Law is sent off for Gerry Francis’s men, but they’re able to hang on for the 1-0 win. That cuts the gap between the two sides to seven points. With Tottenham losing, Liverpool had a great chance to close the gap to the leaders as they were hosting last-place Ipswich. We’ve seen a number of similar situations arise in which the higher-placed club is beaten but when Ipswich defender Paul Mardon is sent off, it seems to be a matter of when, not if, the goal will come. It doesn’t. 0-0 is the final, the Kop is not impressed, but the gap is now six points. Leeds also move closer to the leaders with a 2-1 win over Blackburn at Elland Road. Rod Wallace scores his eighth and ninth goals of the season in the win, while Eddie McGoldrick scores in his second straight game for Rovers. At the bottom of the table, Oldham pick up a point in a 2-2 draw at Derby. The Rams have been in a slide the past few weeks, but the point keeps them in 10th in the league, while it does little to increase Oldham’s chances of avoiding the drop. Barnsley, however, look like they have some fight in them and grab a 1-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday. With Sheffield United losing against Coventry, Barnsley are only one point off safety. Round 24 Table: Tottenham 49; Liverpool 43; QPR 42; Leeds 40 Barnsley 23; Oldham 19; Ipswich 16 During the week we see a huge bit of transfer news as Tottenham sell their star young forward/midfielder Nick Barmby to their supposed biggest rivals, Arsenal, for a fee of 2.4 million. That surpasses the Premier League record 2.3 million paid for Stuart Ripley a couple of months ago, but as it’s a Division One team buying the player, I am not sure whether to consider it a new record. Equally stunning, if not more so, is the announcement that Nottingham Forest have signed Les Ferdinand from QPR for 1.7 million. Ferdinand has really started to come in to his own this year and this decision reeks of QPR giving up on their title hopes, which is sort of disappointing. Other pieces of business that catch our eye include the move of veteran striker Lee Chapman from Leeds to Barnsley for 100k. We think this is a shrewd signing for Mel Machin’s side. Kevin Pressman, Sheffield Wednesday’s backup goalkeeper, is on the move to Wimbledon for 350k, and Paul Cook also joins Wimbledon from Wolves, for a fee of 450k. With three of their biggest rivals in the title race all selling forwards this week, is it advantage Liverpool? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilhoskins77 Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 As a man of a certain vintage, reading this quality piece of work has been a nostalgic trip through my teenage years. Reading some names from the past that used to be staples of my street fantasy football sides, when Saturday afternoons meant an ear glued to a radio as the goals went, has made for a riveting read. Looking forward to more Jeff, congratulations on this one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jeff Posted July 14, 2018 Author Share Posted July 14, 2018 Thanks, Neil – I think we’re of a similar vintage, so it’s been an enjoyable trip down memory lane for me, as well! I'm glad you're getting a kick out of it. ======================== Midweek we see Manchester City kick off the group stage of the Champions League and they do so by picking up a big point in Portugal against Bobby Robson’s Porto. Fitzroy Simpson scored the goal in the first half for Peter Reid’s side, while winger Jorge Couto pulled one back for the hosts in the second half. It’s important to note that the Champions League group stage only awards two points for a win, so neither team will feel too disappointed with the result. Round 25 It’s a showdown of the division’s two most prolific scorers when Tony Cottee’s Everton takes on Teddy Sheringham and Tottenham. Spurs have started to wobble over the past few games with just one win from their last five fixtures. The game starts with the two teams evenly matched, most of the good work coming down Tottenham’s left side through Andy Hinchcliffe and Kevin Watson. There are no goals in the first half, however. In the second half, the breakthrough comes and it’s the home side who strike through Cottee’s 14th of the season. Down a goal, Spurs come into the ascendency but the lack of a legitimate finisher beyond Sheringham ends up costing them – Samways, Woan and Anderton all come close, but no one can find the equalizing goal. Spurs’ saving grace during their loss of form has been that no other team has been able to pick up a consistent enough string of results to close the gap. In our last post, we hypothesized that it might be Advantage Liverpool with Barmby leaving Spurs, Ferdinand being sold by QPR and Lee Chapman leaving Leeds, so it goes without saying that the Reds lost 2-0 at home against relegation strugglers Sheffield United. A first half double from captain Jamie Hoyland gives the Blades a vital three points and keeps Liverpool six points back of Spurs. A Les Ferdinand-less QPR also get beaten, falling 3-1 to Manchester United at Old Trafford. Mark Hughes scores a brace for Alex Ferguson’s side, while Gary Parkinson scores his first United goal in the win. For QPR, their main man up front is now Gary Penrice, and he scores in the defeat. Over in Nottingham, Les Ferdinand scores on his Forest debut but it isn’t enough as Brian Clough’s men fall 3-1 at home against Wimbledon. Leeds are the only team in the chasing pack to pick up a win in this round of fixtures, beating Barnsley 2-0 at Elland Road. Lee Chapman plays for the visitors and gets sent off in his first game. The numerical advantage suited the hosts just fine and goals from David Rocastle and Paul Williams were enough to give them the win. At the bottom of the table, there is a huge win for Ipswich over Oldham. Goals from Frank Yallop, Jason Dozzell and a double from Chris Kiwomya give John Lyall’s side a 4-0 win on the road. It pulls Ipswich and Oldham level on 19 points but also shows that Ipswich are gaining momentum right now, whilst Oldham are sinking without a trace. We still don’t think Ipswich will escape the drop but they look likely to go down fighting, something we could not have said a month or two ago. Round 25 Table: Tottenham 49; Leeds, Liverpool 43; QPR 42 Barnsley 23; Ipswich, Oldham 19 *** In Division One, Sunderland now lead the way with 50 points. Norwich and Portsmouth are tied on 48 points in the fight for the second automatic promotion place. Crystal Palace, Millwall and Arsenal round out the top six. Top Scorers 14 – Tony Cottee, Everton 12 – Teddy Sheringham, Tottenham 11 – Stan Collymore, Nottingham Forest 10 – Guy Whittingham, Manchester United; Les Ferdinand, QPR/Nottingham Forest 9 – Matt Le Tissier, Southampton; Paul Williams, Leeds; Rod Wallace, Leeds 7- David White, Manchester City; Mark Hughes, Manchester United In the transfer market, Sheffield Wednesday make their second ever million-pound signing, bringing in Eddie Newton from Chelsea. The last time The Owls spent this kind of money, it was on tremendous flop Ronny Rosenthal, so Trevor Francis’s move will be watched with interest. On the other side of the city, Sheffield United bring in striker Bob Taylor from West Bromwich Albion for 200k. Taylor has been reasonably prolific in the lower leagues scoring 83 goals from 233 games and this is his first chance at the top level. Elsewhere in the market, Tottenham pick up young Manchester City striker Adie Mike for 200k, and veteran Irish defender and all around lovely man, Chris Hughton’s Premier League career is over – he leaves Coventry to join Division Three Preston for 20k. Hughton made five appearances during his time with the Sky Blues. *** Round 26 Oh, Tottenham, what are you doing? It’s one win in seven games now after the leaders go down 1-0 against Aston Villa at home. The culprit is a Neil Ruddock own goal, which adds insult to injury. Thus far, Doug Livermore’s side have been able to rely on the equally inconsistent form of the chasing pack, but Leeds seem to be getting up a head of steam now – goals from Frank Strandli and Paul Williams (our pick for signing of the season) give Howard Wilkinson’s men a 2-0 win over Sheffield United. QPR aren’t going to be outdone – they also pick up three points in a 2-1 win over Southampton at home. Simon Barker and Dennis Bailey score for Gerry Francis’s side in the win. Liverpool have clearly been cursed by our prediction that they might have the advantage in the title race a couple of weeks ago -- they lose again, this time falling 1-0 at Selhurst Park to an in-form Wimbledon side. At the bottom of the table, Oldham bounce back from their humiliation last week to pick up a surprising 2-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough. Goals from a pair of Neils, Adams and McDonald, give the Latics the win. Ipswich continue to find points, as well, as they grab a draw against Coventry at Portman Road. We can’t say the same for Barnsley who have only one win in seven following a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United at Oakwell. First half goals from Ryan Giggs and Lee Sharpe give Ferguson’s men the win. Round 26 Table: Tottenham 49; Leeds 46; QPR 45; Liverpool 43 Barnsley 23; Oldham 22; Ipswich 20 We book-end this update with another look at Manchester City’s Champions League campaign. Their first home game in the group is against Red Star Belgrade and the game ends in a 1-1 draw. The visitors go up a goal in the first half but are then reduced to ten men. That opens the door for David White to grab a second half equalizer. City have two points from two games, while Red Star top the group with three. In Group A, Norwegian side Lillestrom are the early leaders with three points. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jeff Posted July 15, 2018 Author Share Posted July 15, 2018 Coca Cola Cup Semi-Finals Division One Arsenal would have felt confident of their chances of advancing to Wembley after being drawn against Division Two side Stoke in the semi-finals of the Coca-Cola Cup. Any cockiness that they might have felt would have quickly faded when Stoke winger Ian Cranson popped up for a first-half goal in their tie at Highbury. From the time Stoke took a shock lead, Arsenal battered them. In the second half, an equalizer came from captain Steve Bould but despite the best efforts of Ian Wright, Paul Merson, Nick Barmby et al, they weren’t able to find a second goal. 1-1 is the final heading back to Victoria Park and both teams will feel like an appearance at Wembley is within their grasp. In the second semi-final, Manchester City took one step closer to another trip to Wembley by beating Nottingham Forest 1-0 in the first leg of their semi-final tie at the City Ground. The teams were evenly matched throughout, but a second-half goal from Mike Sheron made the difference. It’s proving to be an interesting year for City – they now look likely to make the League Cup finals, they’re in the FA Cup 5th Round and the Champions League group stage. At this point, their hopes of defending the league title seem to be gone, but could they be in line for a Cup treble? Also mid-week, Terry Venables announced his first England squad. There hasn’t been a tremendous turnover from Graham Taylor’s squads; however, young winger Steve McManaman gets his first ever callup. In addition, Arsenal striker Ian Wright makes a return to the England setup. There is no Teddy Sheringham or Tony Cottee, though. The squad to face Denmark is as follows: Goalkeepers: Chris Woods, Sheffield Wednesday (44 caps); John Lukic, Leeds (no caps) Defenders; Gavin Johnson, Manchester City (1 cap); Paul Parker, Manchester United (24 caps); Terry Phelan, Manchester City (no caps); Tony Dorigo, Leeds (15 caps, 1 goal); Gary Pallister, Manchester United (12 caps, 1 goal); Des Walker, Sampdoria (52 caps); Paul Lake, Manchester City (no caps); Keith Curle, Manchester City (3 caps) Midfielders: Chris Bart-Williams, Sheffield Wednesday (1 cap); Steve McManaman, Liverpool (no caps); Kevin Watson, Tottenham (5 caps); Alan Wright, Blackburn (no caps); Nigel Clough, Nottingham Forest (14 caps, 2 goals); David Platt, Sampdoria (35 caps, 12 goals); Paul Gascoigne, Lazio (29 caps, 5 goals); Vinny Samways, Tottenham (no caps) Attackers: Alan Shearer, Blackburn (6 caps, 2 goals); Ian Wright, Arsenal (9 caps,1 goal); David Hirst, Sheffield Wednesday (11 caps, 5 goals); Mike Sheron, Manchester City (2 caps, 1 goal) *** Cup week continues at the weekend with the FA Cup Fifth Round. Our eyes were on the result from Roots Hall, where totally out of form Tottenham travelled to Division One club Southend. The Premier League leaders went in front in the first half thanks to a goal from Scott Houghton, but Southend made a strong effort in the second half, going up 2-1 with goals from Brett Angell and Alex Inglethorpe. A Gordon Durie equalizer for Spurs ensured there would be a replay but Doug Livermore had to admit that Southend were the better side on the day and Spurs dodgy run continues. On a whole, it was a dismal showing by the Premier League sides in the Cup. Blackburn was held by Crystal Palace at Ewood Park, and Derby were beaten 1-0 by Division One Peterborough at the Baseball Ground. For whatever reason, Peterborough always seem to be strong in the Cups. The biggest result of the round came at the Vetch Field where Division One’s bottom club Swansea knocked out Manchester United 2-1. The Swans got first half goals from captain Alan Pardew and young winger Paul Devlin; Lee Sharpe pulled one back in the second half, but no one could deny that Frank Burrows’ side were deserving winners on the day. The only Premier League sides to move into the quarter finals in a relatively straight-forward manner were Manchester City, which beat Swindon 2-0, and Aston Villa, which beat Southampton 3-1 in the only all-Premier League tie. Perhaps spurred on by the pathetic performance in the Cup, Manchester United splash the cash in the transfer market bringing in Scottish defender Colin Hendry for 1 million from Blackburn. Hendry should slide into the starting backline alongside Gary Pallister. Paul Parker had been playing centre back but should shift out to the right side, while Gary Parkinson will probably drop out of the starting lineup. Elsewhere in the transfer market, Stig Inge Bjornbye swaps the red side of Merseyside for the blue side, joining Everton for 400k. In a shrewd move for the future, Chelsea sign Nottingham Forest midfielder Steve Stone for 250k. Stone is a young player with a bright future, but he had yet to break into the Forest first team. With Andy Townsend, Craig Burley and Dennis Wise ahead of him in the Chelsea pecking order, we don’t expect Stone to break right into the lineup right away but he’s one to watch. *** England vs Denmark Friendly Wembley Stadium England: Woods; Parker, Phelan, Pallister, Walker; Watson, Clough (Samways 66), Gascoigne (Bart-Williams 66), Platt; Shearer, I. Wright Denmark: Schmeichel, Christensen (Hogh 70), B. Laudrup, Jensen, Kjelberg, Larsen, M. Laudrup, Vilfort (Frederiksen 70), Dethlefsen, Olsen, Rieper The curtain was raised on the Terry Venables era and the opening night performance ended with a standing ovation. England were vibrant and optimistic under Venables, and even though the deciding goal came from a member of the old guard – David Platt – it felt like a new team. The goal came after 17 minutes when a long ball from debutant Terry Phelan found Alan Shearer 25 yards from goal. He knocked the ball down for Platt who nipped in before the defender and knocked it past Schmeichel. Denmark’s only chance came in the second half from Brian Laudrup, and really England should have beaten the European champions by a couple of more. Platt came close and Kevin Watson should have scored, as well. Over the past year, the most common way for England supporters to mark the end of a game was to chant "We Want Taylor Out". This time, however, it was to a round of applause. Once more, England expects... England 1 (Platt 17) Denmark 0 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jeff Posted July 15, 2018 Author Share Posted July 15, 2018 Round 27 Another week, another Tottenham loss. Their complete and absolute loss of form has been something incredible. By my count, it’s one win in nine games for Spurs now, as they lose 1-0 at home against Blackburn. You have to imagine that Arsenal fans everywhere are getting a kick out of the ultimate Spursy moment. (Cue the 11-game winning streak) It has taken a while for any team to catch Tottenham but it finally happened – Leeds pull into a first-place tie following their 2-0 win over Manchester United at Elland Road. Rod Wallace scores again, while David Rocastle also grabs a goal for the home side. QPR are just a point back now in third, following their 2-0 win over Derby. A Dennis Bailey double has put Gerry Francis’s men right in the thick of the title race – will they regret the sale of Les Ferdinand, though? I still expect the answer to that will be yes. Don’t count out fourth-place Liverpool, either. They’re four points back of the leaders following a 2-2 draw at home against Southampton but they are still within striking distance. At the bottom of the table, Sheffield Wednesday have slipped up on a few occasions against struggling sides but they easily turn over Ipswich 2-0 at home. Veteran winger Chris Waddle and his heir-apparent Chris Bart-Williams both score for the Owls. We wrote off Oldham a few rounds ago, but they seem to be finding some form now – after last week’s win, they follow it up with a 2-2 draw at home against Chelsea. Mike Milligan and Andy Ritchie both score for Joe Royle’s men while Andy Townsend and Robert Fleck grab goals for the Blues. Oldham’s point pulls them level with Barnsley on 23 points after the Tykes fall 2-1 at Wimbledon. The Dons are flying under the radar but have put together a strong run of form, led by the performances of winger Aiden Newhouse who scores for the second straight league game. Andy Clarke also scores for Joe Kinnear’s men, while Andy Rammell scores a consolation goal for Barnsley. Round 27 Table: Leeds, Tottenham 49; QPR 48; Liverpool 44 Oldham, Barnsley 23; Ipswich 20 *** Mid-week, it’s Transfer Deadline Day! There is a flurry of action and the major players are Tottenham. Doug Livermore’s men try to arrest their shocking slide by adding some experience in midfield with the pickup of Nigel Spackman, and a goal scoring threat with the pickup of Mike Marsh from Liverpool for a club record £1.9 million. To free up space for the arrivals, Spurs unload Scott Houghton to Chelsea for 900k and Justin Edinburgh to Oldham for 700k. QPR are also active at the deadline bringing in a pair of players from Sheffield Wednesday. Mark Bright signs for 250k, which should help their goalscoring problems and utility man David Howells signs for 800k. Other players on the move include Gordon Cowans, who moves from Blackburn to Forest for 100k, Peter Atherton and Micky Quinn, who both leave Coventry to join Division One side Port Vale, and Steve Froggatt, who departs Aston Villa to join Newcastle for 1 million. Froggatt is an England Under 21 international but he might get the opportunity to play every week in the second tier, something he was not doing at the Premier League level. Coca Cola Cup Semi-Finals, 2nd leg It all seemed pretty easy for Manchester City in the semi-finals. Up 1-0 from the first leg, they grab another 1-0 win in the second leg at home. Gary Flitcroft scores the goal that secures Peter Reid’s side’s advancement to Wembley. In the final City will meet either Arsenal or Stoke, the two teams are even heading into the second leg at Stoke. Arsenal were the better team in the first leg but were playing catchup after Stoke took the lead. The same thing happens in the second leg when Paul Ware scores to give Lou Macari’s side the 1-0 lead. Swedish international Anders Limpar scores for the Gunners to even things up. But it is that man Paul Ware, who seals his status as a Stoke City hero by scoring his second goal of the game and giving the Potters the 2-1 win on the night, a 3-2 win overall, and a ticket to a final at Wembley. Considering Stoke are near the bottom of the third tier it will be an amazing experience for their fans. (ed – A word about club legends and heroes. It’s been a while since I played a post-1990s version of CM/FM, but I know at some point there is an introduction of club heroes and legends. Based on this performance, Paul Ware will be listed as a Stoke legend when that option is included in the game. My reference point was Mickey Thomas of Wrexham – I considered this a similar type of performance that would live on in Stoke’s history, especially as Ware passed away at a very young age due to a brain tumour.) *** Round 28 Let’s call this a week that the teams leading the pack would like to forget. It goes without saying that Tottenham lost – this isn’t even a surprise anymore. Losing to last-place Ipswich just adds insult to injury. Leeds lost, too, thanks to a masterful performance by Matt Le Tissier – the man from Jersey scores twice in a 2-0 Southampton win. That opened the door for QPR to go to the top of the pile, but they ended up losing 1-0 to Barnsley. Liverpool in fourth? Well, they lost, too – dropping 2-1 at Nottingham Forest. That allows Everton to crack the top four after they get a 2-0 win over Chelsea – Billy Kenny and Tony Cottee both score for Howard Kendall’s side. At the bottom of the table, the wins by Barnsley and Ipswich, bomcined with Oldham losing 2-0 at Aston Villa have made things tighter. Right now, Sheffield United are two points above the drop zone with 28 points, while Barnsley are on 26, and Ipswich and Oldham are equal on 23. Round 28 Table: Leeds, Tottenham 49; QPR 48; Everton 45 Sheffield United 28 / Barnsley 26; Ipswich, Oldham 23 Midweek we’re off to Europe and Manchester City continue their good run in the Champions League beating Steaua Bucharest 2-1 in Romania. That result puts City on four points, level with Porto. In Group A, Lillestrom and Inter are both equal on four points. In the UEFA Cup, Liverpool travel to Israel to take on Zefat in their Quarter-Final tie. In the first half, Zefat take a surprising lead but Don Hutchison equalizes for the Reds. Graeme Souness’s side were the better of the two teams but when Torben Piechnik got sent off the Reds were happy to settle for a draw, assuming they can win it back home in Liverpool. They will be the favourites. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jeff Posted July 21, 2018 Author Share Posted July 21, 2018 In an earlier post we noted that Division One side Peterborough tend to overachieve in the domestic cups so when they lined up against a Tottenham side who can’t win a game to save their lives in their FA Cup Quarter-Final tie it wasn’t exactly clear who the favourites were. The Posh took a first-half lead through a Steve Hayward goal and went into the break with a 1-0 advantage. Tottenham pulled level in the second half with a goal from Teddy Sheringham but Peterborough grabbed the game by the horns and picked up a winner from David Roche and an insurance marker from Dominic Iorfa – Peterborough advance to the semi-finals with a 3-1 win. In the semi-finals they will face Manchester City who needed extra time to beat another Division One side, Swansea. Manchester City took the lead with a Mike Sheron goal but counter-attacking goals from Lee Mills and Mike Ross gave Swansea a 2-1 lead at the break. David White equalized in the second half and after 90 minutes it was 2-2. Peter Reid’s side were clearly the better of the two teams and the difference in quality emerged in extra time when it was all one-way traffic – a second goal from David White and an insurance goal from Lee Jones made it a 4-2 final. In the second semi-final it will be Aston Villa taking on Division One Sunderland. Villa got a hat trick from Dean Saunders to beat Millwall 3-0 in their quarter-final, while the Mackems got two goals from midfielder Gordon Armstrong to knock out defending FA Cup winners Crystal Palace 2-1. *** Round 29 Despite Tottenham going through a Spursy run of epic proportions, they are still joint-top of the Premeir League, tied with Leeds. In the round’s feature match, hapless Spurs hosted Manchester City. Spurs have found a number of ways to lose games over the past couple of months, and this time they lose in large part to self-inflicted damage. Neil Ruddock gets sent off for Doug Livermore’s side and England international Terry Phelan scores from the resulting free kick and City win 1-0. Also in London, Leeds seize their opportunity to go to the top of the league by themselves. A first half goal from defender Chris Fairclough and a defensive performance that completely stymied the Dons was more than enough for a 1-0 win. QPR pull level with Spurs, three points back of Leeds after they draw 1-1 at home against Sheffield United. Andy Impey scores for Rangers while Brian Deane replied for the Blades. Liverpool also close in on the pack with a 2-1 win at Barnsley. Liverpool’s new forward pair of Don Hutchison and Paul Stewart both score for the Reds in the win. Those two results both have an impact at the bottom of the table, where Sheffield United are now three points ahead of Barnsley in the battle to avoid the drop. Ipswich and Oldham both sit six points from safety as both clubs lost this week. Ipswich fell 1-0 to Chelsea, thanks to a goal from Frank Sinclair, and Oldham were beaten 2-0 by Blackburn at Ewood Park. Alan Shearer scored a rare goal for Rovers in the win. Round 29 Table: Leeds 52; Tottenham, QPR 49; Liverpool 47 Sheffield United 29 / Barnsley 26; Ipswich, Oldham 23 Midweek brings a humiliating moment for English clubs in Europe when Liverpool took on Israeli side Zefat in their UEFA Cup Quarter Final tie. After a 1-1 draw in Israel, most observers would have expected Liverpool to win the second leg at a canter. That all fell apart when the visitors hit the Reds for two first half goals. Needing three goals in the second half to advance, Liverpool pulled one back through a Martin Keown goal but that’s as close as they got. Liverpool fans are left shell-shocked by the result, while Zefat moves on. Also in Europe, could we be seeing the first appearance of an English side in a Champions League final? We’re one step closer now that Manchester City has beaten Porto 2-0 at home. The win moves City to the top of their group and with two games to go, Peter Reid’s side are in with a genuine chance. *** Round 30 Barring a collapse of Tottenham proportions, Leeds have one hand on the Premier League title now. In the crucial fixtures at the top of the table, Leeds beat QPR 2-0 at Elland Road with goals from David Rocastle and Gary Speed. Leeds are dominant in the performance and Rocastle in particular has been in fine form over the past couple of months. Given the way Howard Wilkinson’s team seems to be finding their form and all the teams around them aren’t capable of stringing together results, I feel pretty confident they’ll go on to win the league. Spurs lost again, of course. That’s their seventh straight loss in the league – a remarkable accomplishment considering how dominant they were in the first half of the season. This week the loss was at the hands of Chelsea, who grab a winner from Roy Wegerle in a 1-0 final. At what point do Spurs consider sacking Doug Livermore just to try and inject some life into their title challenge? We’ll see. Liverpool, still shaken from their embarrassing turn in Europe, had a chance to rebound against Derby in the league and when Steve McManaman opened the scoring for the Reds there was a collective sigh of relief from across the Kop. Coming up on the outside are Everton who beat Blackburn 1-0 at Goodison Park thanks to a Peter Beagrie goal. The win moves Howard Kendall’s side into a tie with Liverpool for fourth place on 48 points. There is a collection of other teams just back of fourth, including Aston Villa, Manchester United and Nottingham Forest, all of whom might still fancy themselves in with a shot. At the bottom of the table, there is a huge win for Mel Machin’s Barnsley as they beat Sheffield United 1-0 at Bramall Lane. The goal comes from experienced striker Lee Chapman and the win pulls the two teams level on 29 points. Ipswich and Oldham remain six points behind after both teams lose again -they’re gone. Round 30 Table: Leeds 55; Tottenham, QPR 49; Liverpool, Everton 48 Sheffield United, Barnsley 29; Ipswich, Oldham 23 In Division One, it is very close among the top six, who have broken away from the rest of the pack. Right now, Sunderland and Millwall are joint-top on 57 points. Norwich are third on 56, Crystal Palace and Portsmouth have 53 points and Arsenal round out the top six with 51 points. *** Top Scorers 16 – Tony Cottee, Everton 14 – Les Ferdinand, QPR / Nottingham Forest 12 – Teddy Sheringham, Tottenham 11 – Matt Le Tissier, Southampton; Rod Wallace, Leeds; Stan Collymore, Nottingham Forest 10 – Guy Whittingham, Manchester United 9 – David White, Manchester City; Paul Williams, Leeds All Time Scoring Leaders 25 – Les Ferdinand, QPR / Nottingham Forest 24 – Tony Cottee, Everton 23 – Teddy Sheringham, Tottenham 20 – John Fashanu, Wimbledon 19 – Robert Fleck, Chelsea 17 – Mike Newell, Blackburn; Stan Collymore, Nottingham Forest 16 – Paul Warhurst, Sheffield Wednesday 15 – Alan Cork, Sheffield United; Dean Saunders, Aston Villa Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jeff Posted July 21, 2018 Author Share Posted July 21, 2018 Round 31 Welcome to the home stretch! Last week we hypothesized that Leeds, with a six-point lead in the league, had one hand on the Premier League title. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from watching the league over the past two seasons, it’s that nothing comes easily for any team. And so it goes with Leeds – a win over Nottingham Forest would have really put the other teams in the league to the sword, but this is a Nottingham Forest who I think are probably the best attacking team in the division right now. The signing of Les Ferdinand has completely revolutionized Brian Clough’s side and their new attacking trident of Ferdinand, Nigel Clough and Stan Collymore is simply without equal. At the City Ground it’s a goal for the younger Clough which gives Forest a 1-0 win over the league leaders and blows the title race wide open again. At Boundary Park it’s an eighth straight loss for Tottenham, falling 2-1 to the league’s bottom club, Oldham. Andy Barlow and Darren Beckford score for Joe Royle’s side while Vinny Samways scored Spurs’ lone goal. Spurs remain six points back of the league leaders while Oldham inch closer to survival. QPR had been the other member of the lead pack who were starting to come off the rails and their wobble continues with a 1-0 loss at fellow London side Wimbledon. That opened the door for either of the two Merseyside clubs to move up into second with a win. Everton weren’t able to take advantage of the chance, losing 2-1 at Coventry, and neither were Liverpool, who were beaten 1-0 at home by Manchester United, thanks to a goal from Mark Hughes. And don’t look now but with that win, suddenly United jump into a tie for second place with Spurs and QPR on 49 points. Wins from Aston Villa and Sheffield Wednesday blow the race wide open – there are now nine teams within seven points of the lead. Game on! Villa, led by Dean Saunders, have hit a real purple patch – the Welshman’s double in their win over Chelsea gives him seven goals in his last four games in all competitions. At the bottom of the table, we read about Oldham’s victory over Tottenham. Ipswich picked up a point, as well, thanks to a 1-1 draw at home against Manchester City. The title race is wide open but one thing we will say with certainty is that City will not retain their title. A cup treble, on the other hand… that’s not out of the question. Sheffield United are feeling the pressure from being sucked into the bottom three. They are totally outplayed by Derby County in a 2-1 loss at the Baseball Ground. Tommy Johnson scores both goals in the Rams’ win while Brian Deane hit one in reply. Meanwhile, Barnsley are out of the bottom three with a 2-2 draw at Southampton. Lee Chapman scores in his second straight games and we begin to wonder whether his experience will ultimately be the difference in whether Mel Machin’s men beat the drop. Stay tuned. Round 31 Table: Leeds 55; Tottenham, Manchester United, QPR 49; Sheffield Wednesday, Liverpool, Everton, Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa 48 Barnsley 30 / Sheffield United 29; Oldham 26; Ipswich 24 *** Round 32 Some would argue that the mark of a champion, something that has been sorely lacking from any team this year, is how they respond to a bad result. If that’s true, then Leeds make a heck of a statement in their 2-0 win over Liverpool. First-half goals from Frank Strandli and Paul Williams set the tone for Howard Wilkinson’s side and they barely give Liverpool a sniff of goal throughout the match. Is that one hand back on the trophy? Heading into this round of fixtures, three teams were tied on 49 points: Tottenham, Manchester United and QPR. Of these three, we thought the most likely to pick up a result this time out would be Alex Ferguson’s men who were home to Wimbledon. Unfortunately, the Dons had other plans – a goal from Vinny Jones gives Joe Kinnear’s men a 1-0 win and leaves us thinking that United are the ultimate nearly men—every time it looks like they’re putting together a run of form that will put them into contention they lose. Tottenham and QPR are both going backwards, and the trend holds true to form this week – both clubs lose home games 2-0, QPR falling to fellow contenders Nottingham Forest and Tottenham losing to Coventry. The shake-up at the top opens the door for Everton who were able to pick up a 2-0 win at home over Oldham. The win moves Howard Kendall’s men up into second place and Tony Cottee’s second half goal pulls him even with Les Ferdinand as the all-time Premier League leading goal scorer. In the relegation battle, Lee Chapman scores in his third straight game to give Barnsley a 1-1 draw against Derby at Oakwell. If Barnsley do manage to stay up, you’d have to say that the 100k spent on the 34-year-old Chapman was money extremely well spent. Sheffield United match Barnsley’s result to remain one point behind the Tykes. They get a goal from Dion Dublin to earn a 1-1 draw against Southampton; Perry Groves scores for Southampton, his third goal in two games for the Saints. We wrote off Ipswich about nine games in to the season but there might be some signs of life there, after all. They are back in with a shot of survival thanks to a 1-0 win over Blackburn at Ewood Park. Club record signing Niall Quinn grabs his fifth goal of the year in the win. They’re now on 27 points, just four off safety. Round 32 Table: Leeds 59; Everton, Nottingham Forest 51; Manchester United, Tottenham, Aston Villa, QPR 49 Barnsley 31 / Sheffield United 30; Ipswich 27; Oldham 26 *** In Europe, Manchester City pick up a huge 0-0 draw against Red Star Belgrade in Yugoslavia, and they are now just one game away from the Champions League final. They head into their last group stage match having to match or better Porto’s result. Porto will host Red Star, while City will host Romanian club Steaua Bucharest. Group B Standings: Man City 7; Porto 6; Red Star 4; Steaua 3 In the other Champions League group, it is going down to the wire and all four teams are in with a shot. Inter Milan have the advantage right now, with six points from five games. In their last game they will take on Dutch side PSV, who are bottom of their group. Norwegian side Lillestrom and Polish side Legia Warsaw are both on five points and face each other in the last game – if Inter drop points and there is a winner of the Lillestrom Legia fixture, the winner will advance to the finals. We close this update by putting the spotlight on the FA Cup Semi-Finals. At Old Trafford, Aston Villa beat Division One Sunderland to book their place in the final. The hero was former Leeds man Carl Shutt, who came off the bench to score the winner. Interestingly, it was Shutt’s first appearance since signing from Leeds earlier this year. In the other semi-final, the result is exactly what Peter Reid and Manchester City would not have wanted: a draw. City took the lead against Peterborough through a first-half Mike Sheron goal but the Posh equalized through Dominic Iorfa and will be forced to do it all again. With a crucial Champions League game against Steaua coming up, followed by the League Cup final against Stoke, City don’t want an extra fixture, but they’ll do it all again at Villa Park in three days’ time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jeff Posted July 21, 2018 Author Share Posted July 21, 2018 Division One Peterborough and Manchester City could not be separated during the first 90 minutes of their FA Cup Semi-Final tie. In the second leg it looked like more of the same after the two sides went goalless in the first half of the replay. In the second half, though, the gulf in class between the two sides began to show. As City racked up possession, Mike Sheron finally provided the breakthrough. Sheron added a second goal late on to break Peterborough’s fighting spirit and to book themselves a spot in the FA Cup Final against Aston Villa. Round 33 Leeds, you are a frustrating team. Twice in the last three rounds of games, we’ve speculated that you were on your way to clinching the title. In between the two wins was a bad loss, which they were able to recover from, but this week they lose to an Ipswich side who look destined for relegation, and that blows the title race wide open again. Niall Quinn hasn’t exactly been lighting up the goal scoring charts this season, but he comes through with another big goal for John Lyall’s side, and it seems that the Tractor Boys are finding some momentum at just the right time. The question, then, becomes who will be able to capitalize on Leeds’ loss. The answer, in typical Premier League fashion, is no one. Everton play to a 1-1 draw against Liverpool at Anfield—Ronny Rosenthal gets a very rare goal for the Blues against his former club, while John Barnes scores for Graeme Souness’s side. Nottingham Forest are also kept to a draw, tying Blackburn 2-2 at the City Ground. Blackburn’s striker duo of Mike Newell and Alan Shearer both find the nets, the first time they have ever scored in the same game (mostly due to Shearer’s injuries), while Gary Crosby and Neil Webb score for Forest. Aston Villa move into a tie for second place with a 2-0 win over Sheffield United. Tony Daley and Garry Parker both score for a Villa side that racked up a ridiculous 74% possession. The Blades, it would appear, are going down the drain. If you’re an Arsenal fan, or just enjoying watching Tottenham’s losing streak continue, I have good news for you: it’s now up to 10 games. Doug Livermore’s side are beaten by a Wimbledon team that have now won four on the bounce. A goal from Aiden Newhouse and a brace from Robbie Earle were the difference in a 3-1 Dons win. QPR are nearly as bed, getting hammered again – this time losing 4-1 to Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough. David Hirst scores a hat trick for the Owls in the win. In a relegation six-pointer at Boundary Park, I think we can officially say good-bye to Oldham, after they lose a wild one 3-2 against Barnsley. Lee Chapman opened the scoring for Barnsley but an equalizer from Roger Palmer had the teams level at half time. In the second half, Oldham defender Paul Wanless sees red for a reckless tackle on Martin Allen, and from that point on Barnsley take control. A second goal from Chapman (who else) made it 2-1 and Brendan O’Connell’s first of the year made it 3-1 for the Tykes. Justin Edinburgh pulled one back for Oldham but by the end of the game the Oldham players knew they were almost certainly going to be playing in Division One next year. Round 33 Table: Leeds 58; Everton, Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa 52 Barnsley 34 / Ipswich, Sheffield United 30; Oldham 26 *** At the end of the month, Manchester City boss Peter Reid is named Manager of the Month. At this point they may as well just rename the award the Peter Reid trophy as he wins it nearly every month. Aston Villa striker Dean Saunders is deservedly named Player of the Month. Midweek, eyes turn to Manchester for the biggest European game an English team has been a part of since United were in the Cup Winners’ Cup Final in 1991. This time, though, it is their cross-town rivals Manchester City who know that with a win over Romanian side Steaua Bucharest they are in to the Champions League Final. In the first half the teams are evenly matched, City getting slightly more possession but Steaua creating more with their opportunities. In the second half, Steaua start to become more in control getting a couple of good chances against Ludek Miklosko’s goal. However, when the goal comes, it’s against the run of play – David White breaks away after a through ball from Fitzroy Simpson, he rounds the keeper and scores. White is shown a yellow card for “excessive celebrations” but he won’t care because his goal books Manchester City’s spot in the 1994 Champions League Final in Athens! In the final, City’s opponent will be Inter Milan who qualify on goal difference after their 0-0 draw against PSV in the Netherlands. There’s no time for City to reflect on their win, as they are thrust right into the first domestic cup final of the year. *** 1994 Coca-Cola Cup Final Manchester City vs Stoke Wembley Stadium For City, it’s been a season in which they’ve been unbeatable in cup competitions and consequently their league form has suffered. The defending Premier League champions haven’t been in contention since about the quarter post of the season and have slipped down into mid-table as their fixture list has continued to grow. In the League Cup, City had a couple of close calls early on, including the epic penalty shootout against Ipswich, but have looked pretty comfortable since. They will enter the game as heavy favourites, led by the front line of David White and Mike Sheron. For Stoke fans, this will be a day to remember. The Division Two side have benefited from a relatively easy path to Wembley but they passed their biggest test in the semi-finals beating Arsenal over two legs. Stoke fans will forever remember the performances of Paul Ware on the cup run. Ware scored three times, including two in the decisive semi-final second-leg match against Arsenal. The Road to Wembley: Man City Round 2, 1st Leg: Man City 2-1 Portsmouth (Vonk, Hill OG) Round 2, 2nd Leg: Portsmouth 1-1 Man City (Holden) Round 3: Ipswich 0-0p Man City (City win 12-11 on penalties) Round 4: Man City 3-0 Brighton (Curle, Parks OG, Rostron OG) Round 5: Wimbledon 1-2 Man City (White x2) Semi-Final, 1st Leg: Nottm Forest 0-1 Man City (Sheron) Semi-Final, 2nd Leg: Man City 1-0 Forest (Flitcroft) Stoke Round 2, 1st Leg: Crewe 2-2 Stoke (Ware, Regis) Round 2, 2nd Leg: Stoke 1-1 Crewe (Ward) Round 3: Stoke 1-0 Birmingham (Moralee) Round 4: Stoke 1-0 Barnet (Kelly) Round 5: Stoke 3-2 Bolton (Beeston, Moralee, O’Shea) Semi-Final, 1st Leg; Arsenal 1-1 Stoke (Cranson) Semi-Final, 2nd Leg: Stoke 2-1 Arsenal (Ware x2) Lineups: Man City: Ludek Miklosko; Terry Phelan, Michael Vonk, Keith Curle ©, Gavin Johnson; Paul Lake, Fitzroy Simpson, Garry Flitcroft, Scott Thomas; Mike Sheron, David White Subs: Ian Brightwell, Lee Jones Stoke: Ron Sinclair ©; Lee Sandford, Ian Wright, Steve Davis, Chris Short; Shaun Cunnington, Paul Ware, Carl Beeston, Ian Cranson; Dave Regis, Jamie Moralee Subs: Bobby O’Shea, John Brough Both teams field their strongest possible starting elevens illustrating that Peter Reid does not take this one for granted. Regular right-winger Rick Holden is out with an injury which gives Scott Thomas the opportunity to start. For Stoke, they are without young Bermudan striker Shaun Goater, which opens the door for Dave Regis to start beside Jamie Moralee. 21-year-old John Brough is on the bench for the Potters as a backup striking option; however, he has yet to score a goal at senior level. In the match, both teams start with an element of caution – probably due to nerves. That changes when Michael Vonk clatters in to Stoke forward Dave Regis and he is forced to come off. Vonk is booked and Stoke bring on Bobby O’Shea, changing to a more defensive 4-5-1 formation. The change clogs up the midfield but City carve out an opening when a sweeping ball from Terry Phelan plays through Fitzroy Simpson who splits the defenders and beats Ron Sinclair to give City the lead. City quickly make it 2-0 when David White finishes a solo effort, capitalizing on an error by Steve Davis. Stoke show some signs of life when Carl Beeston heads in an Ian Cranson cross and it’s 2-1 City at the break. In the second half, Manchester City clinch the win when Michael Vonk connects with a Paul Lake corner and beats Sinclair to give City a 3-1 lead. From that point is was celebration time for the City fans. Another piece of silverware is coming home. Final Score: Manchester City 3-1 Stoke (Simpson, White, Vonk; Beeston) Man of the Match: Terry Phelan, Manchester City Manchester City win the League Cup for the third time Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jeff Posted July 21, 2018 Author Share Posted July 21, 2018 Round 34 With five rounds of fixtures remaining to be played, Leeds have a six-point lead on three chasing teams: Everton, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest. As we head towards squeaky bum time, this round of fixtures is all about staying as you were. We start with the leaders, who were held 2-2 at home by Derby. David Batty and Gary Speed scored for Leeds, while Chris Coleman and Paul Simpson replied for Arthur Cox’s men. Everton and Nottingham Forest both drew 0-0 against teams near the bottom of the table this round. Barnsley held Forest at Oakwell while Ipswich held Everton at Goodison Park. Aston Villa drew, too: 1-1 at Blackburn, Dalian Atkinson hitting the net for Villa. The biggest result of the week was Sheffield Wednesday jumping up into second place with a 5-0 thrashing of Tottenham at White Hart Lane. I have no idea how Doug Livermore still has a job after their 11th straight defeat. Manchester United have fought their way back in to contention, as well, with a 3-1 win over Southampton at Old Trafford. Brian McClair has been a forgotten man this year, but he hits the net twice –his first two goals of the season—in the win. United join the pack six points back of Leeds. Last week we said you could stick a proverbial fork in Oldham because they were done. Normally when I make that bold a prediction, the team immediately proves me wrong but the Latics’ performance in their 1-0 loss at Manchester City leads me to believe they’ve given up. They were abysmal and it was only City’s poor finishing (and presumably very tired legs) that prevented the margin of victory from being wider. One team that is going to try and prove that they still have some life is Sheffield United. After an abject performance last time out we speculated they were sinking without a trace. Cue the 2-0 win over a Wimbledon side which had won four on the trot. Brian Deane and Carl Bradshaw score for the Blades and show they’re not ready to give up yet. Round 34 Table: Leeds 59; Sheff Wed 54; Man Utd, Everton, Nottm Forest, Aston Villa 53 Barnsley 35 / Sheff Utd 33; Ipswich 31; Oldham 26 Oldham will now officially be relegated if they lose any more points, Sheffield United win one of their last four or Barnsley pick up a single point. *** Round 35 We start the roundup by focusing on the outcome of Oldham’s game for two reasons: first, we expect they’ll be officially relegated by the end of the day, and second because if they’re not, it means the title race will be wide open, because the team visiting Boundary Park today is Leeds. Too often in situations where top has met bottom, there has been a banana skin-type scenario and the bottom club has emerged victorious—after 45 minutes of minimal action, the potential for a smash and grab job win for Oldham was there. Ultimately, though, Oldham just weren’t up for it – they generated nothing all game and Howard Wilkinson’s men got the three points they deserved when Paul Williams banged in a 65th minute winner. Oldham are relegated, and Leeds heap the pressure on the chasing pack. Second played third at Hillsborough to see who Leeds major rival would be for the run-in. Manchester United start much the better side and are quickly 2-0 up through goals from Brian McClair and Eric Cantona. Phil King pulled one back for the Owls before half-time to make it 2-1 but an Ian Marshall own goal in the second half gave Alex Ferguson’s men the 3-1 victory and they jump past Wednesday in to second. They’re joined on 56 points by Nottingham Forest, who beat Chelsea 2-0. Neil Webb scores his third goal in four games for Forest and Les Ferdinand scores the second. Sir Les has been absolutely unstoppable since his move from QPR and I wouldn’t put it past Forest to win the league next year. With Oldham’s relegation confirmed, the big one at the bottom of the table was Ipswich hosting Sheffield United. Both teams have shown recent signs of life, but you’d have to think it will be the end of the road for whoever loses today. The teams are very evenly matched throughout, with the possession stats showing each team held 50%. After a scoreless first half, it is Sheffield United who get the breakthrough with a huge goal from midfielder John Gannon. Simon Milton was in good form for Ipswich and the midfielder tried to drive his team on for an equalizer but they just couldn’t beat Mark Beeney in the Blades’ goal. 1-0 is the final – an enormous result for Sheffield United’s survival chances, and further magnified when news of the result at Highfield Road comes through: Coventry beat Barnsley 2-0, thanks to goals from Lloyd McGrath and Graeme Sharp. That means Sheffield United leapfrog Barnsley and are out of the bottom three. Round 35 Table: Leeds 62; Man Utd, Nottm Forest 56; Sheff Wed, Aston Villa 54 Sheff Utd 36 / Barnsley 35; Ipswich 31; Oldham 26 (R) In Division One, Millwall are looking good for automatic promotion. They are now eight points up on third-place Sunderland with three games to play. Norwich currently sit in the second automatic promotion spot, six points back of Millwall, and two up on the Mackems. All four teams in the playoff spots: Sunderland, Palace, Portsmouth and Arsenal, all still have a mathematical shot at promotion but realistically it will come down to a straight shootout between Norwich and Sunderland for the second spot. Lower down the Football League we bid adieu to Hartlepool, who are officially relegated out of the league. Pools have been a long way off the pace most of the year so this news does not come as a surprise. Up next: is the title headed to Elland Road? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jeff Posted July 22, 2018 Author Share Posted July 22, 2018 Round 36 The title is on hand at Stamford Bridge and will be presented to Leeds if they better the results of both Nottingham Forest and Manchester United. United are at White Hart Lane to beat Spurs while Forest have a trickier tie at Aston Villa. We start at White Hart Lane where a Tottenham side that has lost a record eleven games on the trot host a Manchester United team that has title aspirations. The home supporters weren’t expecting much and what they saw in the first half was two evenly matched teams who looked like they wouldn’t score if the game ran for days. (Although you’d suspect most supporters would have taken a draw if offered to them before the game kicked off). In the second half it’s Tottenham who surprisingly make the breakthrough and Teddy Sheringham gets his first goal in a long time. United needed to win the game to stay in the title hunt but you’d never be able to tell from their performance. While a draw might have been a fair result, United never really threaten Erik Thorstvedt’s goal and the game ends 1-0. The streak is over and so are United’s title hopes. Up at Villa Park, Ron Atkinson’s side are hosting Brian Clough’s Forest side. The game is scoreless through 45 minutes but breaks open in the second half: Dean Saunders gives the hosts the lead before Stan Collymore equalizes. In the dying seconds it is that man Les Ferdinand who pops up and heads home a Stuart Pearce cross to give Forest the 2-1 win. That result ensures that the title race will last at least one more set of fixtures. At Stamford Bridge, anyone would think that it was Chelsea who were the one win away from clinching the title. Chelsea are much the better side but despite dominating all game long they’re not able to beat John Lukic in goal and the game ends 0-0. The gap between Leeds and Nottingham Forest is now four points. At the bottom of the table it looks like we’re going down to the last day to see who survives. 17th place Sheffield United and 18th place Barnsley both lose but Ipswich move ever closer to escaping the drop with a 2-0 win over Wimbledon. That victory brings John Lyall’s men to 34 points, one back of Barnsley and two away from safety. Game on! Round 36 Table: Leeds 63; Nottingham Forest 59; Sheffield Wednesday 57; Man Utd, Everton 56 Sheffield United 36 / Barnsley 35; Ipswich 34; Oldham 26 (R) In Division One, Millwall are promoted to the Premier League following their 2-0 win over Leicester. We can’t wait to see how young Mick McCarthy does at the top level, although there are some rumblings he might be in line to take on the Republic of Ireland job should Jack Charlton decide to leave after the World Cup this summer. *** Before we move into the penultimate round of fixtures, let’s take a quick look at how the three teams who still have a mathematical shot at the title will end their season. It’s tough to imagine that Leeds will lose their two home games but that’s what will need to happen for Nottingham Forest to be in with a shot. Sheffield Wednesday aren’t mathematically eliminated but would need a major swing in goal difference to have any chance. The Run-in Leeds: Aston Villa (H); Tottenham (H) Forest: Oldham (H); Sheff Wed (H) Sheff Wed: Wimbledon (A); Forest (A) At the end of the day, we expect Leeds will end up claiming the title. Down at the bottom, two from three are going to be relegated. Let’s take a look at how the teams involved close out their season. Sheff Utd: Man City (H); Everton (H) Barnsley: Tottenham (H); Man City (H) Ipswich: Man Utd (A); QPR (A) You’d have to expect it will be a straight contest between Sheffield United and Barnsley; whichever team can hold their nerves best will stay up. We expect the Blades to just eke it out. *** Round 37 We’ll start the roundup at Selhurst Park where Sheffield Wednesday have kept their miniscule title hopes alive by beating Wimbledon 3-1. A first half goal from Phil King gave the Owls the lead and there was no looking back from there. Second half goals from Chris Bart-Williams and David Hirst had Trevor Francis’s side 3-0 up before Vinny Jones clawed one back for a Dons side who have nothing left to play for this year. At the City Ground, Nottingham Forest had to work for it but ended up squeaking out a 1-0 win over relegated Oldham. The game was scoreless at the half and although Forest were in control, there was no shortage of nails being bitten in the terraces. Finally, it was the captain Roy Keane who pulled out the much-needed goal. Up at Elland Road, Leeds knew they would be Premier League champions with a win over Aston Villa. But the visitors had other plans – they get a first-half goal from Shaun Teale and are the better side in the first 45 minutes, going back to the locker rooms 1-0 up. Leeds’ strength is their midfield but today it’s Villa’s midfield who boss the game and shut down Gary McAllister and his colleagues. Up front, Rod Wallace is busy for Leeds but doesn’t get much in the way of service. When the game ends, Villa are the 1-0 victors and the title will be decided on the final day. Will it be Leeds or Nottingham Forest who emerge as champions? At the bottom, Ipswich are relegated after losing 2-0 to Manchester United at Old Trafford. United go down to ten men early on when Gary Parkinson is sent off, but Paul Ince puts them 1-0 up in the first half then Eric Cantona seals the victory for the ten men. It’s a disappointing end to Ipswich’s two-year run in the top flight. Barnsley pull off a huge win by beating Tottenham 1-0 at Oakwell. Of course, the goal scorer for Mel Machin’s side is Lee Chapman, who is enjoying one last moment in the sun at age 34. The former Leeds and Arsenal man has scored six goals for Barnsley since joining at the transfer deadline. At Bramall Lane, Sheffield United are the better side against Manchester City but can only manage a 1-1 draw. Making things worse for the Blades, Dion Dublin is sent off in the match, meaning he will miss the last game of the season against Everton. At this point, it’s very much advantage Barnsley. Round 37 Table: Leeds 63; Nottingham Forest 62; Sheffield Wednesday 60 Barnsley 38 / Sheffield United 37; Ipswich 34 (R); Oldham 26 (R) *** Midweek in Europe, it is the first leg of the UEFA Cup final in which Sven-Goran Eriksson’s Sampdoria side hosted Israeli side and Liverpool’s conquerors Zefat. On paper this should have been a one-sided contest and the Italian side are clearly the better outfit in the first leg. In the end, they get only one goal, from England international David Platt, and might end up regretting their inability to put this tie beyond reach. The second leg is in Israel in a couple of weeks’ time. We end this update with a look at the monthly awards. Peter Reid wins the Manager of the Month award for the fourth straight month, fifth time this season and eighth time of his career. Aston Villa defender Shaun Teale is voted Player of the Month. Up next: The final round… Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jeff Posted July 22, 2018 Author Share Posted July 22, 2018 Round 38 Pre-match buildup “Hello and welcome to BBC Radio Five Live, I’m Danny Baker and with me is David Mellor. Well, folks, this is it – the day in which one team will write their name in the history books. Will it be Leeds, Nottingham Forest or Sheffield Wednesday? We know the Premier League trophy is here with us at Elland Road, but we have reporters at all the key fixtures today. Across Yorkshire and the East Midlands, the fans will be on edge and you can stick to your radios for reports at half-time and full-time. Let’s start by looking at the relegation battle. It’ll either be Barnsley or Sheffield United who stay up: Barnsley host Manchester City and are riding a crest of a wave right now, thanks to the goalscoring form of Lee Chapman. With their win last weekend over Tottenham Barnsley now control their own destiny – a win over Man City will secure their spot in the top flight next year. On the other side is Sheffield United, a team who dazzled and delighted us last year with their improbable run to second place in the league. They’re in tough now, though – they’re going to need to hope their result against Everton today is better than Barnsley’s result against Manchester City. And they’ll be up against the division’s top scorer, Tony Cottee, who is looking to secure the golden boot. How do you see this shaking out, David?” David Mellor (DM): “Well you’d have to say Barnsley hold all the cards right now, Danny. I don’t think there’s anyone who didn’t fall in love with Sheffield United last year but it’s all gone wrong for them this year and, frankly, they haven’t been good enough. Barnsley have surprised me this year- I thought they were very unlikely to survive, if we’re being honest. But they’ve impressed me with their fight and I think they should be able to grind out a result against a Manchester City side that will clearly have its eyes on two other games, the European Cup Final and FA Cup Final.” Danny Baker (DB): “It’s the Champions League now, David. The suits felt like it needed to be rebranded in order to make more money.” DM: <audible grumbling> …socialist so-and-so… DB: “Right, I forgot you were a Conservative MP for a moment there. Well then, what do you think will happen in the big one in Nottingham? Forest have been conjuring up memories of their European Cup winning teams with their recent form – could Cloughie have one more trick up his sleeve?” DM: “Everyone who is a football fan will be hoping Brian Clough can pull this one off. He is without a doubt the greatest manager of my lifetime, but we know that he won’t be around much longer – it would be a wonderful story if he could win the league and ride off into the sunset a champion. He has the best young squad in the country, Danny; you could see Forest being the dominant club of the 90s if they can keep the group together. DM: The heart says Forest, but the head says Leeds. Tottenham have been on the beach for months, and I expect heads to roll for that in the summer. It would be a real shock to me if they were able to get a result here – I think Leeds’ fans have the ability to will the ball into the back of the net. I think they’ll win today and claim their second title in three years.” DB: “There you have it. David is predicting a great day for Leeds and Barnsley supporters. How will it turn out? We’ll be back at half-time to break it down for you.” Half-time Reports DB: “You’re back on Radio Five Live and the Premier League title is 45 minutes away from going to Nottingham. A goal from Forest captain Roy Keane has Brian Clough’s men up 1-0 at the break. Meanwhile, here at Leeds, Tottenham are playing the role of spoilers: Gordon Durie’s goal has Spurs up 1-0. If results stay as they are, Forest will be champions after a 15-year wait.” DM: “That’s right, Danny. I have to say, I’m surprised by how nervous Leeds have looked so far. Don’t forget, most of this squad were First Division champions a couple of years ago – they should know what it takes to get a result in a pressure-cooker situation.” DB: “So, the big question, David: Do you think they have what it takes to come back and get the result they need. Don’t forget that right now a draw wouldn’t be enough. They’d need help from Sheffield Wednesday.” DM: “I still think they can do it, Danny. But it will be a very nervous 45 minutes. We look out into the ground and we see a number of supporters on the terraces with portable radios, no doubt tracking the happenings in Nottingham. Everyone is on edge right now – you can feel the tension and the longer Leeds go without scoring the worse it’ll get. But I think they will get at least a draw.” DB: “And what of the relegation battle? Barnsley and Manchester City are currently nil-nil, but Sheffield United are trailing Everton 2-1 and that would mean they go down.” DM: “That’s right, Danny. We called out Tony Cottee as a man to be watched today and he’s delivered in spades. His two goals have Sheffield United in a world of trouble right now.” DB: “But to use the old cliché, one goal will change everything. Will that goal come at Elland Road, the City Ground, Bramall Lane or Oakwell? We’ll be back with you in 45 minutes to see what happens. Enjoy the second half, everyone.” Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted July 22, 2018 Share Posted July 22, 2018 Is David Mellor wearing his Chelsea shirt? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jeff Posted July 22, 2018 Author Share Posted July 22, 2018 Round 38 Full-time Roundups Danny Baker (DB): “Hello, welcome back to Radio 5 Live. Danny Baker here with you at Elland Road where we have seen a tremendous end to the Premier League season! A 94th minute goal from Tony Dorigo has clinched the Premier League title for Leeds United. David Mellor, describe what you’ve just seen.” David Mellor (DM): “Absolutely breathless stuff, Danny. 45 minutes ago the title was headed to Nottingham but even though Tottenham were up at half-time I just felt that Leeds were the better side. When Rod Wallace leveled the scores in the 70th minute you just felt like they were going to go on and win it. The goal came just seconds before the final whistle – a raking ball from captain Gary McAllister and Tony Dorigo charging in from the left wing is there to knock it in at the back post from about six yards out. The Leeds players probably knew on the pitch that they were going to win the title anyway, given what was going on in Nottingham, but this sealed it. Not quite the same level of drama as when Michael Thomas won the league for Arsenal a few years ago but it’s moments like these that remind you why you love the game, Danny.” DB: “Indeed. David mentioned the happenings at Nottingham – let’s turn it to our colleague Pat Murphy to get more information.” Pat Murphy: “With all due respect to Leeds fans, this isn’t how the script was supposed to end for Brian Clough. With Ol’ Big Head rumoured to be retiring at the end of the season, for a while it looked like he was going to ride off in to the sunset a champion – Roy Keane’s first half goal gave the home supporters hope. Forest were the better side, and they would have known at half time that the title was in their grasp, but they let it slip away in the 54th minute when Sheffield Wednesday winger Chris Waddle tore down the right side, just as he has been doing for the past ten-plus years, picked up a pass from Chris Bart-Williams and finished coolly past Frank Talia in the Forest net. Forest continued to surge forward looking for a go-ahead goal but when an audible groan reverberated around the stands about 20 minutes from time, the Forest players must have known it was bad news from Elland Road. It was. Forest end the year in second place, Wednesday finish third, and Cloughie’s old rivals Leeds just beat him to the title, again.” DB: “Thanks for that, Pat. Of course, much will be made of the fact it was Leeds who beat out Forest given the history Brian Clough had with Leeds, both with Don Revie’s great squads, as well as his disastrous 44-day reign at Elland Road. Switching gears, then, let’s see who managed to avoid the drop. You were keeping an eye on things at Bramall Lane, David: how did they turn out?” DM: “Sheffield United were brave. They were down 2-1 at the half but fought back well and a goal from Adrian Littlejohn pulled the two sides level. The Blades probably shaded it in the second half from a chances perspective, but I always felt that Everton were a bit more dangerous and if there were to be a fifth goal it would be Everton who got it – there were no more goals, though. It ended 2-2, and that would be enough to keep Sheffield United if they could get some help from Manchester City at Barnsley… DB: “Alan Mullery was watching that match for us. How did it turn out, Alan?” AM: “There’s a party here at Oakwell because Barnsley are staying up. We’ve been singing the praises of Lee Chapman ever since he signed from Leeds at the deadline and he has come through again for Mel Machin’s side. Wearing the captain’s arm band today, Chapman rolled back the years to latch on to a long ball from Michael Johnson at the back, turned his defender and beat Tony Coton in the City goal. A great goal from the big man and it secures Barnsley’s spot in the Premier League next year.” DB: “Yes, congratulations to Barnsley on their survival and commiserations to Sheffield United who will be dropping down to Division One. We look forward to seeing you back here next season. For Radio Five, I’m Danny Baker – enjoy your summer.” *** Final Table: 1) Leeds – 66 (C); 2) Nottingham Forest – 63; 3) Sheffield Wednesday – 61; 4) Manchester United – 60; 5) Everton – 60; 6) Aston Villa – 60; 7) Southampton – 56; 8) Wimbledon – 55; 9) QPR – 55; 10) Liverpool – 54; 11) Manchester City – 53; 12) Blackburn – 53; 13) Tottenham – 52; 14) Derby – 50; 15) Coventry – 49; 16) Chelsea – 47; 17) Barnsley – 41; 18) Sheffield United – 38 (R); 19) Ipswich – 35 (R); 20 – Oldham 27 (R) Below the Premier League, Norwich beat Southend 2-0 and consequently Norwich are promoted. In the playoffs it will be Sunderland vs Grimsby, who eke out Portsmouth for goal difference to get the last spot, while Crystal Palace will face Arsenal in the second semi-final. *** 1994 Cup Winners’ Cup Final Club Bruges vs Dinamo Bucharest Parken Stadium, Copenhagen A crowd of 33,765 witnessed a "tactical" (read: boring) match. Bruges hit the post early on, but in the 20th minute Dinamo midfielder Damian Militaru capitalized on a mis-hit clearance and beat Dany Verlinden in the Bruges goal. The goal inspired Dinamo to push forward and they were clearly the better team throughout the 90 minutes, grabbing a lion share of possession and chances. In the end a second goal never came but it wasn’t needed; Dinamo ground the game to a halt and mercifully the final whistle finally arrived, crowning the Romanians as champions. After losing in the final on penalties last year, Dinamo Bucharest are the 1994 Cup Winners’ Cup Winners! Club Bruges 0-1 Dinamo Bucharest Up Next: The FA Cup Final and the Division One Playoffs Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJFM Posted July 22, 2018 Share Posted July 22, 2018 How did Tottenham end up 13th?! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFuller Posted July 22, 2018 Share Posted July 22, 2018 I don't know which is funnier, Jeff: a team winning the Premiership with 66 points, or Tottenham collapsing like a house of cards. Now here's hoping Arsenal can... ahem, come through the play-offs. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJFM Posted July 22, 2018 Share Posted July 22, 2018 Just now, CFuller said: I don't know which is funnier, Jeff: a team winning the Premiership with 66 points, or Tottenham collapsing like a house of cards. Now here's hoping Arsenal can... ahem, come through the play-offs. Nah they should go down to Divison 2 next year Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jeff Posted July 22, 2018 Author Share Posted July 22, 2018 I won’t lie, watching Tottenham fold like a cheap suit was pretty painful. They picked up just eight points in their last 19 games; however, I found it somewhat amusing that the win that broke their 11-game losing streak was the one that basically railroaded Manchester United’s run up the table. It just seemed so odd, but totally in line with the random results the CM1 engine throws up – every game seems like a coin-toss, regardless of where you are in the standings, and the results are very random. (As illustrated by a team winning the league with 66 points or Sheffield United going from 2nd to 18th in one year). I choose to believe it’s a part of the story’s charm, it shows the full evolution of the game… or something. =================== 1994 FA Cup Final Aston Villa vs Manchester City Wembley Stadium, London Aston Villa will consider themselves in with a real shot at lifting the FA Cup today. Their league season has been unremarkable, and they have regularly floated in the division’s second tier of clubs, never really looking like they were going to contend. The team has been led by Dean Saunders’ 19 goals in all competitions, more than double the next-highest total. Saunders has racked up a remarkable 7 goals in the Cup run so far. The captain today will be Tony Adams, inspirational at the back, and a leading candidate to win the PFA Player of the Year award. Meanwhile for City, it’s the second of their three cup finals. They have already picked up the League Cup and are looking to add the FA Cup and Champions League to their trophy cabinet. David White’s 26 goals in all competitions have led the way, while Mike Sheron complements him well up front. The team draws its inspiration from central midfielder Fitzroy Simpson who controls the pace of the game. Keith Curle wears the captain’s armband. The Road to Wembley: Aston Villa Round 3: Aston Villa 2-0 Chelsea (Saunders, Yorke) Round 4: Aston Villa 1-0 Ipswich (Saunders) Round 5: Aston Villa 2-1 Southampton (Saunders x2) Quarter-Finals: Aston Villa 3-0 Millwall (Saunders x3) Semi-Finals: Aston Villa 1-0 Sunderland (Shutt) Manchester City Round 3: Man City 2-1 Barnet (Simpson, White) Round 4: Liverpool 1-2 Man City (Vonk, White) Round 5: Man City 2-0 Swindon (White x2) Quarter Finals: Swansea 1-1 Man City (T. Phelan) Quarter-Final Replay: Man City 4-2 Swansea (Sheron, White x2, Jones) Semi-Final: Man City 1-1 Peterborough (Sheron) Semi-Final Replay: Peterborough 0-2 Man City (Sheron x2) Lineups: Aston Villa: Mark Bosnich; Steve Staunton, Shaun Teale, Tony Adams ©, Dariusz Kubicki; Kevin Richardson, Scot Gemmill, Mark Blake, Garry Parker; Dalian Atkinson, Dean Saunders Subs: Tony Daley, Stefan Beinlich Man City: Tony Coton; Terry Phelan, Michael Vonk, Keith Curle ©, Gavin Johnson; Paul Lake, Fitzroy Simpson, Gary Flitcroft, Scott Thomas; Mike Sheron, David White Subs: Lee Brightwell, Lee Jones Both teams are missing influential wingers due to injury: Manchester City continue to be without Rick Holden, which opens up a spot for Scott Thomas, while Dwight Yorke’s injuries mean the veteran Kevin Richardson gets a rare starting appearance in midfield. In the first half Manchester City look threatening, particularly down the left side where Paul Lake is regularly getting the better of Dariusz Kubicki, but they’re not able to break the dead-lock. By contrast, Aston Villa are quiet and things take a turn for the worst in first-half stoppage time when Terry Phelan clatters into Dean Saunders. Saunders pulls up limp but refuses to go off, hobbling around the field until the half-time whistle is blown. Saunders doesn’t return for the second half, being replaced by Tony Daley. City continued to be the better side and got a breakthrough in the 55th minute when David White opened the scoring. Five minutes later it was 2-0 as that man White broke through again, pouncing on a cross from Gavin Johnson. Peter Reid tried to secure the lead by making a double change: Ian Brightwell and Lee Jones on, Scott Thomas and Mike Sheron off. The changes didn’t work as Dalian Atkinson was able to cut the lead in half in the 67th minute then net an equalizer in the 82nd. As the clock ticked over to the 88th minute, with extra time looming, 20-year-old Lee Jones writes his name in the history books when the speedy forward is first to a loose ball and chips Bosnich in goal to give Manchester City the win. Keith Curle lifts a trophy for the second time this season – is there one more piece of silverware in the cards? Final Score: Aston Villa 2-3 Manchester City Man of the Match: David White, Manchester City Manchester City with the FA Cup for the fifthtime *** In the Division One playoffs, Arsenal and Crystal Palace play out a dire, goalless draw at Highbury. Both teams will fancy their chances in the second leg at Selhurst Park. In the other game, Grimsby jump out to a 1-0 lead over Sunderland, who then race back to take a 2-1 lead, before Grimsby equalize and the game ends 2-2. You’d have to say the Mackems have a firm advantage in the second leg of their tie. Although England isn’t in the 1994 World Cup, they have friendlies with Greece and Norway lined up. Terry Venables names his squad for the games, and it is as follows: Goalkeepers: Chris Woods, Sheffield Wednesday (45 caps); Tony Coton, Manchester City (no caps) Defenders: Gavin Johnson, Manchester City (1 cap); Paul Parker, Manchester United (25 caps); Terry Phelan, Manchester City (1 cap); Tony Dorigo, Leeds (15 caps, 1 goal); Gary Pallister, Manchester United (13 caps, 1 goal); Paul Lake, Manchester City (no caps); John Scales, Wimbledon (1 cap); Keith Curle, Manchester City (3 caps) Midfielders: Scott Thomas, Manchester City (no caps); Garry Parker, Aston Villa (no caps); Kevin Watson, Tottenham (6 caps); Alan Wright, Blackburn (no caps); Nigel Clough, Nottingham Forest (15 caps, 2 goals); Paul Gascoigne, Lazio (30 caps, 5 goals); David Platt, Sampdoria (36 caps, 13 goals); David Batty, Leeds (11 caps) Attackers: Alan Shearer, Blackburn (7 caps, 2 goals); David Hirst, Sheffield Wednesday (11 caps, 5 goals); Ian Wright, Arsenal (10 caps, 1 goal); Les Ferdinand, Nottingham Forest (4 caps, 2 goals) *** UEFA Cup Final, 2nd Leg Zefat vs Sampdoria After the first leg in Italy, we speculated that Sven-Goran Eriksson’s men might regret the fact that they were only able to pick up a 1-0 win. In the end it didn’t matter – Sampdoria’s class shines through in the second leg of the UEFA Cup Final and they get goals from England international David Platt and fullback Moreno Mannini in a 2-0 win. Captain Ruud Gullit raises the trophy and for the fifth time in six years, an Italian club is the UEFA Cup winner. Up next: Can an English team win the Champions League Final? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jeff Posted July 22, 2018 Author Share Posted July 22, 2018 The second leg of the Division One playoffs saw it all up for grabs at Selhurst Park in a game between Crystal Palace and Arsenal. Both clubs were anxious to return to the Premier League after a one-year exile, and for Arsenal it was especially important as a second season in the second tier makes it increasingly likely they’ll lose their remaining major assets – Ian Wright, Paul Merson and Ray Parlour (amongst others). While Arsenal were the better club, the difference was finishing: Chris Armstrong’s second half goal stands up as the only thing that separates the two sides, Palace win 1-0 on the night, 1-0 on aggregate, and book their place at Wembley. In the playoff final, they’ll take on Sunderland who killed off their tie with Grimsby in the first half, thanks to goals from David Rush and Brian Atkinson. Although Sunderland finished with ten more points during the year, I’d make Palace the favourites. *** With the Playoff Final set up, we turn our eyes to Athens where Manchester City are the first English team to appear in a European Cup/Champions League final since the Heysel disaster. In the final they’ll meet Italian side Inter Milan who are heavy favourites with the bookmakers. 1994 Champions League Final Inter vs Manchester City Olympic Stadium, Athens Lineups: Inter: Walter Zenga ©; Sergio Battistini, Giuseppe Bergomi, Antonio Paganin, Alessandro Bianchi, Angelo Orlando; Antonio Mancione, Wim Jonk, Nicola Berti; Dennis Bergkamp, Ruben Sosa Subs: Beniamino Abate, Riccardo Ferri, Franceso Dell’Anno Man City: Tony Coton; Terry Phelan, Paul Lake, Keith Curle ©, Gavin Johnson; Mike Phelan, Fitzroy Simpson, Gary Flitcroft, Scott Thomas; Mike Sheron, David White Subs: Ian Brightwell, Lee Jones, Ludek Miklosko It’s been a strange season for Inter. Despite having a stacked lineup, they narrowly managed to avoid relegation in Serie A, finishing just one point above the drop zone. They were blessed with a fairly easy Champions League group and qualified for the final ahead of Lillestrom, Legia Warsaw and PSV. Inter will be tough at the back with legendary Italian defender Giuseppe Bergomi anchoring the squad. Up front, Dennis Bergkamp and Ruben Sosa are a lethal combination in front of goal – Bergkamp leads the way with 18 goals in all competitions this year. By now you’re familiar with what Manchester City have done this year. Off the pace in the league after competing on four fronts, this is their third cup final of the year. They’re 2 for 2 so far, can they make it a perfect year in the cups? Dutch defender Michael Vonk failed a late fitness test, which means Paul Lake switches into defense and Mike Phelan gets a start on the left side of midfield. When the game kicks off Inter sit back, letting Manchester City attack but the Italian side is lethal on the counter attack. Nicola Berti wins a corner in the 28th minute, he whips the ball in, Bergomi climbs over his defender and heads it home to give Inter the 1-0 lead. In the second half, Inter strike again on a counter when Bergkamp runs on to a long ball cleared up by Battistini, brings it down well, then centres it for the Uruguayan striker Ruben Sosa, who hammers it past Tony Coton and doubles Inter’s lead. For all Manchester City’s possession, they aren’t able to generate anything in terms of chances, the Inter backline snuffing out anything before it becomes a threat, and the midfield three of Mancione, Joke and Berti controlled the centre of the park. When the whistle blew, Inter were deserving 2-0 winners. It is the first time since 1965 that the Milanese side have won the European Cup/Champions League. Final Score: Inter 2-0 Manchester City (Giuseppe Bergomi, Ruben Sosa) Man of the Match: Giuseppe Bergomi, Inter Inter Milan win the Champions League for the third time *** The last action of the 1993-94 domestic season is the Division One Playoff Final between Steve Coppell’s Crystal Palace side and Terry Butcher’s Sunderland. Palace strike first in the first half with a goal from Paul Mortimer but Sunderland youngster Ugo Ehiogu pulls the game back even. In the second half, Sunderland punch their ticket to the top flight when Lee Glover knocks home a pass from John Colquhoun to give Sunderland the 2-1 win! Sunderland were the deserving winners on the day and Palace face another year in the second tier. Following the Playoff Final, the Premier League Team of the Year and Annual Awards are announced. Team of the Year: GK: Chris Woods, Sheff Wed DL Paul Lake, Man City DC: Tony Adams, Aston Villa; John Scales, Wimbledon DR: Gavin Johnson, Man City ML: John Sheridan, Sheff Wed MC: Gary McAllister, Leeds; Nigel Clough, Nottingham Forest MR: Rick Holden, Man City Att : Tony Cottee, Everton; Dean Saunders, Villa To no one’s surprise, Peter Reid is named Manager of the Year and Tony Adams wins Player of the Year. Sheffield Wednesday’s Chris Bart-Williams wins Young Player of the Year. Up next: The Year-End Honour Roll Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Jeff Posted July 22, 2018 Author Share Posted July 22, 2018 Year-End Honour Roll Premier League: Leeds Relegated: Sheffield United, Ipswich, Oldham Top Scorer: Tony Cottee, Everton - 21 Manager of the Year: Peter Reid, Manchester City Player of the Year: Tony Adams, Aston Villa Division One Champions: Millwall Promotion: Norwich Playoff Winner: Sunderland Relegated: Swindon, Port Vale, Swansea Top Scorer: Lee Glover, Sunderland – 33 Manager of the Year: Terry Butcher, Sunderland Player of the Year: Geoff Thomas, Crystal Palace Division Two Champions: Burnley Promoted: Fulham Playoff Winner: Oxford Relegated: Stockport, Wigan, Leyton Orient Top Scorer: Paul Raynor, Cambridge – 21 Manager of the Year: Frank Stapleton, Bradford Player of the Year: Kevin Francis, Stockport Division Three Champions: Bristol Rovers Promoted: Crewe Playoff Winner: Barnet Relegated: Hartlepool Top Scorer: Ashley Ward, Crewe - 31 Manager of the Year: Edwin Stein, Barnet Player of the Year: Ashley Ward, Crewe League Cup: Manchester City FA Cup: Manchester City Anglo-Italian Cup: Atalanta UEFA Cup: Sampdoria Cup Winners’ Cup: Dinamo Bucharest Champions League: Inter Milan Up next: Season Three! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenArsenal Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 This has been a tremendous read mate. Arsenal getting relegated was painful for me, but watching Spurs cock it up so badly made up for it a little bit. One question though: was Man City playing in the Champions League in the first season a programming oddity, given that the previous season's champions were Leeds? That kinda struck me as a bit odd TBH. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
oche balboa Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 Loving reading this. Is it CM2 time, next season Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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