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The Managers gone Unnoticed - Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (" A.R ") — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:42:00 +0000

Paul Lambert ! Brendan Rodgers !

Do these names ring a bell ? If they do not, how about Alan Pardew, David Moyes & Roy Hodgson. If you still didn't get it; then either you are Alien to English Premier League or are an Alien yourself ! But If you watch premier league and you do not know who they are, then better leave this site NOW ! Period.

Paul Lambert manages Norwich City F.C. Brendan Rodgers for Swansea City. These two comprise the part 1; Roy Hodgson, David Moyes & Pardew follow in the subsequent parts.

This Premier League season has been Crazy to say the least. Some were fool enough to presume that matches against promoted teams would be like a stroll in the park. They were to be caught off guard And on the other hand we had Manchester United defeating Arsenal 8-2. Arsenal defeating Chelsea 5-3. Chelsea defeating Manchester City 2-1. Manchester City defeating Manchester United at Old Trafford 6-1 !!

In the purview of all these headline grabbing scorelines, have the Tireless Efforts of some Exceptional Managers gone unnoticed, Managers who didn't had cash pumping out of the oilfields. #Pun Intended

Paul Lambert, A Scot by Birth, has guided Norwich City F.C through back to back promotions. Given how competitive Championship & british leagues are; this is the stuff of sheer hard work & dedication; labelled miraculous by on lookers!

When Norwich City got promoted to Premier League, they were working on a Very Tight Transfer Budget, approx. a quarter of what Man City spends on Player Wages ! Paul Lambert was able to bring in some very effective & shrewd purchases from the championship, notably Steve Morrison. He, along with inspirational captain Grant Holt have returned an amazing combined figure of 16 goals & 7 assists.

Paul Lambert has had an instrumental role in their style of Play which has has been typically British - Physical, Long Balls & brilliant use of the Wings. They have had a string of unfortunate results, most notable of all being against Manchester United at Old Trafford where they could have won but eventually lost 2-0. What appeals me about them - They never sit back ! They take game into the opponents half, even when they are a goal down or two. Football is a lovely game. I Hail Paul Lambert for his notable contribution.

And then you have Swansea City F.C! They are the closest in Premier League in replicating the Catalan style of play Barcelona have mastered ! Pass, Pass, Pass Across, Back pass, Back to mid, Spread to Wings, Cut back, Cross ball... If only they had a good striker they would have finished their lovely moves with goals. I do not mean to demean their prolific striker & Captain Danny Graham's efforts. I just wish he had a very able company.

Brendan Rodgers is the reason why Swansea are the only Welsh club in the Premier League. And they achieved promotion by playing a Catalan game style completely opposite to British. This speaks of the Sheer Tactical Genius the Irish Manager is, and the faith he has in his team. He deserves the respect, the success; more than what he has got so far. Wish football was a fair game, always !

Michel Vorm - What a Goalkeeper he has been. 9 Cleansheets, 2 Penalty Saves & uncountable reflex saves ! Truly International Level. And in Nathan Dyer, they have a Winger with Pace, A range of trickery up his sleeves, a fabulous crossing ability & deadly finish. If only he was consistent, he would have been Perfect Right ! Leon Britton, their midfielder, he has a HIGHER PASS ACCURACY than XAVI HERNANDEZ !!
Yes, you read it Right !

I just wish that their teams do not get relegated. They are entertaining to watch, They make every match, Interesting. Last Season, Ian Holloway's Blackpool gave us something to cheer, but unfortunately they got relegated. As I keep my fingers crossed in hope, You better go & watch how Swansea defeated Arsenal 3-2 !!
Yes, that was a game matching the fable of David vs Goliath. And the game held true by the tale...

Comebacks, Comebacks; The Mother of All !!

noreply@blogger.com (" A.R ") — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:55:00 +0000

Wow!! I have always Loved English Premier League. And I love it even more Now! No Goddamn person can come in front of me and say – La Liga is better! I shall reply GO TO HELL; NO WAY !! Ask me Why? And here I Go -

The hype regarding the transfers, clubs could make this Transfer Window, awaited. The swashbuckling rumours and pulsating gossips, no league can come close to this. The Media goes into frenzy more by the acts of a footballer than of a rock star ! I often wonder how the prime minister of England feels like. He is rarely in news, When he wishes to Speak a Lot. A Stark Contrast to Indian Prime Minister :D

And Then; Just like a Shot of Marijuana; were the Spectacular News of COMEBACKS !! Paul Scholes; the diminutive legend – Coming out of Retirement ! & Thierry Henry; the legend of Highbury; And an Epitome for Premier League – Coming back to where he BELONGS !

Phewww.. the thought in itself transcends you to those times when these players were at their Peak ! Wow those were the days right !

Everybody was talking about Manchester’s United problems in Midfield. Nobody was wrong. Everybody was voicing about the dire need of United signing a Top Class Midfielder this Winter Transfer Window – Everybody turned out to be wrong. Paul Scholes was here! For United Supporters here is the Good News – Sir Alex Knows we need a creative midfielder. Sir Alex is waiting to buy a top class BUT young Midfielder, ONLY AFTER the Euro’12 Polkriane. Sir Alex is simply biding his time to see how his youngsters perform. And until then; Paul Scholes is here!

People were already bracing with the surprise of his comeback and then; 7 months post retirement, he was straight away drafted onto the bench against Manchester City in FA Cup 3^rd Round! I have to admit of the Goosebumps that I had all over when Paul Scholes was finally, Coming on for the Last 30 Mins! The Legend; Comeback; Bench; and of all; into action against the team leading the points tally!

Unfortunately; he is underrated by the masses. If he had been in La Liga; he would have had the same fame as Xavi Hernandez enjoys at Barcelona. In his Cameo; he passed on the balll MORE than any other City player could manage in whole of the Game. He aint a legend for nothing. And United in return have thus made a 25 Million signing this transfer window, for nothing!

And then there was Thierry Henry ! On a 2 month loan for the Gunners (if all goes well I hope for him rejoining them in Summer!) And then he started on the bench as well. And then he CAME ON !! Wow What a moment it was. I was confused; which of the them was better; Henry’s or Scholesy ? These Mega Stars will leave you in delirium everytime, Not that I am complaining! J

And to Tell you of Thierry Henry’s Cameo; all I have to say is - Arsenal's No.12, Thierry Henry (who has 12 letters in his name!) scored his 12th goal in his 12th appearance against Leeds, with 12 minutes to go, in 2012 ! What a Goal that was. Pure Class. Sheer Genius ! It was his Dream; So was it ours !

After the goal he said - "The feeling that I had when I scored was amazing. Scoring a goal when you support a team, now I know what it is like for the guys who played for Manchester United, Chelsea to score for the club you support"

In the coming weeks we will have a treat of watching these legends play. Still having questions why Premier League is hell better than La Liga ? Put them up; and I will shoot ya down !

Fantasy Premier League Review - 17th & 18th December

noreply@blogger.com (" A.R ") — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 15:11:00 +0000

If last week was a Gameweek of braces; this one was of Clean Sheets. 6 Games ! Given how the Season has gone by, with Free Scoring matches & defensive frailties by all the teams; 6 is startling. Perhaps the Numb biting Cold has already started castigating its effect !

Brad "Still Rocking" Friedel - He is 40 ! or is he 41 ? But the way he guards the posts, his towering presence; his age hardly matters. Sebastian Larsson had almost scored with his trademark freekick until Brad Friedel palmed it away. 10 points is an Understatement I guess.

Joe Hart - He is undoubtedly the best Goalkeeper in the league, not to forget amongst the best in the World. He Could be the biggest reason if Manchester City end up winning the title.

Matrin "Turtle" Skrtel - He Converted the Corner with a peach of a Header. Alongwith Daniel Agger; he tormented Spiritless;Shabby Aston Villa with his surging runs. A Clean Sheet combined; he top scored with 15 points.

David " El Magico " Silva - Time & Again. Once Again. He has been Magical, showing a glimpse of his footballing genius, per match ! He Scored the Winning Goal in an Enthralling match between Manchester City & Arsenal that lacked only in the number of goals.

Clint " Is he a Mid or a Forward" Dempsey - He combined with Bryan Ruiz pretty Well. Both scored a Goal 7 an Assist each, and were largely responsible for the free flowing gameplay that Fulham are appreciated for.

Daniel " Striker who plays off the Wings " Sturridge - Everytime he plays, his Value appreciates. He has to be on the Euro bus for England. And if there are some who aren't yet convinced; they should see his finish against Wigan. Clinical.

Top Three Goals of the Week

#1 James Morrison (West Bromwich) You cant hate a Volley

#2 Bryan Ruiz (Fulham) - You'll always love a Chip over an Advancing Goalkeeper

#3 Peter OdemWingie (West Bromwich)

The Resurgence of Arsenal

noreply@blogger.com (" A.R ") — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 06:48:00 +0000

I can bet that anybody who follows English Premier league must have at some point of time; upon seeing Arsenal play the beautiful game, would have squealed out loud - "Awww man !! How do they do it ! "
And when your club is about to face them, all you pray for is - to not to allow them enough space to play their own game.

In other words, Some Support Arsenal, But Nobody Hates them.

Everybody knows Arsenal had a Very Rough Summer. Francesc Fabregas left for the Catalan offshores at a Meagre Transfer Fees. I still wonder why was he allowed to leave for just $23.5M when he is worth atleast 35. That was followed by Samir "I just want Money & Champions league is a worthy Excuse" Nasri left for the Recently Dug Oil Rig in Manchester. Oops i missed out on mentioning One more of the same kind; Gael Clichy

And things were about to go worse. A Tsunami of Unexpected Results hit them hard. They Lost at Home to Liverpool, then Manchester United defeated them 8-2 !! and as if the worst wasn't over, they lost to Relegation Sure Shot Blackburn Rovers, 3-4 !!

However, before the transfer window closed; they were able to bring in reinforcements in Yossi Benayoun, Mikel Arteta, Andre Santos, & Per "Even a 5 foot boy can jump over me and head the ball" Mertesacker. A visible shift from Arsene Wenger's strategy. Tough times call for Tough Measures, Right !

Fables have it that when all measures cease to work and the doom is all but certain; The Birth of the Noah's ark, and likewise rises a messiah. Here, it was in the form of Robin Van Persie. His Phenomenal Form just reversed the flow of the tide, the Goals were coming in, Thick and Fast, the Results had swunged back into their favour, and look at the points table and you can see it, a wide eyed, and an open mouthed wonder - They are 5th !

And this has not been a One Man Show, except for the Newspapers Headlines. Alex Song has been Amazing. Mikel Arteta has survived for long without an injury, thereby stamping his authority in the midfield. Walcott & Gervinho have been a consistent threat from the Flanks, and Youngsters that have resembled Arsenal for ages, Coquelin, Frimpong, & Star amongst them all - Alex Oxlade Chamberlain have come of good to such an extent, that loss of a star players like Fabregas & Nasri seem a distant history.

This weekend they face their biggest test - Manchester City at the Etihad. And folks, if they WIN - Boy !! That would in itself be a fitting justification for the title of this article ! Not to forget about the Title Race ;)

A Draw will also Suit everyone. A loss - lets not think about that !

Fantasy Premier League Review - 10th,11th & 12th December

noreply@blogger.com (" A.R ") — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 13:12:00 +0000

It was a Gameweek of BRACES; Robin" Vance again he Scored !" Persie; Unlucky Wolves who were at receiving end of the Backlash; Frank Lampard's Legendary Penalty; & City's lead being cut down to mere 2 Points. Folks, Season has only Begun.

Lets start of from the back. From the most critical component of any team - The Goalkeepers.
Michel Vorm - What a season he has been having. For fantasy team owners alike me who rarely invest in players at the back, he has been a Saviour. Barring a Moment of Madness at the Emirates against Arsenal; he has been a huge influence on Swansea's Current league Position. A penalty save and 12 points into the kitty.

Defenders - Surprisingly; none of the defenders scored a Goal this weekend. Phil Bardsley for Sunderland recorded 2 assists. I will suggest to buy him for he will assist more; but clean sheets by sunderland - not until christmas

Mids - Luis "I Scored Brace Again" Nani showed how much he runs the show for Manchester United when he is in form; and a return of 18 points. Sebastian Larsson once again showed that he is the best when it comes to Free Kicks in the Premier League. What a delightful curler it was.
Marc"Is he coming back to form"Albrighton earned 9 Points
& Matthew"Copy that Roger"Etherington with another brace ! and 15 points.

Amongst the Forwards; Wayne"Finally he scores, & that too a Brace"Rooney got 12 Points ( P.S - He was my Captain :P ) Demba Ba is a terrific player - and his Brace ( One more player !! ) might have gone in vain for a newcastle side thrashed by Injuries & Norwich; but not in the fantasy teams. Grant Holt top scored with 13 points ( Not Again.. Another Brace!).

The Most Well covered players by the Media, Luis"Almost back to Goal Scoring form"Suarez & Mario"Why always him" Balotelli were not to be left out from being mentioned. And i was at loss of words about this => Pure Respects !

UNITED BANTER: Lose Games But Do Not Lose The United Way

noreply@blogger.com (" A.R ") — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:43:00 +0000

UNITED BANTER: Lose Games But Do Not Lose The United Way: What's with this fuckin' frenzy? Get off to a blistering start by thrashing Arsenal 8-2 and our GBP 50 Million signings are world-beaters...

The Mourning of the Manchester

noreply@blogger.com (" A.R ") — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 11:20:00 +0000

Well, one of the most awaited posts is here... Sit Back; Read & Comment

The word that is abuzz in the European Circuit is that - English Football needs a BAILOUT ! The Top two in Premier League are out of Champions League. They Defaulted their way out by "Not Saving Enough (Goals) at Home "

The " God Save the Queen " was played for over an hour when the leading clubs of English Premier League, crashed out of Champions League. But then somebody came out of shock and realised that Arsenal & Chelsea had qualified and thus stopped the play. All was not lost for the English Football.

Rhymes & Chants are already being made. Cue this
United Lost, And fans screamed Holy .......
City Won,But so did Napoli
None had imagined it though that
Chelsea & Arsenal are ONLY through

And Blah Blah...

Manchester City & Manchester United both crashed out. One on a Winning Note, and the other one - Losing both the Match and their MVP, Captain Nemanja Vidic. Manchester City have a sizable excuse in the form of Inexperience [ Even after buying Footballers with Million Dollar Price tags, all of whom had played in Champions League before & those like Samir Nasri who migrated to Manchester City for Champions League and ended up playing neither ]

On the Contrary, United can have NO excuses. 3 Time Champions League Finalists in Last 4 years - crashed out in group stages! Their Rivals are having a laugh about. The Opponent fans are ridiculing Manchester United fans in every possible way they could. After all, their jealousy for the Success Manchester United has had; the Success that has eluded every other Club on the Island including their own - had to come out one day. So let it be. They can laugh about it. As the saying goes by - "Every Dog has his Day".

Perhaps Manchester United & their fans Deserve it - Both went Complacent & Over the Board by the end of September. This totally fits in the present context - "You get what you Deserve"

The Fault is Completely Manchester United's & they, alongwith their fans need to swallow the hard pill. Losing is not what we are used to. And we never will. But you have to learn from your Mistakes. In the Words of Sir Alex - Europa League is our punishment.

The Punishment that awaits Manchester United -
# An Estimated loss of atleast $20 Million in Champions league revenues.
# An Unknown territory of the Europa League.
# An Obvious Fixture Cluttering.
# Probably Tuesday Noon Kickoffs - Absolutely Weird !!
&
#* Even if you Win it; their shall be Further Ridiculing about One and Everything. You lose and you become the butt of the jokes around.

It was a Win that never got counted for Manchester City. And
It was a Bad night for Manchester United. One of the Worsts in the History of the Club. And by the morning, the hue of the Mourning had engulfed Old Trafford.

But Remember this - Never write off Manchester United !!!

Fantasy Premier League Review - 3rd, 4th & 5th December

noreply@blogger.com (" A.R ") — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 08:19:00 +0000

Well. If you are keeping in check with your fantasy teams - you all must be having an amazing time out there; with points flowing in from that One MAN - Robin Van Persie !! If you still do not have him - then quit reading and shoot yourself !!

And if you aren't checking out your fantasy teams; One Question - Why did you even make One ! You also need to Shoot Yourself !!

Ah ! looks like i drifted away. Apologies. My Bad. Coming back, those players who amassed handsome returns
Defenders -
Thomas "Acutely Needed" Vermaelen :- 16
Phil "Absolutely Amazing at 19" Jones :- 15
Robert "He's back at Scoring, IS HE? " Huth:- 15
Mids-
Gareth "Unstoppable" Bale - 13
Samir "Played coz of Champions League fixture around" Nasri -9
Forwards-
Robin Van " Everybody Had Him as Captain " Persie - 15
AwHGEGUJF " Nobody had him LOL " YAKUBU - 21 !!

But as always; the players who generally took the spotlight; went ignored on the points sheet; namely
The Good
* Juan Mata - Slowly but definitely showing his Class
* Danny Murphy - Superb Cross Field crosses; tore across Liverpool all through the game
The Bad
# David Luiz - Should count himself very lucky to have not been Red Carded. Thank God AVB is 33; add 30 to this and he might have had a cardiac arrest the moment the foul had been committed.
The Ugly
$ Demba Ba - A Sensational Forward. But his love for hitting the post - 4 times ; and you begin drawing comparisons to the obsession dogs have for poles.
$ Pepe Reina - If you are a pool supporter; take a gasp and say - Why did u pad it and not collect it ( which dempsey nicked into the goal ) !
$ Wayne "When Will you Score" Rooney - Played Well; but No Goal = 2 points only wazza !! Come back to your tormenting best; My Fantasy team needs you.

And last but not the Least - The Unfortunates

@Gary Cahill - That was not a Red Card !! That Sending off made it a cakewalk at the Lane for the Spurs. Pool Mid - Jay Spearing; you can also Sob looking at the replays !

The Curious Case of Liverpool FC

noreply@blogger.com (" A.R ") — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 12:02:00 +0000

Before I start, there are some things i should make clear.

1 I am NOT a Liverpool FC Supporter.
2 "You will never Walk Alone" is a Heritage, not just a chant. No true fan of the game can disgrace that.
3 Their win against AC Milan at Istanbul in the Champions League Final is an Epitome for the Amazing Game, Football is.
4 Rafa Benitez's outburst against Sir Alex Ferguson was when I started hated them. And NO love has been lost.

That said and done, the start of this season was always going to be stereotyped as "The Tale of King Kenny". It has been a Roller Coaster Ride so far, of Hits & Misses. He has brought in a BIG Change, but not a Massive One yet. Only a Massive Change is what will make them Title Contenders. They are still to reach onto that level.

Upon looking their Results so far; it does make an Intriguing read.

Home Draws against - Sunderland; Swansea; Norwich - All These facing the Relegation Battle ( if not now then soon ) = 6 Points Dropped. Add these to their Current Points; you get 23+6 = 29 !! That would have been 3rd Place at place.

With their Wastefulness to convert against 9 Men & 1 Wall named Joe Hart Manchester City; Point being - they Could have been 2nd or 3rd Easily by now. But they are NOT ! That is where they Lack ! Not the Star Players; they have quite a many. But their conversion ratio - Abhorrent. Google it up and you will have the statistical proof.

Now Consider their Wins AWAY - At Stamford Bridge; at the Emirates & at the Goodison Park ! That only a Champion Team can boast off, but not hard and fast ( Remember Manchester United last season). But this does not strengthens their claims as title contenders, instead it makes the " Curious case of Liverpool FC " ! Add a 4-0 hiding away to Spurs and you have a Finally Thaw in the Straw.

King Kenny has made some Spectacular purchases. Luis Suarez - Discount at £23.5 Million ; Charlie Adam - Best Buy of the Season at 6.75M. Jordan Henderson slightly costly but is improving by the game, Andy Caroll - Massively Overpriced but too good for his talent to be already written off. I wouldn't do that if I were an opponent manager facing Liverpool.

I am not taking away credits from their Resurgence. Nor am I awarding them any. Remember; its only 13 games so far. They Still continue to keep their own Fans; the Betmakers; And the opponent teams/fans - AMUSED & SURPRISED ! And even if there's a marginal improvement on their Conversion ratio; Goals will usher in - And an Unlucky team will be caught in the line of fire and spanked all around the 4 corners of the Anfield.

The two-thirds of the Season is yet to be played but right now i can sign a check for a thousand quids - Liverpool are going to finish in top 4. If they do not, I will file my claims for Refund from Liverpool FC & their Supporters :D

Cheer up; Lift your Voice. Your Team; Your Choice.

Premier League Review 26/27th Nov : Fantasy Team Point of View

noreply@blogger.com (" A.R ") — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 09:52:00 +0000

So; all those of you who were busy hoping and praying that the player in your fantasy team scored some points must have had their answers by now. And then you meet the third kind - Mario Balotelli :D

If FIFA World Player of the Month awards had been conceptualized; Robin Van Persie would have been leading by a MILE !! At the current rate; he threatens to break the Record No. of goals scored in Premier League; last set by Cristiano Ronaldo. A total of 31.7% of the teams have him in their squad ! Numerically, it is 836945 ! And i can bet atleast two thirds of these would have kept him as the captain. So by the time Full Time for the Arsenal Fulham Match was called; all of them would have been saying - DAMN !!

Did You Had Mario Balotelli in your Squad ? What a gameweek you have had. In bench for a start, then cameo as a Sub - you lie in hope that atleast he would score a Goal or Two to get you the points & right then - Red Card. Well now you can break your head on the wall and scream - WHY ALWAYS ME !!

Among the Forwards; Emanuel Adebayor set the Stage on Fire with Two Goals and An Assist, amassing 14 points. I still rue for not having him in my squad. Unfortunately when i had; he was returning 2 points on an AVERAGE! On the other hand Ex Spurs/Pool/England Front man Peter Crouch once again showed why a Combination of Stoke City & his height clicks often. he bagged only 8. Could have got More.

The Chelsea High Line System Finally switched to Active Mode. That would have certainly brought relief to the team and their Fans. And those who brought MATA into their Squad - I Can see the Smirk on their Face! 17 Points! One might raise a Claim that they were playing against the Wolves. But a Win is all that matters. At the Moment; Both Chelsea & Manchester United are going through a Slump. However Manchester United have not been losing; though on the contrary they aren't scoring many. That can be accounted by the dip in the form of Wayne Rooney, however resurgence is right around the corner. Some team is in line to get a hiding.

The Omnipresent David Silva once again ran the Show for Manchester City. One might argue what might have been if Silva had not been in such a form or had he been injured ? Well the season still has 25 Gameweeks to go !! So all of you ANTI Manchetser City Fans - keep praying :D

In the Defense; John Terry ( Can he ever stop making the Headlines - Nopes ! ) returned with a Goal & A Clean Sheet. Not many have him except for the Fantasy Team of Hard Core Chelsea Fans. Congratulations to them. He; Thomas Vermaelan And Vincent Kompany once again epitomised the Captain's Role with an absolute performance. Kompany bagged 10 points courtesy a Goal. Vermaelen with 9.

And amongst the Less popular; Sebastian Larsson lead with 9 points. He has been stellar amidst a severely under performing side of Sunderland. Is it the Curse of Nicklas Bendter to be blamed ? Or Steve Bruce needs a FATTER Budget ?

And Goal of the Gameweek - Ruben Rochina's Spectacular Pilediver Against Stoke. Google it out on your own. Make your hands WORK upon the Keyboard. Blackburn have become the butt of the jokes. This being an Understatement is in itself a Joke !

Oh by the way; make your brain toil to come up with the caption for these Pics -