All posts by h79snht.top

Just what is going on in North London? Arsenal are becoming almost the ultimate ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ team, producing week-by-week results and performances that swing uncontrollably between the sublime and the ridiculous.

Over the course of the last two weeks, Arsene Wenger’s men have produced two of the most lifeless displays in recent memory, as AC Milan and then Sunderland taught them two harsh lessons in football, only to follow up with a thrilling 5-2 derby victory over Tottenham. Players who failed to turn up during the Champions League tie became world-beaters and Arsenal suddenly looked like the team we all know they can be.

It’s this frustrating trend, which has soured the relationship between manager and fans to a level that has rarely been witnessed in the red half of North London. However, Wenger is not really the man who should be shouldering all of the blame, with the likes of Tomas Rosicky and Theo Walcott producing vastly differing displays from week to week.

Arsenal fans have been rather spoilt in recent years when it comes to the quality of the football witnessed along with the rewards it has reaped, and this has only served to pressure Wenger’s current crop of talented, yet inconsistent players. The ability is undoubtedly there with the vast majority of the current squad, it’s just the knack of producing these displays each week, which remains the issue. With the fans becoming increasingly frustrated, the air of anxiety around the ground has risen, and even the slightest trigger for abuse often serves as enough for a set of fans who feel they are witnessing an all too frequent set events.

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Theo Walcott has been severely abused by many Gunners fans this term, who have become frustrated by his hit-or-miss style. The England international has showed glimpses of his true ability all season linking up well with captain and goal-scoring hero Robin van Persie. But for every goal, assist or incisive run there will almost always be two or three mistakes, which seem to live far longer in the memory.

Yes, Wenger has a key role to play in motivating his players for each tie, but some of his stars look to be beyond motivation, as they drift aimlessly around the pitch, left in the wake of their more committed opponents. However, the next week this changes, as was the case with Rosicky who looked a totally different player against Spurs than he has on many occasions this season, creating space, and dictating many of the Gunners attacks. It’s these players who must be keeping Wenger awake at night, as any contemplating of selling can quickly be rebuffed by one good performance which shows just how talented said stars can really be.

As well as frustrating the manager, their level of displays must surely be effecting each individuals own perception of their abilities. Not many players in the Arsenal camp, who when looking back on the week, can pat themselves on the back, with the exception of van Persie. The inability to turn it on when their manager and team-mates are most in need is something that must surely be playing on their mind, and even if they no longer want to be at the club only performances of a high enough grade will be enough to gather interest for a move away.

It’s getting to the point now where some members of Wenger’s squad must ‘put up or shut up’ to keep their place in the squad. If this trend continues, the Frenchman will have to react severely, as missing out on Champions League football could lead to the likes of van Persie departing for pastures new. For everyone involved at the club this is an unthinkable state of affairs.

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Have your say, follow @Alex_Hams on Twitter

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Swindon Town may be sitting pretty at the top of League Two with only ten games remaining but on Saturday they face another crucial clash in their quest for promotion as they travel to Gresty Road to take on in-form Crewe Alexandra.

The two sides last met on the first day of season when the Robins emerged victorious thanks to goals from Callum Kennedy, Oliver Risser and Aden Flint. However it will be a different contest tomorrow due to the changes in personal for both sides since August.

Both teams go into this game on the back of impressive results after Crewe beat Gillingham away 3-4 with an injury time winner coming from young sensation Max Clayton. While Swindon will be rightly full of confidence following a massive 1-0 home win over Cheltenham with in-form forward Paul Benson netting the only goal of the game after Cheltenham had earlier missed a penalty.

Swindon has been boosted by the return of Defender Aden Flint who has missed the last few months following a groin injury. Captain Paul Caddis is still not fit though, with the defender still nursing an ankle injury however he is expected to play a part in Tuesday’s top of the table clash against Torquay United at the County Ground.

New signing Lee Holmes is set to make his debut after completing his loan from Southampton in time. The 24-year-old winger had previously been on loan at Oxford and coincidently got both assists for the U’s against Swindon only a few weeks ago. Crewe have defender Carl Martin injured and fellow defender James Tunnicliffe has returned to parent club Wycombe after having an operation on a shoulder injury.

Both teams still have something to fight for as it gets toward the business end of the season with Swindon sitting quite comfortably at the top of League 2 and having aspirations of going on and winning the title which could result in a sweet double with the JPT final coming up against Npower League 1 side Chesterfield next Sunday at Wembley.

While our opponents Crewe still have ambitions of making the play-offs and they know beating Swindon would be a massive boost especially with fellow play-off chasers Oxford and Rotherham facing each other at the Kassam stadium.

The Alex manager Steve Davis has highlighted Robin’s striker Paul Benson as the main threat to his side and believes if they can keep him out of the game they have a massive chance of coming away with all three points. It could prove to be a very tight encounter with Crewe currently on an unbeaten run of six matches while Swindon have the best defence in the entire league so goals could be at a minimum. Both sides are in need of points to continue their respective fine seasons but hopefully it will be Swindon that prevails tomorrow to further increase our chances of becoming League Two Champions come May.

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By Swindon Town blogger Peter Huggins

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They say there is no such thing as bad publicity but it’s hard to agree when football constantly finds itself decorating the back pages for all the wrong reasons. On occasion the detrimental coverage is inescapable and unwarranted but more often than not, certain individuals are only too willing to provide the nation’s press with all the ammunition they need.

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish arguably tops of the list of such guilty parties with a bullish and uncouth attitude towards journalists that creates an uncomfortable and graceless viewing experience. He has seemingly failed to realise the importance of a symbiotic relationship with the media, instead creating an ‘us against them’ mentality – that has worn thin even with Millwall fans – and kept the Anfield club firmly in the tabloid firing line.

I have previously voiced my opinion regarding why I think post-match interviews should be scrapped, seeing as how they only offer an opportunity to create headlines that detract attention away from events on the pitch. The players and staff that descend down the tunnel are running purely on adrenaline, having endured a gruelling physical and psychological workout. The last thing they want to do is wander into the clutches of a swarm of reporters, desperate to probe and force a reaction with a flurry of difficult questions.

Players can only find the strength to summon answers from the traditional catalogue of football clichés whilst managers are understandably highly-strung and incredibly emotional. This is where Kenny perhaps trips himself up as his unyielding allegiance to the club will see him jump to its defence at the first sign of criticism. His commitment, whilst commendable, means he’s often guilty of ‘tunnel vision’, failing to consider both sides of an argument and instead firing off a string of abrupt and defiant retorts.

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His recent interview in the wake of Liverpool’s last gasp victory at Ewood Park acts as the perfect case in point. Dalglish is clearly irritable the moment Sky’s Andy Burton begins speaking, almost waiting to undermine the questions that come his way. Having been prompted to give his reasons why he thought his side could win the game Dalglish questioned why he had to explain himself, seemingly forgetting the popular question-answer format of a typical interview.

Dalglish continues to look agitated throughout, pushing his tongue firmly in his cheek as he refuses to comment on the game’s key discussion topics. After just two minutes Dalglish attempts to cut short the interview by pushing past Burton but finds his path blocked by the cameraman and has to make a hasty retreat. He deflects a question about the upcoming derby in the FA Cup semi-final and manages to sneak in a childish insult before making his exit. An all-together embarrassing series of events in which he could have simply conveyed his joy at grabbing an important 3 points and praised the match-winner Andy Carroll, who he failed to mention even once.

Dalglish is incredibly fortunate to have the unyielding admiration of the Liverpool support, especially as his antics have seen neutral fans develop somewhat of a distaste for the club. His comments only serve to invite unnecessary pressure that comes naturally to a club of Liverpool’s stature and has perhaps helped contribute to a number of unconvincing performances at home this season.

Of course Dalglish is not the only culprit, with almost every other manager in the Premier League being accountable for their fair share of rants, rudeness and walkouts. However, with Dalglish it feels like this is the default setting rather than a rare spectacle and his insolent approach may start to grate should results in the league continue to suffer. Liverpool need only look at Newcastle and their employment of Keegan/Shearer to remind themselves that such fairytale appointments aren’t always what’s best for the club.

Away from the pressure and stress of football management, Dalglish is often reported as a mild-mannered and charming individual. His press conferences for Liverpool TV are in stark contrast to those we see on mainstream platforms, which begs the question why Dalglish acts the way he does the moment a Sky microphone is thrust towards him. If Liverpool are to be allowed the time to re-establish themselves at the top of the table then it’s vital that Dalglish doesn’t allow the club’s vision to be repeatedly blinded by the media spotlight.

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Join me on Twitter @theunusedsub where I’ll be deliberating who’s more likely to score in the FA Cup final, Carroll or Torres?

The award season is now upon us and as we look at the nominees for both the PFA player and young player of the year awards the debate is raging on twitter and forums at the selected few. While the general bone of contention is why no Newcastle players have made the list, given the season they have had, or how Daniel Sturridge was anywhere near the list especially when the likes of Phil Jones are surprisingly overlooked, considering his impressive start to his career at United. As always the nominations have split opinion and once again have supporters questioning the whole voting process in general.

I wonder how many of those chosen will make the PFA team of the year – in my view the hardest selection given the huge array of talent that have plied their trade in this Premier League season. I decided to have a go and why it was not easy; I think this line-up best represents what has so far been a fantastic Premier League year for football. I have opted for a 4-4-2 formation, as well as adding honourable mentions for those who were close to make to starting XI.

Click on David Silva to unveil the Premier League’s best XI for the 2011/12 season

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Real Madrid have been credited with an interest in Arsenal midfielder Alex Song, and are weighing up a move for him in the transfer window, according to Mirror Football.

The Santiago Bernabeu side have won the Primera Division this term for the first time in four years, and Jose Mourinho is eager to strengthen his squad in the summer in light of a Barcelona backlash.

With Los Blancos also monitoring Robin van Persie’s contract situation, a move for combative midfielder Song is now on the cards too.

The battler has been one of the standout players in the Gunners revival this term, especially given injuries to Jack Wilshere and the sale of Cesc Fabregas.

Arsenal are thought to be reluctant to sell Song, and are eyeing a central midfield partnership between him and transfer target Yann M’Vila for next term.

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By Gareth McKnight

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When the final whistle blew at the end of last season, few fans could’ve predicted how the following two months would go.

Admittedly, most of us expected a frustrating summer in regards to the usual let downs on the transfer front.

That followed by the same old explanations, but few predicted that we’d be discussing the possibility of a new owner come the start of July.

Unfortunately, this has only served to bring more frustration, as it is now three weeks since we were politely informed by the official site that there were people interested in investing into the future of Leeds.

There are only so many times anyone can get their hopes up over a rumour on Twitter or from somebody supposedly ‘In the know’, those days are now long gone, with almost anyone claiming to have any kind of information immediately dismissed as a wind up merchant.

Because of this there is a good chance that amongst all the fiction we may have missed the facts, with some rumours actually making sense when you give them more than a seconds thought.

The one in particular that I believe could actually have something in it, is that Leeds are currently going through the ‘due dilligence’ process. What this would mean is that the saga could well be coming to a close, as this process would not take place unless a deal looked to be agreed.

Another point worth remembering is that with major negotiations like the ones we hope have taken place at Leeds, there would be extremely strict rules regarding the confidentiality of the deal, so no news really could be good news.

Hopefully the end is in sight for us all, something really does have to give and it is clear that the fans are expecting something positive to come from the talks that have taken place. Most, it seems, would settle for literally anybody other than Ken Bates, and after seven years of lies who could honestly blame us?

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In regards to the positive work Bates has done at Leeds, I am, as others are, in fact grateful to him for at least turning us into a profitable (if only via player sales) and seemingly well run club. Whilst I dont quite agree that he ‘saved us twice’ I do believe that it is completely in his interests to sell Leeds United this summer.

Ken, if you sell up, I’m more than happy to shake hands, call it quits and maybe even wave you off into the sunset. Maybe.

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Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko must be enjoying his summer. Following helping guide his team to Premier League success after a 44 year wait, the Bosnian international then enjoyed a long holiday as his country failed to qualify for Euro 2012, and now he finds himself with a new Missus!

Bosnian model and actress Amra Silajdzic is Dzeko’s new girlfriend and both were spotted rubbing shoulders with Angelina Jolie at a Sarajevo film festival last week.

Having cost City £27 million in 2011, Dzeko began to fall out of favour at the Etihad towards the end of last season, and has since been linked to Bayern Munich and AC Milan, two popular European destinations, either of which will no doubt keep Silajdzic happy.

The new couple’s appearance in Sarajevo last week saw them covering the Bosnian tabloids, as Dzeko is the main man in national football and Silajdzic just as big a celebrity.

Click below to see Amra Silajdzic in action –  it’s fair to say we think he’s done alright for himself!

With Juventus suggesting today that Arsenal’s price for van Persie is too high, reports coming out of Arsenal’s training camp yesterday that they would be happy to keep him until January and Roberto Mancini complaining that Brian Marwood is making no headway with the situation Arsenal fans could feasibly expect to face a season in which their captain plays at least some part. But does he deserve to stay?

Many viewed his performances at the European Championships as indicative that he was unable to deal with a high pressure, an unreasonable statement. The Dutch striker had to deal with the pressure of being Arsenal’s only goal scoring striker all last season, and he managed fine.

However, it is hard to deny that Arsenal’s captain was far from his best on international duty. His ineffectual play was undoubtedly a consequence of both his fatigue from a gruelling season as well as the poor performances of his national team-mates. He shouldn’t be judged on that ill-fated week, though.

The forthcoming season, no matter where he is, will not bring the same form as last year. How could it? Even with his extra break, van Persie has played as much football in the last 18 months as he has in three years before that. He’s unused to having to perform to such high standards on such a consistent basis.

And that’s really the point. Apart from last year, van Persie hasn’t started more than 20 games per season for eight years.

During this time the club has happily paid his wages, secured him the best medical treatment money could buy and nurtured him and supported him emotionally – as did the fans and the manager.

So, did Arsenal deserve to be treated like this by a player they have looked after so well? No, but it happens. Arsenal fans don’t have to like it, and they don’t have to show van Persie support either. There’s a difference between being ungrateful and no longer showing your support and appreciation.

Arsenal fans are grateful to Robin for his efforts and his goals last season, but they just won’t support his spoilt, ungrateful attitude towards them.

If you’d asked any fans two months ago whether they wanted van Persie to stay they would have all been in agreement that they did. Now? You’d be hard pressed to find fans that feel he deserves another chance.

Wenger might still be saying that it is imperative we keep the 28 year old, but how can Arsenal accept him back in to the fold at this stage?

He has insulted the club and its hierarchy by saying that they don’t know how to take the club forward and he has insulted and patronised the fans by pretending that carefully worded statement on his website was for their benefit rather than for his.

I don’t know whose idea that statement was but as soon as he released it, many fans who wouldn’t have begrudged him the possibility of moving on to win trophies, suddenly felt let down and angry.

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Some players deserve respect even when they move on; it seems now that van Persie might not deserve respect even if he stays.

Follow me on Twitter @H_Mackay

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Many international sports are becoming popular across the globe. Citizens of other countries are becoming avid followers of the game. One game that seems to have a large global appeal is football. There are numerous organised football leagues all over the world. Perhaps the most successful one of these to be exported is the English Premier League. More than 200 countries are able to watch the sport live. These foreign TV rights bring in additional revenue for the Premier League which is almost £500 million annually.

Australia is one nation that has many Premier League fans. Many of these fans have their favourite football clubs. Perhaps they are big fans of United or die hard Burnley enthusiasts. Overall, a vast majority of Australians follow the four major clubs of the Premier League. These would include Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool. The overwhelming majority seem to back Manchester United with Liverpool fans being a close second. Some of the fan base in Australia has been encourage by seeing Aussie Tim Cahill participate in the Premier League.

Whatever the team, many Australians follow the game. There is a time difference between England and Australia. Australia of course is hours ahead of England. Therefore, many Australians must record the matches rather than watch them live. However, many night owls will stay up watching the events live. Also, Premier League Football is popular in sports pubs across Australia. Also, fantasy leagues based on the EPL are popular in Australia.

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One of Australia’s sports channels carries all of the English Premier Games live. Also, they permit viewers to switch between as many as five games on one channel. Australia’s number one sport continues to be Aussie Rules football. However, many Aussies do enjoy following the Premier League which remains popular. In fact, some people follow both sports. Due to Australia’s love of online casino and online betting there is never a shortage of bets on either sport!

Despite going into the season’s opening weekend with just one experienced striker, new Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas has shocked supporters by claiming he only wants one more striker before the deadline.

Jermain Defoe seems set for a starring role at Tottenham this season after sitting the previous campaigns on the bench, but youngster Harry Kane is also in the fold to make his mark at White Hart Lane this season.

Amidst speculation of offers to last seasons’ top scorer Emmanuel Adebayor and Brazilian sensation Leandro Damiao, Villas Boas has ruled out bringing both forwards to the club.

Villas Boas set his stall out surrounding new players to the Daily Mirror “I can give you an example – last year we had two strikers in Chelsea of great dimension.

“Tottenham had three strikers of great dimension – Adebayor, Defoe and Roman Pavlyuchenko.

“Normally there is one that doesn’t get enough time that he feels he should be credited with.

“That’s not because you don’t rotate enough, but because when you play a system with one striker it is very difficult to get the third one to play enough.

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“Normally on my teams I like to promote the third one as a young striker who is competing for that place a bit more aggressively.”

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