2010 has seen many occasions when Sky Sports’ Andy Gray has uttered the words ‘take a bow, son’ which we all know by now means that the Scotsman has seen a fantastic goal. In the past calendar year in the Premier League there has certainly been no shortage of cracking efforts, from volleys that have shown fantastic technique to long range shots from a distance that simply no player should be able to score from! While a tap in is just as important as a screamer, all football fans love to see the latter and these strikes are what we’re concentrating on here. There have been hundreds of Premier League goals this year, but which one do you hold in the highest regard? Here are the nominees for the FootballFanCast.com Goal of the Year for 2010…
Melbourne Victory captain Kevin Muscat has been given a break by the club to contemplate his future.
Muscat was handed an eight-match suspension by the Football Federation Australia disciplinary committee on Thursday for his crude tackle on Melbourne Heart winger Adrian Zahra.
Whether the ban would spell the end of a career that has featured 51 caps for Australia, 122 Victory games and stints at Crystal Palace, Wolves, Glasgow Rangers and Millwall is something the club will not press the 37-year-old veteran about.
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s clash against Gold Coast United at AAMI Park, Victory coach Ernie Merrick revealed Muscat was spending some time away from the club.
“We’ve given him a bit of a break, then we’ll get together and have a chat about what’s going to happen moving forward from here,” Merrick said.
“It’s (his playing future) not something I want to speculate on, I’ll leave that until I’ve had a discussion with Kevin down the track.”
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Merrick said Victory had no issue with the severity of the penalty handed out by the FFA, adding the club will “move on from there.”
Asked about Muscat’s reaction to the ban, Merrick said: “Obviously Kevin’s hurt by the situation, but he’s accepted it and taken it on the chin.”
Premier League boss Richard Scudamore says that the increased sums of money in English football are being used to good effect.
After a frenetic transfer deadline day last Monday, which saw the likes of Fernando Torres, Andy Carroll, Luis Suarez and David Luiz swap clubs for a combined total of over 120 million pounds, the big-spending tendencies of Premier League clubs amid an economic downturn have come under fire.
But speaking about the Premier League’s corporate and social responsibilities, chief executive Scudamore believes that the surge in spending allows the governing body to play a wider role in the community.
“I wouldn’t want to create anything like the impression that we are suddenly getting involved (in corporate and social responsibility) because of last Monday,” Scudamore said.
“As I say, we’ve had 28 years of ‘Football in the Community’ going in professional football. The Premier League’s got a long track record since it started of community involvement so this is just another extension.”
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“On the left hand side, we have TV rights and transfer fees, we have large amounts of money in the game being used on talent acquisition. And on the right hand side, we have large amounts of money going to some good causes (to) fulfil our corporate and social responsibilities.”
CSKA Moscow enter the second leg of their Europa League round-of-32 clash with PAOK Salonika as favourites after a 1-0 win last Thursday.Tomas Necid’s 29th-minute strike ensured the Russian Premier League side would take a healthy advantage into the second leg, which is to be played in Russia.Necid’s goal was his sixth of the Europa League campaign and he now only trails FC Porto’s Falcao on the scoring charts for the second-tier European competition.The odds are stacked in CSKA Moscow’s favour, having won all four of their home games in Europe this season.What makes their record even more impressive is the fact that all four games have been won by at least two goals, with 15 goals scored and just two conceded in continental fixtures at the Arena Khimki.CSKA Moscow are also unbeaten in nine European matches, winning eight of them, with their seven-match run ending when they drew 1-1 with Sparta Prague in their last group stage fixture on December 15.They returned to winning form with their win on Thursday and joined Zenit St Petersburg as the highest scoring sides in the competition this season when Necid struck CSKA’s 19th goal of their European campaign.In stark contrast, PAOK were the lowest-scoring side to make it past the group stage and have scored just five goals in the Europa League so far this season as they qualified out of Group D behind Villarreal.But if anything is in PAOK’s favour, it is the fact that CSKA have lacked regular match-play in recent months.Since the Russian Premier League ended in November, CSKA have been involved in just three competitive fixtures, all in the Europa League.They have also played two friendlies against Real Murcia and Tom Tomsk in the build-up to their first leg clash, but still lack consistent match fitness and it could come back to haunt them in the second leg.While all the statistics point to a CSKA victory, even inside their camp they are not sure about progression.Before the first-leg tie, manager Leonid Slutsky was unsure of how his side would play while captain Igor Akinfeev rated the Russian side’s chances of progression as ’50-50′. All will be revealed on Tuesday night in Moscow, with PAOK still likely to fancy their chances despite trailing by a goal.
Being a Manchester City fan is never easy. Indeed, it’s quite a difficult thing to do… Smile while you watch your team do something that, had you seen it on a fictional television series about a football club, you’d have said, “that’d never happen!” I’m not talking your average throwing away of a two goal lead, or having a man sent off when cruising to victory. No, they’re the sorts of things that City can do in their sleep. I’m talking the really ridiculous stuff. The top of the class, A-game stuff.
So, leaving Eastlands after a convincing 3-0 victory in a cup competition where we knew City wouldn’t be facing their bogey team in the next round had they gotten through was quite an unnerving experience. Knowing that Everton, a team that City traditionally struggle to beat, had been knocked out the night before, and that the only remaining lower league team left in the draw would be City’s opponent should they have beaten Villa, it felt wrong for City not to have turned in a rubbish performance, had a man sent off and given away a penalty in a game where they threw away a two goal lead.
But no, it was a perfectly sensible evening. They turned up, did the job in a professional manner, got themselves into the next round and went home. I’m starting to like this new City, even if it’s slightly scary. As City fans, it’s starting to feel like we’re changing jobs to get a fresh start – we’re excited that we’re finally getting away from the creepy guy from accounts, but we’re excited and a little bit nervous about what the future will hold and what strange characters we’ll encounter.
And trust me, I cleaned that metaphor up a lot.
Or so we thought, anyway. That was until yesterday, when we found out that Kolo Touré had tested positive for a “specified substance” (a substance that is more likely to have been ingested accidentally via a meal or medicine than a substance that was ingested intentionally, but a banned substance nevertheless). It was all looking so easy, though we’ll have to wait and see what happens with this one.
Needless to say, though, City are still the story. Never a dull week, eh?
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In fact, the easiness stretched back to Wednesday evening. Partly because of Gerard Houllier’s team selection, but mainly because it was a good team performance from the home side. I felt for the visiting fans when they saw their team selection. Houllier defended it by saying that “Nathan Delfouneso will go to the Under-21 Championships in the summer. Emile Heskey went to the World Cup and Gabriel Agbonlahor was in the squad for Denmark last month but couldn’t go for personal reasons.” But Delfouneso and Agbonlahor clearly aren’t up there with the internationals who have masses of experience and Heskey’s inclusion in England’s World Cup squad is somewhat devalued when you consider how poorly the nation played in South Africa.
That’s not to take anything away from City’s performance, though. City still needed to play well to win the game, especially after feeling a bit fragile taking just five points from the last five league games. Having David Silva back in the team was the biggest plus, while seeing Mario Balotelli act as peacemaker between Richard Dunne and Yaya Touré was like having slipped into some bizarre parallel universe. Krusty the Clown in the crowd didn’t particularly help that sensation, either.
And kudos to the Villa fans who were making their own fun in the away end. I’ve been there with City in the past and it’s not a pleasant experience, so seeing them keep the ball and playing head tennis was a specific favourite of mine.
Aside from that, though, there’s not really much to be said about the game. City did what they had to do and, with that victory over Aston Villa, it looks like this will be City’s best shot of silverware since… well, last season actually. But last season’s Carling Cup run was a bit of a one-off in City’s recent history. In fact, to match this current FA Cup run, you have to go back to when Stuart Pearce was in charge and City were knocked out at the sixth round stage by Blackburn.
Though, back then, that draw with Blackburn was a tough one. City’s team wasn’t as strong as it is now and Blackburn had a habit of upsetting the blue apple cart. Contrasting that with the current season, and the draw has been pretty kind in more than one way. First, the more obvious, is that we play Reading: it will be a tough game, but it’s a home draw and against the only side from outside the Premier League. Second because it’s thrown Manchester United and Arsenal together, so one of them will definitely go out.
It’s just a shame they both can’t go out… I’m not sure my nerves could take a Manchester derby at Wembley and I don’t fancy Arsenal, either. In years to come, nobody will remember who the winners of this competition had to play to get to the final, so give me the easiest route possible, says I.
All that considered, City will be bloody fools to underestimate Reading now. And that goes for the fans as well; we’ve been guilty of underestimating Premier League teams coming to Eastlands and we’ve dropped points when we shouldn’t have. With a shot of a Wembley semi-final (whether the semi-finals should be held there is another matter) and a good chance to win the more respected cup competition in this country (and I’m still not convinced why the League Cup is shunned like an illegitimate lovechild, but it is), it would be far too typical City to think “it’s only Reading.”
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Ok, so they’re not Premier League and City will be going into the game as favourites. But they did knock out Everton at Goodison Park. It’s not exactly like City have a great record there (or even at home against the Toffees), is it? If both the fans and the players turn up to the quarter final tie believing that they’ve already won, then there’s a good chance of an upset. So it’s important that they don’t.
Plus, I need City to get all the way to the final because I’m on holiday during the weekend when the semis are played, so I’ll miss out on that trip to the new Wembley. And I know I always say “there’s always next season” or “I’ve waited twenty three years, I can wait another”, but sod it, this is a fantastic opportunity.
So they’d bloody well better not underestimate Reading.
Millwall have stunned Championship leaders Queens Park Rangers 2-0 at home on Tuesday, while Norwich City edged closer to promotion.QPR, who had gone unbeaten through their last 11 league matches, saw lead their lead at the top of the table cut to seven points as Swansea City drew 1-1 against Watford, while fellow top six sides Cardiff City and Nottingham Forest both fell to their second straight losses.Mid-table battlers Millwall nabbed two second-half goals to surprise QPR at The Den, beginning with Steve Morison, who loped into the box and drilled a low strike beyond goalkeeper Paddy Kenny in the 63rd minute.Liam Trotter doubled the hosts’ advantage from the spot 10 minutes later, after Nigerian defender Danny Shittu tripped Morison and saw red for his efforts.The unlikely victory, Millwall’s first in six games, keeps them 12th on the table with 50 points, nine points away from the promotion play-off spots.Elsewhere, Norwich capitalised on Swansea’s loss by defeating Leicester City 3-2 and joining the second-place side on 63 points.Wesley Hoolahan and Richard Wellens traded early goals to leave the game poised at 1-1 at the break, but a Grant Holt penalty goal and Aaron Wilbraham’s first for Norwich ensured the visitors took the points.Swansea can thank their superior goal difference for keeping them in second after they drew 1-1 at home with Watford, who had forward Danny Graham to thank for cancelling out Stephen Dobbie’s opening goal. Cardiff City fell to fourth with a second straight loss, going down 1-0 at relegation-threatened Crystal Palace, and Forest dropped to sixth as they were felled 2-1 by lowly Sheffield United, who had lost four in a row.Their losses were a welcome boost for Leeds United, who rose to fifth and within three points of second place with a 2-1 win at Preston North End, while Burnley’s good form continued with a 1-0 result at Hull City to remain in touch with the top six.In other results, Reading trumped Ipswich Town 3-1, Bristol City defeated Portsmouth 2-1 and Derby County fell 2-1 at Middlesbrough, Coventry City were held 1-1 at Doncaster Rovers and Barnsley overran Scunthorpe United 2-1.
More Premier League footballers are joining Twitter all the time. Just this morning Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere tweeted that fellow England U21 international and Aston Villa star Marc Albrighton has setup an account. So it appears that their lives aren’t busy enough, seeing as they have plenty of time to tell us what they’re doing!
I for one am not complaining, though, as it gives us a great insight into what they’re up to and how professional footballers feel at any given time. It isn’t just players that football fans should follow on Twitter either, there are plenty of great accounts that give you analysis, intruiging stats and plenty of laughs (check out the spoof accounts for that). So we thought we’d identify the TEN Twitter accounts that all footy fans should follow…
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Click on Rio below to see the Top TEN
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Beijing Guoan and Shaanxi Chanba both were 2-0 winners in the opening round of the Chinese Super League on Sunday.Beijing Guoan’s 2-0 victory at Jiangsu Shuntian saw them claim top spot in the league after just one match, with both goals coming in the space of three second-half minutes.
After a cagey opening, the 2009 champions claimed the lead after 58 minutes when Wang Changqing hit the back of the net after he was left unmarked at the far post.
The hosts hit back with an attack of their own, but were hit with the ultimate sucker punch when Guoan grabbed their second on the counterattack.
Honduran international Walter Martinez kick-started the move with a nice run, before cutting in from the left and setting up Australian Joel Griffiths, who made no mistake from close range.
Content with a two goal lead, the visitors sat back and protected their advantage as they started their season in style.
In the day’s other match, a second-half brace from Wilson gave Shaanxi Chanba a 2-0 triumph over Liaoning Hongyun.
Wilson opened the scoring after 49 minutes, and added his second nine minutes later to wrap up the points and give Shaanxi their first win in five Chinese Super League matches.
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson remained confident about his side’s title hopes despite their 0-0 draw with Newcastle on Tuesday.After their spiteful FA Cup exit at the hands of Manchester City on Saturday, Ferguson’s men were well below their brilliant best at St James’ Park, and despite having several golden chances to break the deadlock the league leaders had to be content with a share of the points.
Ferguson, however, said he was glad his side increased their lead on top of the league to seven points over second-placed Arsenal.
“We are in a better position than we were on Saturday,” Ferguson said.
“We have played one less game and are in the same position we were with Arsenal with five games left.”
“There are two important games going to come up, obviously, and that’s the Arsenal game away and the Chelsea game at home.’
“You have got to look at Chelsea also and how they respond with the three home games in a row now.”
Two crucial penalty decisions by referee Lee Probert shaped Tuesday’s game.
First he decided against awarding a spot kick to Newcastle when Peter Lovenkrands was felled by Anderson in the box, and he denied United a penalty in stoppage time when Javier Hernandez appeared to be caught by Danny Simpson.
Probert’s decision to book the Mexican for diving angered Ferguson.
“It was a clear penalty. It’s an insult because he’s booked him,” the Scotsman said.
“I thought the referee had a good game tonight, but he’s let himself down by booking the player.”
Newcastle boss Alan Pardew said he was delighted with the performance of his side, and claimed they were unlucky not to be awarded a penalty for Anderson’s challenge on Lovenkrands.
“In the second-half they caused us all sorts of problems. Our discipline and our resilience carried us through,” Pardew said.
“We were out on our feet in the end. It was a tremendous night for Newcastle United. The stadium was great, it was great to see the crowd’s response at the end. They appreciated we did our very best.”
“I’ve reviewed them both (the penalties). At the time I thought Peter’s was a definite penalty because he’s such an honest character and he wouldn’t go down if he wasn’t clipped.”
Regarding Manchester United’s late penalty claims, Pardew added: “Danny (Simpson) stuck a leg out but he just withdrew it at the last minute.”
“In the last minute I don’t criticise the player for taking the opportunity to go down but the referee got the decision right and we got a deserved draw.”
Juventus legend Alessandro Del Piero has implored his team-mates to keep their minds off qualifying for next season’s Champions League.The former Serie A champions, who have endured a tough season, are within touching distance of fourth spot – which carries the last Champions League place – but Del Piero has urged his colleagues to concentrate on one game at a time.
“We’ll draw our conclusions at the end of the championship, hoping to have reached the highest place possible in the table,” he wrote on his personal website.
“This is the only way to close this particular season, following all the problems we have had to face.”
Juve, who are unbeaten in seven games, claimed a 1-0 win over fourth-placed Lazio – four points ahead of the Turin side – who despite their recent form, are in seventh place which does not grant them entry in either continental competition.
“Let’s take these three points [against Lazio], they’re very important, and now we can think about the next three. And then about the subsequent three. And finally about the last three.”
“Following the match against Lazio, we must be focused on next Monday’s game only, aiming at obtaining the best up until the end of the season.”
Del Piero’s team-mate Leonardo Bonucci said that, while he is disappointed about the side’s sub-par performances throughout the season so far, they must concentrate on building on their momentum.
“Of course it’s normal that, when looking at the table, we feel some regrets for points lost in previous games,” he said on his website.
“However, that’s what football’s about and we need to focus on the moment.”
“Regarding our objectives, I feel it’s only necessary to say that the three points against Lazio have taken us closer to the important positions.”
“However, to avoid bad luck and also for realism, I want to wait until the end of the championship. Then we well know if we’ve been able to address an unlucky season.”