Soccer Forum - Blogs

Arsenal hit with Bendtner blow

footballpunter — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:53:44 GMT

One of the main aims in pre-season for any football club is to get through it without too many injury problems. The start of a campaign is always very important and managers will want to face it with a fully fit squad.

This is rarely the case though and Arsene Wenger is the latest manager to feel the frustrations of pre-season injuries.

Nicklas Bendtner - who represented Denmark in the World Cup earlier this year - will miss the start of the season due to a problematic groin injury. As for how long the striker could be out for, Wenger admits the club "doesn't know yet".
Bendtner did manage to start all three of Denmark's World Cup fixtures, but the injury - which he had surgery on in November - is still bothering him and affecting his game.

The 22-year-old is the type of player that needs fitness on his side if he is going to make an impact, so this will be extremely frustrating for him. He has threatened to kick on his career for a couple of years now, but these injuries hold his progress back.

Speaking about the injury some time ago, Bendtner admitted that he sometimes struggles to get out of bed because of it, so this is certainly an issue he, Arsenal and Denmark will want to rectify as soon as possible. You can track all the latest news on his injury with Bets Player.

Elsewhere on the injury front for Arsenal, Wenger has admitted that Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie may miss the start of the campaign too after their involvement in the World Cup final.

Even though Arsenal have won all three warm up games so far without conceding a goal, it has been far from the perfect pre-season for them as they prepare for another assault on the Premier League.

Spurs face transfer market squeeze

footballpunter — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 08:56:27 GMT

Harry Redknapp has admitted James Milner, Ashley Young and Phil Jagielka are out of his price range this transfer window.

As usual, the Tottenham manager has been linked to a whole host of names but the fact three of the most outstanding talents are beyond his reach shows the increasingly difficult challenge he faces in the transfer market.

Spurs have been big spenders themselves in the past, splashing millions on the likes of Roman Pavlyuchenko and David Bentley.

However, the club now seem to have tightened their purse strings somewhat and, at the same time, Manchester City's big spending has pushed many players out of the London club's reach.

Speaking about Milner, he said: "Anybody would like James Milner, he's an outstanding young player, but he'd be way out of our depth."

As for Young, Redknapp added that he didn't think Aston Villa would want to sell him, suggesting the Spurs boss thinks his side would be incapable of offering a sum that would make them change their minds.

He was blunter when it came to Jagielka, stating that although the Everton man is an excellent player Spurs "wouldn't be in the market for someone like that".

Quite what this last bit means in Redknapp-speak is anyone's guess. He does have a history of distancing himself from players he has every intention of signing and, given the injury problems he has in defence, Jagielka would seem to be the perfect fit.

Arsenal have been linked with the Everton man, with a fee of around �13 million touted. So it could be Redknapp feels he cannot meet this valuation, or that he fears losing out if he goes head to head against his North London rivals in a transfer battle.

However, he could be biding his time before he makes a bid and you can keep track of any transfer developments with betsplayer.com.

Whatever the reason, it currently looks like Spurs will struggle to repeat their fourth place finish of last season.

Boothroyd signals intent

soccerblogger — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 14:46:18 GMT

New Coventry manager Aidy Boothroyd has wasted little time assembling a squad he feels will be capable of upsetting Championship betting odds by challenging for promotion this season. Boothroyd has made five signings so far this summer.

Gary McSheffrey, Stephan O�Halloran, Roy O�Donovan, Richard Keogh and Lee Carsley have all been brought to the Ricoh Arena. The signing of McSheffrey has got the fans most excited.

The Coventry born forward returns to the club four years after Birmingham signed him for �4million. McSheffrey endured a frustrating few years at St Andrews and was sent to Leeds on loan last season. It�s at his boyhood team where McSheffrey has played the best football so far in his career. The Coventry fans will be hoping they see the same player who scored nearly 50 goals in his 150 game first spell. If they do, Carling Cup betting might be favouring Coventry to go on a run.

The other four summer signings all have an Irish connection. O�Donovan has signed from Sunderland. The former Coventry trainee scored 9 goals in 15 games whilst on loan at Hartlepool last season. O�Halloran has had a tough few years at Aston Villa.

A number of serious injuries have restricted the defender to only a handful of appearances in the last two or three years. Richard Keogh was being chased by a few Championship clubs before choosing Coventry. The defender had been one of Carlisle�s best players over the past to seasons.

Lee Carsley was Boothroyd�s most recent signings. The former Everton and Birmingham midfielder is another player returning to Coventry. He played 50 games for the Sky Blues between 2000 and 2002. 36 year old Carsley will add a bit of bit in the middle of the park. He will also bring leadership to the squad, which will be essential if Coventry are to return to the promised land.

Milner tempted by the City

soccerblogger — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:11:23 GMT

Manchester City�s extravagant spending, is showing no signs of slowing down as they look to boost their favourite odds to win premier league.

James Milner has effectively issued a �come and get me� plea to the blue half of Manchester. The Aston Villa player has told Martin O�Neill that he sees his future away from Villa Park. Milner made it clear by turning down Villa�s latest contract offer. One which would of made Milner the highest paid player in Villa�s history.

The two clubs are believed to be some distance away from agreeing a fee. City are willing to spend �20million with Villa holding out for nearer 30. With Milner now seeking the move, Villa may be willing to sit down and negotiate.

Milner won the PFA Young Player of the Year last season. He was one of Villa�s best players as they finished 6th. His form impressed England boss Fabio Capello and he was picked in the World Cup squad that went to South Africa.

He played three times as England went out in the second round. He produced a quality performance as England beat Slovenia, supplying the cross for Jermaine Defoe�s goal. He holds the record for the most capped England player at U21 level, playing 46 times.

Football betting pundits note how the transfer highlights the spending power at Eastlands, as City look to create a squad capable of taking over the world.

The loss of Milner could help Villa sign Stephen Ireland as a replacement. The midfielder drops further and further down the pecking with each new arrival at City. O�Neill could do a lot worse than sign Ireland. He doesn�t seem to be in Roberto Mancini plans and could possibly be signed for a bargain price.

I have great sympathy on LiuXiang

gardenia — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:40:53 GMT

How long has passed since last time YaoMing and LiuXiang appear on the front page of our newspaper? During the half year, the two shanghai man undergo their respectively Injury and ailment, yet, they have a different destiny. For YaoMing, who succefully transit from a boy to a strong man .and turn into a club boss from a player. However, LiuXiang experience the downturn pain once again and into the doldrums , who is just come back to take part in Shanghai Golden Grand Prix track,
Yesterday, on the same day, when YaoMing talk about his sun and squad relaxedly. LiuXiang have to declare to give up the track and field world cup, into a offseason lasting nearly half a year..he have to resist the great opinion pressure at the same time .
What on earth made destiny sharp contrastly between YaoMing and LiuXiang ?
Firstly, it result from their diverse athletes type. On the one hand , Liu Xiang�110 hurdle belongs to the short haul, needing instant explosive force, YaoMing need the sustaining power ,the Injury have impact on them are huge different �moreover, Liu Xiang�s injure on his lynchpin � ankle. On the other,110 hurdle is personal sports, on the contrary ,the basketball is team sport-the two gradient decide the unsimilar definition the public have about them., in other words,liuxiang�fail are more easily tended to be defined.
Liuxiang�s failure is doomed not to let go easily by the public .our society never is a outraging one. It is a pyramid, constitute a pressure transmitting structure. These people live in this pyramid are well in two things:so.a many people are always too stingy to give other people the anspiration.contrastly . magnifying others fault becomes a common thing .they always have high praise of the winner, and hit stone to the person when he is down.
The small atmosphere of occupation is different ,the big survival environment are even more different .recent years, YaoMing temple himself in NBA not only on sports skill, but also personality and eye scope ,his humor and wit further get the cross-culture �horizon ,more and more mature ..in the same way ,those NBA fans inland are under the influence that .relatively ,a lot of other sports fans become more and more objective to his defeat . NHL jerseys
So far, LiuXiang�s fate filled with unknown fog.
I still retrospect several years ago, liuxiang was fond of speak humor as more as yaoming up to now, those laid-back expressions only left on yaoming�face.i still remember the situation clearly liuxiang jump up to the stadium with his tongue open �I think to myself,liuxiang was no longer become as easily as many years ago even he reclaim the chamionpion title.
Many people define this as maturity, but I implore about this deeply.

Grant�s Hammers shaping up nicely

soccerblogger — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 10:30:56 GMT

Ahead of a season where football betting experts expect the team to show progression, Avram Grant�s West Ham squad is shaping up nicely.

The Israeli boss took over the reins at Upton Park in the summer replacing Gianfranco Zola and the former Pompey boss has made some shrewd signings already.

German midfield powerhouse Thomas Hitzlsperger has already arrived to strengthen the engine room alongside Scott Parker and Mark Noble and Grant has now turned his attentions to the forward front.

Mexico frontman Guillermo Franco was released at the end of the season and so Grant has drafted in former Portsmouth striker Frederic Piquionne for an undisclosed fee said to be �1million, while Franco�s international team-mate Pablo Barrera has arrived for �4million.

The pacy Barrera, 23, has signed a four-year contract at Upton Park after passing a medical and receiving his work permit and will surely prove to be a big hit in East London. The flying winger showed glimpses of his ability at the World Cup finals as a substitute and Grant has done well to get the in-demand star on board.

Meanwhile, Grant knows all about Piquionne from his time at Fratton Park and the French striker did well last season to score 11 times for a side who were relegated at Easter.

New owners David Sullivan and David Gold are demanding big things for the Hammers next season and another campaign of struggle won�t be tolerated.

That�s unlikely though with Grant more than capable of adding more talent to his squad, and with two more signings believed to be in the immediate pipeline West Ham might just surprise one or two online betting experts next term.

Fulham and Ajax at war over Jol

footballpunter — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 12:23:39 GMT

Fulham and Ajax look to be at war over the London club's attempts to appoint Martin Jol as manager.

Only yesterday reports suggested that the former Spurs boss was set for a return to the Premier League, but this morning newspapers in Holland claimed he had decided to stay put.

However, things took a dramatic turn at lunchtime when it BBC Sport revealed that Jol has told Ajax he wants to leave, but the club have refused to discuss a compensation package with Fulham.

It's understandable why the Dutch side would want to keep hold of Jol - he's a very talented manager and their financial woes mean it will be hard for them to replace him with someone of a similar ability.

Still, he has made it clear he wants to join Fulham and said he is "excited" about the prospect, so why try and keep someone who doesn't want to stay?

Even if Ajax do successfully see off the advances of Fulham they would only succeed in annoying Jol, and it's highly unlikely his heart will be in the job next season.

Perhaps the Dutch club is taking a hard-line negotiating position in the hope of extracting the maximum amount of cash from Mohammed Al-Fayed.

If that's the case, they are playing a dangerous game as they could end up with no cash and a manager who doesn't want to be at the club.

Fulham also look set to suffer. They had hoped to unveil Jol on Thursday, but whatever happens that now seems highly unlikely.

With the transfer window only open for another month, they will want someone in place as soon as possible and it could be that a delay of more than a week or two would mean they have to turn their attention elsewhere.

That would be a real shame as right now Fulham and Jol look like a perfect match.

Has Steve Bruce gone mental?

ForeverRed — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 12:20:28 GMT

The majority of Premier League managers know a sound and rock-solid defence is one of the most important ingredients for success in the top flight. And Steve Bruce should know more than most as he was one of the best defenders to grace the Premier League during his Manchester United days � that is why I am in shock that this Premier League betting blog reckons he wants to bring Sol Campbell and Titus Bramble to Sunderland. Campbell has seen better days and it seemed last season like his legs have gone, while Bramble has looked calamitous for years. I would be panicking if I was a Sunderland fan now.

Two out of three ain�t bad

soccerblogger — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 16:33:38 GMT

Fulham�s three-man manager short-list has an impressive look about it. Well, at least until you get down to Sven-Goran Eriksson.

The Cottagers are still on the lookout for a new boss to replace Roy Hodgson, who took over the reins at Liverpool at the start of the month.

Those wanting to place a football bet on who their new manager will be should not that Eriksson is believed to be on the short-list with United States head coach Bob Bradley and Switzerland's Ottmar Hitzfeld also in the running.

Eriksson, as ever distanced himself from claims he was about to take the post earlier in the week when he revealed he was considering an offer to extend his contract as Ivory Coast head coach. And that would be the best scenario for Fulham fans because Eriksson�s arrival at the Cottage would be disastrous.

The Swede�s reputation has been in decline ever since he departed the England job. The man, who recently had a woeful spell as boss of Mexico, started last season on board at Notts County and ended the season at the World Cup with the Ivory Coast.

There�s no doubt all Hodgson�s good work would be ruined if Eriksson got his hands on the Cottagers and the chances of seeing out the season, if he was appointed, would be very slim anyway.

Meanwhile, Hitzfeld has a proven track record at Bayern Munich and Bradley has done a magnificent job with the US. Bradley has moulded the USA into a top side and their FIFA ranking of 13th reflects their steady rise.

He deserves a chance in the top flight and would be a perfect fit for progressive Fulham team that Premier League Betting expects to be in and around the top ten again this season.

And the latest star to roll off the Everton production line is...

evertontom — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 11:15:27 GMT

I don't know where Everton would be without its excellent youth Academy.

Ray Hall and his staff deserve enormous credit for the fantastic job they have done over the past 20 years, producing some of the country's best young talent.

I know many people talk about the West Ham Academy and the golden generation of players at Manchester United, but you would be hard pressed to find a youth set up that has consistently produced quality young players like Everton's.

If you think over the past 15 years we have had the likes of Francis Jeffers, Michael Ball, Gavin McCann, Richard Dunne, Wayne Rooney, James Vaughan and Jack Rodwell, who have all gone on to achieve international honours at various levels.

The work of the Academy is especially important in today's times of austerity. Everton are all but broke and after shelling out a relatively modest �2 million this summer Moyes says the barrel is already empty. The Premier League 2010/11 betting suggests Everton are in for a tough time this year, and they will have to work hard on limited resources.

The past two years have seen the club sell before it has bought but, with Moyes digging his heels in over the likes of Steven Pienaar and Mikel Arteta, it is unlikely a big name will be sacrificed to fund recruitment elsewhere.

Thankfully some of our academy graduates look likely to step up. First there is Jack Rodwell.

The secret is well and truly out now about Rodwell after that magnificent goal against Manchester United in February but Toffees fans, especially those inside the club, knew about this kid for a long time.

In a time where the media are talking about a dearth of English talent to replace our aging failures in South Africa they are ignoring a player who could eclipse the lot of them.

The composure, poise and skill shown by Rodwell at such a young age is outstanding and, even though I'm slightly biased, I truly believe he is an England captain in the making.
Another player most non-Toffees may not have heard of is Seamus Coleman.

The young Irishman signed from Sligo Rovers for �60,000 in January 2009 and had a debut to forget in a 4-0 drubbing by Benfica in the Europa League. However, a fantastic cameo appearance against Spurs in December quickly got the fans excited. Moyes did the right thing and gave him some lower league experience at Blackpool, where he helped the Seasiders defy the online football odds and earn promotion via the play-offs.

Now back in an Everton shirt he put in another decent performance in a pre-season friendly against Melbourne Heart. The youngster won a penalty early on for the Toffees before crossing for Jack Rodwell to convert from close range.

One of our key forms of attack last season was the linkup between Pienaar and Leighton Baines on the left. Now we have a kid who is just as adept at going forward in the right, giving us an exciting balance on the other flank.

There are rumours Blackpool want to take him back on loan but, given his progress, I think he is ready for the Toffees first team now.

And given the club�s track record, he could go a very long way.

Spain Win the World Cup!

theguvnor — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 10:40:12 GMT

They were the bookmakers favourites heading into the tournament, and Spain lived up their billing on Sunday with a 1-0 victory over Holland in the World Cup final.

Was it a surprise? With the way they started, and with the way Argentina, Brazil and co started, there was an elemant to surprise about it.

Overall, they deserved it. They were the better team on the night and the better team throughout the tournament. Their world cup betting odds were amongst the favourites throughout.

I agreed with this world cup preview prior to the tournament and backed Spain (I would have backed Spain even if they said something else :laugh:).

Now with the money I have made from this tournament I can go on holiday and wait for the domestic season to begin :)

All Australian sports facts.

rchibawqgc — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 03:31:53 GMT

Here you will find all that happens in Australian sports. Football, Cricket, Golf, Tennis....................:lmao

Australian Sports, Australian Sports Blogs, Australian Sports Information, Australian Sports News, Sports News Australia, Australian Sports Links

Gosling is making a far worse error than Everton

evertontom — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 09:26:42 GMT

It was the transfer story that came out of nowhere. Dan Gosling, a promising young player at Everton suddenly taking the club to a tribunal to force a free transfer away from the club.

We may never know exactly what went on, but it seems Everton believed Gosling would sign a contract extension they verbally agreed on some time ago.

Somewhere in the middle of that though Gosling has suddenly developed an oversized ego and began making demands regarding regular first-team football, his preferred position and level of wages.

Yes this is Dan Gosling we are talking about, not Jack Rodwell, who is a genuine talent worth keeping. The Premier League 2010/11 betting suggests Everton are poised to do well, and the loss of Gosling will not damage their chances.

I'll admit Gosling has scored two memorable goals against Manchester United and Liverpool, but he still had some way to go before he could consider himself a first team regular. He certainly isn't good enough to start demanding he is played in central midfield ahead of Fellaini, Arteta, Cahill, Neville, Rodwell and Osman.

Everton must take some of the blame for their administrative blunder as they will now miss out on a transfer fee, although though I don't think Gosling is worth the �4 million quoted. However, they must also feel a bit let down by the player who has effectively played the system and betrayed the club's trust in order to secure a big money move for himself.

It is no surprise then that Newcastle are set to sign the midfielder. Despite their relegation two seasons ago they don't appear to have learnt their lesson. Their struggles, both on and off the pitch, came largely down to unmotivated, overpaid players who happily sat on their wages while the club spiralled down the division. The football odds suggest they will struggle again this season.

Gosling will no doubt pocket a nice signing on fee and earn �25,000 a week - a frankly ridiculous sum for someone of his ability.

With it now though will be the ego and the belief that he has now made it. The moment a player believes his own hype is the moment they lose the motivation to improve and their career grinds to a halt Evertonians have seen it all before - Francis Jeffers and Danny Cadamarteri are just two examples.

If that's the case with Gosling, then maybe Everton are better off without him.

Cooperation Plan

yifeng49 — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 06:53:29 GMT

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Hi everyone

yifeng49 — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 06:52:27 GMT

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