Toyota Football Fever Show 14
ARE YOU GEARED IN FOR THE TOYOTA FOOTBALL
FEVER PARTY ON 9 DECEMBER 2006? DETAILS AT WWW.TOYOTA.COM.MY!!!
Note: TFF this week had a Pre-recorded interview
chat with Jamie Davis, Managing Director of ESPN STARPORTS
on winning the broadcast rights of telecasting the EPL for
Asia till 2010.
1) Not his ‘Luque’ day
ALBERT LUQUE'S Newcastle career will soon
be a write-off - but yesterday his £60,000 Porsche
beat him to the scrap heap.
The Spanish striker only escaped serious
injury himself by a fluke of good timing on his way to Newcastle
airport, but his car was wrecked in a horror accident.
The £10.5million signing was wandering
around his Spanish bought car checking for a puncture and
chatting on his mobile phone when a lorry - sporting a Liverpool
flag in the cab window - ploughed through it.
2) United “on verge of greatness”
Sir Alex Ferguson is convinced his current
Manchester United side is on the verge of greatness.
After winning eight Premiership titles during
his time at Old Trafford, Ferguson is carefully crafting
a new team he hopes will deliver a ninth.
Without five senior figures the Red Devils
were never at their best against Everton last night but
they still recorded a 3-0 win which maintained their three-point
advantage over Chelsea.
'The players have a lot to work for,' he said.
'I think they are on the verge of achieving
something great at this club and you don't want to miss
these things.’
3) Argie Tevez in Brazil Kit Horror
CARLOS TEVEZ will pay a hefty price for his
fiery Latin temper — the Argentina striker must wear
a BRAZIL shirt in training next week.
The West Ham ace also donated around £1,000
to Great Ormond Street Hospital as his laughing team-mates
passed sentence on his walkout after last weeks game.
Tevez stood ‘trial’ at training
yesterday and was told to write out a cheque for charity.
But his face sank when his team-mates brought
out a shirt in the colours of Argentina’s big rivals
Brazil and told him he must wear it next week.
4) West Ham may move into Olympic
Stadium
West Ham's new owner Eggert Magnusson will
continue to explore the possibility of the club playing
in the London Olympic Stadium in the future.
The Hammers' chairman-elect met Olympics minister
Tessa Jowell and London mayor Ken Livingstone plus senior
London 2012 officials at the House of Commons to express
his interest in a possible move.
A spokesman for Magnusson, whose consortium
are in the process of taking over at Upton Park, said: "It
was a very useful meeting and we fully take on board the
points made by the secretary of state and will look at all
the options to move forward."
The Icelandic businessman was told that a
final decision will be taken by the Olympic Board in January,
and that he would have to guarantee the stadium could be
used to host major athletics events after 2012.
West Ham would also have to contribute £100million
towards the costs of aiding the conversion.
5) Transfer Update
As the transfer window nears, the football
rumours are starting to gather pace. Manchester United seem
likely to add to their strikeforce this winter, with Fernando
Torres or Jermaine Defoe the main targets.
Arsenal also want to add to their forward
options, having been linked with Newcastle winger Charles
n’Zogbia. Glenn Roeder is adamant that he will not
be allowed to leave however.
But perhaps the strangest transfer rumour
is that Barcelona have joined the hunt for Liverpool target
Lucas Neill. The Aussie chopper has put in some good performances,
but its difficult to see him trotting out with Ronaldinho…
Quotes of the Week
"The ball-boys sat on the towels when
we had a throw-in, but used them to dry the ball when Watford
had one. It is ridiculous - we are in the Premiership and
we are talking about towels" Sheffield United manager
Neil Warnock – well it beats talking about his team
I guess…
"I also have boxing gloves to hit something
- or someone - to relieve stress." Cristiano Ronaldo
has been taking lessons from Craig Bellamy on how to unwind
in his free time.
“Does Freddy want to have to go to Watford
on a rainy Wednesday where he'll have 6ft 4in goons on his
back all night?" - DC United's technical director Dave
Kasper tells the honest truth about Freddy Adu’s possible
move to the Premiership.
"I got beer in my face and had sticky
eyes afterwards. It could have been worse but it should
not happen. I am okay. There are no marks on me, just a
bit of beer in my eyes." Blackburn’s Morten Gamst
Pedersen, who could either be talking about the plastic
cup of beer that was thrown at him… or an average
night out in an English town.
I relax when I play football computer games.
I have fun playing as Henry and shooting wide of the goal!
I'm kidding. It just seems my virtual copy doesn't play
as well as the Henry character - although in real life,
especially this season, I'm better than him" Didier
Drogba shows his modesty.
Last Weeks Premiership Results
| Charlton 1 |
Everton 1 |
| Reid (68) |
Osman (52) |
Report: Andy Reid's equaliser
was not enough to lift Charlton off the foot of the Premiership,
but the 1-1 home draw with Everton gave new boss Les Reed
reason to believe his team could soon be climbing the table.
As soon as Reid struck with an 18-yard rocket in the 68th
minute, the Addicks were transformed and had chances to
seal victory and climb out of the bottom three.
| Aston Villa 1 |
Middlesbrough 1 |
| Barry (pen 45) |
Christie (43) |
Report: Injury-plagued striker
Malcolm Christie scored his first goal for 21 months to
give Gareth Southgate's Middlesbrough a 1-1 draw against
Aston Villa, the Boro manager's former club, at Villa Park.
| Fulham 0 |
Reading 1 |
| |
Doyle (pen 17) |
Report: Kevin Doyle's penalty
at Craven Cottage clinched a 1-0 victory over 10-man Fulham
and made it three Premiership wins in a row for Reading.
Doyle slotted home in the 17th minute after he was brought
down in the area, with Ian Pearce given a straight red card
for his foul on the six-yard line.
| Liverpool 1 |
Man City 0 |
| Gerrard (67) |
|
Report: Steven Gerrard almost
single-handedly broke the defiance of a battling Manchester
City in Liverpool's 1-0 Anfield victory. The men from Eastlands
gave Liverpool plenty of trouble during a close, competitive
Premiership match. But it was Gerrard, with a blistering
long-range drive, who produced the breakthrough and extended
the Reds' unbeaten home league record to 23 matches - stretching
back to October 2005.
| West Ham 1 |
Sheff Utd. 0 |
| Mullins (36) |
|
Report: West Ham's new era
under Eggert Magnusson began with a 1-0 victory after Hayden
Mullins' first-half header turned out to be just enough
to beat Sheffield United. The result left the battling Blades
still adrift in the Premiership drop zone.
| Bolton 3 |
Arsenal 1 |
Faye (9)
Anelka (45,76) |
Gilberto (45) |
Report: Nicolas Anelka made
sure his former manager Arsene Wenger endured another miserable
experience at the Reebok Stadium as Bolton beat Arsenal
3-1. The Bolton striker saved his first goals in the Barclays
Premiership following his 8million pound move from Fenerbahce
for the visit of the club whose colours he used to wear.
| Newcastle 1 |
Portsmouth 0 |
| Sibierski (69) |
|
Report: Antoine Sibierski
cemented his blossoming reputation as a goal-scorer on Tyneside
with a precious strike to hand his side a first Premiership
win in 10 attempts. The Frenchman struck from close range
on 69 minutes with his second goal in four days and his
first in the league for his new club to settle a game his
side thoroughly deserved to win.
| Tottenham 3 |
Wigan 1 |
Defoe (43)
Berbatov (44)
Lennon (90) |
Camara (25) |
Report: Two goals in 89
scintillating seconds inspired Tottenham to victory over
battling Wigan at White Hart Lane. Martin Jol's side had
trailed to Henri Camara's 24th-minute opener but fought
back in stunning style just prior to the interval through
Jermain Defoe, his 50th in the Premiership, and Dimitar
Berbatov.
| Man Utd 1 |
Chelsea 1 |
| Saha (29) |
Carvalho (69) |
Report: Ricardo Carvalho's
second-half header denied Manchester United a six-point
lead at the top of the Barclays Premiership as Chelsea grabbed
a deserved 1-1 draw from a pulsating showdown at Old Trafford.
| Watford 0 |
Sheff Utd 1 |
| |
Webber (88) |
Report: Danny Webber returned
to Watford and scored a vital goal against his former club
to hand Sheffield United a 1-0 victory. Webber's close-range
header in the 87th minute - 13 minutes after he had come
on as a substitute - could prove crucial later in the season
as United and Watford fight desperately for survival in
the Barclays Premiership.
| Aston Villa 1 |
Man City 3 |
| McCann (66) |
Vassell (18)
Barton (32)
Distin (75) |
Report: Manchester City
finally achieved their first away win of the season in the
Barclays Premiership with a 3-1 victory at Aston Villa.
Former Villa striker Darius Vassell, Joey Barton and Sylvain
Distin were on target for Stuart Pearce's side.
| Fulham 2 |
Arsenal 1 |
McBride (6)
Radzinski (19) |
van Persie (88) |
Report: Arsene Wenger may
just have to face his own 'moment of truth' after a 2-1
defeat at Fulham all but ended Arsenal's hopes of forcing
their way into the Barclays Premiership title race. With
little margin for error following the weekend loss at Bolton,
this 2-1 reverse at Craven Cottage looks set to prove fatal.
| Bolton 0 |
Chelsea 1 |
| |
Ballack (45) |
Report: Jose Mourinho may
not enjoy facing Bolton but he does like the Reebok Stadium
as the Chelsea manager saw his team keep the pressure on
Manchester United at the top of the table with a narrow
1-0 win. A goal from Michael Ballack was enough to seal
victory on the ground where the Blues boss celebrated his
first Barclays Premiership title two years ago.
Report: On a night when
Liverpool could have reached the top four, all they managed
was a scoreless draw with Portsmouth which took them ahead
of local rivals Everton in the Barclays Premiership table.
Pompey's massed ranks survived a near-constant bombardment
to claim a precious draw - a tremendous reward for a club
who had not won at Anfield for 55 years.
| Man Utd 3 |
Everton 0 |
Ronaldo (39)
Evra (63)
O’Shea (89) |
|
Report: Much-changed Manchester
United took another stuttering step forward in their bid
to land the Barclays Premiership title but the manner of
their 3-0 win over Everton left lingering question marks
over the depth of Sir Alex Ferguson's squad. Cristiano Ronaldo
put the Red Devils in front before the break, before Patrice
Evra, with his first for the club, and John O'Shea netted
to maintain a three-point lead over Chelsea.
Team of the Week - Chelsea
There is no doubt that Chelsea have had a
very good week indeed. Faced with trips to Old Trafford
and The Reebok, compared with Man Utd’s two home games,
Jose Mourinho would have been worried about losing ground
to their title rivals. A creditable draw, which could have
been three points, in Manchester, followed by a hard-fought
victory over Bolton, maintains the pressure on Sir Alex
Ferguson’s men and now Jose will just be praying for
a few injuries to the Red Devils.
Player of the Week - Nicolas Anelka
‘Le Sulk’ has taken a long time
to score his first goal in the Premiership, but the second
only took 30 minutes to follow the first, and they were
not bad goals either! His brace came against former club
Arsenal and whether he was happy about it or not, he has
heaped pressure on his former boss - Gunners manager Arsene
Wenger.
Donkey of the Week - Arsene Wenger
While nobody would ever dare to question the
great man – there is a growing feeling of disappointment
this season that something is wrong at the Emirates Stadium.
While it seems the new home has not helped the Gunners,
their away form has also been a problem, and this week two
losses at Bolton and Fulham have put Arsenal out of the
title race and have really got the Gunners fans worried
about the tactics employed by Monsieur Wenger
Upcoming Premiership Games (Sat 2nd,
Sun 3rd, Mon 4th)
Arsenal v Tottenham
Suspensions TOT - Ghaly
Injuries ARS - Diaby, Lauren, (Gallas)
TOT - Jenas, (Gardner), (Stalteri), (Mido)
Prediction 3-2
Reason: The first North
London derby of the season sees Arsenal entering into the
game on a poor run of form, defeats in their last two games.
Spurs have been inconsistent so far this season, but to
be honest, the form book goes out the window for these games.
I expect a high-paced close game, with the Gunners just
edging it.
Blackburn v Fulham
Suspensions BLA - Tugay
Injuries BLA - Roberts, Reid, Nelson, Enckelman, (Neill)
FUL - Bullard, Elrich, Pembridge, Quedrue
Prediction 2-0
Reason: Blackburn have threatened
to put a run of form together this season, but have not
been quite able to do it. However that could be said of
their opponents Fulham, who only find themselves in a slightly
better position in the League. Fulham have looked lightweight
at times this season though, and I feel that home advantage
will tell for Mark Hughes’ side – taking all
three points.
Portsmouth v Aston Villa
Suspensions
Injuries POR - Johnson, Stefanovic, Lua-Lua, Cole
AST - Sorensen, Laursen, Moore, Delaney, (Sutton)
Prediction 1-0
Reason: A couple of poor
results last week have threatened to halt the Aston Villa
bandwagon – at least until the New Year transfer window,
and I can see them losing out at Fratton Park here, to a
well drilled Portsmouth side.
Reading v Bolton
Suspensions
Injuries REA - Cox, Mate, Kitson, (Convey), (Little), (Sidwell)
BOL - Fortune, O’Brien
Prediction 1-2
Reason: This is an interesting
match-up here, between two in form teams. Reading play some
attractive football at the Madjeski, but Bolton will be
playing their usual physical style and trying to capitalise
from set-pieces. I think the Trotters will outmuscle their
opponents today, and do enough to take an away win.
Sheff Utd v Charlton
Suspensions
Injuries SHF - Armstrong, Akinbiyi, (Tonge), (Sommeil)
CHA - Lisbie, (Diawara), (Hasselbaink)
Prediction 1-1
Reason: Neil Warnock and
his Sheffield United team will be buoyant after victory
in last weeks must win game against Watford. They are beginning
to believe they can stay in the division, and Charlton face
a battle if they are to take anything from this game. They
seem to be slowly improving under Les Reed however, and
I can see them take a point away from this game.
Wigan v Liverpool
Suspensions
Injuries WIG - Filan, Taylor, (Teale)
LIV - Sissoko, Kewell, Alonso, Gonzalez, Warnock, Zenden,
(Aurelio)
Prediction 1-1
Reason: Liverpool have once
again had a lacklustre week – dropping points at home
to Portsmouth, when they should have won. Injuries are taking
their toll, and visiting Wigan will be a tough assignment
for them at the moment. If Gerrard fires, they can win any
game, but becoming over reliant on one player is not a good
tactic. I can see a draw here.
Middlesbrough v Man Utd
Suspensions
Injuries MID - Riggott, Viduka, (Davies), (Downing)
MAN - (Ji-Sung), (Solskjaer)
Prediction 2-2
Reason: Middlesbrough always
make life difficult for visiting teams at the Riverside,
but it seems to be the bigger the team, the better the performance!
United will be conscious of this, but I feel they may have
difficulties here, especially after their uninterested performance
against Everton last week.
Everton v West Ham
Suspensions
Injuries EVE - Cahill, Pistone, (Naysmith), (Johnson), (Davies),
(Hibbert)
WHM - Gabbidon, Ashton, (Collins), (Carroll)
Prediction 0-0
Reason: West Ham are building
their confidence after a disastrous start to the season,
while Everton’s injury woes are taking their toll.
However, I feel Everton’s defensive attributes will
make it hard for a team as toothless as West Ham to score,
but I also cannot see where the goals for Everton will come
from. 0-0.
Man City v Watford
Suspensions WAT - Powell
Injuries MAC - Mills, Jihai, (Sinclair), (Beasley), (Dabo)
WAT - King, (Carlisle)
Prediction 3-1
Reason: After a great victory
at Villa Park this week, Manchester City seem to have finally
found some form, and Stuart Pearce will be delighted that
his team are playing Watford next. I am sure they won’t
throw away this opportunity and will manage to take three
points at home here.
Tue 5th & Wed 6th
Charlton v Blackburn
Suspensions
Injuries CHA - Lisbie, (Diawara), (Hasselbaink)
BLA - Roberts, Reid, Nelson, Enckelman, (Neill)
Prediction 1-1
Reason: I can’t see
Charlton’s luck getting any better here against Blackburn.
They might be at home, but don’t seem to have the
quality of playing staff available to compete in this league.
I think a draw is the best they can get out of this game.
Tottenham v Middlesbrough
Suspensions
Injuries TOT - Jenas, (Gardner), (Stalteri), (Mido)
MID - Riggott, Viduka, (Davies), (Downing)
Prediction 2-0
Reason: Tottenham are building
a potent strike force at White Hart Lane, with Keane, Defoe,
Berbatov and Lennon all causing problems for visiting teams.
They have self-destructed in some games this season, but
I think they will be desperate to capitalise against a Boro
team that has been poor on their travels so far.
Newcastle v Reading
Suspensions
Injuries NEW - Krul, Bernard, Moore, Duff, Ameobi, Owen,
Harper, Parker, (Carr), (Babayaro), (N’Zogbia), (Dyer),
(Milner)
REA - Cox, Mate, Kitson, (Convey), (Little), (Sidwell)
Prediction 1-1
Reason: The Magpies just
don’t seem to have any luck when it comes down to
injuries, and they can’t seem to get a settled side
together for more than a couple of games. Scott Parker is
a big miss for them, and they may have problems here against
Reading even with home advantage. I think Steve Coppell’s
boys will head back with a point.
West Ham v Wigan
Suspensions
Injuries WHM - Gabbidon, Ashton, (Collins), (Carroll)
WIG - Filan, Taylor, (Teale)
Prediction 2-0
Reason: West Ham will be
looking to take all three points from this game against
a Wigan side that have been hit and miss this season. If
the Hammers can get their front line scoring again, then
they should climb the league, and this game could be one
of the first steps.
