Toyota Football Fever Show 26
What the UK papers said this week?
1) The Nutter with a Putter
BAD BOY Liverpool star Craig Bellamy attacked
teammate John Arne Riise with a golf club in an amazing
bust up at the teams training camp in Spain.
The training camp was designed to prepare
the reds for their big game against Barcelona, but it seems
that the players enjoyed themselves too much, with reports
of players arrested by police, and the incredible bust up
between Bellamy and Riise, reportedly over the Norwegians
refusal to sing karaoke.
The Liverpool manager is incensed that preparations
for the Champions League tie with Barcelona have been overshadowed
by the reports of drunken brawls and has already fined striker
Craig Bellamy two weeks' wages for his attack.
'With the exception of Jamie Carragher, who
returned home for a funeral, the rest of the 22-man squad
were drinking in the exclusive Monty's Bar and Restaurant,
and failed to beat their midnight curfew. Benitez will impose
fines on 15 of the players - but refused to identify the
culprits and does not want to comment any more on the trip,'
2) Ronaldo is so Vain
RED DEVILS Star Patrice Evra has revealed
that Cristiano Ronaldo is the vainest member of the Manchester
United team by far.
The French Right Back told how Ronaldo regularly
checks his reflection in the dressing room before a game
with his own personal mirror, and sometimes spends up to
twenty minutes preparing his hair.
He also revealed that skipper Gary Neville
has an amusing facial twitch when he talks, and that Rio
Ferdinand goes by the nickname of ‘Snoop Dogg’.
3) Lille in Walk-off Storm
Lille have lodged an official complaint with
Uefa about Manchester United's winner in the first leg of
the Champions League tie on Tuesday.
Ryan Giggs scored from a quick free-kick as
Lille were still lining up a wall and the French side were
contemplating leaving the pitch in protest after referee
Eric Braamhaar allowed the goal to stand.
Uefa will discuss Lille's protest and the
behaviour of their players during the match on Friday, but
United boss Sir Alex Ferguson branded Lille a "disgrace".
"I have never seen that before in all
my years in football”. “The Lille staff encouraged
their players to come off.”
4) Fabregas in Hughes jibe
ARSENAL midfielder Cesc Fabregas taunted Blackburn
manager Mark Hughes, asking if the Blackburn manager had
really played for Barcelona, after their dour 0-0 draw in
the FA Cup at the weekend.
The Teenage midfield star was clearly frustrated
with Hughes negative tactics, and asked the former Man Utd
and Barcelona star, if he had really played for the Catalan
giants.
He then remarked that if he had, his football
was not much like Barcelona’s.
The snipe angered former Wales boss Hughes,
who remarked that Fabregas should remember how many trophies
he had won.
It seems that Arsene Wenger’s moaning
is spreading to the rest of the Gunners team.
5) Mash only cost £1.5m
LIVERPOOL have finally completed the transfer
of Javier Mascherano, after clearing the Argentinean to
play for the club.
There had been problems with the player’s
registration, and it has emerged that Rafa Benitez has only
had to pay £1.5m for the Upton Park misfit.
This claim will only fuel rumours of how the
deal is structured, with part of Mascherano’s contract
owned by a third party company. One thing is for sure though,
Liverpool will feel they have got a bargain.
Quotes of the Week
"I'm busy but if I wasn't I would be
there digging the pitch up" Jose Mourinho
is not happy with Stamford Bridge’s current football
‘field’.
If we were to stay up, it would be like winning
the play-off final, swimming the Channel and climbing Mount
Everest...I think we can do it" Watford’s Adie
Boothroyd, who is now the only person who believes
this.
"I admit we behaved inappropriately.
We have betrayed our coach's trust and we disturbed other
hotel guests during their peace and night time. The next
day we felt stupid. Our coach talked to us and punished
those who deserved it the most - and I was one of them.
We have to draw a conclusion from this incident" Jerzy
Dudek, who is probably drawing the conclusion that
he shouldn’t hang out with Craig Bellamy…
Managers need to cool down, they're all getting
stressed for no reason, it's just a game of football. It's
not difficult to do, I'm quite a cool dude really"
that’s ‘cool dude’ Roy Keane, the same
Roy Keane who deliberately tore Alf-Inge-Haaland’s
knee ligaments, then bragged about it in his autobiography…
Last Weeks F.A. Cup, Champion’s
League, Premiership Results
F.A. CUP
Report: Plucky Blackburn
frustrated Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium to earn themselves
an FA Cup fifth round replay. Rover’s goalkeeper Brad
Friedel made a stunning double save from Thierry Henry and
Justin Hoyte in the closing stages, after the Gunners were
denied what appeared to be a certain penalty in Saturday's
early kick-off.
| Chelsea 4 |
Norwich City 0 |
Wright-Phillips (39)
Drogba (51)
Essien (90)
Shevchenko (90) |
|
Report: Chelsea eased effortlessly
into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup at the expense of
Championship side Norwich with a 4-0 win at Stamford Bridge.
| Middlesbrough 2 |
West Brom 2 |
Johnson (29)
Yakubu (pen 45) |
Kamara (41)
Phillips (58) |
Report: Former England striker
Kevin Phillips ensured West Brom's name will be in the hat
for the FA Cup quarter-final draw after a rousing fifth-round
tie at Middlesbrough.
| Plymouth 2 |
Derby County 0 |
Gallen (pen 14)
Sinclair (83) |
|
Report: Plymouth boss Ian
Holloway reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup for the
first time as a manager with Kevin Gallen's penalty and
a late goal from Scott Sinclair seeing off 10-man Derby,
who had Darren Moore sent off.
| Watford 1 |
Ipswich 0 |
| Francis (88) |
|
Report: Watford had Damien
Francis to thank for the late winner which downed 10-man
Ipswich and allowed the Hornets to book a place in the FA
Cup quarter-finals.
| Man Utd 1 |
Reading 1 |
| Carrick (45) |
Gunnarsson (67) |
Report: Reading's sensational
season continued at Old Trafford as Brynjar Gunnarsson's
second-half header earned them an FA Cup fifth-round replay
with Manchester United.
| Preston 1 |
Man City 3 |
| Nugent (8) |
Ball (35)
Hill (o.g 85)
Ireland (90) |
Report: Stuart Pearce saw
his Manchester City side stage a rousing comeback to book
their place in the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 3-1 win
at Preston. Goals from Michael Ball - his first for the
club - Georgios Samaras and Stephen Ireland - sealed an
emphatic victory
| Fulham 0 |
Tottenham 4 |
| |
Keane (6, 88)
Berbatov (77, 90) |
Report: Two stunning volleys
from Robbie Keane sent Tottenham into the quarter-final
of the FA Cup and eased any pressure that was on boss Martin
Jol.
PREMIERSHIP
| Watford 1 |
Wigan 1 |
| Henderson (24) |
Folan (40) |
Report: Wigan boss Paul
Jewell was left to rue another controversial refereeing
decision – a harsh 20th minute red card for Fitz Hall
- but watched his 10-man side edge a further point away
from the relegation zone with a 1-1 draw at Watford.
| Everton 1 |
Tottenham 2 |
| Arteta (42) |
Berbatov (35)
Jenas (89) |
Report: Tottenham gave Everton
a lesson in attacking football to win only their second
away match in the league this season. The hosts upset their
fans with a cautious approach after getting back on level
terms with a stunning Mikel Arteta free-kick.
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
| Lille 0 |
Man Utd 1 |
| |
Giggs (83) |
Report: Manchester United
flew home clutching a priceless Champions League lead and
left behind a storm of controversy that included a furious
Lille coaching staff, who attempted to haul their players
off the pitch before the final whistle. Lille keeper Tony
Sylva was still lining his wall up when Ryan Giggs calmly
stroked his free-kick into the top corner seven minutes
from time to secure a 1-0 win.
| PSV Eindhoven 1 |
Arsenal 0 |
| Mendez (61) |
|
Report Arsenal's hopes of
progressing towards a second successive Champions League
final suffered a knock as they lost 1-0 at PSV Eindhoven.
The Gunners never really hit top gear in the Philips Stadion,
where chances were at a premium
| Barcelona 1 |
Liverpool 2 |
| Deco (14) |
Bellamy (43)
Riise (74) |
Report Craig Bellamy and
John Arne Riise both got on the scoresheet as Liverpool
put a traumatic week behind them to claim a stunning Champions
League victory over Barcelona at the Nou Camp.
| FC Porto 1 |
Chelsea 1 |
| Raul Meireles (12) |
Shevchenko (16) |
Report: Andriy Shevchenko's
58th European goal could prove vital to Chelsea's continued
progress in the Champions League but they were left with
a major concern over the fitness of captain John Terry after
a 1-1 draw at Porto.
Team of the Week - Liverpool
They started the week in terrible fashion,
after a drunken Craig Bellamy confronted John Arne Riise
with a Golf Club at the Reds training camp in Portugal.
Bad boy Bellamy was repentant but handed a big fine, along
with several other drunken Liverpool stars. The players
made up for their errors in the best possible fashion though,
running out two-one winners against reigning Champions Barcelona
in the Nou Camp. Who scored? Who else than Craig Bellamy
and John Arne Riise!
Player of the Week - Andriy Shevchenko
Due to Andriy Shevchenko’s enormous
transfer fee and excellent reputation when he moved to Chelsea
this year, the Ukrainian hitman has been mercilessly attacked
all season for his lack of goals and lax attitude. Some
were hinting that the striker’s best years were behind
him, but this week with two goals in as many games, including
an excellent strike in the Champion’s league away
to Porto, Shevchenko is showing that he is not past his
prime and indeed, the best may be yet to come…
The AVANZA Team focus for this week
Upcoming /Premiership/FA Cup/Carling
Cup Games
Premiership (Saturday 24th &
Sunday 25th)
Fulham v Man Utd
Suspensions FUL - Montella
Injuries FUL - Pembridge, Bullard, Elrich, Elliott
MAN - (Ronaldo)
Prediction 1-3
Reason: Fulham will be desperate
to prove themselves against United after a horror show at
home to Tottenham in the FA Cup, losing 4-0. They didn’t
play too badly in that game though, and should provide more
resistance for the Red Devils, although Sir Alex Ferguson’s
men have the firepower to take all three points.
Charlton v West Ham
Suspensions WHM - Reo-Coker, Spector
Injuries CHA - (D Bent) (Young), Gibbs, Reid
WHM - (Upson), Neill, Gabbidon, Ashton
Prediction 1-1
Reason: A desperately important
match for both teams at the Valley, it will no doubt be
an exceptionally cagey affair. Both teams need a win to
push themselves away from the drop zone, but I think a more
likely result will be a draw that pleases nobody
Liverpool v Sheff Utd
Suspensions SHF - Bromby
Injuries LIV - (Aurelio), (Gonzalez), Garcia, Kewell
SHF - Li Tie
Prediction 1-0
Reason: Liverpool will be
full of confidence after their win in midweek against Barcelona,
but I have a feeling that this will only spur on a determined
side like Sheffield United. If the Reds manage to score
early, they should easily win the game, but if the Blades
defence can frustrate them, it could be much closer. Liverpool
should still win though.
Middlesbrough v Reading
Suspensions REA - Duberry
Injuries MID - Cattermole, Huth
REA - Sonko, Mate
Prediction 3-1
Reason: There really is
no other winner in this game than Manchester United, and
they should win easily. The only other option is a dogged
defence by Charlton to grab a point, but with Rooney, Ronaldo,
Larsson and Saha in the Red Devils team, that possibility
doesn’t look too likely.
Watford v Everton
Suspensions
Injuries WAT - King
EVE - Valente, McFadden, Van der Meyde, (Johnson)
Prediction 1-2
Reason: Everton will be
hurting after their last minute loss to Tottenham this week,
and David Moyes will no doubt have his troops buoyed up
for this game against relegation favourites Watford. The
Hornets couldn’t beat Wigan at home with 10 men, and
may now feel the game is up for them.
Wigan v Newcastle
Suspensions WIG - Hall
Injuries WIG - (Camara), (de Zeuuw), Kirkland, Scharner
NEW - (Carr), (Given), (Ramage), (Emre), (Moore), N’Zogbia,
Krul, Owen, Ameobi
Prediction 1-3
Reason Newcastle are gradually
managing to bring their players back to fitness, and with
it they are improving as a side. An impressive win against
Liverpool the other week will have given them confidence,
and with Wigan not quite back to their best yet the Magpies
should get all three points again.
Blackburn v Portsmouth
Suspensions
Injuries BLA - (Dunn), McCarthy, Pedersen, Savage, Ooijer,
Reid
POR - (Traore), Cole, Stefanovic
Prediction 2-2
Reason: Harry Redknapp will
be concerned that Portsmouth’s form has been slipping
recently, but with Blackburn missing key players they are
not the team they could be at the moment. This should allow
Portsmouth to have a go at them, and I can see a draw at
Ewood Park.
Tottenham v Bolton
Suspensions BOL - Thompson, Ben Haim
Injuries TOT - King, Dervite
BOL - Davies, O’Brien
Prediction 3-1
Reason: Tottenham will be
confident after only their second away win of the season
at Goodison Park midweek, and despite Bolton’s ability
to frustrate teams away from home, I think the combined
strikeforce of Keane and Berbatov should be enough to beat
the Trotters at White Hart Lane.
Carling Cup Final (Sunday 25th)
Chelsea v Arsenal
Suspensions ARS - Lehmann
Injuries CHE - Boulahrouz, Robben, Terry, A Cole, J Cole
ARS - (Hoyte), (Eboue), van Persie
Prediction 2-1
Reason: Arsene Wenger has
already made noises that he will start the game with most
of the young players that got his team to the Final, and
I think that this could hand Chelsea the advantage. Jose
Mourinho will certainly not rest players for this one, and
even though he has key players missing – I can see
Chelsea nicking this, in what should be a very interesting
game.
FA Cup Fifth Round Replays (Tuesday
27th, Wednesday 28th)
Reading v Man Utd
West Brom v Middlesbrough
Blackburn v Arsenal
FA CUP QUARTER FINAL DRAW
Middlesbrough or West Brom v Manchester United
or Reading
Arsenal or Blackburn v Manchester City
Chelsea v Tottenham
Plymouth v Watford
