Manchester United problems, Red cards everywhere and England squad

Greetings people and welcome to a Bank Holiday Strike, I normally would do a review of all the games from the weekend but I have decided to change the format a little bit.


First place to start is Manchester United who must get the David De Gea situation sorted sooner rather than later. He is clearly better than Sergio Romero who isn't a bad shot stopper but his kicking skills are poor and I don't think the defence trust him, he was at fault for both of the Swansea goals so they either need to sell De Gea to Real Madrid or play him. Another thing with Man United is they have spent an awful lot of money over the past 2 seasons, over £350 million and can any United fan honestly say they have made much improvement? A few years ago, teams feared United and were beaten before the first whistle but these days, the fear factor has gone from Old Trafford. Manchester United have always been known for having top class strikers such as Van Nistlerooy, Cole, Sheringham and later Van Persie but now it is hard to say who the best striker at United is and they have problems because if your losing a game and your secret weapon is Maroaune Felliani then I am afraid you have issues. As for the transfer window, United have been linked to every possible player in world football but have yet to really get a massive name in and the money being mentioned is crazy, £100 million for Gareth Bale, £60 million for Thomas Muller who are unrealistic targets and now they have been linked to QPR forward, Charlie Austin who isn't a bad player and will score goals but Louis Van Gaal must know they need a forward because Wayne Rooney isn't going to score 20 goals a season anymore. Louis Van Gaal is under massive pressure this year to win something because the money they have spent will not be good enough just to finish in the top 4.

There were a lot of red cards at the weekend and some were harsh but I think the Referees called most of them correct. Alexsander Mitrovic was sent off for Newcastle after a stamp on Francis Coquelin which may have looked harsh at first but having seen it on a replay, it is a dangerous tackle and I think Andre Marriner had a brilliant game and could have produced more than the one red. At Anfield there were 2 red cards for Philippe Coutinho and Mark Noble which the first one for Coutinho was a second yellow card for a tackle where if he didn't lunge in he probably wouldn't have gone but I do wonder why players make tackles like that. I thought Mark Noble's sending off was very harsh as he has clearly won the ball, sure he may have clipped the player but it wasn't a high or out of control. Stoke City finished the game with 9 men against West Brom after Ibrahim Afellay and Charlie Adam both saw red in the first half hour. Afellay was a silly boy for raising his hand but so did Craig Gardner so in my opinion both should have gone. Charlie Adam has previous for stamping so maybe his reputation worked against him. Steven Whittaker also red for Norwich for 2 yellow card offences but what really annoyed me was the reaction of Dusan Tadic who done that imaginary yellow card signal and I absolutely hate that, yes it probably was a booking but that is a bit classless from a player had a very good game.

The England was announced for the upcoming games against San Marino and Switzerland and there are some players who I am struggling to understand how they are in and some I think should be there. I am pleased to see Jamie Vardy there because he is scoring goals and I would start him against San Marino, Fabien Delph is a strange one for me as I don't think he has played much for Man City since his move and if your not playing for your club how can you get picked for your country? Very pleased to see Jonjo Shelvey in the team because I think he is a very good player and he is underrated. Another player who is scoring goals is Callum Wilson for Bournemouth, who has scored more Premier League goals than Rooney, Kane and Walcott put together. I don't buy into this, it's to soon rubbish, if your scoring goals then surely you deserve a chance and what I have seen of Wayne Rooney, Theo Walcott and Harry Kane so far this season, I think Wilson could do a job. Kieran Gibbs is a player I like BUT he can't nail a first team spot at Arsenal so again how do you get in the England team? Ryan Mason is another one for me, he is an ok player but I am not convinced. I think the England team should be based on form and I don't care how many goals Wayne Rooney has scored for England or the record to become the top scorer, he isn't scoring goals for his club. We are playing San Marino so why not pick some fresh faces to have ago, we have some cracking youngsters and if they cannot beat a team like San Marino then we may as well just give up. Tommy Elphick is a young English defender who could do a job, even Ryan Shawcross who has been once again over looked could do a half decent job. We all want England to succeed but Roy Hodgson picks the same players over and over again, I am surprised Andros Townsend didn't get a call up. Crystal Palace are second in the league and they have a few English boys who have been playing well like Scott Dann and Joel Ward who have been in great form. Jason Puncheon is another one and if anyone thinks he couldn't do a better job than Ryan Mason then I have no words for you.

Well that shall do for now and I will be back on Wednesday for a Transfer Special!

Premier League Preview

Hello there and thank god it is Friday! Yesterday it was the Champions League draw and all the English sides should be confident of making through to the knockout stages. Jose Mourinho returns to Porto, Memphis Depay plays against PSV and while Man City and Arsenal have diificult ties against Juventus and Bayern Munich.

Here are my predictions for the upcoming games of the Premier League this weekend.

Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal - It is another big game for The Gunners after drawing a blank on Monday against Liverpool. Mertesacker and Koscielny are going to missed at the back for Arsenal but they have a good record at St James's. Newcastle will hope to get their first win of the season after getting a hard earned draw at Old Trafford last time out. Tough one to call but I think Arsenal will edge it.

Aston Villa 1 - 0 Sunderland - I have gone for a home win but only just as this game could be a draw as both sides are not scoring a lot of goals. Sunderland have to improve at the back because even though they scored 6 in midweek against Exeter, they still look woeful in defence.

Bournemouth 2 - 2 Leicester - both sides will go into this game with confidence and I think this game could be a thriller and who would have said that before the season? The Cherries will want to continue their winning streak after a fantastic victory at Upton Park last weekend, Leicester are playing some lovely football and would have been a little disappointed they didn't beat Spurs last week. lots of goals in this one.

Chelsea 3 - 1 Crystal Palace - Well Chelsea earned their first victory of the campaign against West Brom but it wasn't a fantastic performance but I think they will be a little to strong for a Palace side who are becoming a very good side to watch and I think they will score here as the Chelsea back 4 look a little edgy.

Liverpool 3 - 0 West Ham - Just what has happened at West Ham, they beat Arsenal on the opening weekend and now seem to have falling off a cliff, were pretty awful against Bournemouth and now their captain Kevin Nolan has left. Liverpool were a tad unlucky not to get all three points at The Emirates but I think they will be far to strong here.

Manchester City 3 - 0 Watford - A lot of people will say that this is going to be a cricket score but there is no pressure on Watford in this one so they can go out and have a go and I think city will still cruise to victory but The Hornets will create problems.

Stoke 2 - 0 West Brom - I don't like going against Stoke at home and I think they will win this one with ease. They have had a difficult start but this one is a nice fixture for Mark Hughes's side. West Brom could and maybe should have got something out of the game against Chelsea but think this one will be a tricky one.

Tottenham 1 - 1 Everton - I have been rather disappointed with Spurs so far this season, they can't keep leads and aren't looking to great either. A Striker must come in before the deadline to relieve the pressure on Harry Kane. Everton are a dangerous side and will create a lot of problems for the Spurs backline.

Southampton 1 - 1 Norwich - Well the wheels are slowly falling off at St Mary's after a very disappointing exit from the Europa League on Thursday. I am a massive fan of the Saints but there are only so many key players you can sell before you start feeling the struggle. The Canaries will have a go and think this will be a score draw.

Swansea 2 - 1 Manchester United  - Somehow the bookies have put massive odds on Swansea which I find strange, they are playing some brilliant football and they can go into this game with a lot of confidence. Man United were good in midweek but this Swansea side are much better than the Brugge side and will really make a lot of problems for the United back four. I think Swansea will win this and keep their good run going.

Well these are my predictions and hope you all have a lovely weekend!

Brugge Clubbed by Wazza

Hello people and welcome to a Champions League special where I will be going over last nights second leg between Club Brugge and Manchester United and goals by Wayne Rooney

Manchester United eased their way into the Champions League group stages with a comfortable 4 - 0 win over Club Brugge last night. I have been a critic of Wayne Rooney recently but sometimes you have just got to hold your hands up and give credit where credit's due and last night he definitely silenced some of the doubters with a very cool hat trick. The first was a lovely dink over the keeper after a dangerous run by the Memphis who Brugge just couldn't handle over the two legs. Rooney's second was a brilliant team goal which ended with a simple tap in and the hat trick goal was another good finish from the United forward. Ander Herrera also got in on the act after a beautiful pass from Bastien Schweinsteiger. The argument will rage on about if Wayne Rooney is world class and in my honest opinion, I think he is a good player but I don't think he is world class.

Another player I would like to talk about is Javier Hernandez who had the chance to get on the score sheet but his unfortunate slip stopped that but it's the absolute sitter he missed from about 6 yards after a fantastic cross from Ashley Young, I have no idea how he managed to sky it. There is no doubt in my mind that United to need to sign a striker before the window shuts next Tuesday because although Rooney was supreme last night, they still seem a bit light up top. I have seen that LVG wants to play Fellaini as a striker this season which in some games where the defence is physical that could work but the man has no pace and I just don't understand it. The big Belgian has a presence because he is a lump and will win pretty much every header but I don't see him as a striker.

There will be tougher games to come for United in the Champions League, as good as they were last night, Club Brugge are no Bayern Munich or Barcelona who they could face in the group stage. Talking of the group stage, the draw is today which always goes on for about 4 hours before they start it.

Well that should be all for now but I will be back tomorrow for my Premier League predictions and also I will go over who all the English draw in the group stages.

Until then :)

Offside?!

Hello people, well last night was an interesting one between Arsenal and Liverpool with a lot of talking points.

First things first, let's talk about Petr Cech who after his debut against West Ham, people were asking whether he was past it or not up to it. Last night he pulled 2 absolute cracking saves from close range to keep out Christian Benteke but the one from Phillipe Coutinho was just stunning which in fairness kept us in the game The first half there is no doubt that Liverpool were on top and the new defensive partnership of Gabriel and Calum Chambers looked a little rattled at times but in the second half they looked a little more comfortable at the back. I like Chambers and think he will become a very good defender for Arsenal and England but it probably wasn't playing alongside a player who doesn't speak very good English. as for Gabriel, I think he is a top defender and want to see more of him.

Another talking point is the clear goal that was ruled out for offside against Aaron Ramsey. I don't want to lambast the officials but it was never offside and quite how Brendan Rodgers can say his shirt was offside is a little laughable especially after last week when Benteke was probably about 5 years offside. I think some kind of technology has to come in to help officials make these very tight calls. It isn't just because I am an Arsenal fan, over the weekend there was another one with Wayne Rooney being flagged offside even though he just level. As football fans we want to see goals, if a player is 5 yards offside then obviously it has to be given but I think ones like last night and Saturday, they should be given as a goal.

There is no doubt in my mind that Arsenal need a striker and this morning there are rumours about a late bid for Edison Cavani which would be a stunning signing. Liverpool defended superbly and could have nicked all 3 points with Coutinho who is undeniably a real talent. I really don't understand the reasons behind the signing of Danny Ings because he hasn't even played yet and I can't help thinking when/if Danny Sturridge gets fully fit it is going to put Ings further down the pecking order although I really don't see him as a Liverpool sort of player.

Well that should do for now but I will back to do a Champions League review of Manchester United in Belgium for their second tie against Club Brugge.

Until then :)

Premier League round up

Happy Monday people, Well what a good weekend of football that was! There was a plenty of talking points so lets crack on!

Manchester United 0 - 0 Newcastle United - If any United fan honestly can say that they don't need another striker then I am afraid you need help. Wayne Rooney looked off the pace again although he was rather unlucky with the goal that was ruled out for offside, where was this linesman last week for Bournemouth?! The first 20 minutes, I thought United were going to run riot but not taking chances in the Premier League and Newcastle grew into the game and possibly could have nicked it in the last minute. I would say a striker is a must for United and if anyone really thinks Adnan Januzaj is the man well it is going to be a long season, I think he is an ok player but he isn't a match changer in my opinion.

Crystal Palace 2 - 1 Aston Villa - Well Palace are a good side to watch aren't they? They really do play some good football and they deserved the 3 points here and I really think Scott Dann should be in contention for an England call up because he is a very good defender first and foremost but he scores goals. I also think the signing of Bakary Sako was a very good bit of business cause the man is an absolute unit and will score goals.

Leicester City 1 - 1 Tottenham - Another week and another lead lost by Spurs who look desperate for a striker to take away the pressure from Harry Kane who again looked like he is suffering from second season syndrome. Another cracking goal from Mahrez which cancelled out Delle Ali's goal a minute earlier.

Norwich 1 - 1 Stoke City - Another score draw at Carrow Road in a game that was far from a thriller but we did get to see Xherdan Shakiri for the first time who looks quality.

Sunderland 1 - 1 Swansea - There will be no man more relieved that Sunderland finally got a point than Dick Advocaat who must feared the worst when Gomis put the Swans one up right on the stroke of half time. There is no doubt that The Black Cats need some new faces before the window closes because the players are simply not good enough. Swansea will be a little disappointed that they didn't collect all three points but they are a good side to watch.

West Ham 3 - 4 Bournemouth - Well what a game this was, had absolutely everything but what a performance from Callum Wilson who scored the first hat trick of the season. West Ham were all over the place at the back and just couldn't handle Bournemouth at all and Carl Jenkinson was shown a straight red for a tug which is now the 5th red card of the season already for The Hammers, no fair play award this year then!

West Brom 2 - 3 Chelsea - Another cracking game which could have turned out different if James Morrison had scored the penalty. It was the first chance to see Pedro in a Chelsea shirt and he didn't disappoint with a goal and an assist. A massive talking point is the sending off of the Chelsea captain John Terry for pulling back Rondon which was just outside the box, there is no complaints that it was anything else other than a red and it couldn't have happened to a much nicer bloke but I do think it is the beginning of the end because he looks all over the place at the moment.

Everton 0 -2 Man City - Well Man City look awesome at the moment and are going to take some stopping. Goodison is not an easy place to go but City looked in control and now they have signed Nicolas Otamendi from Valencia they are going to be even more hard to break down.

Watford 0 - 0 Southampton - I absolutely hate nil nil draws and from what I saw of the game there isn't really much to talk about. Watford look ok at home and if they are going to survive then the home games are going to be key, as for Southampton they look very average at the moment and they have a massive game on Thursday so they must get ready for a difficult trip to Denmark.

Only one more game to come and that is the massive Monday night clash between Arsenal and Liverpool which I will do a round up tomorrow.

Have a good Monday!

Premier League Predictions

Greetings and welcome to another Weekly Strike and once again I will be giving my predictions for the upcoming weekend!

Manchester United 3-0 Newcastle United - I have gone for a comfortable United win here as I think they will breeze past a Newcastle side who can't seem to defend but it is a funny old game and The Toon may turn up but I just can't see it. I wouldn't be surprised if Wayne Rooney scores a goal or 2 after going 9 games without a goal.

Crystal Palace 2-1 Aston Villa - I thought Palace played some good football last week in the defeat against Arsenal but I expect them to grab 3 points here as the home fans will be the 12th man and Yohan Cabaye to pull the strings. I said at the start of the season I think Villa won't score enough goal but I think they will get at least one here.

Leicester City 2-0 Tottenham - The way The Foxes are playing at the moment I can see them winning this quite comfortably against a Spurs side who are becoming heavily reliant on Harry Kane to score the goals and they must improve at the back otherwise Leicester will walk it.

Norwich City 1-2 Stoke - Although The Canaries were very good last week at Sunderland, I think Stoke will get their first win of the season as I think they will be to strong for the home side. We may also see Potters new boy Xherdan Shakiri who is a top signing.

Sunderland 0-2 Swansea - I said it last week that surely Sunderland cannot be much worse than the opening weekend and they were so I expect another defeat for Dick Advocaat's men who look absolutely awful all over the pitch. The pocket rocket Jefferson Montero will have a field day if the Sunderland defence don't do their jobs properly. A banker away win for me.

West Ham 1-1 Bounemouth - This game is a tough one to call, I thought Bournemouth were very unlucky against Liverpool on Monday and I really see them getting their first goal and point of the season. West Ham are a funny side, will play superbly away at Arsenal but not so well at home to Leicester.

West Brom 1-2 Chelsea - If their is a game where Chelsea should win then it is this one, they were completely and utterly terrible at The Etihad and could have lost by 5 or 6. If Chelsea fail to win here and City win then it is 8 points and that is a massive gap already, The Baggies will be no pushover though but I expect the Blues to just edge it.

Everton 1-3 Manchester City - The way City played last week was at times breath-taking and I think they will prove to strong for an Everton who were brilliant last weekend but I see City cruising this one.

Watford 1-0 Southampton - I have gone for The Hornets to just edge this as something doesn't seem right with The Saints, they were unusually terrible last week. I really like Southampton and think Ronald Koeman is a top manager but I am not sure if they have the strength in depth to cope with two games in a week but it was brilliant to see Jay Rodriguez back on the score sheet on Thursday night.

Arsenal 3-1 Liverpool - This isn't a biased opinion before you wonder, I thought Liverpool were very lucky against Bournemouth with the offside goal and the disallowed one and I think if they were playing a team with just that little bit more quality in front of goal they wouldn't have come away with the points. Arsenal got back to winning ways last week with a very hard fought victory over Palace and this is the first real challenge to see what they are really made of however if they don't watch Christian Benteke then he could have a massive impact unlike when he last played against The Gunners at Wembley.

Well that concludes my predictions and I hope you all have a good weekend! Cheers for reading!

Weekly Stuff

Hello people and welcome to a midweek Strike where I will be going over the Monday night game between Liverpool and Premier League new boys Bournemouth. I will also be going over Man United first leg victory over Club Brugge and the form of Wayne Rooney.

So let's begin at Anfield where on Monday night, Liverpool got a very fortunate win against Bournemouth in a game where if the Linesman actually done his job correctly then the Cherries may have got their first points of the season. I thought the change in the offside rule would make it clearer what is offside and what isn't but it has made it even more confusing! Phillipe Coutinho must have been about 5 yards offside and must have been interfering with play as the keeper was clearly distracted. Another massive talking point was the disallowed goal for Tommy Elphick which was never a foul I think the Cherries should have got a point at least. We also saw probably the worst free kick in the history of free kicks after James Milner hit the ball so far over and wide I am not sure if it has come down yet.

On Tuesday night, Manchester United returned to the Champions League and I think Brugge caught them by surprise after taking the lead with a Michael Carrick own goal. Memphis Depay was in absolute cracking form with 2 quality goals but the second was a corker and I think United may finally have a player who can create something out of nothing. The third goal probably has settled the tie but Brugge did cause the defence a few problems and if they get an early goal next week it could make an intriguing second leg.

Another talking point is the form of Wayne Rooney who doesn't look right to me, although he had some nice touches on Tuesday night he looks poor. This isn't to say Wayne Rooney is no longer a good player but I think the days of him scoring 20-25 goals a season are well and truly over. United will be up there at the end of the season but I really think they should get in a striker before the transfer window closes because although they have Hernandez and James Wilson as options, I don't see either of them scoring enough goals.

I will back Friday for my Weekly predictions! Have a good one :)

What a Weekend!

Hello people! Hope you all had a very nice weekend, I certainly did. There were a lot of good games with plenty of goals and talking points so let's crack on!

Southampton 0-3 Everton - Well I didn't expect this result at all but what a brilliant performance by The Toffees and the big man up front Lukaku. He caused absolute havoc to the Southampton defence and scored two fantastic counter attacking goals and another wonder strike from Ross Barkley. Southampton just didn't seem to be at the races in a game where I thought they would come away with the points but well done Everton on a top performance.

Sunderland 1-3 Norwich - I thought before this game that Sunderland couldn't possibly be anymore poorer than the Leicester game but they were actually worse! Terrible defending and the only highlight was the youngster Watmore scoring his first goal for the club. Norwich were fantastic all over the pitch and deserved their first points of the season. I expect both of these sides to be in a relegation fight come May but The Black Cats are in massive trouble and Dick Advocaat must be really regetting signing that contract.

Swansea 2-0 Newcastle - Another fine display from The Swans and a deserved 3 points who I think could be pushing for a place in Europe. Jefferson Montero was on fire yet again with his blistering pace which caused the Newcastle problems all afternoon. Gomis and Ayew scored again and look quite a partnership with plenty of goals in them. Newcastle looked awful again and it looks like last season all over again. Daryl Janmaat got a sent off for two stupid fouls and I really do wonder what goes on in their heads sometimes.

Tottenham 2-2 Stoke - Well this game looked like a comfortable win for Spurs after Erik Dier and Nacer Chadli put them 2 nil up and then with 12 minutes to go all the wheels fell off. Marko Arnautovic put the ball past Lloris from the spot a foul by Alderweireld and then 5 minutes later Mame Diouf smashed a header in and leaves Spurs winless from their opening 2 games. I am not sure what has happened to Harry Kane as he doesn't look half the player he was last year as he was subbed with 25 to go and replaced by Lamela. Stoke are playing some good football and they will cause everyone problems this year.

Watford 0-0 West Brom - Not much to say about this game but Watford had the chances to win this and I think that could be their downfall this year. West Brom will be happy with the clean sheet after being battered by Man City last Monday.

West Ham 1-2 Leicester - Well what a difference a week makes for West Ham, last week they were hailing Reece Oxford as the next big thing and then this week he gets subbed and The Hammers put in a very difference performance with Adrian sent off for a high foot which I thought was a tad unlucky. Leicester look absolutely brilliant going forward and that Mahrez is looking more and more like a top player every week.

Aston Villa 0-1 Man Utd - A lot has been made of United's performance on Friday night which wasn't fantastic at all, their passing was very poor and I really think they need a striker as Wayne Rooney isn't going to score 20 - 25 goals but they got the 3 points and that is all that matters in football.

Crystal Palace 1-2 Arsenal - A very hard fought 3 points for The Gunners against a very spirited Palace side. In truth Arsenal could have been about 4 goals up in 25 minutes if it wasn't for some good defending and goalkeeping from McCarthy. Oliver Giroud scored an absolute peach from a great cross from Mesut Ozil. Palace scored a very good goal of their own with a drilled effort by Joel Ward which raised more questions about Laurent Koscielny defending. An own goal from Damien Delaney settled it but Francis Coquelin was a lucky boy to stay on the pitch with silly tackles which wasn't helped by Wilfred Zaha falling over at every attempt.

Man City 3-0 Chelsea - I didn't see this coming at all, Chelsea were awful and Jose Mourinho called it a "fake" result which is true in some ways as City could have been 5 nil up at half time. I have never seen John Terry look so poor in a game but when your against a world class forward like Sergio Aguero it must be hard. City could have and maybe should have been a player light when Fernandinho leant with his arm and connected with Diego Costa which the angry Spaniard had to be held back by team mates at the interval. I see why he was angry but he does give out his own elbows and kicks so maybe he deserved it. Cesc Fabregas was non existent in the Chelsea midfield and looked off the pace. The other highlight was the Chelsea medical staff had to come on to treat Gary Cahill which brought chants of "EVA. EVA" and " you're getting sacked in the morning" from the City fans. Man City are looking very good at the moment and will take some beating but Chelsea who now trail City by 5 points are looking very poor and even though it is still very early doors will have to get a win sooner rather than later.

Well that was my round up of the weekend, I will be back on Wednesday morning for a round up of Liverpool against Bournemouth and the Champions League tie between Manchester United and Belgian side Club Brugge.

Have a good Monday :)

Weekend Predictions!

Hello People!

Well we finally made it to the weekend and tonight we have the return of Friday night football which is a bit strange to say but more football on TV is never a bad thing!

So my predictions for this weekend are,

Aston Villa 1-2 Manchester United - I see this game being quite a tight one, Villa will be in good spirits after their opening weekend win at Bournemouth. I think Rudy Gestede will cause the United defence a few problems because he is very physical and will be interesting how Chris Smalling or whoever plays their deals with him. I can see Man United just edging this because of the quality of their attacking players.


Southampton 2 -1 Everton - Both sides drew 2-2 on the opening weekend and I wouldn't be surprised if a same score was repeated but I really think The Saints will come away with the 3 points because at home they are a good side and the Everton defence looked a little edgy last weekend.


Sunderland 1-0 Norwich - I can see this game being very cagey as both sides will want to bounce back after opening weekend defeats, wouldn't surprise me if this ended up a nil nil draw but I am going to go for The Black Cats to just about edge this.


Swansea 3 -1 Newcastle - I thought Swansea were very unlucky last weekend not come away from Stamford Bridge with all 3 points. The Toon seems a happier place under Steve McLaren but I think this game has a Swansea win all over it especially if they give the ball to the pocket rocket Jefferson Montero who is going to cause havoc this season.


Tottenham 1 - 1 Stoke - This is another one which I think will be a very close encounter, Spurs will want to improve on last weekend. Stoke have bought another Champions League winner in Xherdan Shakiri who is a very good player. If Spurs have found Harry Kane after going missing against Man United then they may edge but I feel a score draw.


Watford 1 - 0 West Brom - The Hornets will be buzzing after a very good display last time out at Goodison Park and I think this could be a first win of the season for them. West Brom were pretty awful against Man City last Monday and will be looking to bounce back.


West Ham 2 - 2 Leicester - I can see this game being a bit of a goal fest if I am honest, West Ham were absolutely brilliant against Arsenal and their fans will be in full voice. Leicester blew Sunderland away last week and had the game wrapped up after half an hour. Both teams have some very good players in their ranks and this could be the game of the weekend.


Crystal Palace 1 - 3 Arsenal - The Gunners must improve from last weekend and they have a good record at Selhurst so could be the perfect place to respond. Crystal Palace were very good last time out and their fans will be as loud as ever and this will be a difficult test for Arsene Wenger's men but I think they will bounce back.


Man City 1 - 1 Chelsea - How often are these games billed as the biggest of the season but they never really are? I see this game being a draw because they will cancel each other out. The only thing that everyone will be watching is if a Chelsea player goes down and the medics come on to probably treat Eden Hazard who would have fallen over as normal and how long the camera is on Jose Mourinho.


Liverpool 2 - 0 Bournemouth - The score would seem a comfortable win for the Reds but I think the new boys will cause a lot of problems for the Liverpool defence but I think the home side will have enough to do the job.


Hope you all have a lovely Friday and weekend!

Midweek filler

Hello People!

So Chelsea tried to appeal the red card giving to Thibault Courtois on the grounds of wrongful dismissal which the FA correctly rejected. I really don't understand how they could possibly appeal, it was the correct decision from the referee. Chelsea fans have come out and said that Gary Cahill was covering and would have got there is a load of rubbish if you ask me. Could you imagine if it was Hazard who would have been brought down, not hard to I suppose as he spends a lot of the time rolling around on the floor.

Another thing that has come out is Eva Carneiro has been banned by Jose Mourinho from sitting on the bench on match days because she entered the pitch to treat the "injured" Eden Hazard. I have a problem with this, her job is to make sure that the Chelsea players are safe and if she feels that a player needs some kind of medical attention then she has every right to enter the pitch. Jose has come out and said that they were down to 8 outfield players against a counter attack. I think Jose Mourinho should just concentrate on trying to pick a winning side and leave the medical side to the people who actually know what they are doing.

In other news Stoke have signed Xherdan Shakiri from Inter Milan for a club record fee of £12 million, so now they have Champions League winners in there ranks than any other team in the Premier league. They are building quite a good side with some quality players which is kind of bizarre as we are used to seeing them hoof the ball up top to Peter Crouch or Jon Walters and bully their way to goal but things seem to be changing at The Britannia.

Last night was the Super Cup between Champions League winners Barcelona against Europa League champions Sevilla and what a cracking game of football with rubbish defending and some good goals. If you get the chance to see either or both of Lionel Messi's free kicks they are gems especially the second one!

Right that is it for now and I shall be back on Friday for the preview of the weekend. Laters!  

Weekend Review

Hello people, hope you all enjoyed the opening weekend of the season, it was an absolute cracker! We had shocks, dodgy refereeing decisions and some very good goals.

I might as well get it over and done with and talk about Arsenal, we were just not good enough all over the pitch. We had a lot of the ball and had some good chances but credit to Adrian in the West Ham goal who was in unbelievable form. I hate losing but sometimes you just have to take it on the chin, the Hammers were very well organised and that young lad Reece Oxford looks a real talent for the future. The first goal was horrible defending and a lot of fingers are being pointed at Petr Cech but there was no marking at all and as for the second one, well I just cannot understand why not one of our defenders tried to close it down if that was Keown or an Adams the shot wouldn't have happened. Alexis Sanchez had a couple of nice touches in a game that we really shouldn't have needed to risk him but there you go, a bad day at the office.

Chelsea got their season under way with a very below par performance against a Swansea side who although will be delighted with a point, will feel they really could have nicked all three. There is no arguments about the sending off for Courtois, it was clearly in the box and a red card. Diego Costa got the hump because he didn't win a penalty which was never one in the first place. Man United beat Spurs in a pretty dull match on Saturday which involved a lovely Tom Daley impression by Ashley Young.

Leicester blew away Sunderland in 25 minutes with Mahrez causing havoc against an awful defence of Kaboul and Coates. Watford got an impressive point at Goodison Park which was a surprise but what a cracking goal from Ross Barkley! Bounemouth will feel they could have got something against Aston Villa because they a lot of chances but Rudy Gustede had other ideas.

Norwich will be very unhappy after they had a perfectly good goal disallowed for a high foot by Cameron Jerome which I thought was the wrong decision. They may have had a penalty if it wasn't for a very dramatic fall by Bassong after a push by Wickham. Liverpool got a very late winner at The Britannia but it was a belter by Coutinho. Southampton and Newcastle finished 2 a piece which is the only score I got right this week.

That is all for now, catch you later in the week!

Predictions

Hello Guys and Girls, I don't know about you but I am absolutely buzzing for this weekend! The football season is here and Saturdays finally have a meaning! So every week I will give my predictions on how I think the games will turn out.

Manchester United 2 - 1 Tottenham - United have brought well this summer with Depay, Schneiderlin very good buys, not bad for a little club eh Angel Di Maria? I think they will be fresher than a Spurs side who only flew back from Munich 2 days ago.

Bournemouth 2 - 0 Aston Villa - I predict the Cherries will surprise a few people this year with their fast attacking football but I fear for Villa this season after losing to key players in Delph and Benteke, I just don't see where the goals are going to come from.

Everton 2-0 Watford - Roberto Matinez is a manager under pressure this season after a disappointing time last year but I think they will open this season with a comfortable win over the Hornets.

Leicester 1-1 Sunderland - I can't see anything else but a draw in this, I see a difficult season for the Foxes with a manager who hasn't been at a team like this before. Sunderland must improve from last season.

Norwich 0-1 Crystal Palace - I really see Palace having a good year as they have bought some absolute cracking players in such as Cabaye who is a match winner and I think he could be the difference in this game.

Chelsea 2 - 1 Swansea - Surely Chelsea cannot go another game without winning? I think this game will be a close one but I see Chelsea just edging it against a very good Swansea side.

Arsenal 4 - 0 West Ham - I am not being biased but I think with Arsenal's attacking threat against a dodgy defence it really could be a cricket score.

Newcastle 2- 2 Southampton - I see goals here and a lot of them, Newcastle surely can't be any poorer than last year but they have got a couple of decent players in, The Saints are a good side and will cause problems.

Stoke 1 - 1 Liverpool - Stoke are actually turning into a decent football side with some top players in their ranks and Liverpool must improve from last year. I see a close game but a draw will be a better result than last time the Reds played here.

West Brom 1 - Man City 2 - I see City just edging this one but The Baggies will not be easy to beat with Pulis in charge.

So they are my predictions for the opening weekend of the Premier League, I hope you all enjoy it!

Numero Uno

Hello people, welcome to my new weekly blog where I will be giving my honest opinions on the weeks football. I decided to write my own blog because earlier this Summer I found myself glued to the Women's World Cup, random friendlies and the Gold Cup, so I decided as I love watching football and talking about football, why not do a blog?

So a perfect place to start would be The Community Shield where Arsene Wenger FINALLY got one over on Jose Mourinho and as an Arsenal fan I was absolutely delighted but I will do my best not to be biased. A lot was said about the non handshake between the two managers but not a lot was said about the beauty of a goal which Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain smashed into the Chelsea net.

Talking of Arsenal, reports are coming out that Jack Wilshere has got another ankle injury, yes another one! I love Jack and think if he actually was able to complete a full season he really could be a world beater but his constant injuries are a worry and he reminds of a certain Marco Van Basten who had all the talent in the world but his ankle forced him to retire at 28 and I fear that Jack is sadly heading that way.

In other news it's the 2nd legs of the Europa League tonight with Southampton 3 nil up against Vitesse, so that should be enough to see them through but West Ham have a difficult tie against Vauxhall Astra after throwing away a 2 goal lead last week, not exactly the ideal preparation for the upcoming start of the season which begins against Arsenal on Sunday.

Well that shall do for now and I will back next week! enjoy the football this weekend!