Monday Funday!

Good afternoon, I hope you all had a good weekend which was filled with football and beer! I hadn't done an accumulator for a while so I thought I am going to have a punt, so I backed Northampton Town who have won 10 league games in a row and are running away with League 2 by 10 points. They were playing away at Hartlepool who are 3rd from bottom and I thought this is a banker away win, well how wrong was I? The game finished nil nil with Hartlepool putting in a top performance to thwart the league leaders. This result kind of set up how the rest of the weekend would go, anyway let's go through all the big talking points from The Premier League!



West Ham 1 - 0 Sunderland - West Ham got the win from a good finish from Michail Antonio but they far from bossed the game, The Black Cats will feel they should have at least got a point because they had some very good chances from Jermaine Defoe and Jack Rodwell, the latter could have had an hat trick. Sunderland only needed a point to leap frog Newcastle and Norwich to get out of the relegation zone but now they sit below both of them and having played a game more. West Ham moved up to 5th for a day but they are a really good side and they play Spurs on Wednesday in a game that could be a corker, as for Big Sam's men they are in trouble and will be desperate for a win on Tuesday when they host Crystal Palace while The Hammers are at home to Spurs.


Southampton 1 - 2 Chelsea - There is no doubt that Chelsea have improved since Guus Hiddink arrived, The Blues started off second best at St Mary's and deserved to be a goal down at the break through a typical Shane Long finish. Southampton had seemed to forget what conceding feels like but keeper Frazer Forster will be disappointed he let Cesc Fabregas misdirected cross go past him. Chelsea were much better in the second half and probably deserved the points which was won by a bullet header from Branislav Ivanovic which Forster got a hand too but couldn't keep it out. Chelsea move up to 11th and will look for glory in the FA Cup and Champions League because I don't see them getting anywhere the European spots.



Leicester 1 - 0 Norwich - The dream goes on for Claudio Ranieri's men as they snatched a very late winner against a Norwich side who defended very well but they just couldn't hang on for a point that would have been very much needed. I really think Leicester are going to win the title, they bounced back from the Arsenal defeat very well, even though it wasn't a great performance but if don't play well and still win games, that's a sign of Champions. Norwich are in trouble and host Chelsea on Tuesday night which isn't ideal but they need a win badly. The Foxes host West Brom and a win will put them even further clear.


West Brom 3 - 2 Crystal Palace - The Baggies got a much needed win which moved them up to 13th and above Crystal Palace. West Brom started the game fast out of the blocks and were 3 nil up in the first half hour from goals by Craig Gardner, Craig Dawson and Saido Berahino. Palace got a goal back straight after the break from Connor Wickham and he scored again with 10 minutes to go which made for a nervy ending for the home faithful. I think on the whole, West Brom did JUST enough to deserve it but they cannot keep giving away cheap goals. As for Palace they need to start winning games because they haven't won in the league since they did at Stoke which was way back in December.



Manchester United 3 - 2 Arsenal - Arsenal headed into this game as favourites at Old Trafford for the first time in the Premier League era. They started off quite well and had a massive chance which fell to Nacho Monreal but it was well saved by David De Gea. Marcus Rashford had a debut to remember as he scored 2 goals in 3 minutes thanks to some woeful defending but he took his chances very well and although I wasn't overly happy, it was good to see a young English player showing no fear. Danny Welbeck pulled one back from a dangerous Mesut Ozil free kick which is now his 17th assist of the season. The second half was very entertaining, very end to end but Ander Herrera's shot which was going miles wide, hit Laurent Koscielny and flew past Petr Cech. Mesut Ozil hit back almost straight away but Arsenal looked out of ideas and just couldn't grab an equalizer. Marcus Rashford came off to a standing ovation which he thoroughly deserved because he was brilliant and he has a very bright future. Man United host Watford and The Gunners are at home to Swansea in what is a must win game.




Tottenham 2 - 1 Swansea - It's exciting times at White Hart Lane, they are looking a very good side and showed great bounce back ability after Swansea took a surprise lead. The home fans were getting a little edgy with time beginning to run out but Nacer Chadli scored with 20 minutes and you felt once they get one, then they are going to push for a winner and it duly arrived but it was Danny Rose who popped up with the goal. Tottenham are title contenders and they will take some stopping but they do have a massive week coming with two London Derbies, starting with a trip to West Ham which always a feisty one but it could be a cracker because both sides play good football. Spurs then face Arsenal in which is probably biggest North London Derby in history and one that could decide where the title goes. Swansea are just 3 points above the relegation zone and need a win but they travel to The Emirates on Wednesday which will be a tough one but they did win there last season.



Capital One Cup Final

Manchester City 1 - 1 Liverpool ( City won 1-3 on Pens)

Liverpool will be disappointed that they didn't win this one because they some good chances but the big question is, why didn't Daniel Sturridge take a penalty? I thought it was a very strange one because he is clearly one of their big players so surely big moments like this is what he lives for. Willy Caballero was the hero for City in the shootout after saving from Lallana, Coutinho and Lucas. these two sides meet again on Wednesday night and I think the Reds will want revenge and they have already beaten City in the League.


Thanks for reading, will be back tomorrow

Predictions!

Greetings Strikers, Welcome to another Strike, I have a feeling this weekend is going to be a very interesting one. There are teams who are desperate for a win to pull away from the Relegation zone and other teams who fighting for the title. Let's crack on with my predictions!



West Ham 3 - 0 Sunderland - Big Sam returns to Upton Park with Sunderland who are in desperate need of the points as they languish 19th in the league and below their arch rivals Newcastle. I can't see anything other than a routine victory for The Hammers as they have been in fine form recently. They have a real star in Dimitri Payet and I think he could have a field day against a side who simply cannot defend. It's been a funny season and anyone can beat anyone but I just don't see The Black Cats getting anything.



Stoke City 2 - 0 Aston Villa - I think it's safe to say that Aston Villa are doomed to relegation and I feel a bit sorry for Remi Garde because his players have just given up it seems. Normally when a side goes down, teams come in for their better players but I really don't see of any of the players from Villa getting snapped up. Stoke were very impressive last time out but that was their first win in quite a while. I don't see anything other than a home win here.



Southampton 1 - 1 Chelsea - There is no doubt that Chelsea have improved under Guus Hiddink, not exactly hard though is it? I can see this one being a very tight one as The Saints just don't seem to concede goals and they scoring plenty. I wouldn't be surprised if this was a home win but Chelsea look a bit better and will probably take a point.



Leicester 2 - 1 Norwich - How The Foxes react from their last gasp defeat to Arsenal is going to be very interesting, if they really are going to go on to win the league then you must have a positive reaction to set backs. If this was at Carrow Road then I would be tempted to do Norwich but The Canaries just don't know how to defend so it's a home win but I think it will be a close one.


Watford 2 - 0 Bournemouth - I have been really impressed with Watford this year and they are good at home, they are also well away from the drop. I really like Bournemouth and I hope they stay up but they don't have a plan B, they play some lovely football at times but they are quite easy to play against and I think Watford will win this one easily.



West Brom 1 - 2 Crystal Palace - Crystal Palace are a real strange team, they can look world class one week and clueless the next. I was very impressed with their win at White Hart Lane last week and I think they play with more freedom away from home. West Brom are probably safe but the fans aren't happy at all with the teams performances recently. I think The Eagles will win this one and I think Adebayor might just score here.



Man United 1 - 2 Arsenal - I am not just putting Arsenal to win just because I am a fan, I think after the defeat in the week to Barcelona, the players will want to make amends and what better way to do that and beat United at Old Trafford. Man United have won twice week already, one in the FA Cup against the mighty Shrewsbury and in The Europa League against Midtjylland. I do think some United fans got a little carried away by the performance of Memphis, yes he was good but can he do it against the big boys? United have a lot of injuries and I just don't see then being able to cope with Arsenal. If The Gunners do get the 3 points then the title charge is really on but Arsenal haven't beaten United in the League away in a quite a while but I do think Sunday could be the day.



Spurs 3 - 0 Swansea - This is probably the banker of the weekend, Tottenham are a really good side and they are genuine title contenders this year. Swansea are in real trouble of being sucked into a relegation battle and I think they should write this game off and just look onto next week.




Manchester City 2 - 2 Liverpool - So the first bit of Silverware of the season, I can see this one being a belter with plenty of goals. City were awesome in Kiev on Wednesday and are probably favourites to win this but I just have a feeling Liverpool will edge this in Extra Time. Both of these teams have plenty of goals in them but both are also very poor at the back. I am backing Danny Sturridge to scroe the winner.


Have a good weekend and I will be back Monday for a full round up of all the major talking points!

Talking Points

Hello there and welcome to another Strike, got quite a lot to talk about this week as it was quite an eventful weekend of football. There was plenty of goals and drama but also there was a couple of incidents involving "fans" throwing objects onto the pitch.


So let's start with the incident at full time at The Madejski Stadium where Reading defeated West Brom by 3 goals to 1. Chris Brunt goes over to the away section to applaud the fans and to give his shirt to a young fan but then some mindless scumbag decided to throw a coin and it hit Brunt just below the eye which drew blood. I don't understand what could go through a man or a woman's mind to get a coin out of their pocket and lob it at someone, do they not understand how dangerous that is? I know footballers earn an obscene amount of money but nobody deserves that and what makes it even more disgraceful is that it was thrown by a West Brom fan. Another incident was at Stamford Bridge where a very small section of Chelsea fans pelted the Man City players with objects when they scored the equalizer, I just hope that everyone involved gets a life ban from football because there is a difference between being passionate about your club and showing your displeasure for a bad performance or conceding a goal but throwing objects is beyond wrong. If I saw a fellow fan doing it, I am getting them out, if you're the sort of person who doesn't have half a brain cell and think it is ok to lob coins at a player then please do every other true football fan a favour and just stay at home.


On a brighter note, what about West Ham eh? They were absolutely fantastic yesterday in their 5-1 victory at Ewood Park against a Blackburn side who did put up a decent fight but their class shone through in the end. I think they could go all the way to the final, they have a very good squad and Dimitri Payet is just out of this world, his free kick would've made David Beckham proud and he must be in with a shout for player of the year. The Hammers will face either Shrewsbury or Man United in the quarter finals and will definitely fancy their chances of getting to Wembley.


Tonight it is the final FA Cup game of the weekend, Shrewsbury host Manchester United at The New Meadow and surely this will be a routine victory for Louis Van Gaal's men. The FA Cup is United's only real chance of silverware this season and I don't think LVG can afford another disappointing night. It's going to be interesting who starts for United but I think they have to pick the strongest possible side to go out and get the result. If United lose this then there has to be serious questions asked, not just about the manager but the team as a whole. I think they will edge it but they can't take the Shrews lightly because although their league is form isn't brilliant, a win against the mighty United would do their confidence a world of good/


Cheers for reading! Back soon!

Oh Danny Boy.

Afternoon all, I hope we are all well on this pretty cold Thursday afternoon. I was going to talk about the upcoming Europa League games involving English sides but something has come to my attention and I feel I need to have a view on it.


I read a little piece in The Times from the delightful Danny Mills who used "that" penalty from the other night where Lionel Messi passed his to Luis Suarez in order for him to complete his hat trick to remind everyone that he doesn't like Robert Pires. That was genius apparently from Barcelona but when Robert Pires and Thierry Henry messed it up all them years ago,  all of a sudden they are cheats and disrespectful to the opponents. Mr Mills clearly has an issue with Robert Pires because he said a while ago that Pires was the player who "brought diving into the English game and a habit of throwing himself to the ground."


I personally think the penalty from the Barca lads was a bit distasteful because they were 4-1 up and I thought to myself if Messi wanted his teammate to score then why not just let him take it in the first place? I do think it was a bit harsh but Messi is out of this world and if there is a player who I don't mind getting away with it then it would probably be him.


I don't disagree at all with Mills that Pires brought diving into the English game and I am not talking from an Arsenal fan but a football fan. It's like he is jealous of Pires, is it because he is better looking, played for a better team or just the fact Robert Pires was a million times the player Mills was? Who knows! I do find it quite strange that we, well I mean the media will constantly blame foreigners for diving or pretty much anything else because of course English players would never fall over and cheat or do anything. I mean you would never see the great Steven Gerrard fall over an invisible leg at Bramall Lane in order to win his side a penalty in the last minute would you? Neither would you see Wayne Rooney win penalties by just diving over numerous times.

I don't like diving and I think if a player just falls over when there no contact whatsoever then there should be some sort of punishment. I was at The Emirates a couple of seasons ago and Santi Cazorla won a penalty against West Brom and from where I was sat it looked like there was contact but there wasn't. I held my hands up once I saw it that it was a dive and it wasn't penalty. It just annoys me that when an English player goes down it's "clever play" to win a penalty. If you take Jamie Vardy's penalty against Arsenal last Sunday, I can totally see why the ref pointed to the spot because there was contact BUT on the replay it was Vardy who made contact with Nacho Monreal. I am not accusing Jamie Vardy of cheating because I am a massive fan of his but I don't think it was a penalty in the slightest.

I didn't like Danny Mills as a player,  I thought he was bang average footballer who run about kicking players up in the air and I don't really like his pundit skills either. I was meant to have a little piece on him but I got a little bit worked up.


I will be back tomorrow!

Cheers!

Goals, Walk outs and much more!

Well that was rather a good weekend of football wasn't it? This Premier League season is getting more unbelievable every weekend and it's getting even harder to try and have an accumulator because everyone is beating everyone. This season is so competitive and all the so called lesser sides are no longer worried about the big sides.


Let's start at The Etihad on Saturday afternoon, where I can honestly say that  I was stunned by what I saw. I was expecting a very good game of football with plenty of goals and drama and it didn't disappoint. Leicester started on the front foot and were ahead within 3 minutes when Robert Huth got the better of his marker and knocked the ball past Joe Hart. The Foxes were relentless and could have got a couple more before the break with Vardy and Okazaki going close. Man City looked all over the place and Yaya Toure was a bystander. The Second half started and it wasn't long before Leicester were looking to double their lead, Riyhad Mahrez scored a wonder goal which left Hart flat footed and sent the away stand into raptures. City just couldn't handle the pace of Leicester and it got even worse when Huth scored his 2nd with looping header and there was just a stunned silence from the home fans who couldn't believe what was going on. Sergio Aguero did get a goal back with a couple of minutes to go but it was all in vain as The Foxes went on to go 6 points clear of the top. A couple of weeks ago when Claudio Ranieri's side lost to Spurs in the FA Cup, I was a bit disappointed because I didn't believe they would still be there now. There is no doubt that they are title contenders and they deserve it because they are just brilliant to watch and the fact their squad cost £22 million compared to City's £220 million. Another fact for you, you can buy 125 Riyad Mahrez's for the price of one Raheem Sterling.



Another side who are in great form and find them second in the table is Tottenham, who finally broke through a stubborn Watford defence and a determined Gomes who was in fine form for The Hornets. Spurs dominated the game and could have won the game by a much bigger margin if it wasn't for some outstanding goalkeeping. Delle Ali came on and changed the game and provided an assist for Kieran Trippier who scored his first goal for the club. Spurs are a very good side and they have to be taken seriously this year. They have a massive game on Sunday away at Man City and will go there thinking they can get a result. Liverpool blew a 2 goal lead at home to Anfield but the main talking point is the scores of home fans leaving in the 77th minute as a protest about ticket prices. I think prices for tickets in this country is a disgrace and football clubs these days seem to treat their fans like customers rather than supporters. I went to Munich back in November for a Champions League tie between Bayern Munich and Arsenal and the cost of a ticket was very low compared to what English fans pay. Liverpool scored two good goals from the impressive Fiminho and Adam Lallana but unfortunately their keeper Simon Mignolet was a fault for Sunderland's free kick. While it was a good hit from Adam Johnson, the keeper should have kept it out. The comeback was complete with a clever finish from Jermaine Defoe which keeps Sunderland's survival hopes alive.


What has happened to Stoke at the moment? They have had a really poor couple of games with Man United and then Everton putting three past them. They have spent an awful lot of money on Gianneli Imbula who I must be honest, not heard much about but apparently he looks good on YouTube.....just like Gervinho did and what a success he was at Arsenal. Stoke are missing Ryan Shawcross, there is no doubt about it but Everton were superb on Saturday but they are frustrating. The squad they have should be in the top four but they are just so inconsistent this season.


Sunday was Bournemouth at home to Arsenal and Chelsea hosting Man United. The early kick off wasn't a thriller but Arsenal did JUST enough to beat a very spirited Bournemouth side. There was a bit of controversy early on when Mathieu Flamini lunged two footed in a tackle with Dan Gosling. There is no doubt that it was a dangerous challenge and he should have gone for it. Some Arsenal fans weren't to happy to see Flamini in the starting 11 with Francis Coquelin on the bench. Another talking point was the challenge by Oliver Giroud on Adam Smith, it was naughty and was very lucky not to have been at least booked for it. It wasn't a great performance from The North London side but they did score two very good goals. The first was a lovely volley from Mesut Ozil who smashed it into the net after a nice knock down from Giroud. Arsenal's second came just 90 seconds later when Alex Oxlade - Chamberlain slide the ball past Artur Boruc to score his first goal in 16 months.


Chelsea hosted Man United and it was a pretty fiery game with a lot of tackles flying in but not much quality. Man United took the lead with a sumptuous strike from Jesse Lingard who is impressing me more and more every time I see him. The game looked like it was going to end with the points going to Manchester but an absolute shocking performance from Memphis Depay who is just not good enough for the Premier League, his mistake lead to a very late equalizer for Chelsea. The game was dampened by the horrific injury to Kurt Zouma who tore his ACL which means his season is over and his dreams of the Euro's also look to be over. he is a very good defender and has been one of Chelsea's better players so hopefully he will comeback stronger.




Right that will do for now, I will be back later in the week. Have a Good one

 

Midweek Guff.

Good afternoon and welcome to a midweek Strike, there were some absolute cracking games over the past couple of nights, We had everything from world class goals to phenomenal goalkeeping. So Let's start at The King Power where Leicester are looking more and more like Champions every week, they are just fantastic and Jamie Vardy is having the season of his life. 4 years ago, he was playing for Fleetwood and who would have thought he would be the leading goal scorer in the Premier League. I am still waiting for the wheels to fall off and for The Foxes to start dropping points but it just isn't happening, they just keep getting stronger. I think it is a bit unfair to call them a two man side because they do have some unsung heroes like Danny Drinkwater and N'golo Kante who have been just as consistent. When Claudio Ranieri took over, I was expecting a season of struggle but he has got to be a contender for manager of the year and who could argue if he did. Leicester do have a couple of real hard away days coming up, starting with a trip to The Etihad on Saturday lunchtime and I think they can get a result up there because Man City aren't exactly in brilliant form and Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy will definitely believe they cause a lot of problems for whoever is at the back for City. Next week they travel to The Emirates where anything could happen, earlier on the season Arsenal romped to 5-2 to win over The Foxes but this game is going to be a very close one to call. Arsenal aren't in great form at the moment and it could be a nervy one but if Leicester could get 4 points from these two games then I don't see anyone else winning the title.


On Tuesday night, you saw the most stupidest red card given to Aston Villa's Jordon Ayew for a silly elbow, I am still struggling to understand what was going through his mind. He has since said sorry but it has gone now and Villa are in more trouble, I mean I do feel sorry for the Villa fans because they are a passionate fan base but how can they continue to support the team when certain players make silly decisions like that and cost the team a result. Villa weren't terrible and had a couple of chances but when you're struggling for results and you lose a man then it makes it very difficult. West Ham on the other hand are looking brilliant at the moment and they could get a Europa League place or even better because this season is so wide open. I am a massive fan of Payet and he makes The Hammers tick and I think in the summer, there maybe some interest from other clubs.




Arsenal's season has hit a bit of a snag at the moment, no goals in three games and not looking as good as they were a few weeks ago. I know a lot of Gooners will blame the manager for not splashing the cash in the transfer windows but one of the players they did buy was Petr Cech who is probably the reason why Arsenal are in a title race this season. As an Arsenal fan, I have been critical of Wenger in the past and I do think that maybe it is time for him to step down but and there is a big BUT, who do you get in to replace him? Pep Guardiola was linked with the job let's get one thing straight here, Pep only goes for the jobs where he has copious amounts of money to spend and has players where he can literally sit back and not do an awful lot. I am not saying that Arsenal don't have some fantastic players because they do like Ozil, Sanchez, Cech and some bright young talent such Bellerin, Iwobi and Campbell. I am not denying he isn't a good manager because he record speaks for itself but I would love to see him at a club where money is a bit tighter and the players aren't as special as to what he is used to.



In other news, Gary Neville is under massive pressure at Valencia after they were smashed 7 nil by Barcelona in the Cup. I have a little bit of sympathy for Neville because he has inherited a lot of problems and I don't think it is all his fault. I saw on Twitter last night that some people are glad he is struggling and I don't really understand it to be honest. As a player, Gary Neville was a bit on the rough and definitely not one of my favourite players but as a pundit I think he is brilliant and the way he used to talk about certain things was very good. I think maybe the job is too big for him but I do still think he could be a successful manager somewhere. Valencia have a must win game against Real Betis over the weekend and if they don't pick up points there then I think he could be out of a job. I do think managers get a very rough deal these days, I know they pick the players and formation and implement their own philosophy but once the players cross that white line then the manager is pretty helpless. Look at Chelsea, the players under Jose Mourinho were terrible and they made it very obvious that they didn't want to play for him which is very wrong. If a player has a run of bad games where he makes mistakes or doesn't perform then he gets dropped for a game but if a manager has winless streak of 6 games then he is under scrutiny which is a bit unfair if you ask me.


Well that shall do for now! Have a nice afternoon.