Who are the greatest players in EPL history? Our friends at Bleacher report have a list, so lets look at the top ten after the jump...
EPL Today
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Wigan Athletic 1 - 1 Sunderland
Antolin Alcaraz's late header salvaged a point for Wigan after debutant Asamoah Gyan had opened the scoring for ten-man Sunderland at the DW Stadium.
The Wearsiders had their captain Lee Cattermole - a former Latics player - sent off in the first half but took the lead in the 66th minute when substitute Gyan converted Jordan Henderson's cross.
The hosts came away with a point though thanks to Alcaraz, whose effort three minutes from time caught Black Cats goalkeeper Simon Mignolet cold.
Scoring Summary:
Wigan:
Antolín Alcaraz (87)
Sunderland:
Asamoah Gyan (66)
The Wearsiders had their captain Lee Cattermole - a former Latics player - sent off in the first half but took the lead in the 66th minute when substitute Gyan converted Jordan Henderson's cross.
The hosts came away with a point though thanks to Alcaraz, whose effort three minutes from time caught Black Cats goalkeeper Simon Mignolet cold.
Scoring Summary:
Wigan:
Antolín Alcaraz (87)
Sunderland:
Asamoah Gyan (66)
West Ham United 1 - 3 Chelsea
Chelsea's 100% start to the new season continued against rock-bottom West Ham at Upton Park as a brace from Michael Essien and another from Salomon Kalou kept them top of the Premier League.
West Ham midfielder Scott Parker became the first player to score against the Blues this season but his late effort was scant consolation for the home side.
Chelsea's victory over their London rivals piled more pressure on under-fire manager Avram Grant, whose side remained rooted to the foot of the table without a single point from their opening four games and having conceded 12 goals.
Scoring Summary:
Chelsea:
Michael Essien (2)
Salomon Kalou (17)
Michael Essien (83)
West Ham:
Scott Parker (85)
West Ham midfielder Scott Parker became the first player to score against the Blues this season but his late effort was scant consolation for the home side.
Chelsea's victory over their London rivals piled more pressure on under-fire manager Avram Grant, whose side remained rooted to the foot of the table without a single point from their opening four games and having conceded 12 goals.
Scoring Summary:
Chelsea:
Michael Essien (2)
Salomon Kalou (17)
Michael Essien (83)
West Ham:
Scott Parker (85)
West Bromwich Albion 1 - 1 Tottenham Hotspur
Chris Brunt scored the 50th league goal of his career to rescue a point for West Brom in the Premier League clash with Tottenham at the Hawthorns.
The former Sheffield Wednesday player cancelled out Luka Modric's opener four minutes before the interval.
Harry Redknapp's side dominated the first half with Gareth Bale causing constant problems down the left flank. But they lacked the killer instinct in front of goal, and appeared to miss the influence of Jermain Defoe who will be out for three months with the ankle injury suffered on England duty.
It was a different story after the break with the Baggies more than matching their north London opponents and they came close on three occasions in the final ten minutes to snatching a winner.
Scoring Summary:
West Bromwich Albion:
Chris Brunt (41)
Tottenham Hotspur:
Luka Modric (27)
The former Sheffield Wednesday player cancelled out Luka Modric's opener four minutes before the interval.
Harry Redknapp's side dominated the first half with Gareth Bale causing constant problems down the left flank. But they lacked the killer instinct in front of goal, and appeared to miss the influence of Jermain Defoe who will be out for three months with the ankle injury suffered on England duty.
It was a different story after the break with the Baggies more than matching their north London opponents and they came close on three occasions in the final ten minutes to snatching a winner.
Scoring Summary:
West Bromwich Albion:
Chris Brunt (41)
Tottenham Hotspur:
Luka Modric (27)
Newcastle United 0 - 2 Blackpool
Charlie Adam burst Newcastle's bubble as Blackpool banked another three precious Premier League points on the road.
The midfielder calmly slotted a 45th-minute penalty past keeper Steve Harper and immediately dedicated it to youth team coach Gary Parkinson, who is critically ill in hospital.
Adam then produced the pass from which DJ Campbell sealed the win at the death, but only after keeper Matt Gilks had produced a string of superb saves to deny Newcastle an equaliser.
Gilks, who had kept out Kevin Nolan's first-half effort, frustrated Joey Barton, substitute Peter Lovenkrands and Andy Carroll as the Magpies staged a committed fightback in front of a crowd of 49,597.
The defeat, Newcastle's first on their own turf in 27 attempts, served as a reminder to the Chris Hughton's men, if they needed one, that their 6-0 victory over Aston Villa in the last fixture at St James' Park, was a start and nothing more.
Scoring Summary:
Blackpool:
Charlie Adam (pen 45)
DJ Campbell (90)
The midfielder calmly slotted a 45th-minute penalty past keeper Steve Harper and immediately dedicated it to youth team coach Gary Parkinson, who is critically ill in hospital.
Adam then produced the pass from which DJ Campbell sealed the win at the death, but only after keeper Matt Gilks had produced a string of superb saves to deny Newcastle an equaliser.
Gilks, who had kept out Kevin Nolan's first-half effort, frustrated Joey Barton, substitute Peter Lovenkrands and Andy Carroll as the Magpies staged a committed fightback in front of a crowd of 49,597.
The defeat, Newcastle's first on their own turf in 27 attempts, served as a reminder to the Chris Hughton's men, if they needed one, that their 6-0 victory over Aston Villa in the last fixture at St James' Park, was a start and nothing more.
Scoring Summary:
Blackpool:
Charlie Adam (pen 45)
DJ Campbell (90)
Manchester City 1 - 1 Blackburn Rovers
Former English national team goaltender Paul Robinson put in a great effort and allowed Blackburn to escape as Man City and Blackburn tied 1-1.
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini refused to criticise goalkeeper Joe Hart as the club's stuttering start to the season continued.
After City's 1-1 draw with Blackburn the Italian felt it improper to accuse either Hart or Toure for the goal. "It was a strange goal, '' he said. "It can happen. This is football. Joe Hart is a good goalkeeper.''
In contrast Robinson, recently retired from England, was in commanding form between the posts for Blackburn but Sam Allardyce gave a modest appraisal of the goalkeeper's qualities.
Allardyce said: "Paul has played better than that for us. He put himself in the right position to make those saves today. That has helped us get a point.
"We have measured up to a club that should brushing us aside in terms of the quality of players they can afford, the wages they can pay and the limited budget we work on. But good organisation, team spirit and hard working side can always cause an upset. Manchester City fans would see this result as an upset.
"Even towards the end we might have nicked another goal when Kalinic was through but Joe Hart made a good save. But hopefully this will boost our confidence. I was very pleased with our performance. We feel we got what we deserved after an outstanding team effort both in the way we defended and our possession of the ball.
"Nikola capitalised on their mistake and we were pleased he tucked that one away and put us in front. It was an unexpected opportunity to score. We looked very comfortable in the first half. I was disappointed Mame Diouf did not make it 2-0. That would have been an outstanding situation for us.''
Mancini also failed to criticise Tevez for his less than clinical performance: "It was very difficult for him as he only arrived the day before the game. But I still thought he had a good match. We were very unlucky. We must have had 25 chances to score against Blackburn. It is very hard when teams put 10 players behind the ball but we have to try and find a solution.''
Scoring Summary:
Manchester City:
Patrick Vieira (56)
Blackburn:
Nikola Kalinic (25)
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini refused to criticise goalkeeper Joe Hart as the club's stuttering start to the season continued.
After City's 1-1 draw with Blackburn the Italian felt it improper to accuse either Hart or Toure for the goal. "It was a strange goal, '' he said. "It can happen. This is football. Joe Hart is a good goalkeeper.''
In contrast Robinson, recently retired from England, was in commanding form between the posts for Blackburn but Sam Allardyce gave a modest appraisal of the goalkeeper's qualities.
Allardyce said: "Paul has played better than that for us. He put himself in the right position to make those saves today. That has helped us get a point.
"We have measured up to a club that should brushing us aside in terms of the quality of players they can afford, the wages they can pay and the limited budget we work on. But good organisation, team spirit and hard working side can always cause an upset. Manchester City fans would see this result as an upset.
"Even towards the end we might have nicked another goal when Kalinic was through but Joe Hart made a good save. But hopefully this will boost our confidence. I was very pleased with our performance. We feel we got what we deserved after an outstanding team effort both in the way we defended and our possession of the ball.
"Nikola capitalised on their mistake and we were pleased he tucked that one away and put us in front. It was an unexpected opportunity to score. We looked very comfortable in the first half. I was disappointed Mame Diouf did not make it 2-0. That would have been an outstanding situation for us.''
Mancini also failed to criticise Tevez for his less than clinical performance: "It was very difficult for him as he only arrived the day before the game. But I still thought he had a good match. We were very unlucky. We must have had 25 chances to score against Blackburn. It is very hard when teams put 10 players behind the ball but we have to try and find a solution.''
Scoring Summary:
Manchester City:
Patrick Vieira (56)
Blackburn:
Nikola Kalinic (25)
Arsenal 4 - 1 Bolton Wanderers
Arsenal beat ten-man Bolton 4-1 at Emirates Stadium to keep up the pressure on Premier League leaders Chelsea.
Laurent Koscielny bundled home his first Arsenal goal after 24 minutes, only for the French defender's poor back header to allow Bolton to equalise just before half-time through Johan Elmander.
Marouane Chamakh headed the hosts back in front, with Gary Cahill then sent off for a tackle from behind on the Moroccan.
Alex Song netted Arsenal's 1,000th Premier League goal under manager Arsene Wenger and substitute Carlos Vela stroked in number four with seven minutes left.
Arsenal:
Laurent Koscielny (24)
Marouane Chamakh (58)
Alex Song (78)
Carlos Vela (83)
Bolton Wanderers:
Johan Elmander (44)
Laurent Koscielny bundled home his first Arsenal goal after 24 minutes, only for the French defender's poor back header to allow Bolton to equalise just before half-time through Johan Elmander.
Marouane Chamakh headed the hosts back in front, with Gary Cahill then sent off for a tackle from behind on the Moroccan.
Alex Song netted Arsenal's 1,000th Premier League goal under manager Arsene Wenger and substitute Carlos Vela stroked in number four with seven minutes left.
Arsenal:
Laurent Koscielny (24)
Marouane Chamakh (58)
Alex Song (78)
Carlos Vela (83)
Bolton Wanderers:
Johan Elmander (44)
Everton 3 - 3 Manchester United
After leaving Wayne Rooney off the roster for the match today versus Everton, the Red Devils had no problem scoring, putting the ball in the net three times. Defense is a different story all together.
Spotting Man U a 3-1 lead 90 minutes in, Everton scored two goals in stoppage time pulling out an improbable draw and getting one point from the Devils. Steven Pinnear started the scoring with a goal in the 39th minute and getting additions from Australian Tim Cahill and Spaniard Mikel Arteta for the injury time goals.
Everton boss David Moyes was left fuming at the end when referee Martin Atkinson blew the full-time whistle just as his team were on the counter-attack.
"There's always ifs and buts,'' Cahill said. "It would have been nice for a bit of commonsense at the end, to see whether (Edwin) Van der Sar would have saved it or whether we would have scored, but it happens.''
Goalkeeper Tim Howard pulled off a string of stunning saves against his former club and was delighted with the fighting spirit showed by his team.
"The first half we dominated and we should have went in 1-0. Obviously they got the goal and in the second half they were powerful and went over the top of us. But we had spirit and we had fight and we got the point which was important.''
Scoring Summary:
Everton:
Steven Pienaar (39)
Tim Cahill (90)
Mikel Arteta (90)
Manchester United:
Darren Fletcher (43)
Nemanja Vidic (47)
Dimitar Berbatov (66)
Spotting Man U a 3-1 lead 90 minutes in, Everton scored two goals in stoppage time pulling out an improbable draw and getting one point from the Devils. Steven Pinnear started the scoring with a goal in the 39th minute and getting additions from Australian Tim Cahill and Spaniard Mikel Arteta for the injury time goals.
Everton boss David Moyes was left fuming at the end when referee Martin Atkinson blew the full-time whistle just as his team were on the counter-attack.
"There's always ifs and buts,'' Cahill said. "It would have been nice for a bit of commonsense at the end, to see whether (Edwin) Van der Sar would have saved it or whether we would have scored, but it happens.''
Goalkeeper Tim Howard pulled off a string of stunning saves against his former club and was delighted with the fighting spirit showed by his team.
"The first half we dominated and we should have went in 1-0. Obviously they got the goal and in the second half they were powerful and went over the top of us. But we had spirit and we had fight and we got the point which was important.''
Scoring Summary:
Everton:
Steven Pienaar (39)
Tim Cahill (90)
Mikel Arteta (90)
Manchester United:
Darren Fletcher (43)
Nemanja Vidic (47)
Dimitar Berbatov (66)
Fulham 2 - 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Fulham got its first two goals from summer aquisition Moussa Dembele but lost striker Bobby Zamora to a broken leg in the mid first half from a legal but rough tackle from Karl Henry. Henry was on the receiving end of angry tirade from Zamora's team-mate Clint Dempsey but it was a fair, if robust, challenge and the injury was more a result of ill-fortune than malice.
Wolves were berated throughout by home fans angry at their physical approach and their display, which resulted in a flurry of yellow cards in the second half, will be scrutinised.
But that will be of little consolation to Zamora, who only yesterday signed a new four-year contract that made him Fulham's best-paid player on a reported £50,000 per week.
The deal came with a ringing endorsement from Mark Hughes who underlined the importance to the club, but the Cottagers manager could now be missing his most influential player for some time.
Scoring Summary:
Fulham:
Moussa Dembele (49)
Moussa Dembele (90)
Wolverhampton Wanderers:
Jelle van Damme (10)
Wolves were berated throughout by home fans angry at their physical approach and their display, which resulted in a flurry of yellow cards in the second half, will be scrutinised.
But that will be of little consolation to Zamora, who only yesterday signed a new four-year contract that made him Fulham's best-paid player on a reported £50,000 per week.
The deal came with a ringing endorsement from Mark Hughes who underlined the importance to the club, but the Cottagers manager could now be missing his most influential player for some time.
Scoring Summary:
Fulham:
Moussa Dembele (49)
Moussa Dembele (90)
Wolverhampton Wanderers:
Jelle van Damme (10)
Friday, September 10, 2010
What to look for this weekend
Lots of fixtures this weekend in the Premier League. Here are some talking points on the most intriguing matchups:
• Last-place West Ham hosts first-place Chelsea on Saturday, 9:55 a.m. ET on ESPN2 and ESPN3.com. Since Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea in the summer of 2003, the Blues are 9-0-2 against West Ham in all competitions. The Hammers have been outscored 25-6 in those 11 games and haven't scored more than one goal against Chelsea in a 12-game stretch that goes to 2002. Chelsea, meanwhile, has scored three or more goals in five of those contests.
• Winless Everton hosts Manchester United this weekend, looking to extend its 13-game home unbeaten streak that stretches to last November. It's a run that includes a 3-1 win over Manchester United in February. That loss was United's only road defeat in its last 11 league games.
• Two teams heading in opposite directions meet as Liverpool visits Birmingham. Liverpool is 13th and finished seventh a season ago, the club's worst finish in 11 years. Birmingham is undefeated and sits sixth, a season after finishing ninth, its best top-flight showing in 51 years. The last six Premier League meetings between these teams have been ties, one shy of the league record for consecutive draws, set by West Ham and Aston Villa in 1998-2001.
• Fulham looks for its first win of the season at home against Wolverhampton. Fulham has tied its first three games and could become the second Premier League team to draw its four opening matches, joining Crystal Palace in the league's debut season of 1992-93. Fulham has never defeated Wolves in the Premier League, playing two scoreless draws at home and twice losing 2-1 on the road.
• Stoke City hosts Aston Villa and new manager Gerard Houllier on Monday (3 p.m. ET on ESPN3.com). Villa has won its two home games by a combined 4-0 scoreline but was thumped 6-0 at Newcastle, a result that was even more surprising considering Villa's away form last season. In 2009-10, only Chelsea and Manchester United had more road wins than Aston Villa's nine, or more road points than Aston Villa's 32.
ESPN Stats & Information's Eduardo Souss contributed to this post.
• Last-place West Ham hosts first-place Chelsea on Saturday, 9:55 a.m. ET on ESPN2 and ESPN3.com. Since Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea in the summer of 2003, the Blues are 9-0-2 against West Ham in all competitions. The Hammers have been outscored 25-6 in those 11 games and haven't scored more than one goal against Chelsea in a 12-game stretch that goes to 2002. Chelsea, meanwhile, has scored three or more goals in five of those contests.
• Winless Everton hosts Manchester United this weekend, looking to extend its 13-game home unbeaten streak that stretches to last November. It's a run that includes a 3-1 win over Manchester United in February. That loss was United's only road defeat in its last 11 league games.
• Two teams heading in opposite directions meet as Liverpool visits Birmingham. Liverpool is 13th and finished seventh a season ago, the club's worst finish in 11 years. Birmingham is undefeated and sits sixth, a season after finishing ninth, its best top-flight showing in 51 years. The last six Premier League meetings between these teams have been ties, one shy of the league record for consecutive draws, set by West Ham and Aston Villa in 1998-2001.
• Fulham looks for its first win of the season at home against Wolverhampton. Fulham has tied its first three games and could become the second Premier League team to draw its four opening matches, joining Crystal Palace in the league's debut season of 1992-93. Fulham has never defeated Wolves in the Premier League, playing two scoreless draws at home and twice losing 2-1 on the road.
• Stoke City hosts Aston Villa and new manager Gerard Houllier on Monday (3 p.m. ET on ESPN3.com). Villa has won its two home games by a combined 4-0 scoreline but was thumped 6-0 at Newcastle, a result that was even more surprising considering Villa's away form last season. In 2009-10, only Chelsea and Manchester United had more road wins than Aston Villa's nine, or more road points than Aston Villa's 32.
ESPN Stats & Information's Eduardo Souss contributed to this post.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
The best player in the EPL so far?
I want opinions from the readers as to who the best player in the EPL so far has been? Drogba has been at top form from last season, Joe Hart has stood on his head so far, Andy Carroll and Theo Walcott both have 4 goals... So readers, who is it? I want opinions and reasons for those opinions.
Arsenal striker Theo Walcott out 4-6 weeks
Arsenal have confirmed that an ankle injury sustained on international duty with England will keep Theo Walcott sidelined for between four and six weeks.
Walcott turned over on his right ankle in the early stages of England's 3-1 win over Switzerland and was stretchered off before being taken to hospital for scans on the problem.
Arsene Wenger now admits that with Nicklas Bendtner still out for "three to four weeks" and Robin van Persie absent until the end of October, his attacking options have been hit further by the loss of Walcott.
The news comes as a cruel blow to a player who has suffered extensively with injury problems in recent seasons, but had scored four goals in his past two appearances for the Gunners.
"The tackle looked quite bad," Wenger said. "When you see how it turned his ankle I thought it would be three or four days or it would be four to six weeks. Unfortunately it will be four to six weeks.
Walcott turned over on his right ankle in the early stages of England's 3-1 win over Switzerland and was stretchered off before being taken to hospital for scans on the problem.
Arsene Wenger now admits that with Nicklas Bendtner still out for "three to four weeks" and Robin van Persie absent until the end of October, his attacking options have been hit further by the loss of Walcott.
The news comes as a cruel blow to a player who has suffered extensively with injury problems in recent seasons, but had scored four goals in his past two appearances for the Gunners.
"The tackle looked quite bad," Wenger said. "When you see how it turned his ankle I thought it would be three or four days or it would be four to six weeks. Unfortunately it will be four to six weeks.
Bristol City sign Tottenham's Danny Rose on loan
Bristol City have signed Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Danny Rose on loan for the rest of the season.
The 20-year-old, who had been linked with City for some time, joined Spurs for £1m in 2007 from Leeds United.
City boss Keith Millen told BBC Radio Bristol it is a signing which should give him more options in midfield.
"He's one we feel would enhance the squad in terms of the position he plays and we've been looking for a left-sider for a while now," Millen said.
The deal is until the end of the current campaign, but Spurs do have the right to recall him after the opening 28 days of the agreement.
Rose is unavailable for City's trip to Scunthorpe on Saturday because of a slight ankle injury, picked up playing for the England Under-21s, but is expected to be fit for their home game with Watford.
Meanwhile, City have confirmed that they have released Peter Styvar's contract with immediate effect.
via BBC Sport
Manchester United defender Gary Neville has revealed he thought he was about to be released by the club at the end of last season
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| GettyImages |
"Because of my injuries, I have thought about the fact I might have to find something else. Two years ago I thought it would be my last season. Obviously last year I felt the same. I recognise this one could be as well. I am on a one-year contract. If I don't perform or I feel the club don't want me anymore I will be gone. That is life. In the 19 years I have been here, it has happened to better players. What keeps me going is the thought of running out at Old Trafford and winning trophies.
"It is all I have known since I came to my first match when I was four. If I was anywhere else I would struggle. At this stage of my career, my motivation is to extract every since ounce of enjoyment I can. I want to contribute to a team that can win things. That is all I have ever wanted to do.
"My career has been in three distinct parts. I had the pre-first-team time, then from 19 to nearly 33, it was virtually flawless. I was always on the teamsheet and regularly playing nearly 50 games a season. Then I got the injury and was missing for 18 months. Coming back I felt as though the game had moved on and found it really difficult to adapt.
"I feel as though I am starting again. I have had to build myself up from the bottom. Now I have to target 30 games. There are periods where I have to be ready for the manager to use me. You can almost tell when those times will be. Coming up to Christmas when the pitches start to get a bit rougher and experience is required. Post-Christmas when some of the younger players have had six months and need a rest."
Jermain Defoe will miss 6 weeks
Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has confirmed that striker Jermain Defoe faces at least six out through injury.
Defoe, who was stretchered off while playing for England late in Tuesday night's 3-1 win over Switzerland in Basle, suffered an ankle knock and the player had insisted he would to be fit to face West Bromwich Albion this weekend.
However, Defoe is now due to miss the first half of Spurs' maiden Champions League campaign and is also a major doubt for England's next Euro 2012 qualifier against Montenegro at Wembley on October 12.
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| GettyImages |
Defoe, who was stretchered off while playing for England late in Tuesday night's 3-1 win over Switzerland in Basle, suffered an ankle knock and the player had insisted he would to be fit to face West Bromwich Albion this weekend.
However, Defoe is now due to miss the first half of Spurs' maiden Champions League campaign and is also a major doubt for England's next Euro 2012 qualifier against Montenegro at Wembley on October 12.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Aston Villa finally finds a manager
Gerard Houllier is set to be confirmed as the new manager of Aston Villa this week, with L'Equipe reporting that he has agreed a two-year contract with the Premier League club.
After spells managing Liverpool and Lyon, Houllier is currently the technical director for the French national team, but he has scheduled a meeting with French Football Federation president Fernando Duchaussoy to follow Tuesday's Euro 2012 qualifier against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"I will meet Wednesday to take stock of the situation with him," Duchaussoy told reporters. "I'll ask him. I would like to continue working with him."
Houllier, 63, is set to confirm that he is leaving the role to take charge at Villa Park, despite opposition from the club's supporters.
Kevin MacDonald, who has taken charge of Villa on a caretaker basis since the shock resignation of Martin O'Neill, has impressed owner Randy Lerner and could stay on as Houllier's assistant, a first-team coach or return to being in charge of the first-team.
via ESPN SOCCERNET
After spells managing Liverpool and Lyon, Houllier is currently the technical director for the French national team, but he has scheduled a meeting with French Football Federation president Fernando Duchaussoy to follow Tuesday's Euro 2012 qualifier against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"I will meet Wednesday to take stock of the situation with him," Duchaussoy told reporters. "I'll ask him. I would like to continue working with him."
Houllier, 63, is set to confirm that he is leaving the role to take charge at Villa Park, despite opposition from the club's supporters.
Kevin MacDonald, who has taken charge of Villa on a caretaker basis since the shock resignation of Martin O'Neill, has impressed owner Randy Lerner and could stay on as Houllier's assistant, a first-team coach or return to being in charge of the first-team.
via ESPN SOCCERNET
Walcott is injured
Theo Walcott of the English national team was taken off the field in the first half versus Switzerland with an injury. This could be a very big blow to both the English national side as well as Arsenal.
The news coming in regarding Walcott's injury is that on first inspection, it's a sprained ankle. That's a relief for England. More information will be given once a full inspection is done and reported later today.
The news coming in regarding Walcott's injury is that on first inspection, it's a sprained ankle. That's a relief for England. More information will be given once a full inspection is done and reported later today.
Remember the name... Conor Doyle
Conor Doyle is an American trailblazer. While he is only in the Championship rather than the EPL, he is playing significant minutes for Derby County, a very respectable accomplishment for any American player. What makes him a trailblazer is that he is only 18 years old and playing in the public radar of England.
Doyle could become the next big thing for American soccer in the EPL in the next few years. Already earning a 1st team spot barely out of high school, he is everything that is missing in the American training process.
The big quesation now is, will he play for Ireland or the United States if/when he makes his international debut. But that aside, an 18 year old American in the Championship right within view of the EPL, I personally never saw it coming.
Doyle could become the next big thing for American soccer in the EPL in the next few years. Already earning a 1st team spot barely out of high school, he is everything that is missing in the American training process.
The big quesation now is, will he play for Ireland or the United States if/when he makes his international debut. But that aside, an 18 year old American in the Championship right within view of the EPL, I personally never saw it coming.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Dirk Kuyt injures shoulder.
ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP)—Winger Dirk Kuyt injured his left shoulder in training Monday and could be out for several weeks, Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk said.
Van Marwijk said Kuyt was injured when he fell awkwardly while attempting to reach a cross while training at ADO The Hague’s stadium.
“Dirk does that a lot, there was nobody close to him, but this time it went wrong,” Van Marwijk told national broadcaster NOS.
Kuyt has “strained and possibly torn ligaments in his shoulder,” Van Marwijk said.
Kuyt will miss the Netherlands’ European Championship qualifier Tuesday against Finland at Feyenoord’s Kuip stadium.
Kuyt opened the scoring from the penalty spot on Friday in the Netherlands’ 5-0 defeat of San Marino in their opening Group E match.
The 30-year-old Liverpool player flew back to England on Monday to return to his club.
The Netherlands’ attack is already missing Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben to injuries for Tuesday’s match. Van Persie has a left ankle injury and Robben a left hamstring injury that threatens to sideline him for the rest of the year.
Van Marwijk said Kuyt was injured when he fell awkwardly while attempting to reach a cross while training at ADO The Hague’s stadium.
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| Photo via: The Sun |
“Dirk does that a lot, there was nobody close to him, but this time it went wrong,” Van Marwijk told national broadcaster NOS.
Kuyt has “strained and possibly torn ligaments in his shoulder,” Van Marwijk said.
Kuyt will miss the Netherlands’ European Championship qualifier Tuesday against Finland at Feyenoord’s Kuip stadium.
Kuyt opened the scoring from the penalty spot on Friday in the Netherlands’ 5-0 defeat of San Marino in their opening Group E match.
The 30-year-old Liverpool player flew back to England on Monday to return to his club.
The Netherlands’ attack is already missing Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben to injuries for Tuesday’s match. Van Persie has a left ankle injury and Robben a left hamstring injury that threatens to sideline him for the rest of the year.
Power Rankings 9-6-10
Power Rankings for the week of 9-6-10
- Chelsea- The defending champs are at it again with three victories and a +14 goal differential and no goals allowed so far this season.
- Arsenal- Theo Walcott has started on fire with 4 goals in 3 games including a beautiful hat trick versus Blackpool, this may be the year that Arsenal gives Chelsea a run for their money.
- Manchester United- With a so so start to league play, many are picking Man U to drop some this year. Ill believe it when I see it.
- Tottenham Hotspur- I am tempted to ignore the abberation versus Wigan and say that they contend for 2nd or 3rd place, but with the Champions Legaue games plus the EPL games it may be asking too much to get above 4th.
- Manchester City- Again, a very very talented squad that may or may not gel into a team and challenge for the EPL gold. Best case, they finish 1st... Worst case, they finish 8th-10th.
- Liverpool- The Reds look to be on the outside looking in with regards to the top 5 teams in the EPL. Fernando Torres' health will be vital to the rest of the season.
- Newcastle United- With Andy Carroll on fire and the addition of Hatem Ben Arfa to the squad, Newcastle is enjoying life with the big boys.
- Bolton Wanderers- One of the 6 remaining squads with no losses to start the season, it will be seen if Bolton can maintain this ranking.
- Birmingham- Very active in the transfer window, the Blues may be able to make some noise and be one of the top 8 in the league.
- Wolverhampton Wanderers- A very workmanlike performance to begin the season has put the Wolves in the top 10 with a realistic chance to stay between 10 and 13.
- Aston Villa- The worst is yet to come for Villa with the team and coaching situtaion in flux.
- Sunderland- The Darren Bent show is alive and well in Sunderland.
- Fulham- Still struggling to put away teams in the second half, it seems that Fulham is still attempting to establish an identity but 10-13 seems a realistic resting place.
- Stoke City- Stoke has played well so far this season. Although they have lost the first three, they will being to rack up wins and justify this ranking.
- Blackburn Rovers- Blackburn plays their rough style of play that will keep them out of relegation but not allow them to seriously compete with the upper 10 of the league.
- West Bromwich Albion- Once the schedule eases for Brom, more points will come and allow Brom to move upward in the rankings.
- Everton- A combination of uncharacteristic follies by Tim Howard and an inability to score puts Everton right on the relegation cliff.
- Wigan Athletic- Was last weekend's victory over Tottenham a sign of things to come or an abberation..... I am going with abberation.
- Blackpool- The magic of the opening weekend 4-0 win over Wigan is fading as shown with the 6-0 loss to Arsenal and the poor showing in the second round loss in the Carling Cup.
- West Ham United- So far, a rough go in the EPL season and now the owner is calling out players. Seems like a recipe for relegation.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Michael Dawson out 8 weeks.
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp admits he was relieved to discover Michael Dawson is expected to be fit within eight weeks.
Dawson was stretchered off during England's 4-0 victory over Bulgaria on Friday night after his leg collapsed beneath him in a freak accident early in the second half.
Scans showed the 26-year-old defender had only sprained left knee ligaments and a left ankle ligament and he could be back in action by the end of next month.
"First of all, it's a big blow for Michael and a great shame for him," Redknapp told the club's official website, "but watching it live, I thought it could have been worse than it's turned out.
"It could have been his cruciate ligament and that would have been the end of the
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| PA PHOTOS Michael Dawson is stretchered off after sustaining the injury |
Scans showed the 26-year-old defender had only sprained left knee ligaments and a left ankle ligament and he could be back in action by the end of next month.
"First of all, it's a big blow for Michael and a great shame for him," Redknapp told the club's official website, "but watching it live, I thought it could have been worse than it's turned out.
"It could have been his cruciate ligament and that would have been the end of the
Robinho's excuses
Robinho has decided to grace us with his "reasons" for failing in Manchester:
- He found the city "an awful place to live".
- "Neither Hughes nor Mancini understood me," he told the People newspaper. "Perhaps they only believed in the sporting side of things, but that wasn't enough for me.
- There was a lack of contact between the players and the club.
- I am a special footballer and I need to be happy when I'm playing. That was the case at Real Madrid but never at City.
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