All change this summer

Finally, after more than three months of fake transfer news, we have the real deal with various signings lined up, at the forefront Flamini and Barry.

Firstly, Flamini. Arsenal fans are right to be concerned that he is gone, but I think it is more to do with Arsenal's worrying inability to hold onto their players, than his footballing ability. Flamini may not have been typical of this, given that his contract was running out, but there is a recent trend of Arsenal's best players leaving, or being tapped up - Ashley Cole, Diarra, Flamini and now Hleb being courted by Inter.

This naturally brings up the memory of Anelka to Real Madrid, Overmars and Petit to Barcelona, Vieria to Inter and Henry to Barca. All bar Anelka haven't excelled after Arsenal, and this hindsight is attributed to Wenger's mastery of the transfer market. Not so, all the players mentioned angled for their moves away, and it couldn't be countenanced that they would stay at Arsenal while unhappy (according to recent reports, Henry received a £5m 'loyalty' payment in 2006 to resist the lure of Barca). Another supposed master of transfers, Alex Ferguson (the man who signed of Taibi and Djemba X2) redeems himself by forcing players out - Keane, van Nistelrooy, Ince, Hughes, etc.

So, Arsenal seem to have a problem in this regard, being compared this week to a feeder club a la West Ham. So, Flamini, and possibly Hleb will need to be replaced, but with Vela and Merida returning from Spain, it shouldn't be that hard to pick up a defensive midfielder, well Arsene?

Liverpool seem intent on signing Gareth Barry, and the question that must be asked is - why? How could he possibly improve the team?

Well, Guillem Balague suggested on Monday that Liverpool will play 4-3-3 next season, with a midfield of Barry, Mascherano and Gerrard. Certainly it is hard to see Barry being effective in a typical 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1, and I think a 4-3-3 is a good bet but it is more likely that Alonso/Lucas comes into midfield and Gerrard plays on the right of a front three with Torres and Babel, as Gerrard's positional sense shows that he couldn't be trusted too much in midfield.

Looks like a good setup on paper, but no, it won't be their year.

Mark,
ODF

Treading Carefully

Because I don't want to receive any death threats by being critical of Liverpool (see some madness here), I'm going to just wonder aloud about something, but first, a quote:

“Look at what’s happened under Rick [Parry]. It has been a disaster, we have fallen so far behind the other leading clubs. We should have the stadium built by now. We have a few major sponsors when we should have 15. We have still got the top brand in the world of football but that’s no good if you don’t know how to commercialise it. Rick needs to resign from Liverpool FC… If George doesn’t sell - because I am not going to sell - I guess we stay in this position that we are in. It’s complicated but [me buying Gillett out] is going to happen although I can’t force George to accept. I am planning to make him a very attractive offer. If I had a majority on [the ownership of Liverpool] I could put more capital in…” – Tom Hicks.

The following are things I believe:

• Hicks is right - Parry didn't do a good job (approx £100m in debt and far less revenue than other big clubs) and he also paved the way for Hicks and Gillett to come in, believing they were 'white knights'
  
• Hicks will not buy Gillett out, they will probably sell to DIC, but that will take months, if not years. And it will be tedious.
  
• David Moores is also culpable for Liverpool's general financial underachievement
  
• Parry is responsible for the Houllier/Roy Evans mini-era, and then the Houllier solo era, with, ahem, able backup from the Eagle, Phil Thompson
  
• The stadium costs are rising because of the cost of steel - why don't they give wood a chance?
  

Mark,
ODF

p.s. we're podding tonight, and we will keep it under 50 mins! But there are no guarantees until the end of the season as the fixtures and news are coming thick and heavy....

The Winners Write History

So, now for an unbiased account of last night's Liverpool Arsenal match (I hate them both equally).
If you read the traditional media outlets this morning, they would have you believe that Liverpool are some sort of super team of men (RTE), driven on by history (5 times) and the '12th man' ("so terrified at the prospect of lasting just six minutes at this remarkable arena" - The Times), whereas in reality they could have been knocked out had Arsenal held their nerve for the final 10 minutes.
The penalty decision was a bit harsh but Toure's clumsiness gave the referee a chance to blow his whistle. Gerrard took his penalty with conviction and Arsenal were out.

The Guardian says: 'Another chapter in Anfield's rich European history owed much to another hand expertly played in the Champions League by Rafael Benítez.' Was it really? Why did Gerrard play 3/4 of the match on the left wing? Was Babel not good enough from the start?

And how crucial was Flamini's loss? He may not be a great footballer but his industry and range of passing are now much superior to his replacement, Gilberto.

Arsenal ultimately failed because Senderos does not have the ability at this level, with 2 goals coming as a direct result of his ineptitude. After been given a chasing in the second half, against the odds they pulled themselves back into the game with Walcott's blistering run and Adebayor's goal. That they failed to hold on tells as much about Arsenal's weaknesses as it does about Liverpool's strengths.

All in all, it was an absorbing game, a classic European tie that will live long in the memory. Hyppia, Torres and Babel scored excellent goals while Diaby (putting in a strange shift as a decent footballer) and Adebayor were clinical.

Liverpool go on to face Chelsea now, with, one assumes, an amazing confidence that they can reach the final again. Grant seems to be on the ropes at Chelsea, and I wouldn't bet on him making the correct decisions over the 2 legs. The individual brilliance of one of their players, such as Drogba or Cole could make the difference but Liverpool's defensive strength, combined with the excellence of Torres and Mascherano, and Benitez luckiness should see them through.

***************
There is not much point in analysing tonight's games too much. Roma need a massive performance against United, which I feel is beyond them. And in the other game, Barca may be poor but it would be a major shock if Schalke were to qualify.

Mark,
ODF

The Old Hammer Trick, Eh?

Well there's only one major story today, and unfortunately, it's about Liverpool, so here's a preview of Grand Slam Tuesday Group A (tm) in which Marseilles face Liverpool in a bid to qualify for the next round.

Liverpool played poorly against Reading and will need to be at the top of their game tonight to resist the French. Djibril Cisse and Boudewijn Zenden, despite being in and out of the team so far this season, would be expected to make the classic old boy revenge (and I'm not talking about ripping teeth out with a hammer, as in the film Old Boy). Cisse has been rightly castigated for being rubbish season, and Niang has instead been providing threat up front. Valbuena has provided creativity and their league form is slowly coming around.

Marseilles manager Eric Gerets said: "It will be a fast-paced match and in my opinion, Liverpool are going to try to pass the ball around three times quicker than they did on the first match between us".
It must be a mis-translation, I'm sure he meant 3 times further, eh, Stevie G?

Rafa Benitez says it's the most important game of the season so far, and he's right, but there's a lot more of them to come over the coming months, especially for a man under fire like he is.
Liverpool have scored 22 goals in their last six games and should go into this game with confidence, the Reading result not withstanding. Carragher, Torres and Gerrard should be well rested after their 70 mins on Saturday, and providing Ricky Hatton didn't keep them up too long I am predicting Liverpool to get the result they need, a win. Liverpool should play with "controlled fury"* and at great pace, and Marseilles should have no answer. Any other approach and I fear the Pool could be in big trouble.

Either way it should be a great game of football, and I'm most interested in seeing what hairstyle Cisse is sporting and whether Zenden has learnt how to control a football.

In the other games tonight:
FC Porto v Besiktas - 2-0. Porto should have enough quality for the win to see them through

Chelsea v Valencia, - 2-0. Valencia seem to be a shambles. It's called Karma, Koeman!
Schalke 04 v Rosenborg, 2-1. Schalke have done well this far, the dream ends for the Norwegians.

Olympiakos v Werder Bremen and Real Madrid v Lazio. All 4 teams can qualify but Real are a certainty, 2-0, and I've a sneaky feeling Werder could win in Greece, but the smart money is on a draw that will send Olympiakos through: 1-1.

Enjoy,
Mark.

The Okey Doke Football Podcast is available every Friday morning, subscribe here: http://feeds.feedburner.com/OkeyDokeFootball


* Copyright Stephen Hunt

By Mutual Agreement

Hi All,

We all knew it was going to happen, but the Football Association of Ireland wait until past our bedtimes to tell us that Stan had parted by mutual consent. We were deprived of sleeping soundly and dreaming of Jose because those buffoons thought it would lessen the media attention by not sacking him until after the deadline for the morning papers. What do they take us for?

In a way it's sad to see a player with more than 100 caps have the mickey taken out of him in the media, and have torrent of abuse reign down on him at matches, but his hapless, distrustful & shambolic management style has brought it about. Ireland had a bad manager, but some very good players (Given, Finnan, Dunne), good players (Ireland, O'Shea, Doyle, Keane) and they failed miserably,. most importantly, in terms of performance, and in terms of points. Stan wouldn't have been sacked if we achieved plucky moral victories while showing team spirit and resilience, he was sacked because of the players attitude, his attitude and the inability of anyone to change things effectively.

I'm sure there will be more about in the coming weeks, but the managerial position now up for grabs should not go to any of - Souness, Venables, any Irish ex-pro with no experience, or mercenary types like Philippe Troussier. Please FAI, pick up a youngish manager from Europe with some experience of success and pay him what he wants, performance related, on a contract until the World Cup.
****************************

The Champions League last night threw up plenty of great goals. Arsenal's 7-0 victory was superb, as was United's attacking play in Kiev, while Rangers did well to get a draw with Barca. All 3 British teams should be in the last 16.
To tonight's matches - Liverpool are away to Besiktas in a kinda-have-to-win-but-must-not-lose encounter, but they are lucky in that Turkish football is absolute crap these days and Besiktas have lost their first two matches in Group A without scoring a goal.
They do have a couple of decent player to trouble old man Hyppia though - Edouard Cisse (ex-West Ham), Ricardinho (21 caps for Brazil, World Cup winner & ex-Boro!), Rustu Recber, Matias Delgado and Marcio Nobre.
So, not all plain sailing for the 'Pool, who have a few injury problems, but they should be strong enough.

Benfica play Celtic, and they really should look to break their Champions League away form hoodoo, and Benfica are not up to much really. However, it is more than likely that Celtic will remember their 3-0 thrashing in Portugal last year, and cave in again.

Finally, Chelsea play Schalke, and I fancy them to scutter through it, primarily for the reason that German teams have been poor in the CL for a few years now and also that John Terry is injured, so they should be more solid at the back. Peter Lovenkrands and Kevin Kuranyi could cause trouble however but it is hard to see anything other than a home win.

Mark,
http://www.okeydokefootball.com/

Here's Sissoko, Oh No, Now Marseille Have It....

These Champions League reflections are much easier than predictions, so with ease of mind, I'll get started.
Liverpool - Benitez is assuming the look of a desperate man (and no, I'm not talking about his 'goatee deflecting attention away from fatness' look) and he has started blaming his players outright. The players he bought.

"Everything was wrong" he blubbed, "it is the whole team who played badly". The team you picked, Rafa.

"Today the team was not good enough". "We were not controlling the middle".

It is hard to control the middle when you have the position-insensitive Gerrard buzzing around the place, and Momo Sissoko, the professional footballer for whom the old quote applies - he can control it further than I can kick it. His misery of attempting to control a football was shown last season against Man Utd, when he attempted to solo the ball, but instead kicked it 20 yards up in the sky. Last night he gave another reminder of his ineptiude.

So, tough times for the 'Pool, but they plays Spurs at home next, which should be the perfect chance to get their season back on track, and take the heat off Rafa. And if they can't, what fresh excuse will he dream up?

Man Utd - another lack lustre (like an empty can of pear halves) performance, but another 1-0 win. Roma had good chances to at least draw the game. Nani showed glimpses of his talent in his best game so far, but his play-acting and poor decisions are reminiscent of the old, bad Ronaldo. Anderson's cameo was lively enough, but he looks a bit lightweight yet. United have Wigan at home to continue their run of wins but the absence of Fletcher, Carrick & Hargreaves will probably mean the horror of O'Shea in midfield.

Arsenal - another game, another win, how long will it be before everyone is tipping them for trophies? Doubts remain, but they are cruising so far.

Chelsea - is the old spirit back? No, it's Carvalho. A fantastic player who made vital interceptions and organised the back line well. That John Terry fella looks like a good player with him in tow. Terry and Ferdinand must get together and pray that their co-defenders never get injured again. Sheva must wish he invested in an English teacher rather than make the move to London to learn the language. Nobody missed his witless presence last night.

Celtic - they are short on quality but they held their own against a Milan team who didn't look too bothered about the whole thing until they fell behind. Gave away a ludicrous penalty but fought back well and received their just rewards. They are handicapped by having an extremely annoying, jumped up runt of a manager and idiot supporters who think it's a good thing to run onto the pitch and caress Dida's breast.

Rangers - I thought they'd head to France and get a draw but they surpassed themselves against Lyon. Poor oul Alain Perrin must be feeling the heat over this one. 6 points from 6 for Rangers mean even a spectacular collapse should see them into the UEFA Cup.

So, it's all action this season, it's UEFA Cup time tonight but that won't get interesting until next March, join us from tomorrow morning for the podcast, where, among other things, we hate Jamie Redknapp. Like shooting fish in a barrel.

Mark,
http://www.okeydokefootball.com

Weekend Reaction

Hi All,

It was unfortunate (not least for Chelsea) that yesterday's Man Utd match was overshadowed by referring errors, 4 major ones in total (sending off of Mikel, penalty given, penalty not given and Cole's snide tackle). Looking past this however and we can see that Chelsea have some big problems. United were far superior, even before the sending off, but this was exacerbated by the non-performance of some of their old reliables. Essien was practically non-existent, Sheva still looks disinterested and off-pace, despite many expecting him to have a new lease of life after being freed from Jose's tyranny. Roman clapped him off the pitch as he was substituted - perhaps he was hoping Kalou would be better, but there wasn't much chance of that!

Ben Haim was ordinary at the back, Ashley Cole was more interested in diving & winding up Rooney than in attacking, and Malouda has lost his form after a good start.

Inevitably there will be rumours of unrest in the camp in the coming weeks, but this will settle down as the players will realise that there is no point pouting over Jose's loss (or crying, as in Frank & Didier's case) and get their act together. I agree with JJ last week, no mass exodus, and a high profile manager to come at some stage in the coming year. Hell, if they bring Jamie Redknapp into the backroom staff, maybe they'll groom him to take over?

Liverpool's game against Birmingham offered more evidence of Rafa's madness, after the folly of leaving Gerrard, Torres and Babel on the bench versus Portsmouth. Leaving Torres on the bench was a masterstroke of insanity and the excuses began after the match that it was for tactical reasons, that he has four strikers and has to play them. This is rubbish and it looks like Rafa will rotate his way out of the title race, and possibly a job, before the end of the season. Benitez has done a lot for Liverpool, but a lot of fans I've been talking to are coming around to the opinion that maybe, despite his success, he won't deliver the league title.

Arsenal continue to play well, Adebayor has been revelation so far, and Fabregas would be a decent bet now for player of the season. After all the doom and gloom of the summer, there is now a lot of optimism and their first major test is 28th October vs Liverpool, followed the next weekend by United, so they have plenty of time to rack up points (West Ham, Sunderland and Bolton up next). If they can get to Christmas in a good position, add a centre back and goalie to the squad, they'll be in the battle for the title

Later,

Mark

Moving & Shaking

Hi Folks,
Mark here.

I'm back blogging again today as JJ is off pressing the flesh with some movers and shakers. I don't want to give out much details but lets just say: Okey Doke Movie.

Onto football - I really can't believe Robson has been put in as manager to Sheffield United. These football directors have a lot to answer for. (You can see Captain Marvel's stats here: http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8652_2141175,00.html) Why do football clubs persist in hiring these losers? No doubt there is a big fat contract and certain fee upon sacking - the only profession that gets rewarded for not doing their job successfully.

Our old friend Tom Hicks was in the news today - he gave an interview to the Guardian (http://football.guardian.co.uk/championsleague200607/story/0,,2085138,00.html) - and will have angered nobody with the following quote: "No-one likes the word franchise. It's not a franchise but it is a franchise. It's a unique club that has such an affinity with its fans, both locally and really globally. That is a franchise"

Despite the deal for Liverpool being the exact same situation as at United, less £100m or so, there has been little comment or protest from Liverpool fans. Why? They were already in debt, whoring themselves around the world for the past 3/4 seasons in the hope of a suitor, and have failed since 1990 to win the League, despite many good cup victories. So the money will be welcome, but if anyone thinks the £40m promised this summer will be enough to challenge for the title, they'll be very optimistic indeed. In reality, the previous Liverpool board failed commercially, whilst Man Utd left them behind in financial stakes. Man Utd may have a bigger debt, but they have a considerably larger revenue and profit than the Pool to pay it off with. Man Utd get £25m per season plus any profit made from player sales. Will Liverpool get £40m every season? And, even if they do, will they be accused of 'buying' the league? Will their big name targets come - Eto'o, Torres, Tevez? Answers below please.

I'll be back tomorrow with a preview of the Champo League-o final, I got my prediction right for last Saturday. Lets see if I can get lucky for the second time this year...

Mark,
http://www.okeydokefootball.com

New Wembley Charm

Hi,
Mark here.

Well, what a terrible FA Cup final! After sitting through the tedious drone of BBC, switching to Sky, then quickly switching back again, now watching a bunch of former captains coming out on the pitch to a chorus of boos, in what seemed like a procession of ex- and current- BBC pundits. The game started at 1 mile per hour, on a pitch that made Stamford Bridge look like a bowling green just before a match versus Barca. Too dry, they said. Well, I was hoping John Terry's and/or Frank Lampard's tears would moisten the ground before the end of the match - alas, twas not to be, Drogba won the game superbly with a few minutes to go. Even the neutral (on the off chance they were still watching) didn't get the penalty excitement they deserved, or any of the blissful ruck that 'marred' the end of the Carling Cup final.

So, Chelsea have taken the bare look off their season, but United still have the bragging rights in England. Liverpool will be up for the chance to walk around with 6 fingers perpetually aloft, ready to sing a devilishly funny song to any United supporter in range (in some cases, only one hand is necessary).

So my preparation for Wednesday's match is to not listen at all to what Stevie Gerrard has to say, because it's all bollox. He's not the only one to have a opinion of course but his continual bleating about something has really worn me down. There's a nice sense of freedom now, I encourage everyone to try it....

Myself or JJ will be back soon with a post,

Chin up,
Mark,
http://www.okeydokefootball.com

Mourinho Vs Benitez

Well, thank God that's all over.
I never want to see 2 teams managed by Mourinho and Benitez ever again play each other. Of course, we all knew in advance it was going to be like this, and yet subjected ourselves to the misery.
Jose, apart from boring the life out of us, got his tactics wrong last night. The long diagonal balls to Drogba, bypassing midfield, didn't work at all, with Carragher and Agger looking comfortable. But, crucially, there was no change for the entire game.
It was typical Mourinho - that one of the most highly sought after young attacking players in the world, Mikel, has been turned into a defensive midfielder. That Chelsea didn't try to finish the job in the first leg.
That his purchases - Kalou, Mikel, Wright-Phillips are not good enough. That his team cannot create opportunities from good play and skill (Lampard in particular being terrible). For the amount of money spent, it is a very poor return.
On the other side we have Liverpool - Benitez has his own problems, despite his team coping effectively last night. The Pool had the better chances and, arguably, deserved to go through. Some of his decisions were amazing though - keeping (even starting) Zenden on was a bad enough decision to be sacked on the spot. Overall, they made up for their lack of quality with energy and enthusiasm and will be tough opposition in the final.

Who will they meet there? We shall see tonight, I think United can get a draw, hell maybe even win it! Optimism worked for JJ last night, so I'll do the same, and hopefully I won't regret it!

Mark,
http://www.okeydokefootball.com

What we learned last night

Hi there,
Mark here.

What last night reinforced, looking back at the season as a whole...

• Kuyt is not a top class striker, despite being hard working
• Bellamy offers little to the team
• Zenden is a disgrace to left wingers everywhere
• Alonso, whilst still quality, is having a poor season
• Gerrard is frequently ineffective, but mostly saves his reputation with goals and energy
• Agger has a lot to learn at centre back
• Benitez sometimes makes very strange decisions
• Shevchenko is the worst big money signing ever in England - makes Veron look class
• Chelsea's season may have been better with J Cole fit.
• Drogba is the best striker in the world but a pathetic diver and feigns injury
• Reina is a good shot stopper but a liability coming for the ball
• Ferreira is getting worse by the month
• Mourinho is a spiteful, disrespectful, horrible liar but a great tactician and motivator

I was going to review last nights match in full but let me just sum it up in a few words, so I don't have to relive that game:

Liverpool were poor, though Chelsea gave them little space. Chelsea should have won 2 or 3 nil, but Reina made some fine saves. Man of the match: Drogba

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On a lighter note, myself and JJ are doing our weekly podcast tonight, available to download tomorrow at 10am GMT.

We discuss:

Premiership and Champions League Results. Upcoming fixtures. The state of the major European leagues. Pub Talk featuring the issues of the week: Gallas, Mourinho, Sibierski and loads more.

Subcribe to the RSS here http://feeds.feedburner.com/OkeyDokeFootball

Cheers,

Mark

http://www.okeydokefootball.com/

Champions league

The Pool had a very good win last night, not the most entertaining game, as was feared by everybody, but there is a horrible look of inevitability in Liverpool's CL Challenge.

Bayern were lucky to draw against Milan, and are clear favourites for the 2nd leg with the 2 away goals. Now we'll see what Milan are made of...

As for tonight's games:

Roma vs United should be a really good game of football, United should be positive enough tonight, as they could really use an away goal. Once again though, a lot depends on Rooney and Ronaldo to do the business. They haven't so far in The CL this season so it is a big game for them. Is Ronaldo the best player in the world, as some hysterical media outlets (and Ferguson!) dub him - he goes MIA against good teams in Europe, so tonight and next is the time to prove it.Looking at Roma's team, they look very strong, with players of the quality of Totti, Mancini and De Rossi, and they will cause United a lot of problems, especially with United missing 3 first choice defenders. it must not be forgotten however, that this Roma team only finished 5th last season in Serie A, and are currently way off Inter's pace at the head of the table this season.
Overall, an intriguing game, and one I will not bet on...

Chelsea vs Valencia should be a tough, close encounter. I think the key to this game is how Chelsea will contain Valencia on the break, especially Villa, Joaquin and Vicente. Vicente may relish Chelsea's right back (whoever they are going to play there) and Villa has the quality to trouble Terry and Carvalho. As for Chelsea attacking, Lampard or Ballack must break forward to create space for Sheva and Drogba, and I think they have the quality to score tonight....

We will be discussing all the Champions League results tomorrow night on the podcast - subscribe at http://feeds.feedburner.com/okeydokefootball or visit our website below.
Cheers,
Mark,
http://www.okeydokefootball.com