ODF 16 Nov Podcast Online

Hi All,
Our latest podcast is online now.

We discuss:

Fixtures & Results: Premiership & Internationals

Pub Talk: Phil Neville, Welsh Player of the Year, Quotas, Wigan & Bruce, Anton Ferdinand, Thaksin, Benelux, Appiah's 'passion for fashion' and Chelsea

Featured section - Drunk Footballers - who would we like to get drunk with.

• Hayden Foxe at a Christmas party
• Don Hutchinson in Aiya Napa
• Shearer, Albert & Gillespie in Dublin
• Fowler & Macca share a moment. Steve's wife wasn't impressed. Robbie's wife kicked him out for 2 days.

AOB - we finish the show with some listener comments.

Don't forget to sign our Keep Houllier out of the Ireland job petition.
http://www.petitiononline.com/jxz81c/petition.html
I will forward the results to the FAI once we have enough votes.

We hope you enjoy the show.
Download it: http://media.libsyn.com/media/okeydokefootball/odf16Nov07.mp3
Subscribe: http://feeds.feedburner.com/OkeyDokeFootball

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

Build 'Em Up, Knock 'Em Down

Howdy,



After the frenzied love fest of the summer, when everything Roy Keane & Sunderland was declared as great, the inevitable backlash has begun.



We were treated last year to a radical turnaround at Sunderpants, when Roy took over to lead them to a remarkable Championship victory, so that henceforth they would be known as "Roy Keane's Sunderland".



Over the summer, various pundits predicted top 8, mid-table, and close survival. Relegation? Only a few dissenting voices. But now, the knives are out. 'Keane needs a new assistant.' 'Why are there 8 ex-Man Utd, Ireland & Celtic players on the books'. 'His scouting must be bad'. 'Look at Sven, all foreigners bought and now a good team'.



So where does the truth lie? I bigged up Roy too, he did a great job last season, and I predicted survival for them, albeit in 16th place. The criticism largely stems from having a load of money (example: £9m spent yesterday) and buying mediocre players. I feel that yes, it is hard to attract players to a newly promoted team (and the city of Sunderland!), Keane or not, so I can see his predicament. And 2, it's probably a bit much to expect extensive contacts & scouting networks in European football from which to sign these 'great players' that Man City have signed, because Sunderland have had no money until recently and it's pretty hard to see the likes of Elano pitch up there.

Firstly, Man City have been in the Premiership for a few years. Secondly, their owner has a load of money. Thirdly, they hired a well-respected manager (outside England) in Erickson, who is well able to wheel and deal, and has ~20 years more experience.



So lets look at is his individual signings. (Every player has been overpriced, so we'll leave that analysis) Chopra - 2 goals so far, not bad. Richardson - poor so far. Paul McShane - good, solid defender. Andy Cole - signed for experience. Danny Higginbotham (decent backup), Kenwyne Jones (unknown) & Ian Harte (can't see him playing much), Craig Gordon - excellent.



His tactics have also been criticised, wrongly in my opinion. There is nothing wrong with the good 442 Keane has implemented, after all, apart from last year, it won Man Utd 8 Premiership titles. His quotes have stressed that he wants players with 'character' who don't worry too much about tactics and will fight to the end. Nothing wrong here, I think. How did tactics help Aidy Boothroyd & Watford last season?



So this season is crucial for Keane, that he is not seen to go the way of Bryan Robson. It is also important for the Drumaville consortium behind the club, £30m spent on transfers, they will want to stay in the Prem. I still think they will do this, 4 points from 4 games is decent, especially as they have played Liverpool & Spurs already. Man Utd at the weekend is tough but
games against Reading & Boro are definitely winnable.

However, it doesn't bother me too much, if they relegated, we won't see any more of those Irish idiots wearing half Sunderland, half Ireland jerseys. That would be a great day.

Mark,
http://www.okeydokefootball.com

Don't Jump The Gun

Don't listen to Van Halen, there's no need to 'go ahead and jump' to conclusions after the opening weekend in the Premiership.

So, I'm gonna try to throw some rational thoughts in here.

Man United - sure, a poor result against a team they were supposed to beat but they lost their striker at half time and despite a squad of approximately 400, had no one to replace him. It's hard enough to score with strikers at times, and I'm sure that they will bounce back in their next two fixtures to Pompey (despite a poor recent record, lost 3 of 4) and Man City.

Spurs - they were frankly rubbish but it was opening game of the season away against a newly promoted side with something to prove, and only lost with a goal in the last minute. There's still 37 games to go.

Villa - to all the Villa fans I've argued with, Saturday's performance did not match your enthusiasm for a Uefa Cup finish.

Liverpool - job well done, but winning against a poor team is necessary, and you still needed a great goal from a dubious freekick to win it.

Man City - probably the easiest game in which for them to look good - the first game of the season in which nobody knew what their line-up or formation would be, and Sven was pitted against the tactical master that is Curbs.

Arsenal - despite winning, showed all their old frailties from last year. As for Hleb, you're still crap.

Chelsea - Wright-Philips looks like a footballer again. Against Birmingham. Malouda looks good. A title push in the offing but playing nice football at home to a newly promoted team doesn't mean we're in for total football, Holland 74 style.

Fulham & Birmingham - some jammy goals against Lehman and Glen Johnson respectively. That's it.

Newcastle - good performance but if anyone would know how to beat Bolton, it is their former manager

Blackburn - beating Middlesbrough is not an achievement, but keep up the hard work

Yours in perspective,
Mark
http://www.okeydokefootball.com

ODF 09 Aug 07 Podcast Online

Hi All,
Our latest podcast is online now.

We discuss:
Fixtures & Results - Premiership & CL matches

Pub Talk - Veron, Gordon, Bouazza, Injury Crises, Gaillard, Gallas, Silva, Carson, O'Connor & our person of the week award

Season Preview - Part 4. We assess Reading, Sunderland, Tottenham, West Ham & Wigan's chances this season

Hopes for the Season - including no mention of petulance and tactical nous

As promised, a picture of Thaksin Shinawtra & his daughter above.

We hope you enjoy the show.

Download it: http://libsyn.com/media/okeydokefootball/odf09Aug07.mp3
Subscribe: http://feeds.feedburner.com/OkeyDokeFootball

Cheers,
Mark & JJ
http://www.okeydokefootball.com/

Prediction Time - Premier League

For those of you who missed the first 3 parts of our season previews on the podcast (the final part 4 will be covered this week), I'm going to run through how I think the season will finish.

1. Manchester United - a league winning squad with added strength in depth from the acquisitions of Nani, Anderson, Hargreaves and Tevez. Questions surround their fitting into the team, but United's squad is a lot stronger than last season and should have enough to beat the teams from 5th to 20th comfortably, with draws against the Pool, the Arse and Chelsea
2. Chelsea - the injury excuse has already been trotted out by Jose but even at full fitness there is still an appalling lack of creativity in the squad. There is also an over-reliance on Drogba & Lamps to score, poor form could scupper their chances. The summer signings have been underwhelming if necessary for squad depth, with only Malouda seeming to be a top player.
3. Liverpool - not this season though there should be an improvement on previous years. Benitez's squad is unbalanced in midfield (5 central midfielders), though he has finally signed some good players in Babel and Torres. More worrying is Torres' partner in attack - Kuyt seems unlikely to put away more chances, Voronin has a poor record in Germany, and like Kuyt, was unimpressive at the last World Cup. Crouchigol is a cult hero and a player I rate highly but the impression is he won't score 20
4. Tottenham - I'm taking a risk here to liven up the table a bit. Neutrals will want a new entrant in the top four and the CL and Spurs have the ability. Darren Bent is quality and will prove to be good value, otherwise they have strengthened the squad in important areas. The younger players should benefit from extra maturity, and Zokora has had a season to adapt to England.
5. Arsenal - they will be close to 4th, but you get the impression that Van Persie & Eduardo need to stick a lot of goals away to be certain of CL. Their weaknesses at centre back haven't been addressed and Hleb and Rosicky are not wingers. Lehmann is a walking cliche of the erratic goalkeeper.
6. Everton - another risk, as their squad is very thin, but Moyes is an excellent manager and their first 11 is very strong. Rumours of 2 additions to the squad bode well for the season. Arteta is the key.
7. Newcastle - Big Sam has bought well in defense and attack and has enough quality players to grab a Uefa cup place
8. Blackburn - will no doubt feel the heat of their big spending rivals, but consistency and a quality first 11 will see them into the top half of the table.
9. Portsmouth - a decent bet for a higher position but I have a feeling they may tail off. Last seasons squad was very good, and the additions of Utaka, Nugent and the excellent Muntari bode well for this one.
10. Bolton - could finish anywhere but Sammy Lee has a good reputation and he has a strong squad to work with. Rumours of dressing room disquiet, if true, will probably see them finish lower.
11. West Ham - they are amassing a curious collection of players but the returning Ashton will be key. Curbs needs to keep all the egos in check, a tall task.
12. Aston Villa - strong, if a bit unbalanced team. O'Neill has cleared out a lot of squad players this summer, but they now have a lack of depth. Signings needed to break into the top half. Their purchases so far have not been value for money - Petrov, Carew & Young. That must change.
13. Man City - likely to be some crazy entertainment here, Sven has brought in many players and will likely suffer from them trying to form a proper team at the start of the season. Quality additions such as Elano and Petrov will make the following season very interesting but it will be too tough this one.
14. Reading - over-achieved last season, the loss of Sidwell is a blow but Doyle and Lita should score enough goals to keep the Royals comfortable.
15. Middlesbrough - decent but uninspiring, Yakubu is quality but unsettled, some good young players coming through but overall seem to be in danger at the bottom
16. Sunderland - Keane's quality as a manager will be stretched, but an emphasis on good football should be enough to keep Sunderland up. Richardson and Edwards will be instrumental.
17. Fulham - if only for the fact that Sanchez seems to be a good manager, if old fashioned. His Norn Iron enclave should work hard for him but it will be close
18. Birmingham - I don't rate Bruce as much of a manager and that's why I back them to go down. The squad is OK, considering they were promoted but Bruce will find a way... A manager change mid-season could see them survive
19. Wigan - almost impossible to be optimistic here, a novice manager, poor signings into a poor squad who got lucky last year
20. Derby - the popular choice for the drop, Earnshaw is limited at this level and a lot of pressure on Barnes. Not enough quality, though Davies is a good manager.

So there it is, I've tried to marry fairness with optimism, what are your thoughts?

Mark,

http://www.okeydokefootball.com

ODF Podcast 03 Aug 07

Our latest podcast is online now.

We discuss:
Fixtures & Results - including Community Shield preview

Pub Talk - Adu, Nesta, Bean, Smith, Rossi, Pele, "Ich Roque" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6zBOpCnFmk & http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlVcHKhZHOU), Reyes & our new person of the week award

Season Preview - Part 3. We assess Man City, Man Utd, Middlesbrough, Newcastle & Portsmouth's chances this season

Moment in Football - Rijkaard lobs a spit in Voller's frizzy hair at Italia '90 - the infamous Llama moment - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_hD4VSMvxM

We hope you enjoy the show.
Download it: http://libsyn.com/media/okeydokefootball/odf02Aug07.mp3
Subscribe: http://feeds.feedburner.com/OkeyDokeFootball

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

Season Review

Hi,
Mark here.

Best Football - Man Utd, run close by the Arse but when you don't score goals, you don't win awards. Wenger blames the new stadium but they are unbeaten at home this season - it's their away form that has been poor this season.

Best player - Michael Essien, a world class midfielder, who does quite a turn at centre- and right-back.

Most improved player - Ronaldo, the tricks and flicks remain but they generally lead to an assist or goal now. Has cut out the majority of diving, but there have been a few dubious penalties.

Runner up - Drogba, a different, more effective player this season, 32 goals at the time of writing means Chelsea finished second rather than fourth.

Best match - Tottenham 2 Chelsea 1, beautiful goal from Makelele set up a great match, Lennon rifled in a top class winner, Terry sent off at the end. A match full of drama and excitement.

Runner up - West Ham 3 Tottenham 4, would have won if it wasn't remarkably cruel on the Hammers.

Most surprising things this season:
1 Ferdinand looks like a proper defender, next to new best bud Nemanja
2 O'Shea is an effective goalscorer and big game player
3 Makelele's top level career looks to be over
4 Only 1 dirty incident of revenge against Ronaldo - Ball's studs last week
5 Charlton have 4 managers in a year

Least surprising things this season
1 Lampard shanks in a lot of goals but still seems to add nothing to the team
2 Watford were relegated
3 Stuart Pearce is not a good manager
4 England are crap under McClaren

Best young players - Fabregas, Agger, Ronaldo, Noble
Worst football - Watford, Middlebrough
Worst Players - Ooijer, Richard Wright, Kirkland, Zenden

Best Pundit - Leonardo, as I could only understand him 10% of the time
Worst Pundit - Mark Lawrenson, too camp, gets everything wrong, loves the Pool

Most injury hit player - take your pick from Saha, Kewell, G Neville, Upson, Owen

We'll have an end of season extarvaganza on the podcast coming up soon, similar to last Christmas (though we should be more sober).

And on this weeks podcast, out on Thursday - The wrap up of the Premiership, Pub Talk featuring the managerial changes, FA Cup final preview, Champions League Final, UEFA Cup final opinion, the Legend that is Romario and some (ok, a lot of) lame jokes we overheard...for which we beg your mercy and understanding.

(Notes for next seasons podcasts- Dave Navarro isn't funny, don't repeat jokes you've been emailled or texted, as the whole world has already heard them)

Mark,
http://www.okeydokefootball.com

Champions

Hiya Lads,
Mark here.

So, an eventful weekend saw United champions, Charlton relegated and West Ham take a huge step towards survival.

United are expected to field a relatively fringe team tomorrow vs Chelsea, so I think it will be quite amusing to see Terry, Lampard et al forming a guard of honour for the likes of Richardson, Dong and O'Shea. I think we could all guess their thoughts. To the weekend - United deservedly beat a terrible Man City side, though they had VDS to thank for his lucky peno save. City are now the worst home scorers ever - since the leagues began over 120 years ago. On Sunday, Chelsea had the hapless Boulharouz to thank for providing an impression of Traore. Khalid was out of position, making poorly timed challenges and finally gave away a penalty and was sent off. To those slagging off Mourinho for playing Essien at centre back, they got their riposte that afternoon. Overall, Chelsea did well to come back into the game with ten men, though they were helped by the profligacy of Adebayor - a skillful player who needs to step up his scoring to be 1st choice at the Arse next season. Ultimately, Chelsea's endeavour wasn't enough and United took the title.
At the start of the season, there was much talk about United's squad weaknesses, but this was overcome by the 19 different players who scored in the league, and a ruthlessness at putting teams away, while their contenders stumbled (example: United scored 4 home and 4 away to Bolton, Chelsea 1-0 away and 2-2 at home). I'll expand more in the podcast this week.

Charlton are down, and I can't say I'm disappointed. I'm a fan of Pardew and I do not believe another manager could have done much better in keeping them up. Their squad is paper thin, and plainly not good enough. I would like to see Wigan relegated, as they add nothing to the Premiership - atmosphere, fans, history, players (Heskey). However, it will be a disgrace if West Ham stay up. The Premier league think they are on safe ground because the precedent of points deductions to other clubs occurred because of incorrect registrations - Tevez and Masch's registrations were fine - other rules were broken. This is, obviously, complete bollox, a way to deflect attention. Also, the wording of the outcome was strange to say the least - they didn't want the West Ham fans to suffer, etc.

I haven't enough time to go into all the other news from the weekend, but briefly:

• Roeder had to go
• Interesting to see how Big Sam gets on at Newcastle
• Will Paul Allen buy Southampton?
• Congrats to Sunderland & Keane for winning the Championship
• I agree with Jorge Valdano (http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8652_2113453,00.html)
• The intrigue at Chelsea

As usual, we'll take the pick of the stories from football for our pub talk section on the podcast. Feel free to leave comments below or email comments@okeydokefootball.com

Cheers,

Mark

Mourinho concedes title

Jose Mourinho effectively conceded the title last Saturday when he rested Drogba, Lampard, Ashley and Joe Cole, in anticipation of tomorrow's Champions league match at Anfield.
It was a strange decision, at once outlining Mourinho's uncharacteristic (almost) surrender of the league and also emphasising his overwhelming need to win the Champions League. Chelsea stuttered to a 2-2 draw, the previously ineffective Kalou vital in the game , covering up for Sheva was never going to score.
Drogba, J Cole and Lampard all appeared, in an attempt to win the game but Bolton suffered no real pressure after equalising.

Over in Liverpool, Man Utd were using up vast reserves of luck to produce a rip roaring comeback after being 2 behind to Everton. It is likely their luck will run out in the Champions League, whether on Wednesday or May 23rd, but United fans will be happy at re-establishing their status at the top of the table. Of course it is not over yet, but the bookies odds don't lie - 50/1 on.
At the other end, Wigan were surely furious as West Ham not only avoided a points deduction but also beat them 0-3 at home, with villian in chief Tevez providing the quality. The much maligned (by me) Tevez is becoming better by the week and seemed a class above everyone on the pitch.
Charlton will surely be relegated now, along with Watford who already are, leaving a shootout between Fulham, Wigan and the Hammers to go down. Sheffield Utd may be dragged back in, but I doubt it.

Fulham play Liverpool and Middlesbrough
Wigan play Middlesbrough and Sheff Utd
West Ham play Bolton and Man Utd

Fulham will fancy a CL distracted Pool and Boro with nothing to play for
Wigan, ditto for Boro, may be wary of Sheff U who could need a result on the last day
West Ham could take advantage of Big Sam leaving Bolton and could face the already crowned champions at Old Trafford - if United play a reserve team and are in party mode, their task will be easier. Also, the Hammers won the previous fixture, and have experience of denying United the title (1995), even if United need points.
I think Wigan and Fulham are terrible and I hope one them goes down. As for West Ham - they do have a chance....

Mark,
http://www.okeydokefootball.com

ODF 27 Apr 07

Howdy folks,
The weekly Okey Doke Foootball podcast is available online, please join us as we curse and drink our way through the show. Download it here http://libsyn.com/media/okeydokefootball/odf27Apr07.mp3

As promised on the show, here are 2 YouTube links:

Chelsea TV - the players discuss who is the best looking. Ashley Cole nominates himself. Twice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1NLIAJGLkk

And Shane-o Mac challenges Jose at a recent WWE event in London

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rdsFqGjbJo

Thank for listening to the show,
Mark
http://www.okeydokefootball.com/

Deja Vu all over again

Howdy folks,
Mark here.

Well, as Yogi bear said, it's like deja vu all over again. I wrote last week about injuries so I won't be boring you with more lists, but the absense of Ferdinand could be a boon for United, what with his 'libero' impression on Saturday - winning the ball at the halfway line, advancing deftly forward, spotting the easy pass to the wing - hang on, try to beat the defender, oops, lose possession, wander around looking dazed for a while and then trundle back to defend whilst Boro contrive to feck up a great opportunity for a counter attack.

United were uninspiring on Saturday, with only 3 half chances in the second half (2 from Rooney, 1 from Carrick) to try snatch an undeserved winner. Boro should have a penalty when the always poor O'Shea got none of the ball in the box. Jose may moan (http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1sbwi_jose-mourinho-is-feeling-the-heat ) but the referee was a long way back, and he immediately looked to his assistant for help, who said 'No'. However, United probably would have won that penalty had the roles been reversed.

Chelsea passed on a golden opportunity to close to 1 point, playing poorly (and Newcastle playing well) to allow United off the hook.

At the other end of the table:
P GD Pt
15 Fulham 35 -19 36
16 Wigan 35 -19 35
17 Sheff Utd 35 -20 35
18 Charlton 35 -21 33
19 West Ham 35 -30 32

Watford were relegated (thank God, I can't stand Aidy's positivity), West Ham have dragged themselves back in somehow, Charlton and Sheff Utd played a cagey draw (great goal from Stead though), Wigan lost and Fulham got their first point under Sanchez. Fulham play Arsenal next, Liverpool and Boro so I predict they will be looking at a last day match to try to escape. Wigan are certainly bad enough to go down, Sheffield Utd have hit a bit of form at the right time, Charlton and the Hammers have had decent runs.

I'd like to see Fulham and Wigan go down as they have swiftly become pointless (poor attendance, bad players, etc.) in the overall League sense, but I won't lose sleep over it.

I'll be back tomorrow with a preview of United vs Milan, see you then

Mark,
http://www.okeydokefootball.com

ODF Podcast 20 Apr

Howdy folks,
Mark here.

Our weekly podcast has just been made available for download :(http://libsyn.com/media/okeydokefootball/odf20Apr07.mp3 )

We discuss:
Premiership and FA Cup Results.
Upcoming fixtures.
We hate Gerard Houllier.
Pub Talk featuring the issues of the week:
Euro 2012, Keane, David Dein, Ferdinand, Baptista, Lampard and FIFA rankings and loads more

We apologise for a couple of lame jokes, not least the Rocky 6 one.

Hope you enjoy the show, and myself or JJ will be back later with a blog,

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

Injuries define trophy race

Howdy folks, Mark here.

It's been a wonderful season for club doctors and physios.

Patrice Evra, only back from injury, limped off last night, leaving United with only 2 first team defenders, Brown and Heinze standing (or, in their respective cases, dithering and lunging).
United's injury crisis is hitting at the wrong time of the season, with the following injured or doubtful for the weekend and the first leg of the Champions League midweek:
Vidic, Silvestre, O'Shea, Ferdinand, Evra, Neville, Van Der Sar, Park, Saha

Over at Chelsea, Sheva has probably put himself out of the next 3 games after this horrendous (and hilarious) missed chance on Sunday (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPiSq-mdnnA ) and they are missing Robben until the end of the season.

Arsenal have had it bad many times this season with notable lengthy absentees - Henry, van Persie, Rosisky, Ljungberg and Gallas

In contrast, Liverpool have been reasonably lucky with injuries, and yet have only the Champions League to contest for (couldn't resist that dig...)

At the other end of the table, the notable injuries this season are Watford - Marlon King, Newcastle - Entire defense, Duff, Mickey Owen, Reading - Kitson, Charlton - Bent, Sheff Utd - Rob Hulse, Fulham - Bullard and many more.

How much better all their seasons could have been...

At the moment, Chelsea are looking like the best bet for cups as United lie on the ropes, but they will have enough to win the League. Just.
————————————————————————————————————————————————
On the podcast tomorrow night, we will be discussing how much we hate Gerard Houllier, albeit for differing reasons, myself because he's a fool and a bluffer and JJ for the agony he inflicted on the Pool. We hope you agree with us and would love to get some stories, quotes, etc. from you to contribute to the vile.
Information about turning corners, worst signings and his little red scarf are appreciated....

Feel free to leave your comments below or email comments@okeydokefootball.com
Thanks,
Mark
http://www.okeydokefootball.com/

Is Jol under pressure?

Howdy Folks,
Mark here.

I'm just wondering, after yet another season of under-achievement at Spurs - is Martin Jol under pressure now? Will he be sacked? If not, should he be sacked?

I've been a fan of Jol since he came, but Spurs have had a so-so season. It's no disgrace to lose to Sevilla last night, or to Chelsea in the Cup for that matter, but Spurs fans have a good reason to expect more from the team. They are currently in seventh in the League which is definitely not good enough. Consider the money Spurs have spent, then compare that to Bolton and Everton ahead of them. Alternatively, consider the quality of players in the 3 squads... Players like Berbatov, Defoe, Keane, Lennon, King & Dawson wouldn't look out of place in any Champions League team. When you consider that an integral part of Everton's team is Lee Carsley, likewise at Bolton, the old timers Speed and Campo, you can see the point I'm making.

In short, I hope Jol turns it around next season, Spurs play good football, have quality players and it would be interesting to see them in the Champions League, especially instead of Bolton or Everton, God forbid!

**************************

Our weekly podcast is online since last night (http://libsyn.com/media/okeydokefootball/odf12Apr07.mp3) where we discuss:
Premiership & Champions League results. We discuss Man Utd blowing the title in 1995 in the Moment section. Pub Talk featuring the issues of the week: A good oul headbutt story to make the heart grow warm, Chris Coleman, silly transfer news, UEFA 'Suits' and loads more.

Feel free to leave your thoughts on the show and any footballing matter below, or as always, you can email comments@okeydokefootball.com

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

Squeaky Bum Time

Howdy folks,
Mark here.

Well, what a weekend of football!
Charlton out of the bottom 3 for the first time in months, Sheffield United are in real trouble and Wigan and Fulham are looking over their shoulders with real concern. Remarkably, West Ham have won 3 in a row and now have a real chance of survival

At the other end of the table, Arsenal are now in a struggle for fourth place with Bolton, and perhaps Everton. A very poor end to the season for Arsene and big pressure for next season already.
Man Utd had a disastrous loss to Portmouth, and if they are to win the title, they'll have to do it the hard way. Van Der Sar is turning into David James, and Ferdinand badly needs a real defender along side him i.e. Vidic to cover for his mistakes. United's match at Chelsea, which had the look of a dead rubber about it, will almost certainly be the most important match of the league season. United's next two league games are at home to Sheffield United and Middlesbrough, while Chelsea have 2 tricky away fixtures to the Hammers and Newcastle. There'll be a twist or turn yet.

To the Champions league tonight, there is no much more to say than we've covered already on the blog and the podcast, but I'm going to revise one of my predictions... Roma:

Man Utd Roma - Roma to go through
Valencia Chelsea - I'd like to do a Lawrenson and hedge my bets here, but I'll plump for Valencia
Bayern Milan - Bayern
Liverpool PSV - This match is over

Mark,
http://www.okeydokefootball.com