Season Wrap Up

Here's how I thought the season would finish at the start of the season. (LINK)
() indicates estimated placing.

P GD PTS

1 Man Utd 38 58 87

(1)the new signings paid off, for the most part, and the striker-less formation worked

2 Chelsea 38 39 85

(2) poor signings last summer, the loss of Jose (though Avram did well), and injuries ultimately proved crucial

3 Arsenal 38 43 83

(5) A surprising season, but ODF predicted they would falter all along. Unfortunately, we also predicted they would finish 5th

4 Liverpool 38 39 76

(3) The big question mark was on Torres, and man did he deliver in style. Closer, points wise, this year, but still have a distance to go

5 Everton 38 22 65

(6) Another great season from Moyes and co, with the money spent wisely (Jagielka & Yakubu). Considering others were spending money with wild abandon, this is an excellent achievement

6 Aston Villa 38 20 60

(12) Well, I got this one wrong - in my defense, Carew was washed up, Harewood rubbish, Young & Agbonlahor were potential only and their squad is tiny. O'Neill - Respect

7 Blackburn 38 2 58

(8) Another excellent season for Hughes, Roque Santa Cruz, the bargain signing of the season.

8 Portsmouth 38 8 57

(9) Good showing but need to push on next season to justify their large wage bill and high price signings. The FA Cup would be a good return for this season, however.

9 Man City 38 -8 55

(13) I thought their new signings would take time to gel, but they were in the Champions League places for months before they imploded. Sven is paying the price of his initial success but must take the blame for the striker situation

10 West Ham 38 -8 49

(11) Better than I thought but the injury situation qualifies every thought on Curbs and the Hammers. We'll have to wait until next season.

11 Tottenham 38 5 46

(4) An unmitigated disaster - between Levi, Commoli, Jol and Ramos, they are in a fine mess. Ramos will need to be as good as we have all been promised next season, as Carling Cup aside, Spurs haven't played well at all

12 Newcastle 38 -20 43

(7) Big Sam let me down, his confidence when changing clubs was unfounded, his signings and tactics didn't work. We should have seen him given more time, but Keegan is back, and I'm happy for that.

13 Middlesbro 38 -10 42

(15) Painfully limited squad, poor showing in the FA Cup, but there is hope with Alves, Downing and Tuncay. Southgate did well enough considering their squad.

14 Wigan 38 -17 40

(19) The Steve Bruce effect? Storming finish to the season from a side that looked doomed when Bruce came in. Great job and makes Birmingham ("We have a better manager now") look stupid.
15 Sunderland 38 -23 39

(16) At times terrible, at times great, a mixed bag of a season but they will be happy with this. Didn't deserve to be higher.

16 Bolton 38 -18 37

(10) A team with Bolton's quality of player's shouldn't be near the bottom, Sammy Lee fecked them up and the Ginger Mourinho saved them (just)

17 Fulham 38 -22 36

(17) Hodgsen went from Hero to Zero and back again with an amazing finish to the season, but what were those signings all about - Litmanen? Nevland?

18 Reading 38 -25 36

(14) I thought Doyle & Lita would score the goals to keep them up - they barely even scored at all. Kitson and the jersey throwing Long were not much use either. Coppell should resign for his failure to buy last summer & in January

19 Birmingham 38 -16 35

(18) Down as I thought, even the predicted mid-season manager change made no difference. No loss to the Premier League.

20 Derby 38 -69 11

(20) Davies shafted after unprecedented promotion, even cynical old us didn't see that one. Enjoy the money, Derby directors, only come back if you intend to spend it.

So, only 4 out of 20 correct, but a lot of close ones - I'm less embarrassed than I thought I would be!
Mark,

ODF

Final weekend predictions

Okeydoke folks, here’s a rundown of my final and, in all probability, most hilariously off cue predictions of the season. The last day tends to throw up one or two surprises due to (a) some teams actually fighting for something, and (b) some teams not giving two shits what happen to them.

We can only hope that Harry Redknapp doesn’t do a Stuart Pearce and put David James up front for the last twenty minutes. For those reading this in England, yup, that’s the guy who Fabio Capello has in his coaching staff. The future’s bright… for other countries.

Anyway…

Everton v Newcastle: Inevitable one nil win for Everton… well it would have been two months ago. Now I heartily predict a whopping 1-3 for Keggy’s Newcastle. A surly end to a surly season for surly Moyes.

Middlesbrough v Manchester City: Meh… Sven goes out on a high 3-3.

Birmingham v Blackburn: I think Birmingham might collapse against a Blackburn side enjoying their football this season. I most likely predicted otherwise during the pod but such about turns are my trademark, ala Monty Burns. 1-2

Chelsea v Bolton: 3-0.

Wigan Athletic v Man Utd: Hmmm…. Let me think about that.

Portsmouth v Fulham: Pompey home win, probably with a late goal to ‘break hearts’. Cue excited Sky cameraman picking out every gimpy over-emotional Fulham fan in tears. 1-0.

Sunderland v Arsenal: Home win for Sunderland to end a relatively decent second half of the season after an actually horrendous first half of the season. 2-1

Tottenham v Liverpool: 2-2 repeat of the first encounter, could be match of the day in some respects.

West Ham Utd v Aston Villa: I think West Aaaaaaam might just string a performance here… oh wait Curbs is still the manager, so that’ll be an away win. 1-2 and Curbs gone by July.

Derby County v Reading: The big one. For absolutely no one except reading fans. What happened to their decent football of last year? They’ll struggle through and by my calculations stay up. 0-2.

So yeah, Wigan v Man U… I hate facing reality but it must be done at some stage and I picked them all season to win the league. Hard fought first half, a goal will break Wigan’s spirit and hey presto, 4-1 by the finish. Bastards.

Later, JJ

ODF 08 May Podcast Online

Hi All,
Our latest podcast is online now.

We discuss:

Results & Fixtures - we argue over who will be relegated

Pub Talk - all the news that matters on what feels like Groundhog Day - Chelsea players get drunk, more on the real Ronaldo, Sven, Scolari, Why Jozy Altidore was pulled over by the cops and more

Featured Section - The Categories for the 2008 ODF End of Season Awards are:

Best player of the season
Worst player of the season
Best manager of the season
Worst manager of the season
Best transfer of the season
Worst transfer of the season
Best goal of the season
Most hated player
Most under-rated player
Worst tackle of the season
Worst pundit of the season
Best pundit of the season
Worst kit of the season
Excuse in an awkward situation
Stupid mistake of the season
Worst haircut
Press conference of the season
Sexcapade of the season
The 'Perry Groves' heading for oblivion after a promising start award

Please email your suggestions to comments@okeydokefootball.com and we'll collate the results. Thanks.

And we finish the show with some comments.

Download it or Subscribe to the Feed

Mark & JJ

ODF

p.s. JJ was mostly drinking Sol, a Mexican beer. Turns out he's a Mexican't

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

The Wire.... that's apparently where we're going down to next Sunday

Hey folks,

Have many last day finishes felt like this? Well actually yeah… the trudge of this week with Sky telling us “it’s all to play for” while every expert and man on the street will say United will easily beat Wigan next Sunday, has some form in past years. United defeating Boro heavily in 1996 while Newcastle vainly put away a few goals knowing they needed a miracle springs to mind. Then there was 1999 when United technically won the league on the last day – beating Spurs at home – when we all knew it was over before the first whistle was blown. We even knew it was all over when Spurs went ahead through Les Ferdinand, such was Spurs’ general frailty in that and indeed most seasons.

Most of us know it’s over, but like parents struggling to keep Santa ‘alive’ for the kids, we pretend that this should be a ‘real Super Sunday’ when the image of Ferguson’s red face against the empty blue seats of the JJB holding the Premier League trophy aloft is never far from our minds.

But despite the fact that it would take a lunatic to bet against United, we should at least be grateful to Chelsea for doing what Arsenal proved too timid, and Liverpool too untalented, to do and actually challenge United. Avram Grant’s record for Chelsea has been excellent overall this season despite some bumbling early press conferences and persistent rumours of players leaving and contract extensions remaining unsigned. That Chelsea march to this stage of the season actually playing some decent football is the real achievement here – though around Christmas, when Michael Ballack was given free reign of midfield, they also played some quality stuff when given the chance.

Alan Hansen pointed out today that Grant simply did what Bob Paisley did many moons ago with Liverpool and carried on his bullish predecessor’s work instead of bungling by trying to impose new systems or ideals upon their players. True, Paisley knew his players far better than Grant did and got the job with Bill Shankly’s approval, but the comparison still stands thus far. There is nothing worse than a manager who attempts to change the culture of a club – they tend to leave near irreparable damage as foolish men like Graeme Souness and Gerard Houllier found out at Liverpool; and flops such as David Platt, Ossie Ardiles, John Barnes and others found out elsewhere.

In short, the two best teams in the league are vying for the title while the rest are playing out meaningless, awful games (anyone who watched the Arse v Everton, Pool v Citeh borefest double will know what I’m talking about). Elsewhere the relegation battle is shaping up quite nicely and Fulham might just stay up. Such is my unbelievable surprise at this I can’t comment further and instead point you towards this wonderful, wonderful ad. I knew Mick McCarthy would be useful for something one day.

PS: Stephen Carr has been released by Newcastle. ODF's reaction to the news can be seen here.

Later, JJ

ODF 02 May Podcast Online

Hi All,
we're back at last, sans dodgy 80's & 90's music.

On the show we have:

Results & Fixtures - Premier League and the CL semi finals
Pub Talk - All the news that matters to us i.e. Ronaldo
Featured Section - the Holy Joe XI
Comments - all your witty ripostes

Download it or Subscribe to the feed

Mark & JJ
ODF

Champions League Round-Up

So, Manchester United and Chelsea are through to the Champions League Final in Moscow on May 21st.

Both teams, I feel, deserve it. Some years throw up underdogs (Monaco, Porto, Bayer Leverkusen) but this year we'll have a worthy winner.
In saying that though, Chelsea rarely impressed in the competition so far, included last week's flukey draw in Liverpool, but last night they really produced an excellent performance. Poor performances by Kalou & Joe Cole, and Malouda when he came on, were the only downpoint of the night for Chelsea.
Liverpool, played off the park in the first half, finally roared back to life in the second half. Like a zombie, even at 2 goals down in extra time, they weren't dead yet, and Babel scored an extra-ordinary goal, but it wasn't enough.

In the other semi-final, United produced an excellent defensive performance to go through. You could hardly say United were the better team, but they what needed to be done. At the back, Evra, Brown and Ferdinand were excellent, while Scholes, Park, Carrick and Tevez also impressed. Ronaldo, at times, provided a good outlet, and should have scored in the second half, but he saw too little of the ball to do much. Nani was terrible.
Barcelona, for all their fancy skills and good passing, never seriously looked like scoring, and the decision to sub Eto'o and bring on Bojan, when Barca clearly needed more presence up front, was odd.

United and Chelsea make the trip to Moscow, and the intolerable hype will start soon, but lets hope that it is not a re-run of the 2007 FA Cup final. With Mourinho gone, it should be better. And speaking of the Special One, I wonder how he feels at his myth being exploded?

Mark,
ODF

P.S. All signs so far indicate a podcast being recorded later