World Cup 2010 - Group E

Netherlands

Denmark

Japan

Cameroon

Group Strength
The only heavyweights in this group are the Netherlands and among the four teams only they can realistically aspire to get beyond the last 16 stage of the competition. The rest of the teams look good but they wouldn't be able to challenge for a quarter-final berth. Yet the games between these teams should be interesting as they are all around the same level. A surprise or two could even be sprung along the way.

Group Favourites
The Netherlands are easily the favourites to win this group. They were in great form in the qualifiers and won all their eight matches. Bert van Marwijk's side have exceptional attacking players such as Robin van Persie, Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben and although they are vulnerable at the back, the Oranje should comfortably win the three games in the group. Sneijder and Robben should be in great form following their exploits in Europe with Inter Milan and Bayern Munich respectively. If the Oranje are going to go far in South Africa these two will have to be accommodated to fulfil their strengths.

Battle for Second
The battle for the runners-up spot will be interesting as Japan, Cameroon and Denmark will all count themselves as second favourites in the group. Cameroon would especially believe in themselves given that they are an African side and would be buoyed by a 'home' support. Moreover, they have players such as Samuel Eto'o, Carlos Kameni and Stephane M'bia and if each of these, particularly Eto’o, performs to their potential then they should reach the round of 16.

The Outsiders
Japan should find themselves struggling in the group and along with Denmark will be looking to avoid finishing bottom of the group. The former World Cup quarter-finalists are one of the strongest teams in Asia but struggle against physical and technically superior sides. Cameroon can be physically intimidating and the Dutch are far superior to them in every aspect. Denmark should be able to hold off the challenge of Japan as they are more experienced at this stage of world football. The final group game between the two sides should decide who props up the group and while neither team will want that indignity I would expect Denmark’s superiority to show through.

Going Forward
Group favourites Holland will face Paraguay or Slovakia, while Cameroon should meet Italy in the last 16 stage if they qualify. Holland will fancy themselves to go far in this tournament and will believe this could finally be the year they break their World Cup hoodoo. Cameroon, however, will more than likely see their journey end at the hands of the defending champions.

Fixtures
Netherlands – Denmark, June 14th, (12.30)
Japan – Cameroon, June 14th, (15.00)
Netherlands – Japan, June 19th, (12.30)
Cameroon – Denmark, June 19th, (19.30)
Denmark – Japan, June 24th, (19.30)
Cameroon – Netherlands, June 24th, (19.30)

Prediction
1st – Netherlands
2nd – Cameroon
3rd – Denmark
4th - Japan

Armagh, Wicklow and Kerry all progress

Armagh 1-10
Derry 1-07

In front of a crowd of just over 10,000 Armagh booked their passage through to the quarter-finals of the Ulster Senior championship after a hard fought win over Derry. It was Derry’s first championship defeat at Celtic Park since 1994.

It was point for point all the way throughout the opening 22 minutes, with the Oak Leafers pulling away with frees from Paddy Bradley and Mark Lynch, only to be pegged back by Aaron Kernan an Steven McDonnell.

A very tense contest burst into life just before half-time when Paddy Bradley grabbed a goal for Derry. But this was the sign for McDonnell to show why he is one of the best footballers in the country. As he fired over four points late in the half, two of them from exceptionally difficult frees, to level the scores and send the sides in at the break deadlocked at 1-5 to 0-8.

Charlie Vernon fired Armagh into the lead for the first time two minutes after half-time before Derry suffered a game changing double blow.

First Eoin Bradley picked up a second booking after hauling Aaron Kernan to the ground, and his side was reduced to 14 men. Less than two minutes later, the Orchard men forced ahead with a goal from substitute Jamie Clarke. The Crossmaglen youngster collected McDonnell's cross from the left to shoot deftly past Gillis for a 1-10 to 1-6 lead.

Derry only managed to score two points in the entire second half as the Armagh defence stood strong, particularly Kieran Toner and Ciaran McKeever. However, they were still in with a chance to at least bring the game to a replay when they were awarded a penalty with five minutes left. But Paul Hearty pulled off a tremendous save to deny Gerard O’Kane.

Derry: B Gillis, B Og McAlary, K McGuckin, D McBride, G O'Kane, B McGuigan, M Bateson, F Doherty, Patsy Bradley, SL McGoldrick, M Lynch (0-4 (3f), D Mullan, Paddy Bradley (1-2, 0-2f), E Bradley (0-1), R Wilkinson Subs: B McGoldrick for McGuigan (inj, 23), J Kielt for Wilkinson (49), M Craig for Bateson (61), J Diver for Doherty (inj, 63), E Muldoon for SL McGoldrick (70)

Armagh: P Hearty, A Mallon, K Toner, B Donaghy, P Duffy, C McKeever, F Moriarity, C Vernon (0-1), J Lavery, M Mackin, A Kernan (0-3, 2f), G Swift, B Mallon, S McDonnell (0-5, 4f), R Henderson (0-1) Subs: V Martin for Lavery (34), J Clarke (1-0) for Henderson (49), M McNamee for Mackin (70)

Referee: M. Deegan (Laois).


Kerry 2-18
Tipperary 2-06

Kieran Donaghy was the conductor for All-Ireland champions Kerry as they passed this early summer examination against Tipperary, running out 12-point winners in the end.
The 4,965-strong Thurles crowd had hopes of an upset as Tipperary ended the first half just 0-08 to 1-04 in arrears, with Philip Austin scoring a cracking early goal. But, turning with the wind, the Kingdom hit their stride in the second period to cruise through to a semi-final showdown with Munster title holders Cork on 6 June.

Bryan Sheehan netted twice and Colm Cooper, Donaghy and Barry John Keane all had an influence, putting the game beyond a brave Tipp's reach. John Evans' young side also finished the game with 14 players as top scorer Barry Grogan was very harshly dismissed for his second bookable offence, a mistimed challenge on Kerry substitute Adrian O'Connell.

With five of last year’s All-Ireland winning side missing, following the retirements of Darragh O Se and Diarmuid Murphy, the departures of Tommy Walsh and Tadhg Kennelly to Australia and Aidan O'Mahony's recent withdrawal from the panel, Kerry will be very happy this week with their performance as the begin training for another Cork challenge.

The visitors hit the front after a minute and 20 seconds, Donaghy turning inside two defenders to land the opening point. But Tipperary, boosted by their Under-21s' recent win over Kerry, levelled with a '45' from Grogan and took a seventh minute lead when Austin beat Brendan Kealy in the Kerry goal with a measured finish.

Cooper (0-03) and Paul Galvin got Kerry back on terms, but they should have been in front. Sheehan had a 14th minute goal harshly disallowed for an ‘illegal’ hand pass from Donaghy, a decision that may well have gone for Kerry on another day.

The Tipp goalkeeper Paul Fitzgerald blocked a goal-bound effort from Donaghy and the Tralee giant had two wides in quick succession as the Tipp rearguard did their job in frustrating Kerry's fluent forwards. Cooper watched a point attempt from directly infront of the goals bounce back off the post, and the Premier County side went back in front when a strong burst in from the left from Austin set up a Brian Mulvihill point.

Pointed efforts from Galvin and Sheehan saw Kerry use their huge amount of possession to go in ahead at the break by a point, 0-08 to 1-04.

There was a sense around Semple Stadium that Kerry would simply go through the gears when the action resumed in the second half and gradually that is the way it played out. Sheehan hit the woodwork with a point attempt, but Cooper traded points with Grogan as O'Connor's charges kept ahead.

The Tipp defence was caught out in the 47th minute as Tomas O Se and McCarthy raided forward, the latter's point attempt failed to find the target but Donaghy scooped the ball over for Sheehan to slip a low shot to the net for a 1-12 to 1-06 scoreline.

Tipp rallied superbly and were unfortunate not to close the gap as Austin went wide from a kickable free and Kealy had to be on his toes to block a snap shot from Acheson.

They did manage to whittle Kerry's lead down to three points when the Kerry net minder was beaten to a high ball by Grogan for Tipp's second goal in the 52nd minute. But that proved to be Tipp’s last score as Kerry tightened their grip on proceedings and the excellent Donaghy gave an exhibition of high fielding.

Five minutes from the finish, another top drawer catch and feed by Donaghy set up Sheehan for a drilled finish to the bottom left corner of Fitzgerald's net. Cooper added another point soon after to wrap up the scoring as Kerry finished the final quarter of the game having outscored Tipp by 1-08 to 0-00

Tipp have a long wait to the first round of the All-Ireland qualifiers on 26 June and their search for a first Munster Championship win since 2003 continues, but they can certainly be proud of their efforts here and Evans has an abundance of potential to build on. Every year an unfancied team goes on a run through the qualifiers, Fermanagh in 04, Wexford in 08, and Sligo in 02, 2010 could be Tipperary’s year.

Tipp: P Fitzgerald; P Codd, N Curran, C McDonald; C Aylward, R Costigan(c), C McGrath; K Mulryan, G Hannigan(0-1), P Acheson (0-1), P Austin (1-00), H Coghlan; S Carey, B Grogan (1-03, 1 ’45) B Mulvihill (0-1) Subs: B Fox for Coghlan (13-20 mins, blood sub), B Fox for Mulvihill (44), B Coen for Carey (55), J Cagney for Austin (61), B Jones for Aylward (66), A Morrisey for McGrath (70).

Kerry: B Kealy; M O Se, T Griffin, T O'Sullivan; T O Se, M McCarthy, K Young; S Scanlon (0-1), M Quirke; P Galvin (0-2), Declan O'Sullivan (0-1), D Walsh(0-1), C Cooper (0-5, 1f), K Donaghy (0-1), B Sheehan(c)(2-05, 4f) Subs: P Reidy for T O'Sullivan (45 mins), Darran O'Sullivan for Galvin, A Maher for Quirke (both 56), A O'Connell for Young (61), BJ Keane (0-2) for Declan O'Sullivan (62).

Referee: D. Coldrick (Meath)


Wicklow 3-13
Carlow 0-12

A hat-trick of goals saw Wicklow clear their Leinster Championship first hurdle as they overcame Carlow at O'Moore Park on Sunday afternoon.

Wicklow had Nicky Mernagh sent off in first half injury-time but a Paul Earls goal ensured a 1-06 to 0-06 lead for them at the break. Carlow lost midfielders Brendan Murphy (straight red) and Thomas Walsh (second yellow) in the closing 35 minutes, and their provincial hopes were ended by further goals from Wicklow's Leighton Glynn and JP Dalton.

After a pulsating encounter which saw referee Gerry Kinneavy award three red cards and 16 yellows, the reward for Mick O'Dwyer's men is a quarter-final clash with Westmeath on 6 June.

Carlow were unable to make their first half domination tell on the scoreboard as they hit seven wides in the opening 21 minutes. Wicklow, however, were more clinical with their possession as they broke into a 0-03 to 0-00 score.

Carlow were left exposed defensively, while the expected midfield dominance by former Aussie Rules trainee Brendan Murphy and ex-Wicklow player Thomas Walsh failed to materialise in the opening quarter. Luke Dempsey's charges had registered four wides before Murphy landed Carlow's opening point to cut the deficit to two points.

Carlow levelled the game by the 20th minute but Wicklow then took control with an unanswered score of 1-2 before the break. The goal coming from the boot of Paul Earls. However, Wicklow were quickly on the back foot once again as Nicky Mernagh was sent off in first half injury time. Carlow took immediate advantage of their numerical gain with two quickfire points to leave three between the sides at half time.

McWalter bagged another Wicklow point within 40 seconds of the restart, with scores from Hannon and Glynn giving O'Dwyer's side a 1-10 to 0-07 lead by the 45th minute. But Carlow pressed hard, with Murphy beginning to exert his authority on proceedings from midfield, although Wicklow goalkeeper Mervyn Travers denied him a certain goal in the 58th minute.

The Barrowsiders were reduced to 14 men when Murphy received a straight red with eight-and-a-half minutes remaining. They tried hard to pick up the pieces but were dealt a huge blow with two sucker-punch goals in a six-minute spell.

Firstly, Wicklow captain Glynn found the net, after an excellent long ball in from midfielder Dalton. Glynn outpaced both Padraig Murphy and Benny Kavanagh before beating Clarke from close range. Dalton turned scorer as he completed Wicklow's hat-trick in the 68th minute, nipping the ball past Clarke to put his side 3-11 to 0-09 in front.

Carlow rallied in the closing stages with scores from substitute Daniel St Ledger and defender Alan Curran. But it was too late for Dempsey's side to stage a recovery and Wicklow progressed through to a quarter-final meeting with Westmeath.

Wicklow: M Travers; S Kelly, D O'hAnnaidh, A Byrne; P McWalter (0-1), B McGrath, D Hayden; J Stafford, D Jackman; L Glynn (1-04), T Hannon (0-6, 2f, 1 ’45), N Mernagh; D Odlum, S Furlong (0-2), P Earls (1-0) Subs: JP Dalton (1-0) for Jackman (21 mins), S Canavan for McWalter (52), P Dalton for Odlum (58).

Carlow: J Clarke; P Murphy, L Murphy, B Kavanagh; A Curran (0-3), J Hayden, P McElligott; B Murphy (0-3), T Walsh; S Gannon, D Foley, M Carpenter; S Rea (0-4, 4f)), J Murphy, J Kavanagh Subs: S Redmond for L Murphy (29 mins), JJ Smith (0-1) for Foley (34), D St Ledger (0-1) for J Murphy (44), P Cashin for Hayden (60).

Referee: G. Kinneavy (Galway)

World Cup 2010 - Group D

Australia

Germany

Serbia

Ghana

Group Strength
Without doubt this is one of the toughest groups in the 2006 World Cup. This is a group where all four nations finished first in their respective qualifying series and although Germany are the only perennial giants, Australia, Serbia and Ghana are all teams who can put on a great run of form. Germany always come into form at just the right time for a major tournament and after the disappointment of 2006, when they went out to two late extra-time Italy goals in the semi-final, they will be determined to get closer to Brazil in the role of honour. None of Australia, Ghana or Serbia will be viewed as creditable challengers for the World Cup crown but could cause a shock or two during the tournament.

Group Favourites
Germany, not surprisingly, will be favourites to secure first place, although it won't be all plain sailing. They have not been spectacular but as the most experienced nation in this group, they will immediately have the psychological advantage. With players like Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski they should score enough goals and their supporting cast, such as Philip Lahm and Bastien Schweinsteiger are among the best in the world when it comes to the international game. Even with the loss of their talisman Michael Ballack, this group will hold no fear for them.

Battle for Second
Probably the most open battle for second place out of any group. Australia, Ghana and Serbia are all capable of snapping up the coveted second spot. The former two progressed to the knockout round of the 2006 World Cup, in Germany no less, but the Serbians were one of UEFA's surprise packages in the qualifiers. If they can carry their momentum to next summer, they could be a real threat. Australia know they should have gone further in the 2006 competition, but for dodgy refereeing, and will want to set that right in South Africa. Added to that they have better players in Tim Cahill, Harry Kewell and Mark Schwarzer than either Ghana or Serbia.

The Outsiders
With all four teams having pretty much equal chances of progressing, the two teams who lose their opening game, should they lose, will quickly become the outsiders. Australia have a daunting showdown against the Germans, but Ghana and Serbia will be looking to put one over the other to make a bright start to the tournament. Serbia’s performance in the 2006 World Cup, where they were humiliated by Argentina, compared to their opponents will make them outsiders for this group

Going Forward
The group winners will face the runners up in Group C, which comprises England, USA, Slovenia and Algeria. But a meeting with Argentina could be on the horizon in the Q-finals. The runners-up, curiously enough, could have an easier fixture in the last 16, with South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay (from Group A) and Nigeria, Korea Republic or Greece (from Group B) the potential rivals.

Fixtures
Serbia – Ghana, June 13th (15.00)
Germany – Australia, June 13th (19.30)
Germany – Serbia, June 18th (12.30)
Ghana – Australia, June 19th (15.00)
Australia – Serbia, June 23rd (19.30)
Ghana – Germany, June 23rd (19.30)

Prediction
1st – Germany
2nd – Australia
3rd – Ghana
4th - Serbia

World Cup 2010 - Group C

England

Algeria

Slovenia

USA

Group Strength
England will be relatively pleased with what has been pinpointed as one of the weaker draws. Certainly Algeria and Slovenia, both of whom qualified via a play-off, are seen as minnows. Meanwhile the USA, having qualified with room to spare from CONCACAF, still lack some of the allure offered by European or South American teams. However, their performances at the Confederations Cup in South Africa last summer, where they reached the final only to lose to a late Brazil goal, will give them confidance. The Three Lions will still be quietly confident of first place.

Group Favourites
It must be England. Having been seeded first before the draw was made they were expected to be first in the group regardless of who they faced. They have a reasonably tough opener against the USA, but fans will expect nothing less than six points against Algeria and Slovenia. With players of the calibre of Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole England will be hoping to go a long way in South Africa. A 100% record, then, is not out of the question.

Battle for Second
The USA will fancy their chances of qualification. Having avoided the likes of Portugal from the UEFA pot, the Americans are eager to go at least one further than in a difficult World Cup 2006 when they finished bottom of their group. Meanwhile Slovenia have team spirit, always important in the World Cup, and a sense of the unknown about them, causing local fans to grow in optimism. Algerians never quit, meanwhile, and off the back of a solid defence could possibly cause a surprise.

The Outsiders
Slovenia are the lowest-ranked team in the group, although they are ranked 33rd, and will be expected to battle with Algeria to avoided bottom spot. However, having only conceded four goals in qualifying, the Slovenians are not to be laughed at. Algeria, therefore are likely to find the going extremely tough, and should prop up the group.

Going Forward
It's not just the group itself that has England fans calling this a dream draw. Australia or Germany, more than likely Australia, will be their round of 16 opponents and they have plenty of grudges about them to up their game. France are the most likely quarter final opponents so a run to the semi-final is not beyond this England side. The likely runners-up, America, will probably meet Germany in the round of 16 and that should end their interest in the competition as Germany are masters of peaking at the World Cup.

Fixtures
England – USA, June 12th, (19.30)
Algeria – Slovenia, June 13th, (12.30)
Slovenia – USA, June 18th, (15.00)
England – Algeria, June 18th, (19.30)
Slovenia – England, June 23rd, (15.00)
USA – Algeria, June 23rd, (15.00)

Prediction
1st – England
2nd – USA
3rd – Slovenia
4th - Algeria

World Cup 2010 - Group B

Argentina

Nigeria

Korea Republic

Greece

Group Strength
Compared to the other seven groups in the first round, Group B can be considered as somewhere in the middle in terms of quality. With the exception of Argentina there are no big-hitters in the pool, but there are also no easy-pickings as all four teams are capable of beating one another on their day. The group will be considerably weakened by the fact that Argentina have decided to leave at least five world class players at home.

Group Favourites
Before the squad announcements I had tipped Argentina as possible winners of the tournament, let alone Group B, I even said in my last posting that it would be a death sentence to have to face them in the round of 16. But with the omission of Esteban Cambiasso, Javier Zanetti, Gabriel Milito, Fernando Gago and more than likely Diego Milito, I am beginning to doubt they can live up to their group favourites tag. Diego Maradona does not seem to know who he wants playing for his team but he certainly does not want to use the 11 best Argentinian players in the world. They had a shaky qualifying campaign and only got through by virtue of a last day win over Uruguay. They are favourites for the group on reputation alone, there is no guarantee Argentina will get out of this group. Every four years there is a major surprise in the group stages and this could be it.

Battle for Second
All four teams could realistically finish in fourth place. The most likely battle will be between Nigeria and Greece, but South Korea also have a great chance of qualifying for the second round. These three teams also have very contrasting styles, which should make the clashes between them interesting. None of these teams have world class individuals who can carry their team over the line but they are, as Greece proved in 2004, squads who will play for each other. Whoever can get a victory over Argentina should qualify from the group.

The Outsiders
South Korea are without doubt the outsiders in the group, but their recent performances in the World Cup will give them strength - they reached the semi finals in 2002 and also drew with France four years ago. Park Ji Sung and the European contingent will need to lead by example.

Going Forward
Group B is on the weaker side of the draw, meaning that none of its occupants can meet big guns Brazil, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Holland or the Ivory Coast until the semi finals. With France the likely winners of Group A none of the teams are going to want to finish in second place. This leaves open the possibility of Argentina vs France in the round of 16. In the quarter finals, England and Germany are likely opponents, before the aforementioned giants from the other side enter the fray in the semi finals. Whoever tops the group will see it as a great opportunity to reach the last four.

Fixtures
South Korea - Greece, June 12th, (12:30)
Argentina - Nigeria, June 12th, (15:00)
Argentina - South Korea, June 17th, (12:30)
Greece - Nigeria, June 17th, (15:00)
Greece - Argentina, June 22nd, (19:30)
Nigeria - South Korea, June 22nd, (19:30)

Prediction
1st – Argentina
2nd – Greece
3rd – South Korea
4th - Nigeria

World Cup 2010 - Group A

South Africa

Uruguay

Mexico

France


Group Strength
A tricky section, no doubt, and one which will have the hosts crying into their vuvuzelas. By no means a dream draw for Bafana Bafana with some prized talent set to line up against them at every turn. France, facing South Africa as they did in 1998 and Uruguay as they did in 2002, could have done a lot worse though and with some menacing firepower, albeit without Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema, will be expecting to reel off some hefty tallies.
Critically though they need to function as a unit. The inability of Benzema, Patrick Viera and Samir Nasri to make the squad should be an indication of the teams strength, but in actual fact shows the incompetancy of the coach. Something else France are going to have to deal with if they are to havea successful World Cup. Mexico could only trail USA in the CONCACAF hexagon but boast a much better pedigree at this level. El Tri will be looking to continue their impressive record of qualifying from the group stage for the fifth consecutive tournament. The Uruguayan side showed a dramatic fluctuation in form throughout the South American qualifiers but on their day, possess a starting XI to rival some of the very best. Much like France, however, they must play together as a unit to have any hope of qualifying from the group.

Group Favourites
Having qualified for the finals with the aid of UEFA rule changing and the hand of Thierry Henry, Raymond Domenech's side had the temerity to complain about being handed a non-seeded berth. How reticent might Les Bleus be now that they've avoided some of the major guns. Alongside this opposition, the French will justifiably been seen as top dogs in the section but will have to shake off their underperforming status to record the maximum points haul. Anything less than a win against Uruguay could have French nerves jangling ahead of the Mexico clash. They should easily account for South Africa, regardless of the group situation by that time. Karim Benzema's failure to make the initial squad for the world cup may come as a surprise to many but his lack of game time for Real Madrid, and France for that matter, over the last 12 months has worked against him. Even without Benzema they can still call on Franck Ribery, Florent Malouda, and Nicolas Anleka to shoot them to top spot.

Race for Second
Wide open. Typically the host nation have the 12th man in the majority of the crowd and no doubt they will be using their vuvezelas to good effect against Mexico on match-day one. Should three points go the way of Bafana Bafana then they remain in with a modicum of a shout ahead of the Uruguayan showdown on match-day two. That said, Mexico usually find a way out of their pool and will be aiming as much for the top spot as for the runners-up berth. Oscar Tabarez's Uruguay was the last team to qualify but in Luis Suarez, Diego Forlan and the precocious Nicolas Lodeiro, la Celeste have the weaponry to score in abundance. Mexico against Uruguay on the final match-day could prove to be the most important game of this group and no doubt the Mexico coach, Javier Aguirre, will be hoping that his former signing, Diego Forlan, will produce a performance reminiscent of his Manchester United days and not his Spanish League career.

The Outsiders
For fear of 1,000 parties being cancelled, I have to say that South Africa are likely to finish up with the wooden spoon. Joel Santana failed to turn his eye-pleasing unit into a scoring unit during the past year and has been jettisoned in favour of his predecessor, Carlos Alberto Parreira. Scoring remains the main problem for Bafana Bafana; the likes of McCarthy, Erasmus and Parker are not garnering enough, or even any in McCarthy's case, game time at club level to be considered golden-boot winners in waiting. To go through, goals will be needed and that is one key element lacking in the hosts.

Going Forward
Argentina are favourites to finish top of Group B and that makes finishing second in Group A almost like a World Cup death sentence in the round of 16. Uruguay would no doubt relish vengeance after being downed in Montevideo with an automatic berth up for grabs. France may go on to meet Nigeria, who defeated Les Bleus in a friendly last summer. But any one of South Korea, the Super Eagles and Greece could provide France’s opponents in the round of 16.

Fixtures
South Africa – Mexico, June 11th, (15.00)
Uruguay – France, June 11th, (19.30)
South Africa – Uruguay, June 16th, (19.30)
France – Mexico, June 17th, (19.30)
Mexico – Uruguay, June 22nd, (15.00)
South Africa – France, June 22nd, (15.00)

Prediction
1st – France
2nd – Uruguay
3rd – Mexico
4th – South Africa

Another season over...

Chelsea, Newcastle, Norwich and Notts County will all be celebrating this morning as the 2009-2010 league season draws to a close. Three of those four league winners will have been predicted by some before the season began last August, while the other will feel it should have been included as people’s tip last august.



Premier League
Let’s begin, as we should, with the Premier League. Chelsea were crowned champions after an almost farcical 8-0 victory at Stamford Bridge over 10 man Wigan. A dominant display from the champions was never in doubt as many had expected them to destroy a Wigan side that had one of the worst away records in English football. Having beaten Liverpool in their previous match the title was virtually Chelsea’s even before kick off.

But Manchester United did not see it that way and went out against Stoke with the aim of beating them and hoping their neighbours could hold Chelsea to at least a draw. It is not too often that a 4-0 victory at home is greeted with as much disappointment as was felt in Old Trafford.

Overall, I believe the 2009-2010 Premier League was one of the best in recent times. Sure the top 4 lost more games combined than any other season. Sure the bottom seven teams couldn’t reach the ‘magic’ 40 point mark and could have been relegated. Sure Chelsea were capable of putting at least six goals past a number of teams, and Manchester United & Arsenal also handed out some serious beatings.

But I look on these as positives. It shows that the Premier League is becoming more competitive. The leadership of the league changed hands over 20 times over the course of the season and until three weeks ago there was three teams with a realistic chance of winning the league. Would people prefer to see a scenario like that in La Liga or the SPL and have the big teams winning virtually every game?

The race for fourth place was even more enthralling than the race for the title and the last time we were able to say that was back in 2005 when Everton pipped Liverpool to the post. Spurs won out in the end but Man City and Aston Villa will feel they could have taken fourth place. Even Liverpool, with their disastrous season, will feel they could have taken it had just a few results gone their way. In the end it was 70 points which guaranteed a Champions League playoff for next season and in the recent past that number would almost have won you the league. How is that not competitive?

As for the relegation battle. Most pundits correctly predicted the three teams that would go down before the season began. Portsmouth was always doomed due to their financial situation. Hull and Burnley were also doomed because they did not have the players or the management. Once Owen Coyle left for Bolton Burnley were a doomed side, while Hull were always doomed as long as Phil Brown stayed in charge. The only reason any real battle commenced was because the teams immediately above them, West Ham, Wolves, Wigan and Bolton were equally as abysmal. But unfortunately only three could go down, not seven.

Team of the year:
Joe Hart, Branislav Invanovic, Richard Dunne, Gareth Bale, Frank Lampard, Cesc Fabregas, James Milner, Florent Malouda, Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez, Didier Drogba

Player of the year:
Carlos Tevez

Match of the year:
Manchester United 4-3 Manchester City (Old Trafford, Sept 20th 2009)



Championship
The Championship stuck exactly to the script which was written last August. Newcastle and West Brom walked their way through the league and never looked in trouble of losing the automatic promotion positions.

The big surprises in this division came in the guise of Leicester City reaching the playoff’s on the back of League One promotion, Blackpool reaching the playoffs having been tipped for relegation, and Middlesbrough being nowhere near promotion.

In Boro’s case their sacking of Gareth Southgate came about when they were in second place and only one point off Newcastle at the top. Replacing Southgate with Gordon Strachan and virtually the entire Celtic squad proved to be the biggest mistake Steve Gibson has made in his time as Boro owner. Once Strachan took over their league position began to plummet as results went against them at every turn. It was also further proof that Celtic and Rangers would not make it in English football.

Roy Keane’s first full season as Ipswich manager also brought about some talking points throughout the season as the used the position more as a pulpit to tell the world his thoughts about the FAI, Trappatoni, Alex Ferguson and many, many other subjects. Keane would have been better off worrying about his team’s league position and results as they finished in the bottom half of the table and flirted with the relegation places for most of the season. By the looks of it the Roy Keane managerial train could be leaving the station that is Portman Road in the very near future.

At the bottom of the table there were some surprises. Peterborough were an expected casualty but Plymouth, once a competitive team under the leadership of Ian Holloway were surprisingly relegated with three games left and Sheffield Wednesday also joined them through the trap door. Wednesday can consider themselves lucky not to have been relegated at the same time as Plymouth but for the points deduction which was given to playoff chasing Crystal Palace, thrusting them into the relegation battle which came down to the last day. Many people may think Man City-Spurs was a work of genius by the fixtures computer but the Sheffield Wednesday-Crystal Palace game on the final day proved to be the greatest fixture planning of the season. A winner takes all clash at Hillsborough which saw the home side drop back to League One while Crystal Palace may have saved their entire existence in this one game.

Team of the year:
Lee Camp, Chris Guntner, Fabricio Colloccini, Ashley Williams, Jose Enrique, Graham Dorrans, Peter Whittingham, Kevin Nolan, Charlie Adam, Andy Carroll, Michael Chopra

Player of the year:
Kevin Nolan

Match of the year:
Bristol City 2-2 Newcastle United (Ashton gate, March 20th, 2010)




League One
The 2009-2010 season finally saw Leeds United climb out of the third tier of English football. Having spent much of the season leading the way, they had an 11 point lead with a game in hand at one stage shortly after Christmas, Leeds almost threw it all away with very poor form from January through to the end of the season. Eight wins and nine losses contributed to a close escape as a final day victory over Bristol Rovers in front of a full Elland Road saw them finish second.

Ahead of them were the seasons surprise champions, Norwich City. Many people would have expected Norwich to compete for promotion but following a 7-1 defeat at the hands of Colchester United on the opening day of the season it looked like a long year ahead. However, the hiring of the manager who handed them that defeat, Paul Lambert, saw Norwich turn their season around and end up champions by a margin of nine points.

Elsewhere Millwall, Charlton, Swindon and Huddersfield will compete in the playoffs for the opportunity to join Leeds and Norwich in the Championship next season. Any one of these teams could have stolen second place from Leeds on the final day, Millwall almost did, and will see a chance to further their development at a higher level next season.

At the other end of the table Stockport County finished in the relegation zone once again. It seems to be becoming a recurring theme for Stockport to gain promotion and then follow it with a dismal season, finishing last by a whopping 25 points. Southend, Wycombe and Gillingham all joined Stockport. Gillingham could possibly count themselves unlucky as Tranmere, Exeter and Hartlepool all gained better results on the final day to send the Gills down following a single season back in League One.

It was not a vintage year for League One, but it certainly was an exciting one with any one of five teams in with a chance of promotion on the final day and any one of four teams fighting relegation on the final day. It was probably the most exciting of all the leagues in England.


Team of the year:
Kelvin Davis, Frazer Richardson, Paddy Kisnorbo, Ian Harte, Wes Hoolahan, Robert Snodgrass, Jason Puncheon, Nicky Bailey, Jermaine Beckford, Ricky Lambert, Grant Holt

Player of the year:
Paddy Kisnorbo

Match of the year:
Leeds United 2-2 Huddersfield (Elland Road, December 5th, 2009)



League Two
The League Two form table stuck to what was expected as Notts County walked their way to the title. The Sven Goran Eriksson project may not have been a complete success but it did bring the team up a level to League One for the first time since 2004. The money which came with the Middle-East consortium done enough to help Notts County achieve promotion. They may have lost Sol Campbell back to the Premier League after just one game but they kept hold of Kasper Schmeichel and Lee Hughes. These players’ wages may have epitomised all that was bad about the new Notts County, but their on-field performances showed everyone all that was good.

Bournemouth and Rochdale joined Notts County in heading up the leagues while Morecambe, Rotherham United, Dagenham & Redbridge, and Aldershot Town, will battle it out in the playoffs for the right to join them.

At the bottom of the table Darlington were virtually relegated by the time they turned to Steve Staunton after only nine games, seven of which they lost. I say they were virtually relegated because hiring Staunton could only mean that the club had given up and were marking the season as a write off. However, even at that they still got rid of Staunton after twenty-three games, of which he only won four. Darlington eventually went down, 18 points behind safety.

Grimsby Town will join them in non-league football next season as they went down on the last day of the season. Grimsby looked doomed with five games left but a run of three wins and a draw gave them a glimmer of hope which was diminished on the last day as they lost 3-0 to Burton Albion. What should have been a good season following their exploits against Leeds United in the FA Cup has ended with them dropping out of the football league for the first time in 99 years.

Team of the year:
Kasper Schmeichel, John Brayford, Craig Dawson, Ian Sharps, Tom Kennedy, Ben Davies, Stephen Dawson, Gary Jones, Nicky Law, Lee Hughes, Adam Le Fondre

Player of the year:
Kasper Schmeichel

Match of the year:
Bury 3-3 Notts County (Gigg Lane, November 14th, 2009)

Crouch finds golden ticket for Spurs, breaks City hearts

Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City met in the City of Manchester stadium on Wednesday night for what was effectively a cup final. If City won they would move ahead of Spurs in 4th place with one game left but if Spurs emerged victorious they would clinch the final Champions League place for next season. Forget about the title race which has petered out in the final few weeks or the relegation battle which could have been predicted at the beginning of the season, Spurs vs. Man City was the biggest game of the season.

The night began almost comically with Joe Corrigan(Man City ’67-83) and Glenn Hoddle (Spurs ’75-87) in the Sky Sports studio, each talking about the likelihood of the other tea, falling apart and throwing away fourth place tonight. You were almost expecting it to turn into a schoolyard type ‘My team is better than yours’ fight.

Spurs knew before kick-off that a draw would probably be enough with their final game of the season being away against already relegated Burnley but both sides were set up to attack the game and go for the win. Both managers abandoning the plan they used for their recent respective games against Manchester United where they both went out defensive on the back of great winning runs, and lost.

Tevez, Bellamy, Adebayor and Adam Johnson were the men Roberto Mancini placed his faith in to bring his team to victory, while Harry Redknapp was able to call on the likes of Defoe, Crouch, Lennon and Bale. It was easy to see from the start that Man City had the better attacking options but with Ledley King and Michael Dawson in the centre of defence Spurs knew they had the better defence.

Both City and Spurs had chances early in the game, as the anticipated end to end action came to fruition, when Carlos Tevez went on a mazy run through the Tottenham defence only to be denied by good goalkeeping from Gomes. While Spurs could have taken the lead in both of their first meaningful attacks when Peter Crouch hit the post and Ledley King rightly had a goal disallowed for impeding the defender.

In the 26th minute Adam Johnson hit City’s best effort of the game to that point with a long range shot which Gomes managed to push away for a corner. Even more impressive was the fact that Gomes saw the ball late and still managed to save it.

Three times in the space of a minute City almost took the lead. A cross swung into the box by Bridge missed most but the stretching boot of Carlos Tevez who almost poked it into the corner but for a good save once again from Gomes. The rebound was hit goal ward by Pablo Zabeleta but a deflection brought it inches over the bar. Kolo Toure then had acres of space and a free header from the resulting corner but somehow managed to put it wide when hitting the target would have been easier.

The end to end action continued five minutes later when Gareth Bale should have put Spurs ahead. A brilliant passing move across the 18 yard box saw Crouch knock the ball down for the on-running Bale who released a thunderbolt shot which went barely inches wide.

That was the last clear cut chance of the first half as Man City dominated the game for the remainder of the half without a clear goal chance. Players from both sides were doing there all for the cause, and this was no better seen than when Jermaine Defoe was seen following Kolo Toure into the Spurs box and defending with all his might. Probably the first time Defoe has ever seen his own team’s box during a game.

Half time did bring about one thing that nobody expected to see, Hoddle and Corrigan agreeing that Ledley King’s goal should have been given. Considering the way these two were so against each other prior to the game it was shocking to see them agree. Maybe they were told off at during the first half about their schoolyard antics prior to kick off.

The second half began at the same frantic pace as the first with Man City going on the attack with a deep cross to Craig Bellamy being turned back towards the six yard box but no City player was there in time and Spurs managed to clear the ball.

However, Spurs began to gain a foothold on the second half and Jermaine Defoe should have given them the lead but for a fantastic save from Martin Fulop. Defoe sprung the offside trap and tried to bend the ball around the on-loan keeper but the outstretched arm of Fulop tipped the ball around the post and the resultant corner was easily cleared.

On the 60th minute Spurs were lucky not to hand the initiative to Man City when Tom Huddlestone attempted a wild stamp on Nigel DeJong. A yellow card followed but Spurs should have been down to ten men. When you consider players can receive a red card (second yellow) if they take off their jersey during a celebration, then the referee should have had no hesitation in sending off the Spurs player.

The Spurs fans could see themselves travelling to Barcelona, Milan and Munich in the 70th minute when a brilliant run down the left wing by Aaron Lennon saw the ball whipped into the penalty area where Jermaine Defoe, Kolo Toure and Martin Fulop managed to miss it. An empty goal then stared Peter Crouch in the face but he also conspired to miss the ball when any touch would have seen Spurs go ahead.

With 15 minutes to go Mancini threw on Shaun Wright-Phillips with the hope of causing some trouble in the Spurs defence. It almost immediately worked as he received the ball in space on the right wing but the only boot at the end of his low cross was that of Ledley King to put it out for a corner.

Martin Fulop has proved his worth to Man City in this game as he kept them in it with a brilliant point blank save in the 77th minute. Peter Crouch had to stoop low to head it towards goal and Fulop kept the ball out at the last second with his legs.

Just as Peter Crouch will have been wondering what he had to do to score he finally puts the ball in the City net in the 81st minute. It was as much a reward for their positive approach, when a draw would suffice, as for their fine play. That approach was exemplified here by Younas Kaboul, who raided down the right and fired in a cross that Fulop pushed out ... but only as far as Crouch, who headed into the empty net! Cue ecstasy amid the Spurs players and fans!

Roberto Mancini threw on Santa Cruz for Bellamy in a desperate last ditch attempt to save the match, and probably his City career. Probably not the best decision he has made during his six months in Manchester

Harry Redknapp, however, will never have to worry about losing his Tottenham job. Having taken over the team 18 months ago when they were in the relegation zone he has now led them to the promised land of the champions league. Arguably his greatest ever achievement, even topping the FA Cup victory with Portsmouth.

The final few minutes were played out in the corner as Tottenham attempted keep ball and kept putting the ball out for a throw off the legs of the City defence. Not a tactic I am personally fond of but understandable for the Spurs players to do.

For the first time since Everton in 2005 a new name has been added to the top 4 teams in the Premier League and that name is Tottenham Hotspur. They were knocking on the door a few years ago but they have now kicked that door in at the home of their nearest rivals for 4th place. No doubt it will be another summer of spending for Man City and I expect them to come back next season and challenge for the title, especially if Mourinho takes charge, but tonight was Spurs’ night and nothing can take that away from them.