Charanjit Chana

I was a big admirer of Paul Ince as a player, so I was sad to see him given the sack as Blackbur Manager so soon. He seemed a nice guy, but if I'm honest, the results just weren't good enough. Sam Alardyce is a better manager than Sunderland fans give him credit and I think he'll work wonders at Rovers.

In other news, Liverpool have been drawn against Real Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League. The matches will take place some 20 years after their last European meeting and looks to be one of the highlights of a really interesting round. I know Liverpool can get the job done and it will be even better if Torres is back to face his boyhood club's fiercest rivals.

Manchester United were not as good as Liverpool today. Same basic story as in the last few meetings, but this time the lads got exactly what they deserved. Well done!

Three points clear at the top for a few hours and a title rival beaten, certainly not a bad day's work!

Oh, and £30million for a mopey Berbatov or £20million for Keane? Keane all the way thanks!

I used to be a huge fan of Championship Football Manager, having played from CM2 all the way up to FM2006.

FM2009 is due for release this November, but if I'm honest, I am finding it difficult to get excited about it.

I downloaded the FM2008 demo a few months back to see how things had changed since '06 and to my horror, there was so much more going on. The features were welcome, but the layout had become way to cramped for my liking.

I've seen the game available for pre-order at £17.99 over at the Hut, but I am still debating as to whether I should update my FM collection.

Just thinking of the game brings back a lot of memories but I don't think '09 will ever come any where near matching them. Admiteddly that could be because I'm getting older, but I'm 90% sure it's the overwhelming interface that was almost perfect in CM's 3 & 4 and FM 2006.

[ read more... ]

Once again, Fernando Torres got a goal for Liverpool, but overall the team was well below their best. It was a performance similar to the one we saw a few days ago against Standard Liege. 1-0 was an improved scoreline from the one we got in midweek, and I hope it leads to more confidence and composure.

The big talking point was always going to be the new partnership between Fernando Torres and Robbie Keane and we saw more of the same from midweek. They certainly did have clearer sights at goal but it's early days and there is no reason that in their preferred roles that they won't be successful together.

The biggest plus from this game was Xabi Alonso, man of the match despite playing just 45 minutes. He distributed the ball in a similar manner to when he first joined. He took yet another shot from his own half and only missed by a yard and most importantly, got the assist for the winning goal. Plessis was far to conservative for me and constantly passed the ball just a few yards, never looking for a way through the Sunderland defence. That may have been a result of his back injury, but in my opinion Liverpool already have 4 key midfielders and Plessis has some way to go before he can consider himself in real contention.

[ read more... ]

Although it will probably pave the way for a review of how players are chosen for the Olympics in the future, Barcelona, Shalke and Werder Bremen have all just finished fighting a battle they all won, but then decided not to pursue.

Fifa originally stated a few weeks ago that it was fine for the three clubs' players to play in the Olympics this August and each club was powerless to recall anyone under the age of 23, however that ruling was overturned earlier this week meaning the three could forbid their players participating in the competition.

And what happens? Messi plays for Argentina in their opening game and scores. And then? Barcelona say it's OK for him to stay since it's what he wants. Well, he stated that some time ago but his words fell onto deaf ears.

I believe the other two clubs also gave in, so this was all a pointless excercise. I'm sure lots of money was wasted and I hope the three players suffer burn out at a crucial point next season.

[ read more... ]

Rafa Benitez has made some great signings for Liverpool and for me, he has a higher success rate that some of his more recent predecessors.

Lucas Leiva was a highly rater player, but not much was known about him. He got his chance last season, largely due to Xabi Alonso's absence through injury, and he really grabbed it. He continues to improve and looks to be a versatile midfielder.

During the last week, Liverpool traveled to FC Lucerne and grabbed a 2-1 victory. Not knowing it was on TV (I was out anyway), I missed the match but heard lots about the two Liverpool goals scored by Lucas and Andriy Voronin. I heard most about Voronin's finish followed by some comments on the assist for Lucas' goal. For me, the assist was the most impressive bit of play and was provided by a youngster who has continued to impressive over the course of Liverpool's pre-season build up so far.

Daniel Pacheco was signed from Barcelona and is still just 17 years old, but he's showing great promise. Just take a look at the assist below!



The finish wasn't too shabby either!

[ read more... ]

I was lucky enough to be in Spain for the European Championship Final, in which the Spanish faced Germany. I made it to a bar where I joined in the celebrations and festivities surrounding the showpiece of the tournament which ended in Vienna.

There weren't really any festivities, and few celebrations, but I got to witness a final contested by the country I was in. Spain is currently an almost bi-annual second home, so coupled with the fact that 4 Liverpool players had made it into the squad, it was clear where my allegiances would lie.



The game was even for all of 20 minutes, but the Spanish soon took control and looked comfortable. For the remaining 80 minutes, Germany made a few adventures forward, but nothing that really tested Casillas.

David Silva was lucky not to have been sent off, but had he been, Spain would have been well equipped to hold on to their lead rather than attack as they continued to do.

Torres scored the winner and it was a sublime finish. The only goal of the game and a fitting end to a tournament where he has clearly not been the favourite the first choice striker, but he proved his class and his worth by taking his goal perfectly. I was annoyed that he was dragged off considering how hard he has worked for the team, but the as I'm sure he has said (I am in still Spain and haven't seen any media coverage!) he will listen to the manager and do what is best for the team.

[ read more... ]

Both semi finals proved to be good football matches, but Germany vs Turkey provided the most entertainment. Both teams wanted to win and it was very end to end throughout. The goals were a mixture of great and fortunate, but the German's won't care or mind after they made it through to their 3rd international final in 12 years, or 4th in 18. Some record, when you consider the company they're in.

I mean, in the past 5 world cups, we've seen Germany (2), Brazil (3), France (2), Italy (2) and Argentina (1) contest all 5 finals between themselves.

Germany deserved their win, but Turkey gave as good as they got. Russia were unlucky with Spain managing to find three goals from not much. They had plenty of drive to go forward, but no real cutting edge until, somewhat ironically, their top scorer went of injured just before half time. They began to find more room.

As a Liverpool fan, it's been frustrating watching Torres play second fiddle to Villa. As good as Villa is, Torres is better. The same can be said for the competition between Xavi and Xabi Alonso.

Alonso has performed better, but Xavi is guaranteed a place. The fact he got Spain of the mark against the Russians won't help Alonso's case, but he should be considered a little harder after his displays in the tournament and towards the end of the last season.

So we have Germany vs Turkey and Russia vs Spain and both look to be exciting matches. Turkey will not be pushovers, but we'll have to see which Germany side turns up. Against the Portuguese they were almost unstoppable, really taking it to their opponents. I see the Germans making it through, but not without a lot of hard work and luck.

Spain will also need to make sure the right version turns up. They weren't able to break the Italians down, but fully deserved their victory, albeit on penalties.

I'm sure the Russians will prove to be a harder test this time round, especially since they will surel want to put the record straight after their 4-1 thrashing at the hands of the Spanish in the opening game of their group.

I hope Spain make it through and win the tournament, but the fitness and ability of the Russian side is nothing to be laughed at. With Gus Hiddink at the helm, anything is possible.

And they're out. The Dutch had shown so much class, so much adventure and so much style, just decimating everyone in their path. France and Italy suffered at their hands, both loosing by a two goal margin, while the plucky Romanian's were put to bed by their second string.

From what I saw, Russia were better. Their chances clearer and their intent was clear to see. Not that the Dutch were bad.

Thanks to their performance in their first match of the tournament, Holland became many people's favourites to win and there was plenty to backup their optimism. They had great strength in depth, a sense of unity that had been lacking for many years and a set of players playing their best football.

For me, this is the second shock of the round. Germany, I wanted to go through just to get rid of Ronaldo, while I expected to Dutch to find their way past the Russians. I didn't think it would be easy, but definitely possible. The other surprise for me was Croatia's loss against Turkey.

The Croats had found themselves in a similar position to the Dutch, only their unity was real and had been for a long time. Thinking back to their wonderful run during the '98 World Cup and you would be hard pressed to find a group of players that work so hard for each other. Their manager has become a respected figure and a player I once admired, despite his stint on the blue half of Merseyside.

Spain and Italy find themselves in the last game of the round, with a trip to face the Russian's on offer. This was a fixture no-one was talking about and one that they'll be approaching a lot differently. I am an avid a long time Italy fan, but I really believe Spain have more about them. I may watch this game as a nutreal, but if I had to choose, I'd love to see Torres and Alonso finish the season with some silverware and would want them to gently pass the Italians in a close fought match.