• Home
• About
• Contributors
• Contact Us
• Advertising

• Premiership
• Championship
• League One
• League Two
• Non League
• FA Cup
• Internationals
• Forum

Subscribe

Our New Year predictions!

At this time of the year, everybody likes to make their New Year prediction about how the different leagues will take shape during the coming months.

Here at Winning is Everything, we are no different and we will share our tips with you here.

Lets start with the Premiership – personally I cant see anyone stopping Manchester United’s quest for a third consecutive championship. Chelsea and Liverpool will be in with a shout but United’s blistering second half of the season form will secure the trophy once more. We also fancy the Scousers so secure the runners up position just pipping Chelsea to the post.

In terms of relegation, sorry Baggies but West Brom are our tip to finish at the foot of the league closely followed by Stoke and Paul Ince’s Blackburn Rovers. The former England International has secured a Premiership job to early in his career for us and we feel that the Lancashire outfit will pay the price for not securing the services of a more experienced coach.

Here are our predictions in full –

Premier League
Champions – Manchester United
Runners Up – Chelsea
Relegated – West Brom, Stoke City, Blackburn Rovers

Championship
Champions – Wolverhampton Wanderers
Runners Up – Birmingham City
Relegated – Doncaster, Nottingham Forest, Norwich

League One
Champions – Leicester City
Runners Up – Leeds United
Relegated – Hereford United, Crewe Alexandra, Cheletenham Town, Yeovil Town

League Two
Champions – Wycombe Wanderers
Runners Up – Darlington
Also promoted – Bradford City
Relegated – Luton Town, Grimsby Town.

So there you have it – if you bet on all these then we want a cut!

Do you agree with these predictions – let us know!

WIE looks forward to the Third Round of the FA Cup

It is one of the most eagerly anticipated weekends of the sporting calendar this week as the F A Cup reaches the Third Round stage. Historically this has been the stuff dreams are made of as teams are able to pick their wits against some of the country’s elite and on many occasions have forced a shock result in the true tradition of the competition.

 

This weekend could be no different with many of the bigger teams facing potentially tricky encounters. The Premier League Champions, Manchester United face an awkward looking trip away at Southampton and there will not even be a grey shirt in sight!

 

Liverpool make the short journey over to Deepdale to face Preston whilst Arsenal entertain Championship side Plymouth Argyle. Chelsea will be hoping to ease in to the fourth round when they face Southend United at the Bridge whilst Everton face a potential banana skin when they travel to League Two outfit Macclesfield Town.

 

Non League Barrow are sure to have a great day out when they travel up to the Riverside to face Middlesborough we are sure to have non league representation in the fourth round as Kettering Town face giant killers Eastwood at Rockingham Road.

 

I personally cannot wait for these ties to be played – there will be some shocks you can be sure of that but where they will spring up nobody knows.

 

Where do you think it will be?

Young is not the new Messi

I do not think that I am the only one who has been impressed with Aston Villa recently. They are certainly a force to be reckoned with and they are surely a good bet to take that fourth Champions League spot come May.

 

As a result many of the Villa players have been receiving almost unprecedented plaudits – none more so than young hotshot Ashley Young. He has even been compared to Messi and Ronaldo by some, such is the high esteem in which he is regarded.

 

Yet we need to be careful with players such as Young, that we do not put too much pressure on them at an early age. Don’t get me wrong Young is a great player who has a vibrant talent – but to compare him with the likes of Messi and Ronaldo is wrong. The two aforementioned players are experienced at the highest level both within domestic, European and International football and Young to be fair isn’t.

 

Messi and Ronaldo also have proved that they can influence matches on the big stage where as Young as yet has not. So lets forget all these comparisons for the moment. The youngster is a great Premier League player who elicits fear in to most Premier League defenders but for now that is about it – lets just nurture his talent instead of placing too much pressure on him and hope that the best is yet to come!

Boxing Day Premiership Preview

So, Father Christmas has delivered all of his presents and the majority of us feel like we have eaten enough food to last us a week. No doubt many of you will be nursing slight hang overs and what better way to cure them that with a spot of Boxing Day football action.

For me, this is one of the best days of the season and you can be more than the usual amount of thrills and spills during the day.

The defending Champions visit the Potteries to face a Stoke side who are becoming remarkably hard to beat. An upset could be on the cards here and if a certain Mr Delap gets his hands around the ball on the touchline, then even the likes of Vidic and Ferdinand could start to shake a little.

Elsewhere, Chelsea face West Brom in what must surely be a home banker whilst Arsenal seek revenge when they travel to Villa Park.

Spurs entertain Fulham in yet another London derby, whilst Liverpool host Bolton Wanderers in what must be a vital three points for the Reds

It is sure to be an event packed afternoon so if you need a little time away from the in laws then what better way to really enjoy the your Boxing Day than with some top class footy action?

Indoor or Outdoor Football

Taking a break from the usual football news, I decided to put forward a question. When you are playing football do you prefer playing indoors or outdoors? Both have their own unique benefits and are perfectly valid choices.

First of all lets take a look at indoor football. The first and most obvious advantage is the controlled climate and surroundings. You don’t have to worry about weather as you have a roof and you can be sure you won’t be getting heat stroke as most centres have air con now. You also get the advantage of not having to run after the ball every time you kick it out of bounds, the walls keep the ball in play for you.

Now for the outdoor side of things. The biggest advantage of this one is it is real. Obviously both types are real, but I mean it is what the sport was originally about and still is now. You can play much bigger games, and a greater sense of satisfaction is gained from playing the sport in a big open pitch. You can abide by the correct rules, and there is (arguably) a lot more skill involved. Playing on grass has the advantage of knowing you won’t break your legs if you fall, trip or get tackled. You also get the natural air con of the open sky.

Congratulations Chris Hoy!

Cyclist Chris Hoy celebrated being named as BBC Sports Personality of the Year recently and I for one would like to congratulate him on his wonderful achievements. However part of me wonders when we will have a British footballer claiming one of the most coveted awards in sport. I guess that this will not happen until one of the home nations is relatively successful in a major tournament, but it is difficult to see this happening for the next five years at least.

 

You would have to say that out of all the home nations England look the strongest on paper, but turning this in to meaningful performances is a different thing all together. Too many players under perform on the big stages – if they didn’t of course we could well be basking in the glory of a European Championship win rather than reflecting on a rather mundane summer.

 

The Olympic Games of 2012 are surely the time to really show the world what we are made of – I cant see anything more than a quarter final exit during the 2010 World Cup (assuming we get there that is!) and so this together with the 2012 European Championships must take a predominant role in our plans. It is time to place a renewed emphasis on youth schemes and invest as heavily as we can do in the England players of tomorrow and who knows in years to come the Sports Personality of the Year award may be dominated by successful domestic players!

Goal music just isn’t football!

I have to admit that when my team introduced goal music I was less than impressed. In fact I would go so far as to say that I was embarrassed by it. This may of course be due to the fact that my team very rarely scores but for me there is something wrong with having noise blaring out after every goal.

 

Of course it can depend on what sort of music it is played, but the amount of times I have travelled to away venues to have my disappointment compounded by Blur’s “Song Two” is just too many!

 

It is either this or the Fratellis – well today I propose that goal music is banned! It just seems so repetitive that it loses any symbolic meaning which it could have. Also for me it seems that this is another step in the Americanisation of our national game and this is something which needs to be avoided.

 

Sure I get excited when my team scores and am angry when we concede, but I do not need the same old tracks over and over again to tell me which emotion to feel. It all seems a bit too corny for my liking – maybe I am growing old and am not in touch with the youth of today, but some things don’t need to be changed and in my opinion this is one of them.

 

Do you agree with me? Leave me a comment and let me know!

To boo or not to boo - that is the question!

When I go and watch a football match I expect many things. I decent pint, a tasty pie and of course plenty of effort from those people who don my club colours. If I do not get this then I am not a happy man at all. But this does raise one question which have become increasingly pertinent recently and that surrounds whether it is right and proper for you to boo your team or players if things are not going to plan.

 

Last week of course Arsenal’s Emmanuel Eboue was singled out by the Gooners and he came in for quite a bit of stick on the back of an admittedly dire performance.

 

My own opinion is if the team are not collectively putting in the required amount of effort then you have every right to show your dissatisfaction with this. You have paid your money and as long as this does not deteriorate in to abuse then I do not see the problem with letting the team know exactly what you think of their performance.

 

Singling players out over a period of time however is wrong – if they are playing that badly they surely wont be picked in the first place. Remember that nothing good comes of singling players out – if you want to have a dig then do it after the game not while the match is still being played.

 

I am all for supporters expressing their opinions but there is a correct way to do so.

 

Do you agree with booing your own team or players? Leave us a comment!

Owen set to leave Newcastle

Newcastle United supremo Joe Kinnear has moved quickly to dilute rumours that Michael Owen is set to be sold in the January transfer window. The former Wimbledon and Nottingham Forest Manager has stated that even if the Scouser does not sign a new contract, he will not be sold no matter what the proposed offers may be.

 

Kinnear has repeatedly stated that he is not confident of keeping Owen past the summer although he pledges to do all he can to make sure that his prized asset remains at St James’ Park.

 

Owen himself has remained relatively quiet about the whole situation and has not indicated whether or not he would like to stay at the club. Previous rumours that he may be returning to Anfield have been shot down however with Raphael Benitez categorically stating that Liverpool are not interested in the England striker.

 

There is no doubt that Owen can still cut it in the Premier League, however he needs to stay injury free and it is this which may put off some of the bigger clubs.

 

Many Newcastle fans are disappointed in the fact that Owen probably will leave the Toon, however they are more worried that they will receive nothing for him if the striker does not depart until the summer when he is out of contact.

Ince under renewed pressure at Rovers

There is much talk both on the television and within the newspapers about the future of Paul Ince. The former Manchester United and England general has hit tough times in his Premier League managerial debut and many people are suggesting that the time is right for him to be relieved of his duties.

 

Ince began his managerial career at League Two side Macclesfield Town – many people were surprised that one of Fergie’s fledglings should take up such a lowly role, particularly when so many team mates have debuted at a much higher level.

 

His stay at the Moss Rose lasted just eight months however, and in that time he saved the Cheshire club from almost certain relegation and took them on a dream FA Cup trip to Stamford Bridge.

 

Following this, the former England captain moved to the MK Dons where again he tasted success, taking the club to the League Two championship and also triumph in the Johnstone’s Paints trophy.

 

But is this really the ideal grooming for taking over a Premier League Club? Many believe that his exit from the MK Dons was too quick and that he would have been better staying at the helm and trying to take them in to the Championship himself.

 

However, if a Premier League team comes in for you then I guess it is hard to turn it down. My own feeling is however that Ince has not made the transition successfully but he could well be a force to be reckoned with in the future. As a result, I think that it would be much more beneficial for Blackburn to bring in a wise old head as Director of Football to work with Ince than to sack him outright.

 

What are the odds on a reunion with a certain Mr Keane?

 

Let us know your thoughts.

Next Page »

Copyright © 2007 Winning Is Everything - XML Sitemap