City to wait in unleashing the cash?
January 31, 2009
The transfer window closes at 5pm on Monday afternoon and for many teams this cannot come quick enough. Managers and fans around the country will be hoping that they can keep hold of their prized assets for just a couple more hours and secure their services for the rest of the season at least.
Top of the wanted list at the moment is Newcastle United goalkeeper Shay Given who is thought to be poised for a move to the City of Manchester stadium. The Irishman handed in a transfer request earlier in the week and Mark Hughes has already stated that he would love to bring the player to the club.
City also have not given up hope on Santa Cruz from Blackburn and you can expect the blue side of Manchester to be a hive of excitement right up until the final moments of the transfer window.
To be fair I dont think that the window will see all the movements which the City fans are expecting and the amount of money which they will spend will be a diluted version of what is to come in the summer. With City not enjoying the best of form at the moment, I think that the club would be better saving their cash now and launcing a real spending spree in the summer.
Man City for Premier League Championship in 2010?
New grounds or old?
January 30, 2009
Over the last decade many clubs have invested in a new ground. These have ranged from the impressive Emirates Stadium to the Deva Stadium which is the home of League Two side Chester City. There is now the situation where many clubs, both large and small are considering turning their back on their homes in order to move to newer stadiums which they believe will take them to the next stage in their developments.
Yet the question is – are these new grounds really worth it?
Some teams such as Arsenal move to new stadiums in order to attract larger crowds – which due to the success of the team, they can assume will come. Yet lower down the football pyramid this is not necessarily the case. Some clubs who are not even filling half their ground at the moment are considering moves to new stadiums with a raised capacity. This obviously raises the question – why?
A good example of this is Shrewsbury Town whose new ground may well be a disaster if they do not get promoted from League Two this season. There was, in my mind, no reason to move from Gay Meadow, yet the building of a largely character-less stadium was thought to generate more people through the turnstiles and therefore a more successful team. The short answer is of course that it hasn’t.
What do you thing – new stadiums or keep with the old?
Tell us what you think!
Villa to win the League – surely not?
January 29, 2009
Laugh at this if you want to but I do not think I am on my own when I say that Aston Villa could well be title challenges in the coming weeks. Martin O’Neil’s side are playing with an incredible amount of confidence and flair at the moment and more important than any of that, the are winning football matches.
With both Arsenal and Liverpool slipping up in the week, the door is definitely half open for Villa to mount a serious bid for a Champions League place at the very least. They are five points clear of Arsenal who remain in fifth place, and looking towards the summit, Villa are only three points behind the leaders Manchester United.
It would take a brave man to bet against Fergie claiming his third title in a row, but Villa do have a chance and to write them off could be very dangerous indeed. This is something which they are thriving from at the moment – many people do not see Villa staying in their current position let alone furthering it – yet week in week out they are proving people wrong.
I think it is a good thing for the Big four to be broke and may even have a pound or two on Villa winning the league – just in case!
Leagues One and Two to be split – good idea?
January 27, 2009
Does the thought of a trip to Exeter or Hartlepool on a cold Tuesday evening fill you with dread and fear. If so then you are not on your own and WIE salutes all those fans who travel such distances at this time of year just to follow their team.
One way which this could be avoided has been put forward recently and this is to merge League One and League Two on geographical lines. As a result, if you are an Oldham fan then you may travel to Bury or Accrington on a regular basis rather than Hartlepool or Southend. In the midst of the financial crisis this would definitely save cash strapped clubs travelling fees as well as those of their fans.
There is much to be said in support this idea and I for one hope that the League make serious enquires in to the viability of this. If this helps save even one club of administration then it will be worth it and as the governing body, they should be looking at every idea which could save clubs money.
Are you a fan in support of this idea or do you quite like motorway service stations and long away trips? Please let us know and lets start the debate!
Do we take football too seriously?
January 24, 2009
For me going to the football can be an incredibly uplifting experience, however it can also be a depressing one and potentially could ruin the weekend.
People live for football, they work all week in order to follow their team up and down the country in the hope that they will win more than they will lose and who knows maybe even win the odd trophy or two.
But the question is do we take football too seriously? At the end of the day it is just a game although the emotions that it evokes suggest that it is much more than that. For millions of people football is a way of life. Their whole world is dominated by ninety minutes every Saturday afternoon and occasional Tuesday night.
Do we take our national game too seriously in this country? My own opinion is that as long as this does not evolve in to fanaticism which is expressed in a violent way then leave people to it. We all need to be obsessed with something in our lives and there is nothing wrong with this being football.
So let us praise football fans everywhere – you truly are the salt of the earth!
Should England players be paid?
January 22, 2009
WIE today focuses on an issue which has had much air time over the recent past – particularly within the pubs and terraces of the nation. This is the argument whether or not those lucky souls who represent our county should get paid for it.
Lets be honest, the likes of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and DavidBeckham are hardly short of a few quid and therefore is money really the issue here?
The fact is that representing your country is an honour and as a result this should far outweigh monetary values. For me players should not get paid for playing for their country and if they do, then they should donate this to a charity of their choice. Payment belittles the honour of the occasion and this could well be part of the reason why the England team in particular are chronic under performers.
Winning a competition such as the European Championships or the World Cup could well invoke a payment as a “well done” gesture and this is fundamentally different than pay per play.
So it is time to address this issue once and for all. Should England players be paid for their efforts – tell us what you think!
Support your local team!
January 21, 2009
There is no doubt about it – its freezing outside – literally. Yet this is the time when your local team needs you the most. Yes there is a credit crunch and yes Manchester United may me on the TV but where is your loyalty?
Attendances at lower league football are dangerously low in some quarters and as the financial crisis gets worse, this is surely the time to stand up and be counted. Even if you just go to one game a month, there is something heart warming about supporting your local team whether it be Aston Villa or Yeading you have your role to play in their future.
So make sure that you have a good thick jacket, a woolly scarf and maybe even a hip flask and get through them turnstiles. Too many fans just sit back and watch whatever games are on television when there are teams on their doorstep who need their support. WIE wants you to give them the support which they deserve. If collectively we turn our backs on them then it is quite probable that numerous clubs will go to the wall – I really don’t want to have that on my conscious and deep down neither do you!
City fans told to be patient
January 19, 2009
Manchester City Manager Mark Hughes has stated that the club are still “a million miles away” from concluding a world record deal to bring Kaka to the club.
After a week of speculation, the Welshman went on record as saying that he is very optimistic that the deal will be done, but he urged all City fans to be patient while the actual negotiations were taking place.
City are thought to have offered a staggering £100m for the Brazilian superstar and an unbelievable half a million pound per week salary.
Sources close to the Brazilian believe that a deal is imminent and some commentators even are suggesting AC Milan have agreed a price for the player.
The chances of the deal actually been concluded before the end of the transfer window do look very high however and will represent the largest transfer in football history. Yet, is the player really worth £100m and half a million pounds a week?
To be honest it is hard to justify the transfer fee, especially in the current economic climate, but if Manchester City want to pay the money and Milan want to accept it then is there really anything which anyone can do to stop this?
Is Bellamy on his way?
January 18, 2009
Controversial Welsh striker Craig Bellamy is at the height of speculation this afternoon after he was left out of the West Ham team which beat Fulham.
The Hammers saw off their London neighbours by three goals to one at Upton Park, yet many of their loyal fans will be returning home wondering what is going on with their star striker rather than celebrating the result.
Bellamy has become the target of transfer speculation in the lat week with Manchester City and Spurs said to be interested. The most serious connection has seemingly come fro White Hart Lane and it is here where the Welshman is expected to go.
Speaking to the West Ham official website, manager Gianfranco Zola stated that Bellamy had been omitted from the team due to the fact that he did not train on Saturday. This does seem a rather fragile excuse of course and will do nothing to dilute the fears of the Hammers fans that Bellamy is on his way out of Upton Park.
Harry Redknapp has kept understandably quite about the episode which increases speculation further and it is suspected that the move will be complete within the next week.
United regain top spot
January 17, 2009
Manchester United climbed to the top of the Premier League table yesterday although they left it late to overcome local rivals Bolton Wanderers.
Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov was the hero after he headed home from close range following a cross from Carlos Tevez. The breakthrough came in the final minute of the match when it looked as though the Champions would be held to a goalless draw at the Reebok Stadium.
For most of the game United were thwarted by Bolton keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen who was in inspired form – brilliantly saving two Ronaldo free kicks and one accurately placed header from the World Player of the Year.
The result means that United have now equalled the record which Chelsea set in 2004-5 in not having conceded a goal in ten consecutive Premier League games.
Liverpool have the opportunity to regain top spot however when they face Everton in the Merseyside derby on Monday evening. You would be a brave man to bet against a third consecutive Manchester United championship however and they are certainly W I E ‘s tip to lift the coveted trophy come next May.
Aston Villa have also opened up a three point gap in fourth place and are looking increasingly likely to break in to the top four this season.
