Hype, What Hype?

On the eve of the second test between England and Pakistan, there's plenty of speculation as to whether a repeat of the first test is to happen or not. My initial reaction would be to say definitely not. My reasoning for this is that I can't see another thrashing. The last and only two tests played at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium have both ended in draws, and have produced three double centuries.

Match Report: Fulham 5 Newcastle 2

This is a bit of a boring post, as it's only a report on the game at the Cottage, but it made it through to the Daily Mail young football writing competition, which gives it a little more street cred! The link to the article is on http://www.barclaysfootballwriter.com/. Click like under the article if you deem it worthy.

Clint Dempsey scored a hat-trick, as Fulham overcame a dreary first half performance to send Newcastle crashing to defeat.

Tactical Torment: Arsene Wenger

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been threatening for a starting berth ever since he made his debut against Man Utd in August. Investment in his youth and prevention of early injuries has perhaps stopped Arsene Wenger from starting him in recent games, but Wenger's faith in the player is unquestionable now after putting him in the starting XI for the reverse fixture that saw him make his debut as a substitute. What a game to make your first start in the Premier League, and it just serves as a testament to how far the 18 year old has come since last year.

It was refreshing to see Chamberlain start the game, because as predicted, he added a vital mixture of energy and passion to an Arsenal setup that has been lacking in tenacity and ambition in recent times. He looked like he wanted to win the game, which I believe to be a more than suitable attitude in the Premier League today. Spurs showed on the same day, that even if you're 2-0 down at the Etihad stadium, if you show a bit of bite and alacrity, anything can happen. They could have and perhaps should have gone on to win that game.

Chamberlain could easily have felt the pressure to perform against Man Utd. You will always be a manager's gamble if you make your first start against the champions, yet it seemed the pressure switched to Walcott. Chamberlain continuously forced himself into the game, by working on his defence, and cutting off the wing and into the middle, leaving Rafael de Silva at odds and ends as to what to do. Walcott, who has bounced in and out of form this season, had a quiet game, and one couldn't help but negatively compare him to Chamberlain.

With Arsenal 1-0 down into the final quarter of the game, it was again 'The Ox' who looked the most likely to change the game (not to ignore the efforts of Tomas Rosicky, who showed his worth in this game amid transfer speculations), and he did exactly that, cutting off the wing, playing through the centre and setting up van Persie for an inch-perfect finish. Game on, and the pressure was on Man Utd. The fans were ecstatic, and a frantic Man Utd tried to re-organize as Arsenal pressed for a second goal. But the game suddenly changed in bizzare fashion considering the situation of the game.

After 74 minutes, Arsene Wenger brings Chamberlain off for Andrei Arshavin. At this moment, the atmosphere around the stadium was haunting. The Arsenal contingent can be forgiven for their insatiability, as the boos rung around Emirates Stadium. The one individual who looked hungry to win this game, the one player who looked unphased by the pressure of Man Utd, was brought off, and the expression on Robin van Persie's face when the substitute was made was equally priceless.

What happened six minutes later matched the script of such a tactical decision by Arsene Wenger. Arshavin gets easily turned by Antonio Valencia on the right wing, and sets up Danny Welbeck with crafty composure to bang in the second goal. A bewildered and sluggish Arsenal were hopeless to draw level again. A youthful investment that needs to be protected or not, Chamberlain was the star player in the team yesterday.

What I believe to be equally strange was Wenger's defending of his decision to bring on Arshavin. He claimed that an 18 year old kid being replaced by the captain of the Russian national team shouldn't be queried. Perhaps he was reading a fact sheet instead of watching the game, because the way Chamberlain approached the game against Man Utd was exactly what Arsenal need right now, if they are to have any chance of qualifying for the Champions League next season.

Do you think Wenger was right to take off Chamberlain? Was there too much attention on Arshavin after being dribbled past Valencia? Do you think the substitution changed the game? Express your views by leaving a comment.

Smith's return to form..timely or annoying?

I thought I would just whip this one up as I prepare to settle in for Sri Lanka's innings (which will inevitable be sacrificed for Man U v Arsenal). Let me just start by saying- another fantastic knock by AB de Villiers! This time he gets his century, so any sleep that he may have lost from the nervous nineties of the previous ODI have been put to rest! Despite playing through an injury towards the end that was clearly causing him discomfort, he ignored it and played to his strengths, with a tasteful combination of stand and delivers and scoops to fine leg. Fantastic captain's effort!

As for Smith, if there was ever a time to score a century, it was now. 16 months and 36 ODI's without one, and one game left in this series. A poor performance, and surely the selectors would have to give in to media negativity and logic. But this knock of 125, albeit a bit sluggish at times, has given Smith another chance to show what he's capable of. He's repaid the trust of the selectors, the faith of his team mates and his own self-doubt I dare say, with a knock that has carried the Proteas past the 300 mark, and they now look strong to wrap up the series with a 4-1 victory. He will undoubtedly be selected for the next ODI squad to play New Zealand, but this may frustrate the significant contingent who watched despairingly as Smith got his century, hoping that another fail with the bat will lead to the chop. Watch this space to see if the bowling attack can recover from what as an abysmal display in the last ODI. All eyes on Morne Morkel now. He needs wickets.

Ten Reasons to Dislike Liverpool

Everyone has a second team that they support or at least follow closely. If you support the ‘big 4’, (or 6 if you include a deserving Man City and a knocking on the door Spurs), your second team is probably the underdog; the team fighting for survival- the Wigans of 2005, the Blackpools of 2010, and I dare say the QPR's of 2011? If you support a ‘lower’ team, your second team will probably be a top 4 team, because everyone prefers one team to win the trophy over another. As a Fulham fan, I have always been a fond admirer of Liverpool. Unless you’re an Everton fan, you too have probably shown interest when they have pushed for the title in recent years. Liverpool were my second team, until now.

Ironically, my dislike for them began with their slump in the league last season. I’ve always liked a team that fights back against the odds, and that they have done to a certain extent. But when an exhausted and bewildered Roy Hodgson got sacked when things were getting tough, and the moment the fresh and familiar ‘King Kenny’ walked in, I began to see a string of disappointing occurrences at the Kop. May I at this stage just thank Stewart Downing for completing what has now accumulated as 10 reasons to not look so fondly upon Liverpool Football Club anymore.

1. Kenny Dalglish

I begin with Kenny Dalglish. Don’t get me wrong, he has been a fantastic servant to Liverpool Football Club. On top of a playing career spanning over 10 years, he has also managed the Reds to league and cup glory. It’s not the person that I dislike. It’s the manner of his return, and the fans reaction. Ask a Liverpool fan what their reaction is to the sacking of Roy Hodgson, and the naive ones will tell you that he was never cut out to manage a big team, and they will go on to tell you with great excitement that it meant the return of ‘King Kenny.’ To avoid appearing like I have sour grapes, maybe Roy Hodgson wasn’t cut out to manage a big team. His success with Fulham was admirable, but it was indeed with a small club with mediocre expectations. But ‘King Kenny’ (a nickname created in the 70’s, which many surface level fans of today nonchalantly adopted as if that’s what they always call him), wasn’t just twiddling his thumbs at home, waiting for his next great return to the club. It was under Rafa Benitez’s regime when he returned to the club as youth team manager and ambassador of the club. So it was the fan’s reaction to his return that perplexed me. ‘King Kenny has returned!’ ‘We are saved!’ Well, no he hasn’t, and no you aren’t. Liverpool finished an encouraging yet unboastable 6^th under his management last season, and Hodgson probably loses sleep to this day as to how unlucky he was. Just before he left, Liverpool became the 6^th richest club in the world on the 15^th October 2010 thanks to a change in ownership. Kenny of course tucked in when the transfer window was activated, and has since spent over 125 million pounds on new players. They currently sit on the table where they finished last season, but watch this space as to whether the fans adopted expectations of ‘King Kenny’ are fulfilled.

2. Andy Carroll

 So if 125 million gbp has been spent on new players, why are they not sitting happily at the top of the table alongside fellow big spenders Man City? Well I can tell you that 30% of it was spent on one player- Andy Carroll. At the turn of 2011, the young Newcastle United striker had bagged 11 league goals and had just been given his first England call up. There were even rumours circulating that Liverpool wanted to buy him for 25 million pounds. I couldn’t help but think that it was one of those rumours that had got out of hand. Remember when Man City were rumoured to be interested in signing Kaka for 100 million on a contract worth 500 000 a week? Sort of like that. Because let’s face it, who is Andy Carroll? He was instrumental in getting the Toon Army back into the Premiership, but everyone knows that the Premiership is another story. Other than that, he’d been in the papers for all the wrong reasons. An arrest and three separate charges of assault, including an incident with his girlfriend, were but a few of his headline grabbers. So when he was sold to Liverpool for 35 million to become the most expensive British player, the second most in Premier League history and the eighth in the world, it was entertaining to say the least. His talent and potential are reasonably evident, but is it really surprising that he’s only scored 6 goals in 31 games for the club? Not really. As a side note, Demba Ba, who has scored 15 league goals for Newcastle this season, was snapped up for free.

3. 40 Million

A common theme in English football at the moment seems to be that once you play for England, your value rockets. Are football clubs really that callow in their signings? Well it seems Liverpool are. Just ask Jordan Henderson. Their interest in the player was almost instantaneous as he bore the three lions for the first (and only so far) time. Sunderland were probably as delighted as having an English international in their team as they were relishing the prospect of snapping up 20 million in the summer transfer window. You could say Phil Jones, costing a similar amount for Man Utd, can fall under this category, but then again he’s played a significant role in Man Utd’s challenge for the title, and he started in England’s recent victory against Spain as a testament to his form. A month later prompted the arrival of another 20 million pound signing in Stewart Downing. He’s English and he’s an international, so slap a ridiculous price on his head, and Liverpool will be smacking their lips. It’s debatable whether either will make it into the Euro 2012 squad. Downing is more likely, but with no goals from 20 league games this season, his chances are looking bleak. One can’t help but feel that the Liverpool scouting staff aren’t really going out of their way to find good deals. 40 million pounds on two fringe internationals. Not even the ANC centenary bash cost that much. That's saying something!

4. Luis Suarez Part 1

So three reasons to dislike Suarez, and because he represents Liverpool and the club supported him in all three instances, it’s three reasons to dislike the club. Forgive my extreme subjectivity here, but Luis Suarez is quite simply, the villain of football. It all started for me and for most if not all South Africans in the World Cup, when he dived in the penalty area to send off Bafana Bafana ‘keeper Itumeleng Khune and contribute towards a 3-0 victory. It was the goal difference stemming from this game that ultimately knocked the hosts out of the World Cup. With Bafana Bafana out of the tournament, Africa’s hopes lay with Ghana. Africa were refreshingly unique, in that the whole continent stood behind their one country left in the tournament. Yes, we know where this is going. For me, it literally felt like one man let down a whole continent. Luis Suarez. I often think to myself, if that had been a South African or English player doing that for their country, would I have felt the same way, or would I have portrayed the player as doing a heroic deed for the nation? Perhaps I would have seen it as a heroic gesture, but after the handball, Suarez looked at the referee as if to say ‘Me? But I didn’t do anything wrong?’ Coupled with his celebration after Asamoah Gyan missed the penalty, it indicated a dishonest, disingenuous individual, disrupting the nature and spirit of the game. Either way you look at it, without his actions, Africa would have been treated to a team finishing in the top four for the first time in her history.

5. Luis Suarez Part 2

So of course Liverpool bought him (I say with eyes rolled). No not really; I don’t think that poorly of Liverpool! But the next two reasons are during his time at the club. This is a minor reason in comparison, but a significant one nonetheless. As a Fulham fan, I’ll try to conceal my outrage as this occurred at Craven Cottage, but you have to be brainless and disrespectful to the laws of the game if you decide to blatantly pull the finger towards fans. He was involved in a similar incident at Villa Park last season. He was handed a fine and a one game ban for his antics at the Cottage, but you could say this was the calm before the storm for what was to come next.

6. Luis Suarez Part 3

The court case continues to be in motion as I write, and it is a compelling one. Luis Suarez was banned 8 further games for racially abusing Patrice Evra. It is again debatable whether he meant any harm when he called Evra ‘el negrito.’ Logic tells me no, because in Uruguay it’s considered to be an affectionate term. Evra will of course tell you otherwise. But inherently intended or not, this was another brainless act. The incident happened shortly after Sepp Blatter bizarrely stated that racial differences should be settled with a handshake, and that racist behaviour is not a serious issue on the football pitch. Affectionate in Uruguay it may be, but this isn’t Uruguay, it’s in England, during an extremely sensitive racial climate. For his lack of awareness and continuous incompetency to act in the spirit of the game, Suarez really is the current villain of the footballing world. The other day I asked a Liverpool fan what he thought of Suarez. He said that he loved him. I couldn’t understand why until his next sentence, which summed it all up. “Don’t get me wrong, he is a c***, but he’s my c***!

7. Team Suarez

Now that I’ve included Carroll, Henderson, Downing and Suarez, I may as well at this stage include the whole team. In protest of Suarez’s prospected FA fine for the racial abuse, Liverpool trained in Luis Suarez tribute t-shirts before their match against Wigan Athletic. “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” springs to mind, but not favourably, rather bemusingly. Not only does it set a childish precedent for teams to wear tribute shirts whenever their player can’t face the consequences of his/her actions, but it ignores the defamation of black footballers who understandably feel that the difference that Suarez created between races with the term ‘el negrito’, affected them personally. As a result, the team and King Kenny himself, who also wore the shirt in a pre-match interview, have been criticised by many notable names in the game. A cruel irony indeed for Anfield’s favourite motto. Oh and for all you Liverpool fans, the t-shirts are on sale for 12 quid a pop.

8. Racist Fans

It seems that the Kop hasn't got the point either. Oldham Athletic visited Anfield, which was for them, a mouthwatering FA Cup third round tie. Players receive abuse from opposition fans all the time. In my opinion, players deal with it brilliantly and professionally. Generally they will ignore it or laugh it off. But the sting in the abuse is created when it is racist, and Oldham Athletic defender Tom Adeyemi felt the full force of it. He was brought to tears, which I dare say was a bit of an overreaction, but one racist word is of course one too many, and the crassness of it in light of recent events is undeniable. In fairness to the Liverpool players and management, they were extremely supportive, if a bit sheepish after everything that’s happened.

9. Re-signing Players

I might be accused of fishing for reasons to attack Liverpool at this stage, but this one sprung to my attention when a certain player rejoined Liverpool. After rumours spread of the possibility of resigning Emile Heskey, and then Peter Crouch, Liverpool finally settled with resigning Craig Bellamy. I couldn’t help but think that surely there was a reason for their sales in the first place? Heskey and Crouch both have their own respective qualities, but there’s no doubt that they lack in pace and don’t score enough (apart from the latter’s uncanny ability to score for England), so why would any of this be different the second time around? At the press conference on the signing of Bellamy, Dalglish described him as a “fantastic asset with pace and quality.” Again question marks have to be raised about Liverpool’s scouting. When Bellamy was absent from a recent match at home to Man City, the commentator prompted to say that they miss him in the team; his pace is crucial to the balance of their side. As if he’s been a crucial part of their side for years? Only four years ago Benitez couldn’t wait to get rid of him, which he did. On a different note, in Bellamy they have another domestic abuser, when back in 2006 'the nutter with the putter' was sent to court for being accused of assaulting two women. If history is anything to go by, a similarly sour state of events is inevitably forthcoming.

10. Stewart Downing

As if two domestic abusers weren’t enough in a starting eleven, I bring Stewart Downing back into the equation. Just when you thought Liverpool were finished with stealing the front page headlines rather than the back page ones, Downing followed a familiar trend nine days ago in the Anfield camp, by being held in custody for assaulting his ex-girlfriend. In his defence, he was soon released from custody, and he is back in training. After all that’s happened though, I couldn’t resist to include this.

Despite the palpable ruthlessness in negativity I have shown towards Liverpool here, I haven’t forgotten my fondness towards them in the past, and once the recent controversy cools down, I’m confident that expectations will begin to be fulfilled, and King Kenny will once again taste success at this decorated outfit.