FIFA...The hypocrisy of their democracy - Ryan Duggins

When I first heard that FIFA were about to make a monumental move in favour of modern technology, I knew it was too good to be true. Ol' Blatter and Warner would never have back tracked on their stubbornness of goal line technology and the lark, so what was this new 'ground breaking' move? Well, its basically Paypal isn't it.

FIFA, from this coming Friday, will introduce a new 'Transfer Matching System' which they hope will clean up any difficulty within the world of football in terms of the transfer of players. The system will ask for the declaration of ALL PAYMENTS exchanged and involved within the transfer, to try and HALT clubs paying small 'bungs and hidden bribes' within the transfers....

WHAT! Excuse me, but am I hearing this correctly? With all the on-field discussions and pressure from footballing bodies about enhancing and transporting the game to another level, and FIFA are more concerned with hidden fees and the protection of the less wealthy...

This coming from one of the most notorious and 'Bribe-hungry' organisations in the human world...it's a bit rich to say the least. Sepp Blatter has said that “The most important thing is to inrease the TRANSPARENCY of INDIVIDUAL TRANSACTIONS.” Where has this come from, and since when did Blatter care in the slightest about public declaration of funds when himself, along with CONCACAF president Jack Warner, have been scamming the system for years?

Take the ISL scenario. Since Sepp Blatter took charge of FIFA, and before that for that matter, the rights for the selling of the FIFA World Cup have been sold to one company, which is 'International Sports and Leisure', or 'ISL'. This company has no rival because they have been bribing FIFA officials, along with Blatter himself, with millions of pounds on a regular basis. This was proven when an unexpected, and undeclared, 1million Swiss Francs was paid directly into FIFA's bank account rather than the personal account of a high-roller in FIFA, said to be then President Jao Havelange.

When ISL were taken over by a Swiss liquidator after they collapsed, FIFA were contacted by the liquidator in reference to the bribe money that was paid to them. Liquidators discovered that ISL would 'Make-up' contracts to companies that would disguise the fact that the money was going straight into FIFA's own pocket. When liquidators pressured FIFA for an explanation, and repayment, FIFA tried to persuade the banks to conduct the matter in private, which was declined.

Hypocrisy at its finest, I think you will agree, but it doesn't stop there. Ever wondered how Sepp Blatter has been allowed to continue to run FIFA. Well, when he was first appointed to the chair in 1998, it was alleged that envelopes stuffed with huge amounts of cash were slid under the hotel doors of numerous FIFA delegates, in exchange for the vote. A total number of 270 votes are accounted for amongst the world of football, which are split into various regions. Each region is split into two halves, of which accumulate to the election of the President. But Blatter is guaranteed to keep his spot at FIFA just as long as he has the vote of the only un-split region, which is Jack Warner's CONCACAF.

And what of Jack Warner?

If the same transparency was applied to his running of CONCACAF, he would be in very hot water indeed. It seems that Mr Warner, and a number of the delegates at CONCACAF, have been lucratively spending money aimed to help football development in North, South and Central America, on themselves.

Not only that, but it just so happens that FIFA, spend a lot of money maintaining the CONCACAF offices to make sure the region is well looked after. It just so happens, however, that the actual owner and landlord of the office building is Jack Warner himself, meaning that Jack Warner pays Jack Warner a lot of money indeed, almost $400,000 per year to be exact.

When Trinidad and Tobago made the finals of the 2006 World cup, one travel company was allocated every single ticket that became available for the country and its fans. That company was Sinpaul travel, owned by Mr and Mrs Jack Warner.

Clip from the BBC Panorama special 'The Beautiful Bung







When this came to light, foul play was called and Warner said that he had passed on the business to two other women. But, when BBC Journalist Andrew Jennings, who is without doubt the best investigative journalist around today, sport or otherwise, in the world, asked the women, they said that they didn't own it.

How does he get away with this sort of behaviour? Well, Blatter needs the CONCACAAF vote to stay in power, so everyone's a winner. Well, everyone except from the Trinidad and Tobago national team, who are being denied millions of dollars in player bonuses by Jack Warner.

So, yes this is a rant, but a rant well placed. There are so many other areas within football that need resolving, and although I am thoroughly behind anything that will annoy Harry redknapp, as this new transparent system will do, the hypocrisy within the move is almost hilarious.

Click here to watch Andrew Jennings' Panorama special 'The Beautiful Bung' in full

The Apocalyptic showdown. On match day 6 of 38? Ryan Duggins

Unlike the last meeting between Manchster City and Chelsea, this tie has been shrouded in football based hype and discussion that is sometimes completely overstated, but we love it anyway. The world of football will be routing for the Sky Blues to reassure us that the premiership isn't a monotonous championship, with everyone outside of the Fulham Broadway tube station fighting for second place. But these are the same people that are protesting that Chelsea have not been tested yet.

So where should public opinion be? Well, Chelsea are already four points clear at the top of the premiership, with just five games gone, which is impressive. But it is only that. It's a five-game winning streak that has happened at the start of the season, against teams that they were expected to beat anyway. So why all the commotion? Pundits are even beginning to suggest that Manchester City will act as the salvation of our thoughts, bringing the title back from Chelsea. It's five games in for crying out loud.

For some reason, when people look at the table they say about Liverpool 'Well, give Hogdson time. He's got a lot of football to play', but they don't say that in regards to Chelsea's campaign. Now, I am not suggesting that Chelsea are bound to fall at some stage, and I can come to some agreement that we may be witnessing the start of what could be something special. But it would only be an agreement with unbelievable reserve, as we haven't even dipped our toe into October yet.

As to the game itself. Much has been said about Mancini's defensive mentality this season, but they are capable of trouncing teams as well as grinding out results, as they showed against Liverpool and Wigan respectively. David Silva ripped apart Chelsea in the Champion League a few seasons back, and with Tevez hustling the back line, there will be opportunities for Silva. With both teams cramming the centre with big, bulky men, there will be a few collisions I can promise you.

Adam Johnson Vs Ashley Cole, Tevez Vs Terry, Essien Vs De Jong. Ooooft it's gonna be a good one, but whatever the final score, remember to look in front and gaze into a long and spinning road where anything can happen in the space of 8 Months.

Rob Turner's Premier League team of the week

With quality, there is no deadline, and that is the motto that we religiously follow when it comes to The Roller's Rob Turner and his team of the week.


Petr Cech - There’s not really a whole lot to say about Petr Cech. Everybody knows he is absolutely world class. However, his reputation has been ever so slightly tainted as of late with murmurs that he is losing his touch.

Against Blackpool, Cech succeeded in proving all his doubters wrong with a master class of shot-stopping, fingertip saves and overall defensive prowess. With Chelsea’s attacking flair, and this man between the sticks, I sincerely doubt that anyone will stop the Chelsea charge this season.

James Perch - Don’t let Everton’s poor form as of late fool you into thinking Newcastle found it a walk in the park. It took some last ditch blocks and tackles to keep the ‘toffees’ at bay. James Perch stepped into the limelight with a stellar performance in keeping with his defensive team-mates. The creativity of the Everton midfield was ground to a halt with a tough, but fair, defensive play.

Christopher Samba - Yes, that’s right. My team of the week has that Samba style yet again. This isn’t favouritism at work here though, but mere hard work and footballing talent. Similar to his performance last week, nobody was to get past the big man at the back, and the cherry on his proverbial cake was to grab a goal [that shouldn’t have been] and keep Blackburn’s point tally ticking over.

Jonas Olsson - The heart and experience in the ‘Baggies’ defence showed why he still has a big part to play in the Premier League this season. Standing tall and using his ariel ability is what Jonas Olsson does best, and in this Midlands derby he did this all game long in both boxes. He kept Jerome and Zigic out after the initial goal and even popped up to score the West Brom third in a sensational three-goal second half.

Ashley Cole - The best English left back we’ve seen in many many years? On this form, and with continued performances like this, then the fact will become undisputed. Bombing forward at every single opportunity, Cole plays more like an attacking left winger than a full-back. You’d think somebody would have a word with Ashley for shirking his defensive responsibilities if it weren’t for the fact that he doesn’t. A box-to-box, attack-minded, English left-back. The first and only of his kind? More than likely!

Wayne Routledge - After impressing me initially in the game against Wolves at Molineux, Wayne Routledge has continued his rich vein of form against Everton. After being out of the Premiership’s gaze for what seems like forever, Routledge is back, terrorising defences again with his astonishing pace and tremendous close control. It makes you wonder what took him so long......

Rafael Van der Vaart - At a cut-price £8 million it would seem that Harry Redknapp has captured the bargain of the transfer window. And he still denies to be a wheeler dealer, people!! An interesting statistic is that Rafael Van der Vaart, whilst at Real Madrid, either scored or provided an assist at least one in three games in which he played.

Well, be it Real or Spurs, that statistic doesn’t look likely to end anytime soon. With a sublime touch and almost unrivalled passing ability, Rafael is now one of the best midfielders in the league. After providing Crouch with an assist in the Champions League last week, he stepped up to the spot to put away one for himself, allowing Tottenham to come back and take the spoils.

Ashley Young - With as much pace as Young has, I don’t think there is a full back in the league that wouldn’t find him a hand full. Bolton found out the hard way early on in the clash, when nobody could deal with the speed of Young, and he was continuously scythed down. This would be Bolton’s downfall, as not only can Ashley Young run with the ball, but he is also handy in a dead ball situation.

From a full 25 yards, Young lashed the ball over the wall, swerving into the near post to leave poor Bolton stand-in goalkeeper Bogdan with no hope of saving it. A sign of things to come this season for Villa and England.

Florent Malouda - Didn’t really get much of a look in whilst Mr Mourinho was at the helm but last season and the beginning of this one under Ancelotti has seen the French attacker really come into his own both in terms of assists and chipping in with goals of his own on more than one occasion.

Malouda is a part of the most potent strike force that any English league has seen in quite a long while and i don’t see that stopping at any point this season. After bagging himself a brace against the minnows of Blackpool his goal tally is already up to 6 in the league and if he doesn’t get into double figures i’ll eat my hat.

Peter Odemwingie - What a sensational buy this Uzbekistan-born Nigerian chap is for West Bromwich Albion. He has already appeared to attain a cult status at the Hawthorns, marking himself as a fan-favourite for giving 100% effort and never giving up. I’m sure the goals will help too. Another sleek finish was dispatched against Birmingham after his own good play lead to a hapless deflection off Scott Dann for the West Brom opener.

Dimitar Berbatov - Unquestionably the player of the weekend, and in my opinion, the headline performance of the season so far. Berbatov has been criticised by many, but adored by more than a few. In my opinion, we haven’t seen a player of this style since Cantona graced the Premiership.

The £32.75 million is looking like a bit of a bargain now isn’t it United fans? Berbatov is finally adding a few goals into his skillful game of subtlety. Three wonderfully taken goals, one of which was an overhead kick after setting himself up was sweet as it is but against bitter rivals Liverpool Manchester United couldn’t have asked any more of the Bulgarian magician. Simply outstanding.

Messi loss could un-Masch Javier's potential - Ryan Duggins

Its only until Barcelona lose a key player that you take note of how thin they are in terms quality in numbers. Risks are meant to be taken in football, as a manager puts together his starting 11 that will dominate the opposition with not just ease, but with numerous plaudits of orgasm behind it. But what of the back-up...

Pep Guardiola has already stated, not like he had to, that Lionel Messi is 'almost irreplaceable' and that they will struggle without him. Although the fixtures that Barcelona will be Messi-less don't include a massive test, the terraces at the Nou Camp should be wary.

But why is it that the forward line don't have sufficient replacements? Even compared with the other positions within the Barcelona squad; Yes, a loss would hurt them, but they have players with experience that can come in. If Sergio Busquets is unavailable, Mascherano comes in. If Xavi has a tumble, they have Seidou Keita. Abidal gets injured, Maxwell comes in and the same is said for Dani Alves and his replacement Adriano. This general rotation is not a constant occurrence at Barcelona, but it does happen.

So what will Barcelona do? Well, the loss does seem big, but as they generally play with four free-roaming midfielders (unlike AC Milan, they're two wingers do like to get back and get involved with the play, rather than wait for the ball) the transition for Iniesta to move forward to the right-hand side wouldn't be too hard. The same can be said for Xavi, which is one of the basic positives of not playing with traditional wingers.

This may be a little bit of a redundant comment, but a loss to David Villa would be a lot more drastic. That specific Striker role for Barcelona has only really been coached to constant-prodigy and hardly quality Bojan Krkic, who seems to be immune to playing well before the 77^th minute.

So with several options to go with for Guardiola, which will he choose? I would suggest that a home game like this would be an ideal surrounding for Javier Mascherano to come into his own. Although Barcelona will lose a little going forward by playing Mascherano and Busquets in the same team, Sporting Gijon's chances will be even more limited than they would normally be. With these to morauding the midfield, extra work would have to be put in by the chosen third midfielder (be it Iniesta or Xavi) but this shoudn't really be a problem.

Or Bojan can start in the centre and David Villa pushed wide, which if happens, and I will stick my neck and say this, will consequent in an up-hill struggle.

Dimitr Berbatov - A portrait of the artist as a new man. Tom Ray

Saturday 13th September 2008. Manchester United against Liverpool at Anfield. Manchester United had included their new signing, Dimitar Berbatov, who signed for a fee in excess of 30 million, in their starting line up for the first time. Three minutes into the match, Berbatov showed just why Sir Alex had splashed the cash to bring him to Old Trafford, with a clever ball to set up Carlos Tevez to take the lead.


Fast forward to March 2010. Once again, Liverpool face Manchester United. However, Berbatov has to sit and watch the game from the touchline as an unused substitute. It’s been a difficult 18 months for the Bulgarian, with pundits and fans slating him for not only a lack of goals, but a lack of effort when he dons the famous red shirt. Word around the club in Manchester was that Dimitar’s days at the club were numbered, and that Sir Alex would be looking to recoup some of the money that was spent during the next transfer window. No one ever doubted his ability, but for a player that had commanded such a high transfer fee, fans expected more.


            "I learnt English by watching the godfather" - Dimitr Berbatov


Fast forward another six months to the 19th September 2010, and yet again, its Manchester United up against Liverpool. However, this time, Berbatov is the man of the moment, scoring 4 goals in 4 appearances this season. Following Manchester United’s poor result in midweek against Rangers, a game which Berbatov was rested and Sir Alex has since admitted he wish that he had played the Bulgarian striker, Berbatov was back in the side.


88 minutes into the match, and as we had seen on numerous occasions during Berbatov’s time at Manchester United, his number came up on the substitute board. However, what rang out from the stands within the theatre of dreams must have been music to his ears. Over 75,000 had witnessed a stellar performance, which showed why Ferguson had spent over £30 million on the striker. The Bulgarian had scored a hat trick against their rivals, something which no one had done for 64 years. Whilst the marking might be questioned for his first goal, he still managed to get his header in the back of the net. His second goal however, will be one that he will remember for a long time to come. The goal was what we expect from Berbatov, a great first touch, an attempt at something many others would not even think of, and a finish that could well be a contender for goal of the season. What happened after that goal might bring up question marks over Manchester United’s defence, but Berbatov had the final say, with another great header to seal the match and his hat trick.

So many times last season, Berbatov was a passenger, whilst Wayne Rooney led the line. However, after this weekend’s match, roles were reversed, and Berbatov was the one playing off the last man. Whilst Rooney continues to struggle on and off the field, fans will be hoping that he can continue his early season form, and help his club regain the Premier League title. The majority of fans from the red half of Manchester this morning, will be glad that their club said to Tottenham two years ago, “I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse.”

AC Milan fail again, and it won't be the last time - Ryan Duggins

A very unconvincing start to this seasons campaign continued this weekend, as Milan were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Catania. This rather sluggish and completely unpolished display follows a 2-0 win over Auxerre (in which the scoreline flatters them to a ridiculous level) and a 2-0 defeat to Cesena. With optimism around the red and black portions of the San Siro, fans are becoming rightfully disrupted by this start to the season. So let us delve...

The main problem lies within the tactical abilities of Massimiliano Allegri. It is hilariously lazy to just say that the core of the team are a little old, but these guys are very talented professionals who are not adapting. Against Catania, the team was very much split into two parts. You had the front three of Ronaldinho, Z'ibra and Inzaghi, none of which have ever tracked back in their entire lives. So with a maximum of 8 players behind the ball, you need the sprightly guys to really put a shift in, to cut out any kind of venom from the opponent. But where are they?

If you decide to play this 4-3-3 formation, then the first thing you do is make sure that the guys on the wing will track back, and the three midfielders also have very good engines. OK, maybe you can get away with one older hat that will sit in the centre and dictate, but not two. Seedorf and Pirlo can not play in this kind of project. If you put these two in the same three-man midfield, not only will you reside yourself to the termination of the third midfielder, but you will leave yourself always open to the counter. This is exactly what has happened to AC Milan.

So you have a front three who wait for the ball, and a midfield that also wait for the ball, which will surely mean that the back four, if nothing else, will be as strong as oxen and have the pace of a spirited gazelle in a rush. This is not the case, as Thiago Costa was the youngest player for Milan at 25 against Catania, and his reading of the game left the hosts almost constantly under threat.

Up until now, Milan have relied on the big names to get them out of a sticky situation, but this can not continue. One day, Ronaldinho won't be able to cut through, and Z'Ibra will be off form, which will lead to a demoralising destruction. New manager Allegri needs to look at his squad as individual entities to a successful team, rather than the names of the players that he has been dreaming of managing.

The Champions leagues dark, but not devious, horses - Alex 'Double barrel' Jones-Williams

The Qualifiers have been played, teams have been eliminated and we are now under way in  the 2010/2011 Champions League campaign. Everyone is excited about seeing the likes of real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea and all of the other big guns through to the latter stages. This has prompted me to look at the teams that appear to be here for the ride, but who may surprise a few people by venturing into the latter stages. Here are my Dark Horses:

Who would have thought that we would be sitting here, watching  Tottenham prepare for a Champions League Campaign? At the beginning of the 2009/2010 season Aston Villa, with their previous season challenging for the top four, Man City with their new found millions and maybe Everton who finished 5^th the previous two seasons were considered the teams to break the top four blockade. 

However, Tottenham surprised everyone, jumping from 8^th to 4^th in one season. This enabled qualification for the 3^rd qualifying round where they negotiated through to the group stage, via a plucky Young Boys team. They now find themselves in a much tougher situation against the qualities of Werder Bremen, Inter Milan and FC Twente.

Tottenham will look to the the likes of Modric, Bale and Lennon for that European spark, and with the addition of Van der Vaart, they will create a lot of chances for the front men . If Tottenham can gel, they have a strong chance of making the last 16. With the quality they have, they will be able to cause anyone problems as in the knockout stages, anything can happen. Watch out Europe, Tottenham have arrived!

Schalke 04

Schalke 04 sit in a group with Champions league veterans Lyon, Portuguese Champions Benfica and Israeli Giants (European minnows); Hapoel Tel Aviv. This could be considered the group of mediocrity, given the similar level of Lyon, Benfica and Schalke 04 and then the low standard of Hapoel Tel Aviv. Schalke 04 attainned the runners up spot behind an impressive Bayern Munich in what was one of the most competitive leagues in the world last season. To this team, they have added the lethal finishing of Huntelaar and all time Champions league top scorer Raul. If Schalke can perform to a similar level to which they performed last season, Raul and Huntelaar may be able to put the icing on the cake. Given the nature of the group, Schalke have a realistic chance of top spot. This would enable them to get theoretically an easier draw. Maybe a Quarter Final appearance is on the cards for this feisty German team.

Bursaspor

Bursaspor look one of the least likely teams to do anything in the Champions League this season. They sit in a group with one of the favourites, Manchester United, the always dangerous Valencia and the inconsistent Scottish Champions, Rangers. 

On the face of this group, it looks like a straight fight for 3^rd place between Rangers and Bursaspor, as Manchester and Valencia fans will be very confident of qualification. However, Bursaspor shocked Super Lig followers by becoming only the 2nd team outside of Istanbul to win the title, pipping Turkish giants Galatasaray and Fenerbache. In the 2009-2010 season, Bursaspor scored the most goals, spreading them around the team and the second meanest defence. If they can continue their rise from the Turkish league into the Champions league, with players like Turkish prodigy Yildirim Sercan, they may be able to challenge Valencia for that 2^nd place finish in the group. For those fans of Rangers of Valencia, don’t think that your picking up six points from Bursaspor because they may take six points from you if you underestimate them, especially from you Rangers!

Panathinaikos

Panathinaikos are in a tough group with Barcelona, who we all know, Rubin Kazan who proved tough opposition for Barcelona and Inter Milan and minnows of the group FC Kobenhavn. Looking at this group, it appears to be a straight fight for 2^nd between Panathinaikos and Rubin Kazan, with Barcelona top and Kobenhavn bottom. Panathinaikos won the Greek Super League last season with a mix of youth with players like ‘wonder kid’, Sotiris Ninis, experience with players like Gilberto Silva, Proven Greek internationals like Giourkas Seitaridis and players who had something to prove, like Liverpool flop Djibril Cisse, who shone last season, scoring 23 goals. 

This season they have strengthened an already strong squad with players like Jean Alain Boumsong, who can assure the defence if he plays to his potential, Sidney Govou who is a veteran of the Champions League, Luis Garcia who some say single handily took Liverpool to the Champions League final in 2005, and a youth player/flop from Liverpool in Plessis who will be hoping to go the same way as Leto and Cisse. This is a squad littered with Champions league experience, and  if they can keep Cisse fit on top of that, with maybe a few Luis Garcia Stunners along the way, who knows how far they can go. With all of these former Liverpool players, can they shock Europe as much as Liverpool did in 2005?

Roma

Maybe this is a sign to show how far they have fallen in recent years, as Roma are no longer a team that the general football fans around the world see as a great threat. They are seen as a beatable team by anyone who plays them. Roma share a group with Champions league runners up, Bayern Munich, Swiss legends Basel and CFR Cluj, who surprised everyone in their last Champions League campaign. No doubt, Basel and Cluj will target Roma as an achievable scalp, However, I’m not so sure Roma will be that easy to beat. I even think that Roma may dare to win the group. Roma missed out on the Serie A title by a mere two points last season, and they are still hanging on to Totti, who is capable of great things. Beyond that, they do have some good young talent in Menez and Okaka, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Fulham. If Roma can take last year’s league form into the Champions League this year, they have the potential to be dangerous, especially with the tinker man, Claudio Ranieri in charge.

Marseille

Marseille sit in a group with Premiership champions Chelsea, Russian familiars Spartak Moscow and Slovakian Minnows MSK Zilina. Marseille and Spartak Moscow will be fighting for that 2^nd qualification place, that's a clear given, but the head-to-head matches will be too nervy and close for either team to come out as the clear winner. However, I think MSK Zilina will have a say in who qualifies by taking point off one of them. In my opinion, Marseille have been in this competition too many times to underestimate any team, and they have got the quality to get past small, compact teams like MSK Zilina. If Marseille manage to qualify, I think they have the quality to commit a few giant killings with attacking full backs, Azpilicueta and Taiwo and the strike force of the in-demand Remy, Shakhtar Donetsk legend Brandao and the ever improving target man, Andre Pierre-Gignac. Can Marseille emulate Lyon by making the semi-finals? Ligue 1 says that they are the better team.

Ajax

If you want to see goals, watch Ajax! An incredible 106 goals in a mere 34 games they shipped in last year, and on top of that, they had the best defence in the league. Nobody knows how Ajax didn’t win the league last season ahead of FC Twente. 

They have started the season in similar goal scoring fashion, scoring 16 in four. The question is, can Ajax score their way out of the group of death and into the knockout stage? They have been dealt a nasty card, trying to score past teams, AC Milan, Real Madrid and Auxerre. Interestingly enough, all of these teams play a tight, defensive game; AC Milan ply their trade in the notoriously defensive Serie A, Real Madrid look as if they will play a typical Mourihno 1-0 style of football and Auxerre negotiated their way into the champions league playing tight defensive football, scoring the odd winner. Ajax are somewhat of an anomaly in this group. Can the likes of Luis Suarez Score past this higher standard of defence with similar regularity? If they can, they must have a chance, as the winner of the Champions League may very well come from this group.

SC Braga

Group H is surely a bit of a breeze for Arsenal with Braga, with Partizan and Shakhtar Donetsk in their group. However, both Partizan and Shakhtar will look at this scenario and see qualification as a possibility. Braga have been wholly impressive in the Champions league qualifiers, smashing Celtic and beating Seville, showing that they are no pushovers and that they can beat quality opposition. 

Braga have an endless supply of talented Braziians in their team who took them to 2^nd in the league and now to the Champions League group stage. Shakhtar have some quality, but I feel that they lack the edge that Braga have, and I believe that Partizan just aren’t good enough. The fact that they come from a better league than Shaktar will see them through to the knockout stage where they might struggle, but who knows, as this Braga team is a bit of an unknown entity.

All of these teams have a chance to upset the odds and have good European seasons, but my tip of tips is Panathinaikos. I feel that they have players with an abundance of Champions League experience and some talented young players. It just looks like a good mix to me and I can see them slaying some dragons.

The Shin Rollers Premiership team of the week - Rob Turner

Matthew Gilks - Nobody can deny this lad his spot in this weeks team of the week. Blackpool outplayed Newcastle in every position on the pitch this weekend, but nobody stood out more than Matt Gilks. A host of absolutely world class saves kept Newcastle at bay when they found their way into the Blackpool area much to the frustration of Andy Carroll and 49,000 other geordies.

Paulo Ferreira - It should really go without saying that the Chelsea strike-force is nothing short of potent, scoring no less than thirty one times in their previous six premier league matches. However, in the same six games the Chelsea defence had not conceded a single goal. Paulo Ferreira, in my opinion a brilliant servant to Chelsea, has a hand in both of these impressive statistics, and against West Ham he shows this to scarily efficient effect. Solid at the back, but bombing beyond his midfield to provide balls into the box that Beckham himself would be proud of. This makes Paulo my player of the weekend.

Roger Johnson - How this guy hasn’t made an England squad in the last twelve months is beyond me. Helping Birmingham to easily escape the drop last season, he has gone on to help the Blues achieve a reputation of being difficult to break down, especially at the new Fortress St Andrews. This weekends visitors Liverpool, akin to many other teams, simply couldn’t break through the Birmingham defence mainly due to Roger Johnson keeping Fernando Torres quiet for ninety minutes. Stellar performance from an increasingly impressive centre back.

Christopher Samba - One word comes to mind when describing this giant of a centre back, that word being versatile. When Sam Allardyce struggled for options up-front last season, the last person you’d thing he would call on was Mr Samba, but call on him he did, and didn’t he do well! Thus far this season Christopher Samba has stuck to what he knows best and this week helped his Blackburn team to steal a point from the billion dollar team, Manchester City.

Nicky Shorey - Similar to his full England debut when he kept the Brazilians at bay in a 1-1 draw, Shorey didn’t allow last seasons high flyers Tottenham a seconds peace to let their creative juices flow. From his days of great potential back at Leyton Orient he has, as everyone expected, reached the dizzy heights of premiership football. On performances like that on Saturday, nobody is remotely surprised. Let’s hope Nicky can be the player to finally challenge Ashley Cole for the England left-back spot!

Sebastian Larsson - Seb has come a long long way since his youth days at Arsenal. What started as a potential talent has finally begun to shake of that potential tag and really show what he can do with a revitalised Birmingham City team. Larsson is an important building block in the team providing the flair to go along with the solidity of other members of the team. Cameron Jerome must love having him in the squad as his balls into the box have been sublime as of late and against Liverpool there has never been a better example. 

Mikel Arteta - One of the biggest downsides of last season was that Arteta didn’t take part in much of it. However, almost eleven months on the sidelines didn’t deter the boy one bit from returning with vengeance. After hitting the ground running at the fall of last season he back, willing and more than able to provide Everton with that much needed quality to help them reach the dizzy heights of high profile European football next term. The Spain set-up is the best in world football currently and Mikel is owed a chance to step into the breach and get a chance at fitting himself into their midfield alongside Xavi and Iniesta because he sure does have the quality. Everton’s biggest coup of recent time was not only signing this guy but last February attaching him to a five year contract.

                                                                        

Michael Essien - When a 5’ 10” holding midfielder is winning ariel battles against a 6’ 1” centre back, leading to two goals no less, you know said midfielder is definitely doing something right. Even against a West Ham side in crisis this statistic is impressive on its own merit. Everybody already knew Essien has bags of talent and that it was a shame he couldn’t represent his home nation in his home continent at the World Cup, but boy oh boy is he back with a bang. It took Essien less than two minutes to make his mark and throughout the entire season i guarantee he makes my team of the week on numerous occasions.

Matthew Etherington - Having had his ups and downs in recent years, Matty Etherington has finally found his spiritual home at The Potters. Naturally left-sided, a good quality final ball and the odd goal now and again, the past two seasons Etherington has been Mr consistent and showed this trait to great effect against Aston Villa helping them to a last gasp win giving them their first points of this campaign. Etherington set up both of Stoke’s goals in their 2-1 win giving them future impetus to get out of the relegation zone.

Asamoah Gyan - A dream start to his career in English football. On debut . There was not a lot more Asamoah Gyan could have asked for this weekend. We learnt from the world cup that he had something special but I myself questioned whether or not he could translate that into the premier league setting. With only half an hour to express himself he has already started to show that he most definitely can. A sublime ball in from Henderson was classily swept in on the volley mid-flight by Gyan. Let’s hope that this class and entertaining celebrations happen on a regular basis.


D.J. Campbell - Everybody worried that Blackpool would struggle. Not only at the back but in the goal-scoring department. Those worries have so far gone unfounded. Marlon Harewood has finally found his shooting boots after a fair few years and Luke Varney is stepping up to premiership level. In D.J. Campbell Blackpool have bought a real bargain. He appears to have learnt the ways of the premiership with very little difficulty and has bagged a goal or two along the way, with yet another buried against Newcastle.

That was my very own team of the week circa 13th September 2010. Thanks for reading and i’ll be back this time next week with, you guessed it, those eleven players that stood on the shoulders of giants and expressed themselves more than the rest.

Keep those shin rollers in the back of the net!

Gary Neville loses the armband??? They might as well have declared me out of the running.

Last week I was made to feel a monster by an old friend of mine. The trusty pair of brown shoes, that I always used to wear for a night out, were sitting on the shelf next to several pairs of newer, less tatty, purchases that I have made during the lifespan of those shoes. I would throw them on maybe once every two weeks, with the holes in the sole and the uncomfortable hard back giving me a blisters, but my affiliation with the shoes forced me to.

I have had to tell them, at last, that they are no longer my favourite pair. They blatantly already knew though, but I felt it was good that I rubbed it in. It seems Alex Ferguson was inspired by this completely fictional story by letting Gary Neville know that he will no longer captain Manchester United.

This news comes at a ridiculous time, as I am sure that when G-Nev looked across to his left at Goodison Park, he would have realised that Vidic had the armband, thus solidifying the fact that he wouldn't be captain again.

Lets play this one with facts, and say that, generally speaking, Gary Neville has not been that much used to  captaining the side. He was given it after Roy Keane retired, but that little armband has been passed on more times than Steve Claridge. But, as we have learnt this weekend, Alex Ferguson has a lorra lorra lot of respect for his players.

But why mention it now? The armband is clearly up for grabs at united, and although never spoke about, the battle between the high-rollers has always been fiercely contested. Is there any coincidence that the question of the captaincy has been mentioned when Wayne Rooney, a player which Ferguson has dealt with almost parentally over the last few days, was pulled out of the side and is now gearing up for a game which will be crammed with patriotism and passion against Rangers.

Maybe so, as even Ferguson wouldn't hand Rooney the captaincy, would he? In my eyes, he will eventually, and with Giggs not taking it and Ferdinand almost constantly injured, Wayne is being manoeuvred and structured to take on the role, and in my opinion, the move will happen a lot sooner than you think.  

Ryan Dugins

The Shin Roller

The Shin Roller's first preview

Oooft, well that was difficult wasn't it, hey. Not being able to witness the Match of the day 2 programme which could easily be made in a pub, and filling in the hole in our lives that was vast as the premier league left us. Well, this is a lie because there wasn't a gap at all, but just genuine happiness across the whole of England. Well, that can't be the case this weekend, and how glad we are of it.

Lets kick off our little preview with a little nod to Everton, and the apparent England rock, Phil Jagielka, who has completely jumped on the negative attention of Wayne Rooney by telling the press, ridiculously openly, that he will be joining in with the Evertonians as they bombard the former Toffee with chants about his personal life. Steady on Jag's, surely he's a fellow professional of a much higher status, and quality, than yourself. But apparently, England ace Jag's will not only “find it amusing” when Rooney faces the wrath of Goodison park, but also thinks that Rooney is 'a big lad who will be able to take it.' Let me say that although the Shin Roller doesn't condone adultery, I do hope Rooney makes him look as average as he should realise he is on Saturday.

So, away from Saturdays lunch-time tasty affair, tomorrows fixtures are an accumulators nightmare.
Blackburn look tidy this year, and although away from home they do get the jitters, I wouldn't put it past an Allardyce 11 to get a result at Manchester City.

Avram Grant has been at the wrong end of a lot of stick from the media over the last few weeks, with reason really, as West Ham have endured their worse ever start to a season. Can they pull it off with Chelsea being the visitors? Yes, swiftly moving on...

Blackpool take their tangerine terrors (maybe not, especially not the fans who seem constantly high on Haribo) to St James Park for a Championship reunion. I think last time Blackpool played was the first time I actually didn't like Fulham (by the way, there is officially something wrong with you if you don't like Fulham) when Dembele, who looks very handy indeed, broke through to level at 2-2. Is that the way Blackpool's season will go? How can we speculate so soon, but here's hoping they get at least a decent performance against Houghton's Toon Army.

Like every romantic football fan through the world cup, I was almost gleeful to see that Ghana's Asamoah Gyan will be joining the premiership. At Sunderland as well, a team that need him desperately. Did Sunderland need to land such a signing with no real goals other than solidarity, or is this a sign of Steve Bruce's intentions? All I know is, Gyan and Bent, on paper, where we all know all good football is played, do look like a partnership that could work. They travel to Wigan, where the only thing we can be of sure is that the stadium will be empty, which is a real shame.

Now we get on the tube to Fulham, and to be honest, who knows. Wolves look very strong and compact, but so do Fulham. However, the little extra creativity that a Mark Hughes team will always have, should be enough to unlock the Wolves defence. But how many times, as one goal won't be enough to keep an unbeaten wolves out of the game. An interesting one this.

Bolton also make a trip to London, and quite rightly with a little less optimism. Bolton do tend to ship the goals in under Coyle, and I expect nothing less this weekend. If it wasn't for a poor penalty and some tragic defending of long balls, West Ham could have won a game they eventually lost 3-1, but Bolton won't be able to ride their luck, never mind the storm that Arsenal will bring on Saturday. Big win officially predicted.

We do love him, don't we. And why not, as general consensus tells us that Roberto Di Matteo is more than a likeable character, but a great manager. Bringing back Marc-Antoine Fortune will frustrate a lot of baggies fans as he seemed just as panicky in front of goals for Celtic as he did in his previous stint in the Midlands. William Gallas and Rafael Van Der Vaart could both make their Spurs debuts on Saturday, and with Jermain Defoe out for a while, you would suggest that the Dutchman should start this one. Robbie Keane anyone? Nah, thought not.

Liverpool vs Birmingham on Sunday, of which an overwhelming image of a constantly underrated striker banging in an absolute bullet past Reina is all I can see. Jerome has started poorly this year, and the excuses are starting to run out for the Striker, but with the added creativity of an almost tragic Alexander Hleb, he just get a few more chances per game. Liverpool, hey? We love Hogdson and Joey, but things haven't quite clicked yet. Although the Shin Roller team didn't get behind the certain so-called 'pundits' who suggested that Liverpool were title contenders, we did think they would figure in the race on some level.

And our weekends action ends at Stoke, where none other than Eidur Gudjohnsen now lives, and hopes to ply his trade. I say hopes, because however good a creative player you might be, under Pullis its never that simple. And Gerrard Houllier will probably be in the managers seat at the Villa. Personally, I would have loved to see Bob Bradley take the helm, but alas this was not the case. Villa look poor, and although we all do fancy a bit of Albrighton, a home win shouldn't be too difficult

So that's it ladies and gentlefolk, your first preview piece. I am sure you had fun reading because you are good people, and we will be back soon with reaction, interaction and maybe even a little apprehension. I'm off to see if Rooney needs a cuddle.

Ryan Duggins
The Shin Roller

Welcome to The Shin Roller Website

Well why not hey, hey, might as well I suppose, as the door is open for your introduction to the Shin Roller Website, and my word are you in store for an experience.

Granted that is all we can possibly, with out any doubt, promise you. An experience, and the level enjoyment will be a direct response of how enjoyable we are. So....you're pretty much in for it then, aren't you.

We love football here at the Shin Roller, and this will be not just expressed, but slapped, into your world in the form of blogs, our podcast, our Shinertube feature and anything we feel you need to know.

We are mere pubescent pupils to this, but hopefully, the site will be full flowing with plaudits and kind reviews shortly, but until that day, we will try to brighten up your own day with some great footballing pirouettes.

Shin Rollllleeerrrrr!!!!!

Ryan Duggins
The Shin Roller