Ipswich Town yet again failed to put in a good performance when fellow strugglers Peterborough United came to Portman Road on Saturday.
If the Tractor Boys were playing against a better side then it could have been another thrashing but thankfully the visitors were just as poor as the home team.
I have no idea what the Ipswich defence were doing when Lee Tomlin broke into the box. No matter how many times I watch the goal I can’t work out how they managed to let Tomlin have so much space to shoot. Ipswich did not even have a shot on target in the first half and if it wasn’t for Peterborough’s equally poor play then Ipswich would have never got back into the game. Perhaps the away side will feel like they could have won the game as Mick McCarthy’s side never looked like winning it.
Peterborough are mine and probably everyone else’s favorites to be relegated. The fact that Ipswich looked second best to a team destined for League One worries me greatly.
We can perhaps forgive the team for getting thumped by teams like Leicester, Blackpool and Crystal Palace because they are decent sides, but when they get showed up by the divisions weaker sides we have to draw the line and say that it is completely unacceptable.
You have to look at the likes of Lee Martin and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas who get paid above average wages for those at Championship level and think what do they do to deserve those wages? Of course it is unfair to just single out two players but they are two prime examples of players that look like they don’t even care about their careers, let alone Ipswich’s league position.
Thankfully, Lee Martin’s contract is up in the summer so he will either be leaving or he will be signing a new contract on lower wages. I know a lot of fans think he has the potential to set the Championship alight but personally I would not have a problem with the club letting him go, even if it is for nothing. Yes he did win us a penalty and yes he may have the occasional good run of form once a season where he looks like one of our best players, but that is not really enough to justify having him around. With a bit more consistency I would consider him an average player at this level but nothing more than that. Most of the time he looks uninterested and it is a shame that he is letting what talent he has go to waste.
In fairness the same could be said for Jay Emmanuel-Thomas as the tricky winger has been far from his best this season. JET has always lacked consistency and even more importantly lacked composure in the final third of the pitch. It is exciting to see the former Arsenal player’s fancy footwork, weaving in and out of defenders to break into the box, but his inability to provide a decent cross or shot really lets him down.
Sometimes you get the impression that JET is really fired up for the game and defenders panic any time he gets near them. However once the winger knows he has a regular place in the team he starts to slack off, losing his enthusiasm and flair. Recently he has started on the bench and looks more up for games when he eventually does come on but why should we keep a highly paid player at the club who can never maintain a regular starting role?
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Like I mentioned before, these two players are not the only ones failing to pull their weight but they summarise the kind of players that are at Ipswich. If they don’t even care about their own careers then the club has no chance of getting the best out of them. January can’t come soon enough, hopefully McCarthy will get the money to bring some real footballers into the club.
As Steve Davis approaches the anniversary of his first year in charge of Crewe Alexandra, the 47 year old manager will sit down in front of an audience of fans this coming Friday to answer questions in a rather refreshing interaction between supporters and management. Likely to be the agenda will be the future of the club, potential transfer targets, the use of the money garnered from sales of Nick Powell and Ashley Westwood in the summer and Davis’ longevity in the face of reported interest in his services from Burnley.
Burnley have seemingly avoided Davis, opting for ex-Watford man Sean Dyche, but as loyalty becomes an increasingly deteriorating commodity in football, the future of the young manager remains a pertinent question following a hugely impressive first year dabble in league management; 10 defeats in 44 games is the record and one that will post his name on the shortlists of clubs with a vacancy to fill, just as long as it takes him to put pen to paper on his proposed new deal.
An offer of a fresh 18 month contract for the talented manager is yet to be signed despite Davis’ vocal claims that he wishes to remain in South Cheshire and speculation will remain until it is all cleared up. Supporters are likely to bring that up on Friday evening as Davis, who hopes to, in his words, “take Crewe as far as he can take them” begins to face queries on that particular plan as the Alex begin to stall on the pitch.
Friday’s grilling will occur on the eve of an FA Cup tie with Wycombe Wanderers at Gresty Road which, if nothing else, offers a chance for Crewe to gain confidence from a welcome distraction from league duty. Consistency however, has been a huge issue so one would expect a result to be another false dawn following yet another disappointing defeat, this time at home to Yeovil, in the aftermath of a promising home win over Swindon Town. Crewe have failed to register back-to-back league victories this season that has yielded 6 defeats, 5 draws and 4 wins, an erratic run of results that appears echelons away from last season’s 20 match unbeaten run that ensured promotion. Such stuttering form provides a macrocosm for Davis away from Friday’s Q and A as he faces questions on the field and has yet to find answers.
Any optimism built from Tuesday’s unexpected victory over Swindon was quickly and effectively extinguished by a clever Yeovil outfit that embodied Gary Johnson’s wealth of experience of lower league football. A frustrated Steve Davis accused the Glovers of reverting to physical, long ball play, but such assessment would have been harsh to a team that utilised two clever, quick wingers, Keanu Marsh-Brown outstanding on the right hand side, and proved a strong counter-attacking outfit.
Yeovil passed the ball well in-fact, around a midfield that struggled to get to grips with possession. In the absence of the injured Abdul Osman, Ollie Turton toiled in a performance reflective of his inexperience while Luke Murphy also struggled to make his mark on the game, unfortunately failing to build on his excellent performance on Tuesday night.
The warning signs were there before Byron Webster swept home from a corner for the game’s only goal, Paddy Madden headed a cross from Sam Foley into the net only to see it ruled out for offside as Yeovil prevented the Alex from getting the ball down to play their natural passing game. Byron Moore and Chuks Aneke were denied by Marek Stech but they were both weak efforts as Crewe’s attack too often petered out with minimal effect.
Mathias Pogba endeavoured up front alone but appeared isolated in his struggles to hold the ball up. Davis rightly bemoaned the absences of Ajay Leitch-Smith and Max Clayton in attack but would have expected a more telling contribution from the likes of Aneke, a casual player becoming far too much of a luxury and Michael West, who in the manager’s post-match words, was completely off the pace. The winger was withdrawn in the latter stages for Brendan Daniels as Crewe improved, but it was all to late as Yeovil’s rearguard action forced the home side to run out of ideas and deservedly returned back to Somerset with a relatively comfortable three points.
Crewe will argue misfortune at times where the ball just didn’t fall kindly, but the harsh reality was that the tally of chances, two Aneke shots and a half-volley from Pogba that cleared the bar the most notable, were counted on one hand. Davis, by reports, cut an angry figure after the whistle sounded, locking his players up for an elongated period before verbally dressing down the referee’s assessor. A more calculated, calmer view was offered later in which he vowed to look at changing personnel and bringing players in which is clearly needed in a week that will bring a lot of Qs the manager’s way. It is up to him, as he tries to prove his loyalty in the run up to the one-year mark of a mightily successful reign so far, to find the As.
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With nearly half of the season gone already in the top flight, every team is readying itself for the busy and potentially decisive festive period, which can often make or break any European hopes any respective club may secretly harbour. But with both the Manchester clubs seemingly assured of Champions League football again next term, what about the other hopefuls, such as Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham, Everton, Newcastle and Arsenal? Let’s take a look and assess their chances.
Last season, Chelsea’s success by triumphing in the most unlikely of circumstances saw them clinch the final qualifying place despite only finishing 6th in the Premier League, cruelly relegating Tottenham to the Europa League. After all, as Liverpool fans experienced after their shock success back in 2005, it’s difficult to call it the ‘Champions League’ when it doesn’t have the defending champions in it and along with Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United, England had its four representatives, who, by and large, most people would have predicted prior to the season beginning, even if the route was somewhat convoluted this time around. This season, though, the race for a top four place looks wide open and several teams stand a reasonably good chance of gatecrashing the party.
The fact that so many of the top sides are currently in a period that they would term as ‘transition’ means for the first time in recent memory, there could be two places up for grabs in the top four, with only Sir Alex Ferguson’s and Roberto Mancini’s sides good enough to string a consistent run of form together at the moment, despite their obvious deficiencies and each and every challenger has gone through a period of rotten form already.
Chelsea currently sit in third in the league table at the moment, but a ten-point gap has slowly but surely opened up behind United and they’ve slipped well off the pace, long before the deeply unpopular Rafa Benitez ever stepped through the door at Stamford Bridge. The team’s blistering start was unexpected, yet they lack leaders throughout the team aside from the traditional and much-maligned ‘old guard’ and they look brittle at the back when put under any sort of pressure.
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They became the first defending champions to crash out at the first hurdle in mid-week despite hammering Nordsjaelland 6-1 at home, with the damage already done under Di Matteo and the disappointing 2-2 draw at home to Juventus proving costly. They are currently on a run of seven games without a win in the Premier League and the struggles of Fernando Torres up front refuse to go away, with the spectre of Falcao looming large. Nevertheless, the sheer amount of quality that they have within the squad should mean they are there or thereabouts by the end of the term and they always retain the ability to strengthen heavily in January should they need to, and you suspect they just might to try this route to success again in the hope of reviving a flagging campaign.
Arsenal produced a stunning comeback in form towards the back end of last season from February onwards, overhauling a huge lead that their north London rivals Tottenham had on them in the process on their way to third place, but a repeat performance looks unlikely at best at the moment. They’ve qualified for the Champions League during the past 15 consecutive seasons under Arsene Wenger, a tremendous run which he deserves credit for, but without someone like Robin van Persie to lead the line, they look short of not only confidence, but quality in several key areas and they look unlikely to extend it to 16 seasons in a row this year.
My tip for the top four this season was Tottenham and I’ll stand by that given the progress the team is currently making under Andre Villas-Boas, particularly given the sheer pace of change at the club over the past few months. While they are a flawed outfit, prone to capitulation, they look capable of stringing together a run of results more than most of their rivals for a top four spot. It’s imperative that they keep Moussa Dembele fit, though, for without him, they lack energy and conviction in the middle of the park, while they could also do with a new centre-half in January, but they finally appear to be hitting their stride and look set to make the top four for the second season running for my money.
Another team with an outside chance of making the grade is Everton, who happen to be going through their own patch of sticky form right at this minute, which has seen them draw seven of their last nine league games, winning just one. After a fantastic start, the traditional slow-starters have seemingly gone about their season in reverse and there’s a sense that they’ve failed to capitalise when the going has been good to establish themselves while others around them have floundered. They are still just three points off the pace and Tottenham in fourth place, but draws against the likes of QPR, Norwich and Wigan, not to mention the late equaliser they conceded against Fulham and their recent defeat to Reading could come back to haunt them further down the line. They are only one Marouane Fellaini injury away from their hopes being ended, and while they remain a solid, organised and increasingly attractive outfit to watch, their inability to grind out results and keep clean sheets could cost them dearly.
Their Merseyside rivals Liverpool are another team deemed with an outside chance of making the top four this season under new boss Brendan Rodgers and there’s evidence that slowly but surely they are adjusting to their new style of play with some success. They currently sit in 11th, but just seven points behind Tottenham in a tightly-congested table and their recent nine-game unbeaten run pointed to progress being made. The dampening of expectations around Anfield this summer, coupled with the fact that they are relying heavily on inexperienced youth players and are overly-reliant on Luis Suarez means they are not the best organised to make the step up required. The return of Lucas Leiva from injury should see them finish in the top eight, possibly even top six, and the club’s fans would have taken that at the start of the season; they are building towards a genuine challenge within a couple of years, but for the moment, it may have come too early for them and they need to remain realistic.
Finally, we move over to Newcastle, a side that’s failed to live up to expectations under Alan Pardew this season and one which is struggling with their own variant of second-season syndrome. With such a small squad, every injury and suspension has been keenly felt, while the lack of investment in the summer was tantamount to gross negligence; a needless tightening of the purse strings at the precise time when they needed to be loosened. The balancing act of European and Premier League football has proven too much to handle for them this season and they look set for a campaign of mid-table obscurity, which is a deeply disappointing follow-up performance to their fantastic breakthrough last year.
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If I had to stick my neck out on the line and predict the top four by May, coincidentally, it would look exactly the same as it does now, with Chelsea and Tottenham joining the sure-fire bets of United and City. The increasingly competitive nature of the top flight has made predicting the Champions League spots harder to predict than ever, with Swansea and West Brom also worthy of a mention after their early season form, but over the course of a long campaign, the teams with the most money will gradually edge ahead, with Arsenal’s decline creating the conditions for which another club can now steal a spot.
It’s far from sown up yet and Everton still stand the best shot out of all the remaining contenders if you ask me, but it’ll prove exceedingly difficult for the likes of Newcastle and Liverpool to come back after their slow starts. Clinching a top four spot is still considered the Holy Grail in England, with Arsene Wenger even ranking it above winning the League Cup, but with 23 games of the campaign left and such an open race, it promises to deliver a few twists and turns yet – the flawed nature of all the usual suspects practically guarantees it.
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It might seem to outsiders that Celtic’s league campaign was business as usual in Glasgow but the Hoops actually had one of the best league campaigns in Scottish football history, racking up an incredible 99 points and 102 goals. This is in contrast to last season when they only managed 79 points.
While improving on domestic league consistency was one of Neil Lennon’s stated aims at the start of the season many fans were left disappointed when Lennon’s men were dumped out of both the Scottish Cup and League Cup. The fans live in a microcosm of football where anything less than a double is frowned upon.
It was a disappointing season in Europe too after failing to recreate those special nights in 2012/13 on their way to qualifying for the UEFA Champions League knockout stages.
In this roller coaster of a season, we count down on who fired the Bhoys to glory and who left the Celtic support scratching their heads in frustration.
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21. Derk Boerrigter
Appearances (Sub): 8 (15)
Goals: 1
Yellow Cards: 0
Red Cards: 0
Derk Boerrigter arrived last Summer from Ajax as one of Neil Lennon’s key signings ahead of another tilt at the UEFA Champions League. Quoted as costing anywhere between £1m and £3m, most Celtic fans wish he’d stayed on the injury tables in Amsterdam than using the ones in Glasgow.
Having a notorious injury record in his home country, he arrived claiming to the Scottish press he was no ‘sick note’ only to be sidelined by injury a day after that interview.
Appearances were few and far between after and when he did play he didn’t look like he had much to offer the Scottish Champions domestically, never mind in Europe.
20. Amido Balde
Appearances (Sub): 3 (21)
Goals: 3
Yellow Cards: 0
Red Cards: 0
Another Summer signing last year, Amido Balde has not shown any of the promise he did in the Portuguese Primeira Liga the season prior.
The description of ‘raw’ Neil Lennon used to describe the striker on his arrival proved to be accurate, he is by no means the finished product.
Despite scoring 3 goals coming off the bench, it perhaps says it all that the highlight of his season was a goal in a Turkish friendly tournament during the Winter break. Will we see more of that or will he leave quietly in a loan deal back to Portugal?
19. Beram Kayal
Appearances (Sub): 13 (7)
Goals: 1
Yellow Cards: 3
Red Cards: 0
Once touted as the next big thing in the Celtic midfield, it’s been a few years since the Israeli truly excited the fans in the stands in Glasgow.
Struggling to cement his place in the side over the emerging Nir Biton or unnatural midfielder Charlie Mulgrew has led to speculation that this season might be his last in green and white.
If it is, he at least left with one memorable goal in the Champions League this season, his goal allowing victory over Ajax in the group stages.
18. Liam Henderson
Appearances (Sub): 4 (4)
Goals: 1
Yellow Cards: 1
Red Cards: 0
Liam Henderson would likely be much higher in this list had his cameo this season not been so late in the day. A product of Celtic’s state of the art Lennoxtown facility, the 18 year old has impressed fans and pundits North of the border even this early in his career.
His crowning moment was undoubtedly the assured finish that sent Celtic on their way to clinching the title against Partick Thistle, his first senior goal.
It’ll be interesting to see if he can lay a marker down as someone Neil Lennon can turn to on a regular basis next season. One to watch.
17. Darnell Fisher
Appearances (Sub): 10 (3)
Goals: 0
Yellow Cards: 2
Red Cards: 0
Another youth that broke through the ranks this season was 20 year old Darnell Fisher. After injuries to Mikael Lustig and Adam Matthews, Neil Lennon trusted the young Englishman enough to step up and become a starting right back.
He didn’t disappoint, his pace and eye for a cross evident in the 10 league starts he made. It’s only because of the quality of the likes of Lustig and Matthews that he didn’t feature more.
There’s been reports he’s out of contract this Summer and wherever he plays next season be it at Celtic or back in England, he definitely has a bright career ahead of him.
16. Teemu Pukki
Appearances (Sub): 16 (16)
Goals: 7
Yellow Cards: 2
Red Cards: 0
Teemu Pukki arrived from the Bundesliga last Summer as arguably Celtic’s biggest signing. The Finn has had a difficult time with glimpses of quality usually drowned out by runs of mediocre outings.
Neil Lennon has stuck with the striker though, perhaps feeling that his lack of impact this season is down to adapting to life in Scotland and a lack of confidence more than his ability.
He divides Celtic fans with many writing him off already and many thinking he’s shown enough to at least have another chance next season. It looks likely he’ll get that chance regardless of their views and there’s a good chance he can been Celtic’s most improved player next campaign.
15. Georgios Samaras
Appearances (Sub): 23 (10)
Goals: 10
Yellow Cards: 6
Red Cards: 0
Ah Georgios. The enigma. The flamboyant. The frustrating. No player in recent years has had a more interesting journey at Celtic Park than the big Greek. Once derided, then worshipped, his last season in a Celtic shirt seemed to be a summary of his previous 5.
With his contract up it seems certain he’ll leave but he managed to score on his last appearance against Dundee United. He burst into tears, the emotional moment proving that Celtic will always be in his heart and that he too will always be in the hearts of Celtic fans.
If only he was more consistent, he could have been a Celtic superstar.
14. Stefan Johansen
Appearances (Sub): 14 (3)
Goals: 2
Yellow Cards: 4
Red Cards: 0
Stefan Johansen has only been at Celtic since the end of January but has already become an integral member of the Celtic squad.
When Joe Ledley moved to Crystal Palace many worried that Celtic’s midfield would regress further after the departure of Victor Wanyama last Summer. The Norwegian eased those fears impacting with a series of man of the match performances and posing the question “Joe who?” in the minds of the Celtic fans.
If Celtic are to compete in Europe next season, Johansen will be a massive part of that. It was shrewd business to capture the Norwegian player of the year for only £2m or so. Is he the next big talent coming out of Glasgow? Time will tell.
13. Leigh Griffiths
Appearances (Sub): 11 (3)
Goals: 7
Yellow Cards: 3
Red Cards: 0
Griffiths arrived at Celtic Park in January and it’s fair to say the reaction of the fans amounted more to “Really?” than “Wow!”.
However, it was always clear the Edinburgh lad was going to bang in goals and bang them in hard.
He has proved that to be true and now looks like Celtic’s next great hope for goals after Gary Hooper moved down South.
There are serious question marks about his attitude and behaviour off the field and the greatest barrier to having a successful career in Glasgow looks to be the man himself.
If he sorts that out, there’s no stopping him.
12. Nir Biton
Appearances (Subs): 11 (9)
Goals: 0
Yellow Cards: 0
Red Cards: 1
The pick of last year’s Summer signings is this man, Israeli Nir Biton. The internationalist had a fine season in the Hoops, slotting deep into the midfield.
He didn’t find a regular position in the side until December but when he did, he made his mark, performing consistently well into February on Celtic’s long winning run in the league.
Had he not received a groin injury he probably would have made another 8-10 appearances. Regardless he looks destined to feature heavily next season and will be key in giving the side defensive steel in Europe.
11. Adam Matthews
Appearances (Sub): 26 (4)
Goals: 1
Yellow Cards: 3
Red Cards: 0
Adam Matthews is one of the best young wing backs in Britain. I’m firmly a believer that he could be a fine English Premier League player at a mid table side.
The Welshman had a frustrating season by his standards, unable to shake off niggling injuries throughout.
When he did play he excelled with excellent tackling, blistering pace and the eye for an end product. It looks likely he’s staying at Celtic for another Summer and at 22, still has plenty of time to improve and improve. If I was an English club I’d be very interested.
10. James Forrest
Appearances (Sub): 21 (6)
Goals: 7
Yellow Cards: 1
Red Cards: 0
Forrest is another player who hasn’t managed to hit the heights of his ability due to injury this season. This is something which is starting to become regular with the 22 year old and there are concerns within the Celtic support that injuries might define his Celtic career.
However, his impact this season, especially in its early stages cannot be denied. He was the man who sent Celtic into the Champions League group stages with his crucial last minute winner seeing off Shakther Karagandy in the playoffs.
Also scoring in the group stages vs Ajax, there’s no denying James Forrest still has a bright future ahead of him. Next season could be a massive one for him, can he realise the potential he’s shown for years now?
9. Mikael Lustig
Appearances (Subs): 23 (7)
Goals: 2
Yellow Cards: 2
Red Cards: 0
Mikael Lustig is a machine, a Terminator. Relentless, unstoppable, conquering. Seeing him cover Celtic’s right flank is a joy. You could spend 90 minutes watching him alone.
He would have been a player of the year contender had he not bowed out of the season in December for surgery. Up to that point he was a key player in Europe and absolutely demolishing all opponents domestically. The fact he keeps the fantastic Adam Matthews out of the team more often than not speaks volumes. Celtic are blessed to have two right backs of such quality.
He also scored a goal of the season contender away to Hearts in the Scottish Cup that was the pick of a 7 goal haul that should be youtube’d right now.
8. Charlie Mulgrew
Appearances (Subs): 37 (3)
Goals: 6
Yellow Cards: 9
Red Cards: 0
The utility man. It’s easy to overlook Charlie Mulgrew’s impact on Celtic because he performs a number of roles. This season it has been mostly in midfield. Football purists might sneer at a central defender stepping into the middle of the park but he hasn’t looked out of place.
Perhaps in Europe Celtic need a more dynamic performer, such as the previously mentioned Johansen but domestically Charlie has excelled sitting deep and spreading passes across the park.
He suits Celtic and Celtic suit him, with his set piece capability also a big danger for the opposition it looks like Neil Lennon will rely on him in years to come.
7. Emilio Izaguirre
Appearances (Subs): 46 (0)
Goals: 0
Yellow Cards: 8
Red Cards: 0
Lustig and Matthews on the right, Izaguirre on the left. He lives up to their standards and then some. The 2011 player of the year recaptured the form of his debut season in Scotland to have one of his best campaigns yet.
Skilful, intelligent and quick, he’s probably more of an asset in attack than defence. This is highlighted with 9 assists, third in the squad behind Stokes and Commons.
He recently gave an interview stressing how happy he and his family were in Glasgow so it looks like those big money moves talked about a few years ago may never come to fruition. If he keeps playing like he has this season, that’ll keep the Celtic Park faithful very happy indeed.
6. Scott Brown
Appearances (Subs): 49 (0)
Goals: 4
Yellow Cards: 8
Red Cards: 1
The captain and leader of Celtic had a fine season in the Hoops. When Brown arrived at Celtic there were some who balked at his £4m price tag, a stick used to beat him for a number of years.
It’s clear by now, at least to me, that ‘Broony’ has paid back that fee with his contributions. The making of him was becoming club captain and every year since he has improved.
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The team are noticeably sluggish and lacking without him in the team. It may be that his presence has more of an effect on the team than his ability as a footballer. This was highlighted in the Champions League campaign, his red card against Barcelona ruling him out for a number of crucial games, Celtic didn’t look like the same team.
5. Efe Ambrose
Appearances (Subs): 51 (1)
Goals: 3
Yellow Cards: 5
Red Cards: 0
Nobody made more appearances this season than the somersaulting Nigerian Efe Ambrose. This is a testament to his consistency and the partnership he has formed with the imperious Virgil van Dijk.
That’s 2 standout seasons he has had now and looks like being a fixture in the Celtic defence for years to come.
Heading to the World Cup with African champions Nigeria, he also has one of the best celebrations in football. If he scores in Brazil expect the celebration to be better than the goal.
4. Anthony Stokes
Appearances (Subs): 40 (4)
Goals: 21
Yellow Cards: 4
Red Cards: 1
When Gary Hooper left last Summer there were many wondering where the goals would come from. Anthony Stokes had a difficult year the season prior and many doubted he could step up and be counted.
He hit back with possibly his best season as a Celtic player. He matched his overall goal tally of 2011/12, 19 coming in the league, and pitched in with 11 assists.
After recently signing a new contract and with his Griffiths partnership looking tasty the next step for the Irishman is being effective in Europe. Can he bring his form onto the big stage? The jury is out on that one but with his determination you wouldn’t put it past him.
3. Fraser Forster
Appearances (Subs): 51 (0)
Goals: 0
Yellow Cards: 1
Red Cards: 0
La Gran Muralla, The Great Wall, that’s what the Spanish press call him after his exploits in the Champions League. A pretty good nickname to have as a goalkeeper and he lived up to it this season.
The big Englishman broke all sorts of records this season, ones that have stood for decades and decades. He quite literally became a part of Celtic and Scottish football history.
He eventually made it to 1,256 minutes of football without conceding when a Jonny Hayes goal, unstoppable by anyone’s standards, whistled past him up in Aberdeen.
Should Joe Hart make his inevitable mistake in Brazil (I’m Scottish OK), then England have a goalkeeper in Forster that is ready to take on the best and excel, he’s done it already many times.
Will he move on this Summer? It seems likely. If he does he’s leaving big boots to fill both in size and stature.
2. Virgil van Dijk
Appearances (Subs): 45 (2)
Goals: 5
Yellow Cards: 4
Red Cards: 1
The credit for Celtic’s clean sheet record this season can’t all go to Forster. This man arguably had as big a part to play.
The Hoops waited near on a decade for a player as good as this in the centre of defence. It’s a position that eluded Celtic scouts for years until they found Ambrose and then they found van Dijk.
Strong, confident, skilful, strong, strong, strong. There’s no getting away that van Dijk is destined for leagues bigger than the Scottish Premiership. He scores goals too… volleys, headers, free kicks.
Need I go on? He is the best footballer in Scotland by a distance, but one man had a bigger part to play this season…
1. Kris Commons
Appearances (Subs): 44 (4)
Goals: 32
Yellow Cards: 4
Red Cards: 0
Kris Commons had his best season as a Celtic player, his best season as a footballer and likely one which will never be repeated in his career such was its standard.
Scoring an incredible 32 goals from midfield is the marquee stat that highlights that. It doesn’t tell the whole story though because he created and contributed to a lot more of Celtic’s goals and generally was the man that kept the Hoops ticking all year.
Yes Stokes hit 21 but it was Commons who filled the considerable hole left by Gary Hooper. His goal against Karagandy in the Champions League playoff was voted goal of the season by the Celtic fans and he picked up the club and the PFA Player Of The Year awards.
He’s an incredible performer and one again who is vital if Celtic can become competitive in Europe again. Can Celtic use him in the right way that allows him to bang them in against top level opposition?
Liverpool hero Ray Houghton believes that his old club will make in two top four finishes on the spin this season despite losing Luis Suarez.
The Reds secured a long awaited return to European football’s top table last term as they finished second after mounting a shock title push.
Although dreams of a first ever Premier League crown were crushed late on at Anfield, few have denied that 2013/14 was a success on the red half of Merseyside as the club made sure that the new season will be the first one since 2009/10 that they feature in the Champions League.
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Since then they’ve lost talismanic striker Suarez – who hit 31 league goals during the last campaign – but almost £100m has been reinvested in top talent such as Lazar Markovic, Dejan Lovren and Adam Lallana.
Some have suggested that with Manchester United looking to bounce back Liverpool may fall out of the top four, but Houghton has faith in his old club:
“Yes, for me they will (finish in the top four).” He told talkSPORT.
“They may be below Chelsea, Man City, Arsenal and Man United in the bookies’ eyes, but I don’t see it that way at all.
“They’ve got a much stronger squad than last season. Sure, they’re just missing a key ingredient in Luis Suarez, but they’ll still be very competitive.
“I think it’ll be less about how many goals Liverpool can score – we all know what the likes of Daniel Sturridge and Rickie Lambert can do – and more about how they can defend over the course of 38 games.
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“Liverpool have bought well this summer, the signing of centre-back Dejan Lovren from Southampton in particular, and they needed to because they need more depth for the Champions League.
“But the bottom line is they need to defend better, that’s where they were found out last season.”
Loads of Everton fans have been reacting to the latest transfer news, as a move for Lucas Digne seems to be edging closer.
According to reports in Spain, Everton representatives are in Barcelona trying to close the deal for Digne.
The French left back has been heavily linked with a move to replace Leighton Baines, and the fact that the Toffees have sent a team to Catalonia to close the deal is surely good news, with a deal likely to reach €16m (£14.2m).
Marco Silva and Marcel Brands have plenty of work left to do this summer, as Silva is desperate to inject some pace and youth into the side.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”255857″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch Everton’s opening fixtures for the 201819 Premier League season”]
The big money arrival of Richarlison will certainly do that, and signing Digne as well would completely transform the Toffees’ left flank.
The 24 year-old has already played for Barcelona, PSG and and Roma, so he certainly knows what it means to play for a big club.
The 5 ft 10 ace would be a direct replacement for the ageing Baines, and fans have been reacting as their transfer business finally heats up.
You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…
Com a fase de grupos do Campeonato Paulista chegando ao fim, o duelo deste domingo, entre Corinthians e Oeste, na Arena, é decisivo. De um lado, o Timão tenta se classificar de forma antecipada ao mata-mata. De outro, o Oeste tenta evitar ser eliminado da competição também com antecedência.
Segundo colocado do Grupo C, com 15 pontos, o Corinthians assegura sua vaga nas quartas de final com um empate neste domingo. Afinal, o Bragantino já está eliminado e o Mirassol, cujo duelo será contra o Botafogo, às 19h, só manterá suas chances de vaga se vencer as duas e ver o Timão perder ambas.
A Ferroviária, outra componente do chaveamento corintiano, já está classificada ao mata-mata depois de vencer o São Caetano, na Fonte Luminosa. Seus 17 pontos não podem mais se alcançados pelos dois outros times.
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Enquanto isso, o Oeste, terceiro colocado do Grupo D, tem apenas dois pontos a menos do que o São Paulo, atual vice-líder. Além de torcer para um tropeço do Tricolor Paulista diante do Palmeiras, ainda precisará vencer o Corinthians para se manter na briga pela vaga. O Ituano lidera, com 17.
O problema é que o Oeste perdeu os últimos três jogos seguidos. Para piorar, o retrospecto contra o Corinthians é péssimo. Em oito jogos disputados na história entre os clubes, o Timão venceu os oito. A última vitória foi na Arena, em 2016, ainda com Tite no comando técnico.
فتح نادي بايرن ميونخ، الباب أمام رحيل الحارس ألكسندر نوبل، صاحب الـ26 عامًا، هذا الصيف، ولكن بشرط انتقال دائم، وليس إعارة.
وبحسب صحيفة بيلد الألمانية، فإن نادي شتوتجارت يبحث عن حارس مرمى جديد ويتصدر ألكسندر نوبل القائمة، والحارس يريد الانضمام إلى شتوتجارت إذا كان سيبقى في الدوري الألماني.
ويعتقد نوبل أنه سيكون لاعبًا أساسيًا في فريق شتوتجارت، كما أن هناك نادياً أجنبياً آخر في السباق، لم يتم الكشف عن هويته، وسيتخذ الحارس القرار في اليومين المقبلين.
اقرأ أيضًا.. فحص طبي لمانويل نوير لتحديد موعد عودته من الإصابة
وأضافت الصحيفة أن بايرن يريد فقط بيع نوبل، الإعارة ليست خياراً، حيث يمكن التوصل إلى اتفاق بمبلغ أقل بقليل من القيمة السوقية لنوبل والتي تُقدر بـ 8 ملايين يورو، ويريد بايرن ميونخ إدراج بند إعادة الشراء في الصفقة.
وأكدت بيلد أن بايرن أعطى الإذن لألكسندر نوبل بعدم حضور اختبارات الأداء يوم الخميس قبل الانتقال من النادي، ويتنافس الآن فريقان في السباق، شتوتجارت وناد أجنبي لم يذكر اسمه.
صاحب الـ26 عاما انتقل إلى بايرن ميونخ في صيف 2020 قادما من شالكة في صفقة انتقال حر، ولعب لمدة موسمين مع فريق موناكو الفرنسي على سبيل الإعارة.
Shane Watson believes that DRS has upstaged the act of giving the benefit of the doubt to the batsman in this Ashes series
Brydon Coverdale07-Aug-2013
Shane Wason has been one of the main offenders of using DRS poorly during this Ashes•Getty Images
Shane Watson believes the concept of giving the benefit of the doubt to the batsman has disappeared from the game with the advent of the DRS. The Australians have used the DRS poorly through the course of the Ashes, and Watson was one of the main offenders during the first two Tests.He failed to have two lbw decisions overturned on review and, surprisingly, asked for a review when he was plumb in front to Tim Bresnan in the first innings at Lord’s. But his review at Trent Bridge, when the ball was shown to be just clipping leg stump, was a more realistic one.That decision cost Watson the chance to go on to make a big score, for he was on 46 at the time, and although replays suggested it was a very tight call, the DRS had been set up to support the on-field umpire’s decision in such circumstances. On one hand Watson was supportive of the DRS for not overturning decisions unless they were howlers, but on the other hand it was difficult for the batsman not to have the benefit of the doubt.”There’s supposed to be the benefit of the doubt going to the batsman,” Watson said. “Bowlers get a chance to come back and bowl another ball, but for a batsman, if they’re out, they’re out. DRS, for me personally, makes things pretty complicated when the rules of the game were set up to be as uncomplicated as possible. Batting-wise, if there’s benefit of the doubt, the benefit goes to the batsman. As a bowler you accept that.”So it’s going to be interesting to see how DRS evolves. At the moment, there’s no doubt that for the amount of airtime the DRS has got over these last three Test matches, it’s certainly not working to how it was supposed to be set up to work.”The players from both teams have appeared uncertain of whether to ask for reviews at times during this series, not knowing whether edges will show up on Hot Spot, or if lbws are as close as they seem. There have been times when the system has worked as intended, for example when Chris Rogers was given out caught behind in the second innings at Lord’s and his review showed the ball brushing his leg, but at other times both teams have gambled on close decisions.”It was [intended] to eliminate the really bad decision that could significantly turn the events of a game, not for the 50-50 ones,” Watson said. “That’s not what it’s there for at all, and that’s why I’ll never ever complain if it’s a 50-50 one because that’s not what DRS is set up for. And that makes me realise I’m not a good umpire because the 50-50 ones, sometimes I think they are definitely not out, or definitely out, and they aren’t. So it is a bit of guesswork for the players, and the umpires are doing the best they possibly can.”There was one occasion, on the final day at Old Trafford, when the Australians were pleased that the on-field umpire’s call was trusted when Kevin Pietersen was given out caught behind, and the decision was upheld despite no mark showing on Hot Spot. Watson said it was pleasing to see the back of Pietersen via DRS, given the earlier banter between the pair.”One of my strengths so far throughout this series hasn’t been the DRS,” Watson said. “And he (Pietersen) certainly has reminded me of that a few times throughout this Test series, and that’s why his two dismissals in this Test match were with DRS going against him. So, I found that quite funny.”The Australians could have had Pietersen out earlier in his first innings had they reviewed an lbw appeal when Watson was bowling, but Pietersen was a long way down the pitch. HawkEye showed that had a review been used, Pietersen would have been given out, but Watson said even he as the bowler felt there was enough doubt.”I’m not the person to ask about DRS really,” Watson said. “One thing I have learnt over these three Test matches is that I don’t have a career in umpiring after I finish. I’ll certainly leave it to the experts to be able to do it. Look, in the end he was a long way down the wicket and we all thought there’s a bit of doubt there, as the umpire did as well.”
Ramnaresh Sarwan, captain of the Guyana Amazon Warriors, hailed his side’s commanding show in the semi-final of the CPL, where they beat Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel by seven wickets
ESPNcricinfo staff23-Aug-2013
Tillakaratne Dilshan: ‘We [him and Malinga] had to make it count here otherwise it would have been a waste coming from there [Sri Lanka]”•Getty Images
Ramnaresh Sarwan, captain of the Guyana Amazon Warriors, has hailed his side’s commanding showing in the semi-final of the inaugural Caribbean Premier League – they scored a seven-wicket victory over Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel in Port-of-Spain, with more than three overs to spare. Guyana’s attack, bolstered by the arrivals of Tillakaratne Dilshan and Lasith Malinga, had T&T reeling at 32 for 5 inside 10 overs, and the eventual target of 104 was never a challenge.”It was almost the perfect performance,” Sarwan said. “What we wanted to do was put them in to bat and put them under pressure because [Kevin] O’Brien has been playing a big part at the top of the order and getting them off to a flier. With our bowling attack we had a good chance of getting him out and then grabbing another one or two [wickets], and we were able to do that.”Guyana’s campaign seemed to have hit a speed bump when New Zealand batsman Martin Guptill injured his hand in the final group game in Antigua and Pakistan’s Mohammad Hafeez had to leave for national duty in Zimbabwe. Both batsmen were among the top ten run-scorers of the tournament. But Guyana’s replacements – Dilshan and Malinga – ensured their side was not left wanting, picking up two wickets each, at well under run-a-ball in their first match. Dilshan also anchored the chase with a 29-ball 39, which included three fours and a six.”We [him and Malinga] had to make it count,” Dilshan said. “We were coming from a long way – more than 20 hours flying – and then playing a match within 24-hours’ time, we had to make it count here otherwise it would have been a waste coming from there [Sri Lanka].”I have really enjoyed my performance today, especially considering it was the semi-final. We are through to final – that was the main goal for us today. We have a day off so we can rest and come back on Saturday and play good cricket against whoever comes the final.”Curtly Ambrose, Guyana’s assistant coach, said he had always known his side was capable of putting together a game like this. “I’ve been saying it right from the start, that we have a good enough team to win the tournament as long as we play proper cricket,” he said. “We haven’t played our best game up until today and I keep telling the guys there are two good games somewhere round the corner – this was one of them. So I’m hoping that we can bring our A game to the finals on Saturday and win the tournament.”