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Unfashionable Megson Still Not Everyone's Cup of Tea

Nov 9, 2008

Sitting comfortably in mid-table, after two wins and clean sheets in a row, you'd think Bolton fans would be fairly content with their team's form, and their manager Gary Megson.

After all, Megson kept Bolton up in remarkable circumstances last year, after Sammy Lee's disastrous tenure in charge. And there was even a decent UEFA Cup run to boot, with memorable results against the likes of Bayern Munich and Red Star Belgrade something to savour.

Yet there are still rumblings of discontent from the Wanderers faithful. The football is too negative, apparently, with Bolton more concerned about keeping a clean sheet than actually going and scoring at the other end.

They want Megson out.

But there lies the problem. Because football, first and foremost, is a results business. There's just too much money involved for teams to go out and attack these days. The risk is simply too much, with the money in the Premiership so vital, especially for teams like Bolton.

Relegation would be disastrous. A healthy dose of realism is required, and Megson realises this.

Taking a step back to last season, and after the departure of Sam Allardyce, Bolton decided to change things. Sammy Lee attempted to get Wanderers playing a more expansive brand of football after the direct style of Allardyce but ultimately failed, with only five points from their opening ten games a poor return.

The experiment went wrong, and could so easily have cost Bolton their Premiership status.

So Chairman Phil Gartside went back to basics, and went back to what he knew. Lee was given the boot after a matter of months, and to the dismay of many, Megson was appointed. Fans at the Reebok Stadium were outraged, so much so that only 1.7 percent of fans were in favour of his appointment, according to a website poll.

Talk about starting on the wrong foot.

Then again, this is nothing new for Megson. He's never been a popular manager, with his pragmatic style of play never endearing him to fans, who prefer to see attractive, attacking football.

And who doesn't? But pretty football doesn't get you out of a relegation battle, does it? It's about rolling your sleeves up, working hard, and getting the basics right.

So Megson got to work, and got Bolton doing the basics properly again. Of course, it took time, but slowly but surely, the Trotters began to get results. They were hard-working, organised, defensively sound, and strong from set-pieces.

The old Bolton Wanderers were back, doing what they did best, playing to their strengths, and doing what they needed to do to stay up. It wasn't about winning popularity contests, it was about achieving results, whichever way they could.

What's more, the loss of influential striker Nicolas Anelka in January was seen to be the last straw by many, with the goals supply surely drying up. He was seen as the only bit of genuine quality in an otherwise mediocre side.

Without Anelka, there were no goals, and seemingly no hope.

But Megson didn't panic, and strengthened elsewhere in the squad. Matt Taylor, Gary Cahill, and Gretar Steinsson were all drafted in, amongst others. Once again, they weren't signings to get the fans pulses racing, but they were hard-working and committed players who would give their all for the cause. And the new signings certainly had the desired effect, as the likes of Cahill and Taylor all played their part in keeping Bolton in the Premiership.

And so Bolton did stay up, in what was quite frankly a remarkable achievement. At one stage, Megson's side looked dead and buried, and some journalists had written them off completely, condemning the team to relegation.

But in the end, we were all proved wrong, as The Trotters pulled off what was in my eyes one of the greatest turnarounds in recent history.

There was even the added bonus of a profitable run in the UEFA Cup, though the competition eventually proved to be too much of a distraction, as Megson put the club's domestic campaign first. Once again, Megson was criticised for not giving the competition enough respect, but in the end his decision proved to be vindicated.

Megson was hired to save the team from relegation, nothing more, nothing less. A European adventure just wasn't in the job description.

Moving onto this season, and it's been more of the same from Bolton and Megson, and the fans don't like it. Sure, it's been an inconsistent start, and results haven't always been good. And surprise surprise, the style of play hasn't changed.

But given the way Megson turned things round last season, you'd think Bolton fans would be more patient towards the man who kept them up against the odds last season.

The abuse that Megson suffered at the hands of his own fans away at Tottenham was nothing short of ridiculous, and in my opinion completely undeserved.

Then again, football fans have notoriously short memories, don't they?

Megson out? Be careful what you wish for...

Anelka Defying Critics To Be Happy At Chelsea?

Nov 4, 2008

Nicolas Anelka has played a lot more this season courtesy of Didier Drogba’s persistent injury problems so far this term. However, despite getting much more of a look in, Anelka suggests his preference would actually be to play alongside the Ivorian.

Anelka says “Didier and I can play together but we have not done that since I have been here.  We have never started together up front. If we have started together then I was either on the right or left.  So it’s a shame, because I wanted to play with him when I first signed with Chelsea, but I hope it will happen. I think it could work with the two of us. But it’s the choice of the manager.”

Now to me, that seems a fair enough statement, and yet some of the daily’s are digging as hard as they can to find a story in there about a ‘frosty relationship’ with his manager. Anelka seems to give them what they’re looking for by going on to say “My relations with Scolari? I would say they are “polite.  He asks me to wait for my chance, then to play, then to score. I obey him even though I would prefer to play 4-4-2 than 4-3-3. I would like to play with Didier Drogba but the coach prefers one player up front.  I would prefer to play as a number nine and a half.”

So, he’s saying he does what he’s instructed to do? Is that really such a big deal?

Well, apparently not a big enough deal because the press then go on to hint that with all three of his goals against Sunderland not being all that far from the goal-line, the Frenchman has turned into little more than a poacher. And still they fail to ruffle Anelka’s feathers, with him saying “Yes this has been a good week for me but I do not get carried away by these things.  I have not suddenly turned into just a goal poacher. I don’t think I have to score to be a good player, my priority is taking pleasure. And that is the case right now.  I had already scored four against Milan in pre-season so the hat-trick thing isn’t something that I was waiting for but if people want to advertise it as a big deal it’s up to them.”

Finally, on life at Chelsea and the Premier League in general, Anelka says “There is competition for places here, it happens in every big club but even more so in England. People say this is the best league in the world - and it is.”

So it seems, much to the media’s annoyance no doubt, Le Sulk is happy enough after all.

      

EPL Week Nine Preview: A Guide to Spurs V Bolton, Redknapp's First Game...

Oct 25, 2008

The two biggest matches of EPL Week Nine take place on Sunday. And while one features teams on top of the league, the other features teams at the bottom.

And with the news that late last night Ramos was sacked only to be replaced by Harry Redknapp, most Spurs fans will head into this game with renewed optimism. But Harry still has it all to do to motivate this team, but he's performed miracles before.

Spurs remain in free fall and badly need a win against Bolton. A much needed three-point injection is paramount, as Spurs face Arsenal, Liverpool, and Man City in their next three fixtures.

Spurs go into battle against Bolton on Sunday on the back of their worst-ever start to a league campaign. They are rooted to the bottom of the table with two points from 24 (eight games) and need a win on Sunday, by any means necessary.

Spurs' point total is alarming, and fans will be worried to know that only one team has survived relegation with the same points total after the same amount of games. That was Southampton in 1999, and they finished 17th. Whether Spurs fans would be happy to finish so lowly after being tipped to break the top-four monopoly is any ones guess. But surely relegation never even entered their worst nightmares.

They go into this match fresh from another defeat midweek. On Thursday, Udinese, who have found themselves in second place in Serie A, beat a poor Spurs team 2-0. Gomes, who looked like a fantastic signing from PSV, made an absolute howler when he misplayed a pass back and then took Quagriella down as he tried to regain control.

Jamie O'Hara became the third Spurs player in as many games to be sent off as Spurs hit the self-destruct button. Woodgate got injured, and Darren Bent produced their only shot on goal in the 86th minute before Udinese wrapped it up late on.

On a plus side—and it's getting harder to find a plus side at White Hart Lane—Luka Modric was head and shoulders the best player on the pitch after he came on at half time. Giovani Dos Santos came on for the inept Aaron Lennon and provided some much-needed penetration. And that's about it on the positives.

Spurs are in real danger of relegation, and Johnathan Woodgate spoke out, midweek, about the need for Spurs to pull their socks up as "they weren't too good to go down, I was with Leeds when we went down and we had a better side than Spurs."

So, motivation is not Woodgate's strong point.

Interestingly, bookmakers have Spurs at 4/1 to be relegated and are 4/9 to finish above Hull. So bookmakers reckon this Spurs team are good enough to avoid relegation. As a Spurs fan, I have my doubts.

Going into battle against Bolton, Spurs are short of a full-strength squad. Gomes is carrying an injury and under normal circumstances would probably be dropped after his midweek error. Harry will be loathe to leave their big-money signing on the bench as it could have a catastrophic effect, confidence wise, on the Brazilian.

One thing that should be noted was that on Thursday, he showed what a big character he had. He could have shrunk and gone missing after the error but showed his bravery to make critical decisions time and time again to keep Spurs in the game. I expect him to start.

At fullback, Hutton continues to impress since his comeback. He defends well and is brilliant going forward, and for Spurs to avoid relegation, he will be an essential cog if he can stay injury free. Bale will sit this one out, as he is suspended, so Redknapp will have to decide on who fills in at left full, the in effectual Assou Ekotto or O'Hara.

Zokora will probably partner Woodgate, as King is still unfit and Dawson will also be suspended after his idiotic tackle on Fuller last week.

Midfield is where Spurs' problems lie. No matter what combination you use, you just can't see any "steel" in there. Jenas, Modric, and Bentley should feature in the centre of a five-man midfield, with Dos Santos and Lennon featuring out wide.

Whether Bostock will eventually get called up is any one's guess, but the youngster must surely be close to making the bench at least. Ramos had showed a lack of faith in all the new signings, bar Hutton and Modric, but now that Redknapp is in charge everyone will start with a clean slate so Bostock could feature.

Bent and an injured Pavulychenko will battle it out up front. Spurs lack goals, and while no team has really turned them over, they look odds-on to concede at least one goal per game.

And if Spurs don't score first, you just can't see them scoring twice. Ramos and Poyet had both gone on record saying Bent and Pavulycheko are too similar to pair, but at this stage, it doesn't matter and Redknapp may deem otherwise.

Goals win games, and Spurs need goals. Frazier Campbell seems guilty by association to Comolli, and Ramos had chosen to freeze the Manchester United youngster out while his internal battle with Comolli intensified but with the changing of the guard at White Hart Lane, Campbell could have a big part to play yet.

Bolton, by contrast, goes into this match with a fully fit squad and are looking to win their second game in the capital this season, after they hammered West Ham 3-1 two weeks ago.

Bolton boss Megson is aware of the troubles at White Hart Lane and is trying to keep his team focused ahead of the vital clash. "I think with all the going on, it's made a difficult game even more difficult from our point of view. That's going to galvanise them and get them playing in a way they haven't so far this season and we have to be aware of that."

Gary Megson goes into this match one day short of his first anniversary, while Juande Ramos is only three days short of his. Spurs have only won 10 of Ramos' 36 games in charge and this is Tottenham's longest winless streak since 1912 (13 games).

Bolton will be buoyed by the fact that they're Tottenham's bogey side. They've taken 26 points and scored 24 goals against Spurs in head-to-head matches in the Premier League—more than their record against any other team.

Spurs will have it all to do against a Bolton side that likes nothing better than a battle, especially against a light-weight team.

Odds

Spurs 11/10 Draw 23/10 Bolton 13/5

Chelsea Up Against Arsenal, Liverpool & United For Balotelli?

Oct 17, 2008

With Didier Drogba spending too many periods of time out and Nicolas Anelka not exactly prolific as the covering man, rumour has it Chelsea are on the look out for a new striker and their search seems to have them on Jose Mourinho’s doorstep.

Recent reports suggest Chelsea have their eye on Italy Under-21 star Mario Balotelli. Balotelli is considered one of the most exciting young talents in Europe and is highly rated by his Inter Milan boss. However, he was previously touted as a possible makeweight during Mourinho’s pursuit of Frank Lampard and is currently in a contract dispute with Inter, so a move could still be on the cards.

The Palermo-born striker is said to have a ‘killer instinct’ for goal and his height (6ft 2) and physique could be the perfect combination for Premier League football, although at just 18, he clearly lacks first team experience at the top level.

Balotelli madehis Inter debut in December, coming on as a last minute substitution and his full debut 3 days later saw him score 2 goals in the Coppa Italia. Since then, he’s bagged 7 goals in 18 games (13 starts), however, despite signing a new contract until 2011, speculation around his long-term future remains. For a start, the improved deal is not thought to be significant enough given the contribution he could make and reports also suggest that even as an 18 year old playing at one of the biggest clubs in Europe, Balotelli is seeking the assurance of first-team football. He’s featured 4 times for Mourinho so far this season, starting 2 of those games and the links with Premier League clubs continue in the press.

Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United are all reported to have had a look at Balotelli with a view to a move and it goes without saying Chelsea, with their lack of depth highlighted in Drogba’s absence, would also get a mention.

Needless to say Man City will get a bid in ahead of the lot of us then!

 

      

What’s Scolari Done For You?

Oct 8, 2008

I was reading this article yesterday about Ashley Cole and how much he seems to have improved under the guidance of Luiz Felipe Scolari. The article wasn’t one I disagreed with, I mean, Cole’s definitely a better player so far this season but he’s not the only one.  

Cole, like a lot of Chelsea players is just enjoying having the reins taken off. Where Mourinho concentrated on defensive responsibilities, strangling any frivolous ideas the players might have about attacking the opposition, Scolari allows the players the sort of freedom to play that’d make TSO’s hair stand on end.

So for Ashley Cole, that means a return to bombing up and down the flanks, creating attacking options and running at the opposition instead of just after them. Florent Malouda too, who was actually signed by Mourinho and then had the misfortune of realising he’d end up with Avram Grant during his first Chelsea season,  looked impressive on his debut before playing like a total inadequate the minute his initial manager was out the door. And yet, again under Scolari, Malouda is starting to show us a bit of what he’s got in his locker.

More surprisingly maybe, is Nicolas Anelka, who not only played like a complete dick for Chelsea last season, but also acted like one both during and after one of Chelsea’s games. And yet his nonchalance wasn’t exactly out of place in a team of individuals who were all pretty much up their own backsides at the time. This season though, Anelka’s started to turn it around in the absence of Didier Drogba. And whilst he’s still a long way from doing what he should be, his first-half performance against Villa is a sign that Scolari has worked a virtual miracle on Le Sulk.

What I like more than anything though, is Chelsea’s attitude now. Despite playing some of the best football they’ve played in years, they’re not doing it with the arrogant swagger of the Mourinho era. Strange really, because they’re actually a lot better than they were then. But maybe that’s down to Scolari too? He doesn’t tell them they’re the most amazing individuals who’ve ever graced a pitch, he doesn’t tell them they’re above the law because he’ll protect them from it, Scolari just tells them how it is. If they’re good, he says they’re good – as a team, and if they’re not then that’s what he says. No flannel, no excuses, no conspiracy theories, just the simple facts.

Of course, we’ve yet to see whether Scolari’s brand of football proves to be successful at Chelsea. There’s a long way to go in all competitions and we still might finish the season empty handed. But y’know what? I’m really not bothered because Scolari’s got Chelsea playing the sort of football I’ve wanted to see from them for years, and if establishing that sort of football at the club means we have to go without a trophy again this season, then so be it.

For me, it’d be a small price to pay for spending at least one season really enjoying our game.

 

      

Scolari Style Sees Chelsea Ease Past Villa

Oct 6, 2008

CHELSEA 2 – 0 VILLA

Chelsea may be a little ravaged by injuries right now but it has to be said that wasn’t apparent as we cruised to a 2-0 win at home to Villa yesterday.

We’d already started the game without Drogba, Deco, Carvalho, Essien and Alex, who evidently still hadn’t recovered from a sore backside, and the second half saw us lose both Anelka and Joe Cole. And yet, against an in-form Villa side, we put in one of our most convincing wins of the season so far.

First half goals from Joe Cole and Nicolas Anelka sealed the win but that was far from the whole story in the first 45 minutes where Brad Friedel saved Villa from a proper drubbing. The first-half saw Friedel saving shots from Lampard, Malouda and Ballack, as well as Anelka hitting the bar, with Chelsea more or less camped out in Villa’s half.

Very rarely did Chelsea concede possession and even when they did it was never very long before they’d put the work in to get it back. The passing and movement, along with a decent performance from the ref, allowed the game to flow although sadly for Villa, the flow was always in their direction.

Anelka, who for me, had one of his best 45-minute periods in a Chelsea shirt, failed to return after the break, making way for Franco Di Santo, and it wasn’t long before a heavy challenge saw Joe Cole seeking treatment for an ankle injury which minutes later forced another Chelsea substitution in the form of Salomon Kalou. As if testament to Anelka’s contribution in the first half, his absence was notable in the second. Not that Friedel wasn’t made to earn his crust again though, in a game that saw Chelsea take 61% of the possession with 27 attempts at goal and 14 on target to Villa’s 1. As the game wound down, a spectacular overhead kick from Kalou was ruled out for offside, had it stood, it would’ve summed up one of Chelsea’s most convincing performances this season.

Following the game, which marked Chelsea’s 86th unbeaten at home, Scolari agreed this was Chelsea’s best performance of the season. The beaming Brazilian told Sky Sports, “I am satisfied because we played very well and for me it’s the most important game in the season because if we win we are in first position in the league and we have now a minimum of ten days to recuperate our players. Afterwards when we start the league after 10 or 15 days we are all in good condition.”  A little optimistic on that front maybe, but still, he goes on “This is most important for us and we can continue from first position in the league, still top in the Champions League and in the next round of the Carling Cup. What more could I want? Nothing.”

However, in recognition of what has often been a millstone round Chelsea’s neck, Scolari acknowledged “It’s a big game – it is three points. We need to win more games at home, because we have played four games at home and won only two. There were many, many draws at home and the final result – two points behind Manchester. This is important.”  

Martin O’Neill paid tribute to the manner in which his Villa side were defeated, stating “They (Chelsea) were brilliant. It was a harsh lesson for us. This is where we want to be, this is what we aspire to. We were on a crest of a wave. This morning I thought we could win, which shows I’m daft. Chelsea would have beaten some of the best teams in Europe today.’’ And as if that wasn’t praise enough, he carried on “Scolari’s a brilliant manager. He has inherited a great team here, and put his own stamp on it, and that is remarkable. I thought Chelsea were brilliant today, absolutely brilliant and we would have had to have had our best players playing at the top of their game to compete today, never mind anything else. It was a harsh lesson. I felt they were absolutely terrific.”

And I certainly wouldn’t argue with that.

Chelsea’s passing and movement was a pleasure to watch, this is the sort of football we should’ve been playing – and haven’t – for the past few years. Excellent link up play, constantly in possession and on the attack and yet still organised in defence. Indeed, Ivanovic (who as it turns out, wasn’t a myth after all), slotted in beside Terry as if he’d been playing there for years. Ok, he didn’t have that much to do, but he looked comfortable enough when called upon and dispossessed Carew with ease.

Mikel, again looked very much in control, breaking up any potential attacks, whilst Ashley Cole and Bosingwa (who’s continued improvement makes me a lot less nervous now), again added to our attacking force as we took total control of the game. Lampard’s continued good form saw him involved in everything and even Nicolas Anelka, who I’ve never been able to hide my disappointment in, had a storming 45 minutes. And as for his replacement, 19 year old Franco Di Santo, even his 45 minutes had everything but his shooting boots in it. The young Argentinian, who totally impressed me pre-season, still showed enough movement and skill to give us a taste of the potential that a bit of exposure to the first team could unleash.

Great stuff.

 

TEAM: Cech, Bosingwa, Terry, Ivanovic, A Cole, Mikel, Lampard, Ballack, J Cole (Kalou, 56), Anelka (Di Santo, 46), Malouda (Belletti, 82)

Chelsea scorers: J Cole, Anelka

      

Scolari Puts His Faith In Anelka

Oct 5, 2008

It’s never taken a football-minded genius to suss that Nicolas Anelka’s priority is usually Nicolas Anelka. He didn’t exactly show himself to be the greatest team-player for Chelsea last season after all.

However, under Luiz Felipe Scolari, there has been the odd sign of change. He had a great pre-season and despite being one of his biggest critics so far this season, even I’m forced to admit there seems to have been a slight improvement in some aspects of his game.

Although I still don’t agree with Scolari’s description of Anelka as “one of the best players in the world”, I can still acknowledge his four goals so far this season – and involving himself in ten whilst on his own up front throughout Drogba’s absence – highlights his improved effort this term.

Of the Frenchman, Scolari says “You know, Anelka is one of the best players in the world. But he is very quiet. He is not easily shocked, not very emotional. You can’t disturb his equilibrium. He is very cool. If he plays well, he’s okay. If he doesn’t play very well, he’s okay.”

And yet, despite being ‘ok’, Scolari admits Anelka’s ego needs the odd massage, saying “I need to talk to him – not every day but on special days, one day before the game or at half-time. So I might say to Anelka, ‘look, I think today you will have three chances because of this, this and this’ and then he has three chances, makes one goal. I say, ‘look what I told you’. He’s a man [to whom] you have to say, ‘think about this, think about your life’. He is quick, he dribbles well, he shoots with both feet very well, he has good physique, good control. But sometimes he needs something. He’s a quiet man – in the warm-up, the dressing room, even in life. You never hear from Anelka.”

Not that any of this phases the Chelsea boss, who says “It is a good challenge for me. If we win together it’s fantastic and until now Anelka has done a good job for us.”

So, Scolari certainly seems to have an abundance of belief in Anelka and with Drogba out for a while I’m sure he’s investing even more time massaging the striker’s ego in the hope that his belief pays off. But with reports of Le Sulk missing Friday’s training session with muscle spasms in his leg, it looks as if this week it’s more than his ego that’s needed massaging.

      

Drogba: ‘I’ll Be Back Soon’

Oct 4, 2008

After much speculation around Didier Drogba’s latest injury, with early reports suggesting a 3-month lay-off and the latest suggesting the Ivorian would be out for ‘weeks rather than months’, the player himself has decided to clear the matter up for us, by confirming his injury isn’t as bad as first feared.

Despite his pain appearing to resemble something close to childbirth when he went down in the game against CFR Cluj on Wednesday night and the sight of him leaving the field on a stretcher leaving Scolari grimacing almost as much at the thought of having Nicolas Anelka as our first choice striker, Drogba suggests he expects to be back sooner rather than later.

He told SkySports: “I am very, very disappointed by the setback. I thought that I was about 10 days away from regaining full fitness (following a summer knee problem), and now this happens. I am down, but that is life. Injury is part of being a sportsman. Thankfully it is not as bad as I thought. I expect to be back soon.”

As Scolari would say ‘there is a God’.

      

From Boumsong to Balaban: Ten Silly Transfers

Jun 12, 2008

As clubs begin to survey the continent and beyond for new talent, let us consider some of the worst transfer deals that the country has ever seen.

Premiership managers take note.

Or maybe not as the case may be.

10. Massimo Taibi, by Manchester United for £4.5 million

Tipped as the successor to the great Dane Peter Schmeichel in goal by Sir Alex Ferguson, Taibi arrived in Manchester as a virtual unknown to the British public.

In a seasons time and a few blunders later, "The Blind Venetian" returned to Italy through the backdoor after losing his place to Aussie Mark Bosnich.

 

9. DJ Campbell, by Leicester, £2.1 million

Oh dear, oh dear. What were a Championship club doing signing a player who had hardly proven himself in any level above League One for this amount of money. He will probably score twenty-five goals next season and get them promoted now. Or not.

 

8. Hugo Viana, by Newcastle United, £8.5m

This Portuguese winger flew into St. James Park being tipped as a huge prospect for the future. He struggled to adapt to life in England and failed to keep up with the physical demands of the game. Due to this, he was shipped out to Sporting on loan before joining Valencia at a loss of £7 million.

 

7. Francis Jeffers, by Arsenal, £8m

The "fox in the box" that Mr Wenger was after didn’t quite live up to his billing. Laboured through several years in the treatment room at Highbury during which time his international hopes were destroyed and his pace vanished.

Joined Charlton where he never got going, and is now at Sheffield Wednesday.

 

6. Tore Andre Flo, by Sunderland, £6.75m

Bought to help save the Black Cats from relegation, fans were understandably pessimistic at the signing of Flo, a player who had done so well at Chelsea years earlier but struggled recently north of the border.

Their "panic buy2 fears were correct, as 6 foot 4 inch Flo looked out of shape and out of sorts as Sunderland quickly slid towards the Premiership trapdoor.

 

5. Kevin Davies, by Blackburn Rovers, £7.5m

Davies gathered many admirers during his time at The Dell, which prompted Blackburn to offer so much for his services. His time at Blackburn was a complete shambles, making only a handful of starts before returning to the south coast in a swap deal for Egil Ostenstad. Exactly.

 

4. Jean-Alain Boumsong, by Newcastle United, £8m

The big centre half and French international had pace, strength, was strong in the air and had fantastic positional sense. Or so Graeme Souness must have thought after he signed Jean-Alain to form a solid partnership with Titus Shambles Bramble.

In reality, the duo became one of the most hilarious in Premier League history. Bizarrely, Boumsong left the north east for Turin, where he signed for Italian giants Juventus.

 

3. Chris Sutton, by Chelsea, £10m

After former Premiership champions Rovers were relegated, Chelsea moved quickly to secure the signing of Sutton. An unhappy period followed, and Sutton scored just one goal for the club as he found it hard to adapt to Chelsea’s style of play. Chelsea did though do well to recoup six of the 10 million they paid for him, selling Sutton to Celtic.

 

2. Bosko Balaban, by Aston Villa, £6m

Having signed from Dinamo Zagreb where he was prolific for several seasons, Balaban never lived up to expectations and was regularly booed by the Villa crowd. In just eight appearances for Villa, the Croatian international failed to score and joined Club Brugge on a free transfer.

 

1. Corrado Grabbi, by Blackburn Rovers, £6.75m

The Italian striker joined from Ternana where he scored 20 goals in 34 appearances. Grabbi was invisible in most of Blackburn’s games and scored two goals in 30 games, promptly being shipped back to Serie B with Ancona.

Released by AC Bellinzona of the Swiss League recently, he is now a free agent.

Premier League Transfer Central 2008

May 31, 2008

Welcome to the English Premier League Transfer Central. The transfer central will document all transfers relating to all twenty Premier League clubs, including arriving and departing rumours and speculation, as well as the transfers that have actually happened.

The page will be regularly updated, and I’d appreciate it anyone wants to drop me a comment to tell me your news and rumours that I may have missed.

Stay tuned to the FIFA Rumour Mill to hear the latest transfer news, gossip and fantasy.

Enjoy!

Arsenal

In:

Possible: David Villa (Valencia), Hatem Ben Arfa (Lyon), Yaya Toure (Barcelona), Samir Nasri (Marseille), Obafemi Martins (Newcastle), Alberto Aquilani (AS Roma), Torric Jibril (Heart of Oak), Mahamadou Dabo (St Etienne), Piotr Trochowski (Hamburg), Ruben De la Red (Real Madrid), Dani Guiza (Mallorca)

Out: Mathieu Flamini (AC Milan), Jens Lehmann (Stuttgart)

Departing: Alexander Hleb (Real Madrid, Barcelona or Inter Milan), Gilberto Silva, Emmanuel Adebayor (AC Milan) Justin Hoyte (Aston Villa)

Cuckoo Nest: Aaron Ramsey (Manchester United)

Aston Villa

In: Curtis Davies (West Brom)

Possible: Diego (Werder Bremen), Bernd Schneider (Bayer Leverkusen), Steve Sidwell (Chelsea), Jens Lehmann (Arsenal), Scott Carson, Peter Crouch, Jon Arne Riise (Liverpool), Nelson (Benfica), Stephen Carr (Newcastle), Marco Caneira (Valencia), Justin Hoyte (Arsenal) Joe Mattock, Richard Stearman (Leicester), Hugo Campagnaro (Sampdoria), Giorkas Seitaridis (Atletico Madrid), James Milner (Newcastle), Sean Scannell (Crystal Palace), Brad Cuzan (Chivas USA), Michael Dawson (Tottenham), Steven Taylor (Newcastle), Brad Friedel (Blackburn)

Out: Olof Mellberg (Juventus), Thomas Sorenson (out of contract), Patrick Berger (Sparta Prague), Luke Moore (West Brom)

Departing: Gareth Barry (Liverpool), Shaun Maloney (Sunderland), Marlon Harewood (Stoke, Fulham, QPR or Rangers)

Blackburn Rovers

In:

Possible: Anthony Annan (IF Start), Michael Tonge (Sheffield United), Owain Fon Williams (Crewe Alexandria), Marc Torrejon, Ferran Corominos (Espanyol), Hossam Ghaly (Tottenham), Jermaine Pennant (Liverpool), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham), Djibril Cisse (Marseille), Michael Kightly (Wolverhampton), Sam Allardyce (Out of Work), Paul Ince (MK Dons), Steve McClaren (Out of Work), Alan Shearer

Out: Mark Hughes (Manchester City), Stephane Henchoz, Bruno Berner, Peter Enkelman (all released)

Departing: David Bentley (Tottenham, Chelsea, Liverpool or Manchester City), Roque Santa Cruz (Arsenal, Manchester United or Manchester City), Jason Roberts (Bolton or Fulham), Andre Oojier, Maceo Rigters, Brad Freidel (Aston Villa)

Bolton Wanderers

In:

Possible: Paul Robinson (Tottenham), Johan Elmander (Toulouse), Nikola Zigic (Valencia), Jerome Alonzo (PSG), Simon Vukcevic (Sporting Lisbon), Ben Watson (Crystal Palace), Emile Mpenza (Manchester City), Brian Howard (Barnsley), Zoltan Gera (West Brom), Jason Roberts (Blackburn), Michael Dawson (Tottenham)

Out: Ivan Campo, Andranik Teymourian, Stelios Giannkopoulos (released)

Departing: El Hadji Diouf (Atletico Madrid), Jussi Jaskelainen (Aston Villa), Ricardo Gardner.

Chelsea

In: Jose Bosingwa (FC Porto)

Possible: David Villa (Valencia), Robinho, Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Roberto Mancini (Out of Work), Fernando Torres (Liverpool), Luis Felipe Scolari (Portugal National Team), Kaka (AC Milan), David Bentley (Blackburn), Roy Keane (Sunderland), Joao Moutinho (Sporting Lisbon), Luciano Spalletti (AS Roma), Cesare Prandelli (Fiorentina), Ricardo Quaresma (Porto)

Out: Avram Grant (sacked), Henk Ten Cate (contract terminated)

Departing: Ricardo Carvalho (Real Madrid or Inter Milan), Tal Ben Haim (Feyenoord), Didier Drogba (AC Milan), Andriy Shevchenko (AC Milan or Fenerbahce), Steve Sidwell (Aston Villa, Middlesbrough or Sunderland), Florent Malouda , Frank Lampard (Inter Milan), Claudio Pizarro (Werder Bremen, Bayern Munich, Valencia, Villarreal), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Tottenham or Portsmouth), Steve Clarke (Leicester), Michael Essien (Inter Milan), Ben Sahar (Portsmouth), Claude Makelele (PSG), Ashley Cole (Inter Milan), Khalid Boulahrouz (Marseille)

Cuckoo Nest: Mark Hughes (Manchester City)

Everton

In: Steven Pieenar (Borrusia Dortmund)

Possible: Louis Saha (Manchester United), Nikola Zigic (Valencia), Jonas Olsson (NEC Nijmegen), Alou Diarra (Bordeaux), Edu (Valencia), Dudu (CSKA Moscow), Joaquin Sanchez (Valencia), Michael Kightly (Wolverhampton), Steven Taylor (Newcastle), Aaron Ramsey (Cardiff), Joe Lewis (Peterborough), Stephen Hunt (Reading)

Out: Lee Carsley (Birmingham), Thomas Gravesen (Loan return), Stefan Wessells (Released), Aidan Downes (Yeovil Town)

Departing: Andy Johnson (West Ham)

 

Fulham

In: Mark Schwarzer (Middlesbrough), David Stockdale (Darlington)

Possible: Steve Finnan (Liverpool), Marlon Harewood (Aston Villa), Bernard Mendy (PSG), Mark Bresciano (Palermo), Gaby Mudingayi (Lazio), Zheng Zhi (Charlton), Jason Roberts (Blackburn), Paul Scharner (Wigan), Daniel Cousin (Rangers), Roland Linz (Sporting Braga), Joe Ledley (Cardiff)

Out: Carlos Bocanegra, Jari Litmanen, Bjorn Runstrom, Simon Elliot, Ian Pearce, Philippe Christanval (all released)

Departing: Danny Murphy, Steven Davis (Rangers), Chris Baird (Southampton), Brian McBride (Columbus Crew or Chicago Fire), Anti Niemi (Fulham), Seol Ki-Hyeon (Wolfsburg), Hameur Bouazza (Osasuna, Espanyol or Wigan)

Hull City

In:

Possible: Frazier Campbell (Manchester United), Ryan Taylor (Wigan), Craig Fagan (Derby), Ivan Campo (free agent), David Nugent (Portsmouth), Bernard Mendy (PSG), Anti Niemi (Fulham), Magnus Troest (FC Midtjylland)

Out:

Departing:

Liverpool

In: Phillip Degen (Borussia Dortmund), Andrea Dossena (Udinese) Sammy lee

Possible: Gareth Barry (Aston Villa), David Bentley (Blackburn), Rafinha (Schalke), Ricardo Queresma ( FC Porto), Albert Riera (Espanyol), Michael Johnson (Manchester City), Steve Harper (Newcastle), Ulrich Rame (Bordeaux), Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough), Liam Fontaine (Bristol City), Marcus Johansson (Hagahojden), Alastair Mackintosh (Manchester City), James Milner (Newcastle), Sulley Ali Muntari (Portsmouth)

Out: Harry Kewell (released)

Departing: Peter Crouch (Portsmouth, Newcastle or Aston Villa), Jon Arne Riise (Newcastle, Aston Villa or AS Roma), Andriy Voroin (Stuttgart), Scott Carson (Aston Villa or West Brom), Jack Hobbs, Sebastian Leto (Espanyol), Xabi Alonso (Juventus), Charles Itandje (Lens, Rennes or Portsmouth), Jermaine Pennant (Blackburn), Steve Finnan (Fulham), Adam Hammill (Aberdeen or Wolverhampton), Rick Parry

Cuckoo Nest: Aaron Ramsey (Manchester United)

Manchester City

In: Mark Hughes (Blackburn)

Possible: Ronaldinho and Giovanni Dos Santos (both Barcelona), Andrei Arshavin (Zenit St Petersburg), Jo (CSKA Moscow), Jean Makoun (Lille), Pablo Zabaleta (Espanyol), Fabricio Coloccini (Deportivo La Coruna), Hidetoshi Nakata (Out of Retirement), Roque Santa Cruz (Blackburn), David Bentley (Blackburn)

Out: Sven Goran Erikkson (Mexico)

Departing: Georgios Samaras (Celtic, Werder Bremen or Fenerbahce), Paul Dickov, Richard Dunne (Sunderland, Tottenham, Portsmouth or West Ham), Micah Richards (Manchester United), Joe Hart (Tottenham or Aston Villa), Andreas Isaksson (Galatastaray), Rolando Bianchi (Monaco or Wolfsburg), Javier Garrido, Kasper Schmichael (Coventry), Valeri Bojinov, Sun Jihai, Geovanni, Stephen Ireland (Sunderland or Celtic), Michael Johnson (Liverpool or Everton), Ched Evans (Cardiff), Emile Mpenza (Bolton), Alastair Mackintosh (Liverpool)

Cuckoo Nest: Giovanni Dos Santos (Tottenham)

Manchester United

In: Aaron Ramsey (Cardiff)

Possible: Luis Fabiano (Sevilla), Dimitar Berbartov (Tottenham), Michael Owen (Newcastle), Daniel Alves (Sevilla), Wilson Palacios, Luis Antonio Valencia (Wigan), Micah Richards (Manchester City), Miguel Veloso, Joao Moutinho (Sporting Lisbon),Karim Benzema (Lyon), Klaus-Jan Huntelaar (Ajax), Roque Santa Cruz (Blackburn), Thierry Henry (Barcelona)

Out: Gerard Pique (Barcelona)

Departing: Louis Saha (Everton), Mikael Silvestre (Bordeaux), Johnny Evans (Sunderland), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Patrice Evra, Tom Heaton (Cardiff), Frazier Campbell (Hull), Aaron Ramsey (Cardiff), Manucho Goncalves (Deportivo La Coruna)

Cuckoo Nest: Stevan Jovetic (Fiorentina)

Middlesbrough

In:

Possible: Steve Sidwell (Chelsea), Paul Robinson (Tottenham), Michael Bradley (Heerenveen), Anthony Annan (IF Start), Simon Vukcevic (Sporting Lisbon), Ben Watson (Crystal Palace), James Milner (Newcastle), James Beattie (Sheffield United), Roland Linz (Sporting Braga), Sean Davis (Portsmouth), Nicky Maynard (Crewe Alexandria), Madjid Bougherra (Charlton)

Out: Fabio Rochemback, Gaizka Mendieta, Lee Dong-Gook (All Released), Mark Schwarzer (Fulham), Jason Kennedy (Darlington)

Departing: Gary O’Neil, Chris Riggott (Stoke), George Boateng (Celtic or Rangers), Adam Johnson (Rangers, QPR and Tottenham), Stewart Downing (Liverpool)

Newcastle United

In:

Possible: Johnny Evans (Manchester United), Richard Dunne (Manchester City), Ardan Turan (Galatastaray), Miguel Veloso (Sporting Lisbon), Stephane Sessegnon (Le Mans), Mario Gomez (Stuttgart), Armara Diane (PSG), Achilles Emana (Toulouse), Carlos Cuellar (Rangers), Fabricio Coloccini (Deportivo La Coruna), Peter Crouch (Liverpool), Djibril Cisse (Marseille), Kieran Westwood, Gary Madine (Carlisle), Dean Ashton (West Ham), Pablo Aimar (Real Zaragoza), Roland Linz (Sporting Braga), Michael Dawson (Tottenham), Nikola Zigic (Valencia), Eidur Gudjohnsen (Barcelona), Didier Digard (PSG), Madjid Bougherra (Charlton)

Out: Peter Ramage (QPR), Emre (Fenerbahce), Joey Barton (Jailed)

Departing: Michael Owen (Manchester United), Obafemi Martins (Arsenal), Steve Harper (Liverpool), Shola Ameobi (Toronto), Charles N’Zogbia (Wigan), James Milner (Middlesbrough, Aston Villa or Liverpool), Steven Taylor (West Ham, Everton, Portsmouth or Aston Villa), Damien Duff (Sunderland), Jose Enrique (Valencia)

Cuckoo Nest: Luka Modric (Tottenham)

Portsmouth

In:

Possible: Peter Crouch (Liverpool), Younes Kaboul (Tottenham), Gael N’Lundulu (PSG), Harry Kewell (Liverpool), John Mensah (Rennes), Emile Heskey (Wigan), Luisao (Benfica), Khaleem Hyland, Sidney Govou (Lyon), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Chelsea), James McFadden (Birmingham), Richard Dunne (Manchester City), Ben Sahar (Chelsea), Marcelo Mattos (Panathinaikos), Zoltan Gera (West Brom), Steven Taylor (Newcastle), Madjid Bougherra (Charlton)

Out:

Departing: David Nugent (Hull), Niko Kranjcar (Arsenal), Sol Campbell (Villarreal), Sean Davis (Middlesbrough), Lassana Diarra (Tottenham)

Stoke City

In:

Possible: Abeslam Quaddou (Valenciennes), Jay Bothroyd (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Marlon Harewood (Aston Villa) Guiranne N’Daw (Sochaux), Stelios Giannakopoulos (Bolton), Lee McCulloch (Rangers), Daniel Cousin (Rangers), Anthony Gardner (Tottenham), Marton Fulop (Sunderland), Magnus Troest (FC Midtjylland), Jon Walters (Ipswich)

Out: Russell Hoult, Dominic Matteo, Marlon Broomes, Robert Garrett (Released)

Departing: Steve Simonson

Sunderland

In:

Possible: Johnny Evans (Manchester United), Diego Forlan (Atletico Madrid), Kevin Doyle, Stephan Hunt (Reading), Richard Dunne, Stephen Ireland (both Manchester City), Michael Tonge (Sheffield United), Damien Duff (Newcastle), Shaun Maloney (Aston Villa), Steve Sidwell (Chelsea), Aiden McGeady (Celtic), Michael Mifsud (Coventry), James McFadden (Birmingham), Paul Scharner (Wigan)

Out: Andy Cole (Retired), Stanislav Varga, Ian Harte, Stephen Wright (released)

Departing: Graham Kavanagh (Sheffield Wednesday), Michael Chopra (Cardiff), Ross Wallace, Liam Miller, Roy Keane (Chelsea), Marton Fulop (Stoke or PSV), Roy O'Donovan (Dundee United)

Tottenham Hotspur

In: Luka Modric (Dynamo Zagreb), Giovanni Dos Santos (Barcelona)

Possible: Albert Riera and Carlos Kameni (both Espanyol), Diego Milito (Real Zaragoza), Shaun Wright-Phillips, Nicolas Anelka (both Chelsea), Diego Capel (Sevilla), John Bostock (Crystal Palace), Oscar Cardozo (Benfica), Gregory Coupet (Lyon), Heurelho Gomes (PSV), Giovanni Dos Santos, Samuel Eto’o (Barcelona), Adam Johnson (Middlesbrough), David Bentley (Blackburn), Hugo Campagnaro (Sampdoria), Goran Pandev (Lazio), Ruben De la Red (Real Madrid), Alan Mcgregor (Rangers), David Villa (Valencia), Sergio Garcia (Real Zaragoza), Lassana Diarra (Portsmouth)

Out: Radek Cerny (QPR)

Departing: Dimitar Berbartov (Chelsea or Barcelona), Younes Kaboul (Portsmouth), Paul Robinson (Middlesbrough), Lee Young Pyo (PSV), Danny Murphy (Fulham), Hossam Ghaly (Blackburn, Derby or Feyenoord), Aaron Lennon (Blackburn), Anthony Gardner (QPR, Stoke or Rangers), Chris Gunter (Wolverhampton), Michael Dawson (Bolton, Newcastle or Aston Villa)

Cuckoo Nest: Jaime Moreno (Shaktar)

West Bromich Albion

In: Roman Bednar (Hearts), Kim Do-Heon (Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma), Luke Moore (Aston Villa)

Possible: Radoslaw Majewski (Groclin), Marc Antoine-Fortune (Nancy), Ibrahim Sonko (Reading), Kevin McDonald (Dundee), Scott Carson (Liverpool), Graham Dorrans (Motherwell), Kevin Thompson (Rangers)

Out: Curtis Davies (Aston Villa), Kevin Phillips (Leeds, Stoke or QPR)

Departing: Zoltan Gera (Benfica, Bolton, Celtic or Portsmouth), Jonathon Greening (Rangers), Kevin Phillips (Leeds, Stoke or QPR)

West Ham United

In:

Possible: Nicky Shorey (Reading), Steven Carr (Newcastle), Richard Dunne (Manchester City), Mark Bresciano (Palermo), Andy Johnson (Everton), Steven Taylor (Newcastle), Djibril Cisse (Marseille), Michael Kightly (Wolverhampton), Giles Barnes (Derby), Roland Linz (Sporting Braga), Eidur Gudjohnsen (Barcelona)

Out:

Departing: Anton Ferdinand (Tottenham), Dean Ashton (Tottenham or Newcastle), Bobby Zamora (QPR)

Cuckoo Nest: Davide Lanzafame (Palermo)

Wigan Athletic

In:

Possible: Hassan Yebda (Le Mans), Socratis Papastathopoulos (AEK Athens), Charles N’Zogbia (Newcastle), Olivier Kapo (Birmingham), Ross McCormack (Motherwell), Amr Zaki (Zamalek), Carlo Costly (GKS Beltchatow), Hameur Bouazza (Fulham), Madjid Bougherra (Charlton)

Out: Salomon Olembe (Kayserispor), Josip Skoko (Released) Julius Aghahowa (Kayserispor)

Departing: Ryan Taylor (Hull), Henri Camera (Marseille), Wilson Palacios, Luis Antonio Valencia (Manchester United), Paul Scharner (Fulham or Sunderland)

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