Weekend Review: Anything the League Cup can do...

Well the FA Cup has had to up it's game this year just to compete with the unexpected marvel that has been the Capital One Cup this year. It was hard to imagine anything being able to top Bradford City's phenomenal run to Wembley this year from the fourth tier of English football but the FA Cup did spring a few surprises on fourth round weekend ...


Norwich 0-1 Luton: we've always heard about the famous giant killings of the FA Cup like Sutton v Coventry, and Hereford against Newcastle and this Luton Town victory certainly ranks up at the top with these results. There are 85 places and four divisions between these 2 sides. Just to reiterate Luton are a non-league team, and they've just beaten a Premier League side who at the moment are the 13th best side in the country. This is an amazing result and I feel a little bit sorry for Luton as their story would be given so much more limelight had Bradford not got to the League Cup final in the same week. Here are some of the stats about this result: this was the first victory for a non-league side against a team in the top division since Sutton in 1989, it was the first time in 27 years a non-league side have beaten a top flight team away from home, and it was the first time a non-league side have beaten a team in the top tier since 1949. What an achievement. This match would probably fit the definition of a smash and grab victory, which you would expect in these circumstances. Luton only had 32% possession throughout the game and had just two shots on target, but they outgunned Norwich on that stat that matters: goals. They also put in 18 more tackles over the 90 minutes than their counterparts (11 to 29). Luton were hungrier, pure and simple. The goal emphasised that as Scott Rendell bust a gut to nip in front of Norwich's defence to turn the ball home. It is a great story for a team that have had little to celebrate in recent years (similar to Bradford really). In 2005 Luton were a Championship side, but three consecutive relegations from 2006-2009 has seen them in the Conference ever since. The side took an incredible 4000 fans to Carrow Road and it would take a cold hearted man not to feel pleased for this club, they deserve their moment in the sun and long may their journey continue!

Brentford 2-2 Chelsea: one of the bigger shocks this weekend occurred at Griffin Park. Amid amazing scenes little known striker Fernando Torres actually scored! Seriously though this was another genuinely shocking result in reality when a £50m striker has to rescue the European champions from losing to a side in the third division in England. The pitch at Brentwood was definitely a leveller and with the fervent crowd packed into this historic ground this game was clearly not one that some of Chelsea's highly paid stars relished. It was clear again that it simply meant more to Brentford than to Chelsea. This was billed as the Bees against the Honeypot, and Brentford played extremely well. It is easy to see why Uwe Rosler is a highly rated manager as he seemed to get his tactics spot on in this game. He pinpointed Chelsea's lack of pace in defence with the likes of Terry and Ivanovic and geared his side up to counter attack, particularly using the pace of Harry Forrester who was always a thorn in Chelsea's side. Rosler has been linked with Championship jobs such as the vacancy at Barnsley and its not hard to see why. His star will only continue to rise if he can show such tactical nouse again in the replay at Stamford Bridge.

Millwall 2-1 Aston Villa: what a terrible week to be an Aston Villa fan. Two defeats inside of a week to lower league opposition. Their side sit just one place above the relegation zone and have now exited both domestic cup competitions within a week. This loss will arguably sting less than the Bradford one but its still a big blow and can do nothing but damage to their already brittle confidence. Worryingly for Villa this was not a game they bossed and were unlucky to lose either. They had slightly more possession than Millwall over the 90 with 51% possession but they had just 4 shots during the entire game compared to the Lions' 12. They conceded yet again from a corner to a Danny Shittu header and eventually succumbed to an 89th minute winner from John Marquis. You have to wonder what is next for Villa and its hard to see them bouncing back quickly from this week. They have a young side and really could have done with a confidence boosting win against the Londoners. Instead Paul Lambert is now left with the unenviable task of trying to pick his players up off the floor and instilling in them the grit to succeed in their relegation dogfight this season. Villa fans are beginning to call for Lambert's sacking but the question is: is there anyone that could do a better job with that group of players? We're not sure but it seems unlikely. It looks like being a pivotal week in Villa's season though either way we will find out what their character is like.

Other results: as we're sure you can appreciate it was hard to put in a mention for every shock result this week. Plaudits have to go to Oldham for their brilliant 3-2 victory over Liverpool as forward Matt Smith starred in a bullying performance that put Coates in the centre of Liverpool's defence to shame. Leeds for their 2-1 victory over Spurs and also to MK Dons for their sensational 4-2 victory away at QPR (which will be mentioned below in a bit more detail). Macclesfield Town's dream run was finally ended by Wigan in a hard-fought 0-1 victory at the Moss Rose, while Brighton  ran Arsenal extremely close in an excellent cup tie that ended in a 2-3 victory to the Gunners.

We know we've harped on about it a lot but it really does seem like this year, underdogs have been spurred on by what we'd like to call the 'Bradford Effect'. Bradford have shown other lower league clubs it is possible to beat Premier League teams combined with the performance of promoted teams like Swansea and Norwich as they've stepped straight up to the Premier League has shown teams that the gap is closing. We say long may it continue!

Round up of our teams

J was at Old Trafford to see Man Utd canter to an easy 4-1 victory over a timid Fulham side in the FA Cup Fourth Round. United never looked back after a third minute Ryan Giggs penalty. There was enough time to show Sam Allardyce that contrary to his beliefs, he's not always right, and United don't always get penalties at Old Trafford for anything as Damien Duff clearly handled the ball again in the box not long after the first penalty was (rightly) awarded against Aaron Hughes for another clear handball. United controlled the game from start to finish and Fulham rarely threatened as Phil Jones in particular impressed in a dominating game at centre back as he won every header he seemed to compete in. Wayne Rooney's goal just after the break killed off the game and showcased him at his powerful best, while Chicharito's double further emphasised the depth of United's striking options. All in all this was a powerful performance from the Red Devils, and one of their better performances this season, arguably.

As mentioned above C's QPR suffered a humiliating 2-4 humbling at the hands of League One side MK Dons. Dons had just 6 shots to Rangers' 20 and had less possession of the football and still managed to show up their troubled opponents. This game showed Rangers' dearth of viable options in the side as high paid stars like Anton Ferdinand were shown up time and again. This game looks like being Ferdinand's last for Rangers before an apparent loan move to Bursaspor in Turkey and I'm sure C and many other R's fans will not be sad to see him go. Judging by 'Arry's scathing criticism of his players after the game, he might not be the only player to see the exit at Loftus Road this week. 'Arry has a lot to do before Deadline Day, you feel.

Crewe lost disappointingly to Bournemouth at  the Goldsands Stadium. A Brett Pitman hat-trick saw off the Alex in a 3-1 loss. The result wasn't a huge surprise considering Bournemouth have only lost 1 game in the 18 they've played since Eddie Howe took the reigns over again, and that loss was against Wigan in the FA Cup Third Round replay. Crewe however, haven't won in 3 and could do with reversing their slump sooner rather than later.

Once you've caught your breath enjoy the round of League games this week and we'll be back soon!

C&J

Weekend Preview: Best League in the...UK?

After a week that confirmed what pretty much everyone has known for a while - the Premier League just isn't the best league in Europe any more - the Premier League is back and the top teams will be looking to bounce back after 4 of the country's representatives failed to win in Europe...

The big talking point this week has to be Man City's failure (yet again) in Europe. Roberto Mancini's record in Europe is coming under close scrutiny as his team look set to bow out at the group stages for the second year in a row, despite their wealth of riches, barring a miracle. Between 2004-08 Mancini got Inter to the Quarters (2004/05, 2005/06) and the last 16 (2006/07 and 2007/08) before he was sacked. This was despite winning the Serie A title three years in a row from 2006-2008. 2 years after he left Inter (with predominantly the same core as Mancini's team) won the Champions League under Jose Mourinho. Coincidence? City’s three fixtures in the Champions League them concede a total of 72 shots in contrast to 85 in their eight Premier League games this season. Yes, Man City have been drawn in the 'Group of Death' this year but they haven't even played well really. They have 1 point and they were extremely lucky to get that against Dortmund. The contrast in the two teams on Wednesday was remarkable and it has been well documented that the total cost of the Ajax starting XI on Wednesday was £2.75m while City's starting XI cost a measly £187.5m! They really should have been winning that game.

Aston Villa v Norwich - Saturday's early kick off will centre around the battle of Norwich and their former manager, Paul Lambert. There is seemingly a lot of ill-feeling between the two parties since their separation - Norwich are suing Lambert for breach of contract while Lambert is counter-suing Norwich for unfair dismissal looking for £2m! This week Norwich's chairman said Lambert walks out on every team he manages while Lambert suggested he hasn't spoken to the chairman, Alan Bowkett in three years (even when he was there). There has been a lack of spark for either team this season and neither has really got going. Both sides only have the one win in the league each from 8 games, and both have struggled for goals scoring less than 1 per game this season on average (both have 6 goals). Norwich have conceded over 2 goals per game this season on average (17 goals in 8 games), while Villa have let in 13 goals in 8 games. Norwich did win against Arsenal last time out and they will be hoping that result will kick start their season but it looks like being a relegation dogfight for both teams this year, and neither have been in good form. Norwich haven't won their last 6 away games, while Villa have failed to win in 17 of their last 18 league games. Both managers have a difficult job on their hands this season and you have to think a lot of both teams seasons depend on Darren Bent and Grant Holt respectively. Holt has 3 goals this season while Bent has 2 and they are the only players from either team who have scored more than 1 goal this season. You have to think this game could be the best opportunity for these teams to fill their boots and score a few, but it appears unlikely. I tend to think that Paul Lambert will thrive on this sort of pressure game. Having played at the likes of Dortmund and Celtic and winning multiple trophies he loves the big games and this is a huge game for his team, and I think the Lambert factor will win out for Villa.

Prediction: Villa 2-1 Norwich

Everton v Liverpool - Sunday's early kick off sees the return of the Merseyside derby. This game seems like it could be a difficult one to predict so I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest there will be a lot of cards. In the last 6 games between these sides there have been 26 yellow cards and 3 reds. So expect more of the same this weekend. Everton have only beaten Liverpool once in the last 6 meetings between the two teams while Liverpool have won 4 and certainly seem to have the edge on their rivals. However, Everton go into this game 8 places and 6 points above their rivals, and have only lost once this season. They have also won 6 of their last 7 home games in the league. However, as we all know the form book goes out of the window in a derby. Liverpool have a young team and the average age of their likely first XI tomorrow is 24.5 years old, whilst Everton's is 29.4 years of age. This youth could either prove to be the undoing of Liverpool or their secret weapon. The players don't look like they have been phased by anything this season but a pressure cooker atmosphere at Goodison Park in the Merseyside derby is another challenge altogether for Liverpool's players. Personally I think the game will come down to clinical finishing and Everton's 15 goals in the league versus Liverpool's 10 tells a story in itself. Liverpool need to take their chances tomorrow otherwise Everton will punish them. I'm going with the form book in this game though.

Prediction: Everton 3-1 Liverpool

Chelsea v Man Utd - Finally, the Sunday evening match is at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea take on Manchester United. Stamford Bridge always seems to be a bogey ground for United and the Reds haven't won at Stamford Bridge in the League in the last 10 games - since April 2002, and Chelsea are the only team in the history of the Premier League who have more wins than losses against United. Funnily enough though United haven't lost in their last 5 meetings against Chelsea (including the two Champions League games from United's 2011 run to the final). This should be an excellent game though and sees 1st take on 2nd in the league. This game could go a long way to showing how serious both teams title challenges are this year. Expect goals - between them these teams have scored 40 goals in the league this year and conceded 17. United are starting games this season bizarrely and seem to be giving teams head starts every game. I think this was slightly inevitable as this season seems to be purely concentrated on attacking and scoring goals with that forward line. Chelsea's forward line is almost as impressive though and it should be a high scoring affair for that reason. United have scored at least 2 goals in their last 7 Premier League games and it seems almost certain that Chelsea will score goals as United's defence seems to be leaking goals on a huge scale this year. United's philosophy this year seems to be 'we will score one more than you'. This has never really worked before (see Newcastle in 95/96) so it is intriguing to see how long this goes on.

Prediction: Chelsea 2-2 United

This weekend QPR take on an Arsenal team who have lost their last 2 games and appear to be back in the middle of a crisis again, just weeks after being the best team since Sliced Bread FC. Rangers are still without a win in the league this season and they will be hoping this is the best time to play Arsenal. However, Mark Hughes has said he fears a backlash this weekend. Rangers avoided defeat last weekend for the first time in 4 in the league and fans will be hoping this could be the start of a turnaround in fortunes, and they will take heart from Norwich's performance against the Gunners last weekend.

 Crewe beat Swindon 2-1 in midweek to record their first win in 4 in the league and they take on an in-form Yeovil team this weekend who have won their last 2 league games. Games between these two teams don't end in draws (both teams have shared 3 wins each in the last 6 games between these 2). Byron Moore got 2 in midweek for his first goals of the season and Steve Davis has challenged him to get double figures this season, so the Railwaymen will be hoping this will spur him on to have more of an impact. Yeovil are an entertaining team this season having scored 24 so far in 14 this season and conceded 21 so there should be goals and an entertaining game at Gresty Road!

Union Berlin take on SC Paderborn 07 on Sunday. Paderborn haven't won in their last 4 and Union will be hoping to build on their win over FSV Frankfurt last week. This is 11th v 10th and should be a tight affair as both teams sit on 12 points. Let's hope Union's good home form continues and they use this to their advantage!

Enjoy the weekend and we'll be back with a review of the weekend next week!

J

Weekend Review: Goals, goals, goals

It was a weekend to remember for the neutral as it rained goals all over the country - in fact, there was not a single goalless draw in any of the top four divisions in England this weekend! Add to that twelve red cards across the leagues and we've certainly got plenty to chew over in this review. 

Perhaps the biggest surprise in the Premier League this weekend came at Carrow Road where Norwich beat Arsenal for the first time in 20 odd years. The Canaries came flying out the traps and really got in the Gunners' faces which really unsettled them and knocked them out of their usual passing rhythm. Maybe Arsene Wenger will draw 'jetlag' from his lucky dip of excuses this week after it was revealed that the team flew from Luton to Norwich, yes, flew. Fourteen minutes from take off to landing! All to avoid a rail replacement bus. Surely somewhere in amongst all those incoming transfer fees and those sky-high season ticket prices they are able to find funding for a team bus? Norwich's performance in this game reminded me a little of Arsenal's last away league defeat - away at Loftus Road in March. The winning goal itself was somewhat fortuitous, Grant Holt tapping in after a Mannone spill (in fairness, it was another 'swerver' which many a Premier League keeper has struggled with so far this year - and the ball bounced right in front of the keeper). Santi Cazorla was pretty absent in contrast to his excellent appearances this season, and that was a big reason that Arsenal managed to have 72% possession during the game and yet not score a single goal. The strikers look like they might struggle to create chances by themselves and if Cazorla's service isn't up to scratch there doesn't appear to be much other alternative. Now we've said that though, they are shoo-ins for goalscorer bets against QPR next weekend at the Emirates.

Liverpool managed a first home win of the season against Reading but it was hardly convincing against a side you'd really expect them to beat comfortably. Raheem Sterling scored his first league goal, which feels like it has been a long time coming. The best QPR youth product in years is living up the all the hype and I've no doubt that this kid is going to be a 'top top player' (Redknapp, 2012). Yet again though we saw that rat boy Suarez can't finish to save his life for all his trickery and build up play. Liverpool just don't look like they have a goalscorer at all in their ranks and the long standing issue of not scoring or winning enough games at home looks set to continue for another year. Liverpool had a staggering 27 shots on goal during the game and yet only managed to get 7 of those efforts on target, and score from the one. Suarez had 10 shots alone in this game and yet only 1 of these efforts was on target, while Raheem Sterling had 5 shots with 3 on target. Even Glen Johnson had more shots on target than Suarez in this game (6 shots 2 on target)!  The need for a finisher is ever more apparent each week at Anfield and it does make you wonder why on earth they let Andy Carroll go out on loan? It seems like Liverpool have been missing wide men for years to provide service for the likes of Crouch and Torres yet when they finally have some exciting wingers it's strikers they lack!

In the preview I said that Chelsea hadn't impressed me so far this season and I was most definitely proved wrong in their 4-2 victory over Tottenham at White Hart Lane. Chelsea were exceptional and it is hard to look past them being the team to beat this year after their showings so far. They are still unbeaten in the league so far this year, but perhaps more impressively they are playing in a wholly un-Chelsea like style this year. Their swashbuckling style with Juan Mata as the spearhead is reaping dividends for Roberto Di Matteo. Chelsea dominated possession against last season's 4th place team and had 58% possession. They were also clinical and scored their 4 goals from just 10 shots, while Spurs scored 2 goals from 26 shots. Chelsea had a shot accuracy of 70%. Juan Mata as mentioned before was unplayable at times and he scored twice and assisted one other goal for Chelsea picking Kyle Walker's pocket before laying the goal up on a plate for Daniel Sturridge. Mata seems to be relishing his freedom this year. Last year he was the only real creative spark in a very rigid Chelsea team but this year he has Oscar and Hazard to share the burden so he has freedom to roam about and more inspiring runs and contributions from his teammates. However, Spurs probably won't be too disheartened by this loss. They were without Gareth Bale, Moussa Dembele, Scott Parker, Younes Kaboul and Benoit Assou-Ekotto - all of whom would arguably be in and around the first team when available. Their lack of depth in midfield, especially on the left, was very apparent and neither Clint Dempsey nor Gylfi Sigurdsson are wingers and both toiled there. All in all, an impressive victory for Chelsea and it is hard not to see them scoring numerous times against the leaky Man United defence.

Elsewhere in the football league it was a good weekend for Leicester City who, in spite of drawing in this particular round of fixtures, moved top of the Championship on goal difference after playing out an entertaining draw at St Andrews. This was by virtue of the fact that all the teams around them failed to pick up points. In fact, the Championship is filled with sides that have started the season consistently inconsistent and it really does look as though anyone can beat anyone in that division this year. Just six points separate the top thirteen sides and the rest of the division are only a couple of points behind that (excluding Ipswich and Peterborough, who are by no means cut adrift). Just think, Watford fans, a couple more wins to add to your three in the last four games and you'll be top of the league!

Roundup of our sides

Finally a week where we can report points gained for all of our sides! 

Chuks Aneke was the unlikely hero for Crewe as they salvaged a stoppage time equaliser to earn a 'Desmond' at the Banks's Stadium. Aneke was on hand to head in a Mathias Pogba cross to make amends for a dreadful showing at Portsmouth last weekend. 

However a first league win of the season still eludes QPR who were made to settle for a point by the ten men of Everton at Loftus Road on Sunday. C's report will be online later this week.

Man Utd beat Stoke 4-2 in an eventful game at Old Trafford on Saturday. United's games this season are becoming a bit silly and they seem to be giving opponents a head start by giving a goal away early and then seeming to start performing after 20 minutes. The attacking trio of Rooney, Van Persie and Welbeck were all superb and the two crosses by Van Persie and then Rooney for each other's goals were sublime. Just wondering: did Wayne Rooney get to keep the match ball for that hat trick or not?!

Union Berlin beat FSV Frankfurt 1-0 thanks to a Torsten Mattuschka penalty. This was a very decent win for Union at home as they won for the third time there this season. Having not won away from home yet the Stadion An Der Alten Forsterei needs to become a bit of a fortress to keep Union from being sucked towards the relegation zone. This win sees Union sit in 10th place in the league but only three points away from third bottom. Overall though a much needed win, and a move in the right direction.

What we learned this week

• If you want to please Edin Dzeko, you could do worse than calling him a super sub - we've heard he really enjoys being called that!
• Southampton's 'attack is the best form of defence' philosophy is continuing to fail at the top level. This week they shipped another four goals. That's now 24 goals shipped in eight league matches, a Premier League record. Changing goalkeeper for the third time this season didn't improve their defending one iota. 
• We think Manish Bhasin and Leroy 'Absolutely' Rosenior decided to make this week's Football League Show a love-in for Wilfried Zaha. Yes, he is in sparkling form and looks a decent shout for a move to the Premier League, but other players deserve some praise too at Palace for their excellent run!
• Chris Eagles has found his level again - not good enough for the Premier League, too good for the Championship. This weekend he notched his 6th of the season and inspired a Bolton comeback from 2-0 down at home to Brizzle City to win 3-2.
• Staying in Lancashire, Charlie Austin netted a 13th goal of a so far terrific campaign up front for Burnley, who as a team haven't exactly set the world alight either - a testament to what an achievement that is!
• £1 million Ipswich flop Jay Emmanuel-Thomas managed a first goal in 13 games but it still couldn't stop Paul Jewell's side chalking up yet another defeat, after they lost to two goals scored by another striker struggling to live up to his price-tag so far this season, £2.5 million Hull summer signing Nick Proschwitz
• 'Marvellous Marvin' Morgan went from hero to zero in thirty seconds at Fratton Park this weekend. The Shrewsbury striker scored, then was booked for a foul following the restart after his goal, only to be given a second yellow card moments later for the protest against his first booking. Madness!
• The FA Cup 1st round draw will have really given Coventry fans a harsh dose of reality - pitting them against Arlesey Town, who will no doubt miraculously find a thousand 'die hard' glory hunting fans from the street to take to the Ricoh. Hereford v Shrewsbury and the potential for Chelmsford v Colchester were further highlights of the draw
• Not particularly specific to this week, but we're hearing ever increasing use of the shout 'AWAY!' by goalkeepers in the Football League as an instruction to defenders to clear their lines when crosses come in. On Match of the Day the yell could be heard from custodians Guzan, Friedel, Begovic and Hart