Nuggerton's Football (Soccer) Blog

Premiership Round 13 results

2006-11-22T11:26:00.000-05:00

Actual Results:

Man City 3 Fulham 1
Arsenal 1 Newcastle 1
Chelsea 1 West Ham 0
Everton 1 Bolton 0
Portsmouth 2 Watford 1
Reading 2 Charlton 0
Sheffield Utd 1 Man Utd 2
Middlesbrough 0 Liverpool 0
Blackburn 1 Tottenham 1
Wigan 0 Aston Villa 0

So, 7 correct results out of 10 and 2 perfect scorelines. No real huge surprises this week. It is sad to say that Arsenal unable to beat lesser opponents is not that big a surprise anymore. :(

Predictions of Round 13 of the Premiership

2006-11-17T23:34:00.000-05:00

My Predictions:
Man City 0 Fulham 0
Arsenal 3 Newcastle 0
Chelsea 2 West Ham 0
Everton 1 Bolton 0
Portsmouth 1 Watford 0
Reading 2 Charlton 0
Sheffield Utd 0 Man Utd 3
Middlesbrough 1 Liverpool 1
Blackburn 2 Tottenham 1
Wigan 2 Aston Villa 2

Round 11 of the Premiership - Results

2006-11-05T17:17:00.000-05:00

Fulham 1 Everton 0
Bolton 0 Wigan 1
Charlton 1 Man City 0
Liverpool 2 Reading 0
Man Utd 3 Portsmouth 0
Watford 2 Middlesbrough 0
Newcastle 0 Sheffield 1
West Ham 1 Arsenal 0
Aston Villa 2 Blackburn 0
Tottenham 2 Chelsea 1

So, I got 5 correct results out of 10. Better than last week, but still not very good. The big surprise was Arsenal and Chelsea both lost.

My match reports:
http://www.sport-blog.com/2006/11/chelsea-and-arsenal-both-lose.html
http://www.sport-blog.com/2006/11/man-u-win-to-give-fergie-perfect.html

Round 11 of the Premiership

2006-11-04T03:17:00.000-05:00

My Predictions:

Fulham 0 Everton 1
Bolton 1 Wigan 0
Charlton 2 Man City 1
Liverpool 3 Reading 1
Man Utd 2 Portsmouth 0
Watford 1 Middlesbrough 0
Newcastle 0 Sheffield 0
West Ham 0 Arsenal 3
Aston Villa 1 Blackburn 1
Tottenham 0 Chelsea 2

I did very poorly last week, let's see how I do this time.

I expect Arsenal to score, and to score a lot. That match against CSKA Moscow was just one of those freaky matches.

You can read my preview and predictions here: http://www.sport-blog.com/2006/11/preview-and-predictions-of-round-11-of.html

Champions League Match Day 4: Arsenal 0 CSKA Moscow 0

2006-11-03T00:16:00.000-05:00

How on earth did we not score? I had a bad feeling about midway through the 1st half that it was one of those nights. Then Rosicky's unbelievable miss confirmed my feeling just before the half. I was pulling my hair out the entire match. We created chance after chance, but the ball just would not go in. On the other hand, we played some of the most breathtaking football I have seen. Some of those passes were abosultely amazing! Now... can someone put the ball in please?

Match report and what Wenger and Henry thought of the match: http://www.sport-blog.com/2006/11/champions-league-match-day-4-gunners_03.html

8 out of 10 results went against me!

2006-10-30T23:01:00.000-05:00

Actual results:

Saturday:
Sheffield 0 Chelsea 2
Arsenal 1 Everton 1
Bolton 0 Man U 4
Fulham 0 Wigan 1
Liverpool 3 Aston Villa 1
Portsmouth 3 Reading 1
Watford 0 Tottenham 0
Newcastle 0 Charlton 0
Sunday:
West Ham 2 Blackburn 1
Monday:
Man City 1 Middlesbrough 0

As you can see, my predictions for this weekend's matches were crap. Only 2 correct results. Hopefully I will do better next time.

You can read my reports here:
1. Chelsea, Man U and Liverpool: http://www.sport-blog.com/2006/10/chelsea-man-utd-and-liverpool-all-won.html
2. Arsenal vs Everton: http://www.sport-blog.com/2006/10/negative-tactics-once-again-frustrated.html

Preview and Predictions for Round 10 of the Premiership

2006-10-27T19:16:00.000-05:00

My Predictions:

Saturday:
Sheffield 0 Chelsea 3
Arsenal 2 Everton 0
Bolton 1 Man U 0
Fulham 0 Wigan 0
Liverpool 2 Aston Villa 1
Portsmouth 1 Reading 1
Watford 0 Tottenham 2
Newcastle 1 Charlton 0
Sunday:
West Ham 0 Blackburn 2
Monday:
Man City 2 Middlesbrough 2

I am going for a Bolton victory against Man U, and Liverpool ending Villa's unbeaten run.

You can read my thoughts on the upcoming matches here: http://www.sport-blog.com/2006/10/preview-and-predictions-for-round-10.html

Carling Cup round up (4th round)

2006-10-25T22:08:00.000-05:00

Third Division Crewe almost upset Man U. If you ask me, Arsenal's youngsters were a lot more impressive than Man U's.

You can read my 4th round summary here:

Tuesday's fixtures: http://www.sport-blog.com/2006/10/how-premiership-clubs-fared-in-carling.html

Wednesday's fixtures: http://www.sport-blog.com/2006/10/how-premiership-clubs-fared-in-carling_25.html

Carling Cup: West Brom 0 Arsenal 2

2006-10-24T21:34:00.000-05:00

The young Gunners showed plenty of potential. The future of Arsenal looks very rosy.

You can read my report of the match here: http://www.sport-blog.com/2006/10/carling-cup-jeremie-aliadiere-scored.html

Summary of Sunday's Premier League Fixtures

2006-10-22T23:37:00.000-05:00

My Predictions for the weekend's fixtures:
Wigan Athletic 0 Man City 0
Charlton Athletic 2 Watford 0
Chelsea 0 Portsmouth 1
Everton 2 Sheffield United 0
Aston Villa 1 Fulham 0
Man Utd 0 Liverpool 1
Blackburn 1 Bolton 2
Middlesbrough 2 Newcastle 0
Tottenham 1 West Ham 0
Reading 0 Arsenal 2

Actual Results:
Wigan Athletic 4 Man City 0
Charlton Athletic 0 Watford 0
Chelsea 2 Portsmouth 0
Everton 2 Sheffield Utd 0
Aston Villa 1 Fulham 1
Man Utd 2 Liverpool 0
Blackburn 0 Bolton 1
Middlesbrough 1 Newcastle 0
Tottenham 1 West Ham 0
Reading 0 Arsenal 4

So, out of 10 matches, I got 5 correct results including 2 perfect scorelines. Not as good as last week's predictions.

You can read my summary of Sunday's fixtures here: http://www.sport-blog.com/2006/10/summary-of-sundays-premier-league.html

Reading 0 Arsenal 4

2006-10-22T16:50:00.000-05:00

The match was such a joy to watch! I do feel bad for Reading, as I went to school near Reading.

Not a single yellow card. It's probably Jose Mourinho's fault that Reading did not tackle as hard as they should have, and that suited us just fine. When we are allowed to actually play football (instead of getting kicked off the park), there isn't a team that is better. Fabregas was absolutely superb, and Hleb had a good game too. Theo Walcott came on for about 20 mins, talented as he is, but compare him to the more established first teamers, you can see his passes are not as precise. But he is still young, it's a good thing that Wenger is taking his time to develop him.

You can read my match report here: http://www.sport-blog.com/2006/10/arsenal-put-moscow-defeat-behind-them.html

Summary of Saturday's Premier League Fixtures 21 Oct 2006

2006-10-21T23:40:00.000-05:00

Shevchenko finlly scored. Nothing too exciting.

Summary and results here: http://www.sport-blog.com/2006/10/summary-of-saturdays-premier-league.html

Preview of this weekend's Premiership fixtures

2006-10-20T12:41:00.000-05:00

Man U vs Liverpool on Sunday is the big one.

You can read my preview and predictions here: http://www.sport-blog.com/2006/10/preview-of-this-weekends-premiership.html

Happy to see Fabregas commited to Arsenal

2006-10-19T18:37:00.000-05:00

After the sickening Ashley (Cashley) Cole saga, I am so happy to hear that Fabregas has signed a new long term contract with us. Fabregas is an exremely important player, for now and for the future, and it is a huge boost for us that he has the sense to know that he needs the club as much as the club needs him.

Read my thoughts here: http://www.sport-blog.com/2006/10/cesc-fabregas-signed-new-8-year.html

Is Andriy Shevchenko wrong for Chelsea?

2006-10-18T23:59:00.000-05:00

A few months ago, I couldn't believe that Chelsea finally lured Shevchenko away from AC Milan. I mean, I couldn't buy the guy even in my Championship Manager game. So well done Mr. Abramovich, you have once again proved to us that it is nice to have a lot of money.

Everyone thought that Shevchenko was going to be this scoring machine for Chelsea, but he has so far failed to impress. So what's wrong? Is the 30 year old striker too old to adapt to the Premiership? or is he simply too old? or is Chelsea's style of play too unsophisticated for a player like him?

You can read my thoughts here http://www.sport-blog.com/2006/10/is-andriy-shevchenko-wrong-for-chelsea.html

Chelsea 1 Barcelona 0

2006-10-18T21:27:00.000-05:00

I don't like Drogba, not that many people do... but he is playing well, so that makes him even less likeable.

Jose Mourinho is at it again, accusing Reading that Cech was hurt intentionally by Hunt. What a wanker!

You can read my thoughts on the match here: http://www.sport-blog.com/2006/10/chelsea-won-as-stars-of-barcelona.html

Preview: Chelsea v Barcelona, Round 3

2006-10-18T11:47:00.000-05:00

My second favorite team is taking on my second (well, they are slowly but surely closing in on the number 1 spot) most hated team. I think Barca are better, but as this is just a group stage match, it will probably be a draw. I'd love to see Chelsea draw Barca again in the knock out stage.

Read my longer preview here: http://www.sport-blog.com/2006/10/preview-of-chelsea-vs-barcelona.html

Arsenal lost and Man U won, not a good day....

2006-10-18T02:28:00.000-05:00

I got the Man U result correct with the correct scoreline too, but I was totally wrong on the Arsenal match. CSKA Moscow, as expected, proved to be the toughest opponents we have to face in the group stage of the Champions League. The poor playing surface did not help, but the most frustrating thing was Henry's perfectly good goal was ruled out by the referee. Even though we did not play well, it still should have been a draw.

You can read my match report on the Man U match here: http://www.sport-blog.com/2006/10/man-utd-in-pole-position-to-qualify.html

and on the Arsenal match: http://www.sport-blog.com/2006/10/dubious-referee-decisions-cost-arsenal.html

Preview of Tuesday's UEFA Champions League Fixtures

2006-10-16T22:01:00.000-05:00

I am pissed off that ESPN is showing the Man U vs FC Copenhagen match, and not the Arsenal one. So many good matchups to choose from, and they pick the least interesting one.

Read my previews and predictions here: http://www.sport-blog.com/2006/10/preview-of-tuesdays-uefa-champions.html

Summary of Saturday's English Premier League fixtures

2006-10-14T16:43:00.000-05:00

My Predictions:
Arsenal 3 Watford 0
Aston Villa 1 Tottenham Hotspur 0
Liverpool 2 Blackburn 2
Man City 0 Sheffield United 0
Middlesbrough 0 Everton 1
Portsmouth 2 West Ham 0
Reading 1 Chelsea 0
Wigan 1 Manchester United 2

Actual Results:
Arsenal 3 Watford 0
Aston Villa 1 Tottenham Hotspur 1
Liverpool 1 Blackburn 1
Man City 0 Sheffield United 0
Middlesbrough 2 Everton 1
Portsmouth 2 West Ham 0
Reading 0 Chelsea 1
Wigan 1 Manchester United 3

So, out of 8 matches, I got 5 correct results, including 3 perfect score lines. I think I did okay.

Read it here: http://www.sport-blog.com/2006/10/summary-of-saturdays-english-premier.html

Arsenal brushed aside Watford in comfortable win

2006-10-14T15:17:00.000-05:00

Arsenal 3 Watford 0
Saturday 14 Oct 2006

Why didn't Eriksson use Walcott at all in the World Cup? The kid has some pace! I saw the two goals he scored in the England U21 match, and he looked like Theirry Henry! Arsene does know.

Read my match report here: http://www.sport-blog.com/2006/10/arsenal-brushed-aside-watford-in.html

Preview of Saturday's Premier League fixtures

2006-10-13T23:07:00.000-05:00

Read my previews and predictions here: http://www.sport-blog.com/2006/10/preview-of-saturdays-premier-league.html

Arsenal Players on the shortlist for the 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year

2006-10-12T22:19:00.000-05:00

Will this be the year that someone (Thierry Henry) from the Premiership wins it? Don't hold your breath.

Read my report here: http://www.sport-blog.com/2006/10/arsenal-players-on-shortlist-for-2006.html

Is Steve McClaren the wrong choice for England manager?

2006-10-12T19:05:00.000-05:00

McClaren was not anyone's first choice for England manager. A compromised appointment does not necessarily mean that it is a wrong appointment, or is it?

Read my take here: http://www.sport-blog.com/2006/10/is-steve-mcclaren-wrong-choice-for.html

A humiliating night for England

2006-10-12T17:41:00.000-05:00

Not a surpising result, but poor poor Paul Robinson. Lampard had another poor game. What does it take to drop him?

An supposedly easy group now becomes very tricky indeed.

Read my match report here: http://www.sport-blog.com/2006/10/humiliating-night-for-england.html

Frank Lampard's reputation is on the line

2006-10-11T10:54:00.000-05:00

I don't think Frank Lampard is as bad as many people think. He did have a very poor World Cup, but so did almost every England player. When he plays for Chelsea, he has other world class players (don't you just hate it?) to support and cover for him, so the team is less reliant on him. But for England, there is nowhere to hide for Lampard. He needs to have a good game against Croatia, otherwise I think it's time for McClaren to drop him.

Read my take here: http://www.sport-blog.com/2006/10/frank-lampards-reputation-is-on-line.html

England get ready for Croatia

2006-10-10T18:44:00.000-05:00

They thought it was an easy group, but after drawing at home to Macedonia, this away match to Croatia takes on more importance. Arguably the most difficult fixture England have in the qualifying round, McClaren is thinking of using a 3-5-2 formation, a system that his players are not familiar with. This is going to be good.

Read my report here: http://www.sport-blog.com/2006/10/england-get-ready-for-croatia.html

Are the England players as good as they think they are?

2006-10-10T15:45:00.000-05:00

Read my take here: http://www.sport-blog.com/2006/10/are-england-players-as-good-as-they.html

The Honeymoon is over for England Manager Steve McClaren

2006-10-09T16:45:00.000-05:00

England 0 FYR Macedonia 0
8th October 2006

What a mess! England are just sinking lower and lower. I was not pleased when Steve McClaren was appointed as manager and I hope this insipid display would knock some sense into the people at the FA. Why hire McClaren when Martin O'Neill was available and actually wanted the job?

Read my match report here: http://www.sport-blog.com/2006/10/honeymoon-is-over-for-england-manager.html

Arsenal win five in row after Robin van Persie's wonder strike

2006-10-06T16:44:00.000-05:00

Charlton 1 Arsenal 2

September 30th 2006

I have watched van Persie's second goal over and over again (I love Youtube). I am happy that Arsenal's season is definitely back on track.

Read my match report here: http://www.sport-blog.com/2006/10/arsenal-win-five-in-row-after-robin.html

What a performance! A terrific result for the Gunners… Finally!

2006-09-18T13:47:00.000-05:00

17 September 2006
Manchester United 0 – Arsenal 1

I was so worried about this. If Arsenal lost, then it would probably be another season of disappointment. But we came good, and the future looks much rosier.

Read my match report here: http://www.sport-blog.com/2006/10/arsenal-win-five-in-row-after-robin.html

Watford 0 - Aston Villa 0 (16th Sept. 2006)

2006-09-17T19:11:00.000-05:00

Watford are really lucky to have loaned Ben Foster from Man U.

Read my match report here: http://www.sport-blog.com/2006/09/goalkeepers-stole-show-at-vicarage.html

Bolton 0 - Middlesbroug 0 (16th Sep. 2006)

2006-09-17T15:09:00.000-05:00

A bore draw.

Read my report on the match here: http://www.sport-blog.com/2006/09/bore-draw-at-reebok-stadium-two-new.html

In Anticipation of Arsenal vs Manchester United at Old Trafford 06/07

2006-09-15T23:53:00.000-05:00

It was just a couple of years ago that Arsenal vs Manchester United matches were the most important fixtures in the English Premiership. How time has changed. How money has changed the game. Ever since Roman Abramovich took over Chelsea and pretty much bought the Premiership title, Arsenal vs Man U seems more like the eliminator than the title decider. Although the clash of the titans no more, this fixture (so early in the season) should still provide some form of indication of the potential of the two teams.

Last season was a transitional period for the Gunners in many ways. It was their last season at Highbury, their stadium of ninety three years (6 September 1913 to 7 May 2006). Burdened with the cost of financing the new 60,000 seats Emirate Stadium (Ashburton Grove), manager Arsene Wenger’s hands were tied in terms of transfer activities. Alexander Hleb of Belarus was the only notable purchase. He is a good dribbler and a playmaker but not exactly the type of player to fill the void left by Patrick Viera, who finally left the club after years of will he/won’t he. Viera was sold to Juventus for twelve million pounds. Although it proved almost impossible to find a like for like replacement for Viera, I thought it was another good bit of business done by Wenger to get this kind of money for the 29 year old. As he approached 30, Viera’s power of dominating a match was obviously waning for a player whose game depends so much on his physical prowess.

It was as if the departure of the captain was not enough, a host of players were injured for most of the season. On top of that, there was the Ashley Cole “tapping up” (by who else but Chelsea), and the melt down of Sol Campbell (who went AWOL during the half time of the West Ham match). Arsene Wenger had no choice but to rely on the youngsters. It was kind of expected that the kids would not do well in the Premiership because of the physical nature of the league. Teams like Blackburn would just bully them out of the park. But these kids have a lot of potential, especially Cesc Fabregas, who was such a revelation. It is so rare to have someone so young to control the midfield like this kid did. At only 18, he played with such vision and assurance that it almost seemed like a blessing that Viera left so that Wenger had to put his trust on the kid. At the back, Kolo Toure was the only senior defender available for most of the season. So youngsters like Phillippe Senderos, Mathieu Flamini, Emannuel Eboue, Abou Diaby were thrusted into action. Against the physical approach of their Premiership rivals, they might seem a bit lightweight, but in Europe, where the style was more technique based, they flourished. It was such an achievement that this makeshift defence broke the Champions League record of most consecutive clean sheets set by AC Milan.

Even though their domestic form was poor (at least by the very high standard set in recent years), their form in Europe was encouraging enough to suggest a better season this time. However, three matches into the 06/07 season, Arsenal still have not won a match and only have two points to show for so far. It is embarrassing enough to be in the relegation zone of the league table, it is enough more humiliating to see Manchester United at the top of the table with a perfect record of four wins from four matches (12 points).

More worryingly for us Gooners is that Thierry Henry will most likely miss the match on Sunday as he had sustained an injury during practice with the France national team (which is why club managers hate their players going on international duties). In addition, Robin van Persie is going to miss the match too. In other words, Wenger may start with teenager Theo Walcott or new signing Julio Baptista or both. Another new boy, Tomas Rosicky had a good game against Hamburg in the Champions League earlier this week by scoring a wonder goal reminiscent of the one he scored against the US in the World Cup, also in Germany. I am excited about his signing and I think he would be an important player for Arsenal once he has adapted to the pace of the English game. However, I suspect that Wenger is going to start with Freddie Ljungberg instead of Rosicky on Sunday, simply because Ljungberg has more experience in the Premiership, especially against a team like Man U. With Ashley Cole and Robert Pires gone, and Gael Clichy still injured, Arsenal’s left side does not have the offensive capability it used to have, and Sir Alex Freguson, the Manchester Untied manager, will try to force Arsenal to play through the middle. It would be a problem unless Arsenal’s finishing gets more clinical than was shown in recent matches or it will be the same old overcomplicated play and no pay off scenario.

It is not all gloom and doom for Arsenal though. It is true that Man U are the form team right now, but as we can see from the Champions League match against Celtic the other night, Man U’s backline has its problems. It is a tall order at this point for Arsenal to win at Old Trafford but I think it is matches like this that defines a season. It is not all about the points, although that is obviously important, it is how Arsenal performs that will have impact on the rest of the season.

Prediction: Manchester United 1 – Arsenal 1