Sheffield is home to two massive clubs, Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday – but both teams seem to be on the decline. Sheffield United currently find themselves in the relegation zone in the Championship and Sheffield Wednesday are in the lower end of the table in League One. Yet, both clubs have strong fan bases and stadiums that can house over 30,000 fans.
Although, I would never suggest that luck plays no part in football, I think the situation these clubs find themselves in is about more than just a bit of bad luck. However, football can turn around very quickly and a successful side can quickly become a side in trouble. Sheffield Wednesday in particular have a history of enjoying an extended period in the Premier League, but this was now quite a long time ago and their attempts to get back there nearly put the club out of business. It took a last minute buy out deal by the current chairman, Milan Mandaric to save the club.
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Sheffield United has enjoyed the more recent flirts with the Premier League with an appearance in the 2006-07 season. Neil Warnock was the manager and they were relegated in 18th place and the club were then rocked further with the resignation of Warnock. Another issue that I don’t believe helped the club much was the fight they took on over Carlos Tevez and West Ham. The constant appeals and legal action did not help the club and in many ways has contributed to the mess they are now in.
The spell that Gary Speed recently had as manager was mixed in fortunes, but it may not help to lose your manager to Wales and then have to appoint another manager. The current Sheffield United manager is Micky Adams and he has had a difficult start, but is gradually showing signs of turning the club around.
Both Sheffield clubs have had their fair share of problems and appear to be a long way off being major forces in English football again in the near future. Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday have been through too many managers in recent seasons and that never helps a side become successful. Sheffield Wednesday in particular have had their share of financial problems, but this is also true of Sheffield United in the past. United have had some off the field distractions and perhaps haven’t invested in the team in the wisest fashion; an example of this was when they spent £3 million on Ched Evans, when they perhaps should have spread that money out amongst the squad.
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However, I think both clubs are now in better hands. Milan Mandaric has plenty of experience in football and should ensure the club is well managed at board level and Gary Megson is a good manager with plenty of experience. Sheffield United should also feel they are going in the right direction with Micky Adams as their manager. I would be concerned by the amount of loan players both clubs have, because going forward they need to invest in their own squads.
Woah! I thought this would be relatively easy, as I listed off all the fantastic goals scored in the Champions League over the last 18 years. Then a few mates started throwing in a few suggestions and then you start to remember all the goals over the years, from last season to the last decade.
I’ve seen so many fantastic goals trying to create a top ten short list that my eyes feel like they are going to fall out of my face, but at least I am hugely inspired for playing football later tonight. Anyway, I know that the following top ten is not going to please everyone, if you want to comment on what goals you think should’ve made the list, then feel free. However, just because it did not get into my list, does not mean I didn’t acknowledge it, I did but I wanted to try and keep this top ten as varied as possible.
What do I mean? Well, what makes a great goal? Is it the moment, like Steven Gerrard’s strike against Olympiakos for Liverpool (that nearly made the list) or the stage of the competition, like a last minute goal in the final (Sheringham and Solskjaer). Or, is it just a fantastic piece of skill and individual play, like Thierry Henry’s control and finish against Sparta (again, it nearly made the list).
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Taking it all into consideration, the following list hopefully has it all. From headers to over head kicks, to goals in the Final, to brilliant team work. Plus, the long range strike, whether from a set-piece or during play, sometimes they can get over hyped but there have been some sensational goals. I’m surprised myself that David Beckham’s free-kick against Barcelona in 1998 didn’t make it, or Hugo Almeida’s rocket of a free kick (thanks Joe), but personally I thought Juninho deserved to get in.
I did consider making an honourable mention list to those great goals that did not make the Top Ten, but it’d be too long. Players from the early nineties set the standard like Jari Litmanen for Ajax and Jean-Pierre Papin for Milan plus Gabriel Batistuta for Fiorentina, and to George Weah and Georgi Hagi…ok I’ll quit while I am ahead.
It was not just the big names in football that scored great goals, remember Arsenal’s left back, Sylvinho? He scored a great individual goal in the competition. Enough of my introduction, it’s time for you to check out my top ten Champions League goals of all time….and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter for football chatter – @verbal_football
10 – Andy Cole for Man Utd vs Barcelona 1998 group stage – One of the goals that graced the one of the two 3-3 draws in the 1998/1999 games in the Champions League. This goal came at the Nou Camp and it showed excellent play by strike partners Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole, which out of all the great goals in the competition I’ve seen, this was quite a rare and should be appreciated.
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9 – Rivaldo for Barcelona vs Manchester United 1998 group stage – Keeping with the same game, Rivaldo’s brilliant overhead kick has to be included. The United keeper, Peter Schmeichel wasn’t expecting it and the United defence didn’t react, a piece of brilliance by the Brazilian.
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8 – Dejan Savicevic for Milan vs Barcelona 1993/1994 Final – The audacious lob over the Barcelona keeper made it 3-0 to the underdogs AC Milan, managed by Fabio Capello. Perhaps I was persuaded for this goal to make the list for it came in the Final, but it’s definitely worthy for the main event.
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7 – Lionel Messi for Barcelona vs Man Utd 2008/2009 Final – Ok, not Lionel Messi’s best goal in the Champions League but considering that it was the Final and it was a header by the little Argentinean trequartista, when does Lionel Messi score headers? Plus, it was a pin-point cross from Xavi and Messi did fantastic to jump and direct the ball into the opposite corner of the goal.
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6 – Cristiano Ronaldo for Man Utd vs Porto 2009 knock out stages – Not scored in a final, like the previous two entries but Ronaldo’s thunderous shot from 40 yards deserves to be included. I was close to including his free-kick at Arsenal instead but there were questions over poor goal keeping being the reason. However, this goal against Porto for United was unstoppable.
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5 – Juninho free-kick for Lyon vs Real Madrid 2005/2006 group stage – There have been some fantastic free-kicks scored in the Champions League over the years but the Brazilian, Juninho for Lyon is one of the best. I particularly preferred this goal because of the angle, power, distance and the fact it beat a world class keeper like Iker Casillas.
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4 – Kaka for AC Milan vs Manchester United 2006/2007 semi-finals – Another Brazilian who makes the top ten. This goal by Kaka is a personal favourite because of the individualism involved. He had no right to score, with three United defenders surrounding him, but his skill, determination and composure made it and let Milan go on to win their 7th European Cup.
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3 – Mauro Bressan for Firoentina vs Barcelona (1999/2000) group stage – It had to be included, Trevor Sinclair set the standard for overhead kicks outside the area but the Italian, Mauro Bressan took it to a whole new level in the Champions League with this goal against Barcelona. Amazing.
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2 – Overmars goal for Barca vs Liverpool (2001/02) group stage – I’ve heard 25 to 30 passes, a through ball and a goal. Perhaps not as impressive as a strike from 30 yards but to me this is one of the best goals scored in the competition. The Barcelona team showed patience, composure and their passing ability in abundance before Overmars ran through to finish off the team move.
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1 – Zinedine Zidane goal for Real Madrid vs Bayer Leverkusen (CL Final 2002) – It had to be! This goal is usually number 1 in these lists and I tried very hard to justify another goal making it to the number 1 spot but I simply couldn’t. Whilst Roberto Carlos’ cross is often criticised as a “miss-hit” in the build up to this goal, Zidane was able to repossession himself and volley into perfectly pass the keeper. Worthy of a final and to top this list of the best Champions League goals.
Tottenham’s bid for Champions League football took an almighty blow as they gave up a lead to draw 2-2 with West Bromwich Albion.Jermain Defoe’s goal on 67 minutes looked to have earned Spurs a vital victory in their battle for fourth place, but Cox’s spectacular strike 10 minutes from time salvaged a draw for Roy Hodgson’s men on Saturday.
West Brom took an early lead through Peter Odemwingie after just five minutes but Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko slotted home on 26 minutes to equalise.
Defoe’s strike on 67 minutes was his 100th English Premier League goal and 100th for Tottenham – but it was not enough for victory – meaning Manchester City have the advantage in the fight for fourth.
There were warning signs even before Odemwingie’s opener for Roy Hodgson’s side, with Jerome Thomas going close.
But Spurs were caught napping in the early stages and, when Carlos Vela found Odemwingie, the Albion striker turned Benoit Assou-Ekotto and curled a sublime effort past Heurelho Gomes.
Assou-Ekotto had to be replaced by Sandro following his clash with Odemwingie and that resulted in Gareth Bale, the newly crowned PFA Footballer of the Year, reverting to left-back.
Bale’s attacking prowess was not blunted as a result of the switch, and his surging runs down the left caused the visitors no end of problems.
Luka Modric and Pavlyuchenko both tested Scott Carson in the visiting goal, and Spurs got the breakthrough they deserved when Pavlyuchenko’s strike rifled into the back of the net.
The Russian should have doubled his tally just minutes later, but his wayward rebound from Rafael van der Vaart’s shot soared over.
West Brom started the second half in a similar vein to the first, and only a sprawling, desperate lunge from Gomes denied Odemwingie adding his second of the game with a strong header.
Odemwingie then flashed a stinging drive just past the post as Hodgson’s men exerted maximum pressure on the Londoners.
Tottenham lacked any real impetus going forward and Harry Redknapp’s response was to introduce Aaron Lennon for the disappointing Tom Huddlestone. Lennon’s pace posed problems for the visitors and it wasn’t long before Defoe had put Spurs in front.
Darting in from deep, Defoe raced towards the edge of the area and unleashed a fine drive past Carson for his Premier League century.
Not to be denied, Cox’s wonderful effort from 20 yards flew past Gomes and stunned White Hart Lane.
Harry Redknapp looked disconsolate on the touchline in the knowledge that his side are one point behind fourth-placed Manchester City, with the Eastlands crew holding a game in hand on Spurs.
Manchester United has one hand on the title after successfully beating Chelsea at Old Trafford.
It was a fantastic performance and Sir Alex Ferguson got the tactics spot on as United threatened to run riot in an extremely one sided first half. 2-0 certainly flattered the visitors who never got out of first gear and to be honest the game should have been out of sight, but United’s wastefulness always gave the Blues a half chance to get back into it. Even when Lampard’s strike gave Ancelotti’s men hope, United cranked it up and were able to see the game out with relative ease.
The win sees United close in on a record 19th title and Ferguson fulfil the agenda he set when he first took the reins at Old Trafford.
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So how do United fans feel about the performance today and what are the five things we learnt about the Red Devils this afternoon?
The Premier League, it seems, is littered with players whose careers have not always worked out as planned. Whether bright young prospects who failed to live up to early their promise, over-priced signings or players who have had their careers curtailed by injury, perhaps this summer could present the chance to move onwards and prove themselves at the top level whilst they still have a chance.
Also with clubs having to curtail their spending and the new UEFA rulings on the horizon, chairman will be looking to streamline their squads as much as possible and remove big chunks of player wages off their books. There are plenty who are draining the club’s resources without so much as kicking a ball in anger for their parent clubs so it will be arguably the best move for all concerned if they were to move on.
So who should be discarded? Who will see this summer as the last chance to bag a big move? Who needs to move on for the sake of their sanity?
Click on Niko Kranjcar below to unveil the top 10
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The Championship playoffs produced a second goalless draw in two days as Reading were held 0-0 at home to Cardiff on Friday.Swansea City had already come away from Nottingham Forest’s City Ground with honours even from Thursday’s semi-final first leg, despite the visitors going down to 10 men inside the first two minutes after the sending off of Neil Taylor.
Swansea’s Welsh rivals Cardiff were not disadvantaged in quite the same manner on their visit to the Madejski Stadium.
But they did have to contend without the services of key forward Craig Bellamy, who was forced off by a hamstring injury after just 17 minutes.
It was Bellamy – on loan from FA Cup finalists Manchester City – who enjoyed one of the few clear-cut chances of an edgy contest.
His 11th-minute strike across the face of goal looked to be heading for the far corner and it took a quick reaction save from Australia international goalkeeper Adam Federici to preserve the deadlock.
Michael Chopra, himself lacking match-fitness, replaced Bellamy and with the departing Cardiff captain went much of the visitors’ sense of adventure.
The hosts slowly worked their way into the game, with Hal Robson-Kanu and Jobi McAnuff enjoying half-chances shortly before the break.
Matthew Mills went close to scoring early in the second half when Cardiff goalkeeper Stephen Bywater let a cross slip from his grasp, but the error surprised the Reading centre-back and he failed to seize on the gift.
An injury saw Robson-Kanu replaced by Mathieu Manset, who picked up where his predecessor left off, combining well with central midfielder Jem Karacan but still failing to create a genuine chance for the hosts.
Peter Whittingham might have given Cardiff a spectacular lead against the run of play when he fizzed a long-range effort narrowly wide of goal on 65 minutes.
Four minutes later, Cardiff full-back Dekel Keinan forced Federici into another save from Whittingham’s corner.
Down the other end, Bywater had to work to keep out an effort from French forward Manset in the 70th minute, but it proved to be last real chance of note.
The draw leaves both teams with everything to play for heading into the second leg at the Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday.
Jean Fernandez has stepped down from his role as Auxerre manager after five years at the helm of the Ligue 1 outfit.The 56-year-old took the club to ninth place in the league last season – a disappointment after finishing third the campaign before.
Fernandez’s contract ran out at the end of the 2010/11 season and he has decided against seeking reappointment.
Fernandez won the award for France’s best coach in 2009/10, and he told French newspaper l’Yonne Republicaine he was sad to be leaving a club where he had many happy memories.
“I made my decision on Wednesday night. I decided to leave and turn the page at AJ Auxerre,” he said.
“This choice was difficult. I was reluctant, because I cannot erase five years of my life like that.”
“Deciding whether to stay or go was a dilemma, but I chose to leave.”
Fernandez has previously managed Marseille, Lille, Metz, and Sochaux. French media has linked him with a possible move to Nancy or a return to Sochaux, where he was in charge from 1999 until 2002.
But Fernandez was non-committal about his future plans.
“I have not decided,” he said. “I give myself two or three days of reflection.”
Mexico’s tactics were to blame for their 2-1 loss to Chile in the Copa America, according to striker Giovani dos Santos.The under-strength Mexican side had gone ahead against the run of play thanks to Nestor Araujo’s first-half strike, but goals from Esteban Parades and Arturo Vidal after the break ensured Claudio Borghi’s team began the tournament with a win.
Dos Santos scored a brilliant goal in Mexico’s CONCACAF Gold Cup final win over the USA last month, but he was a peripheral figure on Monday as his side was deservedly beaten.
“I think the way we planned out our game tactically (was to blame). We had to play the ball along the ground more with more people up front,” dos Santos said.
“I think that’s the reason why (we lost). We knew Chile would be tough.”
Mexico are now bottom of the group and will need to vastly improve ahead of their next match, against Peru on Friday.
“It’ll be a different match, and we hope to do better in order to obtain the victory,” he said.
Chile forward Alexis Sanchez said his side were always confident they could recover from the deficit, and would take plenty of confidence into their next match against Uruguay.
“We talked about staying calm, that the goal would eventually come. It did, and then we had a chance to make it 2-1,” Sanchez said.
“(We will play) the same way we played against Mexico. All of our rivals are difficult (to play against).”
Karim Benzema has again stated his desire to continue to play for Real Madrid and has rejected reports he has been in contact with Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.The 23-year-old has been linked with a move out of the Santiago Bernabeu, with both Arsenal and Juventus said to be interested in his services, and speculation on his future has increased following reports linking Madrid with Atletico Madrid’s Sergio Aguero, Santos’ Neymar and a permanent deal for Manchester City frontman Emmanuel Adebayor.
However, Benzema insists that he has no intention of leaving last season’s Copa del Rey winners and denied that he had held discussions with Wenger or a representative from Juve.
“I have not spoken to anyone,” the France international told Spanish sports daily AS.
“I am in Madrid and I want to succeed here. There is nothing else.”
“It is normal that Madrid want to sign the best players in the world, but I will work hard to play. I will give 100 percent.”
Benzema also underlined the harmonious relationship he enjoys with coach Jose Mourinho.
“There is no problem with him. He is a great coach,” he said.
The former Lyon attacker is currently with the rest of the Madrid squad on a pre-season tour in the USA.
Livepool’s Luis Suarez was named the most valuable player in the Copa America as he led Uruguay to their 15th title, scoring once and creating another in their 3-0 final victory over Paraguay.
His dynamic, all-action displays for his country have confirmed his importance as the main man at Anfield as they aim to achieve a top four finish. However they need to make sure they learn from past mistakes with Torres and give Suarez a reasonable amount of time to recover before throwing him back into the first team picture.
He has been given a three-week break before Liverpool’s Premier League campaign starts against Sunderland but there have been reports that he cut short his break to start preparations for the new season. As much as the player wants to get back into the game it is important to make sure he has recovered first.
Medical staff at Liverpool’s Melwood training base will assess the player to test if he is ready to play when he return after this short break. Suarez had a two-week break before the South American competition started and he also had a seven-week ban from November to January after biting an opponent while playing for Ajax which was soon followed by the Dutch winter break. This means he is different to Torres who faced three consecutive seasons with very little rest which ultimately seems to have affected his form.
Torres went three summers without a proper break after the European Championships, the Confederations Cup and ahead of last year’s season, the World Cup and he still does not look to have recovered with his form lagging last year as he moved to Stamford Bridge.
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Liverpool will have learnt from the mistakes of the past after Torres was obviously not given time to fully recover from his work in these major tournaments. They will want to make sure Suarez remains fit for the majority of games in what will be his first season in the Premier League and so may rest him during most of August.
Dalglish will not want to play one of world footballers rising stars if there is any risk of him risking injury or burn out so it is unlikely that Suarez will start against either Sunderland or Arsenal but could easily be on the bench for both games. He could then make his first start against Bolton on August 27 and this will give him the chance to get rid of any fatigue and regain his freshness for the new season ahead as he also played at the World Cup in 2010.
The good news is that as Liverpool are not in a major European competition so it is not like there is a heavy schedule this season as Torres has had in previous years although he was usually rested in the earlier stages. Also Suarez will also get another break only four weeks into the season when the Premier League action is disrupted due to the Euro 2012 qualifying. So it not like other seasons as Luis should have plenty of time to recover for this season.
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Surely giving Suarez as much time to recover as long term prevention is better than risking him now for short term gain. If resting him for the first few games means he will be fit at the business end of the season surely this is the right compromise to make especially when we have all seen what he is capable of in this year’s Copa America.
What do you think, should Suarez start against Sunderland or should he be rested to make sure he is fit for the full season? Let me know your thoughts and follow me on twitter @aidanmccartney