2011: January to June

Another year of excitement, tears, happiness and emotion has passed by. 2011 saw the comings and goings of several managers, the return of King Kenny to Anfield as well as a new record transfer fee for an English striker.

2011 started with a bang as Roy Hodgson lost his job at Anfield just a week into the New Year, meaning the return of Kenny Dalglish to Anfield, twenty years after he originally departed the hot seat. It wasn’t to be the only headlines breaking from Merseyside that month as Dalglish later spent a staggering £35 Million Pound on Newcastle front man Andy Carroll. Luis Suarez seemed steel at a cost of £20 Million; however, it was the departure of Fernando Torres to Chelsea for £50 Million raised eyebrows across Europe and England.

Chris Hughton was outrageously axed by Newcastle despite their inspiring start to the Premier League Season, Alan Pardew eventually replacing the axed boss.

February saw the first Cup Final of the season as Birmingham and Arsenal met at Wembley with the Gunners looking to lift the first of the four possibly trophies that they could win. Unfortunately for the Gunners, Birmingham had other ideas as on loan Striker Obafemi Martins struck late on to gift the Blues the Carling Cup.

March started just as badly as February ended for Arsenal as they exited the Champions League at the hands of Barcelona while FIFA President Sepp Blatter banned the new craze of snoods. As March grew older, so did Arsenal’s hopes of any silverware as they crashed out of the FA Cup at the hands of Manchester United. England overcome a resilient Wales team at the Millennium stadium 2-0 to all but secure qualification to Euro 2012. Meanwhile Tottenham’s Champions League adventure ended with a resounding defeat to Real Madrid.

April saw Wayne Rooney land himself in trouble with the FA after his foul mouthed rant down a TV camera after his goal against West Ham, while former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho was to suffer his first home defeat in nine years as Real Madrid lost 1-0 at home to Sporting Gijon.

May saw Manchester City win their first trophy under Roberto Mancini as they beat Stoke City to lift the FA Cup, however it was rivals Manchester United that lifter their 19^th Premier League. In an exciting survival Sunday, Wolves and Blackburn shared an entertaining 3-3 draw which meant Blackpool, West Ham and Carling Cup winners Birmingham City all suffered relegation.

Manchester United couldn’t gain revenge for their Champions League defeat in 2009 to Barcelona as yet again the Spanish side showed their dominance with a convincing 3-1 at Wembley in the Champions League Final. 

June started with England again looking over their shoulders for qualification to Euro 2012 after a disappointing 2-2 draw against Switzerland at Wembley left Capello’s side needing four points from their remaining two fixtures. Mark Hughes sensationally walked out of Fulham expecting to be named the new Villa boss, however Randy Lerner instead chose cross city rival boss Alex McLeish to take charge. In further manager merry go round antics, Chelsea paid a massive £13 Million to Porto for the services of their boss, 34 year old Andres Villas Boas.

That was the first half of 2011, I will post the second half tomorrow but while you wait for that why not share your best moment in football during 2011?

D-Day again for Margate FC

It’s been one of the longest saga’s running but this week Margate Football Club will seek to move one step closer to beginning work on their new community stadium. Nearly ten years have passed since the club began the process to redevelop their Hartsdown Park home, and on Thursday the club will host the council for a site visit as the Councils decision on the leases edge nearer.

Nothing but delay after delay due to many factors has affected the club both on and off the pitch; however, with a competitive squad and decent manager in charge in Chris Kinnear only the stadium seems to be holding the club back. At 2P.M on Thursday 22^nd December 2011, Margate FC will welcome the officials of the Thanet Council to Hartsdown Park and today urged all supporters to attend to show their support for the project.

A decision was due to be heard last week although a change in leadership at the Council meant the decision was delayed….again. The club has been at its lowest point ever in recent years as the stadium saga threatened to bring the club to its knees, however thanks to directors, players, management and most of all supporters that refused this situation to kill the club that they love, Margate FC are stood on the brink of what could be the biggest boost possible.

Not only the football club need this, anyone that has been to Margate in recent years will agree that empty shops, graffiti covered walls and shops, no theme park and a dying town is in a much needed boost and this decision could be the best thing to happen to the town in a long time.

I am in no doubt that the people of Margate want this and fans of other clubs that have enjoyed a ‘jolly outing’ to Margate to watch football want the stadium to be sorted and built. Many Christmases have passed with no stadium being built, yet this week fans of Margate FC could receive one of the best Christmas presents that they could have hoped for.

I urge anyone that supports/cares about Margate as a football club and as a town attend the visit this Thursday to show their support to this much needed project.

City to stay top while Wigan's problems will deepen

With the busy Christmas schedule well and truly upon us, this weekend’s fixtures could prove crucial at both ends of the Premier League table. Below is a small match preview for all Premier League fixtures along with my predictions.

Blackburn v West Brom

Struggling Blackburn welcome West Brom to Ewood Park on Saturday with pressure on manager Steve Kean mounting. Blackburn let a 1-0 lead slip when they visited Sunderland last Sunday. West Brom suffered another defeat last week at home to Wigan leaving the Baggies 15^th just three points clear of the relegation zone. Expect a close game with the visitors snatching victory.

Verdict: Blackburn 0-1 West Brom

Everton v Norwich

David Moyes will be looking for his side to bounce back when they host newly promoted Norwich at Goodison Park. The Toffee’s suffered two defeats in a row without scoring. This week will be the 10^th anniversary of the appointment of David Moyes. Norwich have enjoyed their return to the top flight and a 4-2 win against Newcastle last week saw the Canaries move up to tenth. Everton have struggled with goals and that could cost them all three points this week and may have to settle for a bore draw.

Verdict: Everton 0-0 West Brom

Fulham v Bolton

A Europa League exit on Thursday evening might have been a blessing in disguise for Fulham and Martin Jol as they look to bounce back from last week’s 1-0 defeat away to Swansea. On the other hand it has been a nightmare start for Bolton and their boss Owen Coyle. Defeat at home to Aston Villa last week turned up the heat on Coyle who could find himself sitting a little bit more uncomfortable with a defeat in this game.

Verdict: Fulham 2-0 Bolton

Newcastle v Swansea

No win in three for Newcastle has perhaps brought the expectations back to reality at St James Park after a superb start to the season. With an injury crisis at the back and constant rumours of Cheick Tiote’s future at the club manager Alan Pardew will be desperate to win this fixture. The visitors to Newcastle this week have had a solid start to their first ever season in the Premier League. A 1-0 win last week against Fulham has set Brendan Rodger’s side up to earn something this weekend.

Verdict: Newcastle 1-1 Swansea

Wolverhampton v Stoke

Wolves find themselves sitting just two points clear of the relegation zone after last week’s 4-1 hammering against Manchester United. Mick McCarthy will look to Steven Fletcher to continue his fine goal scoring form after he has netted 16 times in his last 23 games. Stoke progressed through to the final 16 of the Europa League and will look to bring that form to the Premier League and will claim three more points.

Verdict: Wolves 1-3 Stoke

Wigan v Chelsea

Roberto Martinez grabbed a vital win last week at West Brom although they shouldn’t expect much from this game. Andres Villas Boas has begun to turn it round at Stamford Bridge after a poor start to the season. Monday night’s 2-1 victory over Man City moved Chelsea to fourth in the table. They should claim an easy victory at the DW stadium.

Verdict: Wigan 0-4 Chelsea

Sunday

QPR v Manchester United

Being in the Europa draw isn’t something that Manchester United fans have become accustomed to in recent times but after being handed a last 16 tie against Ajax in Fridays draw it is back to the bread and butter of the league on Sunday as they travel to Loftus Road. QPR lost narrowly at Anfield last week and that should offer them some hope of beating the reigning Champions, however, United should claim a victory.

Verdict: QPR 0-2 Manchester United

Aston Villa v Liverpool

Villa could move up to eighth if they can beat Liverpool this weekend. Last week a 2-1 victory at Bolton ended their miserable form of late. Liverpool have started to pick up of late, bar a 1-0 defeat at Fulham two weeks ago. Luis Suarez is in fine form and will look to trouble a disjointed Villa back line.

Verdict: Aston Villa 1-1 Liverpool

Tottenham v Sunderland

Tottenham ended their Europa League adventure this week with a 4-0 thumping of Shamrock Rovers. Harry Redknapp will be delighted with Spurs so far as they currently find themselves positioned fourth in the division. Times of late have been tough for Sunderland, however, after appointing Martin O’Neill last week the Black Cats beat Blackburn 2-1 although this will be a much tougher test.

Verdict: Tottenham 3-1 Sunderland

Manchester City v Arsenal

No doubt the game of the weekend comes from the Etihad stadium as top of the table Manchester City welcome a resurgent Arsenal. City lost their unbeaten run against Chelsea last Monday so will look to bounce back. Arsenal have the inform Robin Van Persie in attack as they look for a victory that could add to their growing title challenge.

Verdict: Manchester City 2-1 Arsenal

As always let me know what you think. Do you agree? Send me your predictions. 

Depression: A worrying rise

It has always been recognised that woman were twice as likely to become depressed, however since the economic struggle the number of suicides from men has risen and is likely to continue to do so according to the British Journal of Psychiatry.

Depression has no particular cause; however it is believed that marriage problems, unemployment, money worries and divorce are all considered to be major factors behind a man becoming depressed.

So what makes a footballer depressed? For the majority of us the life of a footballer is seen as the ‘perfect’ job, a huge salary, playing football for a living, celebrity lifestyle and ladies falling at your feet, sounds perfect right? So what caused the likes of Robert Enke, Dale Roberts and Gary Speed all to take their own lives?

Research has shown that men are three times likely to take their own lives when suffering with depression. The world of football was rocked again last week when 42 year old Wales manager Gary Speed was found hanging at his Cheshire home. It is still unclear what drove to Speed to deciding that his life was no longer worth living. Last year Rushden and Diamonds goalkeeper Dale Roberts was found in his home hanging after his fiancé’s affair with John Terry’s brother was publicised. The ‘embarrassment’ of the affair and an on-going leg injury drove Roberts to committing the act that brought his life to a premature end.

The first footballer to commit suicide though was German goalkeeper Robert Enke who in 2009 threw his body in front of a fast moving train as he looked to escape the struggle that he had battled with for so long. Recently a book titled ‘A life too short- The tragedy of Robert Enke’ tells the compelling and emotional stories of Enke and how he struggled with the fear of making mistakes, avoiding public ridicule and fear of job security as he was constantly linked with moves to other sides across Europe.

Throughout my research for this blog I found that the media were becoming more compassionate towards male suicide and more understanding, so I was surprised to come across Jeremy Clarkson’s comments this week saying that people that commit suicide are ‘selfish’. Here is a man that earns millions from a contract with the BBC with the money that we pay them with our T.V licences, here is a man that is able to voice his opinion to millions of people through whichever media platforms are stupid enough to give the moron airtime. I hope Jeremy Clarkson never has to deal with anything that the families of Robert Enke, Dale Roberts, Gary Speed and the thousands of other suicide victims go through.

What makes the stories of these high profile cases and in fact any suicide attempt is that the victim sees ending their life as the only way out when the reality is that there are lots of people that would love to be able to help their loved ones. Whatever it was that drove Gary Speed to kill himself last week, finally male depression is getting the awareness it now deserves. There are men out their suffering and the Speed case highlights how it could literally be anyone, even your loved one.

Suicide isn’t ‘selfish’ or ‘cowardly’ and depression is nothing to be ashamed of. Any one that is feeling depressed or struggling to cope with life should seek advice immediately.

Here is a website for people that are finding it difficult to cope- http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinfoforall/problems/depression/mendepression.aspx 

England will have to leave at the 'Krakow' dawn if they don't want to miss out on the Quarters.

Group D but not the group of death for England seemed to be the reaction yesterday as the 16 teams that have qualified for next year’s 2012 European Championships in Poland and Ukraine learned their fate for next summer’s event.

With the possibility of facing Spain, Portugal and Netherlands, Fabio Capello would have been pleased to avoid all of them as England were drawn alongside France, Ukraine and Sweden. Although still a tough group, England and Capello will be expecting to progress from the group and set up a quarter final against Spain, Italy, Croatia or possibly the Republic of Ireland.

Group A would have been a dream for Capello as that sees Czech Republic, Greece, Poland and Russia all face each other for a place in the quarter finals. England must overcome a logistical problem of facing all their games in Ukraine which entails a 930 mile trip to Donetsk while the trip to Kiev will be a 535 mile from their Krakow base in Poland. Capello said yesterday that England won’t change their base for the competition as the facilities in Krakow were superb and he will be looking to avoid any controversy that followed his decision to base his side hidden away in South Africa during the 2010 World Cup.

Capello this week underlined the fact that this would be his last tournament in charge of England despite suggestions from Trevor Brooking earlier in the week that the FA could offer Capello an extension to his contract.

The draw yesterday will offer hope to England and Capello that finally they can end their long wait for a trophy. Capello would love to end his international management career on a high and what a way it would be to end by lifting a trophy for England.  Should England avoid defeat against France in their opening game on the 11^th June then I would fully expect them to progress from the group and reach the quarter finals.

We will find out this week if Wayne Rooney’s suspension will be reduced from three games which would give England a massive boost ahead of the tournament.

What did you make of the draw? Will England progress? Should Capello take Rooney if his suspension isn’t reduced?

As always let me know. 

Football unites to pay respect to Gary Speed

“My Captain, my hero, my mate”, that was one of many tributes that’s flooded in today as the footballing world come to grips with the death of Wales, Leeds, Newcastle and Everton legend Gary Speed at the tender age of 42.

At 7:08 on Sunday 27^th November 2011 Speed’s body was found hanging at his Cheshire home and football had lost a legend. The one question that remains is why? It is one question that may never be answered; here was a man that had his dream job, a highly successful career, a wife and two young children. Speed was slowly changing the fortunes of the Wales side and four wins from their last five games, including a 4-1 win over Norway in his last game proved that.

Craig Bellamy, Speed’s team mate and friend and one of Speed’s players in the Wales squad was today withdrawn from the Liverpool squad ahead of their clash with Manchester City, meanwhile, Shay Given was left in tears as the crowd at the Liberty Stadium before the fixture before Swansea and Aston Villa turned the minutes silence into a minutes applause, leaving the Villa goalkeeper struggling to play after the pair spent six seasons together at Newcastle.

Former Wales’s team mate John Hartson was left ‘Devastated’, while the man who gave Speed his first Wales cap Bobbie Gould said “Tears had been shed”. The sheer volume of tributes make it all more emotional, here was a man that was loved as player, manager, husband and father and that will never be forgotten.

We may never know what drove Speed to hang himself today, however, it has shocked the footballing world and will undoubtedly raise awareness amongst people that no matter how good someone life looks from the outside, we never truly knows what lies beneath. One thing that we are sure of though is that today football lost a true gent and model professional.

RIP Gary Speed, you will be missed.

What are your favourite memories of Gary Speed? As always let me know.

Follow me on Twitter @RyanDay100

The unEXpected goalscorer

Fernando Torres, Raul Meireles and Nicolas Anelka were all lining up against their former club Liverpool this afternoon hoping to grab a goal that would help Chelsea avoid a second consecutive home defeat in nine years, however it was a former Blue now playing for the Reds who scored to condemn Villas-Boas’s side to a second home defeat in a row.

Glen Johnson of all players on the field was the man to score against his former side after playing at Stamford Bridge between 2003 and 2007 as he swept home a fine goal to send the travelling supporters delirious as they claimed their second win at Chelsea in two seasons as well as recording their third straight win against the London side.

This defeat will of course add to the disgruntled noises that are currently rumbling out of Stamford Bridge. Club officials rubbished reports of a rift in the relationship between AVB and owner Roman Abramovich as ‘Total nonsense’, this result would suggest otherwise.

Torres, a £50 Million pound buy last January from Liverpool started the game on the bench and was lacklustre when he did rear his head above the pit in what was a feisty encounter. Torres defendants will say that the man himself never claimed to be worth that amazing figure so he shouldn’t be kept be judged by it, however, money in football has spiralled out of control so when fans see their club pay that much for a player with the money that supporters pay to watch after a long week at work then I feel it is fair for Chelsea fans to begin so much for from their ‘star striker’.

As for Liverpool this was a superb win and ironically they earned it with their massive signings on the bench. Andy Carroll (£35 Million), Stewart Downing (£19 Million) and Jordan Henderson (£20 Million) were all rested as Kenny Dalglish threw the likes of Maxi, Suarez, Lucas and Johnson into the mix.

These two sides will be expecting to challenge for the title this term, however the grim reality for the pair is that they both sit 12 points behind league leaders Manchester City. Dalglish will be happy with the win whereas AVB will be aware the pressure is building on the 33 year old and despite many hoping that he will be given the chance to turn it around, knowing the way Abramovich does things it could be that AVB could be gone before Christmas.

What do you think? Did Chelsea deserve to lose? Will AVB sacked before Christmas? Can Liverpool build on this win and push for the title?

As always let me know. 

Has racism been shown the red card yet?

‘Let’s kick racism out of football’ was set up in 1993 to do exactly that, but in this blog I pose the question, has racism been kicked out of English football?

The Premier League is currently investigating two cases of racism after Manchester United defender Patrice Evra accused Liverpool striker Luis Suarez of abusing him in their 1-1 clash at Anfield two weeks ago. Last week saw Chelsea defender John Terry also accused of racially abusing QPR’s Anton Ferdinand.

It would be wrong for me to suggest that either of the two alleged players are racists until the full reports are published, but quite frankly I find the fact that allegations like this are even being made in 2011 is sickening.  The Premier League currently has its highest percentage of foreign and black players in its 10 year history and it brands itself as the world’s biggest league, if that’s the case then any proof of racism should be met with the heaviest sanctions.

But are we right to assume that eradicating racism from football is possible? Bearing in mind we live in a society where people are quick to judge and mindless thugs continue to wander the streets of our ‘Great Britain’. John Barnes, racially abused while playing for England in the 80’s said recently that we were silly to believe that racism had been kicked out of football and he himself questioned whether it ever would be.

Contradicting that view though was manager of Manchester United now for 25 years, Sir Alex Ferguson. Sir Alex said he was ‘surprised’ that there were two cases being investigated, and ‘hoped’ there would never be a third.

It is clear that some western European countries still struggle at large with racism in football. Spain and Russia have received heavy sanctions from FIFA in years gone by as ‘punishment’ for their part in racist taunts, but is England in danger of slipping back to the dark days of the 80’s when black England players were abused by their own fans?

Thankfully I think we are not set to slip back to them ways. We are a nation that has currently possess some great black footballers, as well as having the most entertaining league in the world that involves some of the greatest foreign players of the modern era, and losing that over racism would be ridiculous, suicidal and damn right pathetic.

I hope that in both cases being investigated that both alleged offenders are found not guilty for the sake of the image of English football. It is true that England leads the way in the fight against racism; however, I fear that if Terry or Suarez are found guilty then our image as a nation is tarnished.

Do you agree? Is racism still happening in our game today or do you think we have ‘kicked it out’? If found guilty, how should Terry or Suarez be dealt with?

As always let me know.

Rooney rage possibly opens the door for Owen

England qualified for their first European Championships since 2004 yesterday with a 2-2 draw against Montenegro, however Wayne Rooney’s red card for kicking out in the second half overshadowed the performance which now leaves questions over who should lead England’s attack next year in Poland and Ukraine.

Rooney will now be banned for the opening game of the Championships and it could be extended to three games should FIFA decide that it warrants more than a one game ban. Rooney’s disappointing sending off only added to the frustration in what was a disappointing evening for England in Montenegro.

Darren Bent and Ashley Young put England into what seemed an unassailable 2-0 lead, however a goal in the 45^th minute by the home side meant the second half was always going to tough in a hostile atmosphere. 

The visitors’ job become seemingly harder 17 minutes from time when Rooney unforgivingly lashed out with his foot before then being shown the red card by Wolfgang Stark.

So with a definite one game ban for Wayne Rooney, England boss Fabio Capello will now have to decide who will lead his sides’ front line next summer. Capello will of course take the hot head striker but with him missing the opening game, who will Capello turn to?

It looks likely that Darren Bent will take his place on the plane next summer alongside Rooney and Carroll but England will need more options. Bobby Zamora was on the bench last night though his troubles with injury in the last 12 months make him unreliable, while Stoke’s Peter Crouch could be too similar to Andy Carroll so may miss out.

Other contenders are likely to be another bench warmer last night; Danny Welbeck as well as Tottenham’s Jermaine Defoe could be on the plane. One name that refuses to go away is Manchester United striker Michael Owen who despite only starting a handful of games for United, 11 goals in 12 games shows that the 31 year old clearly has goal scoring form on his side.

Rooney in no uncertain terms let his country down last night and will be thankful that it didn’t cost England its place in the Championships next summer and he will have a lot of work to do next year to make up for last night’s mistake, although it may have just opened the door slightly for 31 year old Owen after it seemed the door had been firmly shut by Capello.

What strikers would you take to Euro 2012 next summer? Should Owen get his chance? As always let me know. 

Barton's plea to be in England squad is spot on

Controversial QPR Midfielder Joey Barton burst back into the headlines this afternoon by claiming that the England squad wasn’t chosen on form otherwise ‘he would be in it’. A confident statement from a player that has made more headlines recently rather than goals, but does he have a point?

Surprisingly I agree with Barton on this occasion, here is a player that was a major figure in Newcastle’s excellent season last year and a man that has started well as a QPR player this term. Last season saw Barton score four goals, however he outstandingly assisted in nine of the ‘Toon’s’ Premier League goals.

Impressive figures for a player at a club that were back in the Premier League after relegation two years before and I think they stand out as even better when you compare them to Chelsea Midfielder Frank Lampard’s who despite scoring ten (majority of which were penalties) only managed to assist with two of Chelsea’s goals last term.

You also compare Barton against some of the other players picked ahead of him and you can’t help but see where the QPR man’s frustration comes from. One player that is picked ahead of him is Manchester City’s Adam Johnson, a great player yes; however, it is very rare that the Midfielder gets game time for City.

Another player that I struggle to see why he gets picked is another Man City player, Gareth Barry. After a disastrous display against Germany in last summer’s World Cup, I along with a few others expected Barry to get the chop from England’s Qualification campaign for Euro 2012, however like a bad smell, Barry just won’t go away from the England squad.

Barton also added in his honest interview this afternoon that he didn’t expect to see England doing much more than they did at the World Cup as ‘not much has changed’, another fact that I believe Barton has got spot on.

I don’t want to sound too critical of England or any of its players as I would love as much as the next person to see Fabio Capello and his side win Euro 2012, however I can see some sense in what Barton is saying. I also don’t think we should be surprised if the QPR Midfielder is on the plane next summer ahead of Steven Gerrard, Gareth Barry or even Frank Lampard.

Let me know what you think? Should Barton be in the England squad? Do you think Capello picks players on name rather than form?

Following the FA Cup: Margate's six appeal sets up clash with Bromley

Margate thrashed Thamesmead last night 6-1 to take their place in the Third Qualifying round of the F.A Cup.

Five goals from Striker Kwasi Appiah and one from Dean Hill means that the ‘Gate’ will now entertain Blue Square South side Bromley at Hartsdown Park on the 15^th October.

The next clash will be a real test for Kinnear’s men as they look to reach the fourth qualifying stage and a possible clash against a Blue Square Premier team.

In winning last night Margate collected another £4,500 prize money taking their total earnings so far to £7,500 with the prospect of another £7,500 on offer for the winners of the next game.

Bromley overcome a strong Welling side 2-1 at the weekend to set up the clash with Margate however the London based side have had a mixed start to their league campaign and currently sit 13^th in the division.

Apologies for the brief blog but please look back next week as I will bring you a full match preview as Margate look to continue their FA Cup dream. 

Following the FA Cup: 'Gate' sail through to meet Thamesmead

Firstly I must apologise to all of you that have desperately been waiting for this latest blog….I know there are hundreds of you.

As I continue my adventure of ‘following the FA Cup’ I bring you a report from the Margate v Tooting & Mitcham clash from the 1^st qualifying stage as well as reaction from the game and all the latest on the draw for the 2^nd qualifying round.

Margate went into the clash against Tooting slight favourites and it wasn’t long before the ‘Gate’ was in front against their Ryman Premier Division rivals as striker Kwasi Appiah dusted himself down after being brought down in the box to fire Margate ahead from the penalty spot on 15 minutes.

The Kent club then endured a rough 20 minutes after the break as Tooting threw everything at Kinnear’s men in a bid to force a replay, however on 76 minutes Appiah doubled his and Margate’s goal tally for the day as he fired the blues into an unassailable 2-0 lead.

Margate’s passage to the second qualifying round as well as an extra £3000 bonus was secure on 81 minutes when Tom Bradbrook swept home a third to ensure Margate would join the likes of Dover, Chelmsford and Dartford in the hat for the next round.

Luckily though Kinnear’s men avoided all of them and were drawn at home to Ryman Division One side Thamesmead United. Margate will go into this tie as favourites again, although they will have to be on their toes after suffering a disappointing 5-2 defeat to the same side last season in the League Cup.

Gate fan Mark Baker said after the draw: “Couldn’t have really asked for better than that, I would expect us to be too strong for them but it is the FA Cup after all so you never really know.”

This will be a great chance for Margate to progress to the 3rd Qualifying round as well as bagging another £4,500 in prize money.

This game will take place on Saturday 1^st October at Hartsdown Park with a 3:00 PM kick off.

As always I will bring you a match report as well all the reaction from the 3^rd qualifying round draw….stay tuned. 

Follow the FA Cup: 'Gate' open to Cup run

It’s a competition that makes names, creates shocks and is generally viewed as the most exciting cup competition for its excitement and ability to cause shocks that no other competition can do.

This weekend sees the first round of qualifying matches in the FA Cup with semi-professional sides kicking off their campaign dreaming of making the 3^rd round proper and hosting the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool.

As mentioned in a previous blog I am starting a new series called ‘Follow the FA Cup’ which will quite literally do that. I will follow a team from the first qualifying stage and follow their progress along the way, while picking up any team that should defeat that side.

The first team I will follow on their road to Wembley is my hometown club Margate FC. The Kent club kick off this seasons Cup campaign off after a solid start to their Ryman Premier League season. Having beaten Met Police on Wednesday night 3-1, ‘The Gate’, as they are known lifted themselves to 10^th in the division.

Margate do have history in the competition which includes a 3-0 win over Bournemouth, 11-0 defeat to Bournemouth, a 6-0 defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur. All of those dates happened in the 60’s and 70’s, however, more recently the club has suffered and have not made the 1^st round proper since 2002 when they hosted Cardiff City in the second round losing 3-0.

The visitors to Hartsdown Park this weekend are Tooting & Mitcham also of the Ryman Premier League. Tooting haven’t had a great start to the season and they currently sit 16^th in the division after a 2-2 draw on Wednesday against Lewes FC, however, they did suffer a 6-0 defeat away at Hornchurch last week.

Tooting also have pedigree in the competition having reached the first time proper on 10 occasions, the latest being 2009 when they eventually lost to Stockport County 5-0. The clubs most famous run was in 1959 when they held Nottingham Forest to a replay before losing 3-0.

21 year old University student Jack Elvin, who started his playing career at Tooting & Mitcham as a youngster said he ‘Hoped Tooting grab a win as the FA Cup is a great competition’ adding he ‘Loved the FA Cup.’

Recent hardship at Margate which has seen them struggle off the field meaning just seeing football still in Margate has been a relief and although Margate’s participation in the cup has been limited, 21 year old ‘Gate’ fan, Mark Baker reckons that might be about to all change.

“We stand a good chance on Saturday; they (Tooting) have shipped eight goals in their last two games so we will be going in as favourites. The FA Cup is still well alive whether you are a Margate fan or Manchester United fan and obviously the financial implications; even at this stage is a boost for any club at this level.”

The winners of this game will take their place in the draw for the second qualifying round which will take place on Monday morning at Wembley as well as picking themselves up an extra £3000 in winnings.

I will bring you a match report from on Monday after the draw as well as reaction to the draw as the competition picks up speed.

Be sure to check back. Also let me know what you think.

Would 'Blue' believe it? City might just win it

Tonight see’s the return of European football, but what can we expect from this season’s rollercoaster ride of the Champions League?

As usual four sides will enter from England; we see the suspected return of Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea while mega rich Manchester City will start their inaugural Champions League campaign in Group A alongside Napoli, Villarreal and Bayern Munich.

The favourites will of course be none other than last season’s winners Barcelona. Pep Guardiola’s team that includes the likes of Messi, Xavi, Fabregas and Villa will expect to lead the Catalonia side all the way to the 

final in Munich next May.

The La Liga side were suffered a huge blow in their 2-2 draw with Real Sociadad at the weekend when new 

£26 Million pound signing Alexis Sanchez picked up an injury that will see him side-lined for 6-8 weeks.

Barcelona’s main rivals, Real Madrid will of course expect to at least make the semi-final like they did last season under Jose Mourinho. After labelling himself as the ‘special one’ while in charge at Chelsea, the pressure will be on for Jose at Madrid to make a real impact on this season’s competition.

So what about are English teams? Well, last season Manchester United comfortably strolled their way to Wembley to play Barcelona in the final. A 3-1 defeat showed Barcelona were the best team in Europe, and we shouldn’t be surprised should these two meet in the final again in Germany next May.

Chelsea are still looking for their first Champions League success while under the ownership of Roman Abramovich, however under new boss AVB who won the Europa league last season with Porto, we might see their best shot yet at winning the ‘holy grail’.

It has been a summer of stress and worry for Arsenal and in truth they are lucky to have even made it to the Champions’ League group stages after beating Udinese in a qualifier. After selling Fabregas and Nasri this summer Arsene Wenger needed players desperately and the deadline day signings of Per Mertersacker, Yossi Benayoun and Mikel Arteta, the Gunners might feel a run to the final is possible although highly unlikely.

As for the new boys Manchester City, well, it is going to be an interesting first campaign. Roberto Mancini has a fine array of talent to choose from and it could be enough to actually see the ‘other’ side of Manchester actually reach the final and win it. On the the flip side though it will be tough for City after being placed in Group A, alongside Bayern Munich, who will also fancy themselves.

It will be as fascinating as ever and I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw an all Manchester final in Munich….

Who do you think will win this seasons Champions League? Can Manchester City win the competition at the first attempt? Let me know what you think.

Was it really 'same old' England tonight?

A 1-0 win this evening against a spirited Wales side means England now only need one point in their final qualifying game away in Montenegro next month. But was it a case of same old England making it a more difficult fixture than it should have been.

To a certain extent the answer is a straightforward yes. Fabio Capello’s side wasted the ball in some good areas, never got enough bodies forward when they found themselves in excellent positions in the final part of the field, and if you include Robert Earnshaw’s shocking miss ten minutes from time then we may have a completely different account of the game.

The truth though if you brush aside these minor errors aside is that England were never going to lose this game tonight against a Welsh side that has definitely improved under Gary Speed.

Despite being sloppy with the ball at times, the Three Lions had the lion’s share of possession, finishing the game with a total of 60%. England had eleven shots at goal although only one on target, while the visitors managed no shots on target, showing just how much England dominated.

I am aware that many people will disagree with this blog and say that England did make it harder than it should be, my response to them people would be simple. Qualification was Capello’s aim this time last year and we are on course to do that.

Agreed performances will have to improve for the Championships but let’s all be grateful we should at least make it this time…….We all remember the last Euro’s don’t we, oh hang on we weren't  there.

Let me know what you think? Did England show enough tonight to impress you or do you still think they will struggle to be on the plane to Poland and Ukraine next year?

COMING SOON: Follow the FA Cup

We all remember the song from the Wizard of Oz- ‘follow the yellow brick road’. Well here at everything sport I am about to follow a yellow brick road although I’m inclined to say it’s more a tinge of gold, as this road will lead to Wembley on Saturday 12^th May 2012 for the FA Cup’s first ever  17.15 kick off.

While many Premier League players were still topping up their tan in early August or Premier League clubs were adding to their already mountains of money by playing a few friendlies in a far east country, for hundreds of non-league sides they were kicking off their FA Cup campaigns in the extra preliminary rounds.

No matter what your age, England’s oldest cup competition has a special place in every football fans heart and at some point every fan will be able to recall their favourite FA Cup moment. Whether it be Sutton United beating Coventry in the 1989-1990 season or even as recently as Crawley dumping out Derby County last season, we all have our memories.

So the new project that I am starting up on my blog is one similar to the FA website where they pick a side at the beginning of the competition and follow them through the early stages, picking up the winners if that side should lose as their team to follow.

I am aiming to blog about the games beforehand which will include a fans view as well as some updates from the clubs involved in the game.

Being a Margate FC fan I thought it would only be fair to choose them as my team to follow this season. 

Margate kick off their FA Cup campaign on the 17^th September in the first qualifying round at home to Tooting & Mitcham, both sides play their football in the Ryman Premier Division.

I hope you will follow my adventure this season through the world’s most loved cup competition.

For those of you that don’t know the route the final of the competition, below is a guide to what teams join along the way and how much each win is worth for the club.

Follow the FA Cup guide:

First Qualifying Round (Winners earn £3,000)

Clubs from the Ryman Premier, Zameretto Premier and Evo-Stick division’s join those club’s that have progressed through from the extra preliminary rounds.

Second Qualifying Round (Winners earn £4,500)

All winners from the first qualifying round are joined by clubs in the Blue Square Bet South and North divisions- Clubs include, Dover FC, Chelmsford City, and Boston United.

Third Qualifying Round (Winners earn £7,500)

All winners from the second qualifying round play in this round.

Fourth Qualifying Round (Winners earn £12,500)

All winners from the third qualifying round are joined in this round by all Blue Square Bet Premier Division teams. Sides include- Darlington, Wrexham and Lincoln City.

First Round Proper (Winners earn £18,000)

All winners from the fourth qualifying round are joined by all teams from Leagues One and Two. Teams that join here include- Huddersfield, Charlton, Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday.

Second Round Proper (Winners earn £27,000)

All winners from the first round proper play in this round.

Third Round Proper (Winners earn £67,500)

All winners from the second round proper are joined at this stage by all Premier League sides and Championship sides. Teams including Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool all enter.

Fourth Round Proper (Winners earn £90,000)

All winners from the third round proper play in this round.  

Fifth Round Proper (Winners earn £180,000)

All winners from the fourth round proper play in this round.

Sixth Round Proper (Winners earn £360,000)

All winners from the fifth round proper play in this round.

Semi Finals (Winners earn £900,000)

Two semi-final games are played over one weekend at the national stadium Wembley.

Final (Winner earns £1,800,000)

To be played at Wembley stadium on the 12^th May 2012 between the winners of the semi-final games.

I hope you will check back soon and follow my adventure starting with that game between Margate FC and Tooting & Mitcham but in the meantime let me know your favourite FA Cup moment and who you will be supporting in this years competition.

Home is not where the heart is for Capello

Tuesday evening sees Fabio Capello’s Three Lions look to all but secure their qualification to the European Championships next year in Poland and Ukraine. It will be England’s first Euro Championships since 2004 in Portugal after their spectacular failure to qualify for the competition in 2008 which led to the Sun Newspaper claiming that the ‘summer was cancelled.’

A lot has changed since that fateful night under Steve McLaren as England was humbled in front of their home fans against Croatia. There is still one thing that seems to be hanging around from that night and that is England’s ability to perform at Wembley in front of a home crowd.

Granted that England qualified for the 2010 World Cup with a 100% home record, but recently doubts have started to creep in about England’s home performances as they look for their first win in five games at the national stadium, the last being nearly a year ago to the day.

Draws against Montenegro, Switzerland and Ghana as well as a defeat to France has left England supporters feeling hard done by. Granted that the games against Ghana and France were friendlies that allowed Capello to test new players, although the Three Lions supporters still would have expected to get their money’s worth.

Although Wembley has hosted some wonderful nights already since it’s opening four years ago, including all of the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign, defeats to Germany and France as well as other shaky draws against the Czech Republic means questions are still being asked about England’s ability to perform in front of a partisan crowd at Wembley.

Some people will blame the players not having the experience to perform in front of large crowds regularly, one that I would dismiss myself. I feel the main reason for England’s lack of decent displays at the national stadium remain at the fault of a mix of pressure from a crowd that expect so much from their national side and also the prestigious occasion that Wembley brings with it meaning that the opposition make it so much harder for England to beat them.

England showed just what they can do with a sensational 3-0 win in Bulgaria on Friday night and the same performance against Wales on Tuesday will not only all but secure a place at Euro 2012, it will go a long way to getting rid of this monkey on their backs about playing at Wembley.

Why do you think England struggle at Wembley? Do you think people are looking at it too much? Let me know what you think.

Pre-Season Predictions: League Two

So a little later than planned but here is my guide to whose is going to be hot and whose not in the 2011/2012 League Two Season.

As always I will start with the challengers and there is one that stands out for me this season. Gillingham have added seven new players to their ranks including that of Adam Birchall who signed from Kent rivals Dover Athletic last week.

Birchall scored an incredible 45 goals last season for Dover, including a screamer at the Priestfield in Dover's shock 2-0 win against the Gills in the FA Cup.

Other challengers I think we can expect to see in League Two are last season's relegated sides from League One, especially Bristol Rovers and Plymouth Argyle, meanwhile 'Moneybags' Crawley will also be pushing for back to back promotions.

The bottom of this division will be as tight as ever with your usual candidates, Barnet, Cheltenham and Macclesfield all likely to feature again in the battle to survive the drop. I think these sides will be joined by the likes Hereford and Port Vale in what will be a very close race.

My predictions for the League Two season 2011/2012:

Champions: Gillingham

Promoted: Bristol Rovers, Shrewsbury

Play-Offs: Bradford, Crewe, Crawley, Plymouth

Relegated: Barnet, Burton

Do you agree? Will Adam Birchall be as good for Gillingham as he was Dover? Who has been your sides best signing so far?

As always let me know.

Modric running out of Luka over move to Chelsea, but should he be allowed to go?

In all honesty I surprised myself when I sat and thought about this earlier today. Usually in these cases when I hear of a player demanding a move away from one club to another it makes me angry and I say that the player should 'stop moaning' and 'get on with there X amount thousands of pounds a week job', today was different though.

After seeing further coverage of the saga of Luka Modric's desire to leave Tottenham for Chelsea, I sat and thought why he would want to leave his contract at Spurs where he is a certain starter in the team, he has been offered a contract that will double his wages to £90,000 a week and before stating his desire to leave a few weeks back he was a fans favorite at White Hart Lane.

Then it became obvious to me for once why a player would want to leave, he will get more money at Chelsea, reported to be around £120,000 pounds a week, he will be playing at a club in the Champions league year after year, and playing at a team that will push Manchester United for the title in years to come....Is that really selfish of him?

My old answer would have been yes, I would have argued that Spurs had made him what he was and he should respect them and their decision. But today I saw it in a new angle, here is a player that has a chance to earn more money and more personal trophies, realistically something we all aspire to do in our lifetime.

A long way off from football wages I know, but if I was working at my local newspaper and a national paper wanted me to work for them and doubled my wages, I would not expect my employers to say no and not congratulate me on the move.

The point I am getting at is that a footballers career is 20 years maximum and as fans I don't think we should dislike a player simply because he wants to better himself and his earnings.

I fully hope Modric gets his move to Chelsea in the future and that players in the future that want to better themselves given the opportunity are not held back by clubs....after all we all want to be the best we can be.

Do you agree? Do you think Modric should het his 'dream' move to Chelsea? How would you feel if your star player said he wants a move?

As always let me know.