Top 10 Arsenal FC Moments

 

  1. The first Gunners Double

With Tottenham being North London’s best side during the 1960s the 70s saw an opportunity for Arsenal to create some history for themselves. Arsenal delivered one of the greatest seasons in their history, with the club winning its first ever league and cup double in 1971.  The league was secured with a single point ahead of Don Revie’s fantastic Leeds United side, Arsenal went into the FA cup final against Liverpool looking to create history. A 2-1 was secured with Charlie George scoring one of the great FA cup final goals to cement him and the team in Arsenal folklore.

 

  1. Henry’s winner at the Bernabéu

The 2005/2006 season was a challenging one for Arsenal. A poor Premier League season saw the club just scrape into the Champions League with a last day victory over Wigan in what was the last game played at Highbury. The season however would be defined by a memorable Champions League run which would include a remarkable win away to Real Madrid, with Thierry Henry scoring a truly beautiful goal against the Spanish giants. Arsenal eventually made it to their first ever Champions League final, with an agonising defeat to Barcelona denying Arsenal their first European cup.

 

  1. European glory

Despite Arsenal’s superb history, the club has flattered to deceive on the European stage, the European Cup Winners’ cup success in 1994 remains the club’s only trophy won on the continent. Arsenal won the trophy against high flying Italian side Parma, a team that included future Chelsea great Gianfranco Zola with a goal from Alan Smith. The final is considered the best performance ever put in by Arsenal’s legendary defence of the 1990s.

 

  1. The Cup Double of 1993

As the Premier League era begun Arsenal found themselves well of the pace in the club’s first season in the new top flight with an eventual 10th place finish. A disappointing league campaign was salvaged with an incredible cup double success in the League cup and FA cup, with both trophies been won against the same club, Sheffield Wednesday. Both finals ended 2-1 to the Gunners, with the FA cup final being won by unsung hero Andy Linighan in the last minute of extra time. The Cup double was the first time in history one club took home both domestic cups in the same season.

 

  1. The appointment of Arsène Wenger

One of the most important moments in the history of Arsenal came in 1996 when the club appointed an unknown French manager named Arsène Wenger. Wenger would go on to become one of English football’s greatest managers and change Arsenal’s identity from a dull and underachieving side to hugely entertaining title winners. Arsène Wenger has won three Premier League titles and six FA cups during his time in England, and led Arsenal to its first Champions League final in 2006; the final was eventually won 2-1 by Barcelona.

 

  1. 1930 FA cup final

Before the 1930s Arsenal football club had very little success to call their own, with a growing fan base Arsenal were able to lure highly rated manager Herbert chapman from Huddersfield Town. Chapman would go on to transform Arsenal as the 1930s began, with the club’s first trophy gained with victory in the 1930 FA cup final, ironically against chapman’s previous club Huddersfield. Arsenal would go on to win five league titles and a further FA cup for the rest of this decade, setting the standard for Arsenal teams to this very day.

 

  1. The first Wenger Double

Arsène Wenger’s first full season in charge of Arsenal was a hugely memorable one with Arsenal winning the second double in the clubs history. The 1997/1998 season saw the club go on an incredible run during the run-in and dethrone defending champions Manchester United and achieve the club’s first ever Premier League title. Further success followed in the FA cup final with a 2-0 win over Newcastle United, with goals from Marc Overmars and Nicolas Anelka securing the double at Wembley.

 

  1. The first Double of the 21st century

As Manchester united continued their domination of English football going Into the new Millennium, Arsène Wenger needed to build a special team to compete with the Manchester giants. Inspired by the brilliance of Dennis bergkamp and Thierry henry, Arsenal went the entire 2001/2002 season without losing an away game and were crowned champions with a win at Old Trafford. Before the victory in the title race, Arsenal defeated London rivals Chelsea in the FA cup final with two fantastic goals from Ray Parlour and Freddie Ljungberg, thus completing the first League and cup double of the 21st century.

 

  1. Last gasp title win at Anfield

One of the most dramatic finales to a league season took place at Anfield in May 1989. Arsenal had not been crowned English champions since 1971 and had looked to have it all to do with a win by two clear goals needed to take the title off defending champions Liverpool. Arsenal went on to deliver the impossible dream and achieve possibly the best result in their history with a Michael Thomas goal in the last minute of the game winning the title for Arsenal and sending the away end of Anfield into ecstasy.

 

  1. The Invincibles

A unique achievement in modern football was achieved by Arsenal when the club went an entire league campaign undefeated in the 2003/2004 season. Inspired by Arsenal icons such as Patrick Vieira, Robert Pirès and Thierry Henry, the Gunners swept aside their title rivals with ease to complete the greatest story in Premier League history. Only once before had a  top flight team won the league with an unbeaten record, that was Preston North End way back in 1889, making Arsenal’s success all the more incredible.

 

Top 10 FA cup 3rd round shocks

The FA cup 3rd round is here! One of the most exciting days in English football has arrived and here is a Top 10 of the most memorable shocks to happen at this stage in the competitions famous history.

 

  1. Burnley v Liverpool 1-0, 2005

A game that is remembered for Djimi Traoré’s appalling own goal. Championship Burnley entertained Liverpool in what was Rafa Benitez’s first taste of FA cup football. The match ended with a shock win for Burnley, with Liverpool’s Traoré scoring one of the most comical goals in football history. Traoré and Liverpool would get over this embarrassment by ending the season as European champions.

 

  1. Manchester united v Leeds United 0-1, 2010

One of English football’s biggest rivalries was reawakened thanks to the FA cup in 2010. Both clubs were doing brilliantly in their leagues with United in the Premier league and Leeds in League One. Leeds having not won at Old Trafford since 1981 played superbly to grab a full deserved 1-0 win thanks to a fantastic Jermaine Beckford goal. Leeds would go on to gain their first promotion for  20 years whilst United would end their campaign with just the League cup to their name.

 

  1. Burton Albion v Manchester united 0-0, 2006

A match that will live long in the memory of Burton Albion fans saw their club play one of it’s biggest games against Manchester United. The brewers deservedly earned a replay at Old Trafford after playing out a memorable 0-0 draw in a game they may well have won. Burton who at the time were a non-league but ambitious club now find itself in the Championship and just one promotion away from the Premier League.

 

  1. Stevenage v Newcastle United 3-1, 2011

Possibly the greatest result in the history of Stevenage FC, the league 2 club who had just been promoted for the first time ever to the Football League, shocked Newcastle with a brilliant display. Newcastle, who had returned to the Premier League after a year absence, suffered one of the biggest FA cup shocks in their history and set the tone for cup underachievement for the next few years.

 

  1. Bournemouth v Manchester United 2-0, 1984

These days Bournemouth and Manchester United have regular fixtures in the Premier League, but back in 1984 the clubs were world’s apart. Bournemouth then a third division club managed by a young Harry Redknapp stunned United with a 2-1 win over the reigning FA cup holders. The result shocked English football as Manchester United was a well-established top flight side while Bournemouth was struggling in the lower leagues.

 

  1. Worcester city v Liverpool 2-1, 1959

Widely considered one of the worst defeats in Liverpool’s history, non-league Worcester City inflicted Liverpool’s greatest cup defeat in 1959. The game was a humiliation for the Merseyside club, who at the time were a struggling Second Division team. The Liverpool manager Phil Taylor resigned shortly after the defeat and the club went on to appoint Bill Shankly, the man who would transform Liverpool into one of the biggest clubs in Europe.

 

  1. Manchester united v Exeter City 0-0, 2005

A game that sums up the importance of the FA cup to lower league clubs. Exeter city, a non-league club struggling financially played the most important game in their history against Manchester United; a team that would go on to lost the cup final that season to Arsenal. The game at Old Trafford would end in a shock 0-0 draw and with the replay being televised it gave Exeter the money needed to keep the club alive. Exeter is now a club owned by its fans and are well established in the Football League.

 

  1. Sutton v Coventry 2-1, 1989

After winning the FA cup final in 1987, Coventry City supporters could never imagine the humiliation they would face in the competition just 19 months later. The Sky Blues faced non-league Sutton United in the 3rd round of the cup expecting a comfortable victory, the outcome was a stunning win for the non-league club over their top flight rivals. This win meant Sutton joined an illustrious group of non-league clubs to knock out clubs from the top flight.

 

  1. Wrexham v Arsenal 2-1, 1992

One of the biggest FA cup shocks of the 1990s saw reigning First Division champions Arsenal lose to bottom division Wrexham. Arsenal looked to have snatched victory but two late goals saw the Racecourse Ground go crazy and celebrate a 2-1 win, a victory widely considered the best in the history of Wrexham FC. Arsenal recovered from this disastrous result to win the FA cup the following season.

 

  1. Hereford United v Newcastle United 2-1, 1972

The winner of this top 10 goes to Hereford United’s incredible win over Newcastle United in 1972. Hereford, a non-league club five divisions below Newcastle who were playing in the top tier of English football somehow scraped an incredible draw at St James’ park to take this FA cup tie to a replay. The return at Edgar Street saw the Bulls overcome their top flight opponents with a 2-1 win; the equalising goal from Ronnie Radford is considered one of the best in FA cup history and sparked a pitch invasion that has been immortalised in Football folklore.

Top 10 Last gasp wins in English Football

Over the years English Football has seen some hugely dramatic moments defined by late goals, some have become legendary in British sport and have made or broken a football club. Here is a Top 10 of some of the greatest finales in English Football history.

 

  1. Everton v Liverpool 2-3 in 2001

The Merseyside derby is one of English footballs great rivalries, with Liverpool chasing Champions League football for the first time since 1985 the stakes were high for the club. Everton twice came from behind with a late penalty looking to have salvaged a draw for the Toffees. However a brilliant late late free kick from Gary McAllister saw the Reds claim the win needed to build momentum to secure the Champions League place. Liverpool eventually did secure European Cup football by finishing third.

 

  1. Manchester United v Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 in 1993

The first important goal scored by Manchester United in the infamous Fergie time. Man United were chasing a first league title for 26 years when hosting Sheffield Wednesday. The owls took the lead through a penalty which looked to have secured victory but two late goals scored by captain Steve Bruce saw United win and push on to claim the Premier League title for the first time and set the tone for decades of league dominance.

 

  1. Wigan v Manchester City 1-0 in 2013

After winning the Premier League title the previous season, Manchester City slumped and didn’t come close to defending the title. A FA Cup final win was the clubs last chance to win silverware. City’s opponents in the final were Wigan athletic, who were appearing in their first ever FA Cup final. Wigan played magnificently throughout, with City unable to open up the Latics. Wigan deservedly won the final with a 90th minute winner from Ben Watson. Winning the cup meant Wigan claimed their first major honour with City completing a season of failure.

 

  1. Manchester United v Manchester City 4-3 in 2009

As Manchester City became one of the richest clubs in the world and had brought in fantastic players for millions of pounds much was expected of the first Manchester derby of the 2009/2010 season. An incredible derby was 3-3 deep in to injury time when Ryan Giggs picked out Michael Owen with an incredible pass in which the striker scored the winner to make the score 4-3 and send Old Trafford into delirium. Considered the greatest Manchester derby in history, the season ended with United in second place and City in fifth. City would carry on spending and would soon become a force in the Premier League.

 

  1. Liverpool v Newcastle United 4-3 in 1996

The most famous Premier League game of the 1990s saw a title battle between Liverpool and table toppers Newcastle United. The Geordies went into the game chasing a first league title since 1927 and took the lead three times in a game that would eventually be won 4-3 by Liverpool, with a fantastic goal by Stan Collymore in the last minute of the game. Widely considered one of the best Premier League games of all time, neither club would go on to win the league, with the title eventually being won my Manchester United.

 

  1. Arsenal v Manchester United 3-2 in 1979

One of the greatest FA cup finals off all time, Arsenal and Manchester United dominated the FA Cup finals of the late 1970s and both had fantastic records in the competition. Arsenal had taken a 2-0 lead and had looked to have eased to the win. United somehow scored to late goals to take the game to 2-2 and the game looked to have been going into extra time. But an even later goal just before injury time by Arsenal sealed a 3-2 win and one of the best finales to a final English football has ever seen.

 

  1. Liverpool v Arsenal 2-1 in 2001

A game that will live long in the memory for Liverpool fans. The 2001 FA cup final between Liverpool and Arsenal was the third final Liverpool would appear in during the 2000/2001 season. Arsenal dominated the final, with Freddie Ljungberg scoring to give the Gunners a deserved lead. Michael Owen who had been an inspiration during the season for Liverpool stole the headlines again with two incredible goals in the last ten minutes of the game to seal a 2-1 win for the Reds. The FA Cup would be one of three finals that season won by Liverpool to achieve an historic cup treble.

 

  1. Liverpool v Arsenal 0-2 in 1989

One of the biggest shocks in English football history took place at Anfield in 1989. Needing to win by two clear goals to win the title, Arsenal went out all guns blazing at defending champions Liverpool. Arsenal took the lead through an Alan Smith goal early in the second half but Liverpool looked to have held on. However a Michael Thomas goal with one of the last kicks of the season secured one of Arsenal’s most famous results. The Gunners who had won their first title since 1971 would fail to defend it with Liverpool securing the title the following season. The match has become famous in British sport, with a film being made around the game called Fever Pitch.

 

  1. Manchester United v Bayern Munich 2-1 in 1999

Considered one of the best Champion League finals of all time, the finish to this game has gone down in Manchester United legend. Trailing to a Mario basler goal, United typically found two late goals in injury time thanks to Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær to win their first European Cup since 1968. The club also became the first English club to win the Treble, an achievement yet to be repeated in English Football.

 

  1. Manchester City v QPR 3-2 in 2012

The greatest moment in the history of Manchester City and possibly the Premier League’s most famous moment saw Sergio Agüero score in the last seconds of the game to win City’s first league title for 44 years. Going into the game needing a win to claim the title, City found themselves 2-1 down going into stoppage time, all hope seemed lost, but an equaliser by Edin Džeko was followed by Agüero cementing himself into Manchester City legend with a goal that sent the Etihad stadium into wild celebration.

Top 10 Newcastle United Moments

Newcastle United are one of the great mysteries of English Football. A club with an enormous fan base throughout England and around the world has the potential to achieve huge things in the game, the club however has not won a single trophy since 1969, when the Beatles were still dominating the music scene. Despite the lack of recent success the club has had some glorious times throughout its history. Here is a Top 10 of the greatest moments in the history of Newcastle United.

 

  1. Promotion to the Premier League in 2010

After the misery of relegation in the 2008/2009 season, Newcastle showed great character to bounce back at the first attempt and achieve promotion back to the Premier League. An emphatic season in which Newcastle achieved a very impressive thirty wins and 102 points saw the club achieve its first promotion since the Keven Keegan era in 1993. Andy Carroll would prove to be a revelation in the promotion season and would take his form into the Premier League before a record transfer for a British player to Liverpool in January 2011.

 

  1. A revival in fortunes

After years of underachievement which included relegation in 2009, Newcastle United went on a revival in 2011/2012 Premier League season with a challenge for Champions league football, a season in which the club eventually finished fifth. The club entered the season with low expectations after finishing twelfth the previous year and went on to play some of the best football seen at Newcastle for a decade. Brilliant wins over clubs such as Chelsea, Manchester united and Liverpool saw players such as Yohan Cabaye, Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse excel for the club. The manager Alan Pardew would go on to be named LMA manager of the year.

 

  1. Smashing the Wednesday

Sir Bobby Robson’s first game in charge of his beloved Newcastle saw a record top flight win for the Geordies against relegation threatened Sheffield Wednesday in 1999. Newcastle had begun the season terribly and sacked Ruud Gullit, and brought in the vastly experienced Robson. One of Robson’s first tasks was to revive Alan Shearer’s fortunes at the club and he did so emphatically with shearer scoring five of the eight goals against the beleaguered Sheffield club. Sir Bobby Robson would go on to achieve great things for Newcastle, securing Champions League football for two consecutive seasons. Robson would eventually leave the club in 2004 as a club legend.

 

  1. An incredible comeback

A game that will live long in the memory for Newcastle fans used to mediocrity, Newcastle produced one of the great comebacks of the Premier League era by coming from 4-0 down at half time to claim a 4-4 draw against title chasing Arsenal in 2011. The Gunners dominated the first half and were 4-0 up within 26 minutes before Newcastle came back in the second half with two Joey Barton penalties, a Leon Best strike and an absolute screamer from Cheick Tioté in the last five minutes sealed the comeback for Newcastle.

 

  1. Debut Champions League win over Barcelona

The first ever Champions League campaign for Newcastle United saw the club claim an historic win over Catalan giants Barcelona. Possibly the greatest result in the clubs history, Newcastle beat Barcelona 3-2 with a brilliant hattrick from Faustino Asprilla, an achievement that has placed him in Newcastle folklore. The campaign went downhill from here however as the club were knocked out of the group stage after finishing third.

 

  1. Newcastle United 5 Manchester United 0

Possibly Newcastle United’s finest Premier League match, defending champions Manchester United were utterly humiliated in a breath-taking display of attacking football. After losing out on the league title the previous season, Newcastle gained some kind of consolation with five wonderful goals with the final goal by Philippe Albert the best of the lot. Widely considered one of the greatest Premier League games of the 1990s, Newcastle would again end the season in second place and again lose out on the Premier League title to Manchester united.

 

  1. Top flight champions for the fourth time

The most recent title triumph for Newcastle United happened way back in 1927. Inspired by Hughie Gallacher, the top goal scorer and captain of the side. Gallacher went on to score a club record 36 league goals in the 1926/1927 season in which United secured the title and finished five points clear of nearest challenges Huddersfield town, a team who had won the previous three titles. Newcastle would not challenge for the league title again until the Kevin Keegan teams of the 1990s.

 

  1. Alan Shearer becomes Newcastle’s greatest

Nearly Ten years on from making his debut for Newcastle, Alan shearer broke Jackie Milburn’s near forty year goal scoring record with his 201st goal against Portsmouth in 2006. A Newcastle fan born and bred, Shearer was a hero to every Newcastle fan throughout his time at the club and is still adored by the Geordie faithful. A player Newcastle have never really replaced, it is no surprise the club have struggled so much since their legendary skipper retired. The brilliant goal scoring machine is now widely considered Newcastle United’s greatest ever player.

 

  1. European glory for the Geordies

The first and only European trophy won by Newcastle was in 1969 with victory in the 1969 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup final against Hungarian side Újpesti Dózsa. A final consisting of two legs, Newcastle won the first leg 3-0 at St James’ Park and followed this up with victory in Hungary by coming from 2-0 down to win 3-2 and claim the glory with a 6-2 aggregate win.  The 1969 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup is still the most recent trophy won by Newcastle United.

 

  1. The 1955 FA cup final

The most recent FA cup success for Newcastle United and their most recent domestic triumph, The FA cup final of 1955 saw local hero Jackie Milburn inspire his club to its sixth FA cup success against Manchester City. Scoring in the very first minute of the game, which stood as record for 42 years, Milburn joined a rare club of players who have scored in more than one FA cup final, also scoring in the 1951 final. Around 100,000 attended the final at Wembley in which United brought the FA cup back to Newcastle. The club have failed to win the cup since with three final defeats in 1974, 1998 and 1999 the closest the club has come to winning back the FA cup.

Top 10 Greatest French Footballers

With two European championships and a World Cup France have been one of the most successful international sides of the last thirty years. France has a strong football tradition and has produced some of the best players to play the game. Here is a Top 10 of the best French players to play for both Les Bleus and those who made an immortal impact on the game at club level.

 

10. Marcel Desailly

Marcel Desailly was one of France’s most talented and popular defenders in the 1990’s and 2000’s. A back to back Champions League winner in 1993 and 1994 with Marseille and Milan, Desailly scored the final goal in a 4-0 win in the 1994 final against Barcelona in what is considered one of the tournaments best finals. Desailly was incredibly successful throughout his club career and with his country France. A winner of a World Cup and a European Championship, Desailly won more than 100 caps for his country before his international retirement in 2004.

 

9. Franck Ribéry

Possibly the best French player of the last decade, Franck Ribéry has excelled for German giants Bayern Munich since joining the club in 2007. A pacey quality attacking midfielder, Ribéry has won six Bundesliga titles and one Champions League with the Bavarian’s, helping the club with its first ever treble in 2013. Ribéry had a mixed international career, his performances in the 2006 World Cup were vital in helping his country to the final where they lost to Italy. The rest of his international career was plagued by underachievement, with poor showings at Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup. Ribéry ended his time with France in 2014.

 

8. Eric Cantona

Although an underachiever on the international stage, Eric Cantona was very important in bringing attention from abroad to the newly formed English Premier League when he joined Manchester United in 1992. Cantona was inspirational in Manchester United’s early dominance of the Premier League in the 1990’s, helping the club win its first league title in twenty six years and its first ever double of league and fa cup in 1994. Cantona cemented his legendary status with United fans with the winning goal in the 1996 FA cup final against Liverpool. Cantona is considered one of United’s greatest and most important players, with his name still sung around Old Trafford.

 

7. Didier Deschamps

Widely considered one of the most underrated players of his generation, Didier Deschamps was vital in bringing huge success to French football in the 1990’s and 2000’s. Deschamps became the first and youngest captain to win the newly formed Champions League, doing so with Marseille in 1993. Deschamps went on to captain France to its first ever World Cup success in 1998 on home soil. The first player to reach 100 caps for the French national team, Deschamps ended his remarkable international career by leading France to Euro 2000 success in the Netherlands.

 

6. Patrick Vieira

One of the Premier Leagues first Midfield powerhouses, Patrick Vieira was key in turning Arsenal into one of the best teams in Europe. A winner of three Premier League titles and four FA cups during his time with the Gunners, Vieira captained Arsenal to an unbeaten Premier League season in 2003/2004, winning the league comfortably and becoming the first unbeaten champions for more than a Century. A key player for the French national team, Vieira won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 with his country, winning more than 100 caps in the process before retiring from Football in 2011.

 

5. Just Fontaine

A player whose legend stems from one wonderful World Cup in 1958, just fontaine became a World Cup legend with his stunning record at the tournament which saw him score thirteen goals in just six games. Fontaine’s wonderful goal scoring run saw France record their best World Cup at the time with a semi-final place and an eventual bronze medal after a third place win over West Germany, a game in which fontaine scored four goals. Fontaine also had a successful club career which saw him win four French Division titles and score 165 league goals, cementing his legacy as one of France’s greatest strikers.

 

4. Lilian Thuram

A brilliant and versatile defender throughout his long career, Lilian Thuram was an inspiration for all the teams he played for which included Juventus and Barcelona and the French national team. Thuram played at Right Back for the majority of France’s golden era between 1998-2000 which saw World Cup and Euro 2000 glory. Thuram’s importance was huge in the World Cup with two goals against Croatia sending the French to their first ever World Cup final. Thuram is the most capped player in his country’s history with 142 appearances; his career came to an end in 2008.

 

3. Michel Platini

A footballing great of the 1970’s and 1980’s, Michel Platini was a superstar for Nancy, Saint-Étienne and Juventus. A league champion on three occasions and a European cup winner with Juventus in 1985, Platini’s incredible performances for France in the 1980’s helped the country to European championship success in 1984, with Platini scoring an incredible nine goals in just five games. Platini led the French to back to back semi-finals at the 1982 and 1986 World Cups, losing both times to West Germany. One of France’s best ever players, Platini was the country’s all-time leading goal scorer with 41 goals, before been overtaken by Thierry Henry in 2007.

 

2. Thierry Henry

Considered one of football’s greatest strikers, Thierry Henry is a goal scoring legend in a career that spanned twenty years. An Arsenal icon, Henry is the clubs all-time leading goal scorer and a Premier League champion on three occasions. A move to Barcelona saw the Frenchman’s career reach new heights when he won the treble with the Catalan club in 2009, including his first Champions League title. The all-time leading goalscorer of the French national team, Henry helped his country to global domination with victory at the 1998 World Cup and European Championship glory in 2000. Henry would reach another World Cup final in 2006 but lose agonizingly to Italy in a penalty shootout.

 

1. Zinedine Zidane

The winner of this Top 10 goes to the glorious Zinedine Zidane. Widely acclaimed as one of the greatest footballers of all time, Zidane turned every team he played for into a powerhouse, and was a joy to watch for whomever and whenever he played. Zidane began his career in 1989 with Cannes before impressive displays with Bordeaux earned the Frenchman a move to Italian giants Juventus. It was at Juventus that Zidane developed into a true world class player and helped the Turin club to two Serie A titles as well as winning the Ballon d’Or in 1998. A move to Real Madrid saw Zidane finally win the Champions League, his stunning goal in the 2002 final is considered the best ever in the competition and helped the club to a 2-1 win.

Zidane had a brilliant career with France, his two goals in the 1998 World Cup final saw France become World champions for the first time with a 3-0 win over Brazil. Euro 2000 again saw Zidane excel and helped France to European glory. Zidane was later named player of the tournament. Zidane’s incredible career ended at the 2006 World Cup final, a bittersweet experience for the Frenchman which saw him score a penalty before a crazy sending off saw his wonderful career end in disgrace. France went on to lose the final on penalties.

 

Liam’s Premier League Predictions (26th Nov)

As we approach what promises to be another exciting weekend of PL action, here are my predictions of how the games we play out.

Burnley vs Manchester City

 I predict a tough game here for Burnley, coming off the back of a 4 – 0 thrashing at the hands of West Brom no less at the start of the week, City would not be their choice for the next game. City are going into this on the back of a hard-fought victory over Crystal Palace thanks in no small part to an inspired performance by Yaya Toure. Burnley are likely to play defensive and try to hit City on the counter but I feel City will be far too hot for them to handle. 3 – 0 City.

Hull vs West Brom

I do not know where to start with Hull… losing 3 – 0 to Sunderland…SUNDERLAND. Not even a power failure could help them, with West Brom winning in the aforementioned game against Burnley, I see a straightforward win for West Brom. 2 -0.

Leicester vs Middlesbrough

‘Boro should come into this game thinking they may be able to get something from it, they lost last time out to Chelsea but given how Chelsea have been playing of late, losing 1 – 0 isn’t that bad of a result, ad in the fact that Leicester played midweek and I think Boro could easily get a point. 2 – 2

Liverpool vs Sunderland

This has the potential to be a very intriguing game, Sunderland are having a little resurgence of late whilst Liverpool are still in top form despite a goal less draw against Southampton last weekend. Sunderland’s upfront duo is proving to be in good form as of late and are forging a good partnership and i expect one of them to be on the score sheet again in this match, but Liverpool’s attacking trio are deadly when they find their feet…expect goals. I’m going for 3 – 2 Liverpool.

Swansea vs Crystal Palace

Swansea drew 1 – 1 in their last game against Everton in a game they felt that they should have won but as has been the case most of the season they just failed to take their chances. Palace will probably feel very similar having failed to get anything out of the game against Manchester City where they at the very least deserved a draw. I do not expect much from this game but I think Palace will be the better team. 1 – 0 Palace.

Chelsea vs Tottenham

The game where it all went wrong for Spurs last year. Chelsea have been on a roll lately and will look to further rub salt in the wounds as Spurs come into this game on the back of a disappointing mid-week after failing to progress in the Champions League. For me a Chelsea victory is a fore-gone conclusion. 3 – 1 Chelsea.

Watford vs Stoke

Last weekend Watford took 3 points at home from the champions whilst Stoke dropped 3 points at home to Bournemouth. Watford are a good team and seem to now be adding different goal scorers across the team rather than just relying on their front two for goals. I say the same thing more or less about Stoke week in and week out…have a really good squad but are not consistent enough and I back Watford to come away with the win here. 1 -0

Arsenal vs Bournemouth

Arsenal snatched a point in their last game against Manchester United when truth be told they did not deserve anything as they were hardly in the match. Bournemouth will be looking to continue the momentum after that victory against Stoke but I feel they will not have enough to defeat an Arsenal team who should be looking to make a statement of intent. I’m going for 2 – 1 Arsenal.

Manchester United vs West Ham

United will be disappointed to take the 3 points from their last game but they should take the positives from it and use them in this game. West Ham lost last time out and seem to be struggling this season especially when it comes to holding on to leads. I don’t think United will be troubled much in the game so I’m predicting United to win 2 – 0

Southampton vs Everton

Both teams drew last weekend but I feel it will be Southampton who will feel the most positive, Everton have seemed to slip a little following a fantastic start to the season as they havent really pushed on from it. With Southampton being at home I think they have the advantage in what will be a good game, 2 – 1 Southampton.

Top 10 Steven Gerrard moments

Widely considered one of Football’s greatest and most popular players, Steven Gerrard will be talked about by Football fans all over the world for generations. The Liverpool supporter who became a Liverpool hero, here are 10 brilliant moments from Steven Gerrard’s phenomenal Football Career.

 

10. The Liverpool debut

In 1998, with Liverpool 2-0 up and coasting to victory against Blackburn Rovers, Liverpool manager Gérard Houllier decided to give a debut to 18 year old academy player Steven Gerrard. A last minute substitute for Vegard Heggem, Gerrard played the first game for his boyhood club as a defender and in the process achieved his childhood dream of playing for Liverpool. No one at the game had ever heard of Steven Gerrard and would never have imagined what he would go on to achieve at the club for the next 17 years.

 

9. The first Liverpool goal

A year on from his Liverpool debut, Gerrard’s confidence was growing with his qualities now on show in central midfield. The first goal in his Liverpool career came against Sheffield Wednesday in 1999. A wonderful run right through the defense and a composed finish saw Anfield celebrate a moment of history. There would be many more fantastic Gerrard goals for Anfield to celebrate.

 

8. Completing the Cup Treble

The 2000/2001 season was a return to trophy winning glory for Liverpool with a unique cup treble of League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup victories. The last of these finals was the UEFA Cup final against Alavés, with Gerrard scoring in an eventual 5-4 success. This was the first time Gerrard had scored in a final and is a perfect example of his incredible record in the biggest games of the season. Gerrard would end this season as the PFA young player of the Year.

 

7. Becoming the Liverpool captain

By the 2003/2004 season Gerrard was considered one of the best players in the Premier League and Liverpool’s key player. This recognition was rewarded with Houllier awarding Gerrard the Liverpool captaincy. The responsibility of being Liverpool captain was feared by fans to be a burden for the 23 year old but his fantastic performances and match winning displays were vital for Liverpool finishing 4th that season and securing Champions League football.

 

6. Screamer against United

Steven Gerrard is a Liverpool fan, and therefore doesn’t really like Manchester United. With Liverpool playing host to the Red Devils in early 2001, Liverpool won 2-0 with Gerrard scoring the first goal of the game, an absolute screamer of a goal which is considered one of the best goals scored against United in the Premier League era. The goal was Gerrard’s first against United and he would go on to become the record Premier League goal scorer against Man Utd.

 

5. The first England goal

Steven Gerrard made his England debut in 2000 in a win over Ukraine at the old Wembley Stadium. Gerrard’s England career would go on for 14 years and in the process win 114 caps for his country. The highlight of Gerrard’s England career would surely be contributing to England’s historic 5-1 win over Germany with his first England goal. Gerrard’s England career would be unfulfilled, with England never clicking as a team in any of the tournaments he played in.

 

4. Merseyside derby hat-trick

By 2012 Steven Gerrard was already considered one of the best Liverpool players of all time and possibly the greatest along side Kenny Dalglish. His legendary status with Liverpool fans went even higher with an incredible hat-trick against local rivals Everton, the first by a Liverpool player at Anfield since 1935. Steven Gerrard’s record against Liverpool’s bitter rivals was fantastic, with 10 goals scored and only one defeat at Anfield against the toffees in his entire Liverpool career.

 

3. That goal against Olympiacos

A goal that has gone down in Anfield legend. Liverpool needed a late goal to take the club into the knockout stages of the Champions League and keep their season alive. Gerrard delivered and got the club though with a late late goal to send the Kop wild and give Anfield one of its best ever European nights. The club would continue its Champions League journey into 2005.

 

2. The Gerrard cup final

Very rarely does one player define an entire final, but Steven Gerrard certainly did in the 2006 FA Cup final against West Ham United. With Liverpool 2-0 down Gerrard both assisted and scored to get Liverpool back in the game at 2-2. West Ham restored their lead however and looked to have claimed their 3rd FA Cup victory but a late Gerrard goal sent the Liverpool fans into delirium and save Liverpool for the second time in the final. Liverpool went on to win the final through a penalty shootout and saw the Liverpool captain pick up his second FA Cup. The goals in this game saw him become the only player ever to score in a League Cup, FA Cup, UEFA Cup and Champions League final.

 

1. Footballs greatest comeback

The game that will forever epitomize Steven Gerrard’s career in Football. The 2005 Champions League final saw Gerrard inspire Liverpool to claim the clubs 5th European Cup despite being 3-0 down at half time. A unique game of football, widely considered the greatest final in Football history, the Liverpool skipper scored the first comeback goal and inspired the fans to believe a miracle was possible. Liverpool got the game back to 3-3 and went on to win the penalty shootout to achieve the unlikeliest of Football fairy-tales. The game that made Steven Gerrard a Liverpool icon forever, his name will forever be worshipped by Liverpool fans for bringing such incredible success to the football club.

Top 10 FIFA World Cup Shocks

Since the very first  FIFA World Cup in 1930 the competition has consistently produced incredible moments of drama. The World Cup has been won by eight countries and has been dominated by the likes of Brazil and Germany. Shock results at the  World Cup have been very frequent in the history of the tournament and help add to the glamour of the event. Here are 10 results that shocked the world and have created unlikely legends in the most prestigious competition in Football.

 

  1. West Germany v Algeria 1-2- 1982 World Cup group stage 

The standout game of the 1982 World Cup group stages saw European champions West Germany face Algeria, a country making their World Cup debut. the Algerians got the World Cup going with a stunning 2-1 over the highly fancied West Germans, a result considered one of the finest achieved by an African team at the World Cup. Despite the historic result, Algeria could not get out of their group while West Germany recovered to make another World Cup final before losing out 3-1 to Italy.

 

  1. Ireland v Italy 1-0- 1994 World Cup group stage 

With Ireland looking to make it to the knockout stages a win over World Cup contenders Italy was required. Italy with world class players such a Paulo Maldini and Roberto Baggio were expected to ease past the Irish but a stunning winner by Ray Houghton saw Ireland make the knockout stages for the second straight World Cup. Italy went on to have their best World Cup for twelve years. Inspired by Baggio, the Italians made it all the way to the final before penalty shoot heartache to Brazil.

 

  1. Senegal v France 1-0- 2002 World Cup group stage

The opening game of the 2002 World Cup saw defending champions France face World Cup debutants Senegal. Heavy favourites France buckled under the pressure and Senegal claimed one of the greatest World Cup shocks with a 1-0 win through a Papa Bouba Diop goal. France went on to become the worst defending champions in World Cup history with no goals scored and finishing last in their group. Senegal went on to have a brilliant tournament, reaching the quarter finals before losing in extra time to Turkey.

 

  1. South Korea v Italy 2-1- 2002 World Cup last 16 

With Italy huge favourites against unfancied hosts South Korea no one could have predicted what was to happen in this round of 16 clash. Italy took the lead with a Christian Vieri strike but a late Seol Ki-hyeon goal sent the game into extra time. More drama followed with South Korea sending the home fans delirious with a late golden goal by Ahn Jung-hwan to knock Italy out of the World Cup. South Korea backed by their home fans incredibly reached the semi-finals before eventually been knocked out by Germany.

 

  1. Spain v Northern Ireland 0-1- 1982 World Cup group stage 

A result that shocked the footballing world, hosts Spain were looking to finally win the World Cup for the first time but lost to one of the smallest country’s to compete in the competition. Going into the game Northern Ireland needed a victory to progress to the next round and achieved it with a 1-0 win thanks to a Gerry Armstrong goal, a player who now works as top pundit for Spanish television. From this result the Spanish campaign lost all momentum and the hosts were knocked out of their own World Cup in the next round.

 

  1. Cameroon v Argentina 1-0- 1990 World Cup group stage 

The first game of the 1990 World Cup saw reigning champions Argentina take on underdogs Cameroon. A Diego Maradona inspired team were expected to win with ease but the African country caused a sensation by winning 1-0 through a François Omam-Biyik goal. Cameroon went on to become the first African team to get to the quarter finals of the World Cup before losing to England. Argentina made up for their poor start by making it to a third final in four World Cups but lost to West Germany on penalties.

 

  1. Germany v Bulgaria 1-2- 1994 World Cup quarter finals 

This quarter final is the ultimate example of never giving up even when faced with impossible odds. Defending champions Germany were heading for the semi-finals through a Lothar Matthäus penalty but two quick fire goals sent Bulgaria to the semi-finals for the first time in their history. The Bulgarians were backed by neutrals to go all the way but were beaten by a Roberto Baggio inspired Italy and missed out on the final.

 

  1. Germany v Brazil 7-1- 2014 World Cup semi final 

A game that will be spoken about for generations, hosts Brazil suffered the worst result in their illustrious history with a 7-1 defeat to eventual champions Germany. With superstar Neymar ruled out of the game the Brazilians capitulated in a way never before seen in Football and sent shockwaves all over the world. Germany could have won this game by a lot more and showcased why they were the best team in the tournament. It will take very long time for Brazil fans to get over such a humiliation.

 

  1. England v United States 0-1- 1950 World Cup group stage 

Possibly the biggest humiliation in the history of the England national football team, the United States with a team of part timers shocked England with a 1-0 win courtesy of a Joe Gaetjens goal, a man who at the time was also a dishwasher in a New York restaurant. England who were making their World Cup debut were considered one of the best teams in the world at the time, totally underestimated the USA and saw their reputation in tatters along with their World Cup dreams with a group stage exit. The United States would not qualify for another World Cup until 1990.

 

  1. West Germany v Hungary 3-2- 1954 World Cup final

One of the greatest World Cup finals in history, West Germany went into the game as huge underdog’s against a Hungarian side who had not tasted defeat for 31 matches. Hungary raced into a 2-0 lead but an incredible comeback saw the West Germans eventually win 3-2 and claim the country’s first World Cup title. From this game the standards were set for West Germany who would go on to be one of International Footballs greatest sides. Hungary never recovered from the final and have been a shadow of their former selves ever since.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liam’s Premier League Predictions (19th Nov)

The Premier League returns this weekend much to the joy of football fans across the country, Here’s how I think the games will play out.

Manchester United vs Arsenal

This is a fixture I always loved watching whilst growing up, back at a time where both teams would be vying for titles and the games always held an extra significance. Arsenal come in to this match in a better run of form than United but Mourinho’s record against Wenger is something to behold. Given that United are at home I can see them playing a cautious, defensive game that will frustrate Arsenal. I think this game will be 1 – 1.

Crystal Palace vs Manchester City

In recent weeks it has been difficult to predict what City will turn up to games, at their best they are brilliant and arguably the best team in the league but that’s the problem they are not consistent enough. Palace are much the same, after a slow start to the season they seem to be picking up points from their last couple of games, I think City will go into this expecting to win but I don’t think they will. I’m going for a Palace win 2 – 1.

Everton vs Swansea

Given how both teams like to play this promises to be an open,engaging match with both teams pushing forward in search of the three points. Everton have been very good at home this season so far whilst Swansea seem to be lost a little bit whilst adapting to new management and playing styles. I think it will be an entertaining 3 -2 Everton win.

Sunderland vs Hull City

Sunderland finally got a first win of the season last time out so their confidence will be higher coming into this game but to be honest I do not expect much from either team as I am predicting a 0 -0 draw with Sunderland having the better of the chances but not taking them.

Southampton vs Liverpool

It’s the match that every Southampton player wants to play in because if they score, they will most likely be signing for Liverpool in the near future. Klopp’s men are proving a very hard team to beat this campaign due to the free scoring way his team is playing, however they are always just as likely to concede. Southampton have some deadly strikers up front that are always capable of grabbing a goal. I’m going for a 2 – 2 draw.

Stoke vs Bournemouth

Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth are looking more and more like they belong in this league and are an entertaining team to watch, Stoke are always a tricky team at home though, It would seem as though Mark Hughes does not really know how to get the best out of his players as with the talent they have, you feel they should be doing better. I feel this will be a cagey game and im going for a 1 – 0 Stoke victory.

Watford vs Leicester

It seems as Leicester have started to realise they have a title to defend and a beginning to become more consistent in the league, Watford are Watford … play well in most games but do not finish as many chances as they should and this has cost them a fair bit already this season. If Vardy is on form then I feel he’ll be too much for the Watford defence so I am saying it will be 2 – 1 Leicester.

Tottenham vs West Ham

After gaining a point from the recent North London derby, Spurs will be relishing another London derby against the inconsistent West Ham, With Kane back (and scoring) Spurs have a major boost whilst West Ham will be looking to their own main man for goals which will be hard to come by given Spurs’ impressive defensive record. 3 -1 Spurs.

Middlesbrough vs Chelsea 

I feel this will be a pretty run of the mill kind of game for Chelsea who are coming of the back of one of their best performances in a while, ‘Boro just don’t seem to have much to offer in terms of goals and will most likely play a defensive strategy. I think it will be an easy win for Chelsea, 4 – 0.

West Brom vs Burnley

What an awful game this sounds like it will be, both teams are not scoring many goals and both like to play with men behind the ball. 0 -0… Simple

Top 10 Greatest Italian Footballers

With Football being Italy’s favorite sport, the country has produced some of the greatest players to play the game. The Italian National Team and some of the biggest clubs in Italy such as Juventus, Inter Milan and AC Milan have been highly successful over the last 50 years largely due to the local core that has made the teams winners. Here is a list of the top 10 players who I feel have made the biggest contribution to not only Italian Football but Football all over the world.

10. Dino Zoff

We get going with one of Italy’s finest Goalkeepers, Dino Zoff was one of Europe’s best goalkeepers during the 1970’s and 1980’s. Zoff spent the majority of his club career at Napoli and Juventus, winning Serie A six times with the latter. The first Italian to receive 100 caps for his country, Zoff’s finest career moment was captaining Italy to it’s 3rd World Cup success in 1982. The World Cup victory was a milestone for Zoff as he was 40 during the tournament and thus became the oldest world champion.

9. Fabio Cannavaro

Italy’s most recent World Cup Triumph in 2006 would never have happened if it was not for the brilliance of Fabio Cannavaro. Cannavaro was the best Defender of the tournament and captained the Azzurri to their 4th World Cup. the Italians success in the year 2006 saw him become the most recent Defender to win the World Player of the year award. Cannavaro’s club career was also successful with trophies won at Parma such as the UEFA cup and a long overdue league title at Real Madrid in 2007 and 2008.

8. Silvio Piola

The greatest goalscorer in Serie A history simply had to be included in this top 10, Silvio Piola has been the top goalscorer in the Italian top flight for more then 60 years with 274 goals. Piola could never win the league title during his club career but his success with Italy was legendary with a World Cup triumph in 1938 with Piola scoring twice in the final against Hungary in a 4-2 victory.

7. Gianluigi Buffon

One of the best Goalkeepers of all time and possibly the best still playing, Gianluigi Buffon continues to set the standard for the modern day Goalkeeper. Buffon has achieved great things for all the teams he has played for with Parma, Juventus and Italy. A Serie A champion on Eight occasions and a World Cup winner in 2006, Buffon’s incredible career will never be forgotten in Italy.

6. Franco Baresi

A rock at the back for AC Milan for Twenty seasons, Franco Baresi contributed to Milan’s massive success in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Although there were early struggles at the club which included two relegation’s, Milan and Baresi recovered and went on to dominate Serie A and win the European Cup back to back in 1989 and 1990, in what is considered one of the best teams in Football history. Baresi had a mixed international career having played no part in Italy winning the world cup in 1982, Baresi led his country to the 1994 World Cup final but agonizingly lost the final on penalties to Brazil.

5. Andrea Pirlo

The crown jewel of nearly all the teams he has played for, Andrea Pirlo has established himself as one of the greatest Midfielders of all time with his excellent performances for Italy, AC Milan and Juventus. A key player at AC Milan for a decade, Pirlo helped the club win two Serie A titles and two Champions League titles. Pirlo moved on to Juventus and was hugely influential in the Turin clubs return to Serie A dominance, winning the league four years in a row. Pirlo is considered one of Italy’s best players ever with his performances in midfield key to the Azzurri claiming their 4th World Cup in 2006, scoring a penalty in the shootout win over France.

4. Francesco Totti

A Serie A great who is still playing in the league an amazing 23 years since making his debut, Francesco Totti has spent his entire career at boyhood club AS Roma, winning two Coppa Italia titles and his only Serie A title in 2001. Totti has resisted moves from some of the best clubs in Italy and clubs abroad such as Real Madrid and Bayern Munich to stay at the club he always wanted to play for. Totti may not have won a great deal at club level but his time with Italy was rewarded with World Cup glory in 2006.

3. Roberto Baggio

One of Italy’s best players in the 1990’s, Roberto Baggio was a supremely talented Footballer who played for giants Juventus and AC Milan, winning the league once at both clubs. Considered one of Italy’s finest talents, Baggio’s career with Italy was certainly bittersweet with three near misses at three World Cups, including missing the decisive penalty in the 1994 World Cup final penalty shootout.

2. Paulo Maldini

Widely considered the greatest Defender off all time, Paulo Maldini spent his entire career at boyhood club AC Milan, spending an unbelievable 25 seasons at the club. Maldini was hugely successful whist at AC Milan winning seven Serie A titles and five European Cups/Champions League titles. Maldini longevity in the game can only be matched by a handful of players, with his career ending at the age of 40. Maldini was at a time the most capped Italian of all time, with international success unfortunately out of reach for him, the closest he came to success was losing the 1994 World Cup final and the Euro 2000 final.

1. Alessandro Del Piero

The winner of this top 10 goes to the unique Alessandro Del Piero. Signed by Juventus at the tender age of 18, Del Piero went on to break all goal scoring records for the club and become it’s greatest goalscorer with 290 goals. A deep-lying forward, Del Piero was a versatile goalscorer and could score anything from a tap in to a wonderful free kick. Del Piero won six Serie A titles and a Champions League at Juventus and is adored by the club’s supporters. After years of frustration with Italy, Del Piero won the World Cup in 2006, scoring in the semifinal and the penalty shootout victory in the final.

Liam’s Premier League Predictions (5th Nov)

Bournemouth vs Sunderland

Both teams lost in their last league game (this being the usual for Sunderland) so I would expect a positive approach from Bournemouth as they look to return to winning ways. Sunderland will be anxious to avoid another defeat and will most likely adopt a cautious gameplay. I’m going for a 2 – 1 win for Bournemouth.

Burnley vs Crystal Palace

After securing a point at Old Trafford, Burnley will be full of confidence going into this game, whereas Palace are on the back of a loss to Liverpool. Palace have looked better recently and I feel they will be too strong for Burnley. I think it’ll be a 3 – 0 Palace win.

Manchester City vs Middlesbrough

Both teams are coming into game having secured 3 points in their previous encounter. City ended a run of 6 games without a win in all competitions and perhaps just as important, their main man for goals (Aguero) ended his 6 games without a goal streak. Middlesbrough are playing well but I can’t see them coming away with anything from this match. I’m going for Manchester City to win 3 – 1.

West Ham vs Stoke

Since their move from Upton Park, West Ham have been all over the place showing no sign of the form that led them to a successful campaign last season, having lost to Everton last weekend I struggle to see them getting any points from this one. Stoke had a convincing win over Swansea to extended their wining run to 3 matches and I expect them to make it 4 this weekend. 1 – 0 Stoke in my opinion.

Chelsea vs Everton

Both of these sides had a comfortable win last weekend but you would have to say Chelsea are in the better form. After a good start Everton have become a little inconsistent. We all know how good Chelsea are at home and with their main players proving to be in very good form I expect Chelsea to cruise to victory. 3 – 0 Chelsea.

Arsenal Vs Tottenham

The 1st North London derby of the season and a fixture that normally produces goals. Arsenal smashed Sunderland last weekend whilst Spurs drew with Leicester. Arsenal are in better form than their rivals but Spurs are still undefeated this season, I see this being a close but open game so I am going with 2 – 2.

Hull vs Southampton

Both side will be looking to bounce back following defeats last time out, Hull are on a poor run and just can’t seem to stop the rut but they always have a chance being at home, Southampton are beginning to make progress under their new manager and are becoming harder to beat. I’m ging for a 1 – 0 Southampton victory.

Liverpool vs Watford

Liverpool are in fine form at the moment producing another dazzling attacking display last time out against Palace, They seem to have found a formidable attacking front three as they continue to score goals with ease, their defence however still needs much improvement. Watford are beginning to pick up momentum as of late with a couple of victories but I feel Liverpool will be far too hard to stop scoring and Watford will not be able to out-score them. 4 – 1 Liverpool.

Swansea vs Manchester United

After being smashed by Chelsea, United should have put on a display of content against Burnley last weekend, however this never happened – was never close to happened. Manchester United seem to lack that killer instinct that they used to be famous for. Swansea lost last weekend but have a pretty decent record against United in recent seasons. 2 – 1 Swansea but I hope I’m wrong.

Leicester vs West Brom

A draw with Spurs wasnt a bad result for Leicester as they were mainly focused on their mid-week Champions League game, The champions seem to be improving their league form after such a poor start, while West Brom are coming off a hammering at the hands of Manchester City and Leicester would not be the team they would want to play next. 3 – 0 Leicester.

Top 10 Sporting Icons of the 21st Century

Since the year 2000 the world of sport has changed dramatically. With these changes comes new sporting heroes that are worshipped all around the world. Here is a Top 10 list of the sporting superstars who reached their peak in the 21st Century and will be remembered in their sport forever.

 

  1. LeBron James

Possibly the most famous sportsman currently playing in the United States, LeBron James has been the standout player in the NBA since making his debut for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003. A winner of four most valuable player awards, James has won three NBA championships, one with the Cavaliers and two with the Miami Heat. The Cleveland Cavaliers all-time top scorer, LeBron James continues to be the team’s most important player and his quality play and appeal in the world of basketball has inspired not only fans in the United States but around the world as well.

 

  1. Jonny Wilkinson

A Rugby Union legend, Jonny Wilkinson is one of the game’s most successful players. Wilkinson represented the England National Team for 13 years, winning four Six Nations titles which included the Grand Slam in 2003. Wilkinson’s greatest achievement and what he is best known around the world for is his last minute drop goal to win the Rugby World Cup for England against Australia in 2003, a remarkable moment of skill and composure which has guaranteed him iconic status in Rugby Union history.

 

  1. Floyd Mayweather Jr

Considered one of the greatest Boxers of all time, Floyd Mayweather Jr had a remarkable Boxing career in which he didn’t lose a single fight. Mayweather won 49 out of 49 fights spanning 20 years and beat some of the greats of the game at the time such as Juan Manuel Márquez, Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao. Although a controversial figure in the world of Boxing, Mayweather always delivered in the ring even when the pressure was intense, and has retired with one of the best records in the sport.

 

  1. Michael Schumacher

The man who became the first idol for Formula One fans in the new Millennium. Michael Schumacher dominated the sport at the start of the 2000s, winning an amazing five straight Championships. Well established in the 1990s, Schumacher became the very best with Ferrari, and became a worldwide star when winning race after race breaking numerous Formula One records, including most Championships and most race victories. Schumacher retired in 2006 but came back with Mercedes for two more seasons before retiring again in 2012. Michael Schumacher is without doubt the greatest and most popular Formula One driver of all time.

 

  1. Michael Phelps

The most decorated Swimmer and Olympian of all time, it would be criminal not to include Michael Phelps in this list. Phelps incredible Olympic career started in 2000 at the age of just 15, and for the following four Summer Olympic games Phelps would go on to win 28 medals, including 23 gold medals, both records. Phelps career ended after the 2016 Olympic Games where he sealed his place as the most successful Olympian of all time and an American sporting icon. Although now retired his legacy in swimming and at the Olympic Games will go on for decades.

 

  1. Cristiano Ronaldo

One of the most recognizable Footballers in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo has excelled season after season since making his debut in 2002. After showing promise at his home town club Sporting Lisbon, Ronaldo moved to Manchester United and developed into one of Europe’s best players. After inspiring United to three straight league titles and the Champions League, Ronaldo moved to Real Madrid in 2009 and became the clubs all-time top goal scorer by 2015 in which he had scored over 300 goals for the team. After a successful club career which so far includes three Champions League titles, Ronaldo helped his country Portugal win its first ever major title by captaining the team Euro 2016 glory.

 

  1. Tiger Woods

A golfer that will be talked about for years to come, Tiger Woods established himself as the best Golfer in the world throughout the 2000s. Having already established himself as one of the best on the PGA tour, Woods took his game to another level by winning 12 of his 14 majors between 2000 and 2008, placing him second on the all-time majors list. Tiger Woods career has declined somewhat since 2009, unable to regain the form that made him so dominate in the sport, although still a fierce competitor, do not rule out Tiger going for major number 15 in the near future.

 

  1. Usain bolt

The man who has become the most famous Sprinter off all time, Usain Bolt is widely regarded as one of the greatest Olympians of all time. Bolt began to write headlines at the Beijing Olympics where he won gold medals in all events he competed in, Bolt went on to achieve the same feat in the following two Olympic Games in London and Brazil, an unprecedented achievement in sprinting at the Olympic Games. One of the most popular sportsmen in the world today, Bolt has broken nearly all records as a Sprinter and continues to be a crowd pleaser in every event he competes in. Bolt will retire in 2017 but his sporting achievements will never be forgotten.

 

  1. Lionel Messi

Widely regarded as one of the greatest Footballers of all time, Lionel Messi has rewritten nearly every record for both Argentina and his club side Barcelona. Messi started his career in 2004 and established himself as one of the world’s best talents. In the 2008/2009 season Messi began showing his true world class ability by inspiring Barcelona to the first treble achieved by a Spanish side. The most consistent player of the last decade, Messi has been voted the world’s best player an incredible five times. Messi is now the all-time leading goal scorer of both Barcelona and his country Argentina, where an international trophy still remains out of his reach. His incredible talent and qualities have made him one of the most popular sportsmen in the world.

 

  1. Roger Federer

The winner of this top 10 goes to the man who has come to define everything required to be a modern day sporting icon. Roger Federer is widely considered the greatest Tennis player of all time having dominated the sport in the 2000s like no other in the sports history. Federer won his first Grand Slam title in 2003 with a victory at Wimbledon; from here he would dominate Tennis for the rest of the decade. Federer as it stands has won a quite brilliant 17 Grand Slams, more than any other player and has claimed Olympic gold for Switzerland in 2008. The Swiss maestro is still going strong even now at the age of 35. What separates Federer from the rest on this list is his consistency since the very beginning of the 21st century, and his continued popularity around the world which truly makes him the stand out sporting icon of the last 16 years.

Top 10 Greatest Goalkeepers In Football History

Some of Football’s greatest moments have often been defined by the heroics of a goalkeeper. Penalty shootouts for example can make or break a team, and this is where a goalkeeper can become an icon for life. Here is my top 10 of who I believe are the greatest to play as a goalkeeper.

      10. Petr Čech

We start off with one of the Premier League’s most consistent goalkeepers of the last decade. Petr Čech is considered Chelsea’s greatest goalkeeper in their history, winning every club honour on offer including the Champions League in 2012. In 2006 Čech suffered a horrific head injury which put his career in doubt but he recovered brilliantly to play for Chelsea later on that season. Petr Čech is the Czech Republic’s most capped player and helped his country compete for Euro 2004, where they were beaten in the semi-finals by eventual winners Greece.

  1. Manuel Neuer

Possibly the best goalkeeper in the world at present, Manuel Neuer has excelled for both Bayern Munich and Germany. Neuer started his career at Schalke 04, and became the clubs first choice goalkeeper at just 20. After years of consistent performances for the club and winning the DFB Pokal in 2011 Neuer transferred to Bayern Munich and has since won four Bundesliga titles and one Champions League in 2013. Manuel Neuer has been Germany’s number one goalkeeper since the 2010 world cup, and was inspirational in the country’s triumph at the 2014 World Cup having only conceded four goals in the entire tournament.

  1. Oliver Kahn

One of the best goalkeepers to play the game during the 1990s and 2000s, Oliver Kahn is one of the top players in both Germany and Bayern Munich history. Kahn joined Bayern Munich in 1994 and was the number one goalkeeper for the club until his retirement in 2008. Kahn won eight Bundesliga titles, a UEFA Cup and the Champions League in 2001, where he saved three penalties in a shootout win over Valencia, Bayern’s first European Cup success since 1976. Oliver Kahn was Germany’s number one keeper for a decade, winning Euro 96 and reaching the final of the 2002 World Cup, a 2-0 defeat in the final to Brazil did no damage to Kahn eventually being named the player of the tournament.

  1. Dino Zoff

A goalkeeper who is an example of longevity, Dino Zoff played  Football in three different decades and remained at the top of his game until his retirement in 1983 at the age of 41. Zoff spent the majority of his career at Juventus, winning six Serie A titles along with the UEFA Cup. Zoff had an excellent career for Italy, winning both Euro 68 and the 1982 World Cup in Spain, Italy’s first World Cup success since 1938. Dino Zoff was also the captain during the 1982 success and was also 40 in the final, making him the oldest winner of the World Cup.

  1. Edwin Van Der Sar

One of the most successful goalkeepers to play the game, Edwin Van Der Sar won 25 titles during an incredible career with clubs such as Ajax and Manchester United. Van Der Sar came through the Ajax Academy and became a regular in the first team when the club came back into prominence during the 1990s. The club won the League and Champions League double in 1995 with Van Der Sar keeping a clean sheet in the final against defending champions AC Milan. An unsuccessful time followed at Juventus before Van Der Sar moved to the Premier League with Fulham and then Manchester United, where in 2008 Van Der Sar won another League and Champions League double, with his penalty shootout heroics bring home Man Utd’s third European Cup. International football proved a bittersweet experience for the Dutchman with numerous missed opportunities to win silverware for the Netherlands. Van Der Sar won nothing with Holland but he is the county’s most capped player ever.

  1. Ray Clemence

One of the most successful English footballers of all time, Ray Clemence was Liverpool’s number one keeper throughout their dominance of English football during the 1970s. Clemence won five league titles, the FA cup and three European cups during his time at Anfield. Voted the best goalkeeper in Liverpool history, Clemence left Liverpool in 1981 to join Tottenham where his successful career continued with UEFA Cup and FA Cup victories. Besides his club achievements, Clemence did not play in a major tournament with England, with the country failing to qualify for World Cup or European Championship during his prime.

  1. Gianluigi Buffon

One of the great names in modern football, Gianluigi Buffon has been an icon for the Italian national team and Juventus for nearly twenty years. Having started his career at Parma and making his debut at just 17, Buffon is the record holder for most clean sheets in the history of Serie A. Buffon has played for Juventus since 2001 and has collected numerous trophies in his time in Turin including seven Serie A titles and two Coppa Italia although he has never won the Champions League. The record cap holder for the Italian National Team, Gigi has had a Steller career for the Azzurri winning the country’s fourth World Cup title in 2006.

  1. Peter Schmeichel

The best and most talented goalkeeper of the Premier League era, Peter Schmeichel was an inspirational figure for Manchester United’s league dominance of the 1990s. A winner of five Premier League titles and one Champions League at his time at the club, his hugely competitive style was key in inspiring those around him and his outstanding performances in the big games was significant in United’s title winning seasons. A treble winner in 1999, Schmeichel is considered the best goalkeeper in Manchester United’s history. The most capped player in Denmark’s history, the Great Dane was integral in Denmark shocking football to win Euro 92 against heavy favourites Germany with a 2-0 win.

  1. Sepp Maier

The first great goalkeeper of Bayern Munich, Sepp Maier was a one club man at the Bavarian club for 18 seasons, starting when the club was in the lower divisions to winning three straight European cups in the 1970s. Maier did not miss a league game for Bayern between 1966 and 1979, a phenomenal run which unsurprisingly remains a record in the Bundesliga. Maier was the Number one keeper during Germany’s golden era of the 1970s. Playing in a team containing Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Müller, The Germans won Euro 72 and the 1974 World Cup which the country won as hosts. Sepp Maier eventually retired in 1980 as one of Germany’s most successful footballers.

  1. Iker Casillas

My winner of this top 10 goes to Real Madrid and Spain’s greatest goalkeeper Iker Casillas. Casillas became a regular in the Real Madrid team at the tender age of 18 and played in the 2000 Champions league final at just 19, keeping a clean sheet and winning the final 3-0 against Valencia. For the rest of the 2000s Casillas excelled at Real Madrid and was regularly considered the top keeper in European football. Casillas went on to win five La Liga titles and overall three Champions League titles at Madrid before departing in 2015 as the most appeared goalkeeper in Real Madrid history. Casillas is possibly the most successful Goalkeeper in international football history, having won the 2010 World Cup and back to back Euros in 2008 and 2012. Iker is the most capped player in Spain’s history and an icon of the game.

Liam’s Premier League Predictions (29th Oct)

Sunderland vs Arsenal

I’m predicting a comfortable 2 – 0 win for Arsene Wenger’s Gunners despite their rather disappointing 0 – 0 with Middlesbrough last weekend.

Manchester United vs Burnley

It’s been a tough few week for Jose’s Red Devils especially coming off the back of a 4 – 0 thumping at the hands of his former club Chelsea last weekend. So expect to see a response… I’m going for 3 – 1 United.

Middlesbrough vs Bournemouth

After Bournemouth’s impressive display last weekend in the 0 – 0 draw with Spurs, I’m expecting them to build on that with another good display against ‘Boro, who are struggling lately. Going for 2 – 1 Bournemouth.

Tottenham vs Leicester

The Champions and runners-up from last campaign meet for the 1st time in this. Spurs are the only undefeated team in the league and have had many impressive displays whilst Leicester are finding the Champions League easier than the premier league although they won 3 – 0 last time out. 1 -1.

Watford vs Hull

It’s all going wrong for Hull at the moment after such promise at the beginning of the season, while Watford and having a steady season so far and I think they’ll cruise to a 2 – 0 win.

West Brom vs Manchester City

Many thought City would be near impossible to beat given their form at the start to the campaign but it has not been going so smoothly since that loss to Spurs, West Brom are…West Brom – very inconsistent, I’m saying 2 – 1 Manchester City but it will be a tight affair.

Crystal Palace vs Liverpool

In Benteke’s first game against his former club, you can bet he’ll be out to prove a point and Palace will definitely need him to do just that to stand a chance against Klopp’s high pressing high scoring Reds. I’m thinking 4 – 1 Liverpool.

Everton vs West Ham

West ham have won two on the bounce after their last-minute winner against Sunderland last weekend and seem to have steady the ship some what easing the pressure on their manager, Everton have made a good start to the season and I feel they will be too much for the Hammers. 2 – 0 Everton.

Southampton vs Chelsea

Chelsea will be in rampant mood after the thrashing they gave United last week and I expect them to do the same again to a Southampton side who once again are having to adjust to a new manager and players this season, I predict a 3 – 1 Chelsea win.

Stoke vs Swansea

I do not expect much from this game as both teams have been rather hit and miss this season, Stoke are not as invincible at home as they used to be but then Swansea are not that good away from home, so it’s no surprise that I am going to say 0 – 0 for this one.

Top 10 Greatest International Rugby Union Teams

Since the 1980s Rugby Union has grown to be one of the most popular sports in the world, with the Rugby World Cup regularly getting millions of views worldwide. Rugby may not get the attention that sports such as Football get but Rugby Union has provided some of the great sporting moments of the last thirty years. Here is who I believe are the best International teams to play Rugby Union.

  1. Italy

When the Six Nations was created in 2000 Italy were invited to become the sixth member of the tournament. The Italians won their first ever Six Nations game against Scotland but this joy was short lived as Italy became the whipping boys of the Championship, losing heavily in most games for the next few Six Nations. Italy over time became more competitive and has had some notable victories over France and Ireland in the last few years. Italy have a very similar record at the world cup, failing to progress from the pool stage in any of the tournaments but getting closer to the knockout stage with every World Cup.

 

  1. Argentina

Argentina has a respectable pedigree in Rugby Union, especially with their performances in recent World Cups. The 2007 World Cup saw Argentina reach the Semi-finals for the first time and saw the country finish in a very unlikely 3rd place. Although Football continues to be the most popular sport in Argentina the country has taken rugby seriously since the 1990s, and is capable of springing major upsets from time to time.

 

  1. Scotland

As one of the first countries to play International Rugby, Scotland have had very little to shout about in the last twenty years. Since winning the last ever Five Nations Championship in 1999, the Scots have barely challenged for the updated Six Nations, with 3rd place their best finish. Scotland however has performed well at the World Cup. An agonizing Semi-final defeat to England in 1991 being the closest Scotland has come to winning the tournament.

 

  1. Ireland

A team that for so long failed to achieve on the big stage, Ireland have been a force in world Rugby since the start of the 21st century. Ireland was packed with some of the games greats such as Brian O’Driscoll  and Ronan O’Gara but couldn’t land the Six Nations title. Ireland finally hit the big time by not only winning the Six Nations but the Grand Slam as well, Irelands first since 1948. Ireland at the World Cup is a frustrating one, as the team has not gone past the Quarter finals since the World Cup began.

 

  1. France

Possibly the most unpredictable team in world Rugby, France has experienced spectacular highs and terrible lows. France has a mixed record at the World Cup with defeats in three separate Finals. the French have the ability to beat anyone on their day but can also lose to teams they should beat easily. The Six Nations have seen France perform very well with 17 titles and 9 Grand Slams, although in recent years France has failed to perform well in the tournament.

 

  1. Wales

One of the powerhouses of European Rugby, Wales takes their rugby very seriously with rugby the country’s most popular sport. Wales are one of the Six Nation’s most successful sides, winning 26 titles and 11 Grand Slams. Although a constant title contender for the Six Nations, Wales have often struggled at the World Cup, with two semifinals in 1987 and 2011 so far their best achievement.

 

  1. England

The Northern Hemispheres most successful Rugby side, England has been one of the most consistently successful teams in the history of International Rugby Union. England are the most successful team in Six Nation’s history, winning the tournament 27 times and has achieved a record 13 Grand Slams, their most recent coming in 2016. England are the only European team to win the World Cup, winning the title against hosts Australia in 2003 in possibly the best World Cup Final of all time.

 

  1. Australia

There are not many countries who love rugby more than the Australians. With a huge rugby tradition, Australia has always been in one of the main contenders for the World Cup, and has won the competition twice in 1991 and 1999. Australia has an enormous Rugby rivalry with New Zealand, with both consistently playing against each other in the Tri Nations and usually the latter stages of the World Cup. The most recent meeting ended in a painful defeat to the All Blacks in the 2015 World Cup Final.

 

  1. South Africa

A country with a rich rugby tradition, South Africa did not compete on the big stage until hosting the 1995 World Cup. The tournament turned into a fairy tale for the springboks, winning the final against heavy favorites New Zealand. Since the World Cup victory in 1995 South Africa has been a very competitive team in the world of Rugby, winning the tournament again against England in 2007. South Africa has also competed well at the Tri nations and its new format the Rugby Championship, winning a hat trick of titles.

 

  1. New Zealand

It wasn’t a difficult to decide the winners in this top 10. By far and away the most successful International Rugby Union team off all time, New Zealand were the first ever winners of the Rugby World Cup, winning as hosts in 1987. The All Blacks would continue to succeed in the Southern Hemisphere by dominating the Tri Nations and its rebranded format the Rugby Championship. New Zealand however flopped at the World Cup until again winning the tournament on home soil in 2011. New Zealand have become almost unstoppable since the 2011 success, winning another World Cup in 2015 and thus becoming the most successful World Cup side ever with three victories.

Montreal Canadiens Vs Boston Bruins

Two of the oldest, most historic and widely supported teams in the NHL, the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins have a rivalry the dates back to nearly a century ago.
Although most rivalries within sport are usually based on where the teams are located, these two powerhouses of Hockey are actually based in different countries, the appropriately named Canadiens are based in Montreal, and the Bruins are located in the city of Boston. The two teams are separated by more than 307 miles of each other, but that doesn’t stop this rivalry being incredibly intense.
The two teams were part of the infamous ‘Original Six’ teams, meaning that they were two of the original teams when the NHL was formed. The four other teams that battled it out were the Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers and The Detroit Redwings. These Six team would be the only teams in the NHL all the way up until 1967, when the league welcomed more teams into the mix.

With the extensive history of the teams, where does this rivalry stem from?
A major aspect of these teams disdain of each other comes from their cultural back grounds, with each team having slightly different values for their fans.
Up until 1996, the Montreal Canadiens played their games at the ‘Montreal Forum’, which was considered to be a classy venue, so fans would regularly appear in suits and fancy dresses to attend the matches, this is in start contrast to the Bruins as Boston was seen as a more working class city, many more fans would dress in replica jerseys and T-shirts to support their team. Growing up in Montreal you were made to believe that Boston were evil, and vice versa in Boston. There was no similarities that these two teams could see in one another.

The Canadiens and Bruins have played against each other more times then any other teams in history of the NHL. There have been over 900 meetings between the old rivals, to which Montreal hold an edge in terms of head to head victories, winning 463 games in regulation time compared to Boston’s 336.
For the vast majority of this rivalry, Montreal have had the upper hand in terms of success, and they lead every team in the NHL with the amount of Stanley Cup’s they’ve won with 24. The Boston Bruins are tied for fourth place with the Chicago Blackhawks with 6 Stanley Cup victories, but still 18 behind Montreal.

Montreal had dominated Boston where it mattered, in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, in which the Habs would win every Playoff Series against the Bruins from 1946 until 1988.
After breaking the horrible 42 year Montreal onslaught, the rivalry started to even out with The Bruins starting to win more Playoff Series against The Habs, and with Montreal winning the Stanley Cup in 1993, it has proved to be their last lifting of the famous trophy, whilst the Bruins would win the Cup in 2011.

Notable Managers:

Sam Pollock – When Sam Pollock joined the Canadiens in 1964, it would’ve been hard to envisage the dynasty that he would start. Whilst in his 14 years at the helm as the Head Coach, he led the team to 9 Stanley Cup Championships, and set the team up to win many more after he left the organisation. Pollock also knew how to find amazing talent, drafting many incredible players such as Guy Lafleur, Larry Robinson and Bob Gainey, it’s hard to argue that Sam Pollock is one of the greatest coaches in the history of all sports.

Claude Julien – The Bruins current Head Coach had the unfavourable task of turning around the Bruins fortunes when he took over in 2007, and since then has made the Bruins one of the best team in the NHL, and even bringing a Stanley Cup to Boston in 2011. Having surpassed Bruins legend Art Ross for most regular season wins as head coach with 393 to date, Bruins fans hope he can lead the team into the dynasty that they have the potential to be.

Matches From History:
1952 Semi-Final Game 7 – With the series tied at 3-3 going into the last game of the semi final, it took a magical goal from Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard to win the game for the Habs. The goal has been dubbed as the “most beautiful in the history of the world” and took Montreal to the Stanley Cup Finals. The game is most notable for a post game photo of the Canadein Forard Maurice Richard and Bruin Goaltender Jim Henry shaking hands whilst both bandaged and bleeding. The photo is considered one of the most iconic images of Ice Hockey.

1971 Quarter-Final Game 2 – After a victory for the Bruins in game 1 of the Quarter Finals, the more favoured Bruins had a commanding lead over the Canadiens, leading 5-1 in the second period. Montreal would proceed to score 5 unanswered goals to win the match 7-5, which proved to be a turning point in the series as the Canadiens would go on to win the series and eventually go on to lift the Stanley Cup. The 7-5 victory for Montreal is widely considered the best comeback of all time in NHL history.

1988 Quarter Final Game 5 – When the two rivals met in 1988, it had been 42 years since the Bruins triumphed over the Habs, but a dominating series led the bruins to break the most unwanted streak in their history. The Bruins would end up losing to Wayne Gretsky and the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup finals, but finally beating Montreal in the post season set up a more even rivalry for the future.

Memborable Moments:

Too Many Men: In the 1979 Semi Final between the Habs and Bruins, it was all square going into game 7, and the Boston Bruins were three minutes away from defeating the Montreal Canadiens and progressing to the Stanley Cup Finals. Don Cherry the Bruins head coach started to stand and serenade the crowd as they closed in on this famous victory. A lapse in judgement from the Bruins coach caused Boston to accidentally field 7 players on the ice, which caused them to take a penalty, giving Montreal two precious minutes with an extra player to try and tie the game. Montreal’s best player Guy Lafluer equalised on the ensuing power play, tying the game up at 4-4, with Montreal eventually winning the game in Overtime. The Bruins ‘Too Many Men’ penalty in this game is the perfect example of why you should never celebrate too early.

Chara Hit On Pacioretty: On 08/03/2011, the Bruins visited the Canadiens in a regular season game in which Montreal won 4-1, but the game was marred in controversy. Whilst skating towards the edge of the rink at center ice, Zdeno Chara of the Bruins pushed Max Pacioretty into the glass which separates the teams benches. Pacioretty had been skating fast as he was pushed which caused him to fall unconscious whilst also breaking his neck. Chara was ejected from the game but avoided a fine and/or suspension from the NHL, which caused huge uproar from Montreal Canadiens fans, even going as far as to call the police demanding for Chara to be arrested. Montreal police opened up an enquiry into the incident but nothing came to pass, to this day however Habs fans see Chara as a villain.

Conclusion:

Whilst both teams have seen respective success, the Montreal Canadiens have seen the most, with 24 Stanley Cups to Boston’s 6. The Canadiens also win in the head to head department in regular and post season, but with Boston’s recent on ice success and with the Habs not being as consistent in recent times, it seems this rivalry is about to renew with both teams looking set on late runs into the post season.
We can only hope that the rivalry will continue in the future, how it was laid on in the past.

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Top 10 English Strikers in Premier League History

As the Premier League continues to grow and grow, opportunities for young English talent has dropped in the last twenty years, especially for stikers. The Premier League at one point had enough English talent to fill three England national teams. Here is a list of who I consider to be the greatest English strikers to strut their stuff in the Premier League era.

 

 

  1. Chris Sutton

We start off with a player who was considered one of the first teenage Premier League stars. Chris Sutton was a prolific goal scorer for both Norwich and Blackburn in the early days of the Premier League. His partnership with Alan shearer in 1994/1995 was instrumental in bringing the title back to Blackburn for the first time in 81 years. Chris Sutton continued his form for Rovers over the next few years, winning the golden boot in 1998. Sutton then went to Chelsea but a poor season was followed by a move up north to Celtic in 2000.

 

  1. Kevin Phillips

A player that never came close to winning the Premier League but his impact was still inspirational. Kevin Phillips had rarely played in the Premier League until 1999/2000 but his form for Sunderland that season was incredible, scoring thirty league goals for the club and claiming not only the Premier League golden boot but the European boot as well. Phillips continued his goal scoring throughout the next decade. He finally retired from the game in 2014 at the age of 40.

 

  1. Ian Wright

Ian wright was already a world class striker as the Premier League began but his form throughout the early days of the division makes him one of the most respected strikers in the leagues history. Wright was a deadly striker for Arsenal throughout the 1990s, becoming the clubs all-time leading goal scorer before a certain Thierry Henry broke the record. Wright picked up the premier league title in his last season at Arsenal, a fitting honour for a player who was so important to the team for the best part of seven seasons.

 

  1. Jermaine Defoe

As one of the best finishes to grace the Premier League, Jermaine Defoe has been a prolific goal scorer in the top flight since 2000. Defoe began his career at West Ham before leaving for Spurs and scoring over 100 premier league goals in his time at the north London club. Although never coming close to winning the league, Defoe helped spurs become a regular top four contender and is now single handedly keeping Sunderland in the Premier League.

 

  1. Les Ferdinand

The title race between Man United and Newcastle in 1995/1996 is seen as one of the most exciting seasons in premier league history. Newcastle’s challenge was largely based around Les Ferdinand’s incredible goal scoring run in this season, scoring 25 goals as the Geordie club put in their best title challenge since the 1920s. Les Ferdinand eventually left for Spurs and continued to score important goals in the Premier League, including the 10,000th goal to be scored in its history.

 

  1. Michael Owen

Although never truly fulfilling his potential due to a nightmare run with injury, Michael Owen should still be remembered as a great Premier League forward. Starting his career at Liverpool, Owen was a teen sensation similar to Robbie Fowler, becoming the clubs main striker at just 18. Owen went on to score over 100 league goals for the reds before leaving England for Real Madrid. A return to the Premier League with Newcastle never saw Owen return to form, with a crippling knee injury robbing him of his pace.

 

  1. Wayne Rooney

Wayne Rooney probably doesn’t get the respect he deserves for the career he’s had but his record in the Premier League for both Everton and Manchester United is highly impressive. A key player at both clubs with five premier league titles won at United, Rooney has been a highly consistent goal scorer since he made his debut for Everton way back in 2002. Currently second on the all-time premier league goal scoring charts, Rooney these days gets quite a lot of criticism. I feel his career will not be appreciated until he is long retired.

 

  1. Robbie Fowler

Possibly the most talented striker in this list, Robbie Fowler was one of the best strikers to play in the Premier League during the 1990s. Fowler was Liverpool’s most important player and inspiration during the clubs attempts to win the Premier League during the mid-90s, scoring over 100 league goals over four seasons. Fowler’s career never quite recovered from a knee injury he sustained in 1997, although he recovered enough to still be lethal in front of goal. Fowler is still fondly remembered by fans as one of the true greats of the Premier league.

 

  1. Andy Cole

A winner of the 1993/1994 golden boot, Andy Cole’s extraordinary goal scoring form for Newcastle in this season earned him a move to Manchester United. Cole’s form during his time at Man United was vital in the club winning three straight league titles. A natural born striker, Cole is third on the all-time premier league scoring list, with his goal scoring continuing into his mid-30s at clubs such as Blackburn, Manchester city and Portsmouth.

 

  1. Alan Shearer

The winner of this list, Alan Shearer is the greatest English Striker in Premier League history. The highest goal scorer in the Premier League with 260 goals and a title winner at Blackburn in 1995, Shearer was hands down the best striker in England when the Premier League began in 1992. A golden boot winner a fantastic three times, Shearer is the only player to score over 100 premier league goals for two different clubs, Blackburn and Newcastle United. Alan shearer was able to adapt to both the ever changing Premier League and eventually losing his pace, Scoring prolifically until his retirement in 2006 at the age of 35.

 

Top 10 European Cup and Champions League finals

As the most prestigious cup competition European football has to offer, the European Cup and its evolved format the Champions League has continually produced some of the most memorable matches in football history. The final of the competition is one of the most popular sporting occasions worldwide, here is my top 10 European cup and Champions League finals.

 

  1. 1995 Champions League Final

Ajax v AC Milan 1-0

two giants of the European game, AC Milan were huge favorites going into the game having won the champions league the year before. Ajax, a team packed with youthful talent such as Clarence Seedorf, Marc Overmars and the De Boer twins stunned Milan with a 1-0 win courtesy of 18 year old Patrick Kluivert. The significance of this victory is the confidence it gave the Ajax players, many with whom came from Amsterdam. Most Ajax players moved on and went on to becoming hugely successful over the next 15 years.

 

  1. 2006 Champions League Final

Barcelona v Arsenal 2-1

A game that was seen as arsenals opportunity to the big time, Barcelona set the tone of their dominance of European football from this game. Arsenal having been reduced to 10 men early in the game, took the lead from a sol Campbell header, only for two late goals from Samuel Eto’o and Juliano Belletti snatch victory and claim the Catalans second European cup. The victory was the first Champions League title for players such as Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi, players that would become icons of the game other the next decade.

 

  1. 1997 Champions League Final

Borussia Dortmund v Juventus 3-1

Similar to the 1995 final, Juventus having gone into the 1997 final as defending champions were heavy favorites to reclaim their title. The underdogs prevailed again with unfancied Borussia Dortmund winning their first Champions League title. Juventus with fantastic players such as Zinedine Zidane and Alessandro Del Piero, couldn’t find a way to victory with Dortmund playing superbly throughout the game. Lars Ricken, a Dortmund native scored the fastest goal as a substitute in the Champions League, scoring 16 seconds after coming on to make it 3-1 and sealing the game for Borussia Dortmund.

 

  1. 1989 European Cup final

AC Milan v Steaua București 4-0

As one sided European Cup finals go, this game was embarrassingly one sided. AC Milan with a hugely impressive group of players such as Dutch  maestros Marco Van Basten and Ruud Gullit, ripped Steaua București apart playing incredible free flowing football. AC Milan have adapted the style of play from this match as the example set for future AC Milan teams to follow, which has proved successful with Milan picking up a further three Champions League titles.

 

  1. 2002 Champions league Final

Real Madrid v Bayer Leverkusen 2-1

By 2002 Zinedine Zidane had already established himself as one of the greats of football. A world cup and European championship winner with France, Zidane had still not won the champions league. The final of 2002 saw Real Madrid play the Germans Bayer Leverkusen, a close game was decided by a moment of absolute genius by Zidane, scoring a wonderful first time volley with his weaker left foot. Possibly the greatest goal scored in European Cup final history, it cemented Zidane in Real Madrid folklore with a record ninth title for the Madrid giants.

 

  1. 2011 Champions League final

Barcelona v Manchester United 3-1

A repeat of the 2009 champions league final, Manchester united had the opportunity to gain revenge against Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona side. Barcelona won the match playing football at its finest. After a close first half Barcelona blew United away in the second half inspired by the genius of Lionel Messi. The Catalan giants played football from another planet with many believing this to be the finest performance from a team in a Champions League final.

 

  1. 1994 Champions league final

AC Milan v Barcelona 4-0

In the early 1990s no clubs were more dominant in Europe then AC Milan and Barcelona. The 1994 Champions League final was seen as final all neutrals wanted to see, with Barcelona the slight favorites for the win as Milan were having an injury crisis. Milan went on to play a beautiful final, with Milan Manager Fabio Capello’s tactics dismantling Johan Cruyff’s Barcelona with ease. It would be twelve years before Barcelona would play in the final again.

 

  1. 1999 Champions League final

Manchester United v Bayern Munich 2-1

The 1999 Champions League final was the opportunity for either Manchester United or Bayern Munich to claim football immortality as the first club from either England or Germany to claim the treble. Manchester United claimed it in true dramatic fashion by scoring two stoppage time goals to rob Bayern of their title. This was the defining moment of United greats such as Gary Neville, David Beckham and Ryan Giggs, and the moment Alex Ferguson finally claimed the trophy he had always wanted since becoming a manager.

 

  1. 1960 European cup final

Real Madrid v Eintracht Frankfurt 7-3

The highest scoring game in European Cup final history, Real Madrid reclaimed the European Cup for the fifth year in a row with seven of their goals scored by only two players, Ferenc Puskás and Alfredo Di Stéfano, two of the greatest players of their generation. A game that still gets talked about today as the most entertaining football match of all time, Real Madrid caught the imagination of so many thanks to this game and continued Real Madrid’s love affair of the European Cup.

 

  1. 2005 Champions League final

Liverpool v AC Milan 3-3 (Liverpool won 3-2 on penalties)

Widely regarded by many as the greatest football match and comeback off all time, there can be no doubt that the 2005 champions league final is the greatest European cup and Champions league final of all time. Liverpool having not played in a European Cup final for 21 years was underdogs going into the game against a vastly experienced AC Milan side. Liverpool went into half time 3-0 down and looking well beaten. The second half produced an unprecedented comeback, inspired by local players Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher, three Liverpool goals brought the game back to 3-3 and a penalty shootout was required to decide the winner. Liverpool prevailed, winning their fifth European Cup and proving again that anything is possible in football. The game is now regarded as the miracle of Istanbul and one of English footballs greatest successes.

Liam’s Premier League Predictions (Sep 30th)

Here’s the first of a weekly score prediction segment which I will be doing from now until the end of the season
Everton vs Crystal Palace
Palace have been playing better as of late and have won their last 3 games, however after defeat to Bournemouth last weekend I suspect Everton will come out fighting and will be too strong for Palace.

My Prediction: 2 – 1 Everton in a tightly contested game.

Swansea vs Liverpool

Liverpool are looking increasingly threatening in front of goal and seem to score for fun, Swansea on the other hand seem to be struggling for goals.

My prediction: 2 – 0 Liverpool in an easy win .

Hull vs Chelsea
After a strong start to the season, it seems as Hull’s lack of fit players is starting to cost them. Chelsea will look to bounce back after a humiliating defeat at the hands of Arsenal last weekend.

My prediction: 3 – 1 Chelsea but I expect Hull to have a go at it

 

Watford vs Bournemouth
I suspect this one to be a close game as both teams like to attack but with neither side’s forwards firing at the moment I reckon we will see some chances missed.

My prediction: 1 – 0 Bournemouth in a game of open chances.

West Ham vs Middlesbrough
West Ham are in dire need of a win and have shown that they have the ability to score goals but are a shamble as a defence, ‘Boro will feel they could nick one here.

My prediction: 2 – 1 West Ham who will need to have learnt how to defend.

Manchester United vs Stoke
After a little run of defeats, United got their season back up and running in a convincing 4 – 1 win over champions Leicester City and will look for more of the same. Stoke have had an awful start to the campaign and I see that continuing here.

My prediction: 3 – 1 United in a game they will mostly dominate.

Leicester City vs Southampton
Leicester havent made the best of starts to their defence of the title but are actually playing rather well,  and im sure they will start to get a run of results going, it’s the same old story for Southampton, new players and a new manager that both need time to learn how to work with each other.

My prediction: 2 -1 Leicester in a comfortable game for them.

Spurs vs Manchester City
Is there any team in the league that can stop City at the moment?? having won all previous 6 games, City are the clear favourites in this match, Spurs do pose a threat but without Kane that threat is significantly reduced.

 

My prediction: 3 – 1 City in a game they will boss.
Burnley vs Arsenal
After their surprising win over Liverpool, Burnley have not seemed to have kicked on from this, with goals being their main issue. Arsenal put in a fantastic performance against Chelsea last game and will be riding high from that.

My prediction: 2 – 0 Arsenal an easy, easy game for them.

Sunderland vs West Brom
Not much I can say about this one apart from not to expect many goals as both sides seem to have an inability to score.

My prediction: 0 – 0 as standard.

Top 10 International Football Teams

From Geoff Hurst’s famous hattrick in 1966 to Marco Tardelli’s emotional goal in 1982, international football has provided some of the most iconic moments in football history. Here is a top 10 list of who I believe are the best and most successful international football sides the world has ever seen.

 

10. Hungary

These days qualifying for a tournament would be seen as a huge achievement for Hungary, but believe it or not Hungary was one of the best teams in the world during the 1940s and 1950s. Nicknamed the Mighty Magyars, Hungary were one of the first teams to play Total football, a way of play that is used by great sides such as Barcelona today. The mighty Magyars went a hugely impressive four years without defeat between 1950-1954, a run that ended with a World Cup final defeat to West Germany. Although there potential was never rewarded with a trophy. Hungary during this time are still talked about today as one the greatest football team of all time.

 

  1. Portugal

A country that has produced some of the greatest players to play in Europe, such as Eusebio, Luis Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal have been a team that has dipped in and out of international recognition. After finishing 3rd at the 1966 World Cup, Portugal achieved very little for the next 30 years. A golden generation came about in the 1990s, but underachieved throughout the decade. Euro 2004 was expected to be the golden year for Portugal but a defeat to underdogs Greece continued the countries search for silverware. International success finally arrived at Euro 2016, with Portugal stunning hosts France to finally bring success to the country.

 

  1. England

Widely regarded as the most underachieving team in international football, England have always promised so much but delivered so little. A country that lives and breathes football, England won the World Cup in glorious circumstances as hosts in 1966, with Geoff Hurst scoring the only hattrick in a World Cup final. Since 1966 the England national team has stumbled from one disaster to another, with the 1990s bringing back some hope with semifinals in both the World Cup and European Championship. England will have their time again, but with public support for the team in decline and English talent dwindling it may be some time before football truly comes home.

 

  1. Uruguay

From one of the biggest underachievers in England to possibly the biggest overachievers, Uruguay are the smallest country to ever win the world cup, doing so in 1930 and again 1950. The first ever World cup winners, Uruguay have struggle to recapture their former glories but with world class talent such as Luis Suarez and Edison Cavani do not rule out Uruguay doing something special at the Russian World Cup in 2018.

 

  1. France

One of Europe’s most successful sides, it wasn’t until 1998 that France finally reached the big time and won their first World Cup on home soil. A side that for years flattered to deceive on the big stage, France with world class talents such as Zinedine Zidane dominated the world stage from 1998 to 2002, winning the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. A world cup final defeat in 2006 spelled the end of the golden generation, but resurgence in form leading up to the country hosting Euro 2016 saw the team reach the final, only to be defeated by underdogs Portugal.

 

  1. Argentina

As a country that has produced some of the greatest players of all time, Argentina have been one of the world’s best sides. World Cup winners in 1978 and 1986, the latter inspired by the greatness (and hands) of Diego Maradona, Argentina have struggled to bring those glory days back, with regular world class talent at the countries disposable, it’s a shame Argentina have not won more tournaments, but with Lionel Messi in the team Argentina remain a dangerous side.

 

  1. Spain

After decades upon decades of underachievement, Spain won Euro 2008, starting a dominant cycle which included the countries first World Cup triumph and then retaining its European title in 2012. A team that for so long choked at major tournaments, Spain played some of the best football the world has seen between 2008 and 2014. After a poor showing at the 2014 World Cup, the team has begun to rebuild after its golden generation, a challenge for the 2018 World Cup is still expected.

 

  1. Italy

A team that when they click together can become an unstoppable force, Italy has provided international football with  iconic moments throughout the years. The winner of four World Cups, the last in 2006 and a European championship in 1968, the Italians may have declined somewhat as a major force but you can never rule them out doing well in a tournament, due to their never say die attitude and pride in representing the country.

 

  1. Brazil

Since the World Cup began in 1930, every neutral has fallen in love with the way Brazil play their football. The Brazilians simply love to play the beautiful game and it shows, an amazing five World Cup titles have been won, with greats such as Pele, Romario, Ronaldinho and Ronaldo showing their world class abilities on the world stage. The 2014 World Cup was supposed to be their return to the big time, but the astonishing 7-1 defeat to Germany has left quite a scar in the Brazilian national team.

 

  1. Germany

The winners in this top 10, Germany are the greatest international team to play football. The reasons i have put them first? Well they’ve won four World Cups and three European Championships for a start, but it’s their incredible consistency stretching back 60 years that sets them apart from everyone else. Germany have always been a force in the World Cup with their worse performance ever being the quarter finals, always a contender for a tournament triumph, Germany have a never say die attitude similar to the Italians, but with it also a swagger and a unique self-belief. Germany the current world champions will be again among the favorites for the 2018 World Cup.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top 10 foreign managers in English football History

Since the beginning of the Premier League back in 1992 the growth of foreign managers from around the world has boomed in English football. These managers bring something unique every time, whether that is the style of play they bring, a particular type of foreign player or their often crazy personalities. Whatever the case football fans can fall madly in love with these managers because they offer something so different to what they are used to. Here is my top 10 list of the greatest foreign managers to grace our shores.

 

  1. Mauricio Pocchetino

The first on my list may surprise a few considering he’s only been managing in England for three seasons having won no trophies with both Southampton and Tottenham, but just look at how much he has improved both clubs. Southampton is a terrific example of how to establish a club in the premier league and Tottenham are now top four contenders. The main reason I feel he deserves to be on the top 10 is his commitment to bringing through quality English players, players such as Luke Shaw, Harry Kane and Deli Ali are prime examples. Keep up the good work!

 

  1. Carlo Ancelotti

Having Spent 2 years managing at Chelsea, Carlo Ancelotti proved why he is one of the most successful managers of all time.  Having come in to the premier league with no experience of English football, Carlo won the premier league title playing some of the most exciting football of the last decade, scoring over 100 goals and battering teams on a regular basis, quite incredible for an Italian! His second season was less successful but he still proved his worth in England and is well remembered for his calming influence on his players, his passion to win and his quite incredible eyebrow!

 

  1. Manuel Pellegrini

A very different kind of foreign manager, Manuel Pellegrini wasn’t the most charismatic of managers but he delivered some big success to Manchester city. Having undeservedly won the Premier League against Liverpool in 2014, Manuel delivered a further two football League cups and took Man city to their first ever champions league semi-final. Having left Man city at the end for 2015/2016 season, Manuel can look back with pride with what he achieved on the blue half of Manchester.

 

  1. Roberto Mancini

Roberto Mancini has a very similar record to Manuel Pellegrini. Both manged Manchester city, both won the premier league, both won the domestic cups. The reason I’ve put Mancini ahead is simple, Mancini ended long term Man city trophy droughts. The slightly edgy Italian ended 35 years without a FA cup triumph and more importantly won the Premier League title in 2012, ending 44 years of man city hurt. A true legend in the eyes of all Manchester city fans.

 

  1. Ginaluca Vialli

By now you’ll realise just how good Italians are at managing on our shores! Gianluca Vialli arrived at Chelsea a player in 1996; He left in 2000 as the most successful manager in the clubs history at that time. Chelsea were about to enter a little golden period at the end of 20th century, Led by Vialli the club won its first European trophy in 27 years and a couple of FA and League cups. Well respected for these achievements, especially as Chelsea at this time weren’t the money machine they are today.

 

5.   Gérard Houllier

As one of the first foreign managers in the English game, Gérard Houllier brought Liverpool back out of the disappointment of the 1990s into a trophy winning football club again. After steady progress in his first season, Houllier led Liverpool to a unique cup treble of FA cup, League Cup and UEFA cup, an achievement not matched before or since. Gerald was also the catalyst in establishing youth players such as Jamie Carragher, Michael Owen and a certain Steven Gerrard, all becoming Liverpool legends.

 

  1. Claudio Ranieri

Before 2015/2016 Claudio Ranieri was a respected man in English football for his time at Chelsea, now because of his quite incredible achievements at Leicester, which he lead to Premier League title (in case you didn’t know) he has gone down as one of the true greats of game. Winning the league with Leicester has gone down as possibly the biggest shock in sporting history, The name Claudio Ranieri will become a beacon for all clubs who wish to make the impossible possible.

 

  1. Rafa Benitez

A man who provided every Liverpool supporter with one of the best days of their lives, I simply had to put Rafa in the top 3. Rafa Benitez spent six years at Liverpool, bringing home the champions league for a wonderful fifth time in 2005 and a fa cup a year later in what is probably the best fa cup final off all time. A man who consistently kept Liverpool challenging for honours and turning Steven Gerrard into one for the best players in Europe. Rafa Benitez is a true Liverpool legend who still has his name sung round Anfield.

 

  1. Jose Mourinho

A man who divides opinion, but you just can’t ignore his achievements. Jose Mourinho is a trophy winning machine, often causing controversy along the way with is feuds with other high profile managers around Europe, his usual high tempo press conferences and his passion during games. It’s these reasons that make him stand out as a top manager.  At Chelsea he won the premier league three times along with achieving great success in the cups. These triumphs have made him Chelsea’s greatest manager.

 

  1. Arsene Wenger

Many people will say he’s past his sell by date, many will say Mourinho should be first choice but I have no doubt in my mind that Arsene Wenger is the best foreigner to manager in the English game. An unknown when he joined arsenal in 1996, Arsene Wenger was the first foreigner to win the top flight of English football and changed the way footballers should apply themselves in England. His training methods and coaching ability have brought through some of the greats of the game and extended the career of players deemed finished and past it. Arsene Wenger will celebrate 20 years at Arsenal this year and should be appreciated for what he has brought to Arsenal and English football in general. A three time Premier League champion and a winner of the fa cup an incredible six times; there will never be a manager in England again like Le Professeur.

 

 

Liverpool’s All-time XI

4-4-2

 

Goalkeeper

Ray Clemence (1967-1981) – As the most successful English goalkeeper of all time, it would be criminal not to include Ray Clemence in this team. A key player in the Shankly and Paisley golden era, Clemence was a rock for Liverpool in three different decades, being in goal for the clubs first three European cup triumphs and breaking numerous clean sheet records along the way.

 

Defenders

Phil Neal (1974-1985) – Possibly English footballs greatest full back, Phil Neal is Liverpool’s most successful player of all time, winning an astonishing eight league titles and four European cups. A goal scoring defender who scored in the 1977 and 1984 European cup finals, Neal has gone down as one of Liverpool’s greatest and most consistent players. Putting in outstanding displays throughout the 70s and 80s.

 

Jamie Carragher (1997-2013) – A hugely passionate football man, Jamie Carragher is one of the most popular players to ever play for the club. A player who put his body on the line in all of his 737 games for the club, which puts him second in the all-time list. Carra helped make Liverpool successful again in the 21st century, Winning two fa cups, a UEFA cup and most memorably bringing home the champions league in 2005.

 

Alan Hansen (1977-1991) – More widely known for his work as a  great pundit, many people would probably not realise Alan Hansen is one of Liverpool’s greatest and most successful players, possibly Liverpool’s greatest ever defender, Hansen led the club to its first ‘double’ in 1986 and was instrumental in winning eight league titles in his time at Anfield.

 

Alan Kennedy (1978-1986) – One of Liverpool’s underrated players in their golden era, Alan Kennedy was a steady full back who became a Liverpool legend the moment he scored the winning goal against the mighty Real Madrid in the 1981 European cup final.

 

Midfielders

Ian Callaghan (1959-1978) – As the most appeared player in Liverpool’s history, Ian Callaghan played in the team from the second division all the way to back to back European cup victories. A versatile midfielder who spend the majority of his career playing right wing, Callaghan won everything there was to win in his time at the club, Becoming a key player in both Shankly’s and Paisley’s era.

 

Steven Gerrard (1998-2015) – Steven Gerrard was a colossus for Liverpool in all his 17 years at the club. As Liverpool’s major superstar in the premier league throughout his time at the club, he led his team to some of the best moments in the clubs history, including a cup treble and the champion’s league. The club’s most popular player of the modern era, some would say he is the best to ever pull on the Liverpool shirt.

 

Graeme Souness (1978-1984) – As Liverpool’s midfield general during their domination of English football throughout the 1980s, Graeme Souness epitomised everything needed to play at the highest level during a very physical time in the game. A natural leader, Souness led Liverpool to three league titles and their fourth European cup.

 

John Barnes (1987-1997) – Possibly Liverpool’s most talented player ever, John Barnes spent a brilliant 10 years at the club displaying breath-taking football on the left wing. A regular scorer of incredible goals and a winner of two league titles at the club, Barnes was Liverpool’s most consistant perfomer at the start of the premier league and is fondly remembered for his outstanding performances throughout his time at the club.

 

Strikers

Robbie Fowler (1993-2001, 2006-2007) – As the premier league begun and Liverpool’s domination of English football was coming to an end, The Liverpool fans needed something to shout about, and that was Robbie Fowler. Born in Liverpool and rising through the youth teams at the club, Fowler was an extraordinary goal scorer for Liverpool during the 90s, breaking records and becoming the youngest player to reach one hundred goals at the age of just 21. A winner of a cup treble in 2001, Fowler is nicknamed ‘God’ by the Liverpool faithful, highlighting his iconic status as a Liverpool Legend.

 

Ian Rush (1980-1987, 1988-1996) – Ian Rush joined Liverpool from Chester at the age of just 18, by the time he left the club he had become their all-time leading goal scorer and one of the most respected strikers in the history of the game. A hugely prolific striker in both spells at Liverpool, Rush would go on to win five league titles and three fa cups, scoring in every final. Rush scored 346 goals for Liverpool, by far and away the most in the clubs history.

Manchester United All-Time XI

Goalkeeper

Peter Schmeichel – 1991 – 1998

5 PL Titles
3 FA Cups
1 Football League Cup
4 Charity Shields
1 Champions League
1 UEFA Super Cup

Having won 15 trophies in just 8 seasons it was impossible to leave him out. He was exactly what you wanted in a keeper : a leader, He’d organise his defenders and would give them a howling if they made any mistakes or did anything wrong. By far one of the best goalkeepers of his generation and he endeared himself to United fans…then decided to join City.
Defence

RB – Gary Neville -1992 – 2011
8 PL Titles
3 FA Cups
2 Football League Cups

3 Community Shields

2 Champions League

1 Intercontinental Cup

1 FIFA Club World Cup

20 (yes 20) trophies in a career spanning 19 years with his boyhood club. In many ways Gary Neville ushered in the role of the “modern” fullback, he was not satisfied to just stay back and defend when needed, he would constantly bomb forward and provide an attacking option for his team. He played with such heart and passion that is solemn seen nowadays. A true United legend.

 

CB – Steve Bruce – 1987 – 1996

3 PL titles

3 FA Cups
1 Football League Cup

3 Charity Shields

1 European Cup Winner’s Cup

1 European Super Cup

Boasting 12 trophies in a 9 year stint, it’s clear why Steve Bruce made my list, A proper old-fashioned defender – no nonsense. A little overweight compared to a modern defender but how many of those can say they scored 2 goals that helped win their team the PL? Well Bruce can as that’s what he did back in the very first Premier League season in 1992.

CB – Nemanja Vidic – 2005 – 2014

5 PL Titles

3 Football League Cups

5 Community Shields
1 UEFA Champions League
1 FIFA Club World Cup

Accumulating an impressive 15 trophies during his 9 year stay at Old Trafford, Vidic was by far and away my favourite defender since I have been a supporter, A fearless put your head in where it hurts style of play endeared him to the Old Trafford faithful. A fantastic leader, Vidic was truly one of the last of a dying breed of defender.

LB – Dennis Irwin – 1990 – 2002


7 PL Titles
3 FA Cups
1 League Cup
4 Charity Shields
1 UEFA Champions League
1 Cup Winner’s Cup

1 European Super Cup

1 Intercontinental Cup

Winning 19 trophies in just 12 years, Dennis Irwin will go down as one of the greatest left backs to play the game and in my opinion the greatest left back United have had. Not too many other left backs have managed to score 22 goals for United so that is an indication of just how talented he was.

 

LM – Ryan Giggs – 1990 – 2014

13 PL Titles

4 FA Cups

4 Football League Cups

9 FA Community Shields
2 UEFA Champions League
1 UEFA Super Cup
1 Intercontinental Cup

1 FIFA Club World Cup

33 trophies ….. 33, making him the most successful player ever in English football history, the guy has literally won all there is to win in club football. A pacey winger in his early years, Giggs was almost unstoppable down the left side on the pitch. He had the talent to adapt his game in his twilight years. One of a kind player the likes of which may never be seen again. True United legend and worthy of the title.

 

CM – Bobby Charlton 1956 – 1973

3 League Titles

1 FA Cup

4 FA Charity Shields

1 European Cup

 

No list of the greatest United players would be complete without this legendary player, a man who is synonymous with Manchester United as a legend and ambassador of the club. Charlton did it all in his career which very early on was marked by a tragic accident that is still felt by the club to this day. To name a stand after him is not enough given the lifetime contribution he has given to his beloved United.

 

CM – Paul Scholes – 1993 – 2013

11 PL Titles

3 FA Cups

2 Football League Cups

5 FA Community Shields

2 UEFA Champions Leagues
1 Intercontinental Cup

1 FIFA Club World Cup

 

25 trophies in 20 years speaks volumes of just how good Scholes was as a player, he could find a pass with such ease and grace that he often made it look effortless. He also had a decent shot on him. A layer truly dedicated to his trade he was not interested in being a celebrity or endorsements he was always about the football. Hands down one of the best midfielders that will ever grace the beautiful game.

 

RM – Cristiano Ronaldo – 2003 – 2009

3 PL Titles
1 FA Cup
2 Football League Cups
1 Fa Community Shield

1 UEFA Champions League
1 FIFA Club World Cup

What can I tell you about this guy that he has not already told you himself?? A truly gifted player who was a joy to watch in action whilst he was sporting the Red Devils Jersey, His lightning quick pace and silky ball skills captivated the crowd who were always expectant whenever he was on the ball. Although he was only at the clubs for 6 years, Ronaldo left a lasting impression and will always receive a hero’s welcome whenever he returns to the theatre of dreams.

ST – Eric Cantona – 1992 – 1997

4 PL Titles
2 FA Cups
3 FA Community Shields

Not many players can leave such a legacy at a club in just a 5 year stay, but then again Cantona is not like many players. A natural talent with a football, he played with such elegance and poise that it was impossible not to appreciate him as a player. However, he also had quite a temper and that would often be present during matches which was demonstrated by the infamous “Kung-Fu” kick on a spectator, but one of the all time great strikers nonetheless.

 

ST – George Best -1963 – 1974

2 League Titles

2 Community Shields

1 European Cup

When people hear the name George Best it is easy for them to think about the man who partied hard and lived the rock n roll lifestyle so to speak, but we must always remember that he was also an extremely talented footballer, I was never fortunate enough to witness his playing days but have seen countless clips and videos that prove he was a special talent. George Best will always be beloved by United fans for the excitement he provided them week in week out. Unfortunately his lifestyle caught up with him and he passed away in 2005. The words “Gone but not forgotten” seem the most appropriate way to end this segment.

 

Newcastle United’s All Time XI

Goal Keeper: Shay Given
The 6 foot 2 Irishman was Newcastle United’s greatest ever goal keeper, without too much competition apart from the loyal Steven Harper. Given’s great ability to produce an outrageous save or just his composure to deal with any threat that came into his penalty area helped make his name as the number one Newcastle goal keeper for 12 years.

Eventually leaving Newcastle to join Man City in 2009, no Newcastle fan could blame him for leaving for new pastures after being at the top of game for the toon fans since 1997. Nothing quite sums up Shay Given’s Newcastle career more then being awarded the Man of the Match trophy after losing to Liverpool 6-1.

Defence: Warren Barton, Philippe Albert, Bobby Moncur, Jonás Gutierrez

For right-back we have Warren Barton, at one point the most expensive defender world football, he signed for King Kev’s entertainers in 1995 and became a fan favourite for the toon army over the next three years. His attacking play gained him many plaudits in the north east and was unlucky not to receive more recognition from the national team.

For the Centre Backs we start with Philippe Albert, the original attack minded centre back who fit into King Kev’s team seamlessly. Being a great defender and character was just one side of the coin, his ability to create chances and score goals was second to none for a defender at that time. The goal against Manchester United to complete the 5-0 drubbing is still one of the best NUFC goals of all time. And to partner the Belgian we have Bobby Moncur, a slow starter when he joined the famous black and white stripes in 1962, although slowly began to become a mainstay in the NUFC defence and eventually captaining the team. A no nonsense defender who is sorely missed in today’s team.

And for Left Back it was hard to leave Oliver Bernard out of the team but Jonás Gutierrez’s story at NUFC is nothing short of extraordinary. Having been an automatic choice of the left wing at Newcastle for nearly 5 years, he started getting deployed in the Left Back position because of his amazing work rate.
After being diagnosed with Cancer his football career had to be put on hold, and whilst he was receiving treatment in his native Argentina, NUFC slipped down the standings and were facing relegation. When Jonas came back into the team after beating cancer, he scored the second goal in Newcastle’s 2-0 win over West Ham to keep us in the Premier League. A fantastic player and even better person, Newcastle could certainly do with his charisma now.

Midfield: Nolberto Solano, Peter Beardsley, Yohan Cabaye, Laurent Robert

Nobby Solano from Peru was a magician on the wing, able to produces incredible crosses into the box on a whim, he was also very gifted at scoring Free-Kicks. A fan favourite for his amazing play, and one of the most saddening moments as a fan was when he was sold to Aston Villa.

Peter Beardsley is the first of my Midfield Duo, he had it all. Pace, Skill and a wonderful shot, the geordie scored 61 goals in 147 games in first spell with the Toon, he would then leave the club in 1987 but come back in 1993 where another impressive spell saw him score 49 goals in 129 league games, outstanding for a midfielder in that time.
Next to Beardsley we have Yohan Cabaye, and let me explain why he beat Rob Lee into the team. The French wizard was Newcastle’s very own Xabi Alonso, he could pass, he could shoot, he could tackle, he could score free kicks and was a fantastic captain for Newcastle. In his first season with Newcastle we finished fifth in the league but it would’ve been a lot lower without Cabaye leading the midfield. Cisse and Ba were prolific in 2011-12 and they have Cabaye to thank for that. Rob Lee was a similar mould of player as Yohan but Cabaye goes into the team for his game changing moments. The Free-Kick against Manchester United was incredible and unfortunate injuries got the better of him towards the end of his Newcastle career.

On the left wing we have another Frenchman, Laurent Robert. Another player with incredible game changing ability, Robert could cross and shoot the ball as well as anybody in the world. Becoming famous for his incredibly powerful free kicks, it literally was a case of blink and you’ll miss it. With a vigorous left foot (Just ask Oliver Bernard) and a great personality, he edges out David Ginola in the team.

Strikers: Alan Shearer, Jackie Milburn

If these two actually ever played together then Newcastle would’ve been unstoppable, two of the best strikers to ever play the game, we have to go with the clinical Jackie Milburn and Mr Newcastle himself, the -god Alan Shearer.
Jackie Milburn joined Newcastle on an ametuar contract after impressing at a trial, then proceeded to score 201 goals in 399 games for the Magpies, becoming Newcastle’s top goalscorer in the process, and record that would surely be impossible to beat.

Then along comes Alan Shearer, the geordie who rejoined his home town club for a world record £15m in 1996, he not only became the top goal scorer in the Premier League, but also became Newcastle’s record goal scorer, beating the record Milburn set years earlier. Not only an amazing goal scorer, but also a scorer of amazing goals, the volley against Everton in 2002 being voted Newcastle’s best goal ever. The prodigal king of Newcastle, I doubt we will ever have a player like ‘Wor Al’ ever again.

Shay Given
Warren Barton
Bobby Moncur
Philippe Albert
Jonás Gutiérrez
Nolberto Solano
Peter Beardsley
Yohan Cabaye
Laurent Robert
Jackie Milburn
Alan Shearer

 

US OPEN 2016-Men’s Singles

Player to win

Andy Murray

One of the most (if not the most), resilient players on the tournament, Murray starts as the clear favourite. As much as it pains me to say as I’m not his biggest fan. Murray has had a phenomenal year, Reaching the final in every other grand slam this year so far winning Wimbledon and retaining his Olympic title. Murray won this grand slam in 2012 beating Novak Djokovic in a 5 set thriller, which gave him a huge boost in confidence that he can beat the big players when it really matters. With Djokovic claiming to have been nursing an injury for most of the year,  Nadal will probably be Murray’s main rival for the title but with the momentum behind him from his Wimbledon and Olympic triumphs, I feel Murray will be too strong for anyone to contain.

 

Player to watch out for

 

Juan Martin Del Potro

I do not know a single person who enjoys the sport of tennis that does not at least like this guy. A true inspiration to many. Del Potro has had to come back from injury after injury in his career and just when he builds up a Head of steam, injury plagues him once again. Many people claim that rankings do not lie but Del Potro is proof that they can, currently ranked 141st in the world (correct at time of writing) when he is clearly a top ten player and in my opinion definitely in the top 6 in the world. After an impressive showing at Wimbledon followed by reaching the Olympic final Del Potro will be riding high in confidence and on his day he can give even the top top players a run for their money.  I sincerely hope he can remain injury free and I think he will go far in this slam reaching the final and who knows if the big players have a bad tournament maybe……… Just maybe win it.

Player for the future

Nick Kyrgios 

I’m sure by now he is a house hold name to many but I fear it’s for the wrong reasons. Yes he us arrogant, yes he is hot headed but he is massively talented too. He burst onto the scene when he beat the mighty Rafael Nadal to reach the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in 2014 at the tender age of 19, but he never really pushed on from this in the way people thought he could. He’d lose his temper during matches and seemed more focused on arguing with umpires and winding everyone then he did on winning matches. He caused outrage when he openly admitted he doesn’t really like tennis and he does indeed view as a job and nothing more, and again when he literally just gave up in a match because it wasn’t going his way, this was something that did not go down well with his fellow countrymen as the Australians take their sport very seriously. However there have been signs recently that Kyrgios is beginning to improve both his attitude and his performance and where he to finally assign a coach who will provide him with the focus and determination then he can become one of the best players in the world and with the golden generation 3 or so years away from retirement who knows just how far Kyrgios can go.

US OPEN 2016-Women’s singles

As the 136th addition of the US open approaches, the women’s game may be about to come out of the dominance of Serena Williams. A host of young exciting players is emerging and I feel this will be the event where we will see the stars of the future show their talent. After the retirement of last season’s champion Flavia Pennetta a new champion is waiting to be crowned, but will it be a star from the past or one for the future.

 

The Champion

Many will believe Serena Williams will be crowned the US open Champion due to her win at Wimbledon and support from the home crowd, but I feel Angelique Kerber will claim her first title at Flushing Meadows. 2016 has been a very successful year for Kerber, Winning the Australian open and reaching her first Wimbledon final. Ranked 2nd in the world at the time of writing, I believe this is the tournament where she will stake her claim for world number one and possibly end Serena Williams hold on women’s tennis.

 

The other contenders

Serena Williams

Serena Williams will of course come close again, as one of the best players of all time and one of the best of the current crop, I feel at nearly the age of 35 her time at the top may soon be coming to the end. Do not rule her out winning the even though, she’s one for proving the doubters wrong.

Garbiñe Muguruza

An outsider for the title, Muguruza has never really delivered in the US open but with a consistent year behind her, winning the French open I believe she has a good chance this year. At just the age off 22, i feel she will be one of the outstanding players in the next few years.

The future

Genie Bouchard

After a fantastic 2014, reaching the Wimbledon final at the age of 20, Bouchard has had a very turbulent two years, falling down the world rankings due to injury and a loss of confidence. With a strong showing at Wimbledon I feel that her return to the top will be very soon, maybe too soon for this tournament though.

Laura Robson

We had to include at least one brit in this! Laura Robson has had a terrible time with injury over the years but with a more consistent run in 2016 I back her to impress in the USA. A player with huge potential who has performed well at flushing meadows in the past, I feel a good run here would be a huge for her going into 2017.

SPORTING RIVALS: Manchester United v Liverpool

Two cities, only 34 miles down the M62 from each other, and two of the biggest teams in world football. With a combined 38 English League titles, 19 FA cups and 8 European Cup/Champions League trophies between them, it’s obvious to see that these two cities have dominated English football for what seems like an eternity.

Each team has seen there share of dominance, starting with Manchester United post World War 2. With Liverpool struggling in a lower league, Matt Busby led Manchester United to three league titles in the 50’s. Liverpool and Manchester United would start to clash directly again in the 60’s with Bill Shankley’s Liverpool winning Division 2 and joining Manchester United in the top flight of English Football.

The two would take turns winning the title with Shankley’s men taking the trophy in 1964 and 1966, whilst the Busby Babes would take home the trophy in 1965 and 1967. After the 1967 season, Liverpool would annihilate Manchester United in terms of trophies won, Liverpool proceeded to win 11 league titles from 1972 until 1992 with Manchester United not winning a single league title throughout that time.

It had been 26 years since Manchester United last won the League until they won the first ever Premier League season in 1993. The same wait that Man Utd had to wait for a league title is currently being mirrored by Liverpool with a drought lasting from 1990 until this day. Manchester United have won 13 League trophies since Liverpool last took home a domestic league title, and currently win the Head-to-head on League trophies 20-18. Liverpool have the bragging rights in European glory with 5 European Titles to Manchester’s 3.

The two clubs, cities, and fans could argue until their last breath who is the bigger club, whilst neutrals cast their opinions but can ultimately only revel in the glory that both clubs have achieved.

Notable Managers:

Liverpool – Bill Shankly: Although Bob Paisley won more trophies as Liverpool manager, it was the tireless work of Bill Shankly that set up the dominant force that Liverpool would become. Leading Liverpool out of the second division and into the top flight of English football was hard, but then proceeding to conquer the league like he did was nothing short of extrodinary.

Manchester United – Sir Alex Ferguson: Possibly the greatest manager ever in the world of Football. Sir Alex took over at Manchester United as they were going through their league trophy drought in 1986, and with their form being inconsistent and even somewhat disappointing for the first few seasons, Ferguson was under pressure from media and fans alike, some going as far as to asking for him to be sacked.
How wrong some people can be.
Ferguson won his first league trophy in 1993 and won his last in 2013, winning 13 all together. Also enjoying two champions league trophies during that time in 1999 and 2008, Ferguson made Manchester United into the dominant force on the 90’s and 00’s.

Matches From History:

1977 FA Cup Final

The 1977 FA cup final saw these two great clubs compete in the final of the FA cup for the first time. Liverpool had already won the League and had reached the European Final where they would eventually beat Club Brugge. A historic treble was on the cards for Liverpool, but Manchester United ruined any chance of that by winning the match 2-1 at Wembley Stadium.

2009 Premier League

With Manchester United and Liverpool chasing the League title in 2009, the two title favourites found themselves playing each other at Old Trafford towards the end of the season. With mind games aplenty between managers Sir Alex Ferguson and Rafa Benitez, there was a lot at stake as the match kicked off. Liverpool would run out 4-1 winners in what remains as one of the best Premier League performances of all time by the boys from Merseyside. Infamous for Liverpool Legend Steven Gerrard kissing the camera after he scored, and Fernando Torres repeatedly destroying arguably the best Centre Back in the world at that stage Nemanja Vidic, this game would go down in history as Liverpool humiliating their arch rivals.

Memorable Moments:

That’s a Fact

The epic title battle in 2009 reached boiling point when after Rafa Benitez’s Liverpool leapfrogged Sir Alex Ferguson’s United into first place, the Liverpool manager decided to answer Ferguson’s mind games by suggesting Ferguson was being hypocritical when complaining about Liverpool’s easier schedule and alluded to the fact Ferguson hadn’t been suspended whilst criticising referee’s performances. This would ultimately backfire as Liverpool would struggle in the closing stages of the season, with Manchester United finishing the season in first place, four points above their local rivals.

Suarez – Evra

During a match between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield in 2011, Liverpool striker Luis Suarez was accused of racially abusing United Defender Patrice Evra. After the 1-1 draw, it was reported that the FA were opening up an investigation into the incident. Suarez plead his innocence but that did not stop the FA from handing out an 8 game ban to the striker. Liverpool were dismayed by the decision and decided to wear t-shirts with Suarez’s name and picture to show support to their star man.
When the two next met, Suarez refused to shake Evra’s hand in the pre-game team walk outs. This led to referee’s separating the two and proceeding with the football match, which Manchester United would win. As the teams were walking off the pitch, Evra decided to celebrate in front of Suarez which caused another mass brawl in which players and staff from both team got involved, Suarez apologised after the game for his actions.

Conclusion

It’s impossible to say who is the bigger club between these two powerhouses of world football, Manchester United have more domestic success whilst Liverpool have more European success. They have both provided footballers, managers and icons that will be remembered throughout the footballing world.
As these two teams argue about who’s had the best past, we eagerly await who will get the upper hand on the rivalry heading into the future.

NYC FC v LA Galaxy MLS Preview

In Major League Soccer’s 20 Year history there has possibly never been a game more highly anticipated then this Saturdays clash between New York City and LA Galaxy, two teams packed with European legends that have league and champions league titles aplenty. As a football addict, I regularly check how football is seen and appreciated around the world, and in the United States there has definitely been a vast improvement in the popularity of football (not soccer) in the last decade or so.

David Beckham’s Beatlemania like arrival in 2007 has seen the MLS grow into a much respected league in the USA, not quite to the level of recognised US sports like Basketball and American Football but it’s certainly growing every year. The star players the league can bring in gets bigger each year so here’s a preview of the stars both New York and LA have to offer and who can make an impact on not only this game but the league as a whole.

 

Robbie Keane-LA Galaxy

Currently one of the best strikers in the MLS Robbie Keane was a deadly striker in the Premier league for more than a decade, scoring over 100 premier league goals. Keane is the captain of LA and has a hat trick of MLS cups in the bag already, a vital player who usually gets the winner for the Galaxy.

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Andrea Pirlo- New York City

One of the very greats of world football, Andrea Pirlo after a slow start has become a key player for New York, his battle against Gerrard will be intriguing and his set pieces very important.  A Champions league winner on two occasions with Ac Milan and a world cup winner, there are not many big stage players quite like the cool Italian. No Pirlo no party!

 

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Steven Gerrard- LA galaxy

As one of the great power houses of European football, Steven Gerrard has established himself as one of the greats of the game. A Liverpool superstar for 17 years, Gerrard ended his Liverpool love affair for one more challenge in Los Angeles; a steady influence in the LA midfield, Gerrard will be vital if the Galaxy find a win in the big apple.

 

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Frank Lampard- New York City

Frank Lampard may have joined New York under a cloud but he goes into the game tomorrow as the most in form player in the MLS. After twenty years excelling in the premier league, becoming the highest goal scoring midfielder in the league,  Lampard is now showing the quality that made his such a world beater, do not rule out him scoring the winner.

 

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Nigel De Jong- LA Galaxy

A controversial player but a good one at that, Nigel De Jong is a league champion in both the Dutch and English top flights, a feisty midfielder who was inspired when reaching the world cup final with the Netherlands, if he can keep his head he will be integral for the Galaxy snatching the points.

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David Villa- New York City

One of the great strikers of the last 15 years, David Villa arrived in America as one of the most respected strikers to play the game. A serial winner with Barcelona and a European and world champion with Spain, Villa has continued banging in the goals and will go into the game as the leagues joint top goal scorer.

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New York v LA Galaxy is billed as one the biggest game in MLS history with record viewing figures expected; I hope the game will be a big step in the continued rise in popularity in the United States.

I believe it will a very entertaining game with all the players I’ve mentioned above stamping their authority onto the game. I think the game will end 3-2 to the galaxy, with Gerrard scoring the winner!

10 Greatest PL Players #1 – Thierry Henry

As Premier League forwards go, there was never a more complete one then Thierry Henry, the man had everything, Pace, power, score with either feet and was just as deadly out the box then within. Thierry henry spent 8 seasons at arsenal, scoring an amazing 175 premier league goals in that time. He won two league titles whilst with the gunners, including the invincible season of 2003/2004. Considered one of the best strikers of all time, Thierry henry has to go down as the best player in premier league history, no one could match his consistency in front of goal, or the quite sublime goals he was capable of scoring. Not only was Henry one of the greatest players in the Premier League, he was one of the greatest in the world in his prime. In my opinion, he is the best player to ever wear the Arsenal shirt. He wore it with pride and his passion oozed in his eight year spell with the Gunners. His 175 goals in 258 appearances in the Premier League give him the best goals to games ratio in the top 10 goal scorers in the league. I believe if he stayed at Arsenal his whole career, he would have easily eclipsed Alan Shearer’s record. Only in his late 20’s when he left Arsenal, he still had so much to offer to the league. Not only was it class that he provided, he was the entertainer of the league. His incredible pace from the get go, his outstanding footwork and his clinical finishing made him the most enjoyable person to watch in the premier league in my opinion. Add on two league titles to that and you have a legend of the premier league.

10 Greatest PL Players #5 – Cristiano Ronaldo

It says a lot about the grade of players that have played in the PL that Cristiano Ronaldo is number 5 on the list. Many people suspected that he would be a great player when he first arrived at United under the tutorship of Sir Alex Ferguson, but few could have predicted just how special a player he would become. I remember when I first saw him in a united shirt, he was a cocky kid performing step-overs and then losing the ball. 196 games, 84 goals and 3 PL winner medals later he left for a then world record fee of £80m. In my opinion Ronaldo is the best player in the world and will forever be remembered as a PL great.

10 Greatest PL Players #6 – Dennis Bergkamp

Known as the non-flying Dutchman, a footballing magician and the first and only Dutch player to be inducted into the English Hall of Fame, Bergkamp was a talented footballer. Known as being a forward in his impressive Ajax days, joining Arsenal at the age of 26, he quickly became a fan favourite. Scoring some absolute gems including his terrific solo goal against Newcastle, Bergkamp is by far one of the best technical players that the league has ever seen. He didn’t have the greatest scoring record for Arsenal, there were only 4 times in 11 seasons he scored more than 10, but it was more about the overall game for Bergkamp. As I mentioned before, his technical ability cannot be played down, his eye for goal when it was needed and his calmness on the pitch instilled tranquillity around his team mates (Maybe not Vieira…).  Not only that, but he was loved by every single Arsenal fan. If you have a statue of yourself outside a stadium, then you know you’re doing something right.

10 Greatest PL Players #9 – Patrick Vieira

Patrick Vieira – The toughest cookie to ever grace the Premier League. Patrick Vieira was known for his trademark scuffles with rival Roy Keane, being Arsenal’s rock in midfield, having Vaseline smeared over his chest and his instrumental work rate that consequently won Arsenal 3 premier league titles in his 9 years at the club. Not only was he a member of the great invincible squad, but as an Arsenal fan, he is by far and away Arsenal’s best midfielder in my lifetime. He was Arsenal’s scare factor, something that Arsenal has lost rapidly since he left the club back in 2005. Since his departure to Juventus, both Vieira and Arsenal have suffered. He never quite recaptured the form of his Arsenal days and Arsenal has never replaced him. But the versatile midfielder was an absolute joy to watch; his quick pace on the ball helped create space and he had some fantastic players playing alongside him to help elevate his game.

10 Greatest PL Players #10 – John Terry

As the premier league entered the 21st century a large number of youthful British talents were making their mark on the premier league. Names such as Joe Cole, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard were becoming established names. While these players were becoming household heroes an unknown youngster named john terry was waiting in the shadows to becoming a regular in the Chelsea first team. For the next decade he would become one of the premier leagues and even Europe’s most dominant centre backs.

 

To be a top defender in the premier league, you need qualities such as leadership, desire, commitment to the cause, bravery and a win at all cost mentality, John terry optimizes all of this. By far Chelsea’s best ever youth product, he has captained the club to all their premier league titles and has become Chelsea’s most successful player and an identity for the club. An easy target to opposition fans due to his somewhat strange life choices it can’t take away what a warrior of a centre back he has been for the last 18 years. John Terry is the best defender in premier league history. An immense player who even at 35 years old is still one of the top defenders in the premier league.

Liam’s Premier League Preview 2016-17

Champions –  Chelsea, after the frankly abysmal season they had last time out, I think Chelsea will be gunning for the title to prove that it was a mere blip. Under new management in the form of the recent Italian national team manager Conte. We all know Chelsea will be set up to defend and be hard to beat and as Leicester City proved last year, it’s not pretty but it’s certainly effective.

Top Four – 

2nd Arsenal. With Arsene Wenger on his last year of his contract you would have to believe he will go all out to win the premier league before he potentially calls time on his arsenal career. Wenger is a proven winner and has the squad to challenge for the title. As history shows arsenal will have a period of the season where they are close to untouchable and I believe for once this will come at a part of the season where it is not too late for them to be considered as potential title winners but I think the lack the mental strength to see themselves across that ever elusive finish line.

3rd Manchester City. Pep is in for a challenge maybe the biggest one he has faced as a coached. City’s midfield and attack are the best in the league but their defence is a shambles. If Kompany is injured (and more often than not he is) they simply do not know how to defend. This is the main issue pep will need to address 1st, having said that you can never count city out giving their attacking prowess so I predict a season much like last season for them.

4th Tottenham. Being a united fan it pains me to say that I believe spurs will pip us to 4th spot. They were excellent for 95% of last season but crumbled towards the end and cost themselves a chance at the league. But with such an exciting and young squad and a manager who seems to improve every year, I believe they will be too strong for most teams and will comfortably finish 4th.

Relegation – 

Sunderland. To have a chance of another escape from relegation this year, Sunderland chairman has to do 2 things. 1) keep Sam Allardyce. 2) keep Jermaine Defoe. Neither of which I see them having much hope of doing. With Allardyce being linked more and more heavily with England’s top job and giving Defoe’s impressive form last season I see both of them leaving which leaves Sunderland with 2 massive gaps that are near impossible for them to feel giving their lack of funds and to be completely honest lack of ambition.

Watford. Now I know they had a fantastic season last season finishing comfortably above relegation and even reaching the semi finals of the FA cup, but that’s was because of the good work and strong start they had at the beginning of the season. They fell off quite substantially in the 2nd half of the season and now they have lost their manager how got them playing, I fear for them. Ighalo and Deeney will have to be on top form for the majority of the campaign if they were to have a chance of survival.

Burnley. Simply for the fact that they have been a yo-yo club every time they have achieved promotion. They have a decent manager but the squad at the moment is not good enough for the premier league. They lack the experience of how to survive, the lack the players who have genuine Premier league experience which is crucial to a club that are battling to stay up. One thing is for sure that under Sean Dyche they will not go down without a fight.

Sam’s Premier League Preview 2016-17

Champions

Manchester City- With Pep fever sweeping the premier league, sending fear into the opposition managers, players and fans I feel man city will reclaim the league in 2017. Having inherited a Club that finally made huge strides in Europe, Pep Guardiola will relish the opportunity of turning city into a European super power, starting with the premier league. The man has such esteem in Europe he could hand-pick the world’s best players, play the most attractive football and wear the best suits Armani can provide. The first two points are for me the reason Manchester city will be singing blue moon a bit louder come May.

Top Four

2nd Arsenal; having somehow finished 2nd the previous season I feel arsenal will finish the season having put up the best challenge for the league since their bottle job of 2008. This Arsenal side is indeed an awesome one but without players with the character to see out ugly games I can’t see Arsenal pipping man city to the finish. Granit Xhaka is a great Buy for the Gunners but they need a few more worldies, especially up front if they want to end a title drought dating back to 2004.

3rd Liverpool; Liverpool have no European football this season, which on previous evidence means something big will happen this season. Now finishing 3rd might not be seen as a huge achievement for a club the size of Liverpool! But it’s a certainly a sign of progress under the first full season under Jürgen Klopp. 3rd will offer instant champions league football. An absolute must for Liverpool this season.

4th Manchester United; With Van Gaal forced out of the club for playing a dull brand of football, Man united have decided to bring in Jose Mourinho, a man well-known for playing a dull brand of football. Major hyped up by the media, Man Utd will make progress under Mourinho but I believe at a much slower pace. Getting back into the champions league should be the priority this season.

Relegation

Hull; Now I don’t have too much against Hull City, but after their play-off final in which about 27 fans showed up I don’t really want them in the premier league this season. The club as it stands are a shambles! As I write this they have 14 outfield players. Not great preparation for a return to the best league in the world. Steve Bruce is a decent manager but for me doesn’t have the right tools or players to keep them up.

West Brom; with growing unrest towards Tony Pulis and a poor end to the previous season, I feel West Bromwich Albion’s time in the premier league will be over this season. The Club just doesn’t have enough quality to compete. The Saido Berahino situation is on the brink of a total disaster they need to sell him and bring in some quality up front. The club needs a major shakeup.

Burnley; I admire clubs like Burnley; they have an excellent approach to a club wanting to reach the Promised Land on a low-budget. However when they get there they decide not to take risks and buy the required players to stay in the premier league. Burnley have done it again and bought very little so and I can only see history repeating itself.

Joe’s Premier League Preview 2016-17

Saturday, the 13th of August, the greatest league in the world is back and it looks better than ever!

To celebrate the beginning of our new Pitch Fever launch, we are going to give you our preview of the upcoming Premier League season. With new managers, new investors and the best players in the world coming over to play for our entertainment, it certainly looks like we’re in for a great season.

So without any further ado, allow Joe, Sam, Ian & Liam explain who we think will finish in the top four, and the teams who will be playing in the second tier of English football next season.

Champions

Joe: Manchester City – Although I think it will be close between The Blues and The Red Devils, I feel like Man City are the more likely team to be lifting the trophy after 38 games. Man City have one of/if not the best manager in the world, Guardiola has had tremendous success everywhere he has been and has laid down coaching philosophies that will be followed for years to come. He’s inherited a team that has already won the league before and got to a semi-final in the Champions League, so to say they have some talent is an understatement. If he can keep their key man Sergio Aguero at 100%, then it’s going to be hard for any team to stop them.

Top Four

Joe: 2nd – Manchester United; the LVG reign is over, now it’s time for The Special One. Nothing much needs to be said about the calibre of Jose Mourinho, again possibly the best coach in the world, and has an amazing ability to take pressure of his players and onto himself. With Zlatan joining the ranks and no Europe distractions, it’s hard to imagine they won’t finish in the top four, and will have their best chance in years to win the Premier League again.

3rd – Chelsea; Chelsea will be awkward customers this year, as we all think we know how they’ll set up, the real question is will everyone else know how to play against it? Conte is a great manager, seeing success with Juventus a number of times in Serie A, and has a preference to favour a defensive formation to win games. Watching the Premier League is usually about seeing attacking football being played so on paper Conte’s tactics should be a counter to most teams strategies, but football isn’t played on paper.

4th – Tottenham; After coming so close to the title last season, you can only see Spurs being hungry to win the title this year round. The main problem is every other title rival has made major improvements, I think it was plain to see that Spurs and Leicesters amazing seasons were partly due to other teams struggling all season. Chelsea and Manchester City are notable teams that should’ve performed better, but Spurs have come too far to let it go now. With a notable high energy playing style and a team spirit that is second to none, it’s going to be another good season for spurs, although Spurs fans can only hope that Champions League football won’t prove a distraction.

Relegation

Joe: Sunderland; I honestly can’t stand Sunderland as a football team, they do nothing every year and just seem to be battling for 17th place every season, they lack ambition and they don’t really have any luck with managers. Usually they enjoy a good honeymoon period but it doesn’t last and then a new manager takes his place. Sam Allardyce certainly knows how to get the job done for them and is their best manager for a while, but with the England job somehow a possibility, the cycle is set to continue. Maybe this could be the season they break the trend but honestly I can’t see it.

Burnley; One thing I will say is I hope i’m wrong here, mainly because I appreciate what burnley have done. It’s easy to sack a manager once a team has been relegated, it’s easy for a manager to walk away from the heartbreak of relegation. So it’s so good to see Burnley and Shaun Dyche stick together and get back to the Premier League is a good sight, but I just don’t think it’s enough to keep them in the league. Joey Barton, arguably Burnley’s best player last season, has left for Rangers and they haven’t really got anyone so far to replace him. Their team doesn’t look good enough at the moment to stay in the League, I really hope i’m wrong though.

Hull; Since I originally wrote this, Steve Bruce has left his job as Hull City Manager, which is not good for their survival hopes. Going into the season with no manager and only thirteen outfield players is a good sign that whoever is in charge has little clue of how to set up for a Premier League season. Hull have some decent players such as Huddlestone and Hernandes, and if they play to a massively high standard then its plausable Hull could stay in the league, but as of right now I think they’re destined to play in the Championship.

Ian’s Premier League Preview 2016-17

Following from the Premier Leagues most surprising seasons that included the bookies relegation favourites Leicester City winning the title, I am going to give you my thoughts on this upcoming season that will include the champions, top four and relegation. Starting off my first ever Premier League prediction, I couldn’t have started off on a harder campaign to predict. World class players and managers are spread across the whole league, so here it goes…

Champions – Manchester City

The two times Premier League champions Manchester City are my favourite to win this seasons title. Heavy investment in the squad was made in Manuel Pellegrini’s last season under the citizens that included big money transfers on Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling. Even though they may have not set the league on fire last year, they are two talented footballers who can pull anything out of the bag to win big games. The main reason why I think City will win the league this season is their acquisition of the great Pep Guardiola. The Spaniard produced what is known around the footballing world as the greatest Barcelona team and who brought Tiki Taka football back to the Barcelona team and was used to demolish teams. Pep won’t have to invest much into this already experienced and talented City squad who are all still hungry for another Premier League title.

Top Four – Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea & Liverpool

Joining Manchester City in my predicted top four are Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool. My reasons behind this is that I believe these four teams all have managers that have a brilliant winning mentality and are tactically astute to deliver a good campaign. Manchester United bringing in Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford was the obvious and only choice for England’s most successful club side going forward. Mourinho has won three Premier League titles and two Champions League trophies. That vast success and experience should bring United back towards the right end of the table and push City to the bitter end for the coveted Premier League trophy. Necessary signings have been made at United that includes Zlatan and Henrikh Mkhitaryan; a proven goal scorer and a great passer of the ball that can help dominate and control United’s dodgy midfield. Even after Mourinho’s disastrous end as Chelsea manager, he will be out again to prove his critics wrong that he may be past it.

Chelsea has never been a team to be labelled as consistent in terms of their managerial status. Antonio Conte will be Chelsea’s 14th manager (including Mourinho twice and caretaker managers) since they were taken over in 2004 by Roman Abramovich. Will this time be different? I think it’s a step in the right direction if they want a consistent manager at the helm at Chelsea. The Italian manager brought great success to Juventus by winning three league titles in a row including two Suppercoppa cups in that time too. His thirst for success is evident in his short managerial career which only spans 10 years. His hardest job will be trying to lead Chelsea to another league title this season. I think he has a big job on his hands to win the title in his first season as the Blues manager as he has huge tasks ahead to balance the squad that includes trying to sort out the vast amounts of players on Chelsea’s books. I believe he will bring stability to the club very quickly and instill a new mentality to the Chelsea squad. They will become a defensive rock against everyone in the league. All this factors are my reasons why Chelsea will make a top four finish.

Moving onto the last place in the top four slots I have Liverpool. Touted as the greatest British club in European history, their recent domestic history has been far from impressive since the introduction of the Premier League. Their failure to win the PL is clear to everyone but this season is one to get excited about especially if you’re a Liverpool fan. It’s their first full season for German Jürgen Klopp who demonstrated pure passion and some great moments of attacking football last season. There hasn’t been any stand out signings in my opinion by Liverpool this season, nothing that puts a stamp on the league to show their ambition to win the league. But I think the squad is capable enough to get top four this season and the only reason behind this is all Klopp. His passion for the game is huge. He hardly spent a penny at Borussia Dortmund and brought huge success to them and I believe, being at a bigger club like Liverpool with a successful history can motivate the German to get Liverpool back to where they belong, The Champions League.

Relegation – Burnley, Hull and West Brom

Relegation is always a heartbreaker. It brings tears and heartache to fans all over the country. For those unlucky bunches that experience relegation, it brings uncertainty to the future of your club but it can sometimes be the kick that the club needs to sort out problems. But there has to be three teams to be relegated from the greatest league in the world and these are my three favourites. Burnley is one of my picks to go down this year. Looking at their squad, it hasn’t seemed to change much from their promotion from the Championship. There isn’t one player there that I believe will make an impact to the PL this season. Their lack of money and investment will bite Burnley in the backside very quickly. The fixture list doesn’t help them get off to a good start either as they face Liverpool, Chelsea and Leicester City in their first five games.

My second team to go down is Hull City. After the shock announcement that Steve Bruce has left the club has left the club in a state of uncertainty. Another team with a lacklustre squad that I think will make any kind of impact in the league is Hull’s. Hull’s biggest problem is getting in a manager with any kind of Premier League experience to come in this late in preseason. The league kicks off in less than a month and the depth of the squad is a huge issue and so is their injuries. With only two recognised strikers in Abel Hernandez and Adama Diomande in the team, I find it hard to see Hull surviving this year.

It was very hard to pick a third team to go down this season, but I have gone with West Brom. They do have a great manager in Tony Pulis but I do think he has struggled from day one to get the right playing style to suit West Brom’s squad. The lack of investment this season is a huge issue. The ever going uncertainty of Saido Berahino’s future at West Brom is still somehow continuing. The squad lacks any kind of quality. Berahino will struggle to score goals with the future looming over the young England striker, Rickie Lambert has passed it to score enough goals in a season and their club record signing Rondon has also failed to show a spark of quality in his first season. I do also believe Pulis’s style of football will suffer this season. Adding onto the list of problems West Brom have, they also didn’t win the last five games of the season, so they are going into this new season on a disappointing end to last years.

The Rumble in the Jungle – An Ali Tribute

The People: George Foreman & Muhammad Ali.

The date: October 30th, 1974.

The Venue: 20th of May Stadium,  Kinshasa, Zaire.

The Outcome: One of the most amazing upsets in sporting history.

The Facts: George Forman was the heavy weight champion of the world, he won the title against Joe Fraizer in what can only be described as a walk over. Foreman knocked Frazier down six times in two rounds to finally lift the championship above his head. He was Undefeated in his career before this, and then successfully defended his belt twice more against Jose Roman and Ken Norton. Even before Norton lost, there was a sense of excitement in there air of Foreman’s next fight, it was the fight everyone wanted to see and it certainly did not disappoint. Next up was Foreman V Ali.

The Story: Everyone knows Muhhamad Ali, the most famous and loved boxer to ever walk the planet, the know about his charisma, his charm and his amazing boxing ability, but there’s no denying what he did in this fight was the highlight of his life.

Ali refused to be drawn into the US Army for the Vietnam war, and as such he was suspended from boxing for just over three years, he could do nothing to prevent his Heavy-Weight title being take away from him. Being the complete athlete that he is, he kept in shape as much as he could, though there’s no question his boxing skill would deteriate over time as a result, but worst of all for Ali, he had to sit by and watch as Joe Frazier took his heavy-weight title.

Ali was re-issued his licence in 1970, immediately he has a comeback fight against Jerry Quarry, which he wins by TKO in the third round. His next fight sees him up against Oscar Bonavena, a world title contender the previous year, and a supremely harder fight than his one before. It would take Ali all the way to the 15th round to win his second comeback fight, where he managed to win via the “3 knock down rule” after he kept punishing Bonavena’s tiredness. This was a very rewarding victory for Ali, and for the first time in four years, the former champ was fighting for the title against Joe Fraizer.

On March 8th 1971, Frazier and Ali fought it what was called “The Fight Of The Century”, which after 15 gruelling rounds, Frazier won with an unanimous decision. This was a very bitter blow for Ali, he had to take his time once more, he had to get himself ready for when he’d get his next shot at the title, this was the time for George Foreman to become the King of the Heavyweight division.

During Ali’s 3 year suspension, Foreman had won a gold medal at the 1968 Olympic games in Mexico City, turned professional by 1969 and won all of his 13 fights in his first professional year. The incredible rise of Foreman continued for the next two years flawlessly, he aced his next 19 fights, winning 18 by KO which brought his record to 32-0. He deserved a title shot, and the time had come, Frazier was in his sights.

Foreman was 37-0 by the time he his title shot came around, whilst Frazier was 29-0, amazingly impressive records from both fighters, but as Frazier was the current holder and had already beaten Ali, he was the favourite going into the fight, it was always going to be a tough fight but George Foreman was expected to Lose.

“Down goes Frazier! Down goes Fraizer! Down goes Frazier!”

These words will echo in boxing legend, Frazier fell 6 times in 2 rounds on his way to his first ever professional loss, whilst handing over the Heavy-Weight title to Foreman in the process. If people weren’t already fearing Foreman, this was the statement to make them regret that.

Foreman then defended his title against Ken Norton, which he won with an impressive second round TKO, he had two more fights after that which were both victories, but the real story is what comes next, what happens when he fought Muhammed Ali.

The hype around the fight had been immense, there was a 3-day music festival called Zaire 74 just to promote the fight, cameras all over the Gyms where Ali and Foreman had been training 24/7, just to try and catch a glimpse of them working, and due to the fight being shown at 4am local time, it meant more people from the USA could watch it at their time of 10pm. The excitement was fever pitch, and what followed would not disappoint.

With all this build up, all this pressure, and with extensive media coverage, it became clear to everyone that Foreman was an absolute monster of a boxer, he was unbeaten, he was younger, he was heavier and with a 93% KO ratio in his fights, he was truly to be feared… Unless you are Ali.

The fight starts very unexpectedly, Ali and Foreman are far closer together then anyone imagined they would be, trying to trade a few punches each, with the early exchanges hinting towards who would be victorious. Ali is perhaps the smartest boxer to ever live, he knew if it was a straight slugging contest then he would lose, instead the tactics he employed were genius. The ‘Rope-A-Dope’ technique was the most creative technique seen in boxing to this day, and it was the most important factor in the fight. After a the first round of standard boxing, neither fighter wanting to commit to anything too much, they get ready for the second round. Foreman tries to get close to Ali, cutting off his exits and forces him onto the ropes, exactly where he wants Ali, exactly his game plan, this is how Foreman thinks he’ll win.

He would never be so wrong.

He starts unleashing all his power onto Ali, trying to hit Ali’s head is proving unsuccessful, Ali can just roll the punches, Foreman tries to work the body, Ali deflects it with his arms and elbows. A few punches connect on both sides but no one really is benefitting it would seem…

As the rounds drag on it becomes clear, Ali’s game plan has become clear to most, he would never beat Foreman the traditional way, he had to come up with a way to make his power irrelevant, he had to make him tired so he could go in for the kill. As Foreman is spending all his energy trying to break Ali’s defence, Ali is biding his time on the ropes, occasionally ducking a right hook and counter with a few of his own. This is the case for every round, neither of the fighters looking like they’ll win, but Ali certainly becoming more confident.

Round 8: The round where everything has paid off for Ali, and the round where everyone realises that George Foreman is human. Ali is on the ropes, he’s getting forced into the corner by Foreman, taking body shots and pushing them away with his arms, elbows and sheer willpower.

Foreman is tired, everyone can see it, it’s Ali’s time to strike, and he knows it. After Foreman starts to stumble slightly, Ali forces him onto the rope and connects with a right hook, this is enough to make Foreman squirm away and try to get a better position. Then what can only be described as the most simple, most thought out, most clinical 1-2 punch combination in boxing history, Ali uses his famous technique to drop Foreman, he takes a while to hit the canvas, his legs look like jelly but he’s slowly going down, Ali cocks his arm ready to deliver another blow, but by the time Foreman is finally on the floor it’s over, Ali knows it and walks back to his corner. Foreman beats the 10 count but the ref calls it off, just by how the fight has gone and they way Foreman was looking into his eyes, he knows Foreman is just going to get seriously hurt if he gets back in their. Ali raises his hands aloft as Foreman is sitting defeated in his corner. Ali is once more the Heavyweight Champion of the world, whilst Foreman is tasting defeat for the first time in his career.

There are complete opposite emotions on each side of the ring.

For Foreman, Despair, his first loss, he’s just lost the title he worked so hard for, not only did he lose it, he lost it to an older, lighter and weaker fighter. He knows he has to rebuild, train harder and come back stronger… Just like Ali did.

For Ali, Justice, he didn’t want to fight for a country that abused him, he didn’t want to kill people that hadn’t done anything wrong to him, he got suspended for his beliefs, got his title taken away and wasn’t allowed to fight in this prime of his career. For 7 long years all he dreamed of was being the heavyweight champion once more, and now he is.

The Future:

There were many questions to whether there would be a rematch between two of the greatest fighters to step into the ring, but nothing came to pass.

Ali would lose his title to Leon Spinks in 1978 but then win it back later that year, after which he retired as the only person to win the title on 3 separate occasions, a legacy that still lasts to this day.

Foreman also managed to secure the belt that he lost, nearly 20 years after the rumble in the jungle, after coming out of inactivity he managed to beat Michael Moorer in the 10th round to win his title back. Now a born again Christian, the prize money he won went mostly to new youth centers he was trying to fund.

Although both fighters played their part in what is the biggest upset in boxing history, the night did belong to Muhammad Ali. The clear underdog before the fight, he used his brain, body, willpower and heart to beat the much more dangerous opponent. A tactical genius in his own right and no other fight would’ve evidenced that more than this one.

I think we all sincerely hope we manage to find someone who can captivate us, entertain us, educate us and make us believe in what’s right, like he did.

Rest in Peace, Champ.