On last night's Sportsdesk on Forge Radio (www.forgeradio.com) I said I thought Blackburn Rovers would get relegated, 2nd from bottom, on 13 points, 5 points off safety and with a manager out of his depth.
Well I will now officially change my mind. This afternoon Paul Ince was sacked as "guv'nor" at Ewood Park (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/b/blackburn_rovers/7784967.stm). Quite right I say. The pressure in the Premier League is such that if you don't get results you will lose your job. Those in charge at West Brom must be happy with the good football being played at The Hawthorns, because, if they were bothered about results, Tony Mowbray would have been sacked a couple of weeks ago.
The fact is that Ince has taken a squad that finished 7th (albeit without David Bentley) and turned them into relegation fodder. We've seen how Harry Redknapp has turned round the fortunes of Pompey and then Spurs (though it didn't work with Southampton). A change of manager works. Sunderland lost Roy Keane after he had lost the changing room and they go on and romp to a 4-0 win over West Brom. It seems that nowadays it is a change of manager more than a big signing that will change the fortunes of a club. Of course, it has always been the case that a team plays better under a new boss because they're trying to impress and keep their place in the side. But reputation works wonders for the most part nowadays. Redknapp, Keane when he took over at Sunderland, and to a much lesser extent Gianfranco Zola have all used their "stock" in the game to influence their squads. If you were a West Ham player, who would you rather play for - Alan Curbishley? Or Former player of the year Zola? I know which I would choose.
On the other hand reputation can quickly turn on you. Tony Adams is finding life hard at Portsmouth, despite him being a former England captain and a hero to many across the country. His short-lived dalliance at Wycombe a few years ago may have over taken his achievements as a player in the eyes of his squad, or maybe it's just the lack of the "Harry factor." I can see Adams being in deep pressure as the season goes on, so too Mark Hughes, whose Man City sit out of the relegation zone on goal difference alone. Admittedly Hughes should be able to spend big to get out of trouble next month, but, will anything less than a UEFA Cup spot be enough for the sheiks at Eastlands?
Blackburn find themselves in a difficult position now. They have to compete with Sunderland for a manager, with The Black Cats being arguably a more attractive proposition. Allardyce, Curbishley, Souness will all be names bandied around for both jobs, it will be interesting to see who gets who. It needs to be done soon though. The month long transfer window now means that mid-December becomes silly season for managerial casualties as boards aim to get a new man in before the window opens. I predict more sackings as the month goes on, maybe not in the Premier League but certainly in the Championship, where Jim Magilton, Glenn Roeder and Jan Poortvielt must all be close to the chop.
If you tuned in yesterday you will have heard my predictions for relegation and european qualification in the top tier, as well as promotion and relegation in the championship. Well I'm happy to stand by my 2nd tier predictions as we're half way through the season, but I will hold fire until I publish my thoughts on the Premier League in this blog. For the record, my Championship predictions look like this:
1. Birmingham
2. Wolves
3. Reading
4. Sheffield United
5. Crystal Palace
6. Cardiff City
22. Norwich City
23. Nottingham Forest
24. Doncaster Rovers
Let me know what you think, and if you want to make any predictions for the top tier, then let me know as well. As always you can comment on this blog or email online.sport@forgetoday.com. Good luck if you're in sporting action this week and have a happy christmas.
Ben
Tuesday, 16 December 2008
Thursday, 4 December 2008
Uni v Hallam, Rangers v Celtic, Newcastle v Sunderland, Arsenal v Tottenham, Ipswich v Norwich......??
Hi,
I hope the weather is treating you well, the snow seems to be settling everywhere in the country apart from in Crookesmoor.
This weekend is the big derby match. No, Varsity hasn't come round early, it's not time for the Old Firm...rather the Old Farm.
When you mention derby matches in sport, the names Ipswich Town and Norwich City don't spring to mind for most people outside of the little corner of East Anglia where the two County Towns of Suffolk and Norfolk reside. But, this fixture is anticipated as eagerly and fought as fiercely as Yorkshire v Lancashire, Arsenal v Tottenham or Newcastle and Sunderland.
If you're having a small snigger at this, I don't blame you, were it not for my witnessing of this event myself I probably wouldn't believe me either. And yes, you're right, Norwich and Ipswich are hardly neighbours, there's in fact around 40 miles between them, but, as The Ashes shows, it's not proximity that makes a rivalry fierce, in fact it can be the little moments in time. There's still a reasonable rivalry between Ipswich and Sheffield United fans after a particularly brutal playoff semi final match, where Mauricio Taricco ended in tears, poor lamb.
The Old Farm, as it has increasingly become known has had its fair share of drama. A last minute winner for Ipswich at Norwich a few years ago came from the hand of youngster Danny Haynes. Kevin Lisbie (on loan at Norwich at the time, now among the Ipswich ranks) managed to get Spaniard Sito sent off a couple of years ago in another fractious affair at Portman Road.
This year's match sees two under-fire managers go head to head. Glenn Roeder's first match in charge at Carrow Road was against Ipswich, his side coming back from two goals down to draw 2-2. He needs a win this Sunday, or it could be curtains for the former Newcastle boss. Norwich find themselves just three points and one position off the drop zone in the Championship table, it's unthinkable that The Canaries could go down. But, and here's the thing - Roeder let Darren Huckerby (Canaries talisman) go this summer, promising young and exciting players coming through to improve fortunes on the pitch. That decision caused an outcry. I was working on a radio station in Norwich when the decision was announced, the public reaction was phenomenal.
Similarly Jim Magilton is under a bit of pressure at Portman Road. An unbeaten streak had silenced critics somewhat but then defeats to Doncaster and Birmingham as well as a home draw against Sheffield United have brought back murmurings of unrest, not only in the terraces, but in the squad. Lose on Sunday, and Magilton will be feeling the pressure. He's spent a lot of money, on quality players, but the decision to sign Ivan Campo on what must be quite a big contract (money-wise) and then not to play the Champions League winner has bewildered some fans.
So get down to Bar One on Sunday, or to a pub, your front room, and watch a proper local derby, without Robinho and Ronaldo on show, but rather Counago and Lita, on Sky Sports. I guarantee goals, fouls, and lots of action, I can't guarantee that the football will be brilliant, but hey, it's not the Premier League. For the record, I fancy a Norwich win, 2-1. Leroy Lita will destroy Ipswich if he gets the chance. That'll mean Ipswich will romp to a 3-0 victory then...
Good luck to you if you're in sporting action this week. Emails can be sent to online.sport@forgetoday.com if you've got any comments.
Cheers
Ben Drury
I hope the weather is treating you well, the snow seems to be settling everywhere in the country apart from in Crookesmoor.
This weekend is the big derby match. No, Varsity hasn't come round early, it's not time for the Old Firm...rather the Old Farm.
When you mention derby matches in sport, the names Ipswich Town and Norwich City don't spring to mind for most people outside of the little corner of East Anglia where the two County Towns of Suffolk and Norfolk reside. But, this fixture is anticipated as eagerly and fought as fiercely as Yorkshire v Lancashire, Arsenal v Tottenham or Newcastle and Sunderland.
If you're having a small snigger at this, I don't blame you, were it not for my witnessing of this event myself I probably wouldn't believe me either. And yes, you're right, Norwich and Ipswich are hardly neighbours, there's in fact around 40 miles between them, but, as The Ashes shows, it's not proximity that makes a rivalry fierce, in fact it can be the little moments in time. There's still a reasonable rivalry between Ipswich and Sheffield United fans after a particularly brutal playoff semi final match, where Mauricio Taricco ended in tears, poor lamb.
The Old Farm, as it has increasingly become known has had its fair share of drama. A last minute winner for Ipswich at Norwich a few years ago came from the hand of youngster Danny Haynes. Kevin Lisbie (on loan at Norwich at the time, now among the Ipswich ranks) managed to get Spaniard Sito sent off a couple of years ago in another fractious affair at Portman Road.
This year's match sees two under-fire managers go head to head. Glenn Roeder's first match in charge at Carrow Road was against Ipswich, his side coming back from two goals down to draw 2-2. He needs a win this Sunday, or it could be curtains for the former Newcastle boss. Norwich find themselves just three points and one position off the drop zone in the Championship table, it's unthinkable that The Canaries could go down. But, and here's the thing - Roeder let Darren Huckerby (Canaries talisman) go this summer, promising young and exciting players coming through to improve fortunes on the pitch. That decision caused an outcry. I was working on a radio station in Norwich when the decision was announced, the public reaction was phenomenal.
Similarly Jim Magilton is under a bit of pressure at Portman Road. An unbeaten streak had silenced critics somewhat but then defeats to Doncaster and Birmingham as well as a home draw against Sheffield United have brought back murmurings of unrest, not only in the terraces, but in the squad. Lose on Sunday, and Magilton will be feeling the pressure. He's spent a lot of money, on quality players, but the decision to sign Ivan Campo on what must be quite a big contract (money-wise) and then not to play the Champions League winner has bewildered some fans.
So get down to Bar One on Sunday, or to a pub, your front room, and watch a proper local derby, without Robinho and Ronaldo on show, but rather Counago and Lita, on Sky Sports. I guarantee goals, fouls, and lots of action, I can't guarantee that the football will be brilliant, but hey, it's not the Premier League. For the record, I fancy a Norwich win, 2-1. Leroy Lita will destroy Ipswich if he gets the chance. That'll mean Ipswich will romp to a 3-0 victory then...
Good luck to you if you're in sporting action this week. Emails can be sent to online.sport@forgetoday.com if you've got any comments.
Cheers
Ben Drury
Thursday, 20 November 2008
How do you solve a problem like English One Day Cricket?
Obviously not the greatest title for a new reality tv show, though we could that girl off the X Factor that performed at Population this week to sing the theme tune. No, this week's post concerns the England cricket team, who are 3-0 down in the seven match series in India after three games. This morning's has been drenched in a bit of controversy after the ridiculous Duckworth-Lewis method was employed to give India a 14-run victory. The controversy comes not from the team's selection, which I'll get to in a minute, but rather the fact that the stadium the match was played in HAS floodlights, yet India won on the DL because of bad light. The floodlights were comically turned on for the post-match interviews, but apparently the ICC had rules that artifiicial lights cannot be used to continue play in a "day match". The rule is absolutely ridiculous. This though isn't really the point. England would've lost anyway, and there are really only two things that can be taken from another consummate Indian performance. 1) England finally pushed Ravi Bopara up the batting lineup. The lad bats no. 3 for Essex, so I'm not sure why he should open for England, but congratulations to Ravi for hitting an impressive 60. 2) England stopped Yuvraj hitting a thirs successive ODI century, though he did bludgen a quickfire 30odd.
Last week, Darren Gough complained about the "Old Boys" mentality in the England side. This was something eluded to by Tom Ibison on this week's "Sportsdesk" on Forge Radio (Every Monday from 8pm by the way, give it a listen). I've been a huge fan of Paul Collingwood for a long time, that double century he hit in Australia a couple of years ago was phenomenal, but his time has come. He's playing with no confidence, little technique and scoring few runs. Matt Prior managed five runs at no. 8 this morning, but he shouldn't be batting at no. 8, nor should Owais Shah be batting at no. 6. If you have to re-jig your batting lineup so much it's probably because you've not got the right personnel. Poor old Graham Napier will be sitting at home wondering what he has to do to get in the England set up. He led the 6 hitting league last year, and regularly bowls over 80 mph, he must get a call up soon. I'm a firm believer in getting the personnel to fit the situation, and County Cricket is there for a reason, to breed new England players, so it should be used as such. If the wicket keeper is to bat at no. 8 in this england side, then James Foster (yes, another Essex player) should be considered. He won The Eagles plenty of games batting in and around no. 8 last year, and his glovework is arguably the best in the country. Let me know who you'd get in the international set up, or whether we should persist with what we have. It must be remembered that this squad beat South Africa quite convincingly in the summer (albeit a tired S.A. who just wanted to go home). Cricket is increasingly turning into a ODI kind of game, and England needs to move with the times.
Congratulations to England's football side last night. If anyone saw my facebook status I was cursing Mr. Capello at 7:30 for leaving Darren Bent and Ashley Young out of the side. I think Bent showed his worth to the side when he came on, and Young was unlucky that Stewart Downing actually played quite well, with a good couple of assists, especially the second for John Terry. I'm definitely part of the Goalkeepers' Union, and while I admit that Scott Carson wasn't blameless for Germany's comedy equaliser last night, John Terry, as England's captain, should have dealt with it straight away. Oh, and if William Gallas says one more thing in the press ever, I may go over to the Emirates myself and drag him out of the stadium, the most annoying professional footballer ever. Gallas - casse-toi, le pire defenseur que j'ai jamais vu a Arsenal.
Email thoughts, views, anything at all in fact to online.sport@forgetoday.com
Ben
Last week, Darren Gough complained about the "Old Boys" mentality in the England side. This was something eluded to by Tom Ibison on this week's "Sportsdesk" on Forge Radio (Every Monday from 8pm by the way, give it a listen). I've been a huge fan of Paul Collingwood for a long time, that double century he hit in Australia a couple of years ago was phenomenal, but his time has come. He's playing with no confidence, little technique and scoring few runs. Matt Prior managed five runs at no. 8 this morning, but he shouldn't be batting at no. 8, nor should Owais Shah be batting at no. 6. If you have to re-jig your batting lineup so much it's probably because you've not got the right personnel. Poor old Graham Napier will be sitting at home wondering what he has to do to get in the England set up. He led the 6 hitting league last year, and regularly bowls over 80 mph, he must get a call up soon. I'm a firm believer in getting the personnel to fit the situation, and County Cricket is there for a reason, to breed new England players, so it should be used as such. If the wicket keeper is to bat at no. 8 in this england side, then James Foster (yes, another Essex player) should be considered. He won The Eagles plenty of games batting in and around no. 8 last year, and his glovework is arguably the best in the country. Let me know who you'd get in the international set up, or whether we should persist with what we have. It must be remembered that this squad beat South Africa quite convincingly in the summer (albeit a tired S.A. who just wanted to go home). Cricket is increasingly turning into a ODI kind of game, and England needs to move with the times.
Congratulations to England's football side last night. If anyone saw my facebook status I was cursing Mr. Capello at 7:30 for leaving Darren Bent and Ashley Young out of the side. I think Bent showed his worth to the side when he came on, and Young was unlucky that Stewart Downing actually played quite well, with a good couple of assists, especially the second for John Terry. I'm definitely part of the Goalkeepers' Union, and while I admit that Scott Carson wasn't blameless for Germany's comedy equaliser last night, John Terry, as England's captain, should have dealt with it straight away. Oh, and if William Gallas says one more thing in the press ever, I may go over to the Emirates myself and drag him out of the stadium, the most annoying professional footballer ever. Gallas - casse-toi, le pire defenseur que j'ai jamais vu a Arsenal.
Email thoughts, views, anything at all in fact to online.sport@forgetoday.com
Ben
Saturday, 15 November 2008
David Beckham's England Career is Not Over
At around 1900 GMT this evening Fabio Capello will announce a 23 man squad for England's friendly against Germany. One man almost certain not to be in that squad is David Beckham. The one-time England captain has the chance to equal Bobby Moore's record of 108 caps for an outfield player if he's called up, but he won't be. Never fear, Becks' chance will come again, even at the age of 33. Fabio Capello has, quite rightly, said that players will only play for the national side if they're playing for their club sides, and Beckham has not played since October 26. However, I expect the midfielder to break Bobby Moore's record and add a few more before he's totally discarded by Capello. He's off on loan to AC Milan in January, which will do him the world of good, and I think, will be the perfect kind of game for him. With Gattuso and Pirlo doing the hard work in the middle of the park, Becks can concentrate on feeding the likes of Shevchenko, Ronaldinho and Pato. There is no one in the current England set up that can cross a ball like Beckham, this talk of David Bentley being his natural successor is nonsense, the Spurs winger is just not good enough at the moment, his delivery is, for the most part, poor. And little Theo Walcott is a totally different player to Beckham. So never fear Beckham fans, (among whom I count myself) Becks will be back in the new year, he may even surprise everyone and get a call up this weekend. Speculation surrounds the fate of David James, and whether he'll make another squad as Capello looks to the future, but, in my opinion, with Ben Foster not being used at Man United (save the Champions League game at Celtic Park) James is the best keeper around at the moment. The tabloids have today said that Wolves youngster Michael Mancienne is going to get a call up, hopefully Capello will be a bit sensible and see that a teenager plying his trade in the Championship is not ready for an international debut - it would certainly say a lot about Premiership defenders! For what it's worth, this would be my 23:
Goalkeepers:
David James (Portsmouth)
Robert Green (West Ham)
Joe Hart (Man City)
Defenders:
Rio Ferdinand (Man United)
John Terry (Chelsea)
Jonathan Woodgate (Tottenham)
David Wheater (Middlesborough)
Gary Neville (Man United)
Micah Richards (Man City)
Ashley Cole (Chelsea)
Wayne Bridge (Chelsea)
Midfielders:
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
Frank Lampard (Chelsea)
Theo Walcott (Arsenal)
Tom Huddlestone (Tottenham)
Shaun Wright-Phillips (Man City)
Gareth Barry (Aston Villa)
Ashley Young (Aston Villa)
Stewart Downing (Middlesborough)
Forwards:
Wayne Rooney (Man United)
Darren Bent (Tottenham)
Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa)
Peter Crouch (Portsmouth)
So there you have it, feel free to post your amendments and ask why I've made glaring errors (I'm sure I have) but I feel that Huddlestone and Bent have to get back in the squad on form alone, and Gary Neville, when fit, is the best right back in the country. Peter Crouch is there purely because a big man is needed.
As i've finished writing this, England have lost in the semi finals of the Rugby League World Cup against New Zealand. It's a bizarre tournament where you can get to the semi finals by only winning one game. Andy Murray is in Masters Cup tennis action today, he's the form player in the world right now, I'm confident he can roll Davydenko over, presuming tiredness doesn't get the better of him. England are in rugby union action today against Australia, Steve Borthwick's talk of playing with the backs as much as possible today is, I presume, a bit of gamesmanship. England are so dominant against the Aussies in the scrum that that's got to be how it's played again today. If you're in sporting action this week, good luck. Check back for more comment and some uni sport this coming week.
Thanks
Ben
Goalkeepers:
David James (Portsmouth)
Robert Green (West Ham)
Joe Hart (Man City)
Defenders:
Rio Ferdinand (Man United)
John Terry (Chelsea)
Jonathan Woodgate (Tottenham)
David Wheater (Middlesborough)
Gary Neville (Man United)
Micah Richards (Man City)
Ashley Cole (Chelsea)
Wayne Bridge (Chelsea)
Midfielders:
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
Frank Lampard (Chelsea)
Theo Walcott (Arsenal)
Tom Huddlestone (Tottenham)
Shaun Wright-Phillips (Man City)
Gareth Barry (Aston Villa)
Ashley Young (Aston Villa)
Stewart Downing (Middlesborough)
Forwards:
Wayne Rooney (Man United)
Darren Bent (Tottenham)
Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa)
Peter Crouch (Portsmouth)
So there you have it, feel free to post your amendments and ask why I've made glaring errors (I'm sure I have) but I feel that Huddlestone and Bent have to get back in the squad on form alone, and Gary Neville, when fit, is the best right back in the country. Peter Crouch is there purely because a big man is needed.
As i've finished writing this, England have lost in the semi finals of the Rugby League World Cup against New Zealand. It's a bizarre tournament where you can get to the semi finals by only winning one game. Andy Murray is in Masters Cup tennis action today, he's the form player in the world right now, I'm confident he can roll Davydenko over, presuming tiredness doesn't get the better of him. England are in rugby union action today against Australia, Steve Borthwick's talk of playing with the backs as much as possible today is, I presume, a bit of gamesmanship. England are so dominant against the Aussies in the scrum that that's got to be how it's played again today. If you're in sporting action this week, good luck. Check back for more comment and some uni sport this coming week.
Thanks
Ben
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