The transfer deadline finished with a lighter flurry than the snow that hit much of Britain. But Spurs manager Harry Redknapp splashed out big to sign three former Spurs players - Robbie Keane, Jermain Defoe and Pascal Chimbonda. Defoe is already out injured - maybe for the season - with a foot injury so the capture of Robbie Keane to replace him was vital. Good business too for five million less than Keane was sold to Liverpool a few months ago. £15 million in fact was this transfer. The Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez left Keane out of the Liverpool squad again so the writing was on the wall. Fair play, Harry. Can Robbie now keep Spurs up - they are still only one point outside the drop zone but I will bet a tray of my precious Pukka Pies that Spurs will be playing Premier League football next season.
Hey, such a gambler. I will wager another tray of my favourites - Balti Pies by Pukka - that Manchester United will retain the Championship. Let’s face it, at this stage the only Premier League team with a real challenge left are Liverpool after Sunday's 2-0 home win over Chelsea. The visitors’ boss Luis Philipe Scolari complained with justification that Chelsea's Frank Lampard should not have been sent off by referee Mike Riley after a tackle with Alonso. Scolari is right but he still had the good grace to state that Liverpool were the better team. Chelsea are surely going to appeal about the decision in the same way that the previous week West Bromwich Albion successfully did over the incorrect decision by referee Rob Styles to send off Paul Robinson. I like to support referees but I think these two incidents called for the refs to take more time and consideration including consulting their linesmen. Then it would be fair play.
Fernando Torres scored both Liverpool's late goals. Chelsea will have it all to do now -particularly if Lampard's sending off is not rescinded and he gets a three match suspension. Chelsea's Anelka is the PL's top scorer with 14 goals. Lampard has 9 but he is the all round star that is so vital for an ageing Chelsea team.
I cannot believe some Aston Villa fans were booing Martin O'Neill after the unlucky goalless home draw with Wigan. Villa have had a brilliant season so far and O'Neill is an outstanding manager. Villa are third; still in the Fa Cup and UEFA Cup and they have only lost 4 matches in the Premier League. They were desperately unlucky as Wigan defended with guts and determination. The Wigan manager Steve Bruce also said they were lucky not to lose to Villa before paying his tribute to his own team. So what is the matter with you, Villas fans? Try making as much noise as the Stoke fans do all the while. Wake up and smell the coffee Mr.O'Neill is brewing. Villa fans were claiming the team did not want it enough. Disgraceful re-actions. No Pies for you crusties!
Villa will not win the Premier League this season but they may finish fourth and secure a multi million pound place in the European Champions League. Signing Emile Heskey has improved their chances. At £3.5 million the striker was a steal. But don't underestimate Arsenal. O'Neill will not. Arsenal are five points behind but they too have signed a striker, Zenit St.Petersburg's Andrei Arshavin who does score goals. Arsenal are unbeaten in 10 games but they missed out on two vital points in the goalless home draw with West Ham.
We know what a good job David Moyes has done at Everton with little money and recently without an established striker. I hope his deadline day signing of Jo on loan from Manchester City works out for him. The Brazilian cost City £19 million but has been a flop.
Word of praise for manager Steve Bruce and Roy Hodgson. Wigan are seventh; Fulham 9th. Both had relegation worries last season. Both have performed splendidly. It shows what can happen if clubs are patient and do not panic by sacking the manager.
Hey, such a gambler. I will wager another tray of my favourites - Balti Pies by Pukka - that Manchester United will retain the Championship. Let’s face it, at this stage the only Premier League team with a real challenge left are Liverpool after Sunday's 2-0 home win over Chelsea. The visitors’ boss Luis Philipe Scolari complained with justification that Chelsea's Frank Lampard should not have been sent off by referee Mike Riley after a tackle with Alonso. Scolari is right but he still had the good grace to state that Liverpool were the better team. Chelsea are surely going to appeal about the decision in the same way that the previous week West Bromwich Albion successfully did over the incorrect decision by referee Rob Styles to send off Paul Robinson. I like to support referees but I think these two incidents called for the refs to take more time and consideration including consulting their linesmen. Then it would be fair play.
Fernando Torres scored both Liverpool's late goals. Chelsea will have it all to do now -particularly if Lampard's sending off is not rescinded and he gets a three match suspension. Chelsea's Anelka is the PL's top scorer with 14 goals. Lampard has 9 but he is the all round star that is so vital for an ageing Chelsea team.
I cannot believe some Aston Villa fans were booing Martin O'Neill after the unlucky goalless home draw with Wigan. Villa have had a brilliant season so far and O'Neill is an outstanding manager. Villa are third; still in the Fa Cup and UEFA Cup and they have only lost 4 matches in the Premier League. They were desperately unlucky as Wigan defended with guts and determination. The Wigan manager Steve Bruce also said they were lucky not to lose to Villa before paying his tribute to his own team. So what is the matter with you, Villas fans? Try making as much noise as the Stoke fans do all the while. Wake up and smell the coffee Mr.O'Neill is brewing. Villa fans were claiming the team did not want it enough. Disgraceful re-actions. No Pies for you crusties!
Villa will not win the Premier League this season but they may finish fourth and secure a multi million pound place in the European Champions League. Signing Emile Heskey has improved their chances. At £3.5 million the striker was a steal. But don't underestimate Arsenal. O'Neill will not. Arsenal are five points behind but they too have signed a striker, Zenit St.Petersburg's Andrei Arshavin who does score goals. Arsenal are unbeaten in 10 games but they missed out on two vital points in the goalless home draw with West Ham.
We know what a good job David Moyes has done at Everton with little money and recently without an established striker. I hope his deadline day signing of Jo on loan from Manchester City works out for him. The Brazilian cost City £19 million but has been a flop.
Word of praise for manager Steve Bruce and Roy Hodgson. Wigan are seventh; Fulham 9th. Both had relegation worries last season. Both have performed splendidly. It shows what can happen if clubs are patient and do not panic by sacking the manager.
Some interesting draws and fair play mate to the battlers at the bottom. West Brom twice coming back to draw 2-2 at Hull; Middlesbrough against Blackburn goalless, Stoke winning 1 nil against Manchester City with ten men - after Rory Delap was rightly sent off but what about the retaliation shown by City's Shaun Wright-Phillips that went unnoticed? Mind you, in fairness it is sometimes the other way round!
Portsmouth, as the Pieman keeps writing and saying, continue to be on the slide. Only 2 PL win from 15 matches since Tony Adams became manager - the last being in November. This weekend Pompey lost 3-1 at Fulham. Adams is under enormous pressure and the word in the Pieshops is that he has three matches left to rescue his position. They are Liverpool at home on Feb 7, Manchester City, also at home on February 14, and Stoke away on Feb 21. These are the cold facts - Portsmouth were 7th in the PL when Adams took over as manager on October 28. They are now 16th. Portsmouth have collected 10 points from a possible 42 under Adams. They have suffered 10 defeats in all competitions, kept 1 clean sheet under him and scored 13 goals in 14 PL matches. P45 material.
So we come to mighty Manchester United, now grinding out their 7th 1-0 win from their last 10 PL matches record 12 PL clean sheets. Their goalkeeper, the outstanding Edwin van der Sar has beaten the English League record of 1104 set by the late Steve Death of Reading in 1979. If United go 75 minutes without conceding at West Ham on Sunday they will beat the British record of 1196 minutes set by Chris Woods for Glasgow Rangers in the 1986/87 season. It’s terrific. But full credit to several other players including my players of the month for January, Vidic andCarrick. Vidic gets my vote but Carrick has been immense in mid-field. Vidic has to be the best central defender in the game as is Rio Ferdinand. Sorry, John Terry!
And their opponents West Ham have really pulled it round under Gianfranco Zola. He is a good man and a very good manager. West Ham are unbeaten in eight away games.
Hope you enjoy the Pieman song and my radio show with Tom Ross even if we do not agree on much! Both are available on the website. My new show will be up and running on Friday February 6 - Birmingham owner David Sullivan's 60th birthday. I wonder if his birthday cards come in brown wrappers!
Finally: Did they wish they had not said:
"A nd I never thought I would say this word - no cutting edge!" ANDY GRAY
"The significance of that goal cannot be under-estimated." JOHN MOTSON
"If you came in from the pub and didn't know who was playing, you wouldn't know who was playing." NEVILLE SOUTHALL
"What a great goal with his so called right foot." DEREK JOHNSTONE
"Everything is being looked at with a fine tooth comb." GRAEME MURTY
"Avram Grant is like a lot of managers - if his team doesn't win tonight he'll be in a no-win situation." GRAHAM TAYLOR
" For the first time, they'll be looking again over their shoulder." LEE DIXON
and:
"and Hull City, to use a pun, have really got their tails up." RADIO LANCASHIRE
Yer what?
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