Opinion: Ten Hag should regret that he left Ajax

The Manchester United Manager, Erik Ten Hag are clearly struggling to grasp his new club and the challenge, which is ahead of him. The job he has is massive and the others has failed before him. Ever since Alex Ferguson retired, no one has able to contain or build a team at the club. That’s why he won’t have the time or the ability to build much confidence before his saga at the club is over.

Ten Hag has only had two Premier League matches. One home and one Away. Both has ended in disaster. One a loss to Brighton & Hove Albion 1-2 at Old Trafford and today losing 4-0 to Brentford away at Brentford (Gtech) Community Stadium. Certainly the 1-6 in goal difference and zero points is a horrific start of the season. None of these matches was against title contenders or any sort of team that is expected to get to Euro League or anything. No, these are teams that expected to avoid relegation and that’s about it.

The Dutch Manger who has been successful in the Eredivisie. That’s why he built himself a name with FC Utrecht and Ajax. The latter is where he won titles and also did well as reach Semi-Finals in the Champions League, and the Quarter-Finals in the Euro League. So, it’s not like he doesn’t have a track-record and done an amazing job in Ajax. That has been obvious and this is why so many of players was sold to bigger clubs.

However, now where he resides it’s different. Whatever results he had in pre-Season doesn’t matter. The cups or so called titles in practice matches are pointless. The Premier League and the results are the ones that matters the most. The ability to reach Champions League and be a title contender. The Manchester United club isn’t supposed to look this awful.

There is so much expectation and history, which haunts the club. That’s why anybody following Ferguson has fallen off. The club has had Moyes, Mourinho, Solskjær and Rangnick. All of them has been there and later crashed. The club has just hired them and later sacked them. While keeping plenty of players and stars on their pay-roll. This has further made the rot evident and clear.

There big names and supposed wonder-boys who was supposed to shine. However, it hasn’t materialized in years. The people from the academy haven’t brought things up to speed as well. There is no signs of redemption and so much lost time. Hack work and few signings from each who has been there. Now it seems like there is no vision or attitude of how the club wants to be run. They are either trying to get the ones to sell the most T-Shirts or Merchandise, but not the characters that build a functioning team.

Ten Hag has not only very little to no time. The sort of results at Brentford isn’t taken lightly. Neither is the loss to Brighton at home. These sorts of things has to be flukes. It is a reason why OGS was fazed out. Now the Dutch Manager has to revive and build a team. A team that he got no time to build. The results just has to appear and there will be “borrowed” time to fix it or adjust. He just got to find the tools and get the players to follow his paradigm shift. Because, what the world is seeing right now isn’t working.

These days… I wouldn’t feel bad or feel like he betrayed his new club. If Ten Hag said he missed Ajax. That was his wonder years and where he had success. Now his come to place and a league he has no time to grow into. Manchester United is an unforgiving place and a club with huge expectations. These results cannot be prolonged and sooner or later he has to show PlayStation football against an opponent. Because, what we are seeing right now isn’t doing him any good.

Ten Hag era will end in tears. It is just starting and this is looking grim. Peace.

Opinion: Ancelotti will not be missed in Everton

Well, it is about that time. Carlo Ancelotti is a well known manager. A manager who has won titles across the continent. His name is synonymous with winning titles and creating history in the clubs he has managed. Alas, that never became the case with Everton.

Not that the stint he had in Everton was long enough or had the ability in the transfer-windows to achieve that. Still, there was a lot of unfinished business and uncertainty ahead of him. He did the great signings of James Rodriguez and Abdoulaye Doucouré. Calvert-Lewin got a breath of fresh air and was firing in the box. Still, that wasn’t enough to cut it.

Ancelotti in his final season at Everton started like a winning team. They seemed for so long destined to be hunting for a European Cup next year. Alas, that dwindled down and became another botched season in the mid-table.

For such a renowned manager that must be defeatism. If not… he wouldn’t care, because the players, the squad and the club should feel lucky to even have him there. It was a rare occasion. As there haven’t been a manager of this character or with his CV at the club, which I can remember. Not, that the managers of Everton haven’t been good, but they have built their name there. If not used it as a stepping stone to greater later.

What is striking is that Ancelotti couldn’t do things better than the previous managers. He could get a higher position with the team than Ronald Koeman or Sam Allerdyce. While he still got some of his targeted players. This has clearly been done together with Director of Football, Marcel Brands.

The next manager has to work with him and the targets of the club. Everton has failed and you can wonder what sort of style they want to play. What’s the objective and where they want to go. Since, they gotten a lot of flack, but they a dipping in the middle and getting nowhere. While Leicester is evolving and West Ham is surpassing them.

Everton has the ability and should have the capacity of growing bigger. Become part of the top six. They have used the transfer kitty and spent funds, but not bringing in the results. Everton has used money on Yannick Bolasie and Theo Walcott, but not gotten anything really for it. That’s why they are out on loan.

Ancelotti have a possibility to build a project. He could live large on his name and his achievements of the past. That’s why he wasn’t getting any sort of scrutiny for lacking results in this season. After the promising start.

He now left for Real Madrid. Returning back after both victories elsewhere and a mediocre time in Everton. Ancelotti will not remembered for long in Everton. He came with a name and delivered very little than hope. The promise of a project and a long-term plan is now scrapped. Where someone else has to pick-up where he left off.

With a squad and a team of mixed fortunes. Former players of big-teams and players with a lot of promise. Still, Everton needs a new manager who wants to build and use the potential here. It is clearly there. Everton haven’t been able to crack the top six since 2013/14. That’s starting to be a long time ago. Ancelotti should have he character and the capabilities to build a club for this. However, that never happened here and his project wasn’t fulfilled. This is why he will not be missed. People will see it as a sideline story and a fault-line. Where someone with stature like Ancelotti promised greatness, but delivered mediocre results. Would think he wanted that narrative changed? No, his more interested in his career, than building a team like Everton. That’s why he took the open spot and could return back to Real Madrid.

The next one should aim for that and try to stabilize there. However, that will not be easy. When there so many contenders and clubs fighting to get there. Everyone aims for that and is willing to put all their bets there.

What Everton needs to do is get a structured manager to work in tandem with the Director of Football. Have a clear football philosophy and work a long-term plan ahead. Not only pick the second tier and the ones falling out of grace in the bigger clubs. Everton needs also to focus on talent like Calvert-Lewin and others who can show the greatness of the club from within. That is what all fans wants to see.

However, with the expectancy of quick results and big pay-offs instantly. That is nearly impossible. Nevertheless, the club should seek a long-term manager and not just a quick-fix. Than they will get into another Marco Silva. Who had a decent season and falling off a cliff the next one before getting sacked. The club cannot afford to do that… and Everton should try to get back to the stability and certainty of David Moyes. Though, that era is long gone. Peace.

Premier League 2015/2016 – My thoughts after ten rounds

There is now a new campaign and new matches. New stars and new clubs and promoted teams adding spice to the Premiership. The Premier League has now had ten rounds of the 38 rounds. It is an indication though still early, I will say that it shows how this might unfold. Though at a certain level shows how this campaign might be. There will be changes on the table and far from sure that those under the relegation mark. Three teams will go down to Championship. Who that might be is hard to see now, especially with how it has unfolded in recent seasons. Who wins the title isn’t easy choice either? Manchester clubs are on the top four together with West Ham. Tottenham and Crystal Palace, off the top three either Manchester club for the moment, though the strongest team right now is Manchester City.

Bournemouth is having its first ever season in the Premiership. It’s a small club with the smallest stadium in the league. But the stagnation of tactics is straining the team together with the collective damage of injuries in the team. Eddie Howe is a young and modern manager. What he already has done with club is amazing.

Watford is also a promoted team, but not new to the league, they have been here before. But the expensive and buying 13 players from coming up from the Championship has acutally worked together with getting a tactical manager in Quique Sanchez Flores. Igahlo and Deeney have showed the quality and that they are fit for the league!

Norwich went straight back after their last turn down into Championship. They have mostly the same team that went down in the last go-around. Alex Neil the Scot has done well in the club, though the recent results is frightening and looking as bad as under the last months under Chris Hughton.

Now I will take the clubs that is actually under the line at this time!

Aston Villa, one of the royalties that has been in a down-falling-spiral since the last two years of Paul Lambert’s tenure. The freshness Tim Sherwood brought saved the club for the third season in a row. Now they gone with only one victory all season, but before starting the season they lost Benteke, Delph and Weimann. Buying young talent, but not finish products. Then after 10 rounds firing Tim Sherwood! There is surely not being built squads anymore in the club, but quick fixing to save the place in the league! Will they make it this year? They might, but want be easy!

Newcastle has a new manager that has turned down the club three times, twice as Derby manager before fired there. Steve McClaren has surely a big boat to turn. Newcastle hasn’t been sparking in a long time. This is for the first season in a while there been bought players with great potential from the low-countries. One victory and 19^th Place and losing in the tenth match to Sunderland. Is surely not looking like an easy way out for the Tyne-side team!

The 18^th place team is Sunderland yet another team that has struggled in recent campaigns. They fire a manager in the beginning of the season, then saving the place, then running it into the ground in the second campaign of his reign! Paulo Di Canio, Gus Poyet and Dick Advocaat had all the same faith, though Advocaat resigned; it ended before Christmas in second campaign like with the two former managers. Sunderland needs a boast and gotten Sam Allardyce who has history of securing teams and playing safe. Yet another experienced manager, but the team lacks continuity and defensive structure that can builds into using the striking force of Defoe. Time will tell if they will save themselves yet another time.

The Surprise of the season and the giant fall of the league is CHELSEA. Losing five times already and the CHELSEA team need something new. Jose Mourinho has been on a strike and been more paranoid then certain dictators are against everybody else then himself. First the doctor Eva Carneiro was banished. Everybody has target Diego Costa! Every referee has been against CHELSEA!  Like this quotes after losing on Ethiad Stadium to Manchester City:

“A Ramires goal incorrectly ruled out for offside with Man City a goal ahead changed the complexion of this early-season Premier League fixture” (…)”We dominated after the interval and after Ramires’s goal was disallowed, Hazard drew a fine stop from Joe Hart. Two late City goals, from Vincent Kompany and Fernandinho, added some gloss to a final scoreline which did not accurately reflect the bigger picture.” (…)”The Chelsea pressure was mounting and the royal-blue momentum nearly paid off with 20 minutes to go. Hazard lead a rapid break and picked out Diego Costa approaching the left-hand side of the box. He carried the ball, cut inside before squaring for last year’s Player of the Year. Hazard dropped a shoulder and fired for goal, but met his match in Hart” (Chelsea, 2015).

I saw that match; the whole report was like hogwash from certain dictatorships and not a proper match-report. Then the last match kind of confirmed the troubles inside the club. With the cards which has unfolded this season with weak defense of Matic, Ivanovic and Terry. Hazard has been a shadow and only Willian has delivered in the midfield. Falaco came in as a third option, but is still not striking and Loic Remy doesn’t get the time to hit and Costa is just making a lot of fuzz, but not really hitting the goals in the box. Chelsea has issues with Jose Mourinho and his strives to be what he is – a winner and now constantly losing. And his last reaction to losing at a better playing West Ham. Has proven that the Drama of CHELSEA is far from over this campaign!

Stoke has been magnificent under Mark Hughes though this campaign haven’t been either fish or bird. They have not delivered back to back victories yet. They got Shaqiri to the team as they got Bojan last go around. They play more technical and less of Pulis 1-0 counter-strike football. But the results this campaign hasn’t been anything to talk about.

Swansea is in the middle of the league. Third campaign with Gary Monk! The team has evolved and gotten a new favorite in the team. He is Andrew Ayew they got as a bosman player before the campaign, he and Gomis has hit it off. They beat Manchester United in the third match in a row! If they play like that they can still end up over 10^th position! Swansea is steady building and proving that yet another campaign.

Everton with Roberto Martinez had a weak campaign after striving in his first as Everton manager. This season is supposed to pick it up. Still the matches I have seen, it’s too unstable. At this stage the defense that was the strong point of David Moyes is totally gone. The team is filled with young talent, but Gareth Barry is showing that he is starting to be to slow and makes more cards, then doing well. Joss Stones and Ross Barkley has skills and proves viability and not forget Lukaku is a force in him. Coleman and Naismith deserve more credit. Leighton Baines is the hero of the team, though too much injured for the moment. The team can be magical and play fantastic, but it’s not consistent which this club deserves!

West Bromwich has Tony Pulis. That means the dream result is 1-0 or 2-1. They won over Aston Villa and Rondon is scoring. Where did Saido Berahino go? Not Tottenham, but he is around in Birmingham right? Wonder when the fans of West Bromwich are going to be bored with the destructive defensive counterstriking teams of Pulis?

Liverpool has been strictly average after using a fortune in the summer and giving Brendan Rodgers another chance to succeed. FSG the owner’s lost their patience the result and getting a draw with Everton before a week of internationals. The players that the Transfer Committee got and structures of the club has given Rodgers a hard time with losing the best players two campaigns in a row. FSG has later gotten Jurgen Klopp as the savior of the club. Benteke, Clyne, Firmino and Origi haven’t done magic either this campaign. Sturridge has been injured. Coutinho and Allen hasn’t been stabile so it’s not all Rodgers, though he was a working scapegoat and now we can see if the German can get this Merseyside club firing!

Southampton is still up high even after losing Schneiderlin who was important in the last seasons also my favorite player in the team last year Clyne. Ronald Koeman is in the second campaign. With the losing of essential players they still have the capacity to get new ones to fills the slot, also show the quality of Fonte, Mane and Pelle one of them will surely be bought by Liverpool if they follow the procedure of their summer shoppings.. Southampton is still over mid-table and stay there. It wants be a team in one of the Champions League spots, but surely be close to get into the Euro League this year as well! If the 10 first matches is telling the truth of the quality of the team.

Crystal Palace first starting campaign with Alan Pardew he was a shadow of himself in the end of his tenure in Newcastle. He got back into the collaboration as a manager with Cabaye. Bolasie, Puncheon, Sako, Zaha, Chamakh, Jedinak, Wickham, Souare, Campell, Mutch, McArthur, Ledley and Bamford! Is all the mid-fielder and attackers that the EAGLES have this campaign and their attacking forces are amazing. Bolasie is truly a player I would have on any of my dream team! Hopefully Crystal Place will continue to play as amazing as they have done!

Tottenham has actually kept their manager Pochettino and Denis Levy must surely be drinking since he usually fires managers quickly. They have Adebayor, but only official striker is Harry Kane and he has scored in the last of the tenth match in this campaign. Eriksen has been not so visible this campaign. Lamela and Dele Ali can bring fire to the mid-field. Still feels the team is to unstable and still young. And wonder how long Levy can see the team as Euro-League team and with the team they have for now, they don’t have the last spark to get into the Champions League. Harry Redknapp will be somewhere smiling at the movement since he was fired…

Another Surprise then CHELSEA and their fall is the team of Leicester City. Pearson was fired in the summer and Tinkerman was hired. Claudio Ranieri. Who has on his CV the ability to lose as Greece manager to Faroe Islands that must be a special for any modern manager? But that doesn’t mean he isn’t a good coach and manager. He has had the ability to continue the striving team of Pearson and the striker Vardy is the top scorer for the moment with 10 in 10! Mahrez also has been sparkling together with Vardy. Leicester continues to be a shiny light in the Premiership!

Manchester United has not under Van Gaal been playing wonderful attacking football. They have used a tiny fortune on players. Angel Di Maria is still gone even if he was record buying. Is Luke Shaw still there? Martial has been great gamble and maybe saved a lot of points. De Gea staying has been a great thing for the club and a loss for Real Madrid. Because with Romero you could see he was weaker. Still not feeling that the club has an edge in the game or should I say trying to prove a stable attacking or defensive play. Wonder when they find their way and will be the Champions League team who wins more with a force, not “rare luck”.

Slaven Billic has taken over for Sam Allerdyce in West Ham before the start of the campaign. West Ham expects attacking fun play and Allerdyce isn’t that type, though Allerdyce is not like Pulis, still more stable defense play! Billic has proven to be fresh air and giving the players free speed. Kouyate, Obiang, Lanzini, Payet, Sakho, Moses, Valencia and Zarate is proving that this team can play wonderful football. Payet and Kouyate can play around with great defenses. West Ham has already won over Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal this campaign. They are in the top four and if they stay here it will be a giant surprise and guilt trip for many of the smaller clubs compared to the usual suspects. If they survive the hard December program will tell!

Arsene Wenger and Arsenal can be often in a great state and play Playstation football. They have been amazing and been played with more caution, even gotten a stable goalkeeper in Peter Cech. That even Mourinho wouldn’t want to sell before the campaign. The weakness is still in the defense, though Monreal, Bellerin and Coquelin has grown in their defensive rolls. I have faith that Arsenal can be a title chaser until the end, but hope that it doesn’t fall apart as it has done around Christmas and then picking up just in time to reach Champions League spot. Arsenal has a magnificent mid-field with Ozil, Sanchez, Ramsey. Carzola, Flamini, Wilshere, Rosicky and Arteta! So they should have enough good choices in the mid-field, at strikers it’s usually either Giroud or Walcott, and the Costa Rican Campell. Arsenal can bring it in, just not lose it.

Manchester City is leading the league for the moment after having a draw with their arch rival United in the last league match. The team has played well with the new mid-fielders like De Bruyne, Sterling and Delph. Delph has though not been pivotal at all, Sterling and De Bruyne has giving the team pace. Together with Silva and Navas has giving the edge to strikers of Bony and Aguero. It seems like a good thing by the club to keep Pellegini as the manager. Keeping the staff and adding to already solid team with Kompany, Zabaleta and Yaya Toure. City has enough if they are all firing to become the title winners this campaign. Though the stability and winning over “lesser-teams” away like losing to Stoke is not good enough if they want to achieve the title again, depending on how they keep it steady, if they are steady even without Aguero who might be the best striker in the league, then they have the ability to win it!

Well, what will really happen? Will Pardew get Crystal Palace into the top six this year? Will Mark Hughes get his mid-field firing? Swansea will continue to thriving as last season? Slaven Billic will he manage to keep West Ham winning over the Christmas season, because Allerdyce did not manage that! Allerdyce will he be able like his predecessors to save Sunderland yet another campaign? Has Steve McClaren the quality of the team and the mentality to save Newcastle? Aston Villa has been falling of grace long before Tim Sherwood entering the club; will the new man of the club have the capacity to save it?

Will Watford, Bournemouth and Norwich keep it up, even if Norwich is starting to look like they did in the last season in the Premier League when they had 7-8 matches without victories, remember last time they  they went down? What will happen to Southampton, mid table or actually able to crack into Europe again?

Has Klopp the aura to get the Liverpool club back into Europe or will that be a longer run? Will Pochettino get fired for not getting the club high enough this campaign? How long can Mourinho keep his calm and how long will Abramovich tolerate the negative campaign and results before firing him for the second time?

I could go and on. But there been an interesting start of the season and hope it will continue. The best of luck and hope you also will enjoy the Premier League as much as I do. Peace.

Reference:

Chelsea FC – ‘Match report: Manchester City 3 Chelsea 0’ (16.08.2015) link: http://www.chelseafc.com/news/latest-news/2015/08/match-report–manchester-city-v-chelsea-.html

 

Premier League 2013/2014: My review!

There many out there, but this is mine. How I have seen this season and my thoughts on the madness called Barclay’s Premier League with all its magic and thunder! I will do every team with max 5 sentences which entails the thoughts I have about it and after how it ended first to last.

 

 

Number one: Manchester City

With Pellegrini in charge, the one manager who hasn’t won a title in Europe wasn’t supposed to surpass the former manager Mancini. The team won the League Cup over Sunderland in 2^nd of March. They were having fewer matches and never really on the top, Pellegrini also had a tough spell on the away matches in the start of the season. Nevertheless, with a world-class squad which got better with the players as Negredo, Fernandinho, Jovetic and Demichelis. With a 102 scored goals, controlled play where they achieved victory even with a mismatch’s in the start of the season, then also the important loss at 13. April 2014 this ended 3-2 to Liverpool.

Number two: Liverpool

Brendan Rodgers team which seemed weak compared to other title runner in the Premiership. Getting Sterling, Sturridge and Suarez playing world-class attacking football and at the same time having Henderson to be engine together with the general Gerrard in the midfield of the team. The weakness of the defense with the players who wasn’t up to par with the rest of the Premiership: Kolo Toure, Skretel and Cissokho they got a second place, but also let in 50 goals and scored the magnificent 101! On the 8^th February 20 minutes of top class destruction of Arsenal 4-0 and the match ended 5-1, also with the highest class of attacking football of the league this campaign.

Number three: Chelsea

Jose Mourinho in charge of the greatness and succession, Jose became the happy one this time around. A team who is so great that they has no need for the player of the year for two seasons Juan Mata and got Hazard/Willian/Shurrle to play awesome. Mourinho called Wenger a manager of failure, karma hit him and he got not a cup title, league nor further then semi-final in the Champions League. Wonder if Eto’o, Ba and Torres is sure not happy about the happy one, not even Lukaku will return to Stamford Bridge, sure some of the other will leave as well in the next transfer window. I am sure Chelsea will go after Diego Costa and others to secure a title next year.

Number four: Arsenal

Wenger has gotten the team to Champions League yet again. Today they secured the FA Cup with a 3-2 victory over Hull City. The thing missing was a new striker to be a favored guy besides Giroud – Bendtner is the cloth for the Premiership. ὂzil came from Spanish football and his vision made a difference together with fast moving mid-field and the rise of Ramsey made matches like 19^th October 2013 Arsenal – Norwich showed class an won 4-1. Looking like contenders before the injuries of Walcott and Ramsey hurt the campaign. Congrats Wenger!

Number five: Everton

Roberto Martinez took over the team after a David Moyes who run the club for 10 years. The team loaned Garth Barry (Manchester City) and Roman Lukaku (Chelsea) they both played important roles for the successful campaign, also Stones and Barkley made great progress an did well considering it all. Everton played better then under Moyes and he made his promise making Everton end over Manchester United, though the well-structured defense with Baines, Jagielka and Distin is maybe the best in the league. Martinez did a fantastic job, enough said!!! The losses in the end of season were the reason why the team didn’t beat Arsenal for the last spot to Champions League.

Number sixth: Tottenham

Andre Villas-Boas (AVB) started as manager after the sale of Gareth Bale to Real Madrid during the summer bought a new squad for 100 million £. The team played so insane at times, the defense was so unorganized that it could have been a team who deserved to be in the drop zone. The chairman cut the cord and hired Tim Sherwood, the lead to Adebayor to settle again in grace and leaving the new guy Soldado to the bricks. The match losses to Liverpool (0-6, 0-5), Manchester City (1-5, 0-6) and Chelsea (0-4), the surprise in this campaign was win over Manchester United at Old Traffod 2-1. Daniel Levy is now shopping his tenth manager for the mighty Spurs, the question is who is next to be axed by Levy?

Number seven: Manchester United

Old Trafford wasn’t the same, the team wasn’t the same, the transfer windows wasn’t the same, nothing was the same Alex Ferguson retired, but David Moyes was the chosen one! Fellaini and Mata was the signings, one magnificent the other one tragic! Old Trafford became a place not to fear anymore; even Swansea beat them there in the FA Cup! Manchester United played with possession for no reason no tiki-taka Barcelona, but the play from 16^th meter yard back to the goalie is a total waste of time and talent! The sacking of Moyes had to come, the one who takes over has to buy a new defense and get them to play attacking football again!

Number eight: Southampton

Pochettino the Argentinian who took the team to new heights with using youth players regularly like Shaw, Clyne, Ward-Prowse, Cork, Chambers and Gallagher! The rise of Lallana and Rodriguez is also astonishing, so well playing is the team that players is now in the zone being sold for a tiny fortune. Pochettino is also on the way to Spurs if he doesn’t get assurance of the mission of a building an amazing squad. Southampton has had an amazing season and can be proud!

Number nine: Stoke

Mark Hughes has taken over after Tony Pulis, because the club wanted to play in more attractive way then long-passes to Kenwyne Jones which got exchange for Odiemwingie and also Assidi (On loan from Liverpool). Adam a former Liverpool player either tackled the opponents, If not he played diligently and proved his place in the team. Stoke did not score a lot of goals, but they did get points and play more possession based as wished by both the fans and board. Stoke made a top ten position something Tony Pulis never achieved, big props to Hughes and his ways with nearly the same players change it and made a great difference.

Number ten: Newcastle

The team under Pardew before Christmas was a team looking like a stellar top six. After Christmas without Cabaye they lost nearly everything except the Cardiff match on 3^rd of May where they won 3-0 and even when Pardew Glasgow-kissed Hull City player Meyler they won 4-1 at KC Stadium and got a 7 games ban. The also fallout of Ben Arfa who would have been the best player since the sale of Cabaye, but didn’t play squat in the end of the season! NeuCastle didn’t become the stellar candidate and gotten all the way Europe, they got the top ten, but not in a way that made the fans see with pride. So even if they get some new singings and end the loans of Loic Remy (QPR) and Luuk De Jong (Boruissa Møchengladback), need a new striker and a creative midfielder. The defense needs also new energy since Taylor and Coluccini is rumored to be out and has also been out of form.

Number eleven: Crystal Palace

Getting up from Championship and started badly in the premiership with Ian Holloway in charge. They lost 7 matches and won 1 in mid-October was at 19^th place. The board didn’t see any structure in the play and hired Tony Pulis, he cleared the squad which was added with 16 new players before the campaign. Pulis in his window got Ledley (Celtic), Dann (Blackburn) and loaned Tom Ince (Blackpool), they all played to part except for Ince. The Palace team got to be a well-structured defense and a team who not only won matches, but surprised Chelsea (1-0) and Liverpool (3-3) which made a difference for the title race, congrats Pulis!

Number twelve: Swansea

A team which played in Euro-League with a limited squad wasn’t up to part in the league at the same time. Michu injured much of the time, but the signing of Wilfried Bony was a great striker who had class both with speed and cold finisher in the box. Michael Laudrup got fired for having too lenient with the squad and except for beating Manchester United at Old Trafford in the League Cup, he didn’t play up to level of last year. Therefore Swansea hired the player Gary Monk to be the intermit manager for the rest of the season and salvage it. The swans picked up the pace and played more than just possession based tiki-taka play, but also win matches.

Number thirteen: West Ham

Sam Allardyce has secured the London team without any issues kept them out the relegation zone. The team didn’t play a fantastic way, Rat was a mistake, Ravel Morrison never got into the team and headed back to QPR. The need for Andy Carroll, Kevin Nolan, Mark Nobel and Downing was showed this year! Hammers didn’t have a real hammer time, but made it well enough and beat Tottenham 3 times this year! The fans are just worried for the slow pace and play of the team when they need more speed and technic to fill the new Olympic stadium in a few year.

Number fourth-teen: Sunderland

A team that was seen as a dead fish in the water with Di Canio in charge and all the new singnings who didn’t show up at any level in the start of the campaign. It got so bad that they hired Gus Poyet to achieve a miracle ending and he did deliver, he got the team to League Cup final where they lost and saved the team from relegation. They had amazing results over 2-1 over Chelsea in April, victory at Old Trafford 1-0 over Manchester United and 2-0 over WBA. Victories that saved the team and the Black Cats, also the run of Wickham in the end of the season was figure that scored the important goals. Poyet made a miracle happen!

Number fifth-teen: Aston Villa

Ricky Lambert former Norwich manager was supposed to make a difference in the team with the new low budgets. Last year the team got saved by Benteke, this year Delp and whatshisname. Back home they played like it was dangerous and havoc place where they would be lost sheep. Whatshisname is Agboniahor and Westwood made sometimes the games interesting, rest of the time played very badly and a reason why they lost 20 matches. If Lambert keeps the job, he has to create magic next year!

Number sixth-teen: Hull City

The team that got promoted last year with Steve Bruce was doomed from the get go. Defense and attacking was made in a way to fit his opponents, either 5 in defense or 3 depending on how it would affect his play. Also the play with two strikers Sagbo and Boyd, the midfielders of Livermore (on-loan from Tottenham) and buying of Huddlestone (Tottenham) made the difference, in the January transfer-window getting Jelavic (Everton) and Long (WBA). Even with the late defeat in the FA Cup against Arsenal, Steve Bruce has achieved something great with this campaign! Salute to Brucey!

Number seventh-teen: West Bromwich Albion

The Birmingham club has delivered reasonable results during recent years, this year it fall a bit apart with the losing strikers like Odiemwingie, Lukuku and Long. Steven Clark got new players but none of them could match the former strikers this was Berahino and Anichebe couldn’t deliver the same kind of force. So Clark had to go and they hired Pepe Mel! The Spaniard didn’t change much and they just made enough ruckus and points to secure the positions and some strange pre-match interviews… Under Clark they one on Old Trafford though 2-1.

Number eight-teen: Norwich

The big buying hoopla with getting Ricky Van Wolfesvinkel and Gary Hooper, Hooper got injured and didn’t fit for the season; Van Wolfesvinkel was the greatest flop of this season. The amazing and great Chris Hughton got fired right before the end of the season when there was no return, and the team didn’t change anything. They had a terrifying end of it all with high end stakes matches and also losing with those close on the table. Neil Adams didn’t make a difference. Alexander Tettey had the goal of the year for this team, but it didn’t save them from the awful relegation and championship to come!

Number nine-teen: Fulham

This year Mohamed Al Fayed got sold to Shahid Khan, first manager of the year was Martin Jol who didn’t make a cut this start of the season, second manager Rene Meulensteen got 75 days, then then the unlucky funny looking German manager Felix Magath got hired to save the team from relegation. Lewis Holtby (on loan from Tottenham), the defender Johnny Heitinga(who wasn’t a worth the free transfer), Kvist, Dempsey(on loan from Seattle Sounders) and the striker Kostantinos Mitroglou (Olympiacos Piraeus) who didn’t even play and he was supposed to be the one take the spot after Berbatov(went to Monaco). Losing 6-0 at KC Stadium with Hull City in 28^th December 2013, then also losing 5-0 against Manchester City at Ethiad Stadium in 22th March 2014 and was March the only points winning over Newcastle 1-0. So there was no question if they we’re going down, there was never plan in the play and without Hangeland in the middle of defense and also weakness in the midfield play were horrible even with some greatness of Sidwell and Dejagah. So bye bye and good luck in the championship!

Number twenty: Cardiff City

The welsh team that went up from the championship with Matt Malkay who tried to defensive and secure the tenure in the premiership they we’re on safe ground the owner Tan couldn’t handle his ways! So he fired Malkay who got Caulker, Bellemy, Mutch, Noone and sure got Marshall there! Ole Gunnar Solskjær got hired and didn’t make a change. First playing aggressive and possession based while just being over the relegation zone. The players bought in January weren’t making much except for Dæhli the talent who nobody expected. The loaned players like Zaha and so on didn’t make a change and Kenwyn Jones(Stoke) didn’t do anything, so Cardiff deserved to go down, good luck in the championship in the red color whose supposed blue!

Peace!

Money and Madness!

In a day where we saw the monster of money winning its second title at Ethiad Stadium. It’s more stories of money and power brewing in the world. We have Dr. Dre and Jimmy Lovine’s company of Beat Elecontrics apparently sold to Apple Inc for a blistering 3,2 billion dollars and making the mighty doctor the first Hip Hop billionaire! Somewhere is Jay Z and Diddy (Puff Daddy aka P.Diddy aka Sean Combs) crying or wondering why they didn’t start selling lavish headphones.

I could have discussed the matters of Fiancial Fair Play of UEFA and their so called fine on Manchester City. In that same matter I could been discussing the issues of Sepp Blatter asking or nodding his head towards the headboard and complying for a new term as leader of the governing football establishment FIFA. No, I am not talking about either. The fall of United and Moyes ousting is not worth mention, though the proposed new signings and use of money will make the Glazers a bit unhappy in New York. At the same time not discussing the power of Roman in Chelsea where Diego Costa supposed to be at next season.

No I will talk about something which isn’t about money madness of the Premier League or Champions League, even if one of that competitions is over, the other one has yet a final to be held the 24^th of May at Lisbon. But, still I can tell that is not where my mind is. Not even the flabbergasting last night show called Eurovision. Where the Hungary should have won since that was the best song in my opinion… However, the theme of the song wasn’t really Eurovision like, which was more the San Marino, UK or Swedes. Secondly after reading both national and international press – seems like the Poles and their breast got votes from drunk European men on the continent. Even though the national Eurovision councils and voting agents gave points to the half-man half-woman, That made the half and half a winner, though the rise of the phoenix (by some reports in the international press: the penis) would get the nod of and actually win in the shin ding in Copenhagen. Russia and Ukraine showed their true hearts to each other, then the usual 8, 10 or 12 points to each other.

It’s here the money and madness will be discussed. Referendum votes in the regions of Luhansk and Donetsk regions happen today, and those who voted, is reported to vote for separation from Kiev and the Ukraine state. Something that isn’t surprising for anybody. Vladimir Putin has just recently been in the new region of Crimea. Which for a few months ago was a piece of the federation of Ukraine and had a military and navy base rented to Russia so they had a well, and Ice free navy base, because the ones on the Kola Peninsula isn’t open for a few months of the year. So they need that to have a secure one all year around. Putin just secured the needed base and now own the area. No matter what Europe does or thinks. It’s doesn’t hit him, because well, the sanctions they have showed to the Russian leaders is scrap metal and dozen loads of waste of time and orders.

When Europe is still in the verge of economic recovery and need the big spenders of oligarch money. London and the City would be hurting like a baby who lost their lollipop and then the baby would cry. The Russian gas and money is so needed. Like Manchester City would be lost in the wildness without the Dubai Oil money.

The way it looks like for me. EU and USA is having their hands tied. They have the powers in their hands, but their washing their hands and at the same time trying to make their hands dirty. That is wretched tale that the beard of the recent winner of Eurovision wouldn’t even cut off.

We are here in situation where Russia and Putin has the upper hand and is carving up new territory for the federation. In Ukraine is there it has been mighty and important battles for Russia. It’s a saying: When Kiev sneezes Moscow get a cough. So after the fall of Yanukovych the friend and former president of Ukraine who himself ran to Putin’s Russia. It’s the actions of the former government and the fall of the weak institutions of Ukraine that is unleashing the opportunities of the separatist in Luhansk and Donetsk. These elections are not legally correct after the 92 constitution of Ukraine. So even if the turnout is massive and by expected reports are all for the mighty mother Russia. My bad it’s for independence from the Nazis of Kiev and the democratic European loving rebels of Ukraine. Which is the bad seed if you listening to the rhetoric of the Russian media and master Putin.

We all know there are other actors and other carrots at stake. The dancing Slavic poles from yesterday even know that. Ukraine and the main in the hamster-wheel know that. The interim government in Kiev knows that Moscow knows this. Even if them all is saying something else. And nobody is telling anybody what the else is. We all know that this is for the long term and securing ruling and master of their own backyard. Putin is having the upper hand. Ukraine has the weak but halting support from the rest of the world. Sadly like Goodluck Johnatan has from the rest of the world in finding the 200 missing schoolgirls who is nowhere to be found so USA and UK are sending hostage specialist to help the Nigerians and their effort to find them. Also the rumors of sending them over to the border to Cameroon and sell them. Sounds just like what a group of men who bombs public areas all over Nigeria could do.

The same helplessness must the interim government of Ukraine feel. They haven’t a single shot to go with full force against Russia. It will be run so hard over that the roadrunner would smack their ass before the first bullet gets to say “hello”.

While Putin and Russia can play cool and see the pawns move. Piece by piece getting all bicycles and town of certain parts of Ukraine, if not the whole thing – why not? He has already had one slice, why not the whole pizza and that to go? Please!

So what is next? The money and the madness is already action. The kings has set up shop and playing their pawns. The next move will be interesting but if he is not swallowing the areas of Luhansk and Donetsk. They can either become annexed like Crimea or they will have the stories of the Abkazia(Georgia), Transnistrina(Moldavia) and the Nagoro-Karabhk(Azerbaijan) republics.

What do you think, will the EU and USA really react like grown men or crybabies to the actions of Russia? Will Russia take more territories in their backyard, since they haven’t really paid much for Crimea? What is the next move from either party now that Manchester City, the Poles have washed cloths on stage and Putin has taken a ride in the new Russian territory? Will Obama have another fascinating anecdote in a speech about the rich Russian culture or will he send a transformers -car to Moscow?

Peace!