All posts by h79snht.top

A long time ago (last weekend), in a galaxy far far away (to be more specific, Germany), it was time for the underachievers to strike back. For on “Surprise Saturday,” five of the seven games went against the grain. Now as in any epic, there were protagonists in this weekend’s action – Hertha Berlin, Leverkusen and Freiburg all have different reasons as to why they can be defined as underachievers.

Hertha had a bright start to the season but have faded badly since the departure of Markus Babbel whilst Bayer Leverkusen haven’t managed an assault on the title race despite finishing second last season. Their current coach Robin Dutt led Freiburg into the top half in 2011 but they’ve been languishing ever since his departure – until Saturday that is.

Schalke were looking to banish memories of their defeat at the Allianz Arena. Instead, they were caught cold by Freiburg, finally starting to show signs of life after a miserable spell with Marcus Sorg in the first half of the season. January signing Sebastian Freis netted the first before Daniel Caligiuri slotted a penalty meaning Christian Streich’s side took all three points despite a late consolation from Teemu Pukki.

Even the most resilient Schalke fan will admit any title chances they did harbour have faded after two poor performances on the road. However, Freiburg will be delighted to move off the bottom for only the second time in 2012. It was a good weekend also for their former manager, Robin Dutt.

He welcomed a Bayern Munich team which have been floundering away from home. They were wasteful in front of goal yet again and a mistake from Manuel Neuer allowed Stephen Kiessling to give the home side the lead with ten minutes to play. The victory was sealed in a sweeping counter attack where Karim Bellarabi applied the finishing touch, ensuring in the process that Leverkusen edge closer to Schalke in fourth.

As for Bayern Munich, their title chances are fading quickly as they continue to lose ground on Borussia Dortmund and it’s bizarre to think the only team to win at the runaway leaders this season are Hertha Berlin.

They finally won a game on Saturday, having lost every previous encounter in 2012. Nikita Rukavytsya scored the winner with a mishit half volley looping over Werder Bremen’s Tim Wiese. Coach Otto Rehhagel didn’t mind and neither did the rest of the Olympiastadion who witnessed Hertha’s first Bundesliga goal in just over a month. It meant back-to-back defeats for Werder, the team who Rehhagel led to the Bundesliga back in 1988 and 1993.

The team on course to lift the Bundesliga title this season is Borussia Dortmund. BVB edged out a plucky Mainz side 2-1 at Signal Iduna Park to extend the gap at the top to seven points. It was a sensational weekend for the Champions with their victory and defeat for the three teams trailing them.

However, credit must go to Hertha Berlin, Bayer Leverkusen and Freiburg. The trio have created a platform to build from in their remaining ten games. It wouldn’t be surprising if Leverkusen were to sneak into the Champions League places whilst it’s hard to see both Freiburg and Hertha surviving the drop. Nevertheless, on what could well prove to be a seminal weekend in the Bundesliga, may the force be with the underachievers.

For more on the Bundesliga, follow @arhindtutt

Matchday 24 Results:

Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 Bayern Munich

Freiburg 2-1 Schalke

Hamburg 0-4 Stuttgart

Hannover 2-2 Augsburg

Hertha Berlin 1-0 Werder Bremen

Kaiserslautern 0-0 Wolfsburg

Borussia Dortmund 2-1 Mainz

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Nuremberg 1-0 Gladbach

Hoffenheim 1-1 Cologne

Bundesliga Table:

Rank

Club

Matches

W*

D*

L*

G*

GD*

PTS*

1

Borussia Dortmund

24

17

4

3

52:16

+36

55

CL*

2

FC Bayern Munich

24

15

3

6

51:16

+35

48

CL*

3

Borussia Mönchengladbach

24

14

5

5

37:15

+22

47

CL*

4

FC Schalke 04

24

14

2

8

51:32

+19

44

CL* Qual.

5

Bayer 04 Leverkusen

24

11

7

6

36:29

+7

40

EL* Qual.

6

SV Werder Bremen

24

10

6

8

37:38

-1

36

EL* Qual.

7

Hannover 96

24

8

11

5

30:32

-2

35

8

VfB Stuttgart

24

9

5

10

41:33

+8

32

9

1. FC Nuremberg

24

9

4

11

23:32

-9

31

10

1899 Hoffenheim

24

7

9

8

27:28

-1

30

11

VfL Wolfsburg

24

8

4

12

28:44

-16

28

12

1. FSV Mainz 05

24

6

9

9

35:38

-3

27

13

Hamburger SV

24

6

9

9

28:42

-14

27

14

1. FC Köln

24

7

4

13

31:46

-15

25

15

Hertha BSC Berlin

24

5

8

11

26:40

-14

23

16

FC Augsburg

24

4

10

10

25:39

-14

22

Play-offs

17

SC Freiburg

24

5

6

13

30:52

-22

21

Relegation

18

1. FC Kaiserslautern

24

3

10

11

16:32

-16

19

Relegation

Table from Official Bundesliga Website

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Another eventful week at Sixfields, players told their contracts will not be renewed, the last home game of season 2011/12 and the usual award ceremony’s on the pitch beforehand.

First things first, six players were told this week that will not be having their contracts renewed. Aidy Boothroyd has said he likes to let them know well in advance so they have time to find themselves a new club which is fair if you ask me, a lot of managers let their contracts run right down and tell them at the end of May leaving little to time before the new season to get their names out there.

The first duo to be told that they would not be having an extended season at Sixfields were Jason Crowe and Ryan Gilligan.

Crowe was re-signed by Gary Johnson before the FA Cup 1st round tie at Luton which was Johnson’s last game in charge, Crowe just didn’t seem to have what he had when he played for us first time round before his move to Leeds United, he seemed to be caught out of position easily and he has lost a lot of pace which meant he struggled against against fast wide men he also has not really had much of a look in since Boothroyd took over so the writing was on the wall.

Ryan Gilligan joined us from Watford and did well in his first few seasons but he has just seemed to go off the boil in the last few years through lack of form and injuries. I am sure Ryan will do well for a club in the Blue Square next year and who knows maybe he will come back to haunt us in a few years time.

The second duo to be told they were not having contracts renewed were Lewis Young and Nathanial Wedderburn.

Lewis has not had the best of seasons at the club. He has the pace but no strength on the ball and tries to do a little to much when taking on his man. He often struggles to find that killer ball into the box but he is still young and still has a lot to learn so again it would not surprise me if he turns up at Sixfields on an opposing team in a few years time.

Wedders has been unlucky in my opinion he has been injured for most of the season and only made his first start against Crawley a couple of games ago, he has great vision when passing the ball but i think mobility could be the issue here and that’s probably why he has been released.

The final pairing shown the door are Freddy Hall and Andy Holt.

Freddy always did quite well when he got on for a game but his days at the club were numbered when Shane Higgs got injured and ADB went for loan cover rather than Freddy. He can be a little suspect on crosses but good luck to him and I hope he finds a new club quickly. Which brings me to Andy Holt who has been with the club for the last six years and what a servant he has been. The man wears his heart on his sleeve and gives 100% every game. In my eyes the reason he been released is due the fact his legs have gone at this level but he departs as a club legend at Sixfields.

On to the Gillingham game and they were still in with a distance shout of making the playoffs while for the Cobblers it was something of a run out for players looking to earn a contract for next season.

ADB made a couple of changes Lewis Wilson came in up front for his full debut and Anthony Charles was at centre back.

The game kick-off with Gillingham appearing quite slow out of the blocks and to be fair I think we dominated proceedings in the first half.  Player of the Year Michael Jacobs had the first chance of the match as his shot from distance flew just goes over the bar.

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The Gills have the next opportunity as Charlie Lee heads just over the bar when he should have hit the net. Jacobs then hit the post and Wilson smacked the rebound just wide. Then on 40 minutes Northampton make the breakthrough as on his full debut Lewis Wilson get his debut goal from close range after good wing play from Toni Silva. Soon after the break Giilingham equalised after a defensive mix-up which Kuffour took full advantage of.

The rest of the game was quite scrappy with both teams creating chances but none clear cut. Gillingham tried to pile the pressure on in the last six minutes but to no avail and all in all a draw was a fair result as we consigned Gillingham to another season of League Two football. A draw was a fair result from where I was watching and as usual with the last game of the season the final whistle was blown and a pitch invasion commences.

All in all it was an good way to finish this season at Sixfields and now I am looking forward to a better campaign next year where I expect to see some better home form as Boothroyd asserts his authority at the club.

Up The Cobblers

There is an ominous tower looming on the horizon of Europe’s footballing future. There a whispers about its implications, but few are yet to fully comprehend the vastness of the impact it will have upon them. Among these pilgrims, trudging towards a structure that grows increasingly larger, are Manchester United owners the Glazer Family, Sheikh Mansour, Roman Abramovich and other Premier League club owners. As they move closer the wealthy executives spot Michel Platini at its summit, scrutinising a number of documents. The president of UEFA is comparing their finances with the rules of the UEFA Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations and if their club is in the red, they will not be allowed to progress to European competition. Soon the full force of this will be felt across England and it could well change the landscape of the national game in coming years, as well as seeing a shift of power across the continent to Germany.

With the FFP rules continuing to clamp down on European clubs they will no longer be allowed to spend more than they receive in income. Therefore expenditure cannot exceed football-related earnings including TV rights, gate receipts, competition prize money and sponsorship. Currently, teams are allowed to register losses but the limits to these are being reduced with the aim of having every club break even. If any team fails to meet these standards, they could face expulsion from European competition as of the 2014-15 season.

These laws will stop owners from dragging the club out of trouble with their own personal wealth. Abramovich and the like will no longer be able to keep their clubs afloat out of their own pocket, an aspect of the game that Bayern Munich owner Uli Hoeness has been extremely critical about. He told The Mirror.

“The oil mafia takes money out of my pocket to invest it in footballers. For me this stinks to high heaven and I include Mr Abramovich in all this. If Bayern win it [the Champions League final], we will make around £20million. That is what the game is all about: sporting success based on sound economic sense. When the financial fair play rules come in it will be a golden era for Germany’s clubs.”

His claims are not unfounded. The Bundesliga already operates in an FFP environment, with the majority of clubs breaking even. With a large proportion of top-tier German sides also owned largely by the fans, it makes cash injections from wealthy owners almost impossible, reducing the risk of overspending. Large stadiums are regularly sold out, making it the league with the highest average attendance across the continent. FFP has by no means sacrificed the quality and competitiveness of the competition which recently overtook Italy in the UEFA coefficients rankings, earning it an extra qualifying spot in the continent’s premier club competition.

Indeed, the Bavarian club are an ideal example of a how to economically manage off the field. Their consistent growth in revenue has enabled the club to continue spending responsibly and continue to challenge for major honours. This Saturday will provide their second Champions League final in just three seasons.

Other German outfits such as Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04 have seen their stature in the game improve in recent years. Domestic triumphs for BVB have raised revenues whilst the Gelsenkirchen club reached the semi-final stage of the previous Champions League. The proof is there to be seen that you can be self-sufficient and remain competitive. You do not need to spend big in order to win big.

England may have the most representatives of any nation in the 2012 Deloitte Football Money League top 20 (Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool) but only the Gunners comply with FFP, though Tottenham could also be safe if they participate in next season Champions League. Failure to do so could mean the sale of key players such as Gareth Bale and Luka Modric in order to raise the revenue that is lost from no taking part in the tournament.

Of course, the only team that can deny them that now is Chelsea. Should the Blues win the showpiece finale this weekend, they will qualify for next season’s edition of the tournament. If they lose, decreased revenues the following season would push them further away from breaking even. Hence the recent interest in building a larger stadium on the current site of Battersea Power Station in order to drum up more income.

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This weekend’s Champions League final could have huge implications on the credibility of FFP. Should Chelsea win, they will continue to be successful despite glaring losses, enabling them to stay afloat. On the other hand it could prove Platini’s point, that clubs that look after their finances will reap the rewards on the pitch. English clubs would then need to strive for the Bundesliga model as German clubs have shown you can be financially prudent and still achieve success. The Premier League giants, along with certain La Liga clubs and Serie A outfits, could struggle to remain competitive during the transition. With other teams across the continent scaling back their expenditure there is every chance that the Bundesliga could continue in the ascendancy and become Europe’s strongest league.

Follow me on Twitter @thwebber

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With the incredible season coming to an end and promotion to League One secured at the first time of asking, Paolo Di Canio now has the job of putting together a squad that is capable of performing in League One and maybe even making a push for promotion. These are a few summer targets that I think could if the bill for the Robins next season:

Lee Holmes

The winger looks to be out of favour at Southampton and has impressed at the County Ground during his loan spell this season. Di Canio hast stated his desire to bring the winger to Swindon on a more permanent basis and I think securing his signature would be a great start to the summer recruitment. If he was snapped up I think he would be excellent signing for a League One side.

Jay McEveley

The left back, who was also on loan at the County Ground this season, has recently been released by Championship side Barnsley.  Di Canio has stated how he wants to keep the 27-year-old defender and he has admitted that if the Robins offered a contract he would take it and I for one would love for him to sign on a permanent deal.

John Bostock

The midfielder has been on loan from Tottenham this season and in the few chances he has had here he has proved just how good a player he is. Di Canio has used in two different positions and he has performed capably well in both of them. I’m not sure a permanent transfer would be likely given his high price tag but a season long loan could be a big possibility.

Eunan O’kane

The talented young Irish midfielder has already been linked with us this summer and according to some media outlets we have already made a bid for him. With a relatively cheap £200k release clause I am sure lots of clubs will be in for 21-year-old Torquay midfielder. He was recently part of the PFA League Two team of the year and his play is one that would fit in well at Swindon.

Jake Jervis

The Birmingham City striker had been on-loan at Swindon at the start of the campaign where he scored three times in eleven appearances before moving up a division to join Preston North End. If we could get him in the summer I would be very excited as he showed what he could bring to the side during his short time at the County Ground this term.

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There are many more names that have been mentioned with summer moves to Swindon but these are the players that I can see being part of the Di Canio’s revolution at the County Ground and I think they will all fit in well at Swindon Town back in League One.

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Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis has admitted that the club are eager to sign quality not quantity this summer, and has hailed the arrival of Lukas Podolski.

The Gunners finished third in the Premier League last term and are assured a place in the Champions League group stage, and as such the north London club are eager to strengthen.

“I think the good thing about this summer is that there is more certainty in terms of our Champions League position,” Gazidis told The Guardian.

“We have acted early to get the critical signing in Lukas Podolski. Our fans will be able to see him compete at the Euros and see what a very good player he is.

“The great thing about Lukas is that not only can he contribute goals, but he can also play in different positions so you get tremendous versatility and Arsenal class. He is technically a top-class player and that was a good early addition for us.

“The key for us is not the volume of signings we might make but that the signings we make add something to the squad. That is something Arsene Wenger thinks extremely carefully about and for all of the pressure he is placed under, he tends to make good decisions.

“We want to win major competitions. We want to win the Premier League. We want to compete to win the Champions League. That is our ambition. My message to our fans is that we are doing everything in our power to make sure that Arsenal can challenge for trophies next year.

“That is what this summer is about and that is what we are focused on for next year. We have a good team, we have a good young core of players and we need everybody involved to have belief so that we can push forward into next year and make a run at the Premier League trophy and for the Champions League. We believe we can do that,” he concluded.

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By Gareth McKnight

Manchester City, Tottenham and Arsenal are reportedly interested in signing Caen teenage striker M’Baye Niang.

The 17-year-old burst onto the Ligue 1 scene 18 months ago and has impressed with his physicality, movement off the ball and eye for goal.

His side were relegated from the French top flight last term, despite the youngster’s individual performances, and as such Caen will be willing to cash-in on their starlet should a sufficient bid be received.

Mirror Football have City as the frontrunners to sign the attacker, as Brian Marwood is believed to have invited the youngster to the Etihad Stadium for talks over a possible move.

However, The Daily Mail state the Tottenham have invited Niang to have a trial with them, and will make an offer should the forward suitably impress.

Arsenal have already had Niang training with them and as such Arsene Wenger now has a decision to make over whether or not to enter the bidding, with the player’s valuation thought to be in the £5-6 million mark.

Niang has represented France at under-16, 17 and 21 levels already despite his tender age.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Millwall have recently returned from a 3 game pre-season tour of Ireland from which they may have come home with 2 wins and a draw under their belts.

The Lions may also come home having filled one of the centre forward positions; a major concern before the trip; in the shape of Shaun Batt

After three good performances in Ireland, Batt has surely but himself in Kenny Jacketts’ mind for the upcoming season. Two goals in three games was a good return for the injury prone forward. Yes, they may have been against Longford Town, but goals are goals no matter where or how they are scored. Plus Batt would have been desperate to just score in a match since his horrific two year sidelining injury.

But the tour of Ireland did show one of the weaknesses that have now come into Batt’s play since the injury. Durability of a set period of games, three games in six days, and this proved too much for “BATTman’ as he limped off in the final game of the tour.

With the league calendar, especially in the final weeks of the season and around Christmas, being ever-so similar, three games in seven days, it could see Jackett picking and choosing which games for Batt to play in.

Despite the problem that may come about with durability over quick game periods, Jackett has describe Batt as “There are signs that he is getting back to the player we saw when he joined us from Peterborough,” which can only be positive for the team, and Batt himself.

I believe that Batt could prove to be a surprise player in the team this season. Since the injury, surprisingly he has got faster and a lot stronger. He is also huge so a big strong and fast player to play against, I wouldn’t fancy it. Batt is also a player who goes in 100% for every ball despite the previous injury he’s not carrying the stigma about getting injured again, a very good prospect.

The question is who would he play with?

Who knows if Darius Henderson will be at The Den come August, but I could see that as a good partnership due to Henderson power and prescience, epically in the air, this also added on with Batt’s blistering pace.

The obvious choice would be Andy Keogh as he will now be considered the Lions main strike point. But I see both Keogh and Batt as similar players, both “Real ‘Wall” type players – always chasing down lost causes and putting tackles in on the wing, whereas someone with Henderson’s positioning and style of play would suit Batt. Hendo upfront would leave Batt to chase when needed.

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Despite this it also looks likely that Jackett will dip into the loan market in order to add tooth the Lions attack, with Arsenal youngster and England U-19 international Benik Afobe looking like being Kenny Jacketts’ main striker target after keeping an interest in him since the beginning of last season. Less then three weeks until the first competitive game against Crawley in the Capital One Cup, anyone else counting down the days like me?

Would you play Shaun Batt upfront?

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The words common sense and Newcastle United don’t often go together. Certainly, the Toon Army have seen some interesting times at St James’s Park since the Premier League began, ranging from Kevin Keegan’s infamous rant about Sir Alex Ferguson to Mike Ashley’s beer swilling appearances in the home shirt of those who despise him so much. Things are looking up these days for the Magpies after Alan Pardew’s men mounted an assault on the Champions League last season with new signings Demba Ba, Yohan Cabaye and Papiss Cisse all excelling.

Transfers don’t always go that well on Tyneside, indeed there seems to be no shortage of names that makes any Newcastle fan cringe by simply remembering them. Considering the club attracts some of the most passionate and vocal fans in the league, they’ve been represented on the pitch by some appalling footballers. We revisit the past two decades of Newcastle history and put together the worst Newcastle United transfer XI since the Premier League began.

Click on Lionel Perez to unveil the XI

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Sunderland have accepted an offer from Fulham for left-back Kieran Richardson, according to Sky Sports.

The Cottagers are eager to add a new face or two to their squad before the transfer window closes at the end of the week, and have approached the Black Cats over the versatility player.

Martin O’Neill has confirmed that he has accepted an offer for the defender, who can also play on the left-wing, and that Richardson now will decide where he wants to play his football.

“A club has made an offer for him today and we, as a club, have accepted that, and it gives Kieran the opportunity to find out for himself,” the Northern Irish manager confessed.

“If it doesn’t materialise and he comes back, I’ll still be pleased, but it’s a position we might have to go and have a look at.”

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Richardson was not included in the Stadium of Light club’s Captial One Cup victory over Morecambe on Tuesday night.

By Gareth McKnight

Anton Ferdinand should be fit for Queens Park Rangers intense derby with Chelsea on Saturday.

After the court case this summer and with an impending FA charge against John Terry accusing Terry of racially abusing Ferdinand. It appears Ferdinand will be fit for a tense derby where everyone hopes the focus will remain on the football.

The 27 year old suffered a shoulder injury in QPR’s 3-1 defeat to Manchester City but is back in training and should be fit for Chelsea’s arrival on Saturday.

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Terry’s fitness is also uncertain, with Chelsea’s captain attempting to over-come an ankle injury which kept him out of England’s draw with Ukraine. Both players involvement will be met with much scrutiny as this is the first fixture since the incident between the two clubs’s where pre-match handshakes are mandatory. Other meetings between two clubs saw handshakes abandoned in advance due to fears any altercation could affect the impending court case.