Saturday, August 26, 2006

Nervy End, But First Win Of The Season

And Dirk Kuyt Looks* Good (*not his looks)


English Premiership

LIVERPOOL 2 - 1 WEST HAM

Scorers:
LIV - Agger (42min), Crouch (45min);
WHU - Zamora (12min);



What an exhilarating game, especially the last few minutes, there were heart stopping moments and Lee Bowyer's miss of the day made all the Liverpool fans heaved a collective sigh of relief. Again, Peter Crouch was on hand to help Liverpool get back on track for the Premiership title race after a rather disappointing 1-1 draw with Sheffield United last week. Today was made an even more special day as we celebrate the Spion Kop's 100th annivesary as well as the battle against the team that we've beaten less then 4 months ago in the FA Cup final. Liverpool were the better side for the game, but West Ham didn't make our lives easy with their fast pace attacks.

Again, West Ham took the lead through a weird goal by Bobby Zamora. He was aiming for a cross but instead, the ball floated into Reina's near post and he could all but push the ball into his own net. Yet again, we fell 1-0 behind with a freak goal.

But Liverpool stepped up the gear and Gerrard started running the show with his excellent range of passes as well as those late charges into the penalty area. Although West Ham invited pressure upon themselves and Liverpool were all over them, they still wasted loads of chances and players stilll looked a little rusty due to the national commitment as well as that long trip to Kiev midweek.

But the most unlikely person to come out with the equaliser, came out with a bang, literally, BANG!



What a strike from Danish centre-half, Daniel Agger. He joined Liverpool last season during the winter transfer window and his developement was hampered with his injury proness, but he showed everyone that he is capable of replacing the ageing Sami Hyypia in the near future. Solid at the back while scoring THAT kind of goal, just WOW from me.


It didn't take long before Liverpool scored the second with a move down the middle. Luis Garcia drifted in from his wide right position before threading a nice little through pass to Peter Crouch, who calmly took the ball past Carroll and sending the ball into a net with Gabbidon and Anton Ferdinand sliding in to cover. A wonderful finish from the ever-improving 'stickman'.

Everyone, including me, thought that there will be more goals to come during the second half, but it never came. The pace of the game became really fast as West Ham took a gamble and pushed their line further upwards instead of dropping deep and constantly being suffocated by Liverpool's wave after wave of attack.

Yossi Benayoun impressed me alot with his trickery as well as working really hard for the team. Liverpool meanwhile, gave Dirk Kuyt his debut at Anfield and he nearly scored on his first touch, smacking the ball hard but seeing it going just wide.

He continued to work really hard, tracking back and helping out in defence. Whereas he linked up well with Gerrard and Pennant and it's a good sign. Give him some more time to gel with the team and I'm quite sure he'll score in no time.

It was a nervy end, but Liverpool held on to the one goal lead and move up the table and overtaking Chelsea (yea, that's all I know). Hopefully, we'll build on this win and start to go on a roll. The next few games till Christmas will not be easy and we need to find feet fast.

Positives of course, Dirk Kuyt, Crouch and Bellamy doing really well. They didn't get the goals, but their work rate were commendable. Defence still looked a little shaky at times but Aurelio seemed to be getting more used to the English game as he continued to deputise Riise at left back.


Player Ratings:

Reina - 7 - At fault for that fluke, generally okay but not as steady as before.

Finnan - 8 - Defensively solid, provided width and worked really well with Pennant.

Agger - 8 - Superb goal, defensively alright. Neutralised Marlon Harewood.

Hyypia - 7 - Looked comfortable throughout.

Aurelio - 7 - Provided good balls, but gives away possesion too cheaply.

Pennant - 7 - Worked hard, tracked back and provided a few excellent crosses. Good movement.

Gerrard - 8 - Imposed the game from the middle, ran tirelessly and could've scored.

Alonso - 7 - Still looked a little off form. Passing still looked not up to his usual standard.

Luis Garcia - 7 - Generally poor game, albeit his nice through pass for Crouch for the second goal.

Crouch - 8 - Worked hard, chase after lost cause and scored an impressive goal.

Bellamy - 8 - He actually scored, but the referee thought he was offside. Anyway as usual, running around, making a nuisance and pretty unlucky.

Kuyt - 8 - Debut performance and he was pretty good. Hard working and blessed with a good foot. Could've scored.

Gonzalez - 7 - Tracked back and helped out Aurelio. Provided pace.


The Kop Centenary


A Hundred Years Of Red Hot Passion


Anfield prepares to celebrate 100 years of football's most famous stand. A mosaic wil be unviled before the game against West Ham to pay tribute to the enclosure that holds no equal in game.


My favorite Kop memory was when I bought tickets for my dad, brother and myself to the Olympiakos CL group stage in the 04/05 season. Liverpool had to win 3-1 in order to get though to the knockout stage after the visitors had grabbed the first goal. It was in the dying minutes of the game and Gerrard smashed in a thunder bolt. The Kop erupted and Gerrard ran to the corner where we were standing. I get cold shivers every time I hear Andy Gray commentating that vital goal… OH YOU BEAUTY!!!
Michael Dennan




In 2005 when Anderlecht visited Anfield, we were around 80 supporters from the Faroe Island that traveled down to Liverpool, many to watch our club for the first time. The trip was organized by the Liverpool Supporter Club Faroese Branch and they chartered a plane to fly directly from the Faroes to John Lennon airport. We ended up standing on the Kop for the whole match, singing along with the Kop and it was for all of us a heart warming experience that no one of us will ever forget.
Petur Olsen







They are unbelievable and it's a great feeling to know they are always behind us. I have said before they are our twelfth man and that is definitely the case.

"I remember when I first heard them singing my name and it gave me a very special feeling. The players know the fans will always be with them and that is fantastic for the confidence.

"Many of them also travel away of course and even last week we saw and heard our fans in Kiev. It can be difficult to go to different countries but our fans always come with us wherever we are playing."

Rafa Benitez


One day, I hope, I'll be able to stand on the Kop singing my throat dry and my heart out. Those special European nights like the one against Chelsea and Olympiakos will never be forgotten. The wall of noise they call it. The singing of 'You'll Never Walk Alone' sends chills down spines of the millions watching it at Anfield or even on the tele, the lovely rendition of Johnny Cash's 'Ring of Fire' and of course not fogetting the 'We won it 5 times' song.

Can they be the 12th man as Liverpool take on West Ham today? Hopefully.


For You Football Junkies Out There

Thanks for all your support and comments alright, very much appreciated. Anyway if you're just surfing around and wants some other football blogs to visit, then I can say there are LOADS out there. But since they're the 'supporter' here, then I shall let them have this small space as advertisement board!

Note: This are all professionally done football blogs!


Soccer Prime News: The name speaks for itself!


Into Brazillian samba football? Brazillian Futebol

Searching for ManYoo stuff? Old Trafford Pressbox

La Liga and Barca interest you more... Spanish Football & Sports

Football & Toy Collections: Fortress of Testicular Fortitude

And of course, fellow Liverpool fan's fantastic blog. Ladies, sex, everything! This Is Anfield


Of course this are just a few selected links. For more, do click around at the links on the left. Cheers!

Friday, August 25, 2006

I Present You....

The New Referee's Uniform??


Hahahahaha......although I love black, but seriously black for jersey makes you look retarded. *Still laughing at Chelsea vs Barcelona*


Should Ben Thatcher Be Jailed For This?



Mendes suffered a seizure and required oxygen before being taken to a local hospital after being struck in the face by Thatcher's forearm.

Although the 27-year-old has now been released, he will required medical and neurological supervision over the next week before he is cleared to play again

Hope that thug gets what he deserves. Come on, whoever's incharge, show some backbones and grow some balls, now is the time to at least ban this guy for 8 matches.

Champions League Group Stage Draw

IT'S CHELSEA AND BARCELONA AGAIN!!


After getting beaten by Boro, Chelsea's week got worst when they were drawn in last season Champions, Barcelona's group YET AGAIN! Hahaha I can't stop laughing and rubbing my eyes when I saw that! Yea anyway the 8 groups are out and I'm alright with the draw for Liverpool, albeit drawing with Galatasaray (sh*t!). Here are the groups and I'll give you analysis at the end of the post.

---GROUP A---

FC Barcelona (ESP)
Chelsea FC (ENG)
Werder Bremen (GER)
Levski Sofia (BUL)


---GROUP B---

Inter Milan (ITA)
Bayern Munich (GER)
Sporting Lisbon (POR)
Spartak Moscow (RUS)


---GROUP C---

LIVERPOOL FC (ENG)
PSV Eindhoven (HOL)
Girondins Bordeaux (FRA)
Galatasaray (TUR)


---GROUP D---

Valencia CF (ESP)
AS Roma (ITA)
Olympiakos (GRE)
Shaktar Donetsk (UKR)


---GROUP E---

Real Madrid (ESP)
Lyon (FRA)
Steaua Bucharesti (BUL)
Dynamo Kiev (UKR)


---GROUP F---

Manchester United (ENG)
Celtic FC (SCO)
Benfica (POR)
FC Copenhavn (DEN)


---GROUP G---

Arsenal FC (ENG)
FC Porto (POR)
CSKA Moscow (RUS)
Hamburger (GER)


---GROUP H---

AC Milan (ITA)
LOSC Lille (FRA)
AEK Athens (GRE)
Anderlecht (BEL)


Let's take a look at all this groups:

Group A: Haha, I still can't stop laughing! Well, maybe Chelsea will get their revenge this time round and give Barca a royal serving with their inclusion of 'Chavchenko' and B*llack. To me, it's the toughest group out there because Werder Bremen are certainly no pushovers especially with Klose and their candy-like jerseys!

Prediction: Barcelona, Chelsea, Werder Bremen, Levski;


Group B: Inter, the most over-rated club in recent times, will take on German giants Bayern. Sporting Lisbon and Spartak will provide some resistance, but I can't see the giant duo to miss out.

Prediction: Inter, Bayern, Sporting, Spartak;


Group C: Well, it's Liverpool's group and I'm gutted when we're drew with Galatasaray. You know how tough they are at their home ground, where their fans say 'Welcome to Hell!'. PSV will certainly be a tough side to beat while Bordeaux...I can't tell much. Shouldn't be a problem for Liverpool though.

Prediction: Liverpool, Galatasaray, PSV, Bordeaux;


Group D: Valencia and Roma wouldn't slip up I guess, a fairly easy group.

Prediction: Roma, Valencia, Olympiakos, Shaktar;


Group E: Real Madrid and Lyon AGAIN! Dynamo Kiev could provide some problem for the two giants but can't see them slipping up anyway.

Prediction: Real Madrid, Lyon, Dynamo Kiev, Steaua;


Group F: Battle of Britain ensues! Roy Keane going back to ManYoo anyone? To me, this is a pretty tricky group, with Benfica in it, they'll not gonna be pushovers and will provide challenge, especially for Manyoo, who will always remember Benfica for kicking them out of CL of last season.

Prediction: ManYoo, Benfica, Celtic, FC Copenhavn;


Group G: Arsenal will face the challenge of another Portugese club like ManYoo, but Arsenal's not an English club anyway (heh heh). Hamburg will be a tough opposition for them and will be a tight group in my opinion. 2005 UEFA Cup winners, CSKA Moscow will be another challenge as well!

Prediction: Arsenal, Hamburg, CSKA, Porto;


Group H: AC Milan should walk this group in my opinion. Maybe Lille will pose a few problems, but can't see them throwing it away after getting there with extra energy wasted.

Prediction: AC Milan, Lille, AEK, Anderlecht;


Thursday, August 24, 2006

Laugh At It While You Can!

English Premier League

Gameweek 2

Middlesbrough 2 -1 Chelsea
Blackburn 1 - 1 Everton
Charlton 0 - 3 Man Utd
Fulham 1 - 1 Bolton
Man City 0 - 0 Portsmouth


Haha, Chelsea lost to Boro YET again and maybe you can't help but laugh. ManYoo continue to steamroll past all the relegation candidates and will be facing Watford this Saturday. The rest..are just draws...Can't wait for the weekends then!

Premiership Table

Team------------Played---------Points
1. ManYoo ---------2--------6pts
2. Portsmouth ------2--------4pts
3. West Ham --------2--------4pts
4. Bolton ------------2--------4pts
5. Aston Villa -------2---------4pts
6. Everton ----------2--------4pts
7. Chelsea -----------2--------3pts
8. Newcastle --------2--------3pts
9.Boro --------------2--------3pts
10. Reading ---------2--------3pts
11. Tottenham ------2--------3pts
12. Arsenal----------1--------1pt
13. Liverpool ------1--------1pt
14. Watford ---------2--------1pt
15. Sheff Utd --------2--------1pt
16. Blackburn -------2--------1pt
17. ManCity ---------2--------1pt
18. Fulham ----------2--------1pt
19. Wigan ------------1-------0pt
20. Charlton ---------2-------0pt


F365's Farewell & Thanks For Bugger All

They Screwed Up. But Left, Thankfully


From F365:


JEAN-ALAIN BOUMSONG (Newcastle)

So bad he made Titf**k Bumble look like Newcastle's class defender. And yet for some inexplicable reason Graeme Souness paid a very grateful Rangers £8m for a player available for absolutely zero English (or Scottish) pounds just six months before.

His decent games for Newcastle can be counted on the fingers of one of Jeremy Beadle's hands, while a Google search for 'Boumsong mistake' reaped 11,300 matches. He has been truly, truly rotten and yet has just clinched a move to Juventus for roughly £3m. Yes, that's just £5m lost in 18 months. Nice work, Souey. Anyone who ever thinks of giving that man another job should only need to hear the sentence 'Newcastle paid £8m for Jean-Alain Boumsong' to have a very swift u-turn.

Apparently his nickname is 'un, deux, trois...BOUMSONG'. We can only assume this refers to a count of brain cells.


MATHIEU BERSON (Aston Villa)

David O'Leary spent pretty much the whole of the summer of 2004 chasing a little-known French midfielder from Nantes in an on-off-on-off-on transfer that was finally completed in August for a fee of £1.9m. So of course O'Leary didn't bother playing him until December and then gave him only seven Premiership starts, citing the player's homesickness.

Last year Berson went to Auxerre on loan and was so impressive he was mentioned in depatches ahead of the naming of the French World Cup team, leading to some Villa fans campaigning for him to be named Supporters' Player Of The Year in the absence of any other real alternatives. Sadly, this did not happen.

Berson, of course, is so homesick for France that he has now agreed to join Spanish side Levante.


ASIER DEL HORNO (Chelski)

Clearly always (at best) a third-choice left-back target after Ashley Cole and Kakha Kaladze, the Spaniard cost Chelsea a massive £8m from Athletic Bilbao in the summer of 2005. There followed a title-winning season in which he was rarely popular with either fans or the manager, who often preferred to play William Gallas or even Paulo Ferreira out of position. Even before he got himself stupidly sent off against Barcelona.

"Del Horno has already shown his capacity but he needs to learn to be more ambitious and demanding with himself. He has a couple of months more to make a step forward as a professional, otherwise he will take a step back," said the boss, amid rumours that the Spaniard was a little fonder of the bright lights of London than applying himself in training.

Clearly, Senor Del Horno did not make the required step forward as he has since hotfooted it to Valencia for just £4.8m, Chelsea clearly willing to lose a little of Roman's pocket change to rid themselves of his poor attitude. He will surely be missed by no-one except Peter Stringfellow.


FACUNDO SAVA (Fulham)

'Who?' might be the cry from two-thirds of you who don't know he was a £2m signing for Fulham four years ago. But just a handful of you might be saying 'isn't that the bloke with the mask?' And by God, you'd be right.

Sava was an Argentine striker whose preferred goal celebration was to whip a Zorro-style mask out of his shorts and strap it to his face. Unfortunately for us, he neglected to bring the wolf masks that earned him the nickname of 'Wolfie' in his homeland. And unfortunately for him, he only managed to celebrate six goals in four years at Fulham.

Last season was spent on loan at Celta Vigo and this summer Sava was released by Fulham, who were happy to write off £2m of Harrods profits on 'Wolfie', who was last seen playing for Racing Club in Argentina. Reports do not confirm or deny his renewed use of a wolf mask.


BRUNO CHEYROU (Liverpool)

He was the 'new Zinedine Zidane' don't you know? And he was - in that he was French, quite tall and prematurely balding. In all other aspects he was more Zebedee than Zizou (though, to his credit, Bruno himself declared himself to be more Robert Pires than Zidane. Hmmm.)

Cheyrou arrived at Liverpool for £3.7m in the glorious summer of 2002 that also saw Gerard Houllier spend £5m on Salif Diao. Four years later he's left for Rennes for pennies after 17 Premiership starts (17 underwhelming Premiership starts at that) and two season-long loan spells back in France with Marseilles and Bordeaux.

It could have been worse, we suppose - he could have been Bernard Diomede.


Drogballs: I think there should be more nominated. But somehow can't get the names out of my brain. Suggest some will you? Drogballssouts.


The Guyz And Galz Brainz

Taken from my pal's blog...


Almost all right, but take th 'sex' out and replace 'football' for me anyday :D

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

We're Through To The Champions League Group Stages....

But More Injury Woes....

UEFA Champions League 3rd Qualifying Round

2nd Leg

Maccabi Haifa 1 - 1 Liverpool

(Liverpool through, 3-2 on Aggregate)

Scorers:
Maccabi - Colautti;
Liverpool - Crouch;

Alright, safely through to the next round. Thank God for that! But of course paid at a price again. After the injuries of Carragher and Riise over the weekends, Stephen Warnock is now crocked again and big man Sissoko is out as well, for a few weeks at least. Maybe it's the pre-season training camp Rafa had for them and they're still adjusting back to normal schedule and might struggle a little. The injuries as well as new players joining is never gonna help the team to gel together in a click. THAT's the thing I'm most worried now.

Since the Community Shield, we haven't been able to keep a clean sheet and that's not very Liverpool, right? Well I can say we should be patient with them, because of perhaps the rustiness and also the injuries. A defence line is not supposed to be changed in a game because they've trained together and I look at the defence more like department where players really need to understand each other and co-operate with each other throughout. I'm not saying that the midfield and striker department are not, but imagine how much going-ons there must have been for a group of 4 players to step out together and form an offside trap. That needs a lot of communications really, and understanding.

So now we've lost Carragher, Riise and Warnock through injury. Agger and Aurelio had to deputise and I must say it's 2 very big pair of boots to fill for both the new comers. Agger to be honest, has been impressive and looks a first team player for next season, if Hyypia is to be replaced. Aurelio on the other hand is a Brazilian and played in Spanish Primera Liga, which obviously is not of the same pace as the Premiership, where strength, speed and tenacity is the key. He'll need to take time to settle down and I must say he's doing alright, albeit that disastrous marking at the weekends. But Zonal Marking is gonna be difficult for them to adapt, although he's from Rafa's Valencia as well.


Now, the injuries. I hope they're not too serious. But Rafa seemed to think Momo is gonna be out for quite a few weeks, which is of course, not good. So perhaps now Rafa might push Gerrard in wards and partner Alonso while Zenden will be the replacement. I for one, hope we will get another defensive midfielder this coming transfer window. After Hamann's departure, it's about time we get someone. Rumours of Zapater and another Argentinian midfielder (whose name I forgot) were mentioned constantly, so let's hope and see.

So we're through to the Champions League...But at what cost...


Tuesday, August 22, 2006

I've A Terrible Feeling About This....

Match Preview

UEFA Champions League

3rd Round Qualifying 2nd Leg

Maccabi Haifa vs Liverpool

Rafael Benitez had to withstand a tortuous trip to the Ukraine on Monday before walking straight into an astonishing assault on Liverpool's motives and character ahead of Tuesday's Champions League showdown against Maccabi Haifa.

Liverpool's flight from John Lennon airport was delayed for 90 minutes due to mechanical problems before they were forced to wait for another 90 minutes at Kiev airport to get their baggage because their plane 'had been parked in the wrong place'.

Eventually the charter plane was moved to the correct place to allow the baggage to be unloaded but not before there had been further delays over Chile international Mark Gonzalez's visa, while Peter Crouch was unable to produce his passport because it was stuck in the hold while the baggage row continued.

Both players eventually continued their journey to the city centre with their team-mates before embarking on a delayed training session.

Now, this is what I call a nightmare. We'll be playing against Haifa away at a neutral ground over at Ukraine, holding on to a slender 2-1 lead over the Israelian side. But Liverpool will of course face some problem and to be honest, I've a bad feeling about this game. It all points to us screwing it up, but I shall be optimistic and keep things in perspective.

Of course the thing that concerns me most is Jamie Carragher and John Arne Riise will NOT be fit for this game. The duo are the lynchpin in our defence and we'll sorely miss them. So Daniel Agger and Fabio Aurelio will most likely deputise them.

Let's cross our fingers and hope we don't screw this game up. Losing a place in the Champions League is not an option for Liverpool, you know. Come on Reds, bounce back from that disappointing draw against Sheffield Utd. and start firing now.

We really, really CAN'T afford to lose this game. I can't imagine really, I can't....

Putting Ronnie To Good Use....





I would expect this 'product' to sell really well in Madrid as well as Manchester..... Oh, maybe London as well?


Monday, August 21, 2006

How Frank Lampard Works....


So, how many goals did Lamps scored through deflections alreday? Yesterday, he scored another against Man City and you have to wonder why on earth didn't he score during the World Cup despite having a grand total of 24 shots on goal. Let me teach you how to 'stop' Frank Lampard:

Tip #1: Don't EVEN mark him. He'll disappear himself.

Tip #2: If you see he's about to pull the trigger, GET OUT OF THE WAY! He'll most likely smack it against you body.

Tip #3: Offer him some pies.


Sunday, August 20, 2006

The Only Occasion You'll See...

Fabien Barthez As 'Top Scorer'



Now, I laughed real hard. It's hilarious alright....


Singapore Kopitiam's Football Lingo

Was flipping through the Strait Times this morning and saw this interesting piece of article on the sports column. We know Singapore doesn't have the league or player to attract us, so we're all watching the English Premiership. And combine it with our love for gambling, the heartlanders are all really into it as well. They'll all hang around at the 'kopitiams' (coffee shop) and placing their bets over at the 7-11s.

Here are the lingoes they used for the teams and players:

NOTE: Hokkien is another type of Chinese dialect, just like Cantonese or Hainanese.

Teams:

Arsenal: Tua Pao (Hokkien for big cannon) - Arsenal are known as Gunners, therefore big cannon.

Chelsea: Chia See (Hokkien for car breakdown)

Middlesbrough: Mee Rebus, Marlboro

Tottenham: Tor Tor Hum (???)

West Ham: See Hum ('see' is 'west' in Chinese)

Fulham: Foo Hum

Newcastle: New Car Sir

Watford: What For

ManYoo: Man Urinal

Southampton: Sotong (squid in Malay) - Most likely because the scoreboard puts Southampton as 'SOTON'

Leeds: Lid


Players:

Dirk Kuyt - Dirk Kite (Pronounce Dee-urk Kowt) - Even your SkySports commentator got it wrong.

Michael Carrick - Michael Curry

Petr Cech - Peter Check (Pronounce Padder Check)

Fabio Aurelio - Oreo

Arjen Robben - Ah Jen Robber (Pronounce Arian Rob-burn)

Wayne Rooney - Gu Ni, Looney

Djibril Cisse - Sissy (Pronounce Ji-bril See-Say)

Hernan Crespo - Cray Poh, Kay Poh (HAHAHAHA) - Kay Poh is busybody in 'Singlish'

Florent Sinama-Pongolle - Na Ma Punggol (Correct, what!)

Claude Makalele - Meh Ker Lily (Pronounce Mac-Ke-Leh-Lay)

Gabriel Henize - Hind Zee (Pronounce Hin-Zeh)

*M18 Content Below:

Frank Lampard - Lam Par!! (Pronounce Lam Par as well HAHAHA) - 'Lam Par' ...points to a certain male testicle in Hokkien.....

Premiership Round-Up

Arsenal 1 - 1 Aston Villa

Scorers:
AST - Mellberg
ARS - Gilberto

Great start for manager Martin O'Neil. He kept the team really organised and tight at the back. Meanwhile, a stuttering start for Arsenal just like Liverpool. Usually teams take a while to settle down in new stadiums. But please Arsenal, practice some shooting instead of thinking that passing your way into the net IS they way. And you made me lost 20 points on my accumulator. B*llocks!


Everton 2 - 1 Watford

Scorers:
EVE - Johnson, Cahill
Watford - Francis

We dropped 2 points while the Bitters got three. Well, Watford might feel they got hard done with that ridiculous penalty awarded. It's worst then the one awarded to Gerrard. Next time don't try to head the ball, the linesman will think you handled it.


Newcastle 2 - 1 Wigan

Scorers:
NEW - Parker, Ameobi
Wigan - McCulloch


Portsmouth 3 - 0 Blackburn

Scorers:
POR - Todorov, Kanu x2

What's wrong with Blackburn now?


Reading 3 - 2 Middlesbrough

Scorers:
REA - Kitson, Sidwell, Lita
MID - Downing, Yakubu

I shouldn't laugh, but seriously, leading 2-0 and then lost the game 3-2 is not very nice and I can expect Southgate to leave pretty early. He's not gonna make it.


West Ham 3 - 1 Charlton

Scorers:
WHU - Zamora x2, Cole
Charlton - Bent

Let's uphold Djimi Traore in our prayer. He had a nightmare and was sent off on his debut. Oh dear...


Bolton 2 - 0 Tottenham

Scorers:
BOL - Davies, Campo