Derby boss makes his move

Paul Jewell is making his move to stay in top flight football. He signed out of favour Welsh international Robbie Savage from Blackburn Rovers for 1.5 million pounds. Quite a bargin in my opinion. Savage is one of those players you absolutely hate….unless he’s on your team. He’s a tough guy in the old style and I like him. He’s going to give the Rams a toughness that they’ve been lacking. He is the kind of player who hates to lose and that is what a team that has been losing needs most. Robbie is not a prolific scorer, he is a rock. Right now Derby needs a rock.

                                   

Jewell has also brought in Laurent Robert from Spain. Robert has played in the Premiership with Newcastle and Portsmouth so “settling in” shouldn’t be a problem. He’s a playmaker who can free up the Rams front to score. Hossam Ghaly is coming from Tottenham and looks like he will be partnering up with Savage in the midfield. Ghaly is also a hard playing midfielder who should help shore up the centre of the park. Argentine striker Emanuel “Tito” Villa is coming to Pride Park from Mexico to add to the attack that Paul Jewell so desperately. Defender Danny Mills is coming from Manchester City on loan which shows that Jewell is thinking about all of the problems that are plaguing the Rams.

                

                

Even though Lewis Price has done well in the net for a freshman goalie, the boss is trying to bring veteran keeper Roy Caroll from Glasgow Rangers to help keep them in games. Roy has played for Manchester United and West Ham. He’ll be a presence in the Derby goal.

                                             

Boxing Day Results December 26, 2007

 Classic Clash at Stamford Bridge. Whether you are a fan of either of these teams or not, you had to appreciate the match that they put on. Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ashley Young started in on Chelsea early with blistering pace and great crosses in the box. John Carew’s size and strength in front made things dicey for the Blue’s back four. Two goals by Shaun Maloney gave the travelling fans reason to hope for the double over the London giants. Then Phil Dowd sent off Zat Knight after Michael Ballack put in his nomination for an Oscar with one of the most obvious dives I’ve seen in awhile. Andriy Shevchenko converted Dowd’s gift to cut the lead in half at the end of the first half. Shevchenko tied the match in the 50th minute with a beautiful strike from outside of the box. Alex and Martin Laursen traded goals to keep everyone on the edge of their seats at 3-3. The Chelsea faithful were chilling the bubbly when Ballack slipped a free kick into the Villa goal with two minutes to go in the game. But Ashley Cole was able to snatch a draw from the jaws of victory as he handled the ball on his own line giving Villa an opportunity to get a well deserved point from the penalty spot. Gareth Barry converted to finish off the match. The Villans played a fabulous game, and I think that Martin O’Neill has a side that has shown that they can make a run at the title next season. Chelsea 4-4 Aston Villa.

 

Roy sees red at Stadium of Light. His team held Manchester United to one goal earlier this year. Roy Keane would probably have given anything for that result today. But, Sir Alex had a different idea as Wayne Rooney, Louis Saha and Cristiano Ronaldo scored first half goals to put this match to bed early. Ross Wallace gave the Black Cats their only real chance of the first half only to watch Tomasz Kuszczak tip the ball away. Keane put out a more defensive formation in the second half to try and staunch the bleeding, but it was very clear that United could score when they wanted to. And when Danny Collins brought down Nani in the box Saha sunk the shot into the net and drove the stake deeper into the Sunderland heart. Manchester United moved into 1st position while Sunderland dropped to 19th. Sunderland 0-4 Manchester United.

                                     

Gunners fumble at Fratton Park. Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal knew what they had to do before kickoff. Unfortunately for them so did Harry Redknapp’s Portsmouth. Pompey had been embarrassed on the weekend by Liverpool and this was their chance to show that they were not that bad. Sol Campbell dug his heels in and led his defenders to a display of defense that kept his former team off of the scoreboard. David James was called into action occasionally and he showed why many are calling for him to be recalled for the national side. Tomas Rosicky challenged James with a shot to the top right of the frame only to see the Pompey keeper save with a leaping catch. Portsmouth had their chances to win, but at the end of the game they resolutely held on to their point under a desperate attack by Arsenal. Portsmouth 0-0 Arsenal.

 

Derby show heart of a lion. The Rams had looked like a Conference side the first time these teams met. Not today. After giving up a goal to Fernando Torres, Derby hardened up and played like a team that had new found confidence. Jay McEveley levelled for Paul Jewell’s boys in the 67th minute and Pride Park went crazy. The Reds had chances to salt away a go ahead goal, however some manic defending and some great saves by the rookie keeper Lewis Price. Steven Gerrard started and finished the attack that finally broke the home fans’ hearts in the 90th minute. I’ve never bought into the Gerrard mystique as he has a habit of not showing up for big games for club and country more often than when he comes up big. Derby can walk tall after this game. They showed that they just may belong on the same field as the big boys. Derby County 1-2 Liverpool.

                                        

Tottenham Hotspur 5-1 Fulham; West Ham 1-1 Reading; Birmingham 3-0 Middlesbrough; Everton 2-0 Bolton; Wigan 1-0 Newcastle

Boxing Day treats for all the kiddies

When these two met earlier this season at Anfield Derby lost 6-0. At one time the Rams looked more like they were directing traffic than defending. Now Paul Jewell is here and everything is right with the world. Oh, the Reds are still going to give Derby a thumping, but hopefully only four or five goals. Seriously, if Rafa rotates the squad like he usually does to rest up his big players for mince pie after the match, Derby might be able to rescue some dignity at home. Stephan Bywater may be between the posts for the Rams, but he injured his shoulder against Newcastle so he might be short on mobility although the Liverpool offense with give him plenty of stretching during the match. 4-0 Liverpool.

Roy Keane gets to play host to his former boss at the Stadium of Light. When these teams met at Old Trafford the Black Cats only lost 1-0, not bad. Now Sunderland is third from the bottom and squarely in the relegation battle. They are going to need some of that Keane magic that brought them the League Championship title last year. What better way to start it off than by a Boxing Day beating of Man U? Roy has all of his top scorers available for this match, Kenwyne Jones, Michael Chopra and Danny Higginbotham will have the hopes of the Cats’ faithful on their shoulders.

Manchester United will have their full complement of players for this game with the exception of Van der Sar (groin). They visit West Ham on the weekend so a couple of key players might sit this one out. Either way Fergie’s boys should win this one, but Sunderland will keep it close. 2-0 Manchester United.

Villa beat Chelsea at Villa Park earlier this season and if the Blue’s form against Blackburn carries over they probably will again on Wednesday. Petr Cech is probably out due to injury so Avram Grant may need his third choice keeper to step in again. Henrique Hilario didn’t get much of a workout against the Rovers, but he should get more action against the Villans. Didier Drogba is still out, but with all the talent they have there is absolutely no reason they can’t still score on anyone. 

Gabriel Agbonlahor has scored six goals for Martin O’Neill’s side, one of those against Chelsea. Gareth Barry and Olof Mellberg have been solid and will need to be Wednesday to keep Chelsea at bay. Scott Carson has had an up and down season so concentration could be an issue. He’s not a bad keeper and when he’s on, he’s on. I think he’s going to step up. 1-1 Draw.

Everton can feel good, even though they are coming off of a loss to Man U. They played fantastic defense and really should have walked out of Old Trafford with a draw. Mikel Arteta might be back from illness and that would be bad news for Bolton. He’s a crafty midfielder so the Wanderers could have a rough day. Bolton are playing much better under Gary Megson, Nicolas Anelka could be playing for a big money transfer and this would be a prime opportunity for him to show the goods. This will be a good game so if you get to see it, do. 2-1 Everton.

Manchester City has had an impressive turn around this season and Sven-Goran Eriksson has the squad playing cohesively. Blumer Elano, Rolando Bianchi and Martin Petrov lead the team in goals, but the Blues are getting goals from all over. Joe Hart seems to have the nod as City keeper and Kasper Schmeichel is coming back from his loan spell with Cardiff City. Andreas Isaksson will probably end up moving on I think. Blackburn will be missing Robbie Savage, Stephen Warnock and Keith Treacy for this match and that will give Mark Hughes some heartburn. The Rovers do have Roque Santa Cruz though and they know how to put the pressure on, just ask Chelsea. 2-2 Draw.

Happy Christmas to all!

Sunday Wrap Up December 23, 2007

Great escape at Old Trafford. He is cocky, brash and he dives like an olympian, but my god Ronaldo can be fun to watch. His goal in the 22nd minute from twenty yards out gave the home crowd a glimpse of the electricity that this young man can bring to a game. But, Tim Cahill’s strong header just five minutes later gave the travelling Toffees hope that they might be able to go home with a point.

This was scrappy, like it always is (23 fouls total for the game), with four yellow cards in just fifteen minutes. Rooney got a card but no goals although he and Tevez both got off some really good shots. The Red Devils out shot Everton 19-5, but Everton just wouldn’t co-operate until Steven Pienaar stuck out a foot in the box and tripped up Ryan Giggs. This one was so obvious that even David Moyes couldn’t disagree. Ronaldo sent the ball where Tim Howard wasn’t and with two minutes to spare he closed the gap again on Arsenal. Manchester United 2-1 Everton.

                                     

Viduka saves Newcastle. Derby County have one win in the Premiership this season, against Newcastle. For thirty minutes the Toon Army had to sit in anguish at the thought that they might be the only team in the top flight to lose all six points to the worst team in the league. The Australian striker saved some embarassment when he pounded home a goal from the corner of the box. Stephen Bywater made 11 saves to give the Rams a shot at this one, he just couldn’t stop Viduka’s 87th minute equalizer. Too bad because Derby were worked hard and yet they still hung in. Nothing against Sam Allardyce I would like to have seen the underdog win this. Newcastle United 2-2 Derby County.

                        

Rovers rue chances at Ewood. Joe Cole’s superb strike half way through the first half proved to be all that Chelsea needed to pull within six points of the Gunners. But, the story of this match was the tenacity of Mark Hughes’ side as they took the game to the Blues for large chunks of the game. Roque Santa Cruz missed a number of chances to get on the score sheet and when Petr Cech hobbled off with a hip injury in the second half, a draw seemed immenent. Henrique Hilario made a couple of good saves when he stepped between the posts for Avram Grant’s side. However, the Chelsea defense did a great job of tightening up in the box and the Blackburn rally never materialized. Blackburn 0-1 Chelsea.