FA Cup 5th round Sunday

Blades fire blanks at Bramall Lane.Kevin Blackwell took the reigns at Sheffield United this week and his reward was a run out with visiting Middlesbrough. Not necessarily how you want to start a new job. The Blades responded by leaving it all out on the pitch as they gave Boro all they could handle. Middlesbrough came to play too, although they started out the lesser enthusiastic of the two. James Beattie gave the home supporters some excitement in first half stoppage time as he rattled the post. Middlesbrough fans got their excitement in the second half by way of a Mido overhead strike that brought out the best in United keeper Paddy Kenny and Emmanuel Pogatetz’s header was cleared off of the Blades line in the waning moments of the match.

These two will meet up again February 26th at the Riverside in the replay. Sheffield United 0-0 Middlesbrough.

      

                        

 Pomey weather Lilywhite storm at Deepdale. David James can be brilliant at times and today was one of those times. Preston were not very hospitable to their visitors as they kept Pompey working throughout the match. James made great saves on Simon Whaley’s penalty and Neil Mellor’s curler from ouside the box. Darren Carter scored a beautiful point blank goal in the dying moments to send Portsmouth into the quarter-finals. He plays for Preston (do the math). Sometimes you don’t get what you deserve. Sadly for Preston they won’t get another shot at the next round. Preston North End 0-1 Portsmouth.

         

         

Saturday Wrap Up February 9, 2008

With twelve weeks left in the Premiership season things are going to get dicey for those in the Relegation Race. Every match is another step closer to making the rounds of the Championship grounds next season. Let’s look at the results from those lurking at the bottom of the table.

Spurs cruise at Pride Park. Paul Jewell tried his best to help the Rams avoid the drop in January when he brought in a seasoned group to help shore up all areas of their game (see January 10th posting). Even with the new arrivals Derby have only 9 points in 26 matches this season. Tottenham didn’t give the home side a chance to move off of the bottom of the League. The first half held some opportunities for Derby as they hassled the Spurs enough to provide some chances for themselves. Giles Barnes came close a couple of times and could have given Jewell his first win since taking the helm.

The second half saw Juande Ramos adjusting early to counter a very game Rams attack and was rewarded by Robbie Keane’s 68th minute cleanup of a Roy Carroll rebound. Younes Kaboul and Dimitar Berbatov drove the point home with late goals for the visitors. Jewell has to be proud of the effort put forth by the lads today. I am concerned for his ability to hold onto players like Barnes and Kenny Miller when they go down. Tottenham 3-0 Derby County.

Fulham falls at the Riverside. Gareth Southgate trotted out new signing Afonso Alves early in the second half, but Boro’s record signing was overshadowed by Jeremie Aliadiere’s early goal. The Teesiders three points gave them a little room for themselves from the drop zone while the Cottagers supporters are already getting the train schedule for Hull City pinned to the fridge. The early goal put Fulham on their back foot for much of the game until Clint Dempsey and Leon Andreasen gave the home supporters a couple of moments on edge. In the end Roy Hodgson might be available for Finland again this summer. Middlesbrough 1-0 Fulham.

Toffees unimpressive at Goodison. Everton looked like anything but a Champions League hopeful as they downed a scrappy Reading side through Phil Jagielka’s header in the 62nd. David Moyes’ boys had some unbelievable chances to put the wood to the Royals, they just couldn’t find the net. What happened to Andy Johnson by they way? The man will run all day and his tenacity is unquestionable, BUT when the keeper is out of the goal and nothing is stopping you how can you miss that badly???? In the end Everton did just enough to pull this game out, Reading should have probably gotten a draw though.

Stephan Hunt could have given the Royals a very early lead with a 25 yard free kick that gave Everton keeper Tim Howard fits. Nicky Shorey also had a good opportunity to get the visitors ahead when he found David Kitson for a header that sailed over the bar. Steve Coppell likes an ugly match and this one was ugleee. Everton 1-0 Reading.

Elsewhere: Sunderland helped their cause as they dumped Wigan Athletic at the Stadium of Light 2-0. Bolton couldn’t find the net at the Reebok, but Portsmouth did 0-1. West Ham hosted Birmingham City to a draw 1-1. Aston Villa watched Michael Owen put Newcastle ahead, then thumped the travelling Toon 4-1.

Saturday Wrap Up February 2, 2008

Gunners dent City’s home record. Emmanuel Adebayor found the twine twice as Arsenal put Manchester City’s UEFA Cup aspirations on the precipice. Joe Hart was under quite a bit of pressure by the visitors which was great for his experience, just not for his record. The Gunners went on top in the 9th when the Togo international popped in a Micah Richards deflection. Eduard De Silva gave Arsenal some breathing room in the 26th with an overhead shot that left Hart helpless. Gelson Fernandes gave City hope in the 28th minute when he slotted home a close range shot. The home side just couldn’t break through and Adebayor finished them off late with his 18th League goal this season.

Sven-Goran Eriksson didn’t bring in any scorers during the transfer window. I think he really needed to. They don’t have anyone that puts fear into opponents. They’re a grinding team that just can’t afford to get behind as they can’t catch up. Manchester City 1-3 Arsenal.

 Last touch equalizer at White Hart Lane. Dimitar Berbatov scored a nice goal off of a Edwin Van Der Sar deflection to open up the Tottenham account. Van Der Sar earned himself a yellow card for dissent after the goal. Jermaine Jenas handled the ball when he fell in the box. It was unintentional, but should have resulted in stoppage of play. The play stood, however, and the Spurs held a one goal lead for 70 minutes. They looked to have secured all three points until they gave up a corner deep into stoppage time. Depending on your view of the replay either Michael Dawson scored an own goal or Carlos Tevez slipped the ball into the net. It doesn’t really matter as in the end the Red Devils were able to sneak a point in a match that had them struggling to score.

New signings Jonathon Woodgate and Alan Hutton proved their worth as Manchester United repeatedly had trouble breaking down the Tottenham defense. Juande Ramos may have made the moves he needed to move up the table. United fans might be wondering if their only signing Manucho would be better served in Manchester than in Greece. I guess we’ll see. But, I don’t think that this is going to be the death knell for their championship by any means. Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Manchester United.

Defoe dividends at Fratton Park.Two days after joining Pompey, Jermaine Defoe donned the blue jersey and entered the embrace of the Portsmouth faithful. Chelsea could have scored five goals in this match but for some fabulous defending. Nicolas Anelka finally opened his league account for the Blues ten minutes into the second half with an undeserved goal. The ball had been controlled by Florent Malouda’s arm in the box. No penalty was given by Howard Webb (there’s a surprise) and Malouda took the ball up-field, passed the ball to Joe Cole who found Anelka in front of the net. I don’t know if Webb had a few quid riding on Chelsea, but he officiated like he was looking for the payout. Defoe’s goal was typical Jermaine. Fellow new signing Milan Baros headed the ball deftly into his path and Petr Cech had no chance. Portsmouth 1-1 Chelsea. 

Other action: Birmingham City 1-1 Derby County; Blackburn Rovers 0-0 Everton; Reading 0-2 Bolton Wanderers; Wigan Athletic 1-0 West Ham; Liverpool 3-0 Sunderland.

Cup Draw!

      

I thought it might happen. Two Premiership teams getting put together was highly probable and is great news to lower level teams in their hopes to progress to the quarter-finals. But, Manchester United vs. Arsenal…this one’s going to be good. Yet another opportunity for the top two teams of this season to get another shot at each other. And neither of these teams is going to play their B squad for this match! Old Trafford should be raucous with the recent history between these two. There is a lot of respect for each other, but the competitiveness between them is razor sharp.

Middlesbrough will go to Bramall Lane to take on Sheffield United. I don’t think the Boro supporters will be bringing balloons to the match, do you? If the Blades come out as fired up as they did against Manchester City they’ll take another Premiership scalp.

Liverpool host Barnsley which should be easy for the Reds, but the Tykes could catch them just right and add to the Anfield woes this season.

Huddersfield will make the pilgrimage to Stamford Bridge to take their shot at Chelsea. Good luck! Drogba will be back and Anelka will be even more comfortable. I’d like to see the Terriers knock off the Blues, I just think they’ll need a miracle to do it.

Deepdale will be host to Portsmouth when they head to Lancashire to face Preston North End. The Lilywhites are struggling to stay in the Championship next season. So they have something to prove to themselves and their supporters. Milan Baros will be available for Portsmouth, their African contingent will be back and Pompey are still in the running for a UEFA Cup slot. So PNE will face a monumental task to move on.

The Saints should have a new manager when they head to Bristol so there’s no telling how they might play. I would love to see Southampton in the finals. They haven’t been the same since Matt Le Tissier graced the Dell. Sorry Rovers, but the Saints will go marching through.

Coventry City and West Bromwich Albion may be at opposite ends of the Championship, the Cup is a different game though.

Finally, Cardiff City will play host to Wolverhampton. The Bluebirds and Wolves are as evenly matched as the Red Devils and Gunners so this match should be quite good.