So we found out today the teams that will be seeded for Fridays World Cup 2010 draw:
South Africa(as hosts), Argentina, Brazil, England, Germany, Holland, Italy, Spain
England were always going to be seeded for this draw so it is of no surprise to me that we find ourselves in Pot 1. Some will say it can only be a good thing as it means that we will avoid the likes of Spain and Brazil in the group stages. However to win the World Cup you do need to beat the best team(s) at some point along the way. IF we were not seeded and ended up in the same group as Spain or Brazil it wouldn't of been all bad as it would of meant that we could of had a hand in knocking them out at an early stage. Remember it is the top 2 from each group that go through to the knock out stages so with that as insurance England could really go at one of these opponents and hope that one of the other teams in the group also does well against them. As it turns out England will avoid these teams and interestingly a group consisting of England, Uruguay, France and Mexico is still on the cards which for those of you true fans will know was the group back in '66!!
I will most certainly be listening to the draw on Friday on the radio as i drive home from work that is for sure!
On another note Ive just heard the draw for the Carling Cup Semi Finals- United v City (GET IN!!), also looks like Chelsea are going out tonight and they certainly did not need 30 extra minutes with City away on Saturday. Should be an interesting weekend of football!
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
Monday, 9 November 2009
August to November 2009...
Its been a very interesting start to the season so far, but that's what we have to remember it is.....The Start! One of my inspirations for creating this blog is the frustration i feel of listening to and reading the same old story, On the TV, the radio, in newspapers and even amongst my peers, I'm hearing Chelsea to win the league, United to struggle post Ronaldo, City to break the top 4, Portsmouth to go down, Newcastle to win the Championship, Argyle to get relegated from the Championship and of course England to win the World Cup next summer.
What I'm saying is people have this really annoying habit of getting ahead of themselves too early in the season.
For example Chelsea winning the league this year is by far a for gone conclusion. Their home form has been outstanding so far this term with 6 wins from 6, scoring 16 times and conceding just the 1. This is a great improvement for a team who dropped 18 points at home last season. Lets keep in mind however that the African Cup of Nations come in January and come the 13th they will be without Drogba, Kalou, Essien and Jon Obi Mikel for important Premier League clashes against Sunderland, Birmingham and Burnley(Away!!!) Now even though this looks like an easy run of games its teams like this that the big 4 are capable of slipping up on, on a cold wet January afternoon.
Lets also bare in mind that the champions are only 5 points adrift and have actually been pretty poor so far this season. Chelsea must be wondering what more can they do. They've gone unbeaten at home, beaten United once already and have been playing superior football, scoring more goals but still find themselves only 5 points ahead! After the same amount of games last season United were 8 points behind their London rivals but probably playing better football at the time. Manchester United are notorious for starting poorly and finishing strongly, that's what has brought them so much success over the years and that is what they will need to do again this season to get that record breaking fourth consecutive title. It does make me laugh how people are already writing them off, its always the same old anti-united brigade that get over excited by the champions poor starts, have these people let the whole of the 90s and 00's pass them by or something? I honestly cant remember a season where United haven't had to come from behind after a slow start!!
And then there is Arsenal....They have quietly been going about their business this season and no one has been talking about them. This has been a blessing in disguise for Arsene Wengers men as they've been able to just get their heads down and keep chalking the points onto the board. They now lie second, level on points with United but with a game in hand. Yet still not many people are taking them seriously. Maybe its the fact they have gone 4 years without a major trophy despite playing some of the best football in the country? Or perhaps its their history of never having a Plan B when teams come and get in their faces and generally frustrate them? Whether or not they have the lasting power to win the league is yet to be seen but i predict Arsenal will win at least a cup of some sort this season which is something to build on for next year.
That's it for today. We have the International break coming up which will give me some time to talk about Liverpool, the teams looking to break into the Premier League Top 4, The Championship and England's hopes at the World Cup in 2010,.. Then ill be all caught up and ready to start discussing each weekends football matters.
Cheers
x
What I'm saying is people have this really annoying habit of getting ahead of themselves too early in the season.
For example Chelsea winning the league this year is by far a for gone conclusion. Their home form has been outstanding so far this term with 6 wins from 6, scoring 16 times and conceding just the 1. This is a great improvement for a team who dropped 18 points at home last season. Lets keep in mind however that the African Cup of Nations come in January and come the 13th they will be without Drogba, Kalou, Essien and Jon Obi Mikel for important Premier League clashes against Sunderland, Birmingham and Burnley(Away!!!) Now even though this looks like an easy run of games its teams like this that the big 4 are capable of slipping up on, on a cold wet January afternoon.
Lets also bare in mind that the champions are only 5 points adrift and have actually been pretty poor so far this season. Chelsea must be wondering what more can they do. They've gone unbeaten at home, beaten United once already and have been playing superior football, scoring more goals but still find themselves only 5 points ahead! After the same amount of games last season United were 8 points behind their London rivals but probably playing better football at the time. Manchester United are notorious for starting poorly and finishing strongly, that's what has brought them so much success over the years and that is what they will need to do again this season to get that record breaking fourth consecutive title. It does make me laugh how people are already writing them off, its always the same old anti-united brigade that get over excited by the champions poor starts, have these people let the whole of the 90s and 00's pass them by or something? I honestly cant remember a season where United haven't had to come from behind after a slow start!!
And then there is Arsenal....They have quietly been going about their business this season and no one has been talking about them. This has been a blessing in disguise for Arsene Wengers men as they've been able to just get their heads down and keep chalking the points onto the board. They now lie second, level on points with United but with a game in hand. Yet still not many people are taking them seriously. Maybe its the fact they have gone 4 years without a major trophy despite playing some of the best football in the country? Or perhaps its their history of never having a Plan B when teams come and get in their faces and generally frustrate them? Whether or not they have the lasting power to win the league is yet to be seen but i predict Arsenal will win at least a cup of some sort this season which is something to build on for next year.
That's it for today. We have the International break coming up which will give me some time to talk about Liverpool, the teams looking to break into the Premier League Top 4, The Championship and England's hopes at the World Cup in 2010,.. Then ill be all caught up and ready to start discussing each weekends football matters.
Cheers
x
Welcome to.......
OJK's- "Footy Matters"
Right people, this is my first attempt of doing anything even remotely like this but recently i have felt the burning need to write about my personal views and opinions on the goings on in the football world.
For any of you reading this that don't know me, i am a massive Manchester United fan (I'm not going to apologise for it) i was born into Manchester United, its in my blood. However unlike most of the people around me i am not ridiculously biased towards my club to the point of delusion. I like to think i know my football, but the again what football fan doesn't? Whether its down the pub after the footy on a Saturday afternoon or watching the after match analysis of a Super Sunday showdown on Sky Sports, everyone thinks they know best.
In all likelihood not many people are going to read this, if anybody. this is just a place where i can get my views out there without being interrupted, distracted or anything else like that. Your feedback would be great, I am also trying to improve my writing skills so feel free to leave comments, positive or negative (but try to be gentle!!)...
Right people, this is my first attempt of doing anything even remotely like this but recently i have felt the burning need to write about my personal views and opinions on the goings on in the football world.
For any of you reading this that don't know me, i am a massive Manchester United fan (I'm not going to apologise for it) i was born into Manchester United, its in my blood. However unlike most of the people around me i am not ridiculously biased towards my club to the point of delusion. I like to think i know my football, but the again what football fan doesn't? Whether its down the pub after the footy on a Saturday afternoon or watching the after match analysis of a Super Sunday showdown on Sky Sports, everyone thinks they know best.
In all likelihood not many people are going to read this, if anybody. this is just a place where i can get my views out there without being interrupted, distracted or anything else like that. Your feedback would be great, I am also trying to improve my writing skills so feel free to leave comments, positive or negative (but try to be gentle!!)...
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