Premier League preview part two: Leicester will be rivalling West Ham not the title challengers, and Hull look doomed to be whipping boys August 9, 2016 The Premier League has stepped up a level this year and the beauty of it is that the extra broadcast millions have helped raise the standard from the bottom up. There are still divides though, and I see the top-flight as three mini-leagues: the top six, teams just behind them with an eye on snatching fifth [...]
Football Comment: London clubs in three-way fight for Champions League December 14, 2014 WHILE Manchester United emerge as serious title challengers and Liverpool prepare for a huge week in the future of manager Brendan Rodgers an intriguing three-way fight is breaking out in London. Arsenal, Tottenham and West Ham look to me like they will slug it out for fourth place, while I expect Southampton to continue to [...]
Football Comment: Kane sets tone as penny drops for Tottenham November 30, 2014 IT HAS taken a few difficult months but yesterday we witnessed signs that Mauricio Pochettino has finally got Tottenham’s players buying into his vision of a high-energy, high-work rate team. You always need individuals to set examples in that respect and nobody is leading the way in getting stuck in like Harry Kane. The home-grown [...]
Football Comment: Who has emerged as Roy Hodgson’s preferred England XI? This is my view November 19, 2014 ENGLAND’S win over Scotland on Tuesday marks the end of their 2014 campaign and marks a good time to reflect on the state of Roy Hodgson’s team today. Who would be in his first XI, if everyone were fit, and how would they play? This is my view. GOALKEEPER: JOE HART Fraser Forster, who played [...]
Football Comment: Moyes needs to revisit Everton methods if he is to make Spanish adventure a success November 11, 2014 Former England international Trevor Steven enjoyed a successful spell at Marseille, where he won the French first division. Here he identifies the challenges facing former Manchester United manager David Moyes, who has agreed to become coach of Spanish club Real Sociedad. LANGUAGE Speaking Spanish will be the biggest barrier the Scot encounters in San Sebastian, [...]
Football Comment: All is not well on both sides of north London November 9, 2014 ONLY three points separate Arsenal and Tottenham in this topsy-turvy Premier League table but while the Gunners are sixth, Spurs languish in 12th – and that puts them in a very different bracket psychologically. Arsene Wenger’s men had another off-day in losing at Swansea yesterday and, with Chelsea already 12 points away at the top [...]
Football Comment: Wins keep wolves from City and Spurs door November 2, 2014 WINS are vital to the top clubs and when you go a couple of games without a victory then it’s a crisis so Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini and Tottenham counterpart Mauricio Pochettino will have slept more easily last night having bagged the points as the pressure can mount. Who wants to get the pressure, [...]
Football Comment: Far too early for Chelsea to think of invincibility October 26, 2014 Chelsea looked really strong yesterday and, if everything goes their way, Jose Mourinho’s side should go on and win the title. But we all know the Premier League does not work that way. I don’t think rival managers would have been sitting at home hoping Chelsea didn’t win because a six-point gap at the summit [...]
Football Comment: Allardyce pivotal to West Ham’s form surge October 19, 2014 I bumped into Sam Allardyce last week and I’m really pleased that the players he brought in over the summer have been able to take the club to the next level. Everybody has enjoyed watching the Hammers over the years and it’s good to see a strong West Ham side. West Ham are clearly playing [...]
Football Comment: Rooney a concern but midfield pair sparkle October 12, 2014 IF WAYNE Rooney had been anywhere near his best he could have scored six goals in England’s last two games, and that lack of ruthlessness is the only major stain on an otherwise successful international break. Rooney will never get more chances than he did against Estonia and San Marino yet only scored once against [...]
