EPL, Premiership, English Premier League

In an exciting match with repercussions beyong the field Sunderland succeeding in beating Tottenham 2-1. The first half showed Tottenham’s David Bentley and Sudnerland’s El-Hadji Diouf take shots from 25 yards out. Bentley’s went wide; while Diouf’s shot was on target it was also headed wide by a defender for a corner. Tottenham’s Gareth Bale dove in the 26th minute while trying to win a penalty and was instead awarded a yellow. French Steed Malbranque fired off a powerful low shot only to have it hit Tottenham’s post in the 40th minute, it rebound and was then cleared but probably rattled Tottenham’s nerves. Bale had a great opportunity to head the ball in from a Bentley cross but instead hit the ball over the goal. In the 55th minute Ledley King was unable to clear the ball; Richardson beat Jermaine and took the shot and scored from 25 yards out. Woodgate had an excellent opportunity to score after a Bentley free kick but the ball went miserably wide. 73 minutes into the game Luka Modric dashed into Sunderlands box and took a hard shot. Gordon managed to deflect it but Jenas was there and tapped the ball in. Only 9 minutes later Daryl Murphy crossed the ball into Tottenham’s box; Cisse jumped in the air and headed the ball far post to score. Cisse scored the late game winning goal for Sunderland in the 87th minute after having come on as a substitute in the 65th minute. My silly friend Stuart actually thought that Cisse was 56 years old (he was fooled by the Cisse’s silver/gray hair color). Oh, if only 56 year olds could do what Cisse did in that game…

Berbatov was not playing for Tottenham, a result of a recent spat between him and Tottenham manager Ramos. He felt that Berbatov had a bad mentality and attitude which was reflecting negatively on the rest of the team. Berbatov put in a transfer request a week ago in hopes he could move to United. [Stuart may be seen and ridiculed below]

He may face punishment from club officials as Ramos described: “That is a decision the club has to make. That is a very interesting question you should ask the club. He didn’t play because he wasn’t in the right condition, this is what he told me before the game when I spoke to him. So he did not play. We’ll have to wait and see, tomorrow we’ll speak to the player and then we’ll make a decision. It’s a situation that is very personal, there are players able to play under these circumstances and others whose head is not right. Berbatov is in the latter category. We’ll have a meeting with the player and clarify a few points and see if there is a decision to be made. We’ll meet primarily to know if he is in any state to play in the next match or we have to find another solution. He hasn’t got any power, if he is no condition to play the game he in not going to play, that is the same as any other player.”

Roy Keane (Sunderland’s manager) never let the win go to his head or the rest of his team. “We won’t be dancing in the streets in Sunderland for beating Tottenham away from home, we’ll have a cup of tea and sandwich as normal. We fancy our chances and we’re happy with the progress we’re making. Players showed the other side to them. The character of the players is there for everyone to see. We have that and you can criticise in other areas but not character. When you’ve won the game you say Berbatov’s a talented boy but (Darren) Bent is also a good player.”

As for Cisse’s performance Keane said, “Someone told me he scored on his debut for Liverpool but I couldn’t care less what he did in the past. It’s a good start. Djibril only trained with us yesterday and he was always going to be on the bench, he gives us good options if things aren’t going our way.”

After the victory against Wigan Saturday Scolari described how he was preparing to finalize the Chelsea squad. “Tomorrow when I am back at the club I will discuss these things. It is important [to be focused] before a game. Last week we only talked about Wigan but tomorrow I will talk about players. Tomorrow when I come into the club I will discuss this or that, who comes, who goes. First we finished the game. Now we get back to London and I start a new week.” What happens remains to be seen but we may see the departure of Shaun-Wright Phillips.

“If Deco is scoring goals or if Lampard is scoring goals is not important, what is important is if Chelsea win. Chelsea is more important than us. They are friends and if one scores the other players are happy. I read that Lampard, in the last two or three seasons, has scored 20 goals every year. This season maybe 25, but maybe 15 or 10. Maybe even five. It is not important [as long as] Chelsea win.”

Wigan’s manager Steve Bruce seemed disappointed by the 1-0 loss to Chelsea because he felt that they competed physically for the ball but were unable to technically dominate the game.

“When you play the top teams you have to have people ready and willing to do their jobs and run a million miles. My midfield four ran themselves to a standstill. You have to do that, you have to physically work harder then they do but we just lacked that little bit of quality. The set-piece delivery just wasn’t there. It was terrible and that is the one disappointment. In pre-season [Olivier] Kapo, [Jason] Koumas, and [Daniel] de Ridder have all delivered and our set-pieces are usually good. But here they were appalling and it didn’t matter who took them, because they all had a go. You need good dead-ball specialists and we have some good ones but they were a huge disappointment.”

In reference to Deco’s impressive performance Bruce joked: “Who is that lad by the way? Where has he been playing for the last couple of years? Seriously though, he oozes class and that is why he is at the very highest level. Chelsea had a bad day but there was one bit of brilliance from Deco.”

Related post: Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra

Manchester City’s owner Thaksin Shinawatra is seeking asylum in England after becoming embroiled in corruption, fraud, and tax evasion allegations while he was the former President of Thailand. “Dr Thaksin is embarrassed about the indignity brought on all the entities - the club, the Premier League - he never intended this. Dr Thaksin has been really open about this.

“He has said to me, ‘if you need me to resign from the football club as a director, because it would serve the needs of the Premier League, then I’m fine with that as long as that doesn’t change any other thing.’”

Apparently Shinawatra wanted to see City’s game against West Ham on Sunday but threats to his safety have arisen. “He wants to be at this ground on Sunday but he is hearing advice about being in a public space. He wants to be at this ground (Eastlands) on Sunday but people may want to come and show their support from his country and he doesn’t want to use this as a political platform. And there has been a threat to his safety worldwide.”

Shinawatra was embarassed by the allegations and the situation he put City in. “The man is embarrassed about the indignity brought on the club and the Premier League. He [Thaksin] said to me: ‘If you need me to resign from the football club as a director, because it would serve the needs of the Premier League, then I’m fine with that as long as that doesn’t change any other thing (his ownership).’”

Over $2 billion of his assets have been frozen; despite this, he is still Thailand’s 16th Richest person with over $400 million. Shinawatra bought City for €81 million.

“Chelsea have agreed terms for Andriy Shevchenko to return to AC Milan. Details of the agreement will remain confidential.”

Ukranian Andriy Shevchenko is heading back to AC Milan. Luiz Felipe Scolari, the recently appointed Chelsea manager, has indicated that he had no plans to include Ukrainian striker Andriy Shevchenko in the starting line-up. Shevchenko has endured two miserable seasons at Chelsea since he was transferred from AC Milan. He was transferred while Jose Mourinho was still in charge.

Shevchenko was the second all time leading scorer for AC Milan. The 31 year old has won the Ballon D’or and is the 3rd highest scorer in European club competition; in 2004, he won the European Football Player of the Year. However, since he transferred to Stamford Bridge (Chelsea) he’s been struggling to perform and somehow has not clicked with the offense. In 2003 he was ranked third for FIFA World Player of the Year; by 2006 however, he was ranked 21st. Shevchenko began playing with the Dynamo Kiev under-14 team in 1990; he transferred to AC Milan in 1999 for €25 million and later transferred to Chelsea in 2006 for €30 million. He is AC Milan’s 2nd highest goalscorer with 127 goals out of 205 games.

He recently played during a pre-season match (Railways Cup) against Locomotiv Moscow; he came on as a substitute, missed the deciding penalty shot and Chelsea lost. His recent disappointing performance will only enforce Scolari’s decision to not play him: “I’m not thinking about giving Shevchenko a game.”

• In all competitions while at Chelsea, Shevchenko appeared in 106 games, and scored 28 goals with 12 assists.

• He appeared in 47 premier league games he scored 9 goals with 7 assists.

• Out of 15 Champions League games he scored 4 goals with 2 assists.

He will start again with AC Milan after his medical on Monday. Shevchenko was excited about returning saying “For me it’s like winning the Champions League. There were complications but now everything is resolved I’m really happy.”

While Milan wanted to loan Svhechenko Chelsea wanted a permanent transfer; this resulted in some early difficulties. Milan chief Adriano Galliani described the deal: “After a series of frenetic phone calls during the whole day, we reached an agreement with Chelsea. I have heard from Andriy about 48 times in the last three hours. Andriy made a mistake in leaving and I think after two years he has understood that this is his home. Now he has made economic sacrifices but at this point what counts is that he has come back to us. Tomorrow he will be in Milan, Monday he will undergo a medical and then sign a contract. We have managed to bring home a player who has scored the most goals in our shirt in the last 50 years.”

Torres began the season with an excellent start by scoring his first goal of the season in a 1-0 win over Sunderland. Defender Hyypia described the goal:
“It was a good finish from Fernando. I was just behind the shot and I could see exactly where it was going. It was a great strike and it gave the keeper no chance.”

After last seasons’ performance Torres can bask in confidence and a great chance to become the highest scoring player in the EPL. Especially since Ronaldo is injured and missing out on opportunities to score. Last season Torres scored 24 goals in EPL games and 6 in Champions League.

“None of us were surprised that Fernando scored in that way because we have seen him do it before in games and he also does it in training” said Hyypia. “It is great for us that we have that kind of player in our team, and he is right back in the groove.”

“Hopefully it won’t be my last opportunity but of course every year we have high hopes that we’ll be closer to the top. This year is the same. We have strengthened the team with good quality players in the summer and hopefully we will be stronger this season.”

Newcastle recently obtained Argentinian Coloccini (Check: Newcastle signs Argentinian Coloccini) as a central defender. He played in the first game of the season for Newcastle against Manchester United. Though United was wanting offensively with Ronaldo and Tevez out, it was sure to be a difficult game for Newcastle. Newcastle tied United 1-1 and proved that a solid defense could well repel the United attacks while they have a limited offense. “Yesterday [Sunday] was the first time they have played together and there are signs today that it could be quite a good partnership which may get even better” said Keegan (Newcastle manager).

“That could be our central defensive partnership for the next five years. They are both signed for that length of time, so now it is up to them. I have told Steven to watch and learn. I am sure he will because he has such a great attitude. He got a bad knock when we scored that would have seen a lot of players come off, but not Steven. If he does what we ask, he will make another step up and go from the Under-21s to where Coloccini is. The key is he wants to learn because some young players don’t.”

“Arsenal can today confirm that Togolese forward Emmanuel Adebayor has signed a new long-term contract with the club. Everyone at Arsenal looks forward to Emmanuel’s continued contribution to the club over the coming years.”

The contract, worth about €80,000 a week should last until 2012. Speculations were raised this summer as to whether Adebayor would stay at Arsenal. Both Barcelona and AC Milan were interested in obtaining him for around €35 million. Adebayor formerly played with Monaco and transferred in 2006. Adebayor is 24 years old and scored 30 goals last season.

“We have to get behind him and support him because he is a tremendous force and (is of) tremendous importance for the team - you want your own fans to be behind him. What happened in the transfer period did not always reflect his deep desire and there was manipulation from agents on both sides, but overall I am positive he will recover. Every player needs to feel wanted. I think he is settled in his own mind. He has given a lot in the first two games.”

The increasing diversity between the Top 4 Clubs and the rest of the EPL can be easily seen in the City of Manchester.

Manchester United just procured a new lucrative deal with one of the largest cellular companies in the Middle East, Saudi Telecom. The deal was worth approximately €10 million over 5 years. It allows Saudi Telecom to utilize the United logo in marketing for Saudi Arabia. Mobile devices will also have the option of streaming live news, highlights, and goals. This deal is about as great as it gets for a club team: United gets paid money, lots of money, to advertise for Manchester United. What a great way to obtain new fans in locations which are not exposed to the EPL. United also signed a strong 13 year deal in 2000 with Nike worth €300 million, and a 4 year €56 million deal with AIG signed in 2006.

Manchester City on the other hand, just borrowed around €30 million in future TV contract revenues. Why? City owner Thaksin Shinawatra, a Thai billionaire, is now seeking asylum in the UK (see related articles on this site). City thought that they would have about €800 million in available revenues from Thaksin but all his assets have been frozen. City managers have seen the recent string of defeats for City (UEFA Cup loss against FC Midtjylland) and decided that they needed to beef up their team.
What is interesting is that the every year each EPL team receives €45 million from the 3 year Premier League deal with TV networks (the 3 years deal started in 2007/2008 season and was worth €2.7 billion for the entire Premier League). The club may have even borrowed up to €2 million from a former City chairman (John Wardle).

EPL club teams aren’t the only ones changing how their finances are working. Sky, the corporation which has a monopoly over Premier League TV subscriptions in the UK, has increased its costs for annual subscriptions to €15,000 resulting in over 20% of pubs dropping their memberships.

With about 2 weeks left in the transfer season the amount of money spent on players seems to be much lower than last year. Last year about €570 million was spent on players; as of now €300 million has been spent. This could be caused by the consistent increase in player salaries: during the 2004/2005 season clubs spent a total of €785 million, to €1 billion during the 2007/2008 season. Reportedly, near 75% of EPL teams are establishing benchmarks for some members of first string teams to make sure they play up to standards.

“I’m happy because my team play very well. To win the first game 4-0 is important but more important for me is my team looked well in the field and I think the Chelsea fans are the same. We still need more patience and to touch the ball more. We expect more goals but at 3-0 we need to change to keep the ball more.”

Scolari started the season off well with a 4-0 victory over Portsmouth. Goals were from Joe Cole (12), Nocolas Anelka (26), Frank Lampard (pen, 45) and Deco (89). Chelsea owned 70% of the possession throughout the game. Scolari was brought in to bring a different, more exciting, style of play to Stamford Bridge. Full backs Ashley Cole and Jose Bosingwa were used more actively in bringing the ball forward. As a result, the 5 midfielders were able to effectively dominate the midfield creating goal opportunities. Anelka, Ballack and Cole worked togeteher to score the first goal.Soon threrafter Lampard and Anelka threatened but James was able to save. But Anelka would not be denied the next opportunity which was set up by Bosingwa cross which Anelka headed in. He probably should have scored soon thereafter but the shot went wide. Cech was forced into a double save which prevented Portmouth from scoring when Kranjcar and Crouch threatened took consequtive shots. Unfortunately, right before half time Cole crossed the ball and Distin handed the ball inthe box, Lampard took and scored the penalty. Deco took a shot from 30 yards out in the 89th minute, it swerved into the top corner and concluded the match.

Lampard commented on the match saying, “We can build on that. The first half was as good as we can play. Having not won anything last year we go in (to this season) with a real determination and I think we showed that.” He also praised Deco’s abilities: “It was a brilliant start. It’s not easy to come to a different country and settle in as quickly as he has. His touch is fantastic and he’s obviously going to be a great signing for us.”

Deco seemed pretty pleased with the performance also: “I feel good, it was a great game. To start with a win is the important thing.”

Redknapp seemed convinced that once again no new teams would break through the Top Four to earn a spot in the Champions League. “You’re not going to break into the top four. No-one is this year. Spurs have got a squad and can’t even win at Middlesbrough, so you start forgetting about them. The top four are on another level. We’ve improved the standard of the squad in the last three or four years but, today, you step up into a different level.”
While any manager not in the Top Four is probably frustrated, Redknapp seemed to take the task with humor. He’s been linked with a possible move to West Ham. “I’ve had opportunities before and didn’t take them. I’m happy where I am. It’s not a case of the grass being greener. We’ll do better than that, for sure. We’ve got an easy game next Monday against Manchester United.”

26 year old Fabricio Coloccini from Deportivo La Coruna for an undisclosed fee, probably around €10 million. He signed a 5 year deal with the Magpies and will most likely be assuming a central defensive role next to Steven Taylor.

Kevin Keegan described him the deal: “I am delighted that the deal is now done - Fabricio has got tremendous experience and is a full international with Argentina. He is a centre-back but can play anywhere across the back four and also in midfield - he gives us massive options.”

He began his career with Boca Juniors in Argentina and later moved to AC Milan (though he only made on appearance with them and was often loaned). He was loaned off with Atletico Madrid and Villarreal until he moved to Deportivo. Coloccini is Newcastle’s 3rd signing this summer including midfielders Jonas Gutierrez and Danny Guthrie. Last season Newcastle let in 65 goals, only beaten by Derby and Reading who were relegated. We may see him looking for other defenders possibly West Ham’s Anton Ferdinand and Toulouse Herita Ilunga.