Monthly Archives: August 2011

League Two 2011/12 Preview

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The Football League season gets underway this weekend and down in League Two there are a few teams with big dreams who are looking to start their climb up the league ladder. Here is our guide to the title contenders and relegation candidates in the bottom tier of the Football League.

A lot of eyes are going to be on Crawley Town (3/1 Title Outright) this season after Steve Evans used the club’s financial muscle to steam-roll through the Blue Square Premier last season. He established a strong side consisting of the best and brightest stars of non-league and has continued to add to his squad this summer.

Evans is a love him or hate him character, but he has experience of League Two and in Matt Tubbs has someone who will guarantee goals. It is no shock Crawley are the favourites to win the League Two title, but they will not have it as easy as they did last season.

Bristol Rovers (10/1 Title Outright) have also been using their financial powers during the summer following relegation and Paul Buckle, who performed heroics as Torquay boss, has brought in no fewer than 15 players. The majority of these are highly experienced at this level, and higher, so they look likely to push Crawley all the way for that title.

Shrewsbury Town (12/1 Title Outright) have lost in the play-offs in three of the last four seasons and the wily old Graham Turner will be desperate to avoid going through that again. They were strong throughout the last campaign and Turner has moved to add the 6ft 5in Marvin Morgan to his attack, who showed at Aldershot he can score goals at this level.

There is a great spirit around Shrewsbury and they should be well fancied to go up automatically come May.

The appointment of Paulo Di Canio as Swindwon Town (9/1 Title Outright) manager has brought some glamour to League Two and fans will be desperate for some success after last season’s struggles at the County Ground.

However, there remain question marks over his ability as a manager and how he will adapt to this level, and some of his overseas signings will need to adapt quickly.

The likes of Oxford, Port Vale and Northampton will all be sniffing around the play-offs, while Gillingham also have the capability of surprising a few people.

After the fairytale story of AFC Wimbledon (12/1 Relegation Outright) it could be a real struggle for them in their first season in the Football League, especially after losing Danny Kedwell to Gillingham. There is not much money around the club but in Terry Brown they have an experienced head and ensuring League Two survival will be enough for their fans.

It could be a long old season for two former Premier League managers in the shape of Peter Reid at Plymouth (9/1 Relegation Outright) and Lawrie Sanchez at Barnet. Consecutive relegations and financial nightmares have left the Pilgrims floundering and it could be seen as a success that they are even able to take their place in League Two.

Reid has struggled to attract players as wages are rarely paid on time and he will need to use all his contacts to get some bargains for the south-west club.

Barnet (11/4 to go down) seem to have been clinging on to their League Two life for many seasons and they spent most of last term in the relegation zone. Former Northern Ireland and Fulham boss Sanchez worked as a consultant to save them and has now taken over the job full-time. A small budget and fan-base limits Barnet and this could be the season they drop out of the Football League.

The likes of Macclesfield (11/4 Relegation Outright) and Cheltenham (10/3) are also be in for a real battle for their Football League lives between now and May.

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British trio look good for Europa progress

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The domestic season is still to begin in England but the preliminary rounds of the Europa League are well underway as Stoke, Fulham and Hearts all hope to book their place in the final play-off stage of the competition on Thursday.

All three British sides left in have a realistic chance of going through and here we preview their respective third-round, second-leg ties.

Hajduk Split v Stoke (agg 0-1)

The Potters’ first foray into Europe for 37 years ended in a narrow win in the first leg against the Croatian outfit thanks to Jon Walters’ early goal at what was a rocking Britannia Stadium last week.

Tony Pulis’ side wasted several good chances to extend their lead in the tie and, while they would have wanted more goals to take to Split, Stoke remain in pole position to make it through.

However, they are sure to be tested by their opponents on Thursday in front of what is expected to be a hostile home following. Pulis is likely to go with a defensive-minded formation but if any side can go and shut up shop and kill a game then it’s the Potters.

Go with 0-0 at 7/1 – just enough to extend their European adventure for at least two more games.

Fulham v RNK Split (agg 0-0)

Fulham have had it relatively easy in the Europa League so far but will have been disappointed to have come away from Croatia – against the lesser-known Split outfit – without a victory.

A goalless draw away in Europe is always viewed as a decent result, however, and, like Stoke, the Cottagers are in a good position to advance into the play-offs ahead of the second leg in London.

Martin Jol set his stall out in this competition in the early qualifying round against Northern Irish minnows Crusaders when he named a surprisingly strong side – despite the fact it was mid-July – and he is obviously keen to do well in the tournament after taking over from Mark Hughes this summer.

The likes of Danny Murphy, Bobby Zamora and recent signing John Arne Riise all started in the first leg and they will again be charged with disposing of RNK this time around. Expect a fairly comfortable home win here with 4-0 to the Cottagers at 15/2 representing good value.

Hearts v Paksi (agg 1-1)

Hearts gave themselves every chance of securing a play-off spot with a hard-fought 1-1 draw in Hungary last week against the relatively unknown Paksi, who certainly punched above their weight last season when finishing second in the Hungarian league to earn a shot at the Europa League.

The first leg was generally controlled by the Jambos but, after falling behind against the run of play, they failed to find enough to come back and win. However, an away goal and a score-draw is always welcome in Europe so expect the SPL side to have too much for Paksi in Edinburgh.

Hearts have been in the news this week when Jim Jefferies became the latest managerial casualty of controversial ‘hands-on’ owner Vladimir Romanov. And, despite the off-field shenanigans proving to be a distraction in the past, these latest developments are unlikely to affect them too much for the second leg and a handsome Hearts win looks on the cards for new man in charge Paulo Sergio (Hearts 23/20 – HT/FT).

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Gers ready for Malmo mission

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After their shock 1-0 first-leg defeat at Ibrox last week, Rangers head into their Champions League third round qualifying clash against Malmo hoping to overturn the deficit against the Swedish outfit on Wednesday night (Malmo 7/4, draw 9/4, Rangers 5/4).

There were few who expected Malmo to come away from Glasgow with an advantage, but Gers fans were once again ruing the name Larsson, as Daniel Larsson’s first-half goal was enough to give the Scandinavian side the narrow win.

Rangers had their chances in the first leg, with Scotland international Steven Naismith (5/1 first goalscorer) missing two gilt-edged chances to give the SPL champions a goal to take to Sweden.

The attacking midfielder has scored two already this season but could have had plenty more, with chances also going begging against Hearts on the opening day.

A goal against St Johnstone last weekend will not have done the 24-year-old’s confidence any harm ahead of this crucial Champions League qualifier, with the outcome potentially having a huge effect on Rangers’ season.

The money from the lucrative European competition is irreplaceable, especially for a club in the financial position that Rangers finds itself in these days.

It’s been a slow start for manager Ally McCoist at Ibrox after waiting till his third game in charge to secure a victory for the Old Firm outfit.

Now the former assistant manager to Walter Smith will have to continue his steep learning curve, as his side go into their uphill battle against Malmo.

The club which brought current AC Milan star Zlatan Ibrahimovic through their ranks as a youngster will have been delighted with their success in the first leg and have an important away goal to protect at the Swedbank Stadion.

Malmo are ninth in the Allsvenskan and have found the Champions League a welcomed distraction from their under-par domestic form.

However, the Himmelsblatt or Sky Blues will have their 24,000-seater stadium to themselves on Wednesday, with Rangers (5/4 SPL 2011/2012 outright) having their fans banned for the European clash following problems with reported sectarian chants in the Champions League last season, so the home side will be a tough nut to crack on Wednesday in front of a passionate home support.

Gers always have a strong following whenever they play abroad and McCoist and his men may well miss their travelling fans, on what will be a difficult night for the side, as they hope to find the form that brought them success last term.

Malmo did not just produce a smash and grab performance in the first leg and they tested Scotland goalkeeper Allan McGregor on a few occasions with only decent saves from the Gers No.1 keeping his side in the tie.

Brazilian centre-forward Wilton Figueiredo was a constant threat at Ibrox and could have had a couple of goals of his own, were it not for McGregor.

So, all things considered, it will be a tough task for Rangers to overturn the deficit but, man for man, the SPL champions do have a stronger squad than the Swedish outfit – if they perform to their best.

Malmo proved they fully deserve to be at this stage of qualification but, with Rangers showing promising signs of improvement against St Johnstone, McCoist’s men might just sneak their way into the group stage with an away win of their own in Sweden – although the smart money might be on them doing it via extra time.

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Trouble in Toon?

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With under a fortnight to go until the new Premier League season gets underway Newcastle appear to be doing their best to create more problems for themselves than any of their top-flight rivals could ever dream of as skipper Kevin Nolan has been jettisoned to West Ham, Jose Enrique wants out and Joey Barton is being given a free ticket out of Toon.

Newcastle are no strangers to pressing the self-destruct button, going back to the cruel axing of the late, great Sir Bobby Robson seven years ago as he was replaced by Graeme Souness who only managed to take the club further away from the higher echelons of the Premier League.

Following the alienation of club legend Kevin Keegan a couple of years later and the subsequent relegation in 2008, they finally managed to get on track as Chris Hughton guided the Magpies back to the top flight at the first attempt in May 2009.

However, the Tynesiders, led by the controversial owner Mike Ashley, started their new destabilising process last winter when the extremely popular Hughton was harshly dismissed to be replaced by Alan Pardew, whose appointment left the Toon Army faithful hugely under-whelmed.

Within a month star striker Andy Carroll was sold off to Liverpool for £35million during the January transfer window.

The remaining players brushed off that exit as they comfortably got over the end-of-season finishing line in a creditable mid-table spot – albeit surrendering their status as the north east’s top dog to Sunderland (Newcastle 11/8, Sunderland 4/7 – Season Match Bets) courtesy of a final-day, three-goal giveaway against West Brom.

Over the summer the club decided to let Nolan join former Toon boss Sam Allardyce at relegated West Ham and full-back Enrique has made no secret of his desire to leave the Geordies for pastures new, which has only served to inflame the relationship between the fans and the club’s hierarchy.

Disgruntled at goings on behind the scenes, controversial midfielder Barton hit out at the board on his Twitter account for turning Newcastle into a selling club that is not capable of securing a top-six finish (Newcastle 12/1 – Premier League Without Top 6).

And before he could make an announcement over his future at 4pm on Monday, the club stole his thunder by confirming that he is available on a free transfer.

Barton’s impending loss will leave a huge void in the middle of the park, while Alan Smith has also been told he is free to leave if a suitable offer comes in.

That means Pardew’s summer arrivals will be under immediate pressure to adapt to the pace and style of English football as soon as the first ball is kicked against Arsenal (Newcastle 13/5, Arsenal 5/6, Draw 12/5 – 90 Minutes) at St James’ Park on August 13.

Winger Sylvain Marveaux has joined from Rennes, while former Lille man Yohan Cabaye will be tasked with filling the gap left by Nolan in the middle of the park.

Both are highly rated, but the French Ligue 1 and the Premier League are two very different animals and how Newcastle fare could well hinge on how quickly the new boys settle in.

It is not all negative news, though, as Demba Ba (33/1 – Premier League Top Goalscorer) – who impressed with seven goals in 10 starts for a struggling West Ham side last term – has arrived to try and take over from Carroll, while the impressive Hatem Ben Arfa should soon be fit after missing the majority of last season with a broken leg.

Defender Steven Taylor has enjoyed a good pre-season after working his way back to full fitness and is looking at the new season positively.

He said: “I think it’s a completely new team. You’ll see a different style and a different way of playing.

“They’ve excited me. The new players look fantastic – their technique is phenomenal.

“Next year we’ll be just as strong as a unit.”

However, Newcastle#s shift in direction seems to be too much too soon and is similar to what Gareth Southgate tried at Middlesbrough in the summer of 2008 when he allowed the likes of George Boateng and Mark Viduka to depart and brought in French midfielder Didier Digard and Dutch striker Marvin Emnes.

Digard proved to be an injury-prone flop, while Emnes has taken several seasons to find his feet in the English game and in the meantime Boro went from a mid-table Premier League side to a struggling Championship side over the following three seasons.

Could the same fate which blighted the Teessiders await them in seasons to come? (6/1 – Relegation).

Newcastle’s future appears to be at a crossroads at this moment in time with the potential to go either way in the new season and there should be plenty of interest in how their fortunes will pan out.

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Danes face Greek Euro exit

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After a superb opening to the Champions League qualifying round last week, the competition carries on this week with four matches on Tuesday, as club’s look to take their final chance to seal a place in Europe’s most lucrative club competition.

The most eye catching tie sees Danish side Odense BK travel to face Greek giants Panathinaikos with the tie evenly balanced at 1-1, after a hotly contested first leg in Denmark.

The game will be staged in the Olympic Stadium (Panathinaikos 4/6, Draw 5/2, Odense 10/3 – Match Betting) and the home side will be looking to use the intimidating atmosphere often created by their raucous fans to their advantage, as they attempt to qualify for the competition they finished runners-up in 1971.

Panathinaikos managed to reach the last 16 in the 2008-09 season and have Champions League pedigree, but have never really fulfilled their potential on the big stage. The Greek Champions (Panathinaikos/Panathinaikos 6/4 – HT/FT Betting) have a number of names that maybe familiar to English fans and lookout for, amongst others, former Liverpool winger Sebastian Leto. The Argentine arrived at Anfield as a youngster but never really adapted to life in the North West. However, he has excelled in Greece and after scoring his side’s goal in the first leg, will be looking for a big performance in the match to show he can do it on the big stage.

However, Panathinaikos’ main man is Greek youngster Sotiris Ninis who on his day can trouble any defence in Europe. The winger has long been touted as the future of Greek football and has been linked with a number of top clubs in the past, with Inter Milan reportedly tracking his progress. Ninis has the ability to unlock any defence and like Leto, maybe looking at the match as a springboard to bigger things.

Panathinaikos may have young talent, but Odense are also a club on the up although they have created a reputation for themselves as the nearly side, after finishing runners-up in the league in the last three seasons. They’ll be hoping the curse doesn’t strike again and will be looking to get off to a fast start in what could be the biggest game of their season.

Henrik Clausen’s side will be looking to their star man Peter Utaka, brother of former Porstmouth man John, to fire them through. Utaka is another man that Premier League clubs have been looking at and he will be hoping to make an impact on the game after a quiet first leg.

Another name English fans may notice is that of former Manchester United midfielder Eric Djemba-Djemba. The Cameroon international was billed as the next Roy Keane when he arrived at Old Trafford in 2003, but his career hasn’t quite turned out as planned and he has become somewhat of a journeyman. However, on his day he still has the tenacity and talent to dominate games and could be a key man if selected.

Odense will have high hopes ahead of the game and you never quite know what you’re going to get from Panathinaikos (13/2 – 2-0 Correct Score Betting). However, the Greek side should have more than enough to come through and will be looking to lay down a marker for the group stages by putting in a strong performance on Tuesday.

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