The season starts again. When did they sign him ? Oh he’s there now is he ? Christian Benteke seemed an expensive (£7 million) concept until he pulled on a Villa shirt and nudged in a sitter to confirm Villa’s first win. Michael Owen, having weighed up all the options he said he had, signed for a place on Stoke’s bench. Remember Dimitar Berebatov ? Apparently he plays better when he’s happy & there were a lot of smiling Fulham fans admiring how well the shirt looked on him.
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This time last year Fulham had Zamora and Johnson up top. I will stick my neck out here and suggest that Berbatov and Rodallega is an improvement in quality. Dimitri is now 31 now but has just had a couple of seasons rest. If there is to be a productive Indian summer to his career then Martin Jol has done well to keep him in the Premier League. He could have worked in the Bundesliga or in Italy. We all know he is a class act. It’s just that he’s been playing for clubs we don’t like. A happy and scoring Berbatov will entertain us all.
Manchester United, always following their own path, fielded three players with over 1500 appearances combined. When the veteran midfielders had softened up Wigan they made way, (looking knackered on the bench), for two shiny new signings to introduce themselves to the fans. Thingy Buttner and Nick Whatsit took their chance. They are both big strong boys. Alexander Buttner tried very hard to sign for Southampton despite “unspecified” demands from “unnamed” third parties. He now finds himself at the other end of the table with a club which will find plenty of work for a young athletic left back. Nick Powell won Player of the Year, Young Player and Goal of the season at Crewe last year…a winner then. He went to the same school as the best man at my wedding and played for my mate’s team. I have been aware of his work for some time. The pick and mix nature of United’s midfield, with Park/Nani/Anderson/Cleverley/Fletcher all hanging about looking for a game last season, would be improved if the boy Powell makes an impact in this first season. England won’t have to pick Jake Livermore as well.
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Criticism of Paul Scholes, his age, his tackling, his gingerness, is a cheap shot. The best midfield player of his generation, (which now includes that mis-matched pair, Gerrard and Lampard), just keeps on rolling. Any team would be glad of a player like him. He knows what’s expected of a top player and the only problem is that he may be over-used because United look a better team with him on the pitch. Everybody in the world knows that he will be 30 yards from the goal when the ball is played wide. Two or three touches later he is in space in the area and looking to score. We all know it but the keenest brains in football have not yet find a way to stop it happening.
Arsenal get 6 against a team struggling to adjust to the top flight. Southampton may not make that adjustment at all (at least, I hope, not next week when they play Villa). They were so poor that they made Gervinho look like a player, something no other Premier side had done. When Arsenal play like they did yesterday, with Arteta given an unchallenged freedom to pass as he pleases, it is a lovely thing to watch. Other teams that the Gunners will expect to beat will not lay down so easily at the Emirates.
Steve Bould is getting praise for re-establishing defensive solidity. (When 4 arms go up in the air in unison his job will be done). It can’t be too difficult with two solid pros like Mertesacker and Vermeulen in the centre of the back four. Finally, it is no surprise that Lukas Podolski looks the part. In the German side since he was 19, 103 caps at the age of 27. We have known he was a good player for a long time. The absence of RVP may help him to get nearer the goal and he is already doing the right thing. He is certainly a better player than he is a singer as this Euro pop/rock monstrosity shows.
OK…City v Real Madrid on Tuesday. Let’s get going again.
armchair hooligans 