Posts Tagged ‘Carling Cup’

Chelsea are three points behind the Reds while Manchester United are far back with seven but they have two games at hand. A win by Chelsea inures that the Blues shall increase their lead to seven points over the Red Devils as both teams try to overtake the Reds. The match could very well be the one that shall decide the title race for the three teams.
Chelsea and Man U are out to upstage each other in their hopes of winning the game to erase the memory of forgetful performances during the FA and Carling cup ties respectively.
Chelsea was held to a 1-1 draw by Coca-Cola League One team Southend with Salomon Kalou’s first half goal negated by an equalizer from Peter Clarke at the late minutes of the match played at Stamford Bridge. That earned the Shrimpers a third round cup replay, a game which will be played at the Shrimpers’ ground, the Roots Hall. The football match will be the Blues’ next game on the 14th of January. On the other hand, Man U are seeking a better football result than the unexpected 1-0 loss they suffered at the hands of Derby County at Pride Park for a spot to claim the Carling Cup to be played in Wembley Stadium.  Kris Commons produced an impressive first half strike during the semi-final first leg ending United’s unbeaten run to 14 games in all fronts. The streak saw them win eight games and draw the remaining four. Their last loss in all competitions was the 2-1 loss at the Emirates Stadium against Arsenal last November 8.
Man U shall play host to the Blues with Chelsea being the first team to be a part of the big four to visit Old Trafford for this year. The last time the two teams met was at Stamford Bridge, in a 1-1 draw. Park Ji-Sung scored with a 17th minute strike while Salomon Kalou answered for the Blues with a second half goal. The game was quite physical with a total of eight yellow cards given by referee Mike Riley. However, United players received most of the cards with seven while Jan Mikel Obi was the only player booked for Chelsea.  Ever since the two teams contested the Premier League and Champions League titles last season with United winning both titles, there seems to be a competitive rivalry brewing between the two.
For the Sunday clash, Man U can expect that Patrice Evra shall return to the side after serving out his four game match ban as a result of the brawl he was involved in with the Chelsea groundskeeper. A concern though for sir Alex Ferguson shall be the fitness of Rio Ferdinand, who continues to suffer from a back injury, Wayne Rooney, who limped out in the dying seconds of the game against Derby and Cristiano Ronaldo, who was in a car accident that wrecked the front of his car but escaped unhurt.Latest football results this weekend can be seen at Scorespro.com.

For any soccer fan, a visit to the new Wembley Stadium is a must. Not only is it one of the world’s most outstanding modern stadiums, but is host to the best of English football and features a veritable ‘footie-fest’ of the nation’s leading cup finals and Football League play-offs every season. The Football Association – the sport’s governing body – is planning a £12million move of its administrative headquarters from Soho Square to the new Stadium during July 2009. As Wembley is also the home venue for all of England’s international fixtures – including the qualifying games for the 2010 World Cup Finals – the move will firmly establish the stadium as the ‘home of English football’. As the English football season progresses towards its climax in May, Wembley hosts a number of prestigious finals including the traditional finale to the football season – the FA Cup Final. But, before that the cup final season begins in either late February or early March with the staging of the Carling Cup Final. This show piece cup competition of the Football League will celebrate its 50th anniversary at Wembley in 2010. Next up is the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy Final played at Wembley in early April. This competition is exclusively for clubs that compete in League One and League Two of the Football League. The 2009 final was an absolute thriller with Luton beating Scunthorpe 3-2 after extra time in front of a substantial lower league football crowd of 53,378. In May the games come thick and fast at the Stadium, starting with the FA Trophy Final and FA Vase Final, played on successive days on the second weekend of the month. Next, and still in May, the Football League hosts the Play-off finals when the last promotion spots for The Championship, League One and League Two are decided. Indeed, The Football League Championship play-off final – normally played on late May Bank Holiday Monday – is billed as football’s most lucrative ‘one-off’ game. The winners will be promoted to the Barclays Premier League and with that comes access to lucrative TV money. Finally, the last weekend in May sees the traditional season finale; the FA Cup final. This is one of the few ‘protected’ games to be televised live on terrestrial channels and is the daddy of all football competition finals. As you can see, May is also the month when the owners of London hotels – particularly those situated around Wembley – rub their hands in glee at the glut of ‘no vacancies’ signs, as they accommodate the thousands of football fans travelling to the capital to watch their teams in action. But, fans of football that can’t get a ticket to a game at Wembley needn’t despair. They can still access the stadium and sample its marvellous features at first-hand by buying a Stadium tour ticket.

I like to think of myself as a chilled individual. Admittedly, I’m not as laid back as the wife, but that’s a result of her lifestyle.

Being cool, calm and occasionally collected, I’ve been stunned by the overreaction to the minor disagreement during the Carling Cup final. The term ‘handbags’ is an outrageous exaggeration; the wife throws more punches on a Sunday afternoon when I try to dislodge her from the mattress.

The sending off of Adebayor was particularly perplexing. Emmanuel appeared innocent, yet was punished severely; which coincidentally was the plot of the DVD i watched after the match. I’m getting stuck into the 8/15 for an Arsenal win over Reading.

I’m beginning to worry about the wife’s sister. Her infatuation with me is almost certainly a result of deeply rooted psychological problems brought on by low self-esteem. Sweet. I’m not passing up the chance to get on Wigan at 3/1 to beat Manchester City.

The Beatles may have told the world that ‘money can’t but you love’; but Wayne Rooney found the flaw in that romantic fallacy. The word on the street is that Wayne is set to marry Coleen, and the street people are certainly in the loop. I’m romantically involved with the 7/4 about Liverpool denting Manchester United’s title charge.

We all have our little quirks, except for Birds of a Feather. The wife’s sister has a foot fetish; I originally thought she was just pulling my leg. I’m dipping my toes into the 9/4 for a draw between Fulham and Aston Villa.

Unlike the wife’s sister, Middlesbrough have only tasted defeat on one occasion this year. You must back the Boro at 11/4 to win at Newcastle; i’m putting my foot down.

Andy Johnson is never far from a ‘diving’ controversy. The miniature hitman had the finger pointed at him again last week, which was more than enough for him to tumble to the ground. Sheffield United can take a point off the Toffeemen at an unsteady 9/4.

Frank Lampard should feel ashamed of himself for squaring up to little Cesc Fabregas. Lamps could have picked on someone his own size; but in all fairness, Pauline Quirke was rehearsing for a musical. Chelsea can turn over Pompey at a mammoth 3/5.

The last five matches between Bolton and Blackburn have either been goalless or settled by a single strike; this is a genuine clash of the tight-uns. I’m jumping on the 17/2 for ‘no goalscorer’ like it was a Russian tennis player. Preferably not Davydenko.

There’s an air of impending doom surrounding Alan Curbishley and West Ham. They say it’s never over until the lady of a fuller figure breaks into song; ‘Birds of a Feather, the musical’ opens on Sunday evening. Spurs can hammer another nail into the Curb’s coffin at 13/10.

The wife’s mother has asked to proofread my weekly betting preview to ensure that I’m not making any cheap digs at her expense. No matter how much she pleads; she’s not getting her hands on my column. Charlton can keep their survival dreams alive with a win at the Vicarage at 9/5.

Frank Lampard is not happy with this week’s accumulator. Apparently, it’s so mouthwatering; he’s struggling to concentrate on the upcoming ruck with Pauline Quirke. Last week’s accer obliged at 25/1; Arsenal, Charlton, Chelsea and Tottenham will follow suit at a beefy 15/1.