Cricket
So England completed a memorable series whitewash and cemented their place at the top of the ICC test rankings with their 7th innings victory in 13 matches, a stat which in itself shows how dominant they have been in recent form, although after the first 3 tests this series was really over as any sort of contest. Since India lost Zaheer Khan in the first test you really have been wondering how India were going to take 20 wickets, and its really shown all through the series. India had England 124-8 and still let them get 120 more runs, they really lacked a cutting edge all series. However poor India were you do have to feel for Sachin Tendulkar, who looked in ominous form in the fourth test, only to be dismissed by a very fortuitous run out from Graeme Swann, then in the fifth test reaching 91 only to be trapped LBW by an absolutely wonderful delivery from Tim Bresnan. This kind of display shows how England have evolved, and really if they continue to evolve like this they could be a team that people feared in the like of Australia of the Warne and Gilchrist era. There are many parallels to be drawn between the two sides, especially from this series.
1 - Any number of batsmen could score a century. When Australia used to bat, you knew your bowlers were going to have to be on top from to stop them scoring 350/400, as every single batsman was a danger. Hayden and Langer opening, Ponting, Gilchrist and the Waughs following on. It was a tough ask to get them all out cheaply. The current English batsmen may lack the style and hard hitting that that Aussie team had, but they are all just as capable of scoring the runs. And when your bowlers are scoring runs like Bresnan and broad did, you're always looking at a healthy score.
2 - You could turn to a number of bowlers to take your wickets. Swann, Broad, Anderson, Bresnan and Tremlett all took wickets at pivotal times, and when Strauss changed bowlers you felt every bowler bought something to the crease. Australia used to have brilliant bowlers in the shape of Lee, McGrath and of course Warne, and if one of those wasn't performing another was just as likely to take the wicket.
3 - They field brilliantly. Everyone in that Aussie team knew what they were doing in the field, and the same can be said for the England side at the moment. Only a few dropped catches and it is the one area India never looked like competing with England, India looked sluggish in the field and only a few players looked like they'd paid any attention at catching practice.
Next for England is the One Day series, and unless India really exchange things around, I would predict much of the same. Obviously it's not as forgone as that, being One day matches there is a lot more uncertainty involved but I would still back England to win comfortably unless India really sort themselves out.
Football
With 5 days left of the transfer market one of the more obvious transfers of the season has been completed. Nasri to Man City has been on the cards for a while, especially since the player admitted he wanted the move himself. And after the move Arsenal really need to reinvest the money, or my prediction of them still making the top four is going to be way off the mark, especially with Liverpool looking solid. They're trying to buy Cahill, and I also heard a rumour that they were after Kaka for the season, which would be a massive capture, but I'm not convinced Wenger is able to buy big players at decent prices, rather than spotting young people for tuppence. This season is going to be another struggle for Arsenal unless they can convince some clubs to part with their big players. Tottenham also look like they're in the business of remodelling their squad, with 8 players rumoured to be moving out, with Adebayour moving in as well. In things concerning Tottenham the Europa league outcomes for the English clubs were brilliant, will all teams making it through to the group stages with relative ease, Spurs themselves fielding a team of academy graduates for a 0-0 draw. But at the other end of the scale, Scotland has no teams in the draw for the fist time since the competitions inception. However the best news of the Europa league must be the First Irish side to make the main draw of the Europa League which really is one for the sporting fairtytale believers.
Tennis
In the world of tennis the last major of the season starts on Monday, and after winning the last Masters tournament Murray is on good form and may well be in the best shape possible to win his first Grand Slam. If Djokovic is on form the only member of the top 4 I'd rule out is Nadal, as he really does not seem to know how to beat the Djoker, whilst Federer remains the only man to beat a fit Djokovic this year. If I was going to pick a winner, my heart says Federer will claim his next Slam, but my head says it's going to be Djokovic's 3rd Grand slam of the year. If you're after a dark horse for the title, either Del Potro or Tsonga could be dangerous of the hard courts, but personally I feel only 4 players have a chance here.
Formula 1
This weekend on the formula 1 calendar is a favourite amongst fans and drivers, with the Circuit de Spa-FrancorchampsSchumachers 20th anniversary, meaning he's been racing in F1 almost precisely as long as I've been alive, only a couple of days in it infact. With such a long break between races it's almost impossible to predict who's made the most progress, but I'll back Hamilton's desire to win to bring a McLaren 1-2 in a most likely damp Spa Sunday.
Friday 26 August 2011
Wednesday 17 August 2011
Midweek Football
Champions League
Arsenal 1-0 Udinese
Arsenal really needed this result after the loss of Fabregas, but it could have gone many a different way if either team could finish. 3-0 Arsenal wouldn't have been hard to imagine, with Gervinho and Walcott both going close, whilst on the other hand 3-1 Udinese wasn't far away, with Di Natale going close and rattling the bar on one occasion. Whilst this victory was the pickup Arsenal needed, I'd be worried how fragile they looked missing a few of their bigger names.
Championship
Barnsley 1-3 Middlesbrough
Crystal Palace 2-1 Coventry
Doncaster 0-1 Nottingham Forest
Ispwich 2-5 Southampton
Leeds 4-1 Hull
Portsmouth 1-0 Reading
Watford 0-4 West Ham
If the premiership was a bit too boring with three 0-0 opening matches, make sure you watch the championship highlights. Leaky defences and organised attacks usually mean there's a lot of goals on offer, and last nights games really showed that, 7 games played with 25 goals shared between them. Southampton continued their 100% start to the season and looked very impressive against Ipswich, but I won't change my predictions of Leicester and West Ham to go up automatically, as Southampton haven't really faced a tough opposition yet. West Ham looked impressive themselves last night, sweeping aside former Premiership side Watford with ease, to bring them back-to-back away wins for the first time since 2007. Leicester play tonight so it'll be interesting to see how they bounce back from a defeat to Reading last time out.
Arsenal 1-0 Udinese
Arsenal really needed this result after the loss of Fabregas, but it could have gone many a different way if either team could finish. 3-0 Arsenal wouldn't have been hard to imagine, with Gervinho and Walcott both going close, whilst on the other hand 3-1 Udinese wasn't far away, with Di Natale going close and rattling the bar on one occasion. Whilst this victory was the pickup Arsenal needed, I'd be worried how fragile they looked missing a few of their bigger names.
Championship
Barnsley 1-3 Middlesbrough
Crystal Palace 2-1 Coventry
Doncaster 0-1 Nottingham Forest
Ispwich 2-5 Southampton
Leeds 4-1 Hull
Portsmouth 1-0 Reading
Watford 0-4 West Ham
If the premiership was a bit too boring with three 0-0 opening matches, make sure you watch the championship highlights. Leaky defences and organised attacks usually mean there's a lot of goals on offer, and last nights games really showed that, 7 games played with 25 goals shared between them. Southampton continued their 100% start to the season and looked very impressive against Ipswich, but I won't change my predictions of Leicester and West Ham to go up automatically, as Southampton haven't really faced a tough opposition yet. West Ham looked impressive themselves last night, sweeping aside former Premiership side Watford with ease, to bring them back-to-back away wins for the first time since 2007. Leicester play tonight so it'll be interesting to see how they bounce back from a defeat to Reading last time out.
Monday 15 August 2011
Weekly Roundup
Football
Blackburn 1 - 2 Wolverhampton
This was a game that Blackburn really should be winning to get out of any relegation battles that want to avoid. If this is going to be representative of their season I'd be worried if I was a rovers fan, they didn't really create much and even though they had an inexperienced back line they looked shaky throughout. Wolves will take this win and look to build some momentum, building on wins is the difference between staying up and going down.
Fulham 0-0 Aston Villa
If any of the opening games was going to be goalless it was going to be this one, with villa having lost attacking inspiration Ashley Young and Fulham being consistent if unspectacular. Given proved to be an inspired buy with a couple of saves to keep Villa in the game, but they need to make a signing in the forward department, as Heskey is not premiership quality. Fulham should settle under Jol over the next 37 premiership games and do fairly well this year.
Liverpool 1 - 1 Sunderland
I was a bit surprised when I saw this result, as I thought Liverpool would have started their campaign a bit brighter, and a bit more aggressive. They may well have done better if Suarez had put the penalty away, but he did make up for the mistake later by scoring Liverpools only goal. However credit to Sunderland and they looked far better in the second half, if a little uninspiring upfront. At the end of the day, a fair result, but Liverpool would have wanted a win from this fixture
Newcastle 0-0 Arsenal
Is this a sign of whats to come for Arsenal in a world without Fabregas (or Nasri?), where Arsenal can't get a real scoring chance, let alone fail to miss it. Arsenal really failed to capitalise on some poor Newcastle play, and I can't see them doing as well as I predicted before unless they sign some serious firepower. The match itself was also marred by a strange incident where Barton was the one to go down easily, and it made a bit of a mockery of the match. Arsenal badly need new guns and Van persie to be on some serious form.
QPR 0 - 4 Bolton
If anything says welcome to the premiership, it's a 4-0 defeat at home to Bolton, and unless they're holding something back they're in for a rough ride. Bolton played well, but not that well, and they really punished QPRs championship level defending. Kieron Dyer must be the unluckiest man in football, but I really hope that for him and QPR it's not as bad as the stretcher made out. Great start for Bolton, QPR have some thinking to do.
Wigan 1 - 1 Norwich
I hate to call a season opener a relegation 6 pointer, but in my eyes this was. Wigan have no-one who is a truly premiership class player, and Norwich have signed Championship players, rather than premiership ones. Dull match, dull teams, and i can expect a disappointing season for Wigan and Norwich fans, sorry guys.
Stoke 0 - 0 Chelsea
I was disappointed by the number of nil nil score lines this weekend, and I hope it's not a trend for the season. Chelsea and AVB had some big expectations this season and they'll need to play better if they want to match them. Torres was by far Chelsea's best player, and Stoke really contained him, if sometimes unfairly. Saying that, Begovic played out of his skin and Chelsea had a number of decent penalty shouts turned down. 2 points lost for AVB's Chelsea.
West Brom 1 - 2 Manchester United
Manchester united's old favourite Own Goals came to their rescue again against a resilient West Brom after a gaffe from new kid keeper De Gea. West Brom looked like they were going to be on the end of a thumping after rooney scored and Nani blazed over from close range early on, but after the ball slipped under De Gea West Brom looked like they were holding firm. But credit to united they didn't give up and they pushed the mistake out of West Brom, they did deserve the win no matter how fortuitously it came.
Man City 4 - 0 Swansea
Buy of the season? The fee may have been a huge one but if Aguero keeps this up he could have a wonderful season, and Man City will have an extremely successful season. Will Tevez still want to leave now? Who knows, Man City will hope that he stays to join fellow Argentine but I can't see it. Swansea showed promise and their goalkeeper looks very tidy, so I think they just need to put this result behind them and move on. Great result for Man City, but not a bad performance from Swansea.
Championship
Cardiff have set the early pace defeating Bristol City 3-1, whilst promotion favourites Leicester and West Ham occupy mid table with 1 win and 1 loss in the opening matches. The championship could prove to be highly unpredictable this year, with some big signings apparently in the pipeline for some of the non-favoured teams.
Cricket
Ten years ago I would not have believed what I am about to write, but England are now the top ranked test team in the world. After another innings demolition of India England have gained the top ranking for the first time. Pundits may forever say that India have lost a few of their top players, but the way England have been performing all round, I really don't see how it would have mattered. England have lost Tremlett, and Bresnan has come in and done an amazing job, scoring runs and taking wickets which simply shows England's strength in depth. If Anderson is out for the final test, England will also be down 3 players, and I'd be interested to see what difference that makes to the scoreline, if any. England have been dominating the Indian bowling, and tearing apart the Indian batting. England to win the final test and to whitewash the series.
Tennis
The build up to the final grand slam of the season is finally underway after the Rogers cup in Canada this week. Djokovic carried on his imperious form, with Federer remaining the only person to beat him this year. Meanwhile, the other big three crashed out in successive rounds, Murray in the second, Nadal in the 3rd, and Federer in the quarters to Tsonga, who seems to be able to beat the former master fairly comfortably now. None of these three would have wanted to exit before the semis at least, so it really will be interesting to see how they pick themselves up over the next few weeks, otherwise the overwhelming favourite will be Djokovic to make it 3 out of 4 grand slams this year.
Golf
If anyone's claiming to have predicted the winner of the final major of the year, they're lying. On Sunday Keegan Bradley became only the third person to win a major on their first appearance at one. He also broke the USA's worst ever run of 6 Majors without a winner, despite being relatively unknown. He won on a playoff after being 5 shots down on Jason Dufner after he triple bogeyed the 15th. Dufner really must feel like he's thrown away his best chance of a major. British interests all faltered with Donald, Westwood and McIlroy all having disappointing times, with McIlroy spraining his wrist in the first round.
In other golf news I've bought a set of golf Clubs! They're WoodWorm make, and were great value for money, so if you're thinking about starting up, a brand new set will only set you back £120, which is great for an expensive sport like golf.
Blackburn 1 - 2 Wolverhampton
This was a game that Blackburn really should be winning to get out of any relegation battles that want to avoid. If this is going to be representative of their season I'd be worried if I was a rovers fan, they didn't really create much and even though they had an inexperienced back line they looked shaky throughout. Wolves will take this win and look to build some momentum, building on wins is the difference between staying up and going down.
Fulham 0-0 Aston Villa
If any of the opening games was going to be goalless it was going to be this one, with villa having lost attacking inspiration Ashley Young and Fulham being consistent if unspectacular. Given proved to be an inspired buy with a couple of saves to keep Villa in the game, but they need to make a signing in the forward department, as Heskey is not premiership quality. Fulham should settle under Jol over the next 37 premiership games and do fairly well this year.
Liverpool 1 - 1 Sunderland
I was a bit surprised when I saw this result, as I thought Liverpool would have started their campaign a bit brighter, and a bit more aggressive. They may well have done better if Suarez had put the penalty away, but he did make up for the mistake later by scoring Liverpools only goal. However credit to Sunderland and they looked far better in the second half, if a little uninspiring upfront. At the end of the day, a fair result, but Liverpool would have wanted a win from this fixture
Newcastle 0-0 Arsenal
Is this a sign of whats to come for Arsenal in a world without Fabregas (or Nasri?), where Arsenal can't get a real scoring chance, let alone fail to miss it. Arsenal really failed to capitalise on some poor Newcastle play, and I can't see them doing as well as I predicted before unless they sign some serious firepower. The match itself was also marred by a strange incident where Barton was the one to go down easily, and it made a bit of a mockery of the match. Arsenal badly need new guns and Van persie to be on some serious form.
QPR 0 - 4 Bolton
If anything says welcome to the premiership, it's a 4-0 defeat at home to Bolton, and unless they're holding something back they're in for a rough ride. Bolton played well, but not that well, and they really punished QPRs championship level defending. Kieron Dyer must be the unluckiest man in football, but I really hope that for him and QPR it's not as bad as the stretcher made out. Great start for Bolton, QPR have some thinking to do.
Wigan 1 - 1 Norwich
I hate to call a season opener a relegation 6 pointer, but in my eyes this was. Wigan have no-one who is a truly premiership class player, and Norwich have signed Championship players, rather than premiership ones. Dull match, dull teams, and i can expect a disappointing season for Wigan and Norwich fans, sorry guys.
Stoke 0 - 0 Chelsea
I was disappointed by the number of nil nil score lines this weekend, and I hope it's not a trend for the season. Chelsea and AVB had some big expectations this season and they'll need to play better if they want to match them. Torres was by far Chelsea's best player, and Stoke really contained him, if sometimes unfairly. Saying that, Begovic played out of his skin and Chelsea had a number of decent penalty shouts turned down. 2 points lost for AVB's Chelsea.
West Brom 1 - 2 Manchester United
Manchester united's old favourite Own Goals came to their rescue again against a resilient West Brom after a gaffe from new kid keeper De Gea. West Brom looked like they were going to be on the end of a thumping after rooney scored and Nani blazed over from close range early on, but after the ball slipped under De Gea West Brom looked like they were holding firm. But credit to united they didn't give up and they pushed the mistake out of West Brom, they did deserve the win no matter how fortuitously it came.
Man City 4 - 0 Swansea
Buy of the season? The fee may have been a huge one but if Aguero keeps this up he could have a wonderful season, and Man City will have an extremely successful season. Will Tevez still want to leave now? Who knows, Man City will hope that he stays to join fellow Argentine but I can't see it. Swansea showed promise and their goalkeeper looks very tidy, so I think they just need to put this result behind them and move on. Great result for Man City, but not a bad performance from Swansea.
Championship
Cardiff have set the early pace defeating Bristol City 3-1, whilst promotion favourites Leicester and West Ham occupy mid table with 1 win and 1 loss in the opening matches. The championship could prove to be highly unpredictable this year, with some big signings apparently in the pipeline for some of the non-favoured teams.
Cricket
Ten years ago I would not have believed what I am about to write, but England are now the top ranked test team in the world. After another innings demolition of India England have gained the top ranking for the first time. Pundits may forever say that India have lost a few of their top players, but the way England have been performing all round, I really don't see how it would have mattered. England have lost Tremlett, and Bresnan has come in and done an amazing job, scoring runs and taking wickets which simply shows England's strength in depth. If Anderson is out for the final test, England will also be down 3 players, and I'd be interested to see what difference that makes to the scoreline, if any. England have been dominating the Indian bowling, and tearing apart the Indian batting. England to win the final test and to whitewash the series.
Tennis
The build up to the final grand slam of the season is finally underway after the Rogers cup in Canada this week. Djokovic carried on his imperious form, with Federer remaining the only person to beat him this year. Meanwhile, the other big three crashed out in successive rounds, Murray in the second, Nadal in the 3rd, and Federer in the quarters to Tsonga, who seems to be able to beat the former master fairly comfortably now. None of these three would have wanted to exit before the semis at least, so it really will be interesting to see how they pick themselves up over the next few weeks, otherwise the overwhelming favourite will be Djokovic to make it 3 out of 4 grand slams this year.
Golf
If anyone's claiming to have predicted the winner of the final major of the year, they're lying. On Sunday Keegan Bradley became only the third person to win a major on their first appearance at one. He also broke the USA's worst ever run of 6 Majors without a winner, despite being relatively unknown. He won on a playoff after being 5 shots down on Jason Dufner after he triple bogeyed the 15th. Dufner really must feel like he's thrown away his best chance of a major. British interests all faltered with Donald, Westwood and McIlroy all having disappointing times, with McIlroy spraining his wrist in the first round.
In other golf news I've bought a set of golf Clubs! They're WoodWorm make, and were great value for money, so if you're thinking about starting up, a brand new set will only set you back £120, which is great for an expensive sport like golf.
Friday 5 August 2011
Transfer Roundup: Who's done best so far? And what needs to happen?
Before this blog entry I'd just like to mention a sports retailer that's really caught my eye recently.
Now, on with the roundup...
Arsenal
In - Carl Jenkinson (Charlton, 1m), Gervinho (Lille, 10m)
Out - Gael Clichy (Man City, 7m), Denilson (Sao Paulo, Loan)
Wenger needs to act quickly on two fronts. One to sort out the future of Fabregas and Nasri, and to make sure that the club has what it lacked last year, a bit of fight. When you look at the Arsenal lineup there's no doubting the skill that they possess, but they lack a player in the mould of Parker or Barton, who are willing to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and win by any means necessary.
If I was in charge of transfers at Arsenal, I'd currently be looking to sign a strong centreback, and a workman for the midfield. If they can keep Nasri and Fabregas they could well challenge till the end this year.
Aston Villa
In - Charles N'Zogbia (Wigan, 9.5m), Shay Given (Manchester City, 3.5m)
Out - Stewart Downing (Liverpool, 20m), Ashley Young (Man U, 16m), Braf Friedel (Spurs, free), Nigel Reo-Coker (Bolton, free), Pires, Carew, Osbourne (All released)
In terms of who's made the best money for players, Aston Villa have raked it in. £20m for Stewart Downing is one of the most ridiculous fees I've ever seen for a one footed player. However they may find life without Ashley Young is a lot harder than with him. Friedel has been adequately replaced, so that's not a problem, but I don't know if Aston Villa will finish much above mid table this year, unless Darren Bent and N'Zogbia can really combine.
Blackburn
In-Goodwille (Dundee, 2.8m)
Out - Phil Jones (Manchester United, 16.5m), Frank Fielding (Derby, undisclosed)
Blackburn really haven't done themselves any favours recently, and they could be in for a struggle this season. They removed one of the only things that guaranteed them premiership football, and that was Sam Allardyce. They haven't signed any proven players and sold their best young talent. Goodwille was good in the SPL but that's little better than Championship standard. Blackburn could be in for a long season trying to pick up points wherever they can, its going to be a struggle, especially if Samba leaves for Arsenal.
Bolton
In - Chris Eagles and Tyrone Mears (Burnley, joint 3m), Darren Pratley (Swansea, free), Nigel Reo-Coker (Aston Villa, free)
Out - Ali Al Habsi (Wigan, 4m) Johan Elmander (Galatasaray, free), Jlloyd Samuel (released), Joey O'Brien (West Ham, free), Matt Taylor (West Ham, 2.2m)
Bolton have been reasonably busy in the transfer market but they've not really improved because of it, but they haven't lost out either. Bolton have always been one of these teams that are almost impossible to predict, they can hold up against the top teams but could crumble against the bottom teams. I think Bolton should do alright this year, and will finish around mid table.
Chelsea
In - Romeu (Barcelona, 4.3m), Piazon (Sao Paulo, undisc), Courtois (Genk, 5m)
Out - Courtois (Athletico Madrid, loan), Bruma (Hamburg, loan), Mancienne (Hamburg, 3m)
Chelsea, the Abramovich Chelsea anyway, have always been big spenders in the transfer market, but this year seems to be a little quiet for them. Obviously there is the Modric battle to be resolved, but my guess is that there are one or two big signings to be made by Chelsea. Whatever happens, I think Villas Boas is exactly what Chelsea needed to revamp their team, and I can see a strong Chelsea challenge for the title this season.
Everton
In - Eric Dier (Sporting Lisbon, Loan)
Out - Vaughan (Norwich, 2.5m)
Everton have been pushing for regular European football under Moyes, but they will not get any more success than they have unless they push a bit more in the transfer market. In relative terms of money spent they have done brilliantly to push to where they have got to, but that's all they can reach. The fact they've have only brought one player in shows a lack of ambition, and If I was an Everton fan I'd be very anxious about this. Despite this, I think they will again challenge for a European spot.
Fulham
In - Pajtim Kasami (Palermo, 4m), John Arne Riise (Roma, 2.4m), Dan Burn (Darlington, undisc)
Out - Stockdale (Ipswich, Loan), Greening (Nott Forest, 670,000), Gera (West Brom, Released)
Fulham have become a real class outfit in my opinion, first under Hodgson now with Hughes. They play a nice style of football and defend solidly at the back, and I also think they are very savvy in the transfer market. In my opinion Arne Riise is a great capture as hes a solid left back and if you cant remember his trademark left foot piledrivers, just search them on youtube and you'll see some amazing long range finishes. I think Fulham can qualify for Europe this year, and will be pushing with Everton this season.
Liverpool
In- Stewart Downing (Aston Villa, 20m) Henderson (Sunderland, 16m) Charlie Adam (9m) Dhoni (Roma, free)
Out - Konchesky (Leicester, 1.5m), Darby (rochdale, Loan)
After Years of complaining about other teams spending too much money, Liverpool have spent over £40m this transfer window, with only £1.5m coming in. Downing for £20m is about 7 or 8 million too much, especially when you consider the fact Ashley Young has gone for £16m, and in my opinion Young is the better player. Henderson was also a bit overpriced, but Adam could turn out to be a nice buy. Liverpool could challenge with Tottenham this season, but I don't think they'll break the top four. I'm really looking forward to seeing how Carrol and Suarez joining together upfront.
Manchester City
In - Sergio Aguero (Athletico Madrid, £38m), Stefan Savic (Partizan Belgrade, 6m) Gael Clichy (Arsenal, 7m)
Out - Jo (Internacional, undisc), Shay Given (Aston Villa, £3.5), Boateng (Bayern Munich, £10m), Michael Johnson (Leicester, loan), Patrick Vieira (retired), Tevez?
The new financial powerhouses of the Premier League have made the biggest signing of the transfer window so far, with Aguero moving for 38m. This was meant to be a replacement for Tevez, but so far no team feels up to forking out 45m for the Argentinian. Man City hit hot and cold last year as they struggled to find a balance between shutting out a game and all out attack. If Mancini can find a nice balance to the team, or even convince Tevez to stay (which looks unlikely), they should take their place in the top four this year. However, Mancini if you're reading this, please get rid of Balotelli, I hate that man, so very much.
Manchester United
In - David De Gea (Athletico Madrid, 17.8m) Phil Jones (Blackburn, 16.5m) Ashley Young (Aston Villa, 16m)
Out - Bebe (Besiktas, loan), Ritchie De Laet (Norwich, loan), Owen Hargreaves (released) Paul Scholes and Van Der Sar retired, Wes Brown and John O'Shea (£2+m, Sunderland)
Manchester United really showed that you that it doesn't matter if you can play great football but if you can win when you're struggling. They've lost some decent players but they've got the strength where they needed it with some decent transfers, and the signings of De Gea and Jones show they're looking towards the future. With Hernandez bagging 20 in his first season, and Rooney a bit below par last year, I'd be surprised if Man U weren't fighting until the very last. Man U are my pick for this years title.
Newcastle
In - Sylvain Marveaux (Rennes, free), Yohan Cabaye (Lille, 4.3m), Demba Ba (West Ham, free)
Out - Kevin Nolan (West Ham, £4m), Campbell and Kuqi (released)
Newcastle don't really seem to know what they want. Before Chris Hughton's departure they were safely in 10th with a squad with a good mix of youth and experience, led by Nolan and Barton from midfield and the talented Andy Carroll up front. But now with Alan Pardew at the helm, I don't know how much of a ship he has left. Carroll was sold for 35m in January, with Nolan choosing to rejoin Big Sam in the Championship and Barton simply being hung out to dry. If Newcastle don't sort the situation out then they could well be back in the championship next year. The only good piece of business they've managed is Demba Ba for free. If the squad stays the same, it's not going to be a happy season for the Toon.
Norwich
In - Anthony Pilkington (Huddersfield, 2m) Steve Morrison (Millwall, £2.8,) James Vaughan (Everton, 2.5m), Elliott Bennet (Brighton, undisc), Richard De Laet (Man U, loan), Kyle Naughton (tottenham, loan)
Out - Luke Daley (Plymouth, free), Matt Gill (Bristol Rovers, free), Sam Habergham (Tamworth, free)
I can't see Norwich lasting in the Premiership. Despite being active in the transfer market, they've bought in a lot of Championship players, or young top club players. That's not what a new premiership club needs. They needed Premiership players, or at least players with Premiership experience, and they've just made what would have been good signings last year. Unless they've got some hidden weapon that I just can't see, they're my pick to be rock bottom.
Queens Park Rangers
In- Danny Gabbidon and Kieron Dyer (West Ham, free), Bothroyd (Cardiff, free)
Out - Chimbonda, Mahon, Parker and Rose (all released)
QPR are the only promoted club that I'm certain are going to survive this season. They've got money behind them, and have made three reasonable signings on the cheap. Gabbidon is a decent defender, and if they could get 20-25 games out of Dyer this season it'd be a great boost for their hopes. I would think they need one or two more players to be certain of survival, and one needs to be a striker who can claim some goals from set pieces, which have become increasingly important for the promoted clubs in the past few years.
Stoke
In - Jonathan Woodgate (Spurs, free)
Out - Abdoulaye Faye (West Ham, free), Eidur Gudjohnsen (AEK Athens, free) Ibrahima Sonko (released)
As shown by the 0 spent 0 received in Stokes's summary they really don't like change. They replace players like for like and they play the same way game in, game out. This means that Tony Pulis has built a side whose worth is greater than the sum of its individual parts. Everyone knows their job and they do it, and each players job helps another player, meaning they just get better at it each season. They may be dull to watch but Stoke are as effective as any other team on their day, and I wouldn't be surprised to see them in the top half of the table this year.
Sunderland
In- Connor Wickham (Ipswich, 13m), Sebastian Larsson (Birmingham, free), Wes Brown and John O'Shea (Man U, 2m+)
Out - Jordan Henderson (Liverpool, 16m) Zenden, Luscome and Kay all free.
Sunderland have become a decent side under Steve Bruce, even if they do lack a bit of consistency. I think they've made a few shrewd buys with the captures of Man U defenders O'Shea and Brown, so I think they'll be a bit more resilient than last year. I don't think they'll do much more than their usual mid-table obscurity, especially after some abject form towards the end of last season that saw them record only 4 wins after January 5th meant they slid down the table again. Nothing exciting for the Black Cats this year I feel.
Swansea
In - Danny Graham (Watford, 3.5m), Steven Caulker (Tottenham, loan), Moreira (Benfica, undisc) Lita (Middlesbrough 1.75m)
Out - Dorus de Vries, Pratley, Donnelly, Serran, Van der Gun, Pintado all released.
Swansea stand a better chance of survival than Norwich, but I think they'll face a real struggle to stay in the top flight this year. Looking at their squad I just don't know if they're solid enough to stand the step up in quality to the premiership. They need to concentrate on picking up points at home and the other strugglers and hope that something else happens elsewhere, as I can't see them consistently putting in the performance required to challenge the established top flight teams.
Tottenham
In - Friedel, Cristian Ceballos (both free, Aston Villa and Barcelona respectively), Souleymane Coulibaly (Siena, undisclosed)
Out - Jamie O'Hara (Wolves, 5m) Woodgate, (Stoke, free)
Tottenham have a had a great few years after qualifying for the Champions League and having some wonderful results in the competition, to confirm their status as a top Premiership club. As a West Ham fan it kills me to say this but I think Tottenhams style of play under Harry Redknapp has been brilliant and if they'd been a bit luckier in the league last season they could have gone for re-qualification for the Champions League. If they can keep hold of Modric they could have a right go at a top 4 spot once again.
West Bromwich
In - Ben Foster (Birmingham, loan), Gareth McAuley (Ipswich, free), Billy Jones (Preston, free), Zoltan Gera (Fulham, free)
Out - Boaz Myhill (Birmingham, loan), Abdoulaye Meite (Dijon, free), Carson (Bursaspor, 2.1m)
West Brom have started to get the hang of staying in the premiership now, and they've become a far harder team to beat under Roy Hodgson. Their transfers sum up the club, nothing exciting but they do what they need to do. Although the recapture of Zoltan Gera is a good move for the club, he is an experienced player and I feel he really could help the team. Lower half of the table I think this season.
Wigan
In - Ali Al Habsi (Bolton, £4m), David Jones (Wolves, free)
Out - Charles N'Zogbia (Aston Villa, £9.5m), Amaya (Real Betis, undisc) Caldwell (Birmingham, free)
Wigan were the worst team I've seen in a while last year, but somehow they've managed to survive again. Their only saving grace was N'Zogbia, but he's run off to pastures greener at Villa, and I have no doubt he's wanted that for a while. I can't say I expect Wigan to stay up, and I have no idea how they're going to get any points this season, but every year they seem to do it. In my perfect world, next season would see Wigan relegated and West Ham promoted, but we all know things very rarely happen perfectly.
Wolves
In - Roger Johnson (Birmingham, £7m) Jamie O'Hara (Tottenham, 5m)
Out - Halford (Portsmouth, undisc)
Wolves have never really done much except scrap around the bottom of the table. However, due to the fact they have great experience in this, they seem to have perfected the art of scrapping for survival. Despite the fact the signings don't seem to have improved the squad too much, and the fees to me seem relatively large for people that don't improve the squad, I think Wolves will survive again, and I think they'll do it by finishing in a comfortable 16th or 17th.
So to sum up, here is my final league prediction
Manchester United
Chelsea
Manchester City
Arsenal
Liverpool
Tottenham
Fulham
Everton
Stoke
Bolton
Aston Villa
Sunderland
West Brom
QPR
Blackburn
Wolves
Newcastle
Swansea
Wigan
Norwich
This Weekends Championship predictions
As my team are now a championship side I feel at least the opening weekend of games deserves a mention and a prediction, this is how I think it'll start the the 2nd tier of English football.
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Now, on with the roundup...
Arsenal
In - Carl Jenkinson (Charlton, 1m), Gervinho (Lille, 10m)
Out - Gael Clichy (Man City, 7m), Denilson (Sao Paulo, Loan)
Wenger needs to act quickly on two fronts. One to sort out the future of Fabregas and Nasri, and to make sure that the club has what it lacked last year, a bit of fight. When you look at the Arsenal lineup there's no doubting the skill that they possess, but they lack a player in the mould of Parker or Barton, who are willing to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and win by any means necessary.
If I was in charge of transfers at Arsenal, I'd currently be looking to sign a strong centreback, and a workman for the midfield. If they can keep Nasri and Fabregas they could well challenge till the end this year.
Aston Villa
In - Charles N'Zogbia (Wigan, 9.5m), Shay Given (Manchester City, 3.5m)
Out - Stewart Downing (Liverpool, 20m), Ashley Young (Man U, 16m), Braf Friedel (Spurs, free), Nigel Reo-Coker (Bolton, free), Pires, Carew, Osbourne (All released)
In terms of who's made the best money for players, Aston Villa have raked it in. £20m for Stewart Downing is one of the most ridiculous fees I've ever seen for a one footed player. However they may find life without Ashley Young is a lot harder than with him. Friedel has been adequately replaced, so that's not a problem, but I don't know if Aston Villa will finish much above mid table this year, unless Darren Bent and N'Zogbia can really combine.
Blackburn
In-Goodwille (Dundee, 2.8m)
Out - Phil Jones (Manchester United, 16.5m), Frank Fielding (Derby, undisclosed)
Blackburn really haven't done themselves any favours recently, and they could be in for a struggle this season. They removed one of the only things that guaranteed them premiership football, and that was Sam Allardyce. They haven't signed any proven players and sold their best young talent. Goodwille was good in the SPL but that's little better than Championship standard. Blackburn could be in for a long season trying to pick up points wherever they can, its going to be a struggle, especially if Samba leaves for Arsenal.
Bolton
In - Chris Eagles and Tyrone Mears (Burnley, joint 3m), Darren Pratley (Swansea, free), Nigel Reo-Coker (Aston Villa, free)
Out - Ali Al Habsi (Wigan, 4m) Johan Elmander (Galatasaray, free), Jlloyd Samuel (released), Joey O'Brien (West Ham, free), Matt Taylor (West Ham, 2.2m)
Bolton have been reasonably busy in the transfer market but they've not really improved because of it, but they haven't lost out either. Bolton have always been one of these teams that are almost impossible to predict, they can hold up against the top teams but could crumble against the bottom teams. I think Bolton should do alright this year, and will finish around mid table.
Chelsea
In - Romeu (Barcelona, 4.3m), Piazon (Sao Paulo, undisc), Courtois (Genk, 5m)
Out - Courtois (Athletico Madrid, loan), Bruma (Hamburg, loan), Mancienne (Hamburg, 3m)
Chelsea, the Abramovich Chelsea anyway, have always been big spenders in the transfer market, but this year seems to be a little quiet for them. Obviously there is the Modric battle to be resolved, but my guess is that there are one or two big signings to be made by Chelsea. Whatever happens, I think Villas Boas is exactly what Chelsea needed to revamp their team, and I can see a strong Chelsea challenge for the title this season.
Everton
In - Eric Dier (Sporting Lisbon, Loan)
Out - Vaughan (Norwich, 2.5m)
Everton have been pushing for regular European football under Moyes, but they will not get any more success than they have unless they push a bit more in the transfer market. In relative terms of money spent they have done brilliantly to push to where they have got to, but that's all they can reach. The fact they've have only brought one player in shows a lack of ambition, and If I was an Everton fan I'd be very anxious about this. Despite this, I think they will again challenge for a European spot.
Fulham
In - Pajtim Kasami (Palermo, 4m), John Arne Riise (Roma, 2.4m), Dan Burn (Darlington, undisc)
Out - Stockdale (Ipswich, Loan), Greening (Nott Forest, 670,000), Gera (West Brom, Released)
Fulham have become a real class outfit in my opinion, first under Hodgson now with Hughes. They play a nice style of football and defend solidly at the back, and I also think they are very savvy in the transfer market. In my opinion Arne Riise is a great capture as hes a solid left back and if you cant remember his trademark left foot piledrivers, just search them on youtube and you'll see some amazing long range finishes. I think Fulham can qualify for Europe this year, and will be pushing with Everton this season.
Liverpool
In- Stewart Downing (Aston Villa, 20m) Henderson (Sunderland, 16m) Charlie Adam (9m) Dhoni (Roma, free)
Out - Konchesky (Leicester, 1.5m), Darby (rochdale, Loan)
After Years of complaining about other teams spending too much money, Liverpool have spent over £40m this transfer window, with only £1.5m coming in. Downing for £20m is about 7 or 8 million too much, especially when you consider the fact Ashley Young has gone for £16m, and in my opinion Young is the better player. Henderson was also a bit overpriced, but Adam could turn out to be a nice buy. Liverpool could challenge with Tottenham this season, but I don't think they'll break the top four. I'm really looking forward to seeing how Carrol and Suarez joining together upfront.
Manchester City
In - Sergio Aguero (Athletico Madrid, £38m), Stefan Savic (Partizan Belgrade, 6m) Gael Clichy (Arsenal, 7m)
Out - Jo (Internacional, undisc), Shay Given (Aston Villa, £3.5), Boateng (Bayern Munich, £10m), Michael Johnson (Leicester, loan), Patrick Vieira (retired), Tevez?
The new financial powerhouses of the Premier League have made the biggest signing of the transfer window so far, with Aguero moving for 38m. This was meant to be a replacement for Tevez, but so far no team feels up to forking out 45m for the Argentinian. Man City hit hot and cold last year as they struggled to find a balance between shutting out a game and all out attack. If Mancini can find a nice balance to the team, or even convince Tevez to stay (which looks unlikely), they should take their place in the top four this year. However, Mancini if you're reading this, please get rid of Balotelli, I hate that man, so very much.
Manchester United
In - David De Gea (Athletico Madrid, 17.8m) Phil Jones (Blackburn, 16.5m) Ashley Young (Aston Villa, 16m)
Out - Bebe (Besiktas, loan), Ritchie De Laet (Norwich, loan), Owen Hargreaves (released) Paul Scholes and Van Der Sar retired, Wes Brown and John O'Shea (£2+m, Sunderland)
Manchester United really showed that you that it doesn't matter if you can play great football but if you can win when you're struggling. They've lost some decent players but they've got the strength where they needed it with some decent transfers, and the signings of De Gea and Jones show they're looking towards the future. With Hernandez bagging 20 in his first season, and Rooney a bit below par last year, I'd be surprised if Man U weren't fighting until the very last. Man U are my pick for this years title.
Newcastle
In - Sylvain Marveaux (Rennes, free), Yohan Cabaye (Lille, 4.3m), Demba Ba (West Ham, free)
Out - Kevin Nolan (West Ham, £4m), Campbell and Kuqi (released)
Newcastle don't really seem to know what they want. Before Chris Hughton's departure they were safely in 10th with a squad with a good mix of youth and experience, led by Nolan and Barton from midfield and the talented Andy Carroll up front. But now with Alan Pardew at the helm, I don't know how much of a ship he has left. Carroll was sold for 35m in January, with Nolan choosing to rejoin Big Sam in the Championship and Barton simply being hung out to dry. If Newcastle don't sort the situation out then they could well be back in the championship next year. The only good piece of business they've managed is Demba Ba for free. If the squad stays the same, it's not going to be a happy season for the Toon.
Norwich
In - Anthony Pilkington (Huddersfield, 2m) Steve Morrison (Millwall, £2.8,) James Vaughan (Everton, 2.5m), Elliott Bennet (Brighton, undisc), Richard De Laet (Man U, loan), Kyle Naughton (tottenham, loan)
Out - Luke Daley (Plymouth, free), Matt Gill (Bristol Rovers, free), Sam Habergham (Tamworth, free)
I can't see Norwich lasting in the Premiership. Despite being active in the transfer market, they've bought in a lot of Championship players, or young top club players. That's not what a new premiership club needs. They needed Premiership players, or at least players with Premiership experience, and they've just made what would have been good signings last year. Unless they've got some hidden weapon that I just can't see, they're my pick to be rock bottom.
Queens Park Rangers
In- Danny Gabbidon and Kieron Dyer (West Ham, free), Bothroyd (Cardiff, free)
Out - Chimbonda, Mahon, Parker and Rose (all released)
QPR are the only promoted club that I'm certain are going to survive this season. They've got money behind them, and have made three reasonable signings on the cheap. Gabbidon is a decent defender, and if they could get 20-25 games out of Dyer this season it'd be a great boost for their hopes. I would think they need one or two more players to be certain of survival, and one needs to be a striker who can claim some goals from set pieces, which have become increasingly important for the promoted clubs in the past few years.
Stoke
In - Jonathan Woodgate (Spurs, free)
Out - Abdoulaye Faye (West Ham, free), Eidur Gudjohnsen (AEK Athens, free) Ibrahima Sonko (released)
As shown by the 0 spent 0 received in Stokes's summary they really don't like change. They replace players like for like and they play the same way game in, game out. This means that Tony Pulis has built a side whose worth is greater than the sum of its individual parts. Everyone knows their job and they do it, and each players job helps another player, meaning they just get better at it each season. They may be dull to watch but Stoke are as effective as any other team on their day, and I wouldn't be surprised to see them in the top half of the table this year.
Sunderland
In- Connor Wickham (Ipswich, 13m), Sebastian Larsson (Birmingham, free), Wes Brown and John O'Shea (Man U, 2m+)
Out - Jordan Henderson (Liverpool, 16m) Zenden, Luscome and Kay all free.
Sunderland have become a decent side under Steve Bruce, even if they do lack a bit of consistency. I think they've made a few shrewd buys with the captures of Man U defenders O'Shea and Brown, so I think they'll be a bit more resilient than last year. I don't think they'll do much more than their usual mid-table obscurity, especially after some abject form towards the end of last season that saw them record only 4 wins after January 5th meant they slid down the table again. Nothing exciting for the Black Cats this year I feel.
Swansea
In - Danny Graham (Watford, 3.5m), Steven Caulker (Tottenham, loan), Moreira (Benfica, undisc) Lita (Middlesbrough 1.75m)
Out - Dorus de Vries, Pratley, Donnelly, Serran, Van der Gun, Pintado all released.
Swansea stand a better chance of survival than Norwich, but I think they'll face a real struggle to stay in the top flight this year. Looking at their squad I just don't know if they're solid enough to stand the step up in quality to the premiership. They need to concentrate on picking up points at home and the other strugglers and hope that something else happens elsewhere, as I can't see them consistently putting in the performance required to challenge the established top flight teams.
Tottenham
In - Friedel, Cristian Ceballos (both free, Aston Villa and Barcelona respectively), Souleymane Coulibaly (Siena, undisclosed)
Out - Jamie O'Hara (Wolves, 5m) Woodgate, (Stoke, free)
Tottenham have a had a great few years after qualifying for the Champions League and having some wonderful results in the competition, to confirm their status as a top Premiership club. As a West Ham fan it kills me to say this but I think Tottenhams style of play under Harry Redknapp has been brilliant and if they'd been a bit luckier in the league last season they could have gone for re-qualification for the Champions League. If they can keep hold of Modric they could have a right go at a top 4 spot once again.
West Bromwich
In - Ben Foster (Birmingham, loan), Gareth McAuley (Ipswich, free), Billy Jones (Preston, free), Zoltan Gera (Fulham, free)
Out - Boaz Myhill (Birmingham, loan), Abdoulaye Meite (Dijon, free), Carson (Bursaspor, 2.1m)
West Brom have started to get the hang of staying in the premiership now, and they've become a far harder team to beat under Roy Hodgson. Their transfers sum up the club, nothing exciting but they do what they need to do. Although the recapture of Zoltan Gera is a good move for the club, he is an experienced player and I feel he really could help the team. Lower half of the table I think this season.
Wigan
In - Ali Al Habsi (Bolton, £4m), David Jones (Wolves, free)
Out - Charles N'Zogbia (Aston Villa, £9.5m), Amaya (Real Betis, undisc) Caldwell (Birmingham, free)
Wigan were the worst team I've seen in a while last year, but somehow they've managed to survive again. Their only saving grace was N'Zogbia, but he's run off to pastures greener at Villa, and I have no doubt he's wanted that for a while. I can't say I expect Wigan to stay up, and I have no idea how they're going to get any points this season, but every year they seem to do it. In my perfect world, next season would see Wigan relegated and West Ham promoted, but we all know things very rarely happen perfectly.
Wolves
In - Roger Johnson (Birmingham, £7m) Jamie O'Hara (Tottenham, 5m)
Out - Halford (Portsmouth, undisc)
Wolves have never really done much except scrap around the bottom of the table. However, due to the fact they have great experience in this, they seem to have perfected the art of scrapping for survival. Despite the fact the signings don't seem to have improved the squad too much, and the fees to me seem relatively large for people that don't improve the squad, I think Wolves will survive again, and I think they'll do it by finishing in a comfortable 16th or 17th.
So to sum up, here is my final league prediction
Manchester United
Chelsea
Manchester City
Arsenal
Liverpool
Tottenham
Fulham
Everton
Stoke
Bolton
Aston Villa
Sunderland
West Brom
QPR
Blackburn
Wolves
Newcastle
Swansea
Wigan
Norwich
This Weekends Championship predictions
As my team are now a championship side I feel at least the opening weekend of games deserves a mention and a prediction, this is how I think it'll start the the 2nd tier of English football.
Hull 1:1 Blackpool
Coventry 1:2 Leicester
Brighton 3:1 Doncaster
Bristol City 1:0 Ipswich
Burnley 1:1 Watford
Derby 0:2 Birmingham
Middlesbrough 2:0 Portsmouth
Nott'm Forest 1:0 Barnsley
Peterborough 1:1 Crystal Palace
Reading 2:1 Millwall
Southampton 1:0 Leeds
West Ham 2:0 Cardiff
Please don't trust me when It comes to predictions, I'm notoriously bad.
Tuesday 2 August 2011
Another Victory for Bristish Sport...
After a weekend of British sporting success only one week ago, we are hit once again with British success, in two areas. And they were brilliant performances as well.
Cricket
If this cricket match did anything it reaffirmed that even if India manage to not lose this series by the 2 matches England require to top the rankings, England are the best test side in the world. I feel I can say this with absolute confidence for 3 reasons.
1 - Even without the No.1 spin bowler in the world (Graeme Swann) bowling much the England attack tore through the Indian lineup, famous for, if nothing else, sticking it out. Dravid and Laxxman, who have proved almost impossible to remove over the years, were at ends today and even Sachin Tendulkar had no idea how to play Anderson.
2 - When batting, not until all wickets are down are England dead. For years I have resigned myself to the fact that our batting stopped at the fall of the fifth or sixth wicket, but that's not the case anymore. Broads hundred runs in the match as well as Bresnans 90 in the second innings showed that these players are closer to all rounders than we've had before, and Swann isn't a dummy with the bat, whilst Anderson isn't easy to remove either.
3 - This England team has years to go. Andrew Strauss is the oldest member of the team at 34 and most of the team are in their twenties, and in cricket this means you've got quite a few years to go still. The top Indian players are all 30 or over (Dhoni 30, Laxman 36, Dravid 38, Tendulkar 38, Khan 32). And you also have to consider the youngest English bowler ever to take 50 wickets was left out (Finn), and is a serious talent for the future.
If India wanted to stake a claim for the No.1 spot, they should have finished the game off from having 124-8 and really struggling. The players looked awful in the field and no-one really seemed to want to step up and take control for India. I will however say the MS Dhoni deserves a special mention for withdrawing the appeal against Ian Bell, the dismissal, although stupid from Bell's point of view, was against the spirit of the game and they did the right thing.
In regards to the rest of the series, if India don't find something to actually put England in trouble, this could become a series whitewash very quickly.
Formula One
After a great race from Lewis Hamilton last week, McLaren followed it up with proof that their car is now equal, if not ahead of, that of Red Bull. My prediction was McLaren to put two drivers on the podium and they looked to be set for a 1-2, after some classy driving from both McLaren men which emphasised their ability in the wet and changeable conditions. Only a poor decision from Lewis Hamilton meant that McLaren did not get the finish they wanted. With it spitting and the track getting slippery for Slick tyres, Hamilton made the decision to come in and put intermediate tyres on. However this proved to be a foolish move as it then stopped spitting, and the track dried very quickly, meaning he had to make another pit stop soon after for dry tyres. This mistake was compounded by the stewards handing Lewis a drive through penalty for spinning his car round near passing traffic, which meant Lewis went through the pits 3 times in 5 laps. If Lewis had stayed out he would have been on the podium, even with the drive through penalty he was punished with. If Mclaren can keep this type of progress up then it could make for an interesting finish, despite Vettel managing to extend his lead in the Drivers Championship again. This was another great win for Button, who has to be considered the master of wet races out of the current drivers around. As Hamilton said,"The better driver won today."
The next race is in 3 weeks time in Belgium, I shall do another weekend report at the time, with a prediction followed by a race report.
Later this week I will get round to finally posting my transfer roundup, with who I think will have to fight hard this season for survival, and who should be sitting at the top of the pack come May.
Cricket
If this cricket match did anything it reaffirmed that even if India manage to not lose this series by the 2 matches England require to top the rankings, England are the best test side in the world. I feel I can say this with absolute confidence for 3 reasons.
1 - Even without the No.1 spin bowler in the world (Graeme Swann) bowling much the England attack tore through the Indian lineup, famous for, if nothing else, sticking it out. Dravid and Laxxman, who have proved almost impossible to remove over the years, were at ends today and even Sachin Tendulkar had no idea how to play Anderson.
2 - When batting, not until all wickets are down are England dead. For years I have resigned myself to the fact that our batting stopped at the fall of the fifth or sixth wicket, but that's not the case anymore. Broads hundred runs in the match as well as Bresnans 90 in the second innings showed that these players are closer to all rounders than we've had before, and Swann isn't a dummy with the bat, whilst Anderson isn't easy to remove either.
3 - This England team has years to go. Andrew Strauss is the oldest member of the team at 34 and most of the team are in their twenties, and in cricket this means you've got quite a few years to go still. The top Indian players are all 30 or over (Dhoni 30, Laxman 36, Dravid 38, Tendulkar 38, Khan 32). And you also have to consider the youngest English bowler ever to take 50 wickets was left out (Finn), and is a serious talent for the future.
If India wanted to stake a claim for the No.1 spot, they should have finished the game off from having 124-8 and really struggling. The players looked awful in the field and no-one really seemed to want to step up and take control for India. I will however say the MS Dhoni deserves a special mention for withdrawing the appeal against Ian Bell, the dismissal, although stupid from Bell's point of view, was against the spirit of the game and they did the right thing.
In regards to the rest of the series, if India don't find something to actually put England in trouble, this could become a series whitewash very quickly.
Formula One
After a great race from Lewis Hamilton last week, McLaren followed it up with proof that their car is now equal, if not ahead of, that of Red Bull. My prediction was McLaren to put two drivers on the podium and they looked to be set for a 1-2, after some classy driving from both McLaren men which emphasised their ability in the wet and changeable conditions. Only a poor decision from Lewis Hamilton meant that McLaren did not get the finish they wanted. With it spitting and the track getting slippery for Slick tyres, Hamilton made the decision to come in and put intermediate tyres on. However this proved to be a foolish move as it then stopped spitting, and the track dried very quickly, meaning he had to make another pit stop soon after for dry tyres. This mistake was compounded by the stewards handing Lewis a drive through penalty for spinning his car round near passing traffic, which meant Lewis went through the pits 3 times in 5 laps. If Lewis had stayed out he would have been on the podium, even with the drive through penalty he was punished with. If Mclaren can keep this type of progress up then it could make for an interesting finish, despite Vettel managing to extend his lead in the Drivers Championship again. This was another great win for Button, who has to be considered the master of wet races out of the current drivers around. As Hamilton said,"The better driver won today."
The next race is in 3 weeks time in Belgium, I shall do another weekend report at the time, with a prediction followed by a race report.
Later this week I will get round to finally posting my transfer roundup, with who I think will have to fight hard this season for survival, and who should be sitting at the top of the pack come May.
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