Category Archives: POMSPORT

Highlights from last week and a look ahead to sport on Aus TV nextweek.

By William Thompson

There’s been plenty of action over the past seven days with the Premier League once again churning out some cracking games and unpredictable results. The UEFA Champions League first knock out stage was drawn on Friday, which results in Beckham returning to Old Trafford with AC Milan and Jose Mourinho returning to Chelsea with Inter Milan.  Fulham and Everton both progressed to the knock out stages of the Europa League, with Liverpool joining them as one of the “best losers” from the Champions League.  Mark Hughes got the chop at Manchester City with Mancini being named instantly as his replacement.  And finally, England salvaged a draw in their first test match against South Africa in Centurion.

Pick of the week: Fulham 3 Manchester United 0

Fulham destroyed Manchester United 3-0 at Craven Cottage on Saturday, with the current champions fielding a severely weakened team due to mass injury problems.  Nevertheless, Manchester United still had plenty of experience on the field with the likes of Carrick, Scholes, Rooney and Owen all in action.  Fulham played extremely well and limited United to only a handful of chances.  Berbatov came on midway through the second half and gave United a glimmer of hope, to no avail.  Bobby Zamora was Fulham’s stand out man, scoring Fulham’s second just after the break and setting up Duff brilliantly for a well taken third goal.  Zamora, who made it 10 goals for the season, was given a standing ovation by the Fulham fans as he departed the field after being substituted in injury time.  He’s taken some stick on PomSport over the past couple of weeks but if he keeps this form up he may well be in with a shout for England.  The confidence is there and he’s definitely answering his critics (for which I’m one) the best way possible!

View highlights here

Premier League Highlights

With Manchester United losing, Chelsea failed to take advantage drawing 1-1 with West Ham at Upton Park. The Hammers took the lead just before half time after Ashley Cole gave away a reckless penalty by fouling Collison.  Chelsea levelled the score just after the hour, also via the penalty spot, after Upson brought down Sturridge, although replays showed he won the ball.  Frank Lampard showed great composure to net his penalty three times, after it was disallowed twice for players infringing the penalty area prior to him striking the ball. View highlights here.

Arsenal, Villa and Spurs all took advantage of the top two’s inability to secure three points, with Arsenal beating Hull 3-0 at the Emirates in a fiery affair, Villa beating Stoke 1-0 at Villa Park, making it four league wins on the trot, and Spurs building on their 3-0 home win against Manchester City mid-week winning 2-0 away at Blackburn.  Elsewhere, Liverpool continued their downward spiral losing 2-0 away at Portsmouth, ending the game with 10 men after Mascherano was sent off.  Mark Hughes ended his reign at Manchester City on a high in a thrilling 4-3 win over Sunderland. Having lead 2-0 after 12 minutes it seemed City were in for an afternoon cruise, however Sunderland fought back and levelled the game on 24 minutes. City took the lead again before Sunderland equalised for a second time, with City finally wrapping up all three points when Santa Cruz scored the winner on 69 minutes.  Although speculation surrounding Mark Hughes future at Eastlands was rife, he waved to the City fans for the last time as he exited the field, not knowing it would be his last game in charge.  He was sacked just hours later.  Wolves continued their good form with a 2-0 win at home to Burnley, taking 9 points out of their last 12 on offer.  Mick McCarthy took a lot of stick mid-week for fielding a weakened side in their 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford, however Mick will feel vindicated with his team’s recent victory after some tough fixtures, which sees Wolves move up to 12th place in the Premier League. Finally, Everton played out a 1-1 draw at home to Birmingham. At the top of the table Chelsea still lead by 4 points with United in second place, Arsenal sit in third with Villa sitting in fourth on equal points.  Both Arsenal and Villa trail Chelsea by six points, with Arsenal carrying a game in hand.  Portsmouth remain bottom despite their victory over Liverpool, with West Ham in 19th and Bolton in 18th.  Only 5 points separates Portsmouth and Wolves, who sit 12th spot.

Other Sporting Highlights over the past seven days

England salvaged a draw in their first test match against South Africa in Centurion, but they made hard work of it.  England looked odds on for the draw going into tea on the final day, only to collapse in spectacular fashion, losing 5 wickets for 13 runs.  Collingwood steered England home with some great batting, whilst shielding Graham Onions, who also played well under extreme pressure coming in at the end.

Barcelona’s Lionel Messi has been named FIFA World Footballer of the Year, adding to the Ballon d’Or prize he won recently, becoming the first Argentine player to win the award.

The Champions League draw for the first knock out stage was made on Friday and has thrown up some mouth watering fixtures for the three English Clubs still involved.  Manchester United take on AC Milan, with Beckham returning for the first time since he departed United, Chelsea face Mourinho’s Inter Milan, and Arsenal take on FC Porto.  The first legs are scheduled to take place on February 16th, 17th and 24th.

The Europa League knock out stage draw sees Everton take on Sporting, Fulham face Shakhtar Donetsk whilst Liverpool take on European giants Unirea Urziceni, who sound more like an STD than a football team.

England are set to play a friendly against reigning African Cup of Nations champions, Egypt, in March.  This will be a handy warm up game for Capello’s England team in preparation for next summer’s World Cup, given they face Algeria in the group stages who play a similar style of football.

Coming Up

There’s plenty of footie action taking place over the festive season with the pick of the action seeing 3rd place Arsenal taking on 4th place Aston Villa at The Emirates, on Sunday.  Tottenham travel to in-form Fulham, whilst Hull host champions Manchester United.  There’s two Lancashire derbys, with Burnley taking on Bolton and Wigan facing Blackburn.  Two days on and the second round of festive fixtures has Tottenham hosting West Ham, Fulham taking on Chelsea at The Cottage, whilst Villa face Liverpool.  I’m fairly sure by the end of it all we’ll be none the wiser as to which direction the second half of the season is heading, given the ups and downs of the first half!  England begin their second test against South Africa in Durban on Boxing Day and will be looking to improve on their average first test performance.

POMSPORT on Australian TV this week

2nd Test – South Africa v England TV Schedule
Saturday December 26

International Test Cricket, Day 1 - South Africa v England (7pm – 2.30am) Fox Sports 3

Sunday December 27

International Test Cricket, Day 2 - South Africa v England (7pm – 2.30am) Fox Sports 3

Monday December 28

International Test Cricket, Day 3 - South Africa v England (7pm – 2.30am) Fox Sports 3

Tuesday December 29

International Test Cricket, Day 4 - South Africa v England (7pm – 2.30am) Fox Sports 3

Wednesday December 30

International Test Cricket, Day 5 - South Africa v England (7pm – 2.30am) Fox Sports 3

Saturday December 26
Birmingham v Chelsea (11.40pm – 1.55am) Fox Sports 2
Fulham v Tottenham (11.55pm – 2am) Fox Sports 1

Sunday December 27
Manchester City v Stoke (1.55am – 4.25am) Fox Sports 2
Liverpool v Wolves (4.25am – 6.30am) Fox Sports 2
Leicester v Sheffield United (4.30am – 7.30am) Fox Sports 1

Monday December 28
Arsenal v Aston Villa (12.25am – 2.30am) Fox Sports 2
Hull City v Manchester United (2.55am – 5am) Fox Sports 2
Football EPL Highlights (6pm – 7pm) Fox Sports 1
Tottenham v West Ham (11.30pm – 1.55am) Fox Sports 1

Tuesday December 29
Chelsea v Fulham (1.55am – 4am) Fox Sports 1
Newcastle v Derby County (4am- 6.40am) Fox Sports 1
Wolves v Manchester City (6.40am – 9am) Fox Sports 1

POMSPORT Classic Goal of the Week
Joe Cole scored England’s best goal by far at the last World Cup in Germany.  If we’re to stand any chance at next year’s tournament we’ll definitely need Cole’s services! Let’s hope he gets back to full fitness and stays that way.

The past seven days have been very eventful with the main sporting news being the 2010 FIFA World Cup draw, that saw the football gods shining on England with a group stage draw that, given the opportunity Capello would have been close to hand picking.  We won the ODI cricket series, even if the heavens did open up, resulting in the final ODI being called off, but hey, a win’s a win! And once again the Premiership threw up some great games, which included 4 squandered penalties, two of which proved costly for Chlesea and Spurs.  And finally, Manchester City won a game, after 7 consecutive draws, in the money bags derby against Chelsea.
 
Pick of the Week: 2010 World Cup Draw
 
The 2010 FIFA World Cup draw took place on Friday with England drawing Algeria, Slovenia and the USA in Group C.  All but drawing New Zealand makes this one of the best possible outcomes for England, with their opening fixture against the States proving the sternest test.  However, there’s no room for complacency, and with Capello at the helm we can be sure of this.  If you’re not heading back to England or heading over to South Africa for the World Cup, England’s group stage matches aren’t on at favourable hours, given the time difference, however the first two games are on over the weekend, with the final group game against Slovenia on at midnight on a Wednesday.  Either way, there will be some sleep depravation involved if you’re going to follow England on this journey.
 
ENGLAND FIXTURES – GROUP C (Australia EST)
England v USA (Sunday 13th June, 4.30am)
England v Algeria (Saturday 19th June, 430am)
England v Slovenia (Thursday 24th June, 12am)       
 
Some of the tougher groups see Australia up against Germany, Ghana and Serbia, whilst Brazil face the Ivory Coast, North Korea and Portugal. 

If England win their group, which they really should if they’re to stand any chance of lifting the World Cup, they could potentially face the Socceroos in the first knock-out stage if they finish second in their group, setting up a tense match for every English expat in Australia.  The thought of this happening worries me a little given they released a DVD of their 3-1 victory over England at Upton Park back in 2003, which was, for most England fans, a fairly meaningless friendly.  For the Aussies this game sits up there with some of their finest sporting achievements; it wasn’t a friendly, they’ll tell you – it was a test. Australia doesn’t play friendlies, hence the DVD, and which is why if we do play them and lose I’m moving to Mongolia.  However, putting the ghost of 2003 to bed would be nice and provide every English football fan down under with a little peace and quiet – and that’s one DVD I would definitely buy, although somehow I don’t think the Aussies would be rushing to stock the shelves.    
 
 
Premier League Highlights
 
Manchester City ended their run of seven consecutive draws, with a win over Chelsea at Eastland’s. Frank Lampard had his late spot-kick saved by Given, to deny Chelsea a point. Watch City v Chelease highlights here. Manchester United scored four away on the road for the second week running, beating West Ham 4-0, and now trail leaders Chelsea by only two points.  Arsenal ended their 3 game losing streak with a 2-0 win over Stoke at the Emirates, although they made hard work of it, missing numerous chances, including a penalty miss by Cesc Fabregas.  Tottenham could have leaped-frogged Arsenal into third had Jermain Defoe not missed a last minute penalty with the score poised at two a piece.  In an action packed second half  Spurs took a 2-0 lead, only for Tim Cahill to equalise 4 minutes from time. Watch Spurs v Everton highlights here.  Liverpool got back to their point-dropping ways with a 0-0 draw away at Blackburn, in a mostly drab affair.  Villa sent Hull packing with a 3-0 home win – Jimmy Bullard, who was last week’s hero, not only for his goal but celebration, was stretchered off in the first half with a knee injury. James Milner scored a superb if cheeky goal for Villa:

Birmingham notched up an impressive 3-2 away win at the JJB against Wigan, who from week to week seem to turn up a completely different side to that of the week before.  Wolves beat relegation rivals Bolton 2-1, with Milijas scoring a second half pearler for the home side.  Fulham beat Sunderland 1-0 at the Cottage, with Steve Bruce’s men failing once again to recapture their home form on the road.  And finally, Avram Grant picked up his first win as Portsmouth manager with a 2-0 win at home over Burnley.  Dindam, who missed a first half penalty, made up for his error with a goal six minutes from time, sealing a much needed win for Pompey and their beleaguered fans.  This result sees Pompey still a the foot of the table 4 points off West Ham, who sit in 17th.               
 
Other sporting highlights over the past seven days:
 
England won their five day international series against South Africa 2-1, with the final match in Durban being called off due to heavy rain.  This will hopefully give England a boost going into their first of four test matches against South Africa, next Wednesday in Centurion.
 
Roy Hodgson came out this week and said that he believes Bobby Zamora may be worthy of an England World Cup spot! Either Roy has an Algerian passport or has a tasty bet on at Ladbrokes as to who will miss the most sitters in South Africa next summer.  Emile, I take it all back! 
 
Silverstone has agreed a 17 year deal to host the British Grand Prix starting from 2010, and will undergo major modernisation starting early next year.  This ensures the oldest race on the F1 calendar will retain its place.
 
Newcastle United have opened up a 4 point lead over closest rivals West Brom in the Championship after a 2-0 home win against Watford.

Coming Up

The Champions League returns this week with Chelsea at home to Apoel Nicosia, Manchester United travel to Wolfsburg, needing just a point to secure top spot in their group.  Liverpool, whose hopes of qualifying for the next stage were slashed in the last round of games, face Fiorentina at Anfield, and Arsenal travel to Olympiakos and, like Chelsea, already have top spot in the bag.  Rangers, who sit at the bottom of Group G, travel to Sevilla.  There’s plenty of Premiership action taking place over the next seven days with the pick of the weekend fixtures seeing Manchester United taking on Aston Villa at Old Trafford, whilst Liverpool face Arsenal at Anfield.  Next week’s big mid-week clash sees Tottenham up against Manchester City at White Heart Lane, with Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Villa also in action. 

POMSPORT on Australian TV this week

Thursday December 10
Olympiacos v Arsenal (8.45am – 11am) ESPN 
Stoke v Wigan (11.30pm – 1.55am) Fox Sports 2

Saturday December 12

Sunday December 13
Chelsea v Everton (1.55am – 4.30am) Fox Sports 2
Manchester Utd v Aston Villa (4.30am – 6.30am) Fox Sports 2

Monday December 14
Middlesbrough v Cardiff (12am – 2.30am) Fox Sports 2
Liverpool v Arsenal (2.55am – 5am) Fox Sports 2
Football EPL Highlights (6pm – 7pm) Fox Sports 1
POMSPORT Classic Goal of the week

This week’s PomSport classic goal comes from Trevor Sinclair, back in 1997 during his QPR days, in an FA Cup tie against Burnley.  Quite possibly one of the best bicycle kicks ever scored!

The Premiership threw up some great games this weekend with Chelsea severely denting Arsenal’s title ambitions with a 3-0 win at the Emirates.  Rooney bagged a hat-trick for United away at Portsmouth with Avram Grant at the helm in his first game in charge for Pompey.  Liverpool rose to the occasion to see off Everton at Goodison in the Merseyside Derby, and Hull produced one of the best goal celebrations of the season so far in their 1-1 draw with, you guessed it, Manchester City.  In the Cricket England now lead 2-1 against South Africa with one match to play, which means there’s no chance of losing this series! Tiger Woods’ driving isn’t all it’s cracked up to be with the golf ace being taken to hospital with minor face injuries after an ”incident” near his home in Orlando, Florida.  It’s all a bit sketchy at the moment but it’s comforting to know that even the richest sportsman on the planet is prone to the odd domestic! 

Arsenal now trail Premier League leaders Chelsea by 11 points after the blues comfortably beat Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday.  Didier Drogba opened the scoring with a lovely cushioned volley into the top right-hand corner from a well placed Ashley Cole cross.  The game was all but over four minues later when Thomas Vermaelen turned another Ashley Cole cross into his own net. Drogba sealed it 4 minutes from time with a superbly struck free kick.  Arsenal were unlucky not to get back into it after the break when Andrey Asharvin’s goal was disallowed for a foul by Eduardo on Petr Cech, although replays showed very little contact was made.  Wenger remains adamant his young guns are still in the title race - Arsenal do have a game in hand, however it will be a tall order for the Gunners with Chelsea going from strength to strength at the moment.

Manchester United remain hot on Chelsea’s heels after a convincing 4-1 away win at Portsmouth.  There was an air of expectation around Fratton Park with Avram Grant taking over as Pompey’s new manager after Paul Heart was sacked last week.  Unfortunately it wasn’t to be a debut to remember in a game that saw 3 penalties and Ryan Giggs notching up his 100th Premier League goal for United.

The third round of the FA Cup has been drawn with the pick of the fixtures seeing Manchester United potentially playing Leeds, should they win their 2nd round replay against Kettering (how the mighty have fallen).  Six Premier League sides will face each other with West Ham taking on Arsenal, Villa playing Blackburn and Hull taking on Wigan.  Cup holders Chelsea meet Watford at Vicarage Road.   

The 2010 World Cup draw takes place this Friday, December 4 (Saturday 9am Australian time) with England in amongst the seeded teams.  England play out their final ODI against South Africa in Durban and will be hoping to finish the series as 3-1 winners. 

Highlights from last week and a look ahead to sport on Aus TV nextweek.

1. Britain has a Heavyweight World Champ boxer again (and the other guy was 11 inches taller and 7st heavier) http://tiny.cc/07Te1

 2. Chelsea beat Man United 1-0 to go top, 5 points clear. You can view video highlights from the game here http://tiny.cc/fGMls or for the real highlight form the match….. a fan brushing his teath in the crowd (its caused quite a stir in the UK!)

3. Liverpool falter again and nearly loose to Birmingham City. The draw could have saved raffas job if you believe some reports that suggest Villas Martin O’Neil as his successor. The draw came as a result of a David N’Gog Dives dive. Watch it here:

 4. Peter Crouch is in the limelight as a result of his dancing again, this time in a nightclub. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/nov/11/peter-crouch-capello-england-nightclub

 5. Portsmouth loose again to Blackburn in a propper 6 pointer to stay bottom of the league.

6. Check out this Zidane goal, he’s still got it!

POMSPORT - ON AUS TV (FROM 14th November)

Its International week so no Premier League, but there are some big games on offer, Portual could be out of the world cup and New Zealand in, who would have thought!

Sat 14th November

New Zealand v Bahrain - 6pm Setanta

England v Bazil in Qatar (friendly) – Not on Aus TV dam it – will try to find highlights from the game and post here next week.

Sun 15th November

Portugal v Bosnia 7.30am Setanta

Thursday 19th November

Ireland v France – 7am Setanta

Bosnia v Portugal 5.45pm Setanta