The False 9

The False 9

The managerial merry-go-round has another headline! After Paolo di Canio, Martin Jol and Steve Clarke, Andre Villa Boas (AVB) has now joined the infamous list of the 2013-14 season.  I guess the story on everyone’s lips is did the Spurs manager deserve to get the flick with the busiest period of the year kicking into full swing. Personally as an Arsenal fan it is great to see the other side of London struggling, but I can’t help but feel just a touch sorry for AVB. Last year Spurs tallied 72 points during the season and still missed out on a Champions League (CL) berth. Any other year, they would have made it. Imagine that. AVB did everything he could, plus more, but still couldn’t push down the invisible gate leading to the ballpark of football giants. This disappointment had a domino effect. Gareth Bale soon jumped ship as there was no CL football on the horizon for him and this led to Spurs spending over 100 million Euros on European stars from a variety of leagues. Think about it. A couple more points and a bit of luck here or there and AVB could have been settled into his tenure, been playing midweek CL football and still have the services of one of the world’s best players in Bale. How he wishes he could turn back the clock... But that’s life! He had access to funds to build the team he wanted and they just haven’t gelled. Has he lost the respect of the players? Did he ever have their respect? AVB built a side last year that were fearless and at one point were talked about as title contenders. He must have been doing something right. He built his team on being clinical and utilising the strengths of the team, mainly giving Bale the ball! However this season five new attacking talents couldn’t collate to the quality of one individual star.

In light of everything you’ve just read, does he deserve to go? They are only sitting 2 wins outside the top 4 and until their shellacking by the Reds they had won 3 games on the bounce and started looking like they were starting to find some form. Some will say this was one blip too many. I don’t think it warranted being sacked though. Losing 5-0 or 2-1, you still get the same amount of points and a loss is a loss. Sure he may have abused the fans and had a crack at the media, but most of his points were true! Have the home fans created a foul mood at White Hart Lane? Yes. Has the media been untoward in their assessment. I think so. He didn’t go the right way about publicising this, but that’s beside the point. Who are they going to bring in of better quality? No one. Good luck sitting on an interim manager for the time being, as the fixtures stack up considerably over Christmas. A bit of stability would’ve been no harm, plus it would give the side more time to change their ways without worrying about how the new manager will want to play. AVB will be keen to flee the country as soon as he can, but I hope it is more a case of ‘see you again soon’ rather than ‘go and never come back’.

Man United vs West Ham

With Robin Van Persie out for a month, the focus is on Danny Welbeck to fill the void left by the Dutch number 9. He started with aplomb last week scoring two goals and providing the side with critical link up play when needed. This was a crucial league win for David Moyes’ men and allows them to focus on what lies ahead rather than dwelling on the lows of the last month. With a struggling West Ham coming to town, the Red Devils should feel confident in registering back to back wins, especially against a side that has scored once in their last 3 games. With Winston Reid still out, look for United to string together another crucial 3 points as they look to fight their way out of the mid table maze.

Time for Danny Wellbeck to step up

Sunderland vs Norwich:

Have Sunderland turned the corner on their season with a League cup win over Chelsea?! I thoroughly hope so. After sacking one manager already this season, the side finally have something to build on and assist them in attempting to move out of the bottom 3. Their 2 scorers were loan signings, however this team is starting to show some ticker. Whether that will be enough to see them pocketing the 3 points, we shall soon see. Norwich have been up and down all year long and that’s why they find themselves sitting in the bottom half of the table. I expected Norwich to kick on from their 11th place last year, but they are struggling to find their feet. In Chris Hughton they have a fantastic manager and surely the gears will start clicking through the motions in the next month. Sunderland will be running on adrenaline after the win over Chelsea and I can definitely see them riding the wave of optimism to the 3 points this weekend.

Southampton vs Tottenham

This is just as big a match for the Saints as it is for Tottenham. With only 2 points taken from a possible 15 in their last 5 games, the honeymoon period is well and truly over for the Saints. Pochettino’s men need to start stringing together the type of football they were producing at the start of the year, which saw them playing up tempo football with a high pressing game that gave the opposition no time on the ball! Get back to defence first and attack second and I think they will be just fine. However a team coming off having their manager sacked are usually very dangerous and can be out to prove a point. With interim manager Tim Sherwood wanting to stake his claim for the coverted hot seat as well, Spurs could potentially have a fire within them. In saying that, I can’t see the Saints letting up on Spurs especially at home. Considering Spurs have a League cup game today too, it’s not looking in their favour at all.

Arsenal vs Chelsea

The biggie! Chelsea have failed to grasp the definition of consistency and once again they lead into a big game after a shock loss. Defeat to Sunderland in the League cup this week has left many supporters for the first time starting to doubt ‘The Chosen One’, Jose Mourinho. They are leaking goals too easily and failing to score the gimmies that you’d expect from this outfit. The one thing in their favour is usually after a loss they come back hot! Arsenal had a mare of a week dropping games against City and Napoli, as well as a draw with Everton. I personally see it as a good thing, because you’re going to go through tough patches and we will see what the Arsenal character is like when they like up on Christmas eve (NZ time).  With a good 8 day break in between games, Arsenal should have no excuses going into this one! My money is on an Arsenal home win, with Walcott starring for the Gunners as he continues his return from injury!

Further Predictions

Liverpool vs Cardiff – Liverpool
Crystal Palace vs Newcastle – Draw
Fulham vs Man City – Draw
Stoke City vs Aston Villa – Stoke
West Brow vs Hull City – West Brom
Swansea vs Everton - Draw

Scribblings of a Fair Weather Friend - Round 9

Murphy’s law, aye. It’s often seen in football. When an outfit is dwelling near the bottom of the table games, ol’ Murph just seems to hang around. 

His infuriating presence is often confirmed when a team can play well for weeks on end, but just cannot bag the 3 points. Missing sitters, conceding freak goals, injuries and other rare occurrences seem to multiply until there is nothing else left. Now, clearly the Phoenix aren’t playing well, but their performances really don’t warrant what’s reflected on paper. Nine games played - five losses, four draws, no wins. It’s really bleak. And it’s become difficult to prioritise a weekly viewing over life’s other ventures, especially at this busy time of year. However, as I cruised back from Glen Murray to Grafton, I managed to tune in to the commentary Jason Pine and David Chote who on Radio Sport. These guys are bloody good, and by the final whistle of Wellingtons match against the table-topping Brisbane Roar, I was almost crying out for a group hug with those guys – as obvious Nix supporters, they mirrored my frustration for a team that just can’t cross the line.

In a nutshell, what was described was another promising attacking performance, but an absolutely toothless display when it matters most – finishing. This, sadly, has been the case all season. Jeremy Brockie, last years top scorer, has been really out of sorts. Epitomised by his ’miss of the season’ which had Mr Pine literally lost for words – a parried shot has left the keeper out of the picture and Brockie couldn’t keep the loose ball under the crossbar. But you do feel bad for the guy. In fact, you feel bad for all of them. They’re putting in the shifts week in, week out – but the teams main goal scorers just aren’t firing. Paul Ifill is getting on and can’t last the 90, and you can’t rely on a substitute to score late goals every game. Stein Huysegems is technically sound and can shoot, but he’s so freakin slow that he’s never able to get himself in the right place at the right time. All these players had decent chances against Brisbane Roar, but no goals. The one goal we DID score was from the penalty spot, which came about through a blatant dive courtesy of Kenny Cunningham. No one likes to see that shit, even if you are struggling to find the net. It shows how desperate we are for goals.

Ahhh... The glory days...

To be fair, the Nix never really scored a lot of goals under Ricki Herbert either. The problem now is that we’re leaking goals at the wrong end, which was always the strength of this squad. Brisbane managed two against the Nix, the second being an absolute beauty (which is fair enough, good on ya Ivan Franjic), but the first was the bursting of a leaky pipe. A nice free kick to the far post was scrambled in past Glen Moss, but it was a ball that a commanding defender would have dealt with. Ben Sigmund fell over like an old dead tree and allowed Matt Smith to bundle in.

The final 10 minutes saw 3 excellent chances fall to the Nix, with Ifill, Hernandez and Albert Riera all holding heads in hands. This is what I’m talking about.

I don’t like to be critical, because it’s not like these guys aren’t putting the effort in. I heard an interview with Andrew Durante last week and he sounded as though he had been dragging his wounded soldiers from the battlefield. It’s not like these guys don’t want to win, they probably just need to taste some blood. Hopefully that’ll act as a line of fresh cocaine, because these guys need some motivation and deserve a break. They play Central Coast on Thursday night, so let’s hope they can get that first win under the belt. I don’t want Merrick sacked, because no doubt the next guy would just resort to that shitty long ball style. Come on lads, get the snakes off this plane and get the ball in that fucking net!!!

Phoenix 1 (C. Hernandez 47 pen) Roar 2 (M. Smith 36, I. Franjic 73).

The False 9 with Senor Spectre

The False 9

Cheers Barca - Gerar Deulofeu

It’s funny how a team’s identity can change so rapidly from one season to another. Whether it’s a new signing that lifts a club or the signing of a new manager who brings in new ideas (for better or for worse), a whole teams philosophies can be turned completely upside down. The best example of this is the new sparkle that Roberto Martinez is putting into a talented Everton side. Under David Moyes, Everton always punched above their weight and they always troubled the top sides with their tenacious hustle and sheer philosophy of ‘the harder you work, the luckier you’ll get’. You have to give credit to Moyes for that. However Martinez has bought something a bit different to Goodison Park. This team plays with a hell of a lot more attacking vigour! From a team that sat back and used to try hit teams late, Everton now play an entertaining brand of footy that has them still surprising all the big teams. With the likes of Ross Barkley, Seamus Coleman and Gerard Deulofeu, this young brigade are playing with a sense of fearlessness that hasn’t been seen from the Toffees in many years, although whether they have the stamina and mental strength to push for a CL spot come May, could be a touch too far. Everton fans were treated to a side who put in 110% every match in the last few years, however having a side with first thoughts to attack, is something completely new and puts Everton in a new and exciting era with Martinez. If I was an Everton fan I would be feeling pretty happy with the way in which the team is heading under new management. Unfortunately with both Deulofeu and Lukaku only on loan for the season from Barcelona and Chelsea respectively, if they do go on to higher honours, next season they may have to rebuild again to fill their gaps. However Martinez has always been shrewd with his loan signings after experiences with Wigan and could come up trumps like he did this year. It’s not easy taking over a new team and installing a philosophy that the whole team buys into. So far it looks like Martinez is doing it, and doing it well.

Manchester City vs Arsenal

5 points clear and riding a wave of optimism, the Gunners will be looking to put more space between them and the pack. After only taking a point at home against Everton and having to travel to Italy midweek for CL football, this is going to be the sternest test they have faced this year. Worryingly they looked a tad fatigued on the weekend and three days rest isn't a lot when you're facing a team who have scored 16 goals in their last three home games and are coming off beating the defending CL champs in their own back yard. I can’t deny feeling slightly nervous about this game, as a Gunner fanatic. With Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil and Mikel Arteta having played most of the games, the likes of Theo Walcott, Thomas Rosicky and Mathieu Flamini become vital in providing the star quality when those players go through their slumps. Considering Ramsey’s start to the season, I think he can be cut some slack. The pressure may be off Arsenal as they are not expected to win this encounter, however a point or 3 here would be critical to keeping the big spenders away. With Szczesny in career best form, he will be well aware that he will have to be at his best to stop the form strike combination of  Sergio Aguero and Negredo. He will be hoping he is given adequate protection from his back 4, which has been very consistent lately, and keep City quiet for the majority of the match. This without doubt is not a task any defender would like to be in, considering City’s form at the Etihad recently.

Sergio Aguero continues to ooze class

City held on for a draw with Southampton on the weekend in a match that had a bit of everything. Back at home City will feel they have the capacity to blow Arsenal away. Their high pressing game will cause Arsenal problems, but they have to ensure they don't concede the soft goals they have of late. You can’t ask for much better preparation for this match, than beating Bayern Munich in Germany this week. The confidence gained from that worries me, as the last time a team did that they went on a streak of 28 points from a possible 30 in the league to finish the season. That side was coincidentally Arsenal last season. If City can perform a streak like that post Germany, they will be more than happy. The key is the performance of their wingers in my eyes. Ex-Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri is in his best spell of form since leaving the Emirates and should worry Carl Jenkinson down Arsenal’s left side all game. Exploiting this weakest link in an otherwise settled back 4, will give City a major advantage. With Navas, Milner or Silva on the other side, any one of those 3 can prove difficult to handle and thus both wing backs will need to be on song. It will be interesting to see if City decides to play David Silva twice in a week after just returning from injury, or play James Milner to combat Kieran Gibbs' marauding runs from left back. With Aguero and Negredo up front, if half chances come along, they have enough quality to put Arsenal to the sword. A more expansive approach at home could be what is called for. Those who never try, will never get.

The Deciding Factor
Down the flanks. Nasri or Walcott. I believe whoever has a more positive influence on the game, will lead their side to a much needed 3 points.

Prediction:
Sadly i’m going with my head not my heart. The fatigue factor will be too much for Arsenal. City 2-1.

Tottenham vs Liverpool

Back to back hard fought wins from Spurs have suddenly released the pressure on under siege boss Andre Villas Boas. The way in which they have ground out the results was the perfect antidote to being flogged 6 zip a fortnight ago by a rampant City side at the Etihad. This resilience is exactly what AVB wanted to see and for the first time may be feeling a little more rosy about life this season. Am I saying that all their problems are solved? Not at all. They still aren’t playing the fluent, attacking football they would like, but grinding out results when not playing well is a trademark of past champions. I believe AVB is starting to understand his players more, after months tinkering with his side, especially in the midfield area. With a more settled line-up, playing the way he wants, I’m sure Spurs will keep steadily improving. Though you’d hope so after spending 100 million in the transfer window! This team was never going to gel straight away, however being in 6th place after only scoring 15 goals in 15 games, is pretty impressive. I wouldn’t count Spurs out just yet, the title may be out of their reach, but that doesn’t mean they can’t put a cat amongst the pigeons later on in the season. They will hope that starts at home against Liverpool this weekend.

Two words. Luis Suarez. My goodness what a fortnight. Seriously all I can think about was that performance against Norwich where (like I pointed out could happen) he single handily pulled off one of the greatest performances in EPL history. All 4 goals oozed nothing but class. I haven’t been that excited to see a four goal haul since Arsenal’s Russian maestro, Andre Arshavin, shelved 4 against Liverpool in the 4 all thriller. I don’t think there is much more to say about Liverpool. If Suarez plays too his potential, then Spurs have no chance of stopping the Reds this weekend. Full stop. If he has a sub par game, the likes of Victor Moses and Coutinho, who have looked better in recent weeks, will need to come to the party and pull them through. Missing Steven Gerrard (hamstring strain) will be a massive loss with his leadership and improving form in the last month, but gives a chance to the likes of Jordan Henderson and Lucas to put their hand up and show Brendan Rodgers what they are made of. With positive results being accumulated since being beaten by Arsenal, the scalp of Spurs will add to their London collection and quite potentially throw them back in to the title race, depending on Arsenal’s result with City.

The Deciding Factor:
I’ve said it once and I will say it again. Luis Suarez. Stop Suarez and Spurs will happily take the points at White Hart Lane. Give him the freedom of the land and good luck stopping the diminutive Uruguayan who will score from 30 yards or 3 with no invite needed.

Prediction:
I’m really worried for the Spurs back 4, but I think they will band together to slow Suarez down enough to reduce his impact. In saying that, they can’t seem to score heaps themselves so i’m going to say it will end up all square after an exciting 90 minutes. Draw.

Further Predictions

Cardiff vs West Brom – Draw
Chelsea vs Crystal Palce – Chelsea
Everton vs Fulham – Everton
Newcastle vs Southampton – Draw
West Ham vs Sunderland – West Ham
Hull City vs Stoke – Hull City
Aston Villa vs Man United – Draw
Norwich vs Swansea – Draw

Footy Rhubarb

Team of the Week:

Howard (Everton)

Johnson (Liverpool)    Coloccini (Newcastle)     Sakho (Liverpool)     Gibbs (Arsenal)

Sidwell (Fulham)              Fer (Norwich)                    Assaidi (Stoke)

Berbatov (Fulham)          Jerome (Palace)               Schurrle (Chelsea)

 Hero of the Week:

Assaidi or Berbatov have to go down as heroes this week after their decisive displays resulted in wins for their respective teams. Assaidi came off the bench to score a fantastic goal in the 90th minute to give Stoke a 3-2 victory over Chelsea. It’s the first time Stoke have beaten Chelsea in 10 attempts and will certainly it will haunt Mourinho for a few weeks. Assaidi joined Stoke on loan from Liverpool in August after struggling to get into Brendan Roger’s team after arriving from Herenveen the previous year. With the flair, pace, confidence and finishing he showed in the game, he most definitely would have caught Roger’s eye. He showed great pace, trickery, eye for goal, confidence, and finishing sending the Britannia Stadium wild, however I couldn’t actually see if Mark Hughes did in fact smile – why change the habit of a lifetime even if meant beating Jose’s Chelsea?

Berbatov was also the hero for Fulham during a much needed win at home to Villa. It’s been a big week for the Cottagers after the sacking of Martin Jol and the appointment of his assistant Rene Maulensteen. The former Manchester United assistant seems to have shifted the mood around the club and definitely got Berbatov into gear despite rumours the Bulgarian wants out. Berbatov was his elegant self with great touch, visions and technique that seems to give him the ability to bring the game into slow motion. He set up the opener and scored the second from the spot with typical coolness. It was a massive win for Fulham after a below average start despite such quality in their squad. It’s always important for a new manager to get off to a positive start and with the help of Berbatov, Maulensteen will hope it continues.

Nipple of the Week:

Sorry to say it and I’m sure he’ll be able to turn it around but nipple of the week is David Moyes. I still think he’ll prove to be a success and I think this season was always going to be a struggle but losing at Old Trafford two games in a row in pretty mental. You think he would have learned from the Everton defeat that his team cannot and I mean CANNOT fail to recover from that. Sir Alex’s teams always responded to bad games. It was a blow for them to lose Rooney for this game and forced to bring RVP into the starting line-up ahead of schedule but they still shouldn’t be losing these games. They simply aren’t scoring enough goals, there seems to be no link between midfield and attack. You can’t put it down to not having decent strikers because they have quality in depth but in terms of creativity in midfield they only have Kagawa with any pedigree as Cleverley is still in development as well as Januzaj. Money certainly needs to be spent in January as they can’t afford to miss out on the top four, that’s unthinkable. 

Flying Kiwis – December 9

Tommy Smith's been in good form for Ipswich lately

Flying Kiwis will keep you up to date on the endeavours of New Zealand sports folk overseas. Not the battlers, mind you, but the genuine overlooked and underappreciated superstars that for some ridiculous reason don’t get a look in on local media.

Chris Wood – Leicester City (English Championship)

Not a great week for Leicester City. Beginning atop the Championship table, they fell 2-1 to Sheffield Wednesday (Connor Wickham scored both for Weds) on, well, a Wednesday in Sheffield. Obviously things weren’t gonna go their way given that omen. Chris Wood was a 68th minute sub, and although he got himself involved, and had a couple decent chances (a blocked shot and a header straight at the keeper), he wasn’t able to turn this result around. Then on the weekend the Foxes were well beaten by Brighton, who took an early 2-0 lead, and finished things off with a late penalty after Andy King had pegged one back for Leicester. Wood, again, was a second half sub (64 mins), and he had even less of an impact (he did drag one shot wide) as Brighton were every bit as good as the result suggests. Leicester City did get a little luck with other results, but now sit third, behind first placed Burnley by a single point.

Up Next: Home to top of the table Burnley, 1.15am on Sunday (NZT)

Tommy Smith – Ipswich Town (English Championship)

It was a very contrasting week for Ipswich, who won twice to claw themselves back into the playoff hunt. Tommy Smith played all 180 minutes. The midweek win over Blackburn (3-1) wasn’t his best performance, more a solid, dependable one. Blackburn went for a one-dimensional crossing tactic, and so Smith’s CB partner, Scotsman Christophe Berra, being the more physical of the two, was clearing away headers all day. Smith meanwhile was free to hold off and mop up any rare mistakes. Berra wasn’t as flash on the weekend, as CB roles were almost reversed. Against Huddersfield, Berra gave up an early penalty, which was missed by James Vaughan, though Vaughan  appeased the visiting fans by setting up the opener 10 minutes later. Ipswich keeper Dean Gerkin (bet those nasty kids at school made fun of him…) was well on form, making a number of good saves, and Tommy Smith swept up all danger in front of him. After the break, Ipswich took their chances, scoring twice for a 2-1 win. They now sit 9th, but just 1 point off 5th place.

Up Next: Sunday morn, 4am – Nottingham Forest away

Marco Rojas – VfB Stuttgart (Bundesliga)

Stuttgart won, Rojas didn’t play. And don’t even get me started on West Ham without Winston Reid.

Up Next: Away to Wolfsburg, Sunday 6.30am (NZT)

FIFA Indictment

World Cup is soon, what drama, what excitement. 

Until you read this FIFA indictment.

So here we go, the World Cup draw

And yet again it's a predictable bore

With Platini getting exactly what he was looking for.

The Frog's group will be painfully breezy

While Argentina and Brazil's will be just as easy.

The FIFA bungs have all been paid 

And the route for a Kraut Vs Brazil final has been laid.

But Blatter can't sit there feeling too clever 

His penguin suit won't handle the Amazon weather

Roy's boys probably won't handle it either

And Ronaldo won't be getting too far neither.

We've had a stadium collapse, and 2 workers die

I haven't got the usual World Cup fever, and I know why.

It's got too predictable, boring, and bland 

FIFA's politics have got out of hand.

But lets just wait and see what happens 

And If you reading this, I hope your rapping.

False 9 - Midweek mayhem

With a double gameweek fast approaching us with games being played Thursday morning (NZ Time), I’ve put together a quick preview of all the games so nothing is left out as the festive season gets closer and closer. 6/10 games picked correctly wasn’t the greatest week, but with Liverpool getting stunned, there are no complaints from me. Thank God for the festive season, a buffet of football is about to come towards us. Time to enjoy.

Crystal Palace vs West Ham

Sitting in last place, Palace need to start winning some home games to somehow prove they deserve to be in the big boys league. A game against West Ham could do the trick, although they are coming off a convincing 3-0 win over Fulham. Without Winston Reid I have no idea how they kept a clean sheet, but credit it to Jaaskelainen and co at the back for a determined display. For Palace, scoring goals is the problem and oh how they wish Chamakh went back to the form he started with when first moving to England with Arsenal. Between Jerome, Kebe and Chamakh, the ball needs to start finding the back of the net, otherwise this game and many others will lead to a slow stroll back to the Championship. Prediction: Draw

Man United vs Everton

Roberto Martinez’s Everton side are quietly flying under the radar. With only 1 loss this season in the EPL (who would’ve guessed that!) they can quietly thank gentle giant Romelu Lukaku. 8 goals in 11 games is by far a better goal tally than inconsistent Toffees gone by such as Yakubu, Anichebe, Saha and Jelavic. With a physical presence not seen at Goodison Park in many a year, Lukaku is helping put this team on his back as he continues to defy Mourinho and prove what a waste sending him out on loan was. A man with a point to prove is a man worth keeping.

Romelu Lukaku doubles up on the one finger salute

Coming off a draw at White Hart Lane, the Red Devils will be looking to be back in home comforts against the Toffees. Lets be honest, with Rooney at the helm this side stands a chance against any team with the form he is showing! Get into Rooney’s head and Everton will likely steal a point at Old Trafford. Prediction: Draw

Arsenal vs Hull City

A huge win for Hull over Liverpool on the weekend has lifted the spirits of Steve Bruce’s men, but can they back it up less than a week later? My thoughts are they have had their big performance for the week and it will be back to reality against an Arsenal side starting to purr with confidence. If Hull can keep the game tight till after HT the home fans may get frustrated and turn the atmosphere sour, to Hull’s liking. However the way the Gunners have been playing, it doesn’t look like Hull will be stopping the Ozil/Ramsey/Giroud train anytime soon. This game could be a blowout to the home side.
Prediction: Arsenal win.

Liverpool vs Norwich

So no more SAS for the next 2 months. Without Sturridge, Liverpool lack a bit of that shiny edge they were showing in patches. But who’s to say Suarez can’t make up for his absence and really start carrying this side like he did last season. If the Reds are going to collect points, watch Suarez single handily take over games as he has turned into my pick for golden boot winner! Norwich are coming off a vital win against Palace and will look to put back to back wins together at Anfield. Liverpool will this find this game tough, but should scrape through in the end against Chris Hughton’s men.
Prediction: Liverpool win.

Southampton vs Aston Villa

Back to back defeats against title challengers Arsenal and Chelsea has bought the Saints back down to earth after their brilliant start. Funny thing is they played quite well in both those matches without taking the 3 points, having scored first against Chelsea and staying with Arsenal for 85 minutes the week before. Look for them to get back to winning ways against a struggling Villa who could only draw 0-0 with Sunderland on the weekend. After starting the season hot, Christian Benteke has not scored in the last 9 games... If your top scorer hasn’t scored in 9 games, you know you’re struggling. The Saints should happily march on this weekend. Prediction: Southampton win.

Fulham vs Tottenham

I finally feel vindicated. After weeks of insisting Martin Jol was going to get the sack, he eventually did! Could Fulham under new management shock struggling Spurs at home?! We have seen stranger things. Spurs put in a much better shift against United but still came up short. If they put in the same performance against Fulham, they will run away with the points and get their season back on track. However combining first game with a new manager for Fulham and Spurs being away from home, this could be a dangerous match for Spurs. Prediction: Tottenham win (just!)

Stoke vs Cardiff City

To be honest this game is a huge lottery. Both are not playing the best football and are coming off respective losses against Everton and Arsenal. I would love to say this will be a high scoring affair, but I personally can’t see it happening. Stoke at home should at least come out and push for the win, which could see Walters and Crouch get in on the action, but unless they can stop conceding goals it won’t matter. I would love to see Cardiff get up as they have been a feel good story so far taking points off both Manchester clubs. Look for Cardiff to push the Potters, however away from home Stoke should get the goods come the end of the 90 minutes. Prediction: Stoke win.

Sunderland vs Chelsea

Sunderland are coming off a boring 0-0 draw with Aston Villa, however they would happily take this result against a Chelsea side starting to find their stride. With Oscar coming off injured on the weekend, it could be a welcome sign for Juan Mata (remember him) to push his claims for the number 10 role on a more frequent basis. This reshuffle shouldn’t affect the Blues too much and they should have little problem dispatching the Black Cats. However Sunderland needs to start winning their home games. Could now be a start? As an Arsenal supporter it would be nice... Prediction: Chelsea win.

Swansea vs Newcastle

Michu bro, where you been?

Swansea are not having the year they had hoped so far. Sitting in the bottom half of the table is not what they envisioned after their League Cup win last year. Striker Michu has been unheard of this year after being a summer transfer target by many clubs, and with 2 goals this campaign there may be a few buyers who were glad the price wasn’t right this time. Newcastle have won 4 on the trot and are picking up pace as they push for higher honours. A sound defence has got them through this the last month with only 2 goals conceded and 2 clean sheets. They will need to be at their defensive best to keep their winning streak alive away from home at the Liberty. Prediction: Draw

West Brom vs Man City

This could be the match of the round. How can you be so good at home and borderline awful away? With City’s away form being the talk of the town, West Brom must fancy a sniff against the rich boys from the blue side of Manchester. After smashing teams at home, left, right and centre, getting back on the road isn’t what City will want. It is like travelling to smaller stadium’s is a waste of their time and they want to get out as quickly as they can, win, lose or draw. Maybe the facilities aren’t up to their likings, but whatever it is, it needs to change fast because it has already cost them dearly. The likes of Shane Long and Stephane Sessagnon will be enthusiastically looking forward to putting the timid City back 4 under pressure, and try heap more pressure on City’s away form. The longer this game stays close, the more City will feel the pinch and I can see West Brom stealing a point here. Prediction: Draw

Scribblings of a Fair Weather Friend - Round 7

Man, I love Sundays! Add to the fact it was the first official day of summer in New Zealand and the black and yellow bandits kicked off at beer o’clock. I waltzed down Queen Street with my new haircut & shades and caught up with Matt, brave enough to be sporting his bright yellow Nix jersey. He reckons they’ll get themselves on track, but with no wins in 6, it’s almost worth saving face by supporting them undercover. Credit to him for waving the flag, he’s definitely got the yellow fever. Circumstances had me reasonably optimistic for the encounter against West Sydney – great weather, a decent weekend and my hangover had been cured by some outstanding Frujus earlier in the day. We both slapped down $20 worth of bets in favour of the Nix – as we've come to accept that manufactured inspirado is the only thing that will get you through an entire A-League fixture. Wellington were at home, no injuries, beers on the table – it was all pretty promising.

Pretty promising, of course, until we saw that were the only ones in the entire bar. Beauty. I mean, the Nix are second to bottom, but come on Auckland. It's not even hard, just grab a beer, look at the screen, and yell a bit - it's first grade material. Aside from entering the quietest bar in the southern hemisphere, the key mistake Matt & I made was using $20 on soft-core gambling. What we should have done was nip up to Farmers & splashed out on a couple of pillows. One to sleep on and one to cushion our arses from those bloody awful outdoor bar stools that the Sky Sports bar have on offer.  It was becoming quickly apparent why no one else was here watching. Holy Christ, the first 45 was as dull as winter funeral. By the half hour mark, I was so intent on knocking back a V, I fell asleep for a few seconds & had a mini dream about doing exactly that. Waking up to endless repeats of ‘Ben Sigmund’s guide to Route One Football’ just wasn't cutting the mustard, so me and Matt got the hell out of there at half time. Two V’s for $6 sorted us out, and we strolled around the block to Fox’s Alehouse. Seating there was far superior, so we sat down, dicked around with our phones for a bit, then got back into it.

Kenny C gives the Nix energy off the bench

Ernie Merrick must have had a right go at the lads - the 2nd half was noticeably better. A few one-two’s, a bit of Paul Ifill, a few tasty goal mouth scrambles. It was good to see the Nix creating opportunities with the pace of Kenny Cunningham & Tyler Boyd up the flanks. But it’s almost like the Nix have just forgotten how to score. For all the improvements in the 2nd half, they still failed to be clinical enough to find the net. Carlos Hernandez spooned a few golden chances - he looks as though he’s putting himself under a lot of pressure to break the duck. West Sydney also had their chances, but Wellingtons defense actually looked really solid, it was good to see Durante back to his brutal best after a few dodgy weeks. He pulled of a double-block to thwart two great chances for the Wanderers. Glen Moss was also sharp in goal, no mistakes all afternoon.

It did finish 0-0, but West Sydney are 2nd on the ladder, and we’re not getting the rub of the green. In perspective, it’s not a bad result. 6 points off the top 6, with 21 games to go. It’s definitely do-able, especially if Ernie is able to build on the 2nd half performance. Maybe he needs to look at starting with Ifill and Boyd, as they make a real difference off the bench, but aren't clinical enough to make defining impact with the time they’re given.

Yeah, I was pretty disappointed that another $20 went to waste, but I’m willing to place one more before I start to pull my hair out.

Come on lads, that first win needs to be just around the corner.