EPL Talk » Portsmouth

Why Portsmouth Has Been My Guilty Pleasure This Season

The Gaffer — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 14:10:23 +0000

It was a bit of an unusual Saturday for me in terms of my viewing habits. I began the day by watching Portsmouth against Birmingham City in the FA Cup. But instead of watching my customary 10am ET Premier League match, I watched Nottingham Forest against Swansea City and later regretted it after seeing Forest’s late winner go in to the back of the net. To end my day of soccer viewing, I watched Wolverhampton Wanderers against Manchester United, which ended up being a predictable win for United in a physical but boring match.

Out of the three matches I watched Saturday, the one that was by far the most entertaining was Portsmouth against Birmingham City. These are two teams that have been playing some of the best football outside the Big Four in the Premier League this season. But their positions in the league couldn’t be more different.

But in the FA Cup, anything is possible, so it was lovely to see Portsmouth put on another brave display in front of a sold-out crowd at Fratton Park. Not to take anything away from Birmingham City who could have easily won the game too with an admirable display, but it was Portsmouth who deservedly won the match and now find themselves in the draw for the semi-final of the FA Cup and will be playing at Wembley Stadium.

Portsmouth’s season is a Cinderella story with a ton of baggage. If you watched many of their matches this season, you know they’ve been playing an entertaining and attacking style that many oppositions have had a difficult time defending against such is their speed down the middle and flanks. Watching Portsmouth is a wonderful experience, whether it’s the football on the pitch or the passionate supporters who crowd into Fratton Park. But the club hasn’t been able to transfer that into much needed points in the league despite the herculean efforts of Paul Hart and now Avram Grant.

Commentator Guy Mowbray best summed it up on Saturday when he spoke of the joy of football and seeing Frédéric Piquionne celebrate his first goal with such glee as he bounced up and down across the pitch and encouraged the crowd to get even louder. Then, at the full time whistle, when the camera zoomed back to show the North Stand erupting with fans giving the players a standing ovation and unfurling flags and scarves, Mowbray again mentioned the joy of football.

It’s a joy that has been sadly missing for most of this season at Fratton Park. Not because of the flowing football, but because of the incompetent financial decisions made by the people in charge of the club. But such is the game of football that no matter how treacherous the financial state of a club is, the players can play out of their skin and turn the reality on the pitch into a completely different experience that what is being seen by the administrator assigned to clean up the financial mess at Pompey.

If you could predict what type of football Portsmouth would play this season based on the financial predicament they’re in, you would imagine it would be a tense type of football with the team playing pretty desperately by floating long balls into the box hoping that someone would latch on to it for a lucky winner. In fact, it would remind you of what Tony Adams was doing with Portsmouth last season before he got sacked.

But the Portsmouth players have been producing an exceptional brand of football that they should be applauded. I have a lot more respect for the Pompey players, many of them who have no idea when and where their next paycheck is going to come from, than I do for players at other Premier League clubs.

Speaking of players, Frédéric Piquionne has been inspirational this season. It’s not just the slinky skills he has, but it’s also his attitude. But my favorite Portsmouth player this season has been Jamie O’Hara who has so often been the playmaker in the middle of the park and has delivered so many inch-perfect passes to his strikers and wingers that have led to goals for Portsmouth.

I say that Portsmouth has been my guilty pleasure this season, which is true. I’m supposed to be unbiased and not supporting any club in particular in this league. While I’m not a supporter of Portsmouth Football Club, I have a deep amount of respect for what they’ve done on the pitch this season especially considering the hell that the players have been put through and how wonderful the football has been to watch.

With the end of the Premier League season just weeks away and a FA Cup semi-final on the horizon, I’ll continue watching Portsmouth with a deep amount of interest and a hope that more soccer fans will join me in this pleasurable experience.

Photo credit: Beefy_n1

Avram Grant Deserves Credit For Portsmouth’s Team Spirit

Paul Scanling — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:30:39 +0000

Portsmouth’s well documented, if not bizarre, troubles over the last few years have given few Pompey supporters reason for optimism.

It’s a lot more likely that drinking has risen drastically on the South Coast. From the high of winning the FA Cup, to the gradual, at first, selling off of players, to Redknapp leaving again, to Gaydamak announcing he would no longer fund the club, to first one, then two Arab billionaires without any money, to a Hong Kong businessman who seized the club for non-payment of debt, yet still claims the debt, to a winding up order, to administration, yet not really administration because the points have not been deducted, to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs challenging the voluntary administration, to another possible winding up order. I’ll need a couple of beers just to diagram that sentence, much less make sense of it all.

When I do have those beers, though, I will make sure to raise a glass to Avram Grant. Yes, I said Avram Grant. Mr. Lugubrious. The Undertaker. The Man Who Never Smiles. In this, the season of our discontent, Avram Grant has stood out as a beacon, a knight in shining armor, the right man for the job.

Admit it: when he was appointed, you laughed. You mocked his scowl. You pointed out that he was a mere figurehead along for the ride in his stint at Chelsea. You gave him no credit for getting Chelsea to the Champions League Final, one slipped John Terry penalty kick away from being champions of Europe. You gave him no credit for getting Chelsea to the last match day with a chance to win the Premier League. You would probably be right in those assessments, but should those judgments be applied to him at Portsmouth?

When Avram Grant charged on to the pitch at halftime of the home match against Sunderland and gave the referee an earful, and judging by his body language they weren’t sharing recipes for their favorite chicken salad, you saw where the players’ fighting spirit came from. This team has fought hard under Grant, as they did under Paul Hart. With so many off-field distractions to ward off, the players have had every excuse to not give full effort. They could have hung their heads in shame based on the actions of a few administrators and owners. Instead they pulled together and fought hard.

They have fought hard all season. They are not in a position to avoid relegation, having just entered administration on last Friday, yet went out and played hard at Burnley and came away with a 2-1 victory. The main celebration now is that they, like every other team in the Premier League, now have more wins than owners on the season. I believe some of the credit should go to the players, who are obviously playing hard for each other, as well as showcasing their talents for the rest of the league, knowing that they will all be sold this summer to pay off exorbitant debts. I believe most of the credit should go to Avram Grant.

Imagine having to walk into that dressing room and seeing a team of castoffs. Many of them are playing because one or two other players were sold for cash. They know that they are not the club’s first choice. To add to that misery, the players have been paid late on four occasions this season. Current rumors are that the club has to come up with seven million pounds to finish March. What do you say to those players to get them to go out and keep fighting? What do you say to someone who knows he won’t be there next year? What do you say when so many things are out of control, and out of your own control, that you don’t know what tomorrow will bring? Whatever is being said to them is working, and it’s coming from Avram Grant. He won’t get any votes for manager of the year. The manager of a team that finishes bottom of the table rarely gets mentioned in that category. He should be mentioned, though. Many of the world’s top flight managers would struggle with such problems.

Will Portsmouth still exist to finish the season? Probably, but I wouldn’t place money on that right now. Will they still exist to start life in the Championship? Probably, but the 20 point deduction coupled with selling off all of their players to pay debt will mean almost certain relegation to League One. Only one thing is certain in my mind: if Avram Grant is the manager, even if the team is a group of 16 year olds, they will be well organized and play hard.

Premier League Footballer of the Week, Gameweek 28

Jesse Chula — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 12:38:20 +0000

Beer Cup Final & Another Big 4 Beaten by a Door Knocker.
Landon, You”ll Never Get One Easier Than That

Congratulations to Manchester United for picking up the first piece of silverware on offer this season as they came out on top of a 2-1 scoreline v Aston Villa in the Carling Cup Final on Sunday. The two teams battled bravely over the 90 minutes which resulted in an open, entertaining match full of chances for both sides and fine individual performances from a handful of English talent.

This column is in danger of becoming incredibly redundant due to the consistent form Wayne Rooney has been on in the last few months. Rooney continues to throw his name in the hat for this award every time he steps on a football pitch. His positioning, reading of the game, movement and finishing abilities have seen him improve on his form of last season and his name continually gets mentioned with the likes of Messi and Ronaldo.

The week saw Rooney score three total goals, two in United’s league win on Tuesday v West Ham and the winner on Sunday in the Cup. England and United fans who were hoping their hero would get a much needed rest had their hopes shattered when Rooney came on late in the first half for an injured Michael Owen.

In my attempts to keep this column interesting and shed light on other top performers, let’s all agree that Mr. Rooney is good, very good and push on.

Honorable Mentions -

Arsenal Football Club, The Lot of ‘Em- The terrible injury suffered by the young Welshman Aaron Ramsey has been covered on EPL Talk this weekend with a variety of fine articles. Whoever you support in this game, your heart has to go out to Ramsey and the rest of Arsenal as they were able to overcome the incident and push on to win a tough, hard-fought match away from home. The Gooners showed a lot of heart and I wish young Ramsey a speedy recovery and truly believe he’ll be back for Wales and Arsenal in the future.

Portsmouth Football Club, The Lot of ‘Em- I may have to change the title of this post to, “Premier League Clubs of the Week”. But when I’m impressed by something, I just can’t help myself. After entering into Administration on Friday, the boys from the South Coast were able to place their off-the-field troubles behind them and win only their second Premier League away match in the last 16 months against a determined Burnley.

Although they’ve had a season they’ll soon want to forget, the Pompey players continually play with purpose, desire and passion. They’ll be relegated this year and quite possibly again next year down to League 1 with the future of the club still uncertain. But Portsmouth supporters, Premier League fans and the football community in general won’t soon forget the effort they’ve seen this year on the pitch.

Premier League Footballer of the Week -

Craig Bellamy, Manchester City – The Citizens were at their high-flying, fantastic best Saturday at Stamford Bridge v Chelsea in what is sure to go down as a major statement game for City. The match will undoubtedly be remembered for the Wayne Bridge handshake snub, but Premier League fans should not soon forget Craig Bellamy’s performance on the left side of midfield that resulted in a brace for the brash Welshman.

Chelsea ended the day with 9 men, but before those 2 Chelsea men saw red, Bellamy scored the goal of the weekend. In the 51st minute, Bellamy received a tidy ball from Gareth Barry inside his own half in acres of space with only John Obi Mikel to beat. The quick winger showed his searing pace and determination by running straight at Mikel before peeling off and slotting home from a tight angle.

In the 87th, Bellamy added a second by tapping in to make the score 4-1 to secure all three valuable points for Manchester City. For Chelsea, it was a disappointing game as their back line led by John Terry continues to struggle. As consolation, Frank Lampard scored his second of the game, a penalty in the 90th minute to make the score line only slightly more respectable.

Bellamy’s pace and determination was too much for Chelsea who have now lost their last two matches. It must be added that Carlos Tevez was also superb for City. His determination, work rate and fitness levels has made him City’s player of the year thus far and the energetic Argentinian also scored two for City.

Author’s Note- Everton also lost their second match of the week on Sunday away to Tottenham in a game that saw U.S. hero Landon Donovan fail to score with what must have been the miss of the season thus far. The goal that wasn’t to be would have knotted the scoreline 2-2 for the Toffees. Donovan was a mere few feet from an open goal and just needed to side foot a Jack Rodwell cross to level the score, but instead his effort was placed harmlessly into the Spurs side netting. Here’s hoping that miss doesn’t taint an otherwise successful on loan stint at Everton. Donovan has made us proud.

Portsmouth’s Potential Demise Spells Trouble For Other Premier League Clubs

Jesse Chula — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 15:18:23 +0000

The Danger isn’t just Administration, it’s Liquidation.
£22m-£26m required to see out season.

As fans of football, we never want there to be less football clubs around. As simple as that sounds, it makes perfect sense to leave it at that. The Premier League that we all love, follow and obsess over stands in line for a pretty embarrassing black eye if they can’t implement some form of lifeline to the South Coast club who stand literally inches from no longer existing.

To lament over the club’s financial woes and ownership issues, the Premier League’s Fit and Proper Test, or the mismanagement of funds, wages, transfers and bonuses, would easily become redundant. At this point in the play, the characters have all been developed, the heroes and villains have all been identified and the red herrings have come and gone with no lasting effect on the conclusion.

The existence or dissolution of the 2008 FA Cup Champions hangs on a knife edge. As the Premier League scramble their resources in hopes of securing the future of such a storied club, 19 other top-flight teams watch with a weary eye on the developments. Some watching with an anxious tension as they determine how to make up a point loss, others watch with an excited disposition as they could take a step closer in the standings of their rivals.

The Premier League led by Chief Executive Richard Scudamore will ask rival teams of Portsmouth if they disapprove in Portsmouth receiving an advance of their parachute payment in order to pay an immediate payment to the taxman. While the impending relegation of Portsmouth will be considered a minor victory in the grand scheme of the club surviving, relegation-fighting clubs close to Pompey in the table may cry foul. The other 19 Premier League clubs all have at least something at stake if Pompey cease to exist. If the unthinkable were to happen in the world’s richest league, any results, points gained, or even goals scored would be wiped out.

At the top of the table, Chelsea would lose 3 points while title defending and title chasing Manchester United would lose 6. Wayne Rooney, the versatile English striker who’s having the season of his life thus far would stand to lose credit for 4 goals in pursuit of his first golden boot award.

The other teams who have played Portsmouth twice resulting in both games won and also losing out on 6 points are: Arsenal, Manchester City, and Fulham. West Ham United would lose 4 points and Aston Villa, Birmingham City, Bolton, Everton, Tottenham, Stoke City and Blackburn would lose 3. Sunderland would lose 2 points and Hull City would lose 1. Liverpool, Wigan, Burnley and Wolves points would be unaffected.

To me, it seems Scudamore has made it abundantly clear that Portsmouth are receiving no special treatment in their fight for survival. He’s only advancing the funds that they were due anyway in anticipation that they’ll see out their remaining fixtures for the 2009-2010 season and avoid ridicule from opponents of the Premier League the world over. There’s still uncertainty in the survival of Portsmouth Football Club, but what’s certain is that other Premier League clubs now have vested interest in Portsmouth’s liquidation.

I think I’ve made it abundantly clear that in no way, shape or form do I want Portsmouth to vanish. As an American supporter of one of the top 4 teams in England, the affections I have for the lowly south coast club are a washing of my sins of sorts. The current crop of Portsmouth players have been nothing short of brave hearts in recent weeks as they continue to battle on the field and look to be playing as if they’re in the thick of the title race. The results haven’t been in Pompey’s favor in recent matches, but the performances of the players have been something to admire. The supporters of Portsmouth deserve better. They’re the innocent children in this drama of divorced, squabbling parents.

Even though other Premier Clubs have something to lose or gain, the ultimate fate of Pompey is still unknown. What is known is that football, the Premier League and England will lose something special and will need to take a step back in the future to assure a club in the world’s richest league never dies again.

Author’s Note: Bloody Confused! A Clueless American Sportswriter Seeks Solace in English Soccer comes highly recommended. It follows Portsmouth through a recent season while the author falls in love with the charm of Pompey.

Portsmouth Football Club Now For Sale On eBay

The Gaffer — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:49:24 +0000

Times are bad at Portsmouth Football Club, but when the club is put up for sale on eBay, you know things can only get worse.

To be clear, the actual listing is a prank. But there’s already been 80 bids and the highest bid is now at £999,999.00

The auction is listed as “Portsmouth City Football Club Ltd.” on the British eBay site. The description says, “New owner desperately wanted for financially-stricken south-coast football club. Previous and current owner(s) have run this fantastic club into the ground and it is facing an uncertain future. Liars, crooks, asset-strippers and tax cheats are obviously NOT welcome. All bids considered but please get a move on as the electricity is about to be cut off moosh.”

Thanks to reader Charles Hurley for the news tip.

Portsmouth and West Ham: Two Teams That Don’t Deserve To Go Down

The Gaffer — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 04:48:25 +0000

Watching Tuesday night’s relegation battle between Portsmouth and West Ham United was like seeing two young adults groping each other. It was awkward, clumsy but performed at such a frenetic pace that it was entertaining to watch and you never quite knew what was going to happen next.

With both teams desperate to pick up three points, no time was wasted as players from both teams took quick corners, quick free kicks and snatched at every chance they had in front of goal with balls firing high and wide. It was a game that cried out for someone who could be composed and settle the ball down and knock it into the back of the net. For example, John Utaka and Kevin-Prince Boateng, between both of them, could have scored a hat trick for Portsmouth.

It was the same at the other end of the pitch where West Ham United could have scored several too. Granted, a couple of the chances fell to the returning Carlton Cole who came on as a substitute for the Hammers and looked sharp up front. A few more matches under his belt and I’m convinced Cole will find its goalscoring touch again.

No matter how many mistakes were made in this game and how frenetic the play was at times that resembled a game of pinball, these are two teams that don’t look like relegation material. Portsmouth is incredibly fast on the break and difficult to defend against because the team never gives up and plays with the confidence that should see them in mid-table not in last place. West Ham United, meanwhile, have got too many classy players to find the club in the predicament that they’re in. Players such as the aforementioned Cole, Valon Behrami, Alessandro Diamanti, Matthew Upson and Robert Green should keep the Hammers up, but nothing is ever certain in football.

The game ended 1-1 which was a fair result for both teams but definitely not the result that either team wanted. While the match will probably fade from most people’s memory in a relatively short amount of time, it was an exciting game to watch and one which featured two teams I hope don’t get relegated. Not only because they’re both good footballing sides, but also because they both have some of the most passionate groups of supporters in the league, both singing unique songs instead of the carbon copy chants you hear around most football grounds in England (songs that are the same, just replace the name of the team).

Breaking News: Gold And Sullivan Reveal West Ham’s True Debt

Paul Bestall — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 23:42:08 +0000

In a refreshing change of events, former Birmingham City owners, David Gold and David Sullivan took control of the Hammers and admitted straightaway the mess that West Ham United have been battling with. Since the crashing collapse of the Icelandic banking system, West Ham had been financially stricken and the true extent of the footballing debt is now apparent. The Hammers owe £110 million out. One Hundred and Ten Million pounds.

Only in November did C.B. Holdings claim that the Hammers were in debt to the tune of £38 million, misleading the fans in to thinking that the situation was nowhere near as bad as some in the media had reported. In fact it was almost 3 times as bad as they made out and the new owners/controllers made clear exactly where they debts lay. They also confirmed that the club were going to have to sell players in this transfer window, contrary to the clubs previous stance. An immediate cash injection of £8 million was needed to keep the club going.

The list reads like a what not to do in football, or to put it another way, how to run a club like Leeds United. It’s as if someone wrote a business plan based on what went wrong at Elland Road and it was mistranslated into Icelandic to make it seem positive. It’s madness to see the debt and borrowing going on at West Ham over the last 3 years.

£50 million owed to banks.
£40 million owed to other clubs for transfers.
The £40 million owed to other clubs, includes £20 million compensation to Sheffield United.
Alan Curbishley is still owed his severance deal after winning his case for constructive dismissal
No-one owes West Ham any money, all player transfer fees that were received paid the bank debt immediately
C.B. Holdings had borrowed money against the next two seasons season ticket revenue
There is no money for strengthening the squad.

Now this paints a completely different figure to what the West Ham fans believed, rightly or wrongly what the were being told. The previous regime were filling there heads with nonsense. It is a very real prospect that relegation would have seen West Ham implode financially. No ifs, no buts, they were immediately into administration. After all the information about Leeds United, C.B. Holdings were following exactly the same route.

It seems like absolute madness that not one lesson from the Yorkshire clubs demise has served to teach anyone anything it seems, as we see with the issues at Manchester United, Portsmouth and Liverpool in the last week. Regardless of the riches awash for the Premiership clubs, you still have to cut your cloth accordingly. Someone sooner or later is going to fall over the edge, which is a subject I’m going to be looking at in more depth for EPLtalk.com next week.

Gold and Sullivan have acted quickly in bringing in their trusted lieutenant, Karen Brady as vice chairman and she’ll be quick to install some much needed pragmatism at Upton Park. They are now going to talk to Newham council about moving to the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Olympics. That could be a challenge as Tottenham enquired about taking it over and were plainly told it was not available. The Olympic stadium is set to be reduced from its 80,000 capacity down to a pointless 30,000, for which there is neither the use nor the need.

The NFL could still play a part in the stadium’s future use that could play into West Ham’s hands. The NFL have earmarked that the often mooted London franchise’s potential base could be there. It would certainly make more sense to use it as a dual sport stadium than a white elephant for athletics, which is the current plan. There is neither the inclination or support for that size of athletics venue in London, they should sell it and use the money to redevelop Crystal Palace Athletic Stadium.

So now, West Ham have to focus on the future and the fans will be thankful that regardless of the criticisms that could be placed at Gold and Sullivan’s door during their tenure at Birmingham City, they still have a club to support. The work is now on to bring in fresh investment to try and work off the remaining debt and crucial to that is the fact that West Ham United need to stay up.

Gianfranco Zola has been nothing but a gentlemen throughout this difficult period for him and he needs to make sure that he can keep his side together for one almighty relegation scrap. For a first job, he has certainly been earning his money, of that there is no doubt. In the next six games, West Ham face Portsmouth, Blackburn Rovers, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Burnley, Birmingham City and Hull City. Come the end of February, Gold, Sullivan and Zola will know exactly the size of the task to keep West Ham United in the Premier League.

Portsmouth Should Go Into Administration Now

Paul Bestall — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 23:38:26 +0000

During the Watergate scandal, Richard Nixon claimed on national television that “There can be no whitewash at the White House”, yet history shows that there was indeed a whitewash and Nixon orchestrated it through delusions of power and presidential etiquette. It seems that time has taught people nothing about that lying whilst hoping no-one notices usually causes more of a fuss.

This week has seen the Portsmouth financial crisis reach such a point that they’ve simply stop talking to the press because, incredibly, no-one believes anything that comes out as an “official” statement. It is reaching the proportions of a footballing farce but the players have finally been paid after deadlines came and went on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Coming after the chief executive Peter Storrie said that he didn’t know when the financial situation would be resolved and players would have to be sold to keep the club going, today executive director Mark Jacob said this wouldn’t be the case but every player had his price. So two employees of the club and two separate versions of events. Add to that the Premier League are diverting January’s installment of the £7 million TV revenue money to Chelsea, Tottenham, Rennes and Lens and the on going battle with the HMRC, which Portsmouth claims is a mistake and the story gets murkier and murkier.

You see, throughout the last couple of weeks we’ve been told just how much the new owner Ali Al-Faraj had spent dealing with debts for the club, apparently £40 million, but they’ve had to get a loan to pay the wages and can’t clear the transfer debts they owe. So how can things be fine when they are still scraping around to pay wages and have to get more debt to pay existing debts? The Premier League don’t trust them to pay their own deals and I can’t think of another club that has had to have it’s TV money diverted to other clubs.

This situation is spiraling out of control and no-one knows where it’s going to end up next. When club employees don’t know which version of the truth to offer out, how on earth are the fans supposed to have a clue what is going on? With former owner Alexandre Gaydamak also weighing in claiming he’s still owed £28 million, how on earth did it come to this? Yet lets be honest, if Leeds United can implode so spectacularly as they did back in 2003/2004, can Portsmouth really find away out of it.

When I lived in Gosport many years ago and used to make the daily trek to the training ground out in Eastleigh, people would always show their love for the club be it in Fareham, Southsea, wherever. There is a real sense of pride in the side throughout Portsmouth, they are a tenacious and dedicated bunch of people and some of the best fans in the country. If you give your all for the shirt, they’ll give you their unconditional support and you can’t ask for more than that. I just wish the relationship was working the other way around and the club gave as much back.

If they gave a damn, they’d sort out this whole sorry mess and go into administration now. By doing so, they can clear the debts and take the ten point deduction on the chin. Hell, they may even be able to sign some players that could pull the deficit back in time. If not, then they can regroup ready for a promotion assault next season. I just wish the club would stop treating the fans with such indifference, they deserve better.

African Cup Of Nations Begins The Year With A Bang in Angola

Paul Bestall — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:32:53 +0000

So, if the only time you’ve ever come across this tournament is when certain Premiership managers whine about it, let me welcome to you to one of World Football’s best kept secrets. Over the years, the African Cup Of Nations has grown and grown to be one of the most respected tournaments in World Football. So, as the tournament kicks off in Angola on Sunday, welcome to an overview for the 27th competition.

The influx into European football of African players over the last 20 years has seen the profile of this once derided competition rise far above what even the most biased supporter of African football could have hoped for. My first experience of seeing an African side was Algeria’s incredible defeat of West Germany in 1982 and as I’ve watched football, its reputation has grown and grown. Now it’s a fantastic tournament and one you really need to catch so here’s who to look out for in my first article about it.

This year’s tournament is being held in Angola for the first time and as such will give us the first glimpse of some of the teams who have also qualified for the World Cup in June this year.16 teams participate in the finals, drawn in to groups of four, with quarter finals, semi finals, a 3rd/4th play off and the final.Running over 20 days, this looks set to be the biggest African Cup of Nations yet.

The qualification for this years tournament also doubled up as qualification for the World Cup, which saw the odd spectacle of South Africa entered even though they’re the World Cup hosts along with Angola to try and earn a double qualification. Ironically, Angola haven’t qualified for the World Cup and South Africa failed to reach the African Cup of Nations.

Favourites for the second tournament in a row are of course Didier Drogba’s Ivory Coast but in 2008 they were humiliated in the semi final by Egypt 4-1. They’ll be desperate to try and add to their solitary title won in 1992.With a squad featuring the Toure brothers, Drogba, Eboue, Zakora and Dindane, they’ll certainly be there or there abouts, The Elephants will be certainly one of the teams to beat. Drawn in Group B they’ll be one of the two fancied teams in that group.

The other side in Group B with ambitions to win the tournament will be the Black Stars of Ghana. Ghana are a team that we should have seen so much more of over the last 20 years, especially as they gave us one of the greatest ever African players of all time, in Abedi Pele, who like George Weah of Liberia never made it to a World Cup. They finished 3rd last time, so they’ll be desperate to go at least one better but they lack a clinical striker. With Michael Essien, John Mensah, Kingson, Addo and Amoah in the squad they’ll try and cope with the loss of talismanic captain Stephen Appiah and Sulley Muntari’s enforced passing over.

Group A should be a walk in the park for one of England’s forthcoming World Cup opponents, Algeria. With a fine international pedigree, they’ll be in with an outside shout of getting to the last four this time round. Since bursting on to the world stage in the 1982 World Cup, Algeria have lost their way a little since following it up with qualification for the 1986 World Cup and winning the A.C.O.N in 1990.

Since winning that title, they’ve been disqualified once, gone out in the first round three times and failed to qualify since 2004. Familiar names to watch out for in the Desert Foxes team are Hassan Yebda and Nadir Belhadj of Portsmouth, Kamel Ghilas of Hull City, Hamuer Bouazza formerly of Fulham and Madjid Bougherra of Rangers. They need a good tournament to reaffirm their place in African football.

Group C sees the power of African football, Egypt and the former star, Nigeria drawn together. Egypt who were pipped for World Cup qualification by Algeria, which saw such scenes of sportsmanship for them, have a lot to live up to . As defending champions since 2006, it remains to be seen just how much of a hangover they’ve retained from missing out on South Africa. Yet, without the injured Amr Zaki and the unpicked Mido, Egypt would seem to have it all to do to retain the trophy. Spurs fans will certainly remember Hossan Ghaly and Dortmunds Mohamed Zidan is one to watch for the Pharaohs.

Nigeria qualified for both Angola and South Africa, but they are not the side they once were. The Super Eagles were one of the key sides in African football’s modern growth but the generation that got them there are slowly retiring. Yet the squad is still packed with familiar names. Yobo, Yakubu, Kanu, Obi-Mikel, Martins, Shittu, Taiwo, Etuhu and Olofinjana will all be in the squad and will be looking to try and re-affirm their place at the head of modern African football. An outside chance of winning the title certainly.

Which leads us to another favourite, the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon. Lead by one of the worlds greatest strikers, Samuel Eto’o, Cameroon have been one of Africa’s leading lights over the last two decades. After missing out for the 2006 World Cup, they were in danger of missing out on both tournaments this year, but after sacking the manager, former Rangers, Lyon and Paris Saint Germain manager Paul Le Guen rode to the rescue.

Surprisingly though, Le Guen has opted not to pick the impressive Sebastain Bassong for the tournament but joining Eto’o will be Rigobert Song, Geremi, Alexandre Song, Jean Makoun and Andre Bikey. If they can keep Eto’o up the field, then anything can happen and after the 2006 penalty shoot out marathon against Ivory Coast and losing the last A.C.O.N final on penalties, they’ll be hoping to avoid more shootout heartache.IN Carlos Kameni, they’ve probably got the best goalkeeper in Africa. He could be key.

So they’re the main 6 contenders, but there are two outsiders that may catch the eye. Imagine a team with a midfield of Seydou Keita of Barcelona, Real Madrid’s Mahamadou Diarra and Juventus’s Momo Sissoko with Freddie Kanoute upfront. Well, that’s Mali’s main foursome and with a squad with a wealth of European experience and the Eagles have a team with bags of potential still unfulfilled. Of course, Togo also qualified and whilst the side seem to lack quality overall, if a certain Emmanuel Adebayor fancies it, then the Sparrow Hawks could cause some real shocks.

So there you have it. Over here in Europe, Eurosport will be showing every match, with the BBC disappointingly only showing the semi finals and final this time. If you’ve never watched it before, I recommend it highly and it’ll give you a real taste of what’s to come in June this year when the World Cup gets underway. I’ll be dropping another more articles throughout the month for you to keep up to speed with the tournament, so feel free to leave me your comments and questions.

Arsenal Re-Ignite Their Title Challenge

Paul Bestall — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 23:35:03 +0000

Four weeks ago, Arsenal’s title challenge was over. The home defeat to Chelsea had seen everyone and their dog line up to kick Arsene Wenger’s team. While they were still licking their wounds, Manchester City snatched a win against the usual collection of youngsters, sprinkled with experience in the League Cup. Not good enough, not strong enough, need another striker they cried.

Well here we are then, on December 30th, Arsenal are tucked in 3rd, with a game in hand, which is against Bolton Wanderers at the Emirates next week. Win that and they go second in the table. Yet as the Portsmouth fans who have witnessed tonight’s thrashing at the hands of the Gunners said, if they had a predatory striker, they’d have scored 20.

For all the failings that Arsenal are constantly accused off, it’s their lack of that predator in the box that seemingly holds them back from killing teams off that their rivals manage to snuff out. Yet, it feels churlish to criticise a side that have score 51 goals in 19 Premiership games and could be second this time next week. Of course, as my fellow EPL talk writer Eric Altshul wrote earlier this week, Arsenal have a crucial 4 game period coming up from January 27th.

The results against the other big clubs do not determine the Premiership title, you only have to look at Liverpool’s result last season to see how little it effects the Premiership outcome. It is the games that you should win, that slip through your fingers that cost you titles and cups. For every emphatic thrashing of Portsmouth, there’s a defeat at Sunderland or a draw at West Ham United. Those are the games, especially the West Ham match when Arsenal threw away a 2-0 lead that will keep them from going top next week.

Of course, Wenger is one of the best managers at protecting his players and keeping his cards close to his chest. If he thinks he needs a striker, he’s not the type to come out and say it, he usually just goes out and gets his man. Now, with Arsenal having a real chance to get their hands on the Premier League title, having someone who has an ability to scuff the ball in off his backside is exactly what Arsenal need. Financially Wenger could, within reason, land any striker outside of the Premier League to give them that final piece.

For all the doom mongers complaining when he sold Adebayor and Toure, for a combined £41 million, the dissenting voices seem to have grown increasingly quiet. Replacing Toure with the elegant Vermaelen was a masterstroke that has seen the Belgian weigh in with some important goals from the back. With the injuries to van Persie, Bendtner, Walcott, Denilson and Fabregas and the impending African Cup of Nations taking Song, Wenger may be forced into the market whether he likes it or not.

Of course, the one major bonus to the injuries that have blighted Arsenal is the continued presence of Andrei Arshavin, who has continued to rein in his own attacking instincts for the benefit of the team. The lad has given a real team performance over the last few weeks at the expense of personal glory and has re-affirmed his reputation as an excellent footballer.

So Arsenal finish a year which has seen them continue to play beautiful football, but miss out on the big prizes. Perhaps Wenger has already decided what part of the jigsaw is required to complete the beautiful with a little bit of brawn in the box.