The North Stand | The Ultimate Football Blog

May 20th, 2012

Chelsea Win The Champions League: The Facts

Chelsea went into this year’s Champions League final very much as underdogs. They had players suspended and injured, and a much weaker team than Bayern Munich, not to mention that the match (purely by coincidence) was played on Munich’s home turf, the Allianz Arena.

The most fruitful period of matches for strikers in this years champions league was the last 15 minutes, and so it proved again in the final, where Bayern took the lead in the 80th minute before Drogba’s dramatic 88th minute equaliser.

Chelsea clearly came to the Allianz with a plan to frustrate the Germans, and did so by making more blocks than any other team in any other champions league match this season. Munich dominated the match as expected with a brilliant 35 shots on goal, but were frustrated brilliantly by Chelsea’s back four.

Petr Cech dived the correct way for all six penalties yesterday, saving half of them and arguably winning his team the most prestigious club competition in football.

Juan Mata covered the most ground on the night, running 16,123 metres. Bastian Schweinsteiger was Bayern Munich’s hardest worker on the night.

Chelsea became the first team from London to win the Champions League. That’s not the only record they took last night, as they became only the second English team to beat Munich in Munich, the first being Norwich City back in the 90s.

All in all, perhaps the best evening in Chelsea’s history, led to the trophy by club playing legend Roberto Di Matteo, who now will surely be in contention to take over the helm at the London club permanently. Chelsea were without John Terry, Branoslav Ivanovic and Raul Meireles. Not only was it a great night for Chelsea, but for all the English mutuals (and not Tottenham fans), as a sense of patriotism gripped the nation ready for a huge sporting event against the Germans.

Congratulations to Chelsea on what has been an incredible journey under their temporary boss.

May 17th, 2012

Former Player: Nigel Martyn

Nigel Martyn is one of the most loyal and professional Goalkeepers of recent years, playing at the very highest level of football throughout an illustrious career between the sticks. He wasn’t always a goalkeeper though, Martyn began life as a talented cricketer and a Midfielder throughout his teen years in Football, until he was invited to play in Goal for a local team and took up the opportunity. Nigel went on to begin his professional career after two years in goal for local teams, allegedly being spotted by Bristol Rovers’ tea lady whilst she was on holiday.

After over 100 games as a youngster for Rovers, Nigel became the first British Goalkeeper to cost over £1 million when Crystal Palace signed him in 1989. He went on to play 349 times for Palace, including a League and FA Cup final. He was voted into Palace’s centenary XI recently. Martyn stayed at the club between 89 and 96, before moving on to Leeds.

Martyn was number One at Leeds for Six years, where he got a taste of European cups as Leeds enjoyed a purple patch, including an appearance in the last 4 of the Champions League. Martyn was eventually replaced at the club after a disagreement with manager Terry Venables, with Paul Robinson taking his place in the starting eleven. Since leaving, Martyn has been voted Leeds’ best ever keeper.

Nigel joined Everton for the twilight of his career, and impressed with some of the best keeping of his career in spite of being the wrong side of 35. He retired in 2006 due to an injury, and at the time, David Moyes stated that Martyn was his best signing as a boss.

During an illustrious career, Nigel Martyn also made 23 appearances for England, and was unfortunate not to play more games as he was kept out of contention by the brilliant David Seaman.

Since finishing his career, Nigel has taken up his boyhood sport, cricket, once again, turning out for a local cricket team. He spent a brief spell at Bradford as a Goalkeeping coach and will hopefully return to football in a coaching role in the future.

Nigel Martyn, The North Stand salutes you!

May 16th, 2012

England’s Euro 2012 Squad Announced: The Fallout

Roy Hodgson today named his first England squad today, one of the most important and controversial England squads for many years. Undoubtedly, England are in a transitional period, and balancing a mix of youth and experience was key to this squad.

The controversies in the squad include the exclusion of Rio Ferdinand, who is out of the squad on “footballing reasons” according to Roy, though many are speculating about the effect of the John Terry Vs. Rio’s Brother Anton court case, which is coming up fast. Uncapped Norwich Goalkeeper John Ruddy finds himself in the squad, though canaries’ fans will be disappointed that Grant Holt was overlooked. The other uncapped player in the squad is Arsenal’s youngster Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Strikers were the talk of the day, with Hodgson opting for Defoe and Carroll to partner United duo Welbeck and Rooney, overlooking Peter Crouch, Gary Hooper and Grant Holt, who were all linked with a place in the team.

In general, the squad looks solid, and the core of the team is largely unchanged. Steven Gerrard will captain the team, suggesting him starting the majority of matches, and strength out wide in Ashley Young, Stewart Downing, Walcott and Oxlade-Chamberlain points to the fact that this England squad can play in either a 4-5-1 or a 4-4-2 formation, but what will Roy go for come the championships?

Goalkeepers - Joe Hart, Robert Green, John Ruddy.

Defenders - Leighton Baines, Gary Cahill, Ashley Cole, Glen Johnson, Phil Jones, Joleon Lescott, John Terry.

Midfielders - Gareth Barry, Stewart Downing, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Scott Parker, Theo Walcott, Ashley Young.

Strikers - Andy Carroll, Jermain Defoe, Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck.

Standby - Jack Butland, Phil Jagielka, Jordan Henderson, Adam Johnson, Daniel Sturridge.

May 14th, 2012

The Gary Neville Song

Gary Neville was appointed to the England staff today. Cool, huh! Why not celebrate with an awesome parody song using clips from his commentary and punditry.

May 14th, 2012

Norwich City Season Review 11/12

Norwich joined the elite of English football for a third time in 2011 under the guidance of Paul Lambert, who had taken the club from the lower reaches of League 1 to the Premier League in under two years. The club’s meteoric rise had earned them plaudits around the football world, but understandably, saw them favourites for the drop in their first season back in the big time.

Lambert stuck to his transfer policy of nabbing hungry players from the lower leagues in preparation for the season, and brought in the likes of Anthony Pilkington, Elliott Bennett, Bradley Johnson and Steve Morison from Huddersfield, Brighton, Leeds and Millwall respectively. These lower league stars were completely unproven in the Premier League, and many thought that Norwich were merely boosting their ranks for a return to the Championship the following Season, but in spite of having just three players with Premier League experience come the opening day of the season, the City squad had other ideas.

It took Norwich Four premier league games to grab their first win, away to Bolton Wanderers, and with brave performances through October and November against the likes of Man United and Liverpool, capped with wins against the other promoted teams Swansea and QPR, Norwich were doing okay. However, it was their form in the first two months of 2012 that saw them propelled to relative comfort in mid-table. Norwich won 4 of their first 6 games in 2012 and stole a brilliant point from Chelsea in that time too. Norwich were bolstered by the signings of Ryan Bennett and Jonny Howson from the Championship (Peterborough and Leeds), and looked certain to stay in the league.

Norwich’s dip in form came in around March. They lost games against Stoke, Newcastle and Fulham and only managed to pick up a point against lowly Wigan. Norwich managed to pick up a crucial win against Wolves before going on to kick on in April with a brilliant point against Everton and stunning win away to Spurs. Norwich were all but safe, and well out of a thrilling relegation battle.

Norwich lost games against Liverpool and Man City, before a disappointing loss to Blackburn, but regained form towards the very end of the season with a thrilling point in a 3-3 draw with Arsenal at the Emirates and a 2-0 win over Villa on the final day. Norwich finished 12th, a stunning achievement on a shoestring budget, and one they will look to recreate next season in what proves to be another exhilarating Premier League.

Highlights of the Season:

Grant Holt’s Anfield equaliser: Holty comes off the bench to grab a point for the Canaries and prove that Norwich are here to compete, even with the big boys.

The 4-2 win over Newcastle: A depleted Newcastle back-line was punished by a brilliant Norwich strike force.

3-3 at Arsenal: A battling display saw Norwich grab a point late on through a Steve Morison equaliser.

2-1 away at Spurs: Probably the most impressive win of the season away at Spurs, and a brilliant performance from all quarters.

The final day: A 2-0 victory against Aston Villa and a fitting end to a brilliant season.

Lowlight of the Season:

Losing 5-1 and 6-1 to Man City: Outclassed and outmaneuvered in both games, the Blue side of Manchester reminded the Norwich faithful that there are times in this league where you just get punished.

May 12th, 2012

Final Day of the Premier League: 13 May 2012 – Predictions

So here we go, the most exciting final day of the Premiership we’ve seen in a long time, with the title, European spots and the elusive 17th place all still up for grabs on the last day. The final day is perhaps the hardest to predict, we all know weird things happen in football, and United fans, as well as QPR fans will be hoping. Here we go then with our predictions on what is sure to be a thrilling day of 3pm kick offs.

Chelsea 4-0 Blackburn

Everton 1-1 Newcastle

Man City 3-1 QPR

Norwich 2-1 Aston Villa

Stoke 2-2 Bolton

Sunderland 1-4 Man Utd

Swansea 2-1 Liverpool

Spurs 3-1 Fulham

West Brom 1-2 Arsenal

Wigan 5-0 Wolves

May 9th, 2012

Di Matteo: Chelsea’s Next Permanent Manager?

There is no denying that since taking charge at Stamford Bridge, Roberto Di Matteo has had an incredible impact on Chelsea’s fortunes. Already, he hes brought silverware to the club, and with a Champions League Final in the offing, he could even use his time on the Bridge to become the first manager of a London club ever to lift the Champions League trophy. No mean feat, I’m sure you’ll agree.

I had this discussion with a very close friend of mine last night. I raised the (extremely obvious) point that the board at Chelsea will find it extremely difficult not to put him in place as manager if he is to win Europe’s most prestigious club football trophy. It was pointed out to me that since RDM took charge, he has implemented some extremely different techniques to those used by AVB.

Villas-Boas never had the dressing room at Chelsea, but he clearly was starting to look to the future, bringing in young players and giving them a shot in the first team. It is maybe a bit unfair to say that RDM hasn’t looked to the future in his short time in charge, but it is clear that he returned to more tried-and-tested methods in an attempt to get the club back on the straight and narrow. RDM plays the experienced players, and though this is not necessarily a bad thing, in the long term it probably wont get Chelsea where they need to be. The way my friend put it was that AVB probably could have come to Chelsea and done a similar job with the experienced players, but he looked to build for the future instead, and clearly lost the faith of his senior players quite quickly.

Di Matteo has had a big impact, and one that the Chelsea fans rightly appreciate, but long term I’m not sure that his appointment is the best move for Chelsea. Whoever the man in charge is (RDM or otherwise), they need to put faith in Sturridge, McEachran Lukaku, Romeu and Cahill and continue to build a young team around a spine of Cech, Terry, Lampard and Torres. As I previously said, if Di Matteo leads the club to glory in Munich I can’t see him not getting the job, and rightly so, he has surely earned a crack at it, but whether it will prove the correct move for Chelsea in the long term will depend greatly on his youth and transfer policies, and willingness to cut out the ageing deadwood in the Chelski squad.

May 7th, 2012

A Plea to Man City

Firstly, at the (very slight) risk of speaking too soon, congratulations. Overhauling an eight point gap was a brilliant achievement, to go with their amazing feat of keeping pace with United all season. It looks like the first premier league title to be won on goal difference is upon us, and will be completed next week, barring a favour from a Manchester United old boy (Mark Hughes nicking points from City or John O’Shea scoring 12 own goals).

The champions of the most prestigious league in the world is one hell of a title, but with great power comes great responsibility, a responsibility that the only teams to really dominate the league for long spells of time (United and Arsenal) have handled brilliantly, but one I fear Manchester City will not. Lets look at the young players coming through at United, and the experienced players leading them. Not only did the United squad cost a hell of a lot less, it features a ton of young Englishmen, some purchased and some brought through the ranks. Compare this to City’s world-beaters and we start to see the difference. Arsenal dont dominate anymore, but still retain a positive attitude when it comes to promoting young players, and though not a great deal of these are English, the likes of Oxlade-Chamberlain, Carl Jenkinson and Theo Walcott show a positive attitude (even if they are purchased) to building for the future.

My fear is not that Man City will stay successful, but that they will do it in completely the wrong manner, using their unrivalled wealth to cream off the top players from clubs around the world, and even to stick them on the bench as we have seen this season with Englishmen James Milner and the brilliant (and young) Adam Johnson. City owe it to football to give something back, and they need to invest in young players with unfulfilled potential and a youth system that will actually bare fruit, and get a chance in the first team.

City’s position is a dangerous one for the rest of football, their resources are beyond any other Premier League team’s at the moment, and with Champions League football and the title of English League Champions, there surely aren’t a great deal of players (that dont have Man Utd bred into them) that the blue half of Manchester couldn’t tempt into their squad.

I wanted Manchester United to win the title, but this is completely irrelevant, I am making this plea (which will fall on deaf ears) for the sake of the integrity of British football, not for the sake of the Old Trafford faithful.

May 4th, 2012

Premier League Predictions 5th and 6th May 2012

Our predictions are here again after missing last week!

It’s the penultimate set of games in the premier league, and it looks like it’s going to be an exciting one with most of the important places in the league going right down to the wire. The games are on Sunday this week with the exception of my beloved Norwich traveling to Arsenal tomorrow lunchtime. Here goes:

Arsenal 3-1 Norwich

Sunday

Newcastle 2-2 Man City

Villa 1-3 Tottenham

Bolton 2-1 West Brom

Fulham 1-1 Sunderland

QPR 2-1 Stoke

Wolves 1-4 Everton

Man Utd 5-0 Swansea

These results would see United back on top going into the final game, and an even hotter race for 4th places than we already have. I honestly do think Swansea are in for a spanking on Sunday as United try to recoup some of the goal difference that sees them trailing City.

May 4th, 2012

Chelsea bid for Battersea

Chelsea have made a bid to buy the decommissioned power centre at Battersea, with plans to turn the centre into a 60,000 seater stadium to replace their current home Stamford Bridge. Chelsea had recently announced that expanding their current stadium made no economic sense, while replacing the stadium on the same site would have been all but impossible due to planning restrictions.

The authorities at Chelsea released the following statement; “Battersea Power Station is one of London’s most famous buildings and has the potential to become one of the most iconic football stadiums in the world. Our joint bid was submitted in accordance with the sales process established by the joint administrators for the site. The process could run for a number of months. We are not the only interested parties and there is no certainty that we will be successful.’ Also adding; “We also appreciate that we have many significant hurdles to address if we are to build a new stadium on the site, including winning the support of our fans, the CPO shareholders and local Wandsworth residents, as well as securing the approval of Wandsworth Council, the Greater London Authority and heritage authorities. We must also stress that making an offer for the Battersea Power Station site does not mean the club has made a definitive decision to leave Stamford Bridge.”

“Working with architects and planning experts, we have developed a plan to preserve all the significant aspects of Battersea Power Station. The four iconic chimneys and wash towers along with the Grade II* listed west turbine hall and control room will be restored and retained in their original locations and provide a unique architectural backdrop to a world-class stadium with a capacity of around 60,000 seats.”

“Following feedback from fans, our initial plans include a 15,000 all-seated one-tier stand behind the south goal, likely to be the biggest one-tier stand in football. Also as suggested by many fans, the stadium proposed is rectangular in shape with four separate stands. The design includes a bigger family area and more room for disabled supporters. As well as a new home for our club, the development would include a town centre with substantial street-level retail shops, affordable housing and offices – all of which would benefit Wandsworth and bring a significant number of permanent jobs to the area. We would also make a significant contribution towards the Northern Line Extension, a new high-volume transport link proposed for the area. We will keep our fans updated as the process develops”

Announcing an exciting move may cap a brilliant season for Chelsea which started so awfully, as the Blues hope to take the crowns in both the Champions League and FA Cup.