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Manchester United and Arsenal prove why the Premier League is still the best in the world

Posted by Cathal Breathnach on March 10, 2010 | 5 Comments

arsenal-v-manchester-united-001Manchester United 4-0 AC Milan.

Arsenal 5-0 Porto.

Real Madrid 1-1 Lyon.

There has been talk over the past few months that the Premier League has began to fall behind La Liga in terms of it’s overall quality. With players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso swapping England for Spain last summer, many felt that La Liga would now become the best league in the world, however if last night’s and tonight’s results are anything to go by, the Premier League is still head and shoulders above La Liga.

Arsenal were expected to have a tough time of it at home to Porto as they looked to overturn a 2-1 deficit from their first leg in Portugal. To say that Arsene Wenger’s men made light work of the Portuguese giants would be an huge understatement. The Gunners won 5-0 on the night to progress to the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a 6-2 aggregate win.

Meanwhile, Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United were also expected to find it difficult against the Italian giants AC Milan, however just like Arsenal, they came through with flying colours. Two goals from Wayne Rooney helped United to a 4-0 win on the night and a incredible 7-2 on aggregate.

Contrast that to Real Madrid who have once again crashed out at the last-16 stage of the competition despite the fact they spent over €270 million on players during the summer. French side Lyon managed to nick a 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu this evening, which was enough to send them through to the quarter-finals with a 2-1 aggeragate win.

With 4 teams now through to the quarters, the Premier League has 2 teams, whilst La Liga has no teams, so those of you who say that La Liga is the best league in the world are wrong. Ok, it may, on occasion, be more enjoyable to watch, but the facts are there for all to see. The Premier League is the best in the world.

Perhaps you fancy placing a bet on United or Arsenal to go all the way this season? Try out Betfair promotion code BTE 111 for a £25 free bet at Betfair, provided by BettingExpert.com

What do you think? Comments below please.

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Can Cristiano Ronaldo make all the difference for Real Madrid tonight?

Posted by Cathal Breathnach on March 10, 2010 | No Comments

Real Madrid will be looking to overturn a 1-0 deficit tonight in the second-leg of their Champions League last 16 tie with Lyon and many, including myself believe that Cristiano Ronaldo may prove all the difference for the Spanish giants.

The former Manchester United man has been in cracking form of late for Real and you would think, if they are to progress tonight, that Ronaldo needs to be firing on all cylinders.

You may already know that I am now writing for Football Q’s and if you read last week’s article you will now that every Wednesday, as part of my work for Football Q’s, I will be posting a question here on Football Corner and asking you to take a few seconds to go and vote on it. Anyway, this week my question is : Will Cristiano Ronaldo score for Real Madrid tonight in their game against Lyon?

In case you were wondering, I think he will, but what do you think? Please take just a few seconds to go and vote!

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England Not To Be Written Off For World Cup After Win Against African Champions

Posted by Cathal Breathnach on March 8, 2010 | 1 Comment

England may have beaten the African champions 3-1 on Wednesday night but it seems fans and bookies have been left equally unimpressed by the performance in the first hour of the game especially.

England went in at half time 1-0 down with several players underperforming but after several subs in the second half things picked up and Peter Crouch ended up netting twice with Shaun Wright Phillips also scoring to secure the victory. The bare result of the match is certainly a positive and if England play how they are capable of playing at the World Cup then you would expect them to justify expectations.

The first game most fans will be looking out for at the World Cup is England v USA which is England’s first game of the campaign. A win in that match should ensure England qualify as Group winners, most probably with the maximum nine points. Funnily enough it was England’s second opponents Algeria who knocked Egypt out of the World Cup Qualifying in a playoff so they shouldn’t be underestimated.

The final England group game is England v Slovenia and England have recent winning form against Slovenia so that should be the most straight forward three points of England’s campaign.

Many are writing England off at the World Cup but one of the things massively in England’s favour is the draw, England could get away without playing any of the so called bigger teams until the World Cup Semi Final. Considering in recent years England have met Argentina and Portugal early on in proceedings this has to be England’s best chance in decades.

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Arsenal must now be considered favourites to win the Premier League title

Posted by Cathal Breathnach on March 7, 2010 | 10 Comments

Although the bookies still have Chelsea and Manchester United ahead of Arsenal in the market to win this season’s Premier League, I personally believe that Arsene Wenger’s men should now be considered the favourites.

The 3-1 at home to Burnley yesterday wasn’t great, however that win now leaves Arsenal just two points behind Manchester United and level on points with Chelsea, who, admittedly, have a game in hand.

This time last month, many, including myself thought Arsenal’s title bid was over for another season following back-to-back defeats against their two main title rivals. What a difference a few wins makes, eh?

Much has been said in recent days and weeks about Arsenal having the easier run-in of the top 3. I suppose all Premier League games these days are potential slip-ups, however you would have to say that the trip to White Hart Lane to face Tottenham and the visit of Manchester City are the only really tricky fixtures they have between now and the end of the season.

I reckon the only thing stopping Arsenal from winning their first title in six years is the fitness of Cesc Fabregas. The Spanish midfielder limped off with a hamstring strain just after the half-hour mark in yesterday’s victory and I personally believe the longer he is sidelined for, the less chance Arsenal have of lifting the trophy in May.

I’m keen to hear what you have to say on this one. Comments below please.

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League of Ireland Review – Surprise early leaders in the LOI

Posted by Donal Breathnach on March 6, 2010 | 1 Comment

League of Ireland ReviewThe opening weekend of the League of Ireland has produced some unlikely results and some controversial decisions which have decided games. New players were on show for each club, so fans had plenty of new faces to get used to. Some of these new players turned into heroes while others will have to put in a lot of work to get into the supporters good books after the first series of fixtures.

Bohemians 1 – 0 Sporting Fingal

The curtain raiser for the new season turned into a very evenly matched game with the winning goal coming courtesy of Killian Brennan. The midfielder coolly converted from the penalty spot after a controversial decision from Derek Tomney left the newly promoted, Sporting Fingal in a foul mood. However, Sporting can take a lot of positives from the game and will be hoping their work rate and all round ability will see them win more games than they lose this season. Bohs will be looking for an improved performance next time out in the Setanta Cup against Glentoran.

Bray Wanderers 0 – 1 Dundalk

Another closely contested game took place at The Carlisle Grounds. Many expect Bray to struggle this season but on the evidence of this performance they may prove a difficult team to beat. Dundalk had to wait till the 90th minute to secure victory with, new signing, Garry Breen scoring with a header from a JJ Meligan corner. Dundalk will be hoping to push on from this victory and begin a run of good form which could see them challenge for a European place come the end of the season.

Drogheda 0 – 3 UCD

UCD are the unlikely leaders of the League of Ireland after this display which raised a few eyebrows. A double from Ciaran Kilduff  and a goal from Greg Bolger was more than enough to see off a Drogheda side who must now be wondering how they will cope with sterner opposition throughout the remainder of the season.

St.Pats 2 – 0 Galway United

A comprehensive victory for Pete Mahon’s side thanks to goals from Ryan Guy and Alex Williams, sees the Inchicore club towards the top of the division. Ryan Guy opened the scoring before Stephen O’Donnell got his marching orders for two yellow cards after 17 minutes. Alex Williams completed the scoring on 68 with a powerful strike from 10 yards out. St.Pats will be delighted with this win and could ave scored more than two, whereas, Galway and Sean Connor will be hoping to improve their fortunes next time out against Bray Wanderers.

Sligo Rovers 1 – 1 Shamrock Rovers

Shamrock Rovers travelled to The Showgrounds hoping to pick up all 3 points to send a message to current champions Bohemians, however, the Tallaght based club only left with a single point after coming from behind in a close encounter between the League runner ups and the beaten FAI cup finalists. Eoin Doyle opened the scoring, against his former club after 22 minutes for Paul Cook’s side. Rovers responded in the 64 minute, when new signing James Chambers converted from the penalty spot. Both sides will be content with coming away from this game with a point, however each team will be looking to improve on this performance in the next series of fixtures.

On the betting front. Well, not great really. From all the tips I gave you on Thursday, sadly none of them won, however I did correctly predict three out of five results. Til next week!

What did you think of the opening weekend of the new League of Ireland season? Comments below please.

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League of Ireland : Series 1

Posted by Donal Breathnach on March 4, 2010 | 1 Comment

League of Ireland PreviewSo the opening weekend of the new season is upon us and it certainly has thrown up some mouth watering games. After a long absence and much negative publicity towards the league in recent months, it is an welcoming sight that the league is restarting.

Bohemians vs Sporting Fingal. Dalymount Park, Fri, 19.35

Possibly the best of the first series of fixtures. Bohemians will begin the defence of their title in front of their own fans against the current FAI cup holders and newly promoted Sporting Fingal. Bohemians will have a number of debutantes on show, as will Sporting with Glen Crowe likely to start upfront. The former Bohemians striker is the highest goalscorer in the club’s history and will be looking to notch against his former club.

Prediction : Home win

Drogheda vs UCD. United Park, Fri, 19.45

A potential relegation six pointer this early in the season, both Drogheda and UCD have been tipped for relegation this season. Both teams will be looking for a victory in this game to get themselves off to the perfect start in battling against the drop. Drogheda will be looking for the likes of Glen Fitzpatrick and Robbie Martin to score the goals to keep them up. UCD will be hoping their lack of experience won’t be too much of a burden this season.

Prediction : Home win

St.Patricks vs Galway United. Richmond Park, Fri, 19.45

A tough game too call between two sides who will be hoping to steer well away from the danger zone this season. St.Pats were pretty inconsistent at home last season and will be hoping they can get off to a winning start at home this season. New signings such as Alex Williams, Brian Cash and Vinny Faherty will be looking to make their bows. Galway beat St.Pats on the first game of last season and have every chance of repeating that feat this year too. Stephen O’Donnell and Karl Sheppard will be looking to impress on their debuts for Sean Connor’s team and Barry Ryan will be hoping to keep a clean sheet against his former club.

Prediction : Score Draw

Bray Wanderers vs Dundalk. Carlisle Grounds, Fri, 19.45

Bray didn’t expect to be in the league this season but the demotion of Derry City and Cork City (now Cork City Foras Co-op FC) has lead to them starting the season as many people’s favourites for relegation this season. Bray have lost a number of key players and have struggled to replace them. Eddie Gormley will have to rely on youth set up for large parts of this season once again. Dundalk are aiming much higher and hope to gain a European place by the end of the season. Alan Cawley, Neale Fenn and Stephen Maher have been brought in to help the club take a big step towards their goal.

Prediction : Away Win

Sligo Rovers vs Shamrock Rovers. The Showgrounds, Sat, 19.45

Shamrock Rovers travel to Sligo hoping to come away with 3 points to send out a message to the rest of the league, having pushed Bohemians all the way last season but ultimately losing out to their Dublin rivals. Signings such as Billy Dennehy, Dan Murray and James Chambers have added more options to Michael O’Neill’s squad and he will be hoping to go one better this season. Sligo Rovers have lost top scorer Rafael Cretaro but have replaced him with former Shamrock Rovers’ striker Padraig Amond who will be hoping to nail down a regular starting spot in a hard working Sligo team.

Prediction : Score Draw

Betting Tips

I would have Bohemians -1 as my NAP @ 6/5. Dundalk are great value -1 against Bray @ 12/5 so I would have them as my NB. Paddy Madden to score first for Bohemians @ 9/2 is a very good price for a striker who has been in great form throughout pre-season. Padraig Amond (23/10) and Karl Sheppard (3/1) to score at anytime look like good bets too.

If you want to follow my predictions for the 5 games then you can receive odds of around 56/1 for the accumulator.

What are your feelings on the first series of fixtures from the League of Ireland? Comments below please.

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League of Ireland Preview

Posted by Donal Breathnach on March 3, 2010 | 4 Comments

So after months of waiting, The League of Ireland finally returns again this Friday. Throughout the close season there has been a lot of uncertainty surrounding the future of the league and the participating clubs. Clubs such as, defending champions, Bohemians and Galway have been reported to be suffering financially but have managed to get themselves below the SCP (Salary Cap Protocol) , whereas Cork City (who are now known as Cork City Foras Co-op) and Derry City have been demoted to the first division as a result of breaching the regulations of the league.

Bohemians are once again the favourites to secure the title and have made some useful additions which has given them a lot of strength in depth, After losing Brian Murphy and Gary Deegan to Ipswich and Coventry respectively, The addition of Barry Murphy, Aaron Greene, Mark Quigley and Ruaidhri Higgins look set to help Bohs mount a strong defense of their trophy. Shamrock Rovers should be their biggest danger to the title as they pushed them all the way last season, however, Rovers squad has been completely dismantled, after releasing quite a number of players, and it remains to be seen how their new signings will adjust to playing with other. A signing which has caught the eye for Rovers is Craig Walsh, who appeared on Sky One’s “Football Next Star”.

The leagues’ newcomers, Sporting Fingal are hoping to compete on a level par with the current clubs and many believe they can mount a challenge for the top prize with the additions they have made, in the form of Glen Crowe and Ronan Finn which complements an already talented squad. Dundalk are another club hoping to compete for a place in Europe come the end of the season with new manager Ian Foster in place. Dundalk have made a number of new signings including former Cork City and Bohemians striker Neale Fenn. Another club with a possible claim for a European place is St.Patricks Atlethic, however the departure of Mark Quigley to champions Bohemians will in my opinion be a stumbling for the Inchicore club.

Galway United are an interesting prospect this season under the guidance of the ever unpredictable Sean Connor. The club could really go either way this season depending on the style of management Connor implements at Terryland Park. However, I do believe Galway have made some very good additions during the close season including former Everton trainee Karl Sheppard who has the potential to take this league by storm. Sligo Rovers are another team which could go either way after losing several keys players, however keeping Paul Cook in charge is a big boost for the Bit O’ Red.

Meanwhile the bottom of the table should feature teams such as UCD, Drogheda United and Bray Wanderers who in all fairness are unlikely to pick up many points against the top clubs this season.

The league promises to be one of the most exciting in recent times, so try your best to get down to your local club whether it be Bohs, Sligo or even Bray. It doesn’t cost a fortune to support your local team and you can’t beat the thrill of live football.

Predictions :

Winners : Bohemians (13/10)

Runners Up : Shamrock Rovers

Relegation : Bray (7/4 to finish bottom)

Top Goalscorer : Paddy Madden (12/1)

One to watch : Karl Sheppard (66/1 to be top goalscorer)

Darkhorses : St.Pats (12/1 to win the league)

The odds quoted above are general prices from several leading bookmakers.

Make sure to tune in every Thursday and Saturday for previews and reviews of the League of Ireland action.

What do you think? Comments below please.

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Who will Fernando Torres be playing for next season?

Posted by Cathal Breathnach on March 3, 2010 | 1 Comment

You may have noticed recently that I haven’t been updating as much as I would like of late. This is down to the fact that I am now writing for Football Q’s, however I promise that the rate of articles on Football Corner will begin to pick up in the coming weeks.

Anyway, you may be wondering what the title of this piece has got anything to do with. Well, as part of my work at Football Q’s, every week I will be posting a particular question on here and linking it back to Football Q’s, so I would appreciate it if you took a few seconds to vote every Wednesday.

This week, the question is : Who will Fernando Torres be playing for next season? There has been talk that he may not be a Liverpool player next season due to the club’s current financial problems but what do you think? Head on over to Football Q’s to place your vote now.

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Well Done Wayne Bridge

Posted by Frankie Lally on February 28, 2010 | 3 Comments

Fair play to Wayne Bridge. In yesterday’s Chelsea vs Manchester City game at Stamford Bridge, Wayne Bridge refused to shake former friend and team mate John Terry’s hand – and so he should have.

With every pair of eyes in the stadium and indeed those watching around the world glued to the pre-match handshake, Bridge expectedly declined Terry’s hand and instead greeted him with a cold stare.

If giving up the honour to play for your country in the World Cup finals because of what Terry did, I don’t think anyone actually believed Bridge would bring himself to shake Terry’s hand.

As Craig Bellamy put it in his post match interview with Sky Sports after the game: “I think everyone in football knows what the guy (Terry) is like.” Never a truer word.

Terry is the captain of Chelsea and was the Captain of England. He is a leader on the pitch but an utter idiot off it. The Bridge story isn’t the worst of Terry’s doings but perhaps just the final straw in an overly long list.

To think Terry could have kept the captaincy is ludicrous. Fabio Capello made the right decision in stripping Terry of the captaincy.

One  bright side to this story is that the English media already have an excuse at the ready when they crash out in the group stages in South Africa – John Terry. Or if that fails they could always blame Wayne for pulling out of the squad.

Anyway, enough rambling. Hopefully this is  now the end of this story now and we can go back to concentrating on football or if you like gambling, head over to the BettingExpert.com Casino.

For any of you who are still yet to see the video, here it is:

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Is Arsene Wenger right – Do teams play harder against Arsenal?

Posted by Cathal Breathnach on February 28, 2010 | 27 Comments

First and foremost, it was an horrendous tackle from Stoke City’s Ryan Shawcross which now leaves Arsenal midfielder, Aaron Ramsey’s career in the balance.

“I’m not very happy with the tackle.” said Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger following his side’s 3-1 victory at the Britannia last night.

“I just want to say we know what we are expecting, a battle everywhere, but we have now lost three players – (Abou) Diaby, Eduardo and Ramsey today, a boy of 19 years old – on horrendous tackles. It’s always coincidence. I don’t believe in coincidence when you are hit as many times as we do.”

“We know what it is always to be physical against Arsenal and what questions I get in press conferences we don’t fancy the physical side of it, that’s what the result is.”

In this situation, I personally feel extremely sorry for Shawcross because, as has been said hundreds of times both last night and this morning, he’s not that sort of player. From seeing the incident several times now, I firmly believe he didn’t go to hurt Ramsey. Shawcross went into the challenge fully committed and unfortunately it resulted in an horrific leg break for Ramsey.

In a sense, I do agree that teams may play a bit harder when they face Arsenal, however unlike Wenger, I feel it is purely coincidence that several of his players have suffered horrific injuries over the past 18 months or so.

I’m keen to hear what you have to say on this one. Comments below please.

From everyone at Football Corner, we wish Aaron a very speedy recovery and hope to see him back playing early next season.

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