update

update

P.L. 2010 2011 Sunderland Newcastle on MiamiGunners Match Of The Week

week 23
16th january 2011: 
sunderland v. newcastle united

There’s a sense of expectation around this particular Wear-Tyne derby, what with Newcastle battering their local rivals 5-1 in the reverse fixture (as if anyone needed reminding) and the fact that there hasn’t been a goalless draw between the sides in Premier League history. In addition, Newcastle have only failed to score in one of their last nine games. Oh, and their last outing in the Premier League was a 5-0 thrashing of West Ham United.

Although there are usually goals in this fixture, more often than not it’s Newcastle getting more of them in recent history. Sunderland triumphed over their rivals back in the 2008-09 season, but that was their sole victory at home against Newcastle since 1980. If Sunderland want to avenge their heavy defeat at St. James’ Park, they will have to rewrite recent history.
The Black Cats also have some catching up to do in terms of all-time results as well. Sunday’s meeting will be the 143rd between the sides with Newcastle coming out on top 56 times, Sunderland winning 44 times, and 46 draws. That said, there could hardly be a better time to do it as Newcastle are without their top scorer and arguably their best player of the season in Tiote.

update

Primera Division 2010 2011 Villareal Osasuna MiamiGunners Match Of The Week

week 19
15th january 2011: 

Wednesday evening’s Copa del Rey match against Sevilla proved to be a frustrating affair for Villarreal, who were held to a rare home draw by the Andalucian side. Had Juan Carlos Garrido’s side not been going so well in the league, that result would have been a particular disappointment, but presently the Yellow Submarine are moving at full steam ahead to try and claim third spot.

Survival for Osasuna in the top flight this season is by no means a foregone conclusion, and the Pamplona side have endured an alarming slump over the winter that has brought their participation in the Primera Division into question. Over the course of the last six games, they’ve failed to win a single match, maintaining any forward momentum only by three draws.

Bundesliga 2010 2011 Wolfsburg Bayern on MiamiGunners Match Of The Week

bundesliga 2010/11
matchday 18 

15th january 2011: 

wolfsburg v. bayern münchen

After months and months of speculation, Edin Dzeko finally left Wolfsburg last week. While much media focus has been over how the brilliant striker will fit in at Manchester City, in Germany, the questions have been raised as to how Wolfsburg will manage without their departed captain and historical top scorer.

Many among the Bayern faithful will recall Arjen Robben’s first match for die Roten. Just days after signing from Real Madrid, the Dutchman came on as a second half substitute and scored a fine brace to cap off a 3-0 victory away to Wolfsburg.

Now, after missing spending six months on the sidelines with a hamstring tear, Robben returns to Bayern as a “new signing” of sorts. And now, he plays his first game of the season against none other than Wolfsburg at the Volkswagen Arena.

update

 

Copa Del Rey 2010 2011 "El Derbi Madrileño"Real Madrid Atletico Madrid

copa del rey 2010/11
quarterfinals 
First and Second Leg

The Copa del Rey may not always take top billing for Real Madrid, but Jose Mourinho indicated from the beginning of the competition that he intends to win this crown. If the Portuguese was having any second thoughts about deploying a strong side in the tournament, a derby fixture against Atletico Madrid will compel him to focus firmly on Thursday evening’s quarter-final first leg encounter. Los Blancos remain on the coattails of Barcelona in the Primera Division, and even a difficult encounter against Villarreal on Sunday evening could not break their momentum. There may have been a good deal of controversy involved, but there could be little doubting the importance of Madrid’s 4-2 success, during which they twice had to recover from behind.

A storm is brewing at the Vicente Calderon, where Atletico Madrid are perceived to be under performing in the Primera Division. Under pressure coach Quique Sanchez Flores was left frustrated by Monday night’s 4-1 humbling against Hercules in Alicante. From the outset, los Colchoneros were second best, and Jose Antonio Reyes’ late goal was scant consolation on a bleak evening for the capital side.
“I believe my players can do big things... I am confident in them,” Flores told the press prior to Thursday’s encounter against Real Madrid, retaining great faith in his side. “All these years we have not won at Real Madrid can act as a stimulus.” After a great start to the season, Atleti are rather coming apart at the seams. Only two wins have been gleamed from their last six Primera Division encounters, of which four were played against sides in the bottom half of the table. During this period, they’ve also been embarrassingly eliminated from the Europa League.

P.L. 2010 2011 Blackpool Liverpool on MiamiGunners Match Of The Week

week 19 (rescheduled)

12th january 2011: 
blackpool v. liverpool

The latter days of Roy Hodgson’s bitter reign on Merseyside saw him lose the fans completely, as the club’s supporters roundly chanted for his head by calling for the appointment of the legendary Kenny Dalglish.
One could very well argue that the results may not have been a true reflection of the former Fulham manager’s capability, as he was unable to mould the squad to his liking by flexing some muscle in the transfer window. But the Merseysiders have parted ways with the 63-year-old now, and have given the fans what they wanted - King Kenny.Dalglish’s return to management after a decade-long hiatus began in poor fashion as a controversial penalty coupled with the sending off of his skipper Steven Gerrard ended in a defeat to bitter rivals Manchester United - which in turn meant that the Reds were knocked out of the FA Cup.
However, the feel good factor around the club will have trickled down into the squad as well, and could in turn translate into a positive performance on the pitch...

Championnat de France 1987 1988 Matra Racing PSG

Football Funnies

Football Funnies

update

Football Funnies

Primera Division 2010 2011 Real Madrid Villareal

week 18 9th january 2011: 

real madrid v. villarreal

Undoubtedly, the game of the weekend, Jornada 18 pits Real Madrid against Villarreal, the 2 former sides of Pellegrini. Villarreal have returned to their attacking best, the same form which made them a force to be reckoned with under Senor Pellegrini. The prime example of this was the 4-2 humdinger against Valencia which was played out at El Madrigal.

This Villarreal is made of some stern stuff and showed tremendous mental strength to come back from 2-0 down and win 4-2 to advance to the next round in Copa del Rey.

Real Madrid, on the other hand, were humbled by Levante. Although the match consisted of mainly substitutes, it showed a worrying trait of this Real Madrid side that the substitutes are not good enough to handle even the La Liga strugglers.

Earlier this season, Villarreal were universally praised for daring to take the game to Barcelona and losing only because Barcelona had a team which can play ‘blindfolded’.