The World of Football/Soccer.

[Tony M]

Originally Posted by Cooleyvol

Can you post a link with info about the clubs other than Pompey? I can only find information on Portsmouth and am curious about Cardiff and Southend in particular.

Southend are disputing an outstanding debt to HMRC (link)

Cardiff have an outstanding debt of $4m owing to HMRC (link)

Both have been given 28 days to sort it out, but Portsmouth's winding up order has been adjourned to 2pm (9am EST I think). Portsmouth are in deeper doo-doo not only because of the money owed but because they signed loan players during the January window so don't seem to be trying to reduce their expenditure.

[Cooleyvol]

Worst that'll happen is a ten point deduction. Matters not. They're going down anyway.

[bababui]

Originally Posted by Tony M

Looks like it's Bye Bye Southend

This will put a smile on MuGa's face.

Originally Posted by Cooleyvol

Worst that'll happen is a ten point deduction. Matters not. They're going down anyway.

I believe they can also be disbanded and their assets sold off.

[Cooleyvol]

We both know they're not going to disband Portsmouth.

[bababui]

Originally Posted by Cooleyvol

We both know they're not going to disband Portsmouth.

Its up to the UK version of the IRS; and we both know the IRS wouldnt think twice about disbanding a club/company.

[ukhotstove]

I find it very hard to believe they would let Portsmouth go belly up, maybe next year when they get relegated but not while their in the Premiership.

[rudel.dietrich]

So what is going on with the MLS? I am hearing something about a possible work stoppage. They had better get it worked out. The league is gaining momentum but they are still at the point where if they have any part of the season interrupted by labor disputes they will be in serious trouble. I don't see the league recovering from that kind of blow.

[bababui]

Leigh Genesis player gets England callup.

Whitham for England!

Call up for young midfielder


WED 17 FEB 2010


Leigh Genesis starlet Dale Whitham has been rewarded for his impressive form this season with a call-up to the ESFA England Under 18's squad, a historic breeding ground for top-class footballers both past and present.

17 year old Dale, a sixth form pupil in Ashton on Mersey, has scored three goals in twenty eight appearances for Genesis this season and will face Spanish-based games against Gibraltar and Malaga over the next week with a view to facing Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland in a tournament at the end of April.

Whitham's international call meant that he missed Saturday's 2-0 win over Clitheroe along with the midweek meeting with Rossendale United but will boost a growing footballing CV that now includes forty six senior appearances, a terrific achievement for someone that doesn't celebrate their eighteenth birthday until later this month.

Leigh Genesis would like to extend their congratulations to Dale on his international honours, a mark of the club's dedication to developing young players and giving them a chance in the sport.

[bababui]

Here are some interesting tidbits....

On Saturday, the Galaxy's Landon Donovan helped Everton upset Manchester United, 3-1, after earlier helping the Merseyside club tie Arsenal and defeat Manchester City and Chelsea. Donovan, Everton's player of the month, is making the most out of his loan spell in the English Premier League and now has a Manchester United scalp to hang on his belt.

On Thursday, Fulham Coach Roy Hodgson said that Clint Dempsey is well on the mend from a knee injury.

Also on Thursday, AC Milan defender Oguchi Onyewu made it back onto the training field for the first time in four months when he worked out with the U.S. team in Carson.

On Wednesday, MauriceEdu returned from knee surgery and a subsequent ankle problem to help Scottish champion Rangers defeat St. Mirren, 1-0, to advance to the quarterfinals of the Scottish Cup.

Also on Wednesday, Freddy Adu scored his second goal in four days for his new club, Aris Thessaloniki in Greece, as it beat Xanthi, 3-0, to advance to the semifinals of the Greek Cup.

So, things are looking a bit brighter on the World Cup front for the U.S., but the best news of all for Coach Bob Bradley came from Sochaux in France, where Charlie Davies is preparing for a return only four months after being injured in a car crash.

Davies, who suffered a broken leg, multiple facial fractures and a lacerated bladder in the October accident in Maryland that claimed one woman's life, had been expected to be sidelined for a year or more. Now, he has his sights set on South Africa 2010.

[bababui]

What a great race at the top and the bottom of the table. As long as Liverpoor are out of Europe next season, everything will be good.

[His Own Bad Self]

I would have been more excited if Spurs or City were challenging for the top three. I don't mind if they claim fourth and fifth; it just would be more interesting if the top three weren't all but settled, and with the same familiar faces.

[bababui]

Originally Posted by His Own Bad Self

I would have been more excited if Spurs or City were challenging for the top three. I don't mind if they claim fourth and fifth; it just would be more interesting if the top three weren't all but settled, and with the same familiar faces.

But there is such a logjam not only for the last CL place, but also the Euro Cup places. It should make for some excellent high intensity matches going down to the wire. And, even with the top 3, any of em can still win it all.

Also, the battle to avoid relegation should be really heated. Its making for one of the best springs in English football in quite some time.

[ry1220]

Portsmouth confirm they have entered administration - Barclays Premier League - ESPN Soccernet

Portsmouth have become the first Premier League club to go into administration and will be deducted nine points.

Administrator Andrew Andronikou, of insolvency experts UHY Hacker Young, has started the process of cutting costs at the club to try to keep it as a viable entity.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday afternoon Androniko confirmed the club will have to sell "one or two'' players to raise funds but that manager Avram Grant would not be leaving the club.
Androniko said: "I will be cutting to the bone, I can assure you. Restructuring starts today. There will be significant cost cuts at all levels. We have a huge job to deal with.
"I need to generate working capital in the next two months, we will have to sell one or two players but I am not looking to sell players on a fire-sale basis.
"We are asking the Premier League for their assistance, this is very new for them. There will be a meeting with the Premier League next Thursday where I will make a presentation."

[His Own Bad Self]

Originally Posted by bababui

But there is such a logjam not only for the last CL place, but also the Euro Cup places. It should make for some excellent high intensity matches going down to the wire. And, even with the top 3, any of em can still win it all.

Also, the battle to avoid relegation should be really heated. Its making for one of the best springs in English football in quite some time.

Granted. But surely there would be even more interest if new blood challenged the leaders every so often. If we have to go back to 1995 for a champion not named Man U, Arsenal, or Chelsea... it gets a little repetitive. Predictability does not exactly enhance my enjoyment of the league (notwithstanding its place among the world's elite, or the fact that other leagues are much the same).

Perhaps I simply ought to root against Man U in the championship race. The Gunners and the Blues are comparatively easy to root for.

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by His Own Bad Self

Granted. But surely there would be even more interest if new blood challenged the leaders every so often. If we have to go back to 1995 for a champion not named Man U, Arsenal, or Chelsea... it gets a little repetitive. Predictability does not exactly enhance my enjoyment of the league (notwithstanding its place among the world's elite, or the fact that other leagues are much the same).

Perhaps I simply ought to root against Man U in the championship race. The Gunners and the Blues are comparatively easy to root for.

Same in all the leagues around Europe, at most you'll see around 4 or 5 teams having won a nations top league in the last 10-15 years, no change on the horizon as well with the ammount of money being made by teams going into the champions league it gives other teams very little chance, in fact only chance they have is a rich Arab like Man City have lucked upon.

One of the reasons why over the last year or two I've found myself drifting further away from football.

[LFC1892]

Don't Bridge & Terry face off this weekend?

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by LFC1892

Don't Bridge & Terry face off this weekend?

They are as we speak (post).

[ukhotstove]

John Terry is one of those sports stars that I never really bothered about even when playing for England, but way he's acted I can't stick the guy. He believes he hasn't really done anything wrong, hopefully England win the World Cup because despite Terry having a winners medal it will hurt him massively knowing he could have been a World Cup winning captain.

[ukhotstove]

I went of the league tables of the major European leagues since the English Premier League started, if you go off the last say 5 years it's even worse with most leagues having only had 2 different winners. Looks like we should be following the Swedish league.

1992/93-2008/09.

English Premier League (England) (4).

Man Utd (11), Arsenal (3), Chelsea (2), Blackburn Rovers (1).

Bundesliga (Germany) (6).

Werder Bremen (2), Borussia Dortmund (3), Bayern Munich (9), Kaiserslautern (1), VfB Stuttgart (1), VfL Wolfsburg (1).

La liga (Spain) (5).

Barcelona (8), Real Madrid (6), Atletico Madrid (1), Deportivo (1), Valencia (2).

Scottish Premier League (Scotland) (2).

Celtic (7), Rangers (10).

Eredivisie (Holland) (4).

Feyenoord (2), Ajax (6), PSV (8), AZ (1).

Ligue 1 (France) (7).

Lyon (7), Nantes (2), PSG (1), Auxerre (1), Monaco (2), Lens (1), Bordeaux (2).

*Marseille won in 92/93 but stripped of title.

Serie A (Italy) (5).

AC Milan (5), Juventus (5), Lazio (1), Roma (1), Inter Milan (4).

Liga (Portugal) (4).

Porto (12), Benfica (2), Sporting Lisbon (2), Boavista (1).

Bundesliga (Austria) (6).

Austria Vienna (4), Salzburg (5), Rapid Wien (2), Sturm Graz (2), Tirol (3), Grazer (1).

Jupiler League (Belguim) (5).

Anderlecht (8), Brugge (4), Lierse (1), Genk (2), Standard Liege (2).

Super League (Greece) (3).

AEK (2), Panathinaikos (3), Olympiacos (12).

Premier League (Russia) (6).

Spartak Moscow (9), Vladikavkaz (1), Lokomotiv (2), CSKA (3), St Petersburg (1), Rubin (1).

Super Lig (Turkey) (3).

Besiktas (3), Galatasaray (9), Fenerbache (5).

Allsvenskan (Sweden) (10).

Norrkoping (1), Goteborg (5), Halmstads (2), AIK (2), Helsinborg (1), Hammarby (1), Djurgardens (3), Malmo (1), Elfsborg (1), Kalmar (1)

[ukhotstove]

karma don't you just love it