Is there anyone who isn’t supposedly moving to Man City or Spurs?

We’re now half way through-ish of the january transfer window and one thing sticks out this window which is different, Rather than everyone being linked to the “big 4″ its almost a daily update of yet anotyher player being linked with Spurs or Man City from Superstars such as Kaka to City and another plethora of superstars to the now stunningly overpaid Wayne Bridge to City which turned out to be true and just about everyone else linked to Spurs. I can’t help but think the aveage fleet street hack picks a name at random out of a hat each day to link with a number of clubs who are supposedly interested, fling enough mud and eventually thwey will be right about one and can then claim “Exclusive”.  I’m not alone with these thoughts either have a look at the premier league forum on the away goals rule football forum

I for one can’t understand why Kaka would wantto goto Man City and i’ll lose some resp[ect for him if he does, I didn’t class him as being quite that greedy and lets be honest why else apart from a boat load of cash would he go to City, granted both AC Milan and City are in the UEFA cup this season but realistically Milan will be in the Champions League and City could very well be playing in the Championship.

I also find it funny a couple of clubs have now accused Spurs of unsettling their players, this is the same spurs who reported both Manchester United and Liverpool for their pursuits of Berbatov and Robbie Keane respectively, Still nothing will come of it .

For what its worth good luck to City in their persuit of Kaka, it would be great to see him every week in the Premiership, at least until the end of the season then who knows.

England Vs Germany

Well its time for another pointless international friendly for England this week. I’m sure there are some reading this saying “ but its Germany, it’s a big game” well no actually its not it is at best a B international friendly and a lot of the big names seem to not take it seriously either.

Look at the list of absentees which include Heskey, Rooney, Gerrard, lampard, Ferdinand and Terry, arguably that’s pretty much the entire spine of the team missing. Both Ferdinand and Rooney missed the demolition of stoke city on Saturday but both Terry and Gerrard managed to play for their clubs and will no doubt most of those missing through “injury” will make miraculous recoveries for the next round of premier league fixtures and will probably play 90 minutes.

For a few players it’s a chance to impress the national manager with Call ups for Agbonglahor and Ashley young, who you might remember I said should have been called up previously. The most surprising call up for me was Michael Mancienne who I had only previously heard of playing Football manager ( a review of Football manager 2009 which can be found here) he was decent on there but then again so was Nii Lamptey. A few of the regular posters at the Away Goals Rule Football Forum have seen him on loan at Wolves this season and said he is top quality, if he should he play he will need to be.

Football Manager 2009 Review

Well first of all it’s become apparent that the launch of the game was a almighty & complete farce with a large amount of people who bought the game, including myself, unable to activate the game and play it, while anyone who downloaded it could play it fine. Obviously this is the opposite effect which SI games were after and hopefully in future they will realise their error. Denying customers who have paid for the game the ability to play it is just going to drive more people to piracy.

Anyway onto the game, after playing the Demo and receiving an inordinate amount of injuries I’m glad to say this has been toned down to more normal levels in the full game. Players are harder to sign in the full game too; several players who were easy to get a hold of in the demo are now committed to their clubs.

The assistant advice is much better on this version of the game and they usually recommend a few decent players to shore up your team early on. FM2009 seems quicker than the previous incarnation too, not as fast as the demo was which moved on at almost a lightning pace.

The new 3d match engine is unnecessary in my opinion, ok it looks a bit better than the 2d version but wasn’t needed and does seem to have a few little bugs, players running on the spot or standing still for a minute with the ball as 2 examples. The whole match feedback from your assistant is much improved and I actually find this useful now.

All in all its an improvement on 08 but time will tell if it has better stick-a-bility in the long term.

I’ll add a follow up when I have played it more, in the mean time for more Football manager 2009 Discussion, visit the Away Goals Rule Football Forum.

FIFA 09 Review

First review here, so don’t expect any great works of literature

Several big improvements from FIFA 08, the physics of the ball have been upgraded dramatically, it swings and curves in the air realistically, likewise the animations on the players when they are fouled (crunching players you don’t like with a late tackle is a joy), Be a Pro’s been greatly expanded to allow players to have a full career, as well as the doubling in size of the online version.  Other nice improvements include the variation in the background of the Arena (Rio de Janeiro, Urban Training Complex, Far Eastern City at night), and players moving off onto the sidelines when injured, sometimes to continue, sometimes to go off.  All teams have also been updated with as far as I can tell, flawless accuracy, unlike the latest installment of Pro Evolution Soccer.

The major problem with the new game in my view is one of the new features being used as a selling point – the Adidas Live Season.  The changes to a player’s ability based on his form, or even his current fitness are grossly exaggerated to the point where you’re selecting Dirk Kuyt upfront rather than Fernando Torres.  call me a traditionalist but I don’t want to be playing someone on FIFA and have to worry about the player’s real world fitness.  Stats aren’t just exaggerated on the downward side either, Rooney has had a few very good games recently, and his rating has shot up to 92.  This seems reasonable until you consider that franz Beckenbauer, the best player in FIFA 09’s Classic XI, has a rating of 91.  Ronaldo’s rating has also risen to 94, now I know they’re in good form, but this does not make them greater than the greatest of all time.

Speaking of the Classic XI, there are some extremely notable ommissions.  Keane, Zidane, Pele, Best, Maradona are all out of the squad entirely (although Abedi Pele [who?] does get in).  Now I’m aware that it’s almost certainly got to do with licensing but it’s a bit ridiculous to have an all time XI without most of the greatest players in history.  If they can’t do it properly they probably shouldn’t do it at all, it makes the game appear cheap.

Overall, the flaws mentioned in the last two paragraphs are far outweighed by the improvements, the passing is very nice and it actually feels for the first time like you’re controlling actual people rather than just characters.  I’m aware I’ve devoted more space to the Cons than the Pros but the Pros are actually difficult to describe until you play the game.  There are so many nice touches, it really feels like a finished version of FIFA 08, although this does make one question the wisdom of paying £40 for a game which is what you should have got a year ago.  Still, I suppose that’s why EA are such a succesful company.

Recommendation: Buy it.

for more football game news, reviews and discussion visit the Away Goals Rule Football Forum

Pro Evo 09 review by JSP on awaygoalsrule

Thanks to JSP on awaygoalsrule.com for the following review

Game looks very nice and plays well they know have licenses covering the Champions League and all the clubs involved. Problem still remains in the other teams in the main leagues aren’t licensed and as usual have random names that can make them hard to work out. Also, they don’t have the latest up to date transfers. The game was released at the start of October yet the transfers were well out of date i’m guessing any deal done in August wasn’t included. This means a bit of boring editing to try and bring it up to date.

Another problem I had was with the formations some of the teams formations don’t reflect how they actually play which means lots of editing to set them up how they normally would be. This is especially noticeable with teams like Chelsea and Barca who have changed there formations this season both still play the standard 4-3-3.

Gameplay

This was the bread and butter of the pro evo range and why for a long time it kicked FIFA’s back side. To me that all seems to have gone the passing isn’t as crisp as it used to be also players don’t turn as quickly. Also tackling any slide tackle is pretty much punished with a yellow and in some cases a Red Card. This can be for the smallest tackle in some cases where you actually win the ball. The refs have definetly made stricter which ruins the game abit especially when playing multiplayer. Also, some of the players have just been made stupidly good like Messi and Ronaldo. I know a lot of people when playing with friends used to enjoy the random pick so you didn’t just end up with Utd vs Barcelona every time. This now makes the game almost unplayable if your say Bologna and end up playing a top side your players just can’t keep up.

From a pro evo fan i’d say this is the most dissapointing one i’ve played since I opened Pro Evo 5 which was truely shocking after the daddy of all football games that was Pro Evo 4.

I’m considering trading the game in. It’s that bad something that i’d of considered blasphemous before playing this version it’s really really dissapointing.

JSP

of course if you don’t agree with JSP please feel free to come and say so on the Away Goals Rule Football Forum

This weekend was a great weekend……

, if you are a Liverpool, Hull  or Tottenham Hotspur fan.

From Liverpool’s point of view they went top by 3 points, one of their main rivals lost and another only picked up a draw, unfortunately for them Hull and Arsenal both won to keep up a bit of pressure. Whether the bookies agree or not Liverpool will now be seen in their own fans eyes at least as major contenders, perhaps even favourites. The question is will they thrive or crumble with the added pressure this brings and do they have a strong enough squad should they still be in the Carling cup once the FA cup and champions league get serious. You won’t hear this from many Man United fans but I hope they are still contending at the end of the season, not winning the league obviously but healthy competition is good for everyone.

I awoke Saturday morning to the news Ramos had been sacked and Harry Redknapp was to be the new manager of Tottenham, later in the day I was even more shocked Tottenham had won a game, perhaps I shouldn’t have been because in Redknapp, Tottenham have a manager players seem to love playing for. As much fun as I’ve had at the few spurs fans I know’s expense I’m sure Redknapp will have them moving the right way up the table, the right way from their point of view anyway.

I do feel sorry for Portsmouth and I fear for them come January if the rumoured fire sale comes to fruition and I fully expect Defoe to make the return journey to Tottenham along with maybe one or 2 other players. One thing I am sure of is Sol Campbell and Tony Adams won’t be 2 of them even though a defender of Sol’s caliber is exactly what Tottenham need I just can’t see him going there after the abuse he receives from them and all those years at Arsenal will surely stop Adams going to Spurs although stranger things have happened.

Hull’s spectacular season rolls on with another 3 points and 20 in total and having the same as Chelsea even at this stage of the season is a major achievement from a club many (not me I will add)  tipped for relegation. 20 points after 9 games should barring a spectacular implosion make sure they stay in the Premier league for another year, I don’t think they will manage Europe as I think the competition will be too strong long term but I’m sure staying up was their number 1 priority before the season kicked off.

If I were a Newcastle United I would be worried, while Tottenham was struggling the pressure was off them a little but with the new manager and the upturn in form that usually brings, Newcastle are looking at the abyss although I do think they will get something out of West Bromwich albion on Tuesday. The Longer the turmoil over the Sale and having a caretaker manger in charge goes on, the harder it will be to escape the drop.

As always let me know what you think at the Away Goals Rule Football Forum

The Future of Carlitos

Carlos Tevez arrived at Manchester United in a transfer saga that made Robinho’s look like Riera’s, and for a time, it was good.  3 times he scored crucial equalisers from setpieces away from Old Trafford, as well as the winner at Anfield, goals without which United certainly wouldn’t have won the Premiership, and might have cost us the European title.  His all-round play was also excellent, linking up with Rooney, providing the platform for Ronaldo to score 42 goals and United to become the greatest team in the world.  In the return leg against Barcelona, he was terrier like, tracking back and fouling It was like having two Wayne Rooneys.

That is ultimately the problem.  Tevez is an excellent footballer, but he only excels when he is played with another striker, who must have less freedom, similarly to Rooney.  The result of this is that only one of them can be in the team while at their optimum, last season this was not so much a problem, as they were the only two strikers we had, so Rooney was sacrificed due to his superior versatility.

With the signing of Berbatov, however, United have a man with whom Rooney and (in theory) Tevez can play with, which allows both strikers to be at their best.  The problem this causes for Tevez, is that because of this, Berbatov is very unlikely to be dropped, and the alternative, dropping Rooney, is unthinkable considering how good he is when played with a bigger striker.

So when the time comes, what do United do?  Spend an additional £25m on a player they’ve already spent £10m, a player who ultimately will be a squad player, albeit a first class one, or let him go?  I’m sure given the choice, United would keep him but there are two factors which may prevent this.

Firstly, the Credit Crunch.  Cost of borrowing’s going up and up, big recession looks likely, and United are steeped in debt, the kind of money required may not be available.  The other major factor is how happy Tevez, a 3 time South American Player of the Year, will be knowing that he is only there in case Rooney or Berbatov gets injured.  sure he’s come out with some comments about how happy he is and hopeful he is of signing, but he was saying about 5 clubs in Europe were his favourites prior to his transfer to United.  I suspect a lot of his words are put into his mouth.

Perhaps this is an over-reaction to a good run of Rooney form and a spell in the team, and Rooney, and even Berbatov will face similar spells out at times, but having 3 £30m+ strikers strikes me as a strange idea and one we’ll find difficult to put into practice.

http://awaygoalsrule.com – Username Kie99

Gartside calls for change and a wage cap

Bolton Wanderers chairman went on record today to say he wants a radical change to the premiership, to create a premier league 1 and 2 and then have no relegation from there. This would then even the playing field, he also says it might be time for a wage cap. BBC Article

Firstly 2 divisions of 18 teams might be a good idea, firstly as Gartside points out it would help the England squad by giving them more chance of meeting up and possibly enable a winter break, I’m all for helping England but a winter break is a terrible idea, the Christmas football program is one of the best times of the year and sorts the men from the boys, how many players have we seen over they years start the season in great form and disappear into their leggings and gloves once it turns a bit chilly.

Secondly what happens to the other 56 league football clubs (is it still 92 clubs these days, I’ve lost track) with no hope of ever getting into the big time where would that leave them, sure it would be great for the current lower end premiership clubs. Clubs need something to aspire to whether that’s non league clubs reaching the football league or football league clubs eventually reaching the promised land of the premier league.

Thirdly a wage cap will never ever ever work in the Premier League, its impossible to administer for a start, do you give every club the same wage cap as it were if so where do you set it? is it where the top clubs are now? is it at the lower end and force a lot of the decent players abroad or somewhere in the middle which ever you chose someone will lose out. Another option is a % of turnover which would effectively lock in the level teams are at.

My option would be to set a total soft cap and for every £1 spent over it another £1 would have to be donated to a fund that would be shared among the lower leagues and grass roots facilities, this would enable clubs to spend what they wanted but would also spread the wealth so to speak. although i would only consider this if every football club in the league and Europe played to the same rules or we are just going to weaken our teams and help our European rivals.

Another point Gartside makes is once we have 14 foreign owners “we will have a problem” and “At the moment we can still muster enough votes against anything that might change the structure for the worse. Come the day when you have 14 foreign owners we won’t be able to do that.” personally this smacks me as a little xenophobic, what’s to say the “foreign owners”  will all want the same thing, who’se to say that their plaan wont be better than what we have, lets face it it can’t be any more self serving that Gartsides “lets not have any relegation” plan.

If you think i’m insane, come and tell me so on The Away Goals Rule Football Forum

Real football v Fantasy football?

no, this isn’t a rant about money ruining football its about being pleased that a player of a team you hate has scored because he is in your fantasy football team.

Someone posted on the Away Goals Rule Football Forum that having certain players in his team changed how he perceived certain events and went as far as to say one of his Liverpool supporting friends had given up playing fantasy football because they were sick of hearing other Liverpool supporters watch Manchester united beat them last season and saying “Happy Days, Ronaldo’s in my Fantasy football team”

Now, personally i try to steer clear of team’s players i want to lose every week, namely Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea to make sure i don’t have any divided loyalties. That being said I’d take Manchester United winning the league over winning the fantasy football.

I have heard friends say tho that they were please Ronaldo had scored because of fantasy football, most of whom really don’t like him which is strange to say the least.

What’s your opinion? have a look at the The Trouble with Fantasy Football thread on the Footy unlimited section of Awaygoalsrule.com

England 5-1 Kazakhstan – The Review

First off, the one thing we can take from this game is that Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard do not work together in the same midfield.  This has been obvious to all but one man in the country for several years now, unfortunately the one man has happened to be the England manager at the time.  Although we did win 5-1, the fluency in the midfield was, particularly before the Kazakhstanis tired, dire.  One of these two players must be dropped, Gareth Barry was hailed as a revelation after putting in fairly average performances for England, simply because of the huge gap in quality between “average” and “Gerrard and Lampard together”  For me, Lampard and Barry, Carrick or Hargreaves should start in the centre of midfield, Lampard is simply one of the best midfielders in the world, criminally underrated in England though, due to a few bad games at the World Cup, and while a defensive player is not required next to him (Exemplified by his performances next to Ballack and Deco) he does play best next to one.

Another thing which one can learn from that match is that Wayne Rooney is not a left winger, he is a second striker.  Again, this has been obvious to many people for years, but managers seem to miss it.  Gerrard argues that his versatility is the reason that he is not the greatest England player, I would argue that Rooney’s versatility is the reason he is not in the running for World Player of the Year.

Due to his versatility, he is often played out of position to accomodate inferior players (Tevez for Manchester United, a multitude of players for England, today Gerrard)  While in itself, accomodating players is not necessarily a bad thing, in the case of Rooney it is – Rooney is potentially one of the best forwards in the world, while when played at left wing he is merely slightly above average.  Playing him as a first striker can be succesful (Manchester United ‘08) but you need the players around him to make it work, players it appears England don’t have.  Rooney must play in his position or not play at all.

With regards Ashley Cole, the treatment he received was, to put it mildly, a disgrace, it makes me wonder what sort of complete idiots go to England matches that they roundly boo their own player after he makes a big mistake.  Even heard the excuse that they did it because he is a bad person and cheated on his wife.  Mentalists.

Agree?  Disagree?  Want to shower me with Pladuits/Abuse? http://awaygoalsrule.com/ My username is Kie99.