Football Fantasy

The summer transfer window in the Premier League has ended, and surprisingly The Other 16 clubs in the Premier League showed their muscle Tuesday by capturing most of the transfer headlines. Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal were deathly quiet. Instead, it was the turn of clubs such as Sunderland, Stoke City, Birmingham City and Wigan Athletic who got most of the attention. And of course there was Tottenham Hotspur who predictably joined in in the action by possibly securing a last minute signing of Rafael van der Vaart, the Dutch attacking midfielder. Its encouraging to see Premier League clubs outside the Big Four being able to capture key signings. For starters, itll hopefully narrow the gap in talent between the Big Four and the also rans. But it also shows that it doesnt always have to be the big clubs in the Premier League who can bring in the big names. Of course, money talks. But still, there are factors outside of money that often make a difference, so its wonderful news...

Finally, after almost two years to the day, Manchester City have washed their hands of the great lame duck Robinho. Its been a great mystery to the Premier League as to why the 32.5 million man failed to perform to his potential at Eastlands. While some might say it was the culture or the squad of City, it must be mentioned that Robinho was one of the first (and the most expensive) transfers to come in to the Blue Revolution after Sheikh Mansours takeover in 2008. After an impressive showing at Real Madrid in which Robinho was the teams 3rd highest goal scorer, it was almost a given that the boy-wonder would come into Manchester and take the world by storm. In fact, had Robinho done what was expected of him, he could easily be in Carlos Tevezs position lead striker and team captain. Yet, as the story goes, Robinho flopped. Refusing to acclimate to life in Manchester, Robinho became a lame duck not playing, making no impact, always complaining and still getting paid 150,000 a week. ...

Arguably one of the most surprising transfers of deadline day was Eidur Gudjohnsens move to Stoke City. The former Chelsea forward has agreed a season long loan at the Britannia Stadium from Monaco, but will theIcelandic forward fit in with Stokes notorious physical game? That will be the worry for Potters boss Tony Pulis who has been reluctant to change his approach to the challenge of taking Stoke to the next level. Fans have been crying out for the club to bring in a different type of player and to challenge the pre-perceived perception of a typical Stoke signing. But Pulis attempted to do this last summer and the singing of Tuncay from Middlesbrough hasnt really lived up to expectations. The Turkish forward has failed to fit in with Stokes style and it lead to constant rumours that he would seek a move away during this summer. Gudjohnsen isnt quite in the same situation as Tuncay though. The former Barcelona man hasnt been used to the physical side of things during his time with C...

Just yesterday I claimed that Tottenham needed to strengthen if they were going to challenge in Europe and domestically this season. While I thought a big name signing was unlikely I have been proved wrong in spectacular circumstances as Harry Redknapp made a sensational swoop for Dutch playmaker Rafael van der Vaart. At a reported 8 million the deal is an unbelievable scoop for Tottenham and hopefully could give the squad a real boost when they return from international duty. Van der Vaart is exactly what Tottenham need. He was almost a little unfortunate not to succeed in Madrid and probably suffered from a change in management shortly after arriving. His ability though was never doubted, but in a team of galacticos he was always going to struggle to hold down a first team place. But at Tottenham you cant see this been a problem. I expect him to be used as the advanced midfielder allowing for Luka Modric to compete with the ever improving Gareth Bale for a spot on Tottenham left fla...

Before we even get into the swing of things the Premier League is taking a break for European qualifiers. But inthe absence of EPL action this weekend it seems like an appropriate time to reflect on the early stages of league play. So far, Chelsea cant be stopped at home, Blackpool are no pushovers, and, in Manchester Citys case, money cant buy results, at least not initially. This week we saw the European hangover bite Manchester City and Tottenham while Wigan let us know theyre not relegated just yet. As always, feel free to leave your criticisms and submit your own rankings in the comments section. You can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/Johnbo01 or email me at jboschini89@gmail.com 1. Chelsea (Last week, 1) It wasnt another 6-0 blowout but Chelseas 2-0 victory over Stoke City on Saturday was as solid as they come. Samford Bridge is a fortress and Florent Malouda is fast becoming one of the elite players in the Premier League, having four goals in three games. But for all the a...

Markus Rosenberg, who scored the vital goal in Werder Bremens Champions League qualifying match against Sampdoria, has today been loaned out to Racing Santander in La Liga for more consistent first-team opportunities. Rosenberg Secures One-Year Loan Deal To Racing Santander. This summer, Werder Bremen have signed Austrian striker Marko Arnautovic, as well as German prospect Felix Kroos, and so Rosenbergs first-team opportunities would have been limited at best. With Claudio Pizarro and Hugo Almeida already scoring goals in great quantity, and youngsters like Arnautovic and Kroos to compete with, Rosenberg was forced onto the fringe at Werder Bremen. Rosenberg joined Werder Bremen in 2007 after an impressive spell with Ajax in the Eredivisie. Since 2007, Rosenberg has played in 90 league matches for Werder Bremen, and has scored 30 league goals. Not a bad tally, but it pales in comparison to Pizarros 26 league appearances with 16 goals, as well as Almeidas 76 league appearances with 27...

Sky Sports News reports that Kilmarnock have failed in a bid to sign Rangers forward Andrius Velicka but they remain hopeful of agreeing a loan deal.The 31-year-old is on the fringes at Ibrox and is wanted at Rugby Park, where Mixu Paatelainen is desperate to increase his attacking options.However, it is understood that Paatelainen has his fingers crossed that he will be able to agree a season-long loan deal for the former Hearts striker. World Soccer News | Video | Podcast | Gallery | Live Streaming

Turkish giants Fenerbahce are hoping to land Joseph Yobo ahead of West Ham United, skysports.com understands. The Hammers had been hoping to seal a deal for the Nigerian international defender, who is seemingly surplus to requirements at Everton.A number of clubs, including Celtic, were understood to be monitoring his situation, but it appeared he was bound for Upton Park on transfer deadline day.However, it has now emerged that 29-year-old Yobo is being offered the chance to move to Istanbul and it is believed to be under consideration.West Ham are desperately trying to bolster their squad ahead of the deadline on Tuesday, and had hoped Yobo, who can play at right-back or in central defence, would sign for them but they now have a major battle on their hands. Watch Free Live Soccer Football Matches Online Here

Watching Saturdays games in the Premier League, theres no doubt that were spoilt for choice. Every single Premier League match was available for us to watch live thanks to a combination of Fox Soccer Channel, ESPN2, Fox Soccer Plus and FoxSoccer.tv. And knowing that we would be on an international break for the next two weeks, I consumed as much Premier League football as my body could take. But as I was watching it, I wondered whether I was enjoying it the best way that I could. The early kick-off between Blackburn Rovers and Arsenal was a cinch. No other games were played at the same time, so I was able to sit down and watch the game in HD with few distractions. But the rest of the weekend was a blur. For the 10am ET kickoffs, I ended up watching Tottenham against Wigan on TV, and then watched Wolves against Newcastle at the same time on my laptop, where I was streaming Wolves against Newcastle. At half-time, thanks to the DVR functionality on FoxSoccer.tv, I was able to catch up on...

Brightons new stadium will have 13,500 more seats. But will new fans be expected to sit in silence? Strange question, this, sort of, but how long do you need to have been following a sport, or a particular team, before youre allowed an opinion on it? A week? A month? A season? A lifetime? Get it wrong, butt in before your views are considered valid, before youve paid your dues or clocked up an acceptable credibility rating, and, boy, do certain people give you a hard time. The latest cricket corruption allegations? Yes, of course I could offer you my reaction I could give you bewilderment, frustration, a hint of depression, maybe even a side-order of outrage if you fancy it but would anyone be remotely interested in reading or hearing what I have to say on the matter? I very much doubt it. I have, after all, been following cricket for no more than a matter of months. I have no cricketing history, no roots, nothing. Ive yet to grasp even some of the basic rules. I am an interloper, a...

I dont think Lampard is done anymore than I think that about Terry or Gerrard, but EPL Talk blogger Jesse Chula raised an interesting point about how long England can stick with the Golden Generation and realistically expect success. The same question might just as easily be asked about their club teams and the teams of other aging stars. Believe me, it is painful for me to use the term aging when referring to players who have fewer than half my years, but when do you start not only discussing the question, but doing something about it? Sure, older players can still have tremendous impact. See Scholes and Giggs. However, Sir Alex Ferguson is not going to run them into the ground or try to pack the team on their backs. Indeed, he seems to know exactly how to mix and match veterans with younger players to achieve maximum results. Can you say Chicharito? When do you make the leap of faith and stop capping a player simply because he has been capped before? On a club, when do you start su...

Asamoah Gyan has arrived at Sunderland for transfer talks and a medical ahead of a rumoured 12million move from Rennes. (0) He's the one: World Cup star Asamoah Gyan is at the top of Sunderland's transfer wish-list Gyan, who caught the eye of a number of clubs after scoring three goals for Ghana during the 2010 World Cup, has emerged as a top transfer target for the north-east club.Manager Steve Bruce is rumoured to be preparing a 12million move for the striker, following a successful medical and the agreement of personal terms. With the transfer window set to close at 6pm on Tuesday, the Black Cats will be forced to move quickly for the 24-year-old, who joined Rennes from Udinese in 2008. World Soccer News | Video | Podcast | Gallery | Live Streaming

The Serie A has begun, a nostalgic set of games which begin to show how teams will play, and what theyll get out of this new campaign. After every weekend of matches, Ill be publishing five things to note from the Serie A matches this weekend, whether it be a team in form, a player to look out for, or anything else regarding Serie A action. This weekend weve seen some exciting football, and there are things to note regarding technology, newly-promoted sides, a bad transfer market, and more. 1. Technology is needed right away on the first day Yes, we have to talk about it yet again: technology needs to be introduced to football. This was especially evident when Fiorentina played Napoli this weekend: a battle between two teams which will be aiming for a Champions League spot. In the 7th minute Cavani heads a cross onto the bar, with the ball bouncing on the line as Frey stoops to pick up the Uruguayans effort. Then referee Gervasoni gives Napoli a goal, because his linesman was the only...