All posts by h79snht.top

Wayne Rooney seems to have turned a corner following a turbulent twelve months both in his private life and on the pitch. The England striker has scored 6 times in United’s most recent nine games and is beginning to resemble the player he was last season when he bagged 40 goals and was handed the Player of the Year Award.

His performances in the first half of the season continued the lacklustre form he displayed for England last summer and shocked the Red half of Manchester by announcing his intention to leave in autumn. He stayed, but has admitted to enduring the worst season of his career. Several Premiership stars have flattered to deceive this campaign, and here is a list of ten underperformers who, along with Rooney, have suffered a season to forget…

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Click on Rooney below to see the Top TEN underperformers

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Anderlecht have moved to the top of the Belgian First Division playoff group one after a 2-0 win over Genk on Friday.With the top six sides battling it out to decide the First Division Title, Anderlecht entered the match two points behind top-of-the-table Genk.

But the Belgian giants moved ahead of their title rivals with the victory, which came largely thanks to Dalibor Veselinovic’s fourth minute opener.

Since joining from Brussels after scoring 14 goals in 14 matches in the Belgian Second Division this season, Veselinovic’s opportunities since joining Anderlecht have been limited, making just six substitute appearances.

But the Serbian marked his first start with an early goal which delighted the Stade Constant Vanden Stock crowd.

Both sides searched for the all-important second goal of the match, but Genk’s attempts to snare an equaliser were in vain as teenage prodigy Romelu Lukaku snared his 17th goal for the club in all competitions this season with 12 minutes remaining to put the result beyond doubt.

Anderlecht now top the playoff table by one point ahead of Genk.

Genk came from behind to defeat Club Brugge 3-1 while Gent drew 1-1 with Anderlecht in Wednesday’s Belgian First Division action.With both matches being part of the Championship Playoff, the drama was high, especially at the Cristal Arena as Genk recovered from an early slip-up.

That occurred when Nabil Dirar set up Joseph Akpala for the opener for Club Brugge after 22 minutes, but the hosts hit back eight minutes later through Marvin Ogunjimi.

With the match in the balance just after the hour-mark, Jeroen Simaeys conceded a penalty and Genk hit the front through Israeli Elianiv Barda, who tucked away the spot-kick for his 16th goal of the season in all competitions.

Club Brugge boss Adrie Koster made changes to strengthen his side’s final third but the result was put beyond doubt when one of Genk’s substitutes, Jelle Vossen, scored in the 86th minute, just four minutes after being introduced.

The result sees Genk move to the top of the Championship playoff group, putting them one point clear of Anderlecht on top of the league, while Club Brugge remain fourth.

Anderlecht had the chance to stay on top of the table, but could only manage a 1-1 draw away to Gent.

Tim Smolders put Gent in front after just 12 minutes, but the lead did not last too long, with defender Roland Juhasz grabbing the equaliser for Anderlecht eight minutes before half-time.

The standard of the Football League’s Championship has improved in quality over the last decade for a number of reasons like big teams making the drop with Premier League quality players (Newcastle and West Ham) and the parachute payments for relegated teams allowing them to keep their best players or sign new ones. Also the quality has been helped by a number of Premier League teams scrapping their reserve teams which has seen an increase in players loaned to English football’s 2nd tier.

This season has been one of the most widely competitive with a number of strong teams all pushing for promotion. The league has also seen some surprising loan signings with the likes of Craig Bellamy and Yakubu dropping down a division to play regular first team football, something which wouldn’t have been considered in the past. But for the lesser profile players, who stands out with the potential to make an impact in the Premier League next season? Either through promotion with their current club or a summer transfer the following players have a huge chance of making it in the Premier League.

Max Gradel (Leeds United) – The Ivorian attacker keeps improving every season and has a strong chance of making it as a Premier League player. A product of Leicester City’s youth academy, Gradel played a part in the Foxes promotion season from League One two seasons ago but couldn’t get a regular place in the team in the higher division. He was loaned out to Leeds United on a month’s loan and his impressive displays earned him a permanent move. He went on to achieve promotion with the Yorkshire club. This season Gradel has fitted into the Championship along with the rest of his Leeds team mates who have an outside chance of promotion this season. His performances this season has earned special praise from manager Simon Grayson whilst also attracting rumours of Premier League clubs said to be interested in the 23-year-old. He has a versatile game that can see him on the wing or up front which has been a favourable position this season with 14 goals to his name so far.

Connor Wickham (Ipswich Town) – Reportedly a £15 million price tag is on the head of the Tractor Boys’ young striker but fans would tell you that it’s not without reason as the 17-year-old has made a big impact in the Championship already. Despite his age, he’s already physically developed at 6ft 3in and 14 stone which has played a huge part in be able to handle life up front, especially during the current season with 6 goals in 16 appearances to his name so far. The teenage star that’s been compared to Wayne Rooney, is said to be a target of North London clubs Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur in the summer. But Ipswich manager Paul Jewell and their fans will hope to keep the player at the club if they are to improve their league positions but a player with such high potential is sure to be in the Premier League sooner rather than later.

Continue to the NEXT PAGE…

Akos Buzsaky (Queens Park Rangers) – Whilst team mate Adel Taarabt has received untold praise for his performances throughout the season, there is also another player at Loftus Road who would not look out of place in the top division. The Hungarian midfielder who was once at FC Porto with Jose Mourinho first came to England with Ian Holloway at Plymouth Argyle before making the move to QPR. Since then the 28-year old hasn’t looked back with solid performances having the skill to beat players, create chances and also score the odd free-kick. Due to a bad knee injury, Buszaky has missed most of Rangers’ season until recently making a return to action. With the R’s close to promotion, Buszaky will be a key player if they are to be playing Premier League football next season.

Scott Sinclair (Swansea City) – The former Chelsea player could make a return to the Premier League if the Swans are to achieve promotion this season. With several loan moves since his time at Stamford Bridge, Sinclair finally settled at City which has looked to have been the best move for his career and the club. The winger has scored 16 goals already this season for the club in 34 appearances and although the 21 year old didn’t make it at Chelsea, there is no doubt that he is now finally delivering on his high potential.

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Andy King (Leicester City) – Another player formally on Chelsea’s books, the Foxes midfielder has made great progress over the last few seasons as a first team regular at only 22 years old. He played a key role in their promotion season from League One and hasn’t looked out of place in the Championship. City still have a chance of promotion this season and under the leadership of experienced manager Sven Goran-Eriksson, King can only get even better. He has also got 7 caps for Wales and is a part of a number of high potential players breaking into the Welsh squad.

Honourable mentions: Peter Whittingham & Jay Bothroyd (Cardiff City), Kasper Schmeichel & Robert Snodgrass (Leeds United), Ashley Williams (Swansea City), Nicky Maynard (Bristol City), Radoslaw Majewski (Nottingham Forest), Henri Lansbury (Norwich City/Arsenal), Chris Eagles (Burnley).

List compiled by Matt Freebody

Atletico Mineiro and Sao Paulo made it two wins from two as the fledging Brazil Serie A season resumed on Saturday.Mineiro took a provisional lead at the top of the table with a 3-1 win at Avai, the victory anchored by a brace to Leonardo Silva.

The former Cruzeiro defender was on hand to equalise for Mineiro in the 16th minute after the visitors conceded an early goal to Avai marksman Fabio Santos.

Former Wolfsburg and Gremio defender Rever put Mineiro into the lead with a goal two minutes after the restart, and Silva fired his second in the 68th minute to leave the result beyond doubt.

Elsewhere, Sao Paulo backed up their season-opening defeat of reigning champions Fluminense with a last-gasp 1-0 win over newly promoted Figueirense.

Eighteen-year-old midfielder Lucas nabbed a winner in injury time for the hosts, who rise to provisional second on the table.

Botafogo got themselves in the winners’ column with a 1-0 defeat of visiting Santos, who have secured just one point out of a possible six to start the campaign.

Fabio Ferreira was the hero for the victors with a goal in the 36th minute.

Finally, Internacional’s first home game of the season ended on the low note, with the reigning Copa Libertadores champions falling 1-0 to 10-man Ceara.

Veteran striker Iarley found the net in the 63rd minute for the visitors, who then lost striker Washington to a straight red card in injury time.

Australia’s next generation of player showcased its credentials with an uninspiring but assured 3-0 win over New Zealand in Adelaide.Stars Lucas Neill, Tim Cahill, Harry Kewell were all absent Mark Schwarzer were all missing for the Socceroos, but the hosts were still able to notch up a victory thanks to a double from Josh Kennedy and a late penalty from James Troisi.

Kennedy grabbed the opener in the 10th minute, seizing on an error from New Zealand goalkeeper Glenn Moss to score from close range, and doubled his tally just shy of the hour mark when he rose highest to head home a Dario Vidosic corner.

Ben Sigmund brought down Robbie Kruse deep in injury time and Troisi was gifted the chance to open his international account, making no mistake with the spot kick.

Elsewhere, goals from Lucas Barrios and Edgar Benitez gave Paraguay a 2-0 win over Bolivia in Santa Cruz.

Uzbekistan’s horror run since the Asian Cup continued as they went down 1-0 against China.

A goal from Gao Lin in the 65th minute condemned Uzbekistan to their fifth straight loss since being bundled out of Asia’s premier competition in January.

Saturday mornings have never been the same since Tim Lovejoy is no longer a permanent fixture on our TV screens. It used to be Lovejoy and Helen Chamberlain on the orange sofas, and while Chamberlain is still there, I’m afraid that Max Rushden just doesn’t quite cut the mustard however hard he tries. Maybe it’s because we don’t like change, but it just doesn’t seem as good somehow.

Anyway, Tim can still be seen on TV, and he still manages to get in some Chelsea chat while presenting Something for the Weekend; in fact, hardly a show goes by without Lovejoy mentioning the Blues. He will have been bitterly disappointed that Chelsea failed to win any silverware last season, and while ultimately the Blues failed the tests that were put in front of them, Tim Lovejoy has a test of his own to complete.

Tim and his old mate from Soccer AM, Robbie Knox, are put to the test by golf trick shot champion Jeremy Dale in Lovejoy’s latest adventure. There’s the infamous Happy Gilmore unique tee shot to contend with, as well as a large inflatable gym ball. Watch as Lovejoy’s competitive nature comes to the fore, but ‘fore’ is something Tim is shouting when his shots go awry.

Golf isn’t a sport that is alien to footballers, and during the off-season plenty of Premier League players will be donning the plus fours and embarking on a round or two. Steven Gerrard even had his own tournament to raise money for charity, with the Algarve a particular favourite spot for the pros at this time of year as they enjoy some time off.

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While Tim may talk a good game, Jeremy show’s him how it’s done, as there’s no substitute for expertise. This is the equivalent of showboating in football, and he’s pretty damn good at it, too…

The Vancouver Whitecaps ended their 14-game winless streak in the MLS with a 1-0 defeat of the Philadelphia Union on Saturday.It was the first win for interim head coach Tom Soehn – who took charge of the fledgling club after Teitur Thordardon was sacked last month – and just the second in Whitecaps history.

Vancouver defender Alain Rochat scored the winner in the 12th minute, his left-footed wonder strike from 25 yards out leaving Union goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon stranded.

The loss was the Union’s first in five games, and a lost opportunity to overtake the New York Red Bulls at the top of the Eastern Conference table.

The Whitecaps remained anchored to the foot of the Western Conference table with 14 points from 16 games.

In Commerce City, a short-handed Los Angeles Galaxy outfit managed to conjure a 3-1 win over 10-man Colorado Rapids.

The Galaxy travelled to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park without the likes of USA international Landon Donovan and English superstar David Beckham due to CONCACAF Gold Cup duty and injury respectively.

Regardless, the visitors still went ahead 1-0 in the 25th minute thanks to Rapids defender Drew Moor’s own goal.

Brazilian midfielder Juninho added a pearler from long range in the 42nd minute, and Chad Barrett added another on 80 minutes to seal the game.

Conor Casey gave Colorado hope with a goal in the 64th minute after latching on to a rebound of his own blocked shot, but the hosts lost Caleb Folan to a straight red 10 minutes later and were never able to recover.

In other results, Charlie Davies scored a controversial late penalty as DC United drew 1-1 at Real Salt Lake, while FC Dallas edged Chivas USA 2-1 on Jackson’s 85th-minute winner.

Fredy Montero scored in injury time as the Seattle Sounders pipped Toronto FC 1-0, the Columbus Crew enjoyed a profitable trip to Houston with a 2-0 win over the Dynamo and the New England Revolution drew 1-1 with the Chicago Fire.

Lazio signed France international Djibril Cisse from Panathinaikos on Tuesday, while Hamburg joined the race for Nicklas Bendtner.Cisse flew to Rome for a medical and hours later his transfer was complete, with Lazio reported to have paid Greek side Panathinaikos 5.3 million pounds for the 29-year-old.

The France forward, who has enjoyed stints with Sunderland, Marseille, Liverpool and Auxerre in the past, will join his new team-mates in pre-season training this week.

“Lazio have great quality now and we hope to show this on the pitch,” club president Claudio Lotito said. “All the players have quality and Cisse is eager to show all of his will to do well on the pitch.”

Meanwhile, Hamburg have joined the race for Nicklas Bendtner by admitting they are keen on the wantaway Arsenal striker, so long as the Gunners lower their asking price.

“Nicklas Bendtner is a very interesting player. His signing would be a real dream,” Hamburg Sporting Director Frank Arnesen told Hamburger Abendblatt.

“He can also be an attacking midfielder, playing behind the forwards.”

“(But) his signing would almost amount to a small miracle. There are two clubs that have made offers for Nicklas, and unfortunately, we are not among them.”

The 23-year-old was believed to have also attracted interest from Borussia Dortmund, however the Bundesliga champions distanced themselves from those reports on Tuesday.

Stoke City hit the headlines again with confirmation that their bid for Carlton Cole has been accepted by West Ham United, freeing them to talk personal terms with the England international.

“We have agreed a deal with West Ham, that’s done, it’s now about agreeing with Carlton and his agent,” Potters chairman Peter Coates told Sky Sports.

“He has got an injury problem and he’s always had that. That’s another risk you take, you have to factor that in, but he’s a good player and Tony (Pulis) has always liked him.”

Stoke signed ex-Tottenham defender Jonathan Woodgate on a free transfer on Monday.

Spurs manager Harry Redknapp meanwhile trashed an improved 27-million-pound bid from Chelsea for Luka Modric.

“Obviously I still think 27 million is a poor offer for a player of that ability. In my opinion it would not be anywhere near what I would think he was valued at, if he was for sale – but he’s not for sale,” Redknapp told Sky Sports News.

“What I honestly value him at would be way more in excess of that, if you asked me honestly what I thought he was worth.”

“Even if they offered that, the chairman said he is not for sale. It’s a difficult situation and he’s such a great boy, he’s not a troublemaker and he’s come in and trained great today and that’s how he is.”

Newcastle United have been told they must pay £14 million if they want to sign Tottenham’s Roman Pavlyuchenko the Daily Mail reports.

Magpies boss Alan Pardew is desperate to bring a striker to St James’ Park after losing Andy Carroll to Liverpool in January.

He missed out on top target Melvut Erdinc earlier this month after the Turkey international opted to stay at Paris Saint Germain instead of moving to Tyneside.

Pardew is still interested in bringing Erdinc to the North East but is thought to have turned his attentions to Pavlyuchenko.

The Spurs striker is a fans favourite at White Hart Lane but has never been a regular starter in his three years with the club.

Manager Harry Redknapp is looking to freshen up his attack ahead of the new season and could let the Russian marksman leave.

However, despite Newcastle’s interest, they are unlikely to stump up £14 million for the 29-year-old, as he doesn’t fit into their current transfer philosophy of buying cheap, young players.

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It is thought that the Pardew remains interested in Reading’s Shane Long and Chelsea’s Daniel Sturridge although the likelihood of signing either of them is slim.

It will be another blow to the Newcastle boss who has struggled to land a centre forward capable of wearing the famous black and white number nine shirt.