Saturday, May 5, 2012

Van Persie claims two trophies but Wenger is still dusting off the cobwebs

Robin van Persie was the toast of English football on Thursday night as the Arsenal striker accepted his Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year award.

It was the second accolade of the season for the Netherlands international, who was also named the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year just a few weeks ago.
But Arsenal and Arsene Wenger remain empty-handed for another season, leaving the Frenchman to dust the cobwebs out of the trophy cabinet for another season. 

Ronaldo strikes again to put Mourinho in a league of his own

Real Madrid secured their 32nd La Liga title on Wednesday night with a 3-0 win over Athletic Bilbao at San Mames.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 44th league goal of the season in just 35 starts, while Mesut Ozil and Gonzalo Higuain were also on target.

The victory meant Ronaldo - and his manager, Jose Mourinho - finally bowled over Barcelona, ending their dominance in Spain after three consecutive league championships.
 

Hodgson takes England hot seat

 The Football Association confirmed the appointment of Roy Hodgson as the new England manager on Tuesday, giving the West Brom boss a few short weeks to assess and assemble a squad ahead of Euro 2012.
Hodgson gave the impression of a man undaunted by the task of winning over England fans and players, despite not being the favourite for the job prior to his appointment.

But plenty of coaches - popular or otherwise - have been burned by the England hot seat in the past. Will the former Fulham man still be relishing the role after a while on the throne?

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Noisy neighbours

It had been billed as the biggest Premier League fixture of all time, and whilst there may not have been the drama and incident to match the hype, Roberto Mancini's men's 1-0 victory over Manchester United signalled another turning of the tide in the title race.

Vincent Kompany's first-half header set City on their way to a vital three points at the Etihad Stadium, and while tensions flared between Sir Alex Ferguson and his Italian counterpart, the Scotsman was unable to inspire his side.

Instead, the Red Devils were left to return to Old Trafford with their tails between their legs and their noisy neighbours are starting to become deafening.

Roy Hodgson sneaks up on Redknapp

The FA shocked the football world on Sunday evening when they moved to appoint West Brom boss Roy Hodgson as England manager.
The news came as a surprise, and probably none more so than to Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp, who has been touted as heavy favourite for the role since Fabio Capello's departure.

Now, with the former West Ham manager having spent the past month suggesting half the Spurs squad will leave White Hart Lane in the summer, he finds himself in a right pickle, with the 65-year-old having his dream move snatched away from him by Roy.