Yank The Boro: An American Up Teesside

[Chief Rum]

WEDNESDAY, September 10, 2003

Morgan Flashes In Debut

MORECAMBE-- Sure, it's just reserves, but new Boro winger Lionel Morgan showed Tuesday it may not be too long before he's seeing regular time with the big club.

Morgan scored the only goal for the Boro in a 1-1 draw with the Blackburn reserves at Christie Park in Morecambe on Tuesday.

The 20-year-old left winger took two shots, both on goal, intercepted three balls, went on four runs, won six headers and collected two tackles.

Morgan has been out with a knee injury for two months, and Tuesday was his first action on the pitch since last season. Interim Boro manager Matthew Kieta, who has said he intends to Morgan to play with the first team, sent the winger down to the reserves to get match-ready.

The Boro were fortunate to get the draw after Blackburn by-and-large controlled the ball and kept it near the Middlesbrough goal.

The Rover reserves outshot the Boro, 7-4, but all four of the Boro's shots were on goal, while just three of Blackburn's shots had to be fended off by goalkeeper Sam Russell.

The match was also the first reunion between the three players Kieta transferred away from First Division Wimbledon last month.

Morgan was bought from the financially-troubled club with defender Mikele Leigertwood and defensive midfielder Dean Lewington. The latter two have been playing with the reserves since their arrival.

All three are considered good prospects with bright futures, and none are older than 20 years old.

[Chief Rum]

THURSDAY, September 11, 2003

England Is Back On Track

Four Days After Drawing With Lowly Macedonia, National Team Stomps Liechtenstein, 5-1

LONDON-- England gave its citizens something to cheer about again, as they took the needed step to set up a showdown in the European Championships Qualifying with Turkey next month.

The Brits pounded Liechtenstein, 5-1, at Abbey Road Wednesday, moving them up to 17 points in Group Seven, just one behind idle Turkey.

England will play Turkey in Istanbul in October in a match which will send one team to an automatic berth in the 2004 Euros, Europe's most prestigious national team competition, while the other side will be forced to play through the playoff legs in November to gain one of the additional spots available.

There was a stretch early in the match where it appeared little Liechtenstein might actually stay with England. The home squad took a 1-0 lead on a goal by winger Kieran Dyer of Newcastle, but the Liechtensteiners got it back in the 21st minute with a goal by fullback Roland Beskid.

Dyer's goal came after England had missed out on a couple cross opportunities, including a corner. After one long clear out to the right, Dyer ended up with the ball near the right touchline. He sent a hard cross toward the goalbox that was deflected by Liechtenstein winger Thomas Beck of Swiss Challenge League side Chiasso. The ball bounced toward the penalty edge, where winger Joe Cole of Chelsea picked it up. After dodging a few charging Liechtensteiner defenders, Cole made a nice flick pass to Dyer on the left side of the goal box. Dyer turned around and blasted the ball into the left side of the net, before Liechtenstein goalkeeper Peter Jehle of Swiss Superleague Grasshopper could get over.

Beskid's tying goal in the 21st minute was a poor one for England keeper Chris Kirkland of Liverpool. Fullback Frédéric Gigon of Swiss side Baulmes sent a far cross over the penalty area into the right edge of the goalbox. Beskid was being marked by both winger Steven Gerrard of Liverpool and fullback Ashley Cole from Arsenal, and yet managed to beat them in the air and put a header on goal. The ball was high but right at Kirkland, who watched in horror as the ball glanced off his hands, bounced over him and into the net.

Perhaps taking that as a sign of a lack of effort, England played much stronger after that. They would put the match behind them within twelve minutes, on a 30th minute goal by Everton striker Wayne Rooney and a 33rd minute score by Southampton forward James Beattie.

Rooney's goal was painfully easy, thanks to a sharp shot by Dyer and an overactive defensive reaction on the part of Jehle.

Beattie took a run down the left touchline toward the penalty area, freeing the middle of the pitch for Dyer. Beattie sent a nice pass in just ahead of the penalty area, and Dyer one-timed a hard shot swerve toward the goal. Jehle fended off the pass, and the ball bounded down the left byline. Jahle gave chase to it, in an attempt to beat Beattie to the ball. It turned out to be a grave error, as Beattie beat the keeper to the ball and sent a centering pass to Rooney running into the box. Rooney easily put the ball in the middle of the opening net, even as Jehle scrambled to try and get back.

Beattie's goal came off of some nice passing work. Dyer sent in a wide swerving cross toward the near end of the goalbox off of a corner. Paul Scholes of Manchester United went up for the cross, but Beskid again won out an aerial challenge and cleared the ball to the outer edge of the penalty box. Rooney collected the ball, but had to retreat under pressure. He sent a quick pass toward the right edge of the penalty and Dyer. Dyer charged in toward the box and then sent a very short high pass to Beattie amidst the group near the near post. Beattie headed the ball into a wide open net, as Jehle was apparently caught by surprise by the speed of the move.

Beattie would add another goal in the 61st minute, and Gerrard would cap it off in the 71st minute for a domianting day for England.

Beskid's scoring header turned out to be Liechtenstein's lone shot of the match, while England put no less than 25 shots into the air, with 14 of them needing to be defended by Jehle. Nearly half the match in Leichtenstein's defensive third of the pitch.

"It was a very pleasing win," England manager Sven-Gôran Eriksson said. "We started off a little slow, but once we got going, wow, we really played well."

The win is expected to ease the pressure on the manager a little, who took some heat from the media when his club failed to defeat Macedonia on Saturday. Although England had already clinched a playoff spot, the draw will make it more difficult for the national team to earn the automatic berth from Group Seven.

They will have to defeat Turkey in Istanbul to win the berth. Turkey is the sixth-ranked team in the world by FIFA, just ahead of England at seventh.

The rest of Group Seven is playing out the string. Slovakia defeated FYR of Macedonia at home, 3-1, to move up to third place alone with nine points. Macedonia has six, and Leichtenstein one.

The match with Turkey will take place in Inonu Stadium on October 11.

[Chief Rum]

THURSDAY, September 11, 2003

Scotland, Ireland Leading Way For Playoff Spots

Wales Is Still In It As Well At The Euro Champ Quals

REISKIRCHEN, Germany-- Scotland remains in second place in Group Five and in line for a berth to the playoffs for extra qualifying spots in the 2004 European Championships in Portugal next season. But that's only because Iceland had the day off.

Scotland failed to protect an early lead against powerful Germany at the Sportstadion Reiskirchen, and the ninth-ranked national team by FIFA came storming back in the second half, led by two penalties by FC Bayern midfielder Michael Ballack.

Ballack was given the opportunity to tie the match up in the 68th minute after West Ham defender Christian Dailly was ruled to have pushed Kaiserslautern striker Miroslov Klose in the penalty area. Ballack shot the ball past Scotland keeper Paul Gallacher of Dundee United for the equaliser.

The match remained tied, though, well into the late going. Klose finally moved the Germans ahead with a score in the 83rd mintue, and Ballack's second penalty finished the Scots off in the 90th minute.

Germany's win clinches Group Five's automatic qualifier, but the race is still on for second. Scotland came into the match in second with 11 points, and remained there because third place Iceland was diel on Wednesday.

Lithuania missed out on a huge chance to get back into things when it lost 1-0 on the road to weak side Faroe Islands. A win would have moved them into a tie with Iceland for third, but the loss eliminated them from contention for second place and the playoff berth that comes with it. Lithuania has seven points, and the Faroe Islands five.

Scotland does catch a break, though. In order for Iceland to catch them, the Icelanders will have to do what Scotland couldn't Wednesday--beat Germany in Germany. Scotland will host Lithuania, and a win or draw combined with anything less than a Iceland win will clinch second place for them.

Ireland was off Wednesday, but it ended up a good day for them anyway in a crowded Group Ten. Russia was just three points behind Ireland and hosting group leader Switzerland today. A win would have put them in a tie for second, with a better matchup in the final match in October.

Fortunately for the Irish, the Swiss defeated Russia on the road, 4-3, clinching Group Ten's automatic qualifier with 15 points.

It's not in the bag yet for Ireland, though, in second with 11 points. Russia remains three points--just a win--back of Ireland, and will be hosting last place Georgia while the Irish will take on the Swiss in Switzerland.

Albania beat Georgia to keep the latter side from becoming a factor in the playoff. Albania has eight points, but no more matches, while Georgia has seven points.

Wales has not had a good run in the last two matches and have played themselves out from first place in Group Nine to just outside of the playoff. Wales allowed Finland to come back into it when they lost to the Fins, 3-1, in Cardiff Wednesday night. The win moved the Scandinavian country into a tie for second place with Wales at 12 points, and they have a one-goal-difference advantage over the Welsh to win the tiebreaker.

The loss to Finland gave the Finns two straight victories, while Wales has now lost two in a row. Wales does catch a break in that Finland has played all of its matches, so Wales still controls its own destiny.

The stunner in Group Nine, though, was Serbia & Montenegro drawing Italy. Not only did it keep Italy from clinching the automatic qualifier, it moved Serbia & Montenegro close enough to possibly squeak in to second place with a win in the last match.

Wales will host Serbia & Montenegro in perhaps the key match of the grouping, while Italy gets to toy with lowly side Azerbaijan before finishing them off for the easy qualifier.

In Group Six, Northern Ireland has been out of it for some time, but they got a little measure of dignity back Wednesday when they defeated Armenia 2-1. the win moved them past Armenia into fourth place with five points. Armenia has four points.

On a more important note, Spain continues to underachieve, allowing the Ukraine to draw them, 2-2, in Spain, and stay ahead of them in the Group Six table. The Ukraine has 13 points to Spain's 12. The Ukraine has played all of its matches, but Spain will have to draw or beat Armenia on the road to nab the second place spot.

The draw also clinched a playoff spot for group leader Greece, but the Greeks could still lose the qualifier if Northern Ireland somehow beats them ont he road, while Spain beats Armenia.

Other Group Results

Israel's 3-0 win over Malta, and France's 2-0 defeat of third-place Slovenia has wrapped up all the particulars in Group One. Israel entered the day in second palce with 11 points, but Slovenia was just behind them with 10. France had already clinched the automatic qualifier for the group. By winning while Slovenia lost, Israel clinched second place and the playoff berth that goes with it. Cyprus is fourth with seven points, while Malta finished its matches without earning a single point.

Group Two didn't get any clearer Wednesday and will have to go to the final day to figure out where anyone will end up. Norway came into the day in first place with 14 points, but they were idle Wednesday. Denmark and Romania were tied for second at 13 points. Both sides missed a diamond opportunity to pass up Norway completely by drawing 3-3. The tie moved them into a three-way battle for two spots, including the automatic qualifier.

Romania is likely done, as they are currently out on goal differential and they have exhausted their fixture. Norway gets Luxembourg at home, which should be an easy win, and Denmark would have to lose by more than six goals to Bosnia ont he road for Romania to beat them on a tiebreaker.

Bosnia is fourth with seven points, but they embarassed themselves Wednesday by drawing with painfully bad Luxembourg, 2-2. It is the only point Luxembourg has earned in the group action.

In Group Three, Holland clinched the automatic qualifier when they beat the Czech Republic,3-2, on the road Wednesday. The two sides had already clinched first and second, but first was yet to be decided until the victory by the Dutch sealed it. They have 19 points, while the Czechs have 14 points. Idle Austria is third with nine points, while Moldova beat Belarus, 3-1, to pass over the former Soviet satellite into fourth place with six points. Belarus has four points.

Sweden and Hungary cleared up a tight situation in Group Four with road wins over Poland and Latvia, respectively, on Wednesday.

The Swedes came into the day in first place in the group with 14 points, and their 3-1 win over Latvia moved them to a playoff-clinching 17 points. Hungary was in second place and stayed there after a 3-0 win over Poland. The win also clinched them a playoff spot.

Poland and Latvia, both with 10 points, came into the day with home matches and a chance to end up in second, but they blew it with the losses. Last place San Marino had the day off, and have no points at all.

Sweden can clinch the automatic qualifier with a win over Latvia at home in the last match in October.

In Group Eight, Bulgaria clinched a playoff spot at least with a 5-0 win over low-end Andorra, which has no points. At 17 points, Bulgaria only needs to win or draw at Croatia to clinch the automatic qualifier, and even if they lose, Croatia will have to beat them by five goals to get the tiebreaker.

Croatia itself earned its stay in second place with a tough 0-0 draw at Belgium. Belgium was expected to be very competitive in the group, but has been lackluster. Even if Belgium beats Estonia in October and Croatia loses to Bulgaria, the Belgians are ten points back of Croatia in goal differential.

Estonia, which was idle, has eight points in fourth place.

Germany, Holland and Switzerland join previous qualifier France and host Portugal as national teams that have already clinched automatic spots in the 2004 European Championships.

In addition to the Czech Republic, Turkey, England and Bulgaria, which all clinched at least playoff berths on Saturday, Israel, Swden, Hungary and Italy all clinched playoff berths with Wednesday's matches.

All of the remaining group stage matches will be played on October 11.

[Chief Rum]

THURSDAY, September 11, 2003

Brazil, Uruguay Lead Early World Cup Quals

Brazil, the top-ranked team in the world by FIFA, defeated Ecuador, 2-1, at home in the second match of CONMEBOL's World Cup berth determining round robin fixture.

In the earliest such competition, South America's international football federation is holding a two-year fixture in which all ten of the major South American nations will play each other in home-and-homes. The top sides will likely end up with one of the continent's World Cup berths.

Uruguay, ranked 27th in the world, beat 71st-ranked Chile on the road, 2-1, to be the only side besides Brazil to remain unbeatan and undrawn through two matches.

Colombia bounced back from a surprising home draw to Venezuela Saturday to beat Argentina, 1-0, at home. Argentina is the fourth-ranked team int he world, but has a draw and a loss through two matches.

Paraguay, ranked 21st in the world, crushed Bolivia, 4-0 at home. Bolivia, at 109th, is the weakest rated South American side in the competition.

Venezuela continued a surprisingly good early run by beating Peru, 4-1 on the road. Venezuela is ranked 57th in the world, while Peru is 67th.

The competition will take a break until November.

[Calis]

Can't wait to see England vs. Turkey in Istanbul! That's going to be a goodie.

Just out of curiousity, it appears Owen didn't play, did Sven wise up and bench him after last game's debacle or was he injured?

[daedalus]

Originally Posted by Calis

I'm going to have a hard time talking much smack to daedalus about our teams playing, because I can't imagine Celtic giving Arsenal a game. They're just way out of our league. I'm putting my hopes on us beating Lazio and getting that 2nd spot.

Bah! It's STILL good to talk smack! At least until the game gets played!

Besides, I think Celtic are going to make a good showing. In my career, they were always dangerous. Don't know how well they'll match up with Lazio, though. They're almost always funky.

Originally Posted by Calis

I recently got addicted to watching the whole game play out in 2D. Adds a whole new level to the game. Slows things up just a tiny bit though.

Can't wait until I get a real computer so I can play this too. Whine and whine!

[Chief Rum]

I did such a good job writing up that one, I'm curious about that England-Turkey matchup, too.

Should be a good one. As for Owen, he didn't start, but he played. He came in at 62 for Rooney. Got a 7 rating, but didn't score (obviously).

Now let's here it for Celtic-Arsenal smack talk! Good as Celtic is, though, I still think they will have problems with Lazio.

CR

[Chief Rum]

SATURDAY, September 13, 2003

Charlton (1-1-2) at Middlesbrough (2-1-1)

When: 3:00 p.m.
Where: The Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough
Forecast: 12º C (rainy)
Middlesbrough Out: DC Ugo Ehiogu, ML Allan Johnston
Charlton Out: DC Richard Rufus

Outlook: After two weeks off for international play, the Boro return to action, along with the rest of the Premiership. The Boro will host the Addicks of Charlton. Charlton has a close loss to Newcastle and a big win over the Wolves on their recent fixture list, but they haven't won, or even drawn, on the road yet. The Boro have been very solid at home, with two big victories over Tottenham and Fulham in Middlesbrough. The conditions on the Riverside Stadium pitch are expected to be very poor today, thanks to the steady rain from the past couple days. Left winger Stewart Downing returns today after missing three matches with a knee injury. Interim Boro manager Matthew Kieta said Carlo Nash would make his first start of the regular season in the net as well.

FA Barclaycard Premiership Game of the Round

Arsenal (4-0-0) at Liverpool (2-0-2) Although Manchester United and Chelsea at home are nothing to sneeze out, this is the first true test for the Gunners, the only unbeaten, undrawn squad in the Premiership. They have yet to play a top five league club on the road this season, but today's match in Anfield will take care of that. The Reds have had mixed early results. They blew out Bolton at home and beat newly promoted Leicester at home, and even their away loss to Manchester United went as expected. But a season-opening loss at home to Leeds has them looking less strong than it seemed. Arsenal will be seeking to advance a fine start to the season, while Liverpool wants a big win to move them in the right direction.

The Rest of the Matches

Southampton at Birmingham
Aston Villa at Chelsea
Charlton at Middlesbrough
Manchester United at Newcastle
Leicester at Portsmouth
Bolton at Wolverhampton
Everton at Manchester City (Sunday)
Fulham at Tottenham (Sunday)
Leeds at Blackburn (Monday)

[daedalus]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Although Manchester United and Chelsea at home are nothing to sneeze out

Sneeze . . . out?

[Chief Rum]

SUNDAY, September 14, 2003

When It Rains, It Snores

Boro Fail To Capitalize On Opportunities, Fall In 1-0 Snoozer To Charlton

MIDDLESBROUGH-- Boro supporters must have felt deja vu. Watching Saturday's match was likely very similar to last season, when the Boro would play well, but still mystifyingly lose a match they shouldn't have been close to even drawing.

The Boro outshot the Addicks, 14-5, Saturday, but it was the Addicks that made it work, riding a Jonaton Johansson score to a 1-0 victory on a rainy afternoon in front of 33,569 at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday.

"this was a very frustrating match," interim Boro manager Matthew Kieta said. "By all rights, we should have won that match. But we couldn't get the ball in close enough, and when we did, we didn't put it in the net."

Of the Boro's 14 shots, only four ended up on goal, with several long shots forming the bulk of the home squad's offense. Too often Saturday, Boro shots skimmed over the bar, failing to hit the mark.

Much of that fell on midfielder Gaizka Mendieta, who seemed to fall in love with his long shot for much of the match. The midfielder who dominated action with similar play against Tottenham last month was off the mark Saturday, taking eight shots, but putting just one on goal. Several of his shots missed by mere inches, and few came from inside the penalty area.

"I may need to ask Gaizka to work the ball inside a little more," Kieta said after the match. "Still, the Addicks played a very strong, interior game. I know Gaizka was doing what he thought he needed to do to get us some offense."

On top of the shot advantage, the Boro were consistently in control of the ball, beating the slower Addicks to rebounds and clear outs. More than a third of the match was played in the Addicks' defensive third, while the ball entered the Boro's defensive third just 14% of the time.

Conditions were poor and muddy all around, as the match was played in a consistent if light rain. Several players on both sides slipped during play, hindering ball movement.

The lone goal was scored on a header by forward Johansson in the 33rd minute. The Addicks showed some toughness in scoring the goal, which came on a corner shortly after the Boro were given two straight yellow cards for separate incidents.

Fullback Franck Queudreu was given a yellow for a two-footed tackle on midfielder Graham Stuart along the right touchline. On the resulting freekick, winger Malcolm Christie was given a yellow card as well, when he pushed over winger Matt Holland during an air fight for the ball. Starting Boro goalkeeper Carlos Nash was barely able to get to the resulting direct freekick by midfielder Claus Jensen, which sailed in to the left post from just outside of the penalty area. Nash was forced to put the ball just over the net with a diving block.

On the resulting corner, Jensen sent a high corner pass dropping right into the goalbox. Johansson went up with the crowd, including Mendieta marking him. He got to the ball and headed it high and hard at the net. Midfielder Boudewijn Zenden just missed getting in front of the shot, which went past him and Nash, who wasn't quick enough to react to it.

The referees were very quick to penalize the harder play Saturday, flagging the Boro with four yellows, and the Addicks with one as well.

Christie, whose foul resulted in the freekick which became the scoring corner, had a poor match at right wing, and was replaced at halftime by fullback Danny Mills. Football raters put his performance at a 4.

"We had several players not really play up to high standards today," Kieta said when asked if Christie would see any consequences for his poor play. "I don't know yet that we should single Malcolm out."

Saturday also represented a step backward for a noted trouble area, the forwards. Inconsistent play by younger forwards like Massimo Maccarone and Michael Ricketts has led Kieta to play forward Joseph-Désiré Job and attacking midfielder Juninho, somewhat out of position. The two vets scored all three goals in a strong performance against Fulham in August, and Saturday was the club's first return to that pairing.

The two forwards this time got only two shots off, one each and neither on goal. Juninho played very poorly, rating a 5, and was replaced by Maccarone in the 69th minute.

"It remains a work in progress," Kieta said about his forward crew. "Maybe that's the right pair, and they had a bad match. Or maybe we need to try something else."

Kieta said there would be some things done in Saturday's match lineup that he may not go back to when the Boro play again next Saturday. He wasn't more specific about his plans.

The Boro return to action on the road at Leeds on Saturday.

Boro Under-19s Crush Scarborough, 4-1

Well, at least one Boro side won Saturday.

The Under-19s shined in their second straight big win, beating Scarborough's Under-19 squad 4-1.

Last week, striker Tom Orchard scored a hat trick against Macclesfield, and yet, he didn't even see the pitch Saturday, as an unused substitute--not that the Boro youths needed him.

Four different players put in goals for the squad at The Stadium in Billingham, with striker Jason Kennedy playing a particularly strong match. He scored one of the goals while taking six shots, five of which went on goal.

The other goals were scored by winger Chris Emms, midfielder Adam Johnson and striker Danny Reed.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by daedalus

Sneeze . . . out?

Sneeze at.

I'm good, but with as much as I type, even I'm gonn ahave the occasional screw up.

CR

[Blade6119]

Morgan has been playing well for me in my new game as well(i love the demo ) . He and ronaldo(christiano, for manU) are one hell of a tandem, then i got nistelrooy, Ljunburg upfront with suprising Landon Donovan playing his way into the AM spot quite suprisingly, when he subbed in the second half of 3 games and scored 8 goals...But the boro are currently #2 in the premiership in my game, led by transfer Sanli Tuncay(Scoring Machine for them, and hes only 21), and youth player of the month Andrew Davies. Keep it up chief!

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by Blade6119

Morgan has been playing well for me in my new game as well(i love the demo ) . He and ronaldo(christiano, for manU) are one hell of a tandem, then i got nistelrooy, Ljunburg upfront with suprising Landon Donovan playing his way into the AM spot quite suprisingly, when he subbed in the second half of 3 games and scored 8 goals...But the boro are currently #2 in the premiership in my game, led by transfer Sanli Tuncay(Scoring Machine for them, and hes only 21), and youth player of the month Andrew Davies. Keep it up chief!

Yeah, Morgan should be up with the big squad soon. I'm excited to see what he can do. My biggest problem right now is I have three starter quality left wings in Zenden, Downign and Morgan. More on that in the articles, though. I need a right wing Interestingly enough, I had been trying forever to remember Babangida's name, and as it turns out, Calis bought him in his dynasty. So now I know where he is. I have to wait ofr the next transfer window, of course, but at least now I have him shortlisted.

As for Tuncay, he was bought by Real Madrid in July and is worth over £14 M now. Ouch. He wasbought for £9.25, too--that's a lot more than I can afford. makes me wonder how in the hell the Boro in your game got him.

BTW (and this is to anyone reading), anyone have an idea why my loan options are grayed out? When I try and loan a player, it doesn't give me the option (just grays it out). I thought I could have four loans at once, and eight for the season. Right now, I only have three. Anyway to check that in the game that guys know of?

Anyway, more updates coming.

CR

[Chief Rum]

SUNDAY, September 14, 2003

FA Barclaycard Action Recap

Birmingham 0, Southampton 0 By all rights, the Blues should have rolled in this one. The Saints got just three shots off, and only one of them was on goal. Southampton had to play in their own third for 30% of the match, and of the 12 shots the Blues took, nine were on goal. The difference turned out to be Saints' goalkeeper Antti Niemi, who scored his second clean sheet of the year to keep Southampton in the match. Niemi, of course, received the Man of the Match award for his flawless net work.

Chelsea 4, Aston Villa 1 After tough losses to Premiership powers Arsenal and Manchester United, and a surprising road loss to Bolton, the luster had come off of all that talent Chelsea brought in this past offseason. They finally really put it together Saturday and rolled past vsiting Aston Villa. The Villans satyed with the Blues early on, after striker Darius Vassell tied the match up at 1-1 in the 25th minute. But that just got Chelsea mad. Striker Hernán Crespo put them back up with a penalty in the 28th minute, and then midfielder Claude Makélélé added another inb the 31st minute. Chelsea was pretty much able to sit back after that. Centreback William Gallas finished off the scoring in the 71st minute. Chelsea outshot Aston Villa, 14-7. Fullback Wayne Bridge, who scored Chelsea's first goal in the fifth minute, got the Man of the Match with a wonderful all-around match that fatured five tackles, 12 headers, six interceptions, four runs, one foul drawn and two shots taken, in addition to the goal and an assist. Not all went well for Chelsea-- the versatile Geremi, at winger Saturday, had to leave the match in the 13th minute with a shoulder injury.

Liverpool 0, Arsenal 0 The Gunners still haven't lost, but they no longer have their winning streak. The Reds, despite allowing eight shots to Arsenal, kept them to just three shots on goal to keep them out of the net. Liverpool was more accurate on the other end, putting five of seven shots on net, but Arsenal keeper Jens Lehmann made sure this wasn't the day Arsenal finally lost, earning his third clean sheet of the young season already. Lehmann received the Man of the Match award.

Charlton 1, Middlesbrough 0 In many ways, this match was a carbon copy of the Birmingham-Southampton match, in which the home team dominated play but didn't get the win. The Boro took it one step further, though, and actually lost their match. Charlton striker Jonaton Johansson scored the only goal of the match in the 33rd minute, just one of three the Addicks put on net. Despite outshooting Charlton 14-5, the Boro couldn't figure out goalkeeper Dean Kiely, who received the Man of the Match award. Kiely didn't have to work that hard, though--the Boro only put five of that 14 on goal.

Newcastle 2, Manchester United 0 Were it not for the match at Anfield, this matchup would have been heads and tails over every other match as a top notch contest. Manchester United continues to be tested on the road by some of th ebest sides in the Premiership. After beating Chelsea on the road, but losing to Arsenal, the Red Devils fell to a talented Magpies squad Saturday. Striker Alan Shearer set the tone early, netting the first Newcastke goal in the sixth minute. Then Newcastle settled into a tight defensive posture that kept Man U from peppering the net with shots. The visitors only got five shots off, three on goal. Midfielder Jermaine Jenas put it away with a score in the 76th minute. Shearer was a problem all day for the Red Devil defense. Not only did he score, he took three shots, won 10 headers and drew four fouls in earning the Man of the Match award.

Portsmouth 2, Leicester 0 The Pompey continue to show why they were the top team in Division One last season. They come through when it counts against fellow promotee Leciester Saturday, scoring their goals off of a penalty shot and one of just three shots on goal. The Foxes actually outshot Portsmouth 9-6, but they couldn't solve Pompey keeper tandem Harold Wapenaar and Pavel Srnicek. Fullback Jamie Vincent put the home squad up a goal with a penalty in the 16th minute, and striker Yakubu got his first goal of the season to put it away in the 58th minute. Yakubu also garnered the Man of the Match, with a tackle, eight headers, one foul drawn, and two shots on goal. Portsmouth lost Amdy Moustapha Faye to a knee injury in the 20th minute.

Bolton 3, Wolverhampton 2 The Wanderers continue to surprise, even if beating First Division promotee Wolverhampton on the road isn't that great of an achievement. And the team that surprised Chelsea at home and then drew Newcastle did it the hard way Saturday, scoring the tying and go ahead goals in the last ten minutes of the match to complete a comeback from a two-goal deficit. Midfielder Kevin Nolan scored the match-winner in the 88th minute, just six minutes after fellow midfielder Ricardo Gardner completed a come back fifty minutes in the making. Jardel got Botlon's other goal in the 55th minute. The comeback overcame two Henri Camara goals in six first half minutes. Adding to the Wolves' misery, Camara had to leave the pitch in the 75th minute with a shin injury. Nolan, with an assist, two shots on goal, four interceptions and three tackles, in addition to his goal, won the Man of the Match award.

Injuries & Suspensions

There were no major injuries Saturday, nor suspensions.

Of three minor injuries, the Wolves' striker Henri Camara got it the worst, with a shin injury that will put him out for a week. Midfielder Geremi of Chelsea will miss four days with a shoulder injury, and Portsmouth midfielder Amdy Moustapha Faye will be out an equal time with a knee injury.

Today's Matches

Everton at Manchester City
Fulham at Tottenham

[Chief Rum]

MONDAY, September 15, 2003

FA Barclaycard Action Recap

Manchester City 2, Everton 1 Everton came out of the City of Manchester Stadium about as beat up as a team can get on Sunday. After a brutal match in which City dealt out 20 fouls, and four yellow cards were tossed at the two sides, Everton not only lost the match, but also three of their best players to injury. Winger James McFadden broke his arm just four minutes into the match, and midfielder Steve Watson had to be escorted off the pitch in the 11th minute with an arm injury. The Blues' hospital wagon came one last time in the 40th minute for star striker Wayne Rooney, who suffered a groin injury. Meanwhile, the Blues left ont he pitch had to deal with a City squad that outshot them 12-6, including 9-6 on goal. Midfielder Danny Tiatto opened Man City's scoring in the 42nd minute and forward Trevor Sinclair put it away in the 71st minute. Everton midfielder Li Tie made the Blues look closer with an 87th minute strike. City keeper Nicky Weaver got the Man of the Match after stopping five of Everton's six on goal shots.

Tottenham 3, Fulham 1 The Cottagers continue to show they may be the worst side in the Premiership, at least in the early going. The winless Cottagers lost their fifth straight match Sunday. In an oddity that shows how far they seem to be from winning, they lost the match by two goals, the same deficit they have lost all of their other matches. Still, the match was far more competitive than it would seem. Fulkham actually had a 1-0 lead at halftime, thanks to a midfielder Sylvain Legwinski goal in the 44th minute, and for the match, they just lost the shot tally, 16-12, and matching the Cockerels' nine shots on goal. Tottenham finally turned it on in the second half, though. Midfielder Christian Ziege tied it up in the 48th minute, and then forward Robbie Keane put the home squad ahead just two minutes later. Winger Simon Davies finished Fulham off with a 70th minute goal. Tottenham goalkeeper Kasey Keller got the Man of the Match, although both he and Cottagers' keeper Edwin van der Sar deserved notice in a match with 18 total shots on goal.

Injuries & Suspensions

It was a bad day to be a Blues player.

Winger James McFadden's broken arm will cost him at least a month, but his is by far the worst injury. Striker Wayne Rooney will miss five days with a groin injury. Everton midfielder Steve Watson, who also had to leave the match with an injury, was fortunately just knocked around a bit and will be on the practice pitch on Monday.

There were no suspensions, although Everton fans might argue there should have been after their team was brutalized by City.

Tonight's Match

Leeds at Blackburn

[Chief Rum]

TUESDAY, September 16, 2003

FA Barclaycard Action Recap

Blackburn 3, Leeds 1 The Rovers used two late second half goals to break out of a tight 1-1 match with United Monday night at Ewood Park. Goals by midfielder Brett Emerton in the 74th minute and striker Paul Gallagher in the 84th minute proved to be the difference. The Rovers outshot Leeds 12-7, but had just a 7-6 shot-on-goal advantage. Blackburn jumped to the early lead on a ninth minute strike by fullback Vratislav Gresko, but Leeds tied it up on a goal by striker Cyril Chapuis in the 38th minute. Gresko received the Man of the Match, thanks to seven tackles, five headers, a run, a drawn foul and two shots on goal, besides the match's first score.

[Chief Rum]

WEDNESDAY, September 17, 2003

Report: Boro Make Lazio Offer For Mendieta

ROME-- Middlesbrough has made an offer to Italian superpower Lazio for the permanent services of international Spanish star midfielder Gaizka Mendieta, according to reports out of Rome on Monday.

The offer is reportedly for about £5 M,although neither officials for Lazio nor for Middlesbrough would even confirm the offer had been made, much less the numbers involved.

One report Monday said the Italian club had already accepted the offer for the flashy midfielder, whom had been placed on teh transfer list in the offseason.

Mendieta, currently on loan with the Boro, has quickly won over fans in both Middlesbrough and throughout England with his exciting midfield play. He has also become very popular with the Boro players.

In five matches this season, Mendieta has two goals, an assist and a Man of the Match to go along with a 7.60 rating. He also is vaeraging a very solid 3.60 tackles per match, and has drawn six fouls with his tireless form on the pitch.

The 29-year-old Spaniard has appeared in 40 career matches for his native Spain, scoring eight goals. Last season, he went scoreless in 20 matches with Lazio. He has 46 goals in 320 career appearances during a 12-year career with the Boro, Lazio and Primera Liga power Valencia.

The transfer is likely to go through at the end of the season, since Mendieta is already on loan with the Boro through June, 2004.

The numbers for the transfer also don't match up with the Boro budget. Middlesbrough only has £3.4 M left in transfer funds this season, whcih would be another reason to delay the move untilt eh end of the season.

Interim Boro manager Matthew Kieta refused to comment on the reports, saying it "wouldn't be appropriate to address that at the moment."

Reserves Pound Ipswich 5-0

The reserve Boros ran Ipswich Town's reserves out of the Stadium in Billingham on Tuesday, winning 5-0.

Two of interim Boro manager Matthew Kieta's Wimbledon transfers played key roles in the scoring, but the day belonged to striker Chris Garbutt. Garbutt scored the hat trick with three first-half goals, including two penalty kicks. HE also got the match strarted off in style, scoring his loan in-action goal in the very first minute.

Former Wimbledon players winger Lionel Morgan and midfielder Dean Lewington scored the Boro's other two goals. Morgan scored his in the sixth minute, playing in his second match since healing up from a knee injury that shelved him for two months.

Lewington's goal capped the action, with a 78th minute strike.

The Boro reserves outshot Ipswich 10-2, and didn't allow a single shot on goal.

Garbutt received the Man of the Match, but Morgan was particularly domiannt. Morgan is expected to be elevated to the first team soon, as his stint witht he reserves was only to get him match ready.

English Football Notes

...For the second time in the past two weeks, a Portsmouth player has become vocal about being placed on the first team.

Striker Lee Bradbury told local media in Portsmouth Tuesday that he was concerned about being left off the first team of the Pompey in recent action.

Bradbury has been on the reserve squad since the beginning of the season.

The 28-year-old forward appeared in just three matches with the Pompey last season, scoring one goal, before going on an 11-match loan stint with Sheffield Wednesday of the Second Division.

Earlier this month, Portsmouth midfielder Nigel Quashie, a 2002-03 starter with the Pompey, made similar comments about being left off of the club's first team.

...The Hereford Bulls hired Noel White, 51, to be their new manager.

White, a former player with Irish side Shelbourne who has moved on to managing, replaces Mal Donaghy. He comes to the Nationwide Conference Bulls from the assistant manager position with Dublin City of the Irish First Division.

Donaghy was hired away from Hereford in late July to be the assistant manager with Singaporean League side Geylang United.

Donaghy was only with the Bulls for a week before changing his mind and heading to Singapore.

[Chief Rum]

WEDNESDAY, September 17, 2003

Arsenal, Newcastle Open Champions League With Wins

Tuesday Marks Beginning Of Group Stage, Which Also Saw Celtic In Action

The English Premier League got off to a strong start in the Champions League Group Stage Tesuday eveing, when Premiership powers Arsenal and Newcastle each opened up their group fixtures with wins Tuesday.

Arsenal defeated Greek National A Division club Olympiakos, 2-0, in Athens, behind goals by forward Silvain Wiltord and star striker Thierry Henry.

The Gunners outshot the Greek power 12-5 and spent as mucha s a third of the match in Olympiakos' defensive third of the pitch.

Newcastle got away with a huge last second win when striker Alan Shearer connected in extra time to give the Magpies a stunning 1-0 victory over La Ligue One side Monaco.

The draw seemed as much as in the bag when Shearer headed in a short centering pass from winger Kieran Dyer at St. James Park in Newcastle.

Newcastle got what it deserved, as the score doesn't show how it dominated play ont he pitch. The Magpies outshot the French club 12-3 and allowed just one shot on goal.

Celtic, which is in the same Group A as Arsenal and Olympiakos, didn't open up their bid for Europe's top club prize so well.

In a critical match against Italian power Lazio, the Scottish Premier League side fell 3-0 in Rome Tuesday night.

Lazio got most of its scoring on two halftime-wrapping goals by Bernardo Corradi. The Italian striker scored at the end of the first half and again just two minutes into the second half.

Lazio's Brazilian midfielder César finished off the scoring in the 78th minute. The Italian power outshot Celtic, 11-6. Goalkeeper Magnus Hedman had a particular bad game for the Scots, allowing three of seven shots on goal to get past him.

In Newcastle's Group B, Ukrainian High League side Shakhtar continued to surprise, beating Primera Liga side Real Sociedad, 1-0, in Donetsk, Ukraine, on Tuesday. The difference-maker was scored by Shakhtar fullback Olexiy Gai in the 57th minute.

Two others of the eight four-club groupings were in action Tuesday night.

In Group C, Bundesliga power FC Bayern survived an early deficit and an Anderlecht comeback, on top of playing a man down after centreback Thomas Linke was sent off in the 21st minute, to come away with an improbable 3-2 victory over the Belgian side in Mûnchen, Germany.

Dutch club PSV didn't need any heroics in its home match against Portuguese Superleague squad Benfica Tuesday night. The Dutch side beat Benfica, 3-0, with striker Mateja Kezman leading the way with two goals.

In Group D, defending Champions League holder AC Milan needed two second-half goals at home to beat surprising Norwegian Premier Division side Rosenborg, 2-1.

Ukrainian striker Andriy Shevchenko scored both of Milan's goals to overcome a 1-0 first half deficit in Milan.

Turkish Premier Division Besiktas got a 69th minute from Romanian striker Daniel Pancu to draw even with Primera Liga power Deportivo. The goal forced an eventual 1-1 draw with the Spanish club in Istanbul Tuesday night.

Groups A, B, C and D will resume action on OCtober 1.

Tonight, the other groups, E, F, G, and H, will all be in action, including Chelsea, Manchester United and the Rangers.

[Chief Rum]

THURSDAY, September 18, 2003

Man U, Chelsea Make It A Clean, English Sweep

Rangers Add To Fun, Drawing Superpower Real Madrid

English Premier League powers Manchester United and Chelsea both opened their Champions League group fixtures with wins Wednesday night, giving the Premiership four Champions League opening victories in two nights.

The biggest "victory" for the United Kingdom, though, might have belonged to the Scottish Premier League squad Rangers. The Scottish power surprised perhaps the top superpower in the world when they scored a 1-1 draw against the Primera Liga's Real Madrid in Glasgow on Wednesday.

Adding even more shock value to the accomplishment, the Rangers suffered three injuries in the match, all of whom had to be replaced, including starting goalkeeper Stefan Klos near the end of the running time. Midfielder Stephen Hughes finally broke a scoreless stalemate with a notch in the 62nd minute, although Real Madrid superstar striker Ronaldo was quick to tie it back up in the 66th minute.

Rangers might have even deserved better. They outshot Real Madrid, 13-8, including a 9-3 on-goal advantage. None of the injuries are expected to sideline the players for more than a week.

The match was also the first time former Premiership star wingers David Beckham from Manchester United and Steed Malbranque from Fulham returned to the United Kingdom since they were sold to Real Madrid.

In Stuttgart, Germany, Manchester United had little problem with Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart, winning 2-0. Despite being on the road, the world's other premier superpower outshot Stuttgart, 11-2, and won on goals by star striker Ruud van Nistlerooy and winger Cristiano Ronaldo.

At Stamford Bridge in London, Chelsea had to deal with a full on shower, in addition to Greek National A Division club AEK Athens Wednesday night. Neither turned out to be a problem, as the Blues went on to win 2-0 on two mid-match goals.

Former Manchester United midfielder Juan Sebastián Verón scored near the end of the first half, while striker Djibril Cissé added another in the 48th minute. Chelsea dominated play on the pitch, with 18 shots to the Greeks' four.

The wins by Chelsea and Manchester United, coupled with Tuesday night victories by Arsenal and Newcastle, gives the Premiership a flawless, four-win opening to the group stage of Europe's premier club competition.

The Rangers' draw with Real Madrid in Group E wasn't the only surprise int he group Wednesday night. Dutch power Ajax was stunned, 3-1, in Amsterdam by another Greek National A Division squad in PAO Panathinaikos.

The Dutch squad tied the match in the 66th minute on a goal by forward Rafael van der Vaart, but it was shortlived, as Emmanuel Olisadebe got his second goal of the night in the 69th minute to put the Greek club ahead for good.

In Chelsea's Group F, Juventus got a big win when they beat UEFA Cup holder Porto of the Portuguese Superleague, 2-0. Porto showed it was no pushover when it beat AC Milan in the Super Cup in late August, so a win in Porto for the Italian power Juventus is a big one.

Juventus got goals from forward Pavel Nedved and super star forward David Trezeguet.

In Group G, which includes Manchester United, Russian Premier Division squad Lokomotiv Moscow used an 88th minute goal to pull out a big 1-0 victory over Primera Liga power Celta. Striker Mikhail Ashvetia was the hero for the Russian side, which outshot Celta 13-8.

Group H was the only group in action Wednesday night that did not include a club from the United Kingdom. In a clash of Italian and German superpowers, Inter sweeped past Dortmund, 3-1, behind two goals by super star striker Christian Vieri in the first ten minutes of the match. Forward Mohammed Kallon added the clincher in the 60th minute of the match, which was played in Milan.

On the other side of Group H, La Ligue One squad Lyon got a goal from forward Sidney Govou in the 48th minute and then made the goal stand for a nice 1-0 road victory over Austria Vienna.

Groups E, F, G, and H will resume play on September 30.

[SirFozzie]

More good stuff Chief. Up the Boro!

[Chief Rum]

Thanks, Foz. More to come.

CR

[Chief Rum]

SATURDAY, September 20, 2003

Middlesbrough (2-1-2) at Leeds (2-1-2)

When: 3:00 p.m.
Where: Elland Road, Leeds
Forecast: 14º C (rainy)
Middlesbrough Out: DC Ugo Ehiogu, ML Allan Johnston, DR Danny Mills (ineligible; loan from Leeds)
Leeds: MC Eirk Bakke

Outlook: The Boro are coming off of a frustraing home loss to Charlton, a match they played well enough to win, but in which they ran into what is becoming a nemesis: scoring problems. The Boro haven't scored a goal since they got three against Fulham in August. Their scoring drought runs back through two League matches, the 1-0 loss against Chalrton and a 0-0 draw with Everton. Fullback Danny mills can't play int oday's match, due to the conditions of his loan contract from Leeds. After an impressive season opening win on the road against Liverpool, Leeds has been very inconsistent, including a 4-1 blowout of Portsmotuh and a 3-1 loss to Blackburn. For all its noted moves to cut costs in the past year, Leeds still has some significant talent on its roster, including star striker Mark Viduka and England's national goalkeeper Paul Robinson.

FA Barclaycard Premiership Game of the Round

Newcastle (3-2-0) at Arsenal (4-1-0) Newcastle and Arsenal represent the only two sides in English Premier League football that have not yet been defeated this season. Until last week's draw with Liverpool, Arsenal had yet to lose at all. The Magpies should represent another big opponent for the Gunners, although matters will be eased somewhat by playing at Highbury. Until the Liverpool match, Arsenal had yet to finish a game closer than two goals ahead of its opponents. Newcastle is coming off of a huge home win over Manchester United last week. The win was somewhat of a surprise, given that Newcastle had in the two previous matches drawn with lower-end sides Bolton and Leicester.

The Rest of the Matches

Liverpool at Aston Villa
Portsmouth at Bolton
Manchester City at Charlton
Tottenham at Everton
Birmingham at Fulham
Middlesbrough at Leeds
Blackburn at Leicester
Wolverhampton at Manchester United
Chelsea at Southampton

[3ric]

*supporters holding signs "Please sign, Gaizka" in the stands*

[Chief Rum]

SUNDAY, September 21, 2003

Leeds Pours It On

The Boro Are Dominated In Worst Match Of Early Season

LEEDS-- If Saturday is a sign of things to come against the better top-elevens in this league, then the Boro are going to have very long days against the Arsenals and Manchester Uniteds of the world playing like they did Saturday.

Middlesbrough was dominated at Elland Road by Leeds on Saturday, falling 4-0 in a macth interime Boro manager Matthew Kieta would like to quickly forget.

"Disgust doesn't even begin to describe my feelings right now," Kieta said. "This was so far beyond a simply poor effort, words fail me in describing it. From me on down to the last player on this side, we shouyld all be ashamed of ourselves."

The Boro were outshot 16-4 by United, with an equally bad 10-2 shots-on-goal disadvantage. Leeds kept the ball in the Boro's defensive third for 28% of the match.

It got so bad, the club even had to go the last 30 minutes a man down, after forward Juninho broke his nose in an aerial challenge mishap in the 59th minute. The squad was playing so badly that Kieta had exhausted his substitutes removing poor performers and was unable to replace Juninho when the veteran playmaker had to leave the pitch.

In addition to the poor play and substitution error, Kieta also abandoned the 4-4-2 tactic he had been employing since the middle of the preseason for the 3-5-2 a few minutes into the second half.

"It was a desperation move," Kieta said. "We needed to get something going. Of course, losing Juninho pretty much scrapped any ability to test the tactic out anyway."

Despite being a man down, the Boro actually kept Leeds out of the net for the last third of the match. Leeds did its damage against the full eleven, moving to 4-0 on powerful striker Mark Viduka's 56th minute score.

The Boro were outplayed in the first half as well, but they were fortunate to escape to the engine room with just a 1-0 deficit. Even the one goal they allowed was an odd play no Leeds player will expect to reproduce soon.

In the 13th minute, Leeds received a corner after centreback Chris Riggott put out a centering pass from Viduka. Leeds winger Jermaine Pennant sent a high pass tight down the goal line to the near post, where centreback Roque Júnior was stationed. Fullback Salvatore Fresi and midfielder Gaizka Mendieta both challenegd Júnior, but he still got his head on the ball. His shot from a couple yards beyond the near post went virtually parallel to the goal mouth, past a frozen Mark Schwarzer in net, and then somehow got by both fullback Colin Cooper and hit the edge of the left post and squirted in for the fluke score.

"I have seen some strange goals, but that one takes the cake," Kieta said. "What makes it hurt even more was it was so preventable. Our fullbacks really let us down there."

Down just an odd goal after a struggle of a first half, the Boro had to be thinking of doing to Leeds what Charlton did to them last week at Riverside Stadium-- beat them despite playing much poorer than the home team.

Alas, Leeds quickly put those hopes away.

In the 47th minute, winger Nick Barmby run toward the left goal line and then into the penalty area. Drawing two defenders, he found an opening toward striker Alan Smith. The ball skipped past Smith and out of the penalty area into the center of the pitch, where Pennant got to it first. Pennant scooted by winger Lionel Morgan--making his Premiership debut--and back into the penalty area, where Fresi awaited him. When Pennant sought to avoid the Italian defender by swerving to the right, Fresi tripped him, earning Leeds a penalty.

Barmby made it count, kicking a high and hard shot just to Schwarzer's right. The keeper appeared frozen by the expectation of a straighter shot.

Schwarzer did little better two minutes later, not that his defense helped him much. Smith slipped behind his marker, Doriva, for what seemed to be the defense's umpteenth time and ran hard toward the goal line through the left of the penalty area. He sent a low centering pass to Viduka in the center of the penalty area. Viduka kicked a half-volley off of the pass, blasting the shot toward the left corner. The hard shot beat a diving Schwarzer, but in one brief bit of luck for the Boro, the ball rebounded off of the post to the left. The luck ended there, though--Smith got to the ball first and put a high shot into the far corner of the net, over a charging Scwarzer.

Viduka's goal in the 56th minute finished off a three-goal, nine-minute blitz that officially put the match away.

When asked why he used his three subs, Kieta's terse response was, "Because they don't allow me more."

Kieta said to expect changes if the team continued playing this way.

"We have to get a fire lit under these guys here," Kieta said. "It's too easy to fall behind in this league. We can't let up."

Winger Stewart Downing was the only Boro player to receive a 7 or higher rating from the football raters, and he had to be subsituted in the 56th minute because he was fatigued.

Schwarzer got a 5 for allowing four goals in 10 on the net to get in, and he was joined by the veteran Cooper with 5. The other fullback Fresi ended up with a 6, but at one point was even lower. Continuing problems up front, Michael Ricketts scored a squad-low 4 at striker.

Ricketts also hurt his elbow, but neither that, nor Juninho's broken nose is epxected to sideline either player longer than a day.

The Boro are now working on both a three-match winless streak and a three-match scoreless streak.

Middlesbrough will play Sheffield United on Tuesday in the second round of the Carling Cup before resuming league play on Saturday with a match at home against Leicester.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by 3ric

*supporters holding signs "Please sign, Gaizka" in the stands*

lol...funny you should say that, since I would imagine there would have been such signs in te stands...had there not been an announcement prior to the match.

Article on its way...

CR

[Chief Rum]

SUNDAY, September 21, 2003

Lazio, Boro Work Out Transfer Deal For Mendieta

The Spanish Midfield Star Will Join The Boro Permanently In 2004

MIDDLESBROUGH-- It may have been raining in central England, where midfielder Gaizka Mendieta and the rest of the Middlesbrough squad were busy taking a beating from Leeds United, but the mood was consierably brighter at Riverside Stadium on Saturday.

The club announced it has successfully worked out a £4.7 M transfer deal for Mendieta, currently on loan with the squad from Italian power Lazio.

Club chairman Steve Gibson confirmed reports from early last week that Lazio had accepted the Boro's offer, and that the midfielder had agreed to terms on a contract with the Premiership side.

Mendieta has quickly become a very popular player with both Boro supporters and his teammates. He has worked his way onto the first-eleven and established himself as one of the club's premier players in just a short stint with the club.

"This is a wonderful day for the Boro," Gibson said, fortunately hours before the club's 4-0 loss at soggy Elland Road. "Gaizka is already an indispensable part of this side."

Terms of Mendieta's contract with the club were not released, but Gibson did confirm details of the transfer arrangement.

Mendieta will officially move over to Middlesbrough on June 8, 2004, after the completion of the current English football season. Since his current loan contract with the Boro runs through July, he will never actually leave the club roster.

Mendieta, 29, is regarded as a world-class level midfielder with terrific technical skills and a high mental aptitude for the game. The Spaniard has been capped 40 times, scoring eight goals in international play.

In six matches this season, Mendieta has two goals and an assist to go along with a 7.33 rating. The 6 rating he received Saturday against Leeds was the lowest he has yet received with the Boro during the league season.

In a twelve-year career, the midfielder has scored 46 goals in 321 matches, most of which were played with Primera Liga power Valencia. Prior to joining the Boro this season, Mendieta played two seasons with Lazio.

Interim Boro manager Matthew Kieta's comments on the signing of Mendieta were the only light comments he was able to make after the bad loss to Leeds.

"He's a difference-maker," Kieta said. "He's focused, tenacious. He creates, and can score from far away. He gives us a weapon that very few clubs in the Premiership can match, and that's saying a lot for little ole Boro."

Mendieta chose not to comment on the deal personally Saturday, in deference to his teammates and the club's defeat. but did release a statement through his agent which stated he was "overjoyed to have completed the move" and that he wss "looking forward toa long career in Middlesbrough."

One potential glitch remains, though. Club officials have long publically noted that the Boro have roughly £3.5 M left in transfer funds for this season, which would not be enough to secure the deal they have agreed to with Lazio. Gibson refused to comment on the financial particulars of the deal.

"It's something we will deal with by the end of the season," Kieta said, saying nothing further about the matter.

The club is not on the hook for the £4.7 M until the actual day of transfer, giving them the rest of the season to secure the needed funds.

[Blade6119]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

BTW (and this is to anyone reading), anyone have an idea why my loan options are grayed out? When I try and loan a player, it doesn't give me the option (just grays it out). I thought I could have four loans at once, and eight for the season. Right now, I only have three. Anyway to check that in the game that guys know of?

I had way more then four loaned out in my game, but i had some of my guys signed to youth contracts grayed out for loan options...I believe you can only loan them out when they are fully on your squad, but dont take my word for it.

[Chief Rum]

Thanks for the info, Blade.

I'm more looking at loan-ins right now, though. Sorry if that wasn't clear.

At the moment I have three loan-ins in Mills, Zenden and Mendieta (who still qualifies as a loan at the moment).

CR

[klayman]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Thanks for the info, Blade.

I'm more looking at loan-ins right now, though. Sorry if that wasn't clear.

At the moment I have three loan-ins in Mills, Zenden and Mendieta (who still qualifies as a loan at the moment).

CR

Is it for everybody? Or just a particular player?

Edit: Actually I just had a look, and it seems that you can't make any loan signings when the transfer window is closed (at least I can't with my Liverpool team). So that is likely the cause.

[Chief Rum]

Maybe. Or maybe Liverpool is is the same situation as the Boro, whatever that situation is. The thing that's odd about that is that I can still make transfer offers. But then maybe the fact they can be delayed to the next open window is why that is so. Another thing that is weird about it is I have actually had teams come up to me to offer to loan players after the transfer deadline. I would think if it weren't possible, they wouldn't be doing that. Also, I had a news item where a loan-out from an EPL squad to a Second Division team was voided (post transfer window) not because of the inability to loan, but because the D2 club already had four loan-ins.

So while I don't have conclusive prroof that you can or can't loan-in players during the closed periods between transfer windows, I seem to have a lot of circumstantial evidence that isn't the case. If it's not, then there is some other reason I can't do it, and I still haven't figured out which.

Too bad, too--there are some players out there I could use.

CR

[Chief Rum]

dola,

I don't absolutely know it's for everybody, but I haven't been able to get it activated for some six or seven players I have looked at closely since the transfer window closed.

CR

[klayman]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Another thing that is weird about it is I have actually had teams come up to me to offer to loan players after the transfer deadline. I would think if it weren't possible, they wouldn't be doing that. Also, I had a news item where a loan-out from an EPL squad to a Second Division team was voided (post transfer window) not because of the inability to loan, but because the D2 club already had four loan-ins.

So while I don't have conclusive prroof that you can or can't loan-in players during the closed periods between transfer windows, I seem to have a lot of circumstantial evidence that isn't the case. If it's not, then there is some other reason I can't do it, and I still haven't figured out which.

The early transfer window only applies to the top division in each league in Europe. Therefore a 2nd Division club can make loan offers and transfers outside of the August to January window that EPL teams cannot, and any transfer or loan out from an EPL is perfectly acceptable. You just can't bring the players in.

[Chief Rum]

SUNDAY, September 21, 2003

FA Barclaycard Action Recap

Arsenal 2, Newcastle 1 Yes, the Gunners got another win and against a big opponent, but it's nice to see them perhaps gain a little humilty after jumping off to a four-win streak to begin the season. Despite playing at Highbury, the Magpies were right there with Arsenal the whole way. The shot numbers were nearly identical, at 11-9 in total shots, and an even six apiece in shots on goal. The ball was played into each team's defensive third an exactly even amount of time. And Newcastle didn't fold after star Gunners striker Thierry Henry broke the scoreless tie with his first goal of the season in the 53rd minute (don't fret about that late scoring by Henry, Arsenal fans--he missed four of the first five league matches with a knee injury). The Mgpies tied it up just eight minutes later, on a score by striker Alan Shearer. Henry's frontline partner Dennis Bergkamp finbally put in the definitive score, shooting in the game-winner in the 74th minute. The match was a costly one for both teams, with Arsenal winger Robert Pires, Newcastle winger Keiran Dyer, and Shearer all suffering injuries. Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira got the Man of the Match with five tackles, five interceptions a drawn foul and a shot on goal.

Liverpool 2, Aston Villa 1 The Reds were inspired by a none-too-surprising source Saturday, as premier striker Michael Owen scored both of their goals in a match at Villa Park. Aston Villa didn't go quietly, though, despite, losing the war on shots, 12-5. Althopugh Owen got his first goal, and the Reds a lead, early in the match in the ninth minute, all five Villa shots were on the mark, and they kept the match within one by matching Owen's second score, in the 71st minute, with a strike by midfielder Gary Mason in the 72nd minute. Still, Liverpool got a hard-earned road win Saturday. Owen got the Man of the Match, with a tackle, two interceptions, two runs, three drawn fouls and three shots, all on goal, to go along with his two goals, his fourth and fifth of the season.

Bolton 0, Portsmouth 0 Two of the more surprising squads in the Premieriship this season met in Reebok Stadium Saturday, and in no surprise, neither one did anything to blunt the other's run at respectability, as neither side managed to lose. Bolton had beaten Chelsea and drawn Newcastle at home so far this season. First Division promotee Portsmouth had three wins in its first five matches. In terms of pitch play on Saturday, the Wanderers deserved better. They outshot the Pompey 12-6, and had nine shots on goal to just three by the road side. That, of course, led to a Man of the Match performance for beleaguered Portsmouth keeper Harold Wapenaar. In two league starts, in factm Wapenaar has yet to allow a goal--and he is the backup.

Charlton 1, Manchester City 1 The Addicks and City played a tough, back-and-forth defensive match at The Valley in London on Saturday. Both sides scored first half goals and then spent the rest of regulation trying to figure out the other's defense. Charlton outshot the road side 11-9, but City led the way in shots on goal, 6-5. Star midfielder Claus Jensen, better known for his playmaking, scored his first goal of the season for Charlton in the 6th minute. That would stand up until defender Sun Jihai scored his first goal of the season in the 34th minute. Jensen received the Man of the Match with dominating play for the Addicks, adding two tackles, five headers, four intercpetions, four runs, two drawn fouls and five shots to his goal.

Everton 1, Tottenham 0 The Blues got an early 16th minute score from midfielder Thomas Gravesen, and then rode out the Cockerel offense for a close win at Goodison Park. Tottenham, which has not been overly strong this season, played well against a squad picked by many to secure a spot in Europe's club competitions this season, matching Everton in shots taken at seven each, and outshooting them on net, 6-4. It did little good, though, since Tottenham could not seem to figure out goalkeeper Richard Wright. Centreback Joseph Yobo led an aggressive Everton defense, with five tackles, 21 of 26 headers won, and seven interceptions, to give him the Man of the Match.

Birmingham 2, Fulham 0 The idea is that the road side is supposed to feel uncomfortable in another club's venue and in front of hostile road crowds. Not so at Loftus Road Saturday, where the Blues dominated weak Fulham, the last place side in the Premiership. Birmingham outshot the Cottagers, 9-1, and accepted the benefit of an own goal by Fulham fullback Martin Djetou in the 36th minute. Perhaps deflated by the own goal, Fulham immediately gave up a second, to striker Mikael Forsell in the 37th minute. Fullback Kenny Cunningham landed the Man of the Match award, with a tackle, 19 for 20 in headers and six interceptions at one end while he had three runs and two drawn fouls at the other.

Leeds 4, Middlesbrough 0 United gave the Boro an old-fashioned thrashing at Elland Road Saturday. Four different players scored for Leeds, including three in a nine-minute span of the second half. United played very strong defensively, holding Middlesbrough to just four total shots, two on goal. By comparison, Leeds had 16 shots, with 10 on the mark. The match was a much closer 1-0 at halftime, with centreback Roque Júnior getting the only goal of the first half in the 13th minute. In the second half, though, Leeds opened things up with a three goal strike via a penalty by winger Nick Barmby and scores by strikers Alan Smith and Mark Viduka. The three goals put the match away by the 56th minute. The Boro had to go the last 30 minutes a man down, when midfielder Juninho had to leave the pitch with a broken nose, and the road side's substitutions all used up. Júnior received the Man of the Match award for his goal, a tackle, 19 for 21 on headers, and six interceptions.

Leicester 4, Blackburn 2 The Foxes got their first win over a Premiership clubt hat didn't play in the First Division last season when they surprised the Rovers with a strong offensive attack at Walkers Stadium on Saturday. The Rovers played well wnough to earn a 2-2 tie going into the last ten minutes of the match, but Leicester finally started capitalizing on its 18-8 shot advantage when centreback John Curtis and fullback Ben Thatcher scored the go ahead and clinching goals in the 80th and 86th minutes respectively. Up until then, the match represented a comeback for Blackburn, which tied it up on forward Matt Jansen's 72nd minute score, after falling behind 2-0 early on on an 8th minute goal by Stanley Spencer and 19th minute score by Jordan Stewart, both Leicester forwards. Midfielder Tugay got Blackburn's other goal in the 49th minute. Curtis got the Man of the Match with three tackles, 18 fo r19 headers, six interceptions, a drawn foul and his goal, which moved the Foxes ahead for good.

Manchester United 5, Wolverhampton 0 The only surprise from this match would have been if it had ended differently. Historically, freshly promoted squads don't play well at Old Trafford. All five Red Devil goals were scored by different players. Star striker Ruud van Nistlerooy scored early, in the sicth minute, and fullback Paul Tierney moved the advantage to two with a 16th minute score. Nistlerooy's fellow striker Nicolas Anelka put Man U up 3-0 in the 36th minute. In the second half, United got goals from midfielder Roy Keane and fullback Gary Neville to finish off a dominating day. The Wolves got just one shot off, to the Red Devils' 14, with 12 on goal, and the road squad had to defend its own third 32% of match time. Keane got the Man of the Match with a tackle, three interceptions, two runs, two drawn fouls and three shots on goal, along with his goal.

Chelsea 3, Southampton 0 It was Hernán Crespo day at St. Mary's Stadium on Saturday. The Argentinian striker scored a natural first half hat trick to provide all the offense the Blues would need to beat the Saints. Crespo got a penalty in the 14th minute, and then added goals in the 28th and 43rd minutes. Southampton didn't fare so badly in shots, losing the offensive chance battle 10-8, and matching the Blues' five shots on goal, but Chelsea keeper Carlo Cudicini was the difference in the net in this one. Crespo was even more dominating than his hat trick would suggest. He had three runs and no less than seven drawn fouls, to go along with essentially being Chelsea's entire offense, taking seven of the road squad's 10 shots, and taking the Man of the Match.

Injuries & Suspensions

Although there were no serious injuries in Saturday's action, there were plenty of week-long injuries and in that area. The Arsenal-Newcastle match was particularly brutal with injuries. The Gunners' lone injury was to winger Robert Pires, who will miss ten days with a groin strain. Newcastlem though, had three injuries of varying severity. Defender Jonathon Woodgate pulled his hamstring and will miss ten days. Striker Alan Shearer is out for a week with a foot injury. And winger Keiran Dyer, who had to leave the match in the 16th minute, will miss five days with a knee injury.

Among injuries that didn't happen at Highbury Saturday, Aston Villa winger Mustapha Hadji picked up a thigh injury that will shelve him about a week; Bolton forward Kevin Davies will also miss a week with a foot injury; and Blackburn forward Daniel Nardiello will also miss a week with another foot injury.

The rest of the injuries were day to day at worst.

No one was suspended Saturday.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by klayman

The early transfer window only applies to the top division in each league in Europe. Therefore a 2nd Division club can make loan offers and transfers outside of the August to January window that EPL teams cannot, and any transfer or loan out from an EPL is perfectly acceptable. You just can't bring the players in.

That would seem to explain it then.

I don't think I have seen any offers that don't in some way fall under this set of circumstances, and it would explain mine and Liverpool's inability to loan-in anyone.

CR

[Chief Rum]

TUESDAY, September 23, 2003

Carling Cup Second Round Resumes Today

One of England's three most prestigious competitions takes its next step today when the Carling Cup resumes play with its second round.

Forty-eight English league clubs, including 12 Premiership sides, will meet today for the right to move on to the third round, the first of the rounds to include all clubs from Division Three on up.

The Premiership squads represent those clubs which finished outside of European competition last season.

None of the Premierships sides will be playing each other, instead playing First, Second and Third division squads.

The top matches of the day will feature First Division clubs hosting a big club from the English Premier League. Three matches fit that bill, with the most intriguing matchup, perhaps, taking place in Sunderland. The former Premiership squad will host a club that passed it on its way up in Leicester.

Another First Division promotee Portsmouth will meet up with Cardiff, and Middlesbrough will play Sheffield United to round out the top matches.

Burnley and Nottingham Forest play each other int he only matchup of First Division squads. The match will take place in Nottingham.

Four Premiership clubs will meet Second Division sides. Tottenham hosts Barnsley, one of just two EPL clubs that will be hosting matches today. The other Second Division-Premiership contests are Wolverhampton against Tranmere, Birmingham at Sheffield Wednesday, and Fulham at Bournemouth.

In what many higher clubs will likely think of as close to a bye, five Premiership squads will meet Third Division squads, and Chalrton even gets to host its opponent, Leyton Orient. In the other matchups, Bolton plays Scunthorpe, Aston Villa meets Doncaster, Everton goes to Northampton, and Leeds plays Southend.

The winner of today's 24 matchups will be entered into the draw for the third round, along with the remaining top Premiership squads. The third round will be played in October.

[Chief Rum]

TUESDAY, September 23, 2003

PRM Middlesbrough at D1 Sheffield United

When: 7:45 p.m.
Where: Bramall Lane, Sheffield
Forecast: 9º C
Middlesbrough Out: DC Ugo Ehiogu, ML Allan Johnston
Sheffield United Out: None

Outlook: This may not be as easy a match as Boro supporters would like to think. For one thing, the club has not been playing well of late. Middlesbrough hasn't scored a goal in three matches, and were blown out by Leeds on Saturday. Second, this one is on the road. Third, of the three First Division squads playing Premiership sides, Sheffield United is the highest in the division table, at seventh. Sheffield United has two players on loan from Premiership sides, including Wolves' striker Dean Sturridge.

[Chief Rum]

WEDNESDAY, September 24, 2003

Boro Make It Work In The End

Middlesbrough Advances To Third Round With 2-1 Win Over Sheffield United

SHEFFIELD-- It wasn't all that pretty a win. The Boro didn't ever really put it, so much as time just ran out on Sheffield United. But Middlesbrough gutted through it, and now they are in the third round of the Carling Cup.

The Boro beat First Division Sheffield United, 2-1, on Tuesday night, with centreback Gareth Southgate putting the key score in the 71st minute.

The Boro outshot United, 11-5, to go along with a 7-3 shot on goal advantage. They also showed the kind of ball control you expect to see out of superior level squads, keeping the home squad in its own defensive third for 32% of the match in front of 18,721 at Bramall Lane.

"I don't think if I would call it a text book well-played match," Kieta said after the match. "It certainly wasn't our best ball. But we got the win and that's what matters."

The match-winning goal came after a bit of hard work on the part of the Boro. The club had already taken a shot on goal and forced a couple corners prior to the winning play. On the second corner, winger Boudewijn Zenden sent in a high-arcing out-swerving kick from the lest corner. The pass was right ont he mark, falling ionto the goal box and amidst several players. Southgate jumped up and won the aerial challenge with a strong header toward the goal. Centreback Chris Morgan tried to get int he way of the ball, but he only served to deflect it slightly toward the right half of the goal. Goalkeeper Paddy Kenny was frozen by the delfection and came nowhere near the shot as it went into the back end of the net.

It was Southgate's first goal of the season in league or cup play.

"I can barely believe I got to it," Southgate said. "It looked like it was headed toward me, but I knew plenty of others had a chance at it. I felt like I was standing in the middle of everyone in front of that net."

The Boro may not have clinched the match until late, but they put pressure on Sheffield United from the very beginning.

In the 4th minute, the Boro set up a beautifully executed diversion play to get their first score.

After receving a pass along the left touchline from Zenden, fullback Franck Queudreu put a high soft pass forward toward the penalty area. Forward Szilard Németh beat fullback Chris Armstrong to the ball and headed a short pass to midfielder Juninho, who was running close to the goal box with a step on Morgan. Kenny appeared ready for the shot at the near post, though, so Juninho sent a pass up the right goal line to winger Michael Ricketts near the edge of the penalty area. The cross-goal pass drew Kenny to the post on Rickett's side and left him completely out of position when the winger half-volleyed the pass back to Juninho. Kenny had barely the time to react, much less cross more than half the goal, before the midfielder put in an easy shot from just a couple yards away.

Having jumped to the early lead and controlling the ball well, it appeared the Boro were about to break it open ina big way. That did not come to pass, hoever, as Sheffield United got in some key clear outs and continued its tenacious play.

It finally paid off in the 31st minute. Forward Jack Lester received a long pass from Armstrong as he angled toward the left corner from the penalty area. Lester had a step on his markers as he approached the goal line, but fullback Danny Mills and Southgate were quickly closing. Lester decided to try and seek out striker Dean Sturridge, being marked by centreback Chris Riggott in the six yard box. His pass got up in the air, but not before deflecting off of Southgate. The ball proceeded to take a weird bounce into the goal box, skipping by RIggott to Sturridge. The striker then blasted the ball into the left end of the net before Boro keeper Carlo Nash could get over to catch it.

"That was just a fluke play," Riggott said. "It took a funny bounce and just went by me. I think Sturrudge was almost as surprised as me and Carlo. We got the win, though, and that's what counts."

The draw for the third round will be held Thursday. All third round matches will be held on October 29.

Middlesbrough returns to league action Saturday when they host recent First Division promotee Leicester.

[Chief Rum]

WEDNESDAY, September 24, 2003

Birmingham Falls In Carling Cup

Blues Are Only Premiership Side To Fall--But It Was Close

The town of Sheffield was hopping Tuesday night. Local hostelries and hotels were packed with sizable fan contingents from Middlesbrough and Birmingham as the two Premiership sides ventured into Sheffield to play the town's two clubs, United and Wednesday, in the Carling Cup's second round.

One of those Premiership sides didn't get away.

Birmingham was stunned by Sheffield Wednesday when the Premiership side played lackluster against a solid defensive performance by the Second Divisiong home club.

Sheffield Wednesday kept the lues scoreless, including through extar time, and then proceeded to beat them on penalty kicks--and even that went to extras. The Blues forced extended penalty kicks after last chance striker Stern John beat Sheffield Wednesday Scott P{Pressman for the tying score. It only lasted a couple more rounds, though, as Birmingham's Carling Cup hopes died on a failed penalty shot by fullback Damien Johnson, giving the Second Division side a 6-5 advantage in penalty kicks.

Birmingham didn't play much like a club in one of the world's top leagues. They were outshot 11-8 and were forced to defend their own third of the pitch 29% of the match.

Middlesbrough didn't have an easy match either Tuesday night, but they did pull out the 2-1 win over First Division Sheffield United. Centreback Gareth Southgate's 71st minute header off of a corner kick broke a 1-1 tie to set up the win.

Birmingham was the only Premeirship squad to lose, but there were some other close calls.

Fulham needed extra time to beat Second Division Bournemouth, 2-1. In fact, they were mere seconds away from going to penalty kicks themselves when striker Elvis Hammond finally put it away with the match-winning score in the 120th minute.

Aston Villa almost went down with more embarrassment, as they struggled to beat Third Division and recent Nationwide Conference promotee Doncaster. The Villans also needed extra time to beat Doncaster, winning 2-1 on a penalty by striker Peter Crouch in the 17th minute.

Leeds struggled against Third Division Southend before pulling it out late. Fullback Gary Kelly scored a penalty in the 85th minute to provide the lone score ina 1-0 win for United.

Middlesbrough wasn't the only Premiership club to play a First Division side Tuesday. Portsmouth edged out former fellow First Division club Cardiff 1-0 on an 87th minute score by striker Svetoslav Todorov. Leicester scored two goals in the last 20 minutes of the match to defeat relegated former Premiership squad Sunderland.

In matchups of Premiership sides playing Second Division squads, Tottenham beat Banrsley at home, 2-0, and Wolves beat Tranmere on the road, 2-0.

The rest of the day's Premiership matches pitted them against low-end Third Division squads. Charlton crushed Leyton Orient 4-0 at home. Everton did a similar number on Northampton, winning 3-0. Bolton beat Scunthorpe, 3-0.

The top match not involving a Premiership club was between First Division sides Nottingham Forest and Burnley. Forest won this one on penalty kicks after a 2-2 match. They took the post match competition 4-2.

The 24 winners of Tuesday's matches will be joined by the eight remaining Premiership sides that have been held out of the cup competition so far in a draw for the third round Thursday.

Third round matches will be played on October 29.

Here are the rest of the night's scores in Carling Cup action:

Brighton (D2) over Swansea (D3), 3-0
Bristol City (D2) over York (D3), 5-1
Cheltenham (D3) over Stockport (D2), 4-0
Hull (D3) over Crewe (D1), 3-0
Crystal Palace (d1) over Wycombe (D2), 2-1
Rushden (D2) ober Notts County (D2), 4-1
Oxford (D3) over Chesterfield (D2), 1-1 (on penalties)
Queens Park Rangers (D2) over Gillingham (D1), 1-0
West Bromich Albion (D1) at Rochdale (D3), 2-1
Stoke (D1) over Bristol Rovers (D3), 1-0
Watford (D1) over Lincoln (D1), 5-2

[Chief Rum]

WEDNESDAY, September 24, 2003

UEFA First Round Begins Tonight

Ten British Isle Squads, Including Four Premiership Clubs, Will Be In Action

Europe's biggest club competition begins tonight, with ninety-six clubs meeting in forty-eight matches in the UEFA Cup first round.

The second most prestigious competition in Europe includes several teams from the British Isles, including Liverpool, Blackburn, Manchester City and Southampton of the English Premier League.

The first round is a two-leg event, with the second leg of the home-and-home series set to be played on October 15.

The Reds and Rovers begin their quests for the UEFA Cup against Polish First Division squads. Liverpool will play Groclin in Grodzisk Wielkopolski tonight, while Blackburn will host GKS Katowice.

Man City is in Israel tonight to play Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Premier League. Southampton will host Swedish Premier Division squad Malmö FF at St. Mary's Stadium.

England isn't the only country in the British Isles to be represented tonight.

Scotland's Hearts gets an unenviable matchup when they play Primera Liga power Valencia in Spain tonight, while Dundee is in Bern, Swirzelrand to play Swiss Super League side Young Boys.

Welsh side TNS Networks, the only remaining squad from the Welsh Premier Division, have a tough matchup themselves in Bundesliga club Werder Bremen. TRhey will meet the German squad in Bremen tonight.

Northern Irish League Premier Division club Portadown is also playing. They will host Denmark'd Eridivisie squad FC Nordsjælland.

Ireland has two squads from the Irish Premier Division in the competition. The Bohemians go to Russia to play Torpedo Moscow, while Shelbourne hosts Serie A squad Udinese.

Among the other notable clubs in the competition are Serie A's Roma, Parma and Perugia; the Primera Liga's Barcelona and Mallorca; the Bundesliga's Kaiserslautern, Schalke 04, and Hertha BSC; and La Ligue One's Auxerre, Marseille, Bordeaux, and Sochaux.

Major clubs from smaller European leagues include 2001-02 UEFA champ Feyenoord from the Dutch Premier Division, Belgium's Club Brugge, Galatsaray of Turkey, and Portuguse Super League power Sporting.

[Chief Rum]

THURSDAY, September 25, 2003

A Clean Sweep

All Four English Premier League Squads Win Their UEFA Openers

England is off to a good start int he UEFA Cup this season, thanks to four wins by English Premier League sides in the opening half of the first round leg Wednesday night.

Liverpool defeated Polish First Division club Groclin, 2-0, in Grodzisk Wielkopolski, Poland. The Reds didn't make it easy, though. The score was still 0-0 when centreback Sami Hyyplä finally managed to beat Groclin keeper Mariusz Liberda in the 88th minute. Midfielder Danny Murphy added another shortly after to finish off the Polish squad.

Liverpool keeper, Polish national team star Jerzy Dudek, was both booed and cheered on by the home crowd. He wasn;t tested very often by Groclin, as Liverpool outshot them 15-2.

Blackburn was also playing a Poolish First Division squad in GKS Katowice, and they, too, won 2-0, but everything else was the opposite. The Rovers scored quick and early, getting their scores with a fifth minute score by midfielder Barry Ferguson and strike by defender Brett Emerton in the 16th minute. Also, the match was played at Ewood Park in Blackburn. The Rovers were similarly dominating on the pitch, outshooting the Polish side 12-2.

Manchester City had more of a test from Israeli Premier League squad Hapoel Tel Aviv in Jaffa. After a 50th minute score by Tel Aviv striker Ibezito Ogabuna, the two clubs were tied at one apiece. Forward Trevor Sinclair, though, ended up being the difference for City, scoring his second goal and the match-clincher in the 70th minute. Fellow Man City forward Darren Huckaby added an insurance goal in the 90th minute. While City did win the shot advantage, it wasn't nearly as decisive, at 12-7, as the other matches.

Southampton dominated a home match against Swedish Premier Division squad Malmö FF, beating them 3-0, and outshooting them 13-3. One of the scorers was former SPD winger Anders Svensson. Forward Brett Ormerod and striker James Beattie also scored for the Saints.

Although three of the other six British Isles' squads lost, it turned out to be a pretty big day all around for the island group.

The huge win was in Spain, where Scottish Premier Division side Hearts stunned Primera Liga power Valencia, 2-1. Fellow Scotland club Dundee also won, beating Switzerland's Young Boys, 2-1.

Welsh side Total Network Solutions ended up falling to Bundesliga club Werder Bremen in Germany Wedesday night, but not before really testing the big club, 4-3. With a home match coming up against them, TNS may have a shot at a major upset.

Irish club Bohemians beat Torpedo Moscow, 2-1, in Russia, but fellow Irish Premier Division side Shelbourne lost badly at home to Serie A club Udinese, 5-1.

Northern Irish squad Portadown was also beaten badly at home, losing to Eridivisie club FC Nordsjælland, 4-0.

There were several high profile matchups Wednesday night, and more than few upsets as well.

It was bad night for the Primera Liga. Barcelona lost to Auxerre in France, 3-0, and Mallorca failed to beat Hungary's Ferencváras at home, drawing them 1-1.

Belgian power Club Brugge, which lost its way out of the Champions League, proceeded to freefall, losing 4-0 at home to Russian Premier Division club CSKA Moscow.

Outside of Auxerre's big win, La Ligue One didn't have a terrific day either. Marseille was upset 3-0 by Macedonian squad Belsica GC in the Balkans, Bordeaux lost to Portuguese Superleague squad Leiria, 3-1, in Portugal, and Sochaux drew 2-2 with Bosnia & Hercegovina club Zeljeznicar.

The Bundesliga also had mixed results Wednesday. While Schalke 04 pounded Cypriot squad APOEL, 6-0, and Kaiserslautern beat Danish side Esbjerg fB, 3-1, Hertha BSC lost on the road to Belarusian squad Dinamo Minks, 3-0, and HSV fell, 2-1, to Czech power Sparta Prague, in addition to Wereder Bremen's close win.

The Serie A, like the EPL, swept its matches Wednesday. In addition to the Udinese win over Shelbourne, Parma beat Belgian squad La Louvière, 1-0; Perugia beat Greek National A Division squad Panianos, 3-0; and Italian power Roma beat Romanian side Steaua, 3-1.

In other major club matchups, Eridivisie power FC Copenhagen beat fellow Norse club Swedish Premier Division Djurgàrden, 4-2; 2001-02 UEFA Cup champ Feyenoord of the Dutch Premier Division was drawn at home by Ukrainian High League power Dinamo Kiev; Turkish power Galatsaray was also drawn at home, 0-0, by Serbia & Montenegro's Partizan; and Portuguese Superleague power Sporting fell to Greek National A Division side PAOK, 1-0.

The second half of the first round leg will take place on October 15 for most matches. The lone exception is Sprak Moscow against Turkish club Malatyaspar, which will be played on October 14.

[Chief Rum]

SATURDAY, September 27, 2003

Carling Cup Third Round Is Set

The Boro Will Play Fellow Premiership Club Southampton

Middlesbrough got another big road match in the Carling Cup Friday when they drew Southampton for its third round opponent.

The Boro will play the Saints at St. Mary's Stadium on October 29.

Thirty-two English clubs found out who and where they would play in the Friday drawing, including the last additions to the competition, the eight Premiership clubs entered in European club competition this season.

With these last additions, the field is now set for the run to one of England's three top competitions. The Carling Cup will be awarded in February after five, single-elimination rounds.

For as early as it is in the competition, the third round is not without its premier matches.

Liverpool hosts Arsenal in the top matchup, with Manchester United drawing a tough opponent at home in Blackburn. In addition to those two matches and the Boro-Saints contest, there are five Premiership squad matchups.

Aston Villa hosts Wolverhampton, Fulham will go to Chelsea, Leeds takes on Leicester on the road, Charlton will meet Newcastle at St. James Park, and Everton will play Bolton at home.

The more fortunate Premiership sides drew lower division squads, although none of the three got home matches. Manchester City plays Third Division Hull and Tottenham also gets its opponent from the Third Division in Oxford. Portsmouth gets a somewhat stronger opponent in Second Division Queens Park Rangers.

The remaining five matchups all involve lower league squads on both sides. The top of those matchups is between two First Division clubs. Watford will visit Nottingham Forest.

First Division Crystal Palace will be playing Second Division Brighton on the road, and Stoke City of the First Division will host Second Division Bristol City.

Former Premiership side West Bromich Albion travels to play Third Division Cheltenham, while Second Division Sheffield Wednesday--which beat Premiership club Birmingham on penalty kicks in the second round Tuesday--will go to fellow Second Division side Rushden & Diamonds.

Liverpool is the current holder of the Carling Cup.

[Chief Rum]

SATURDAY, September 27, 2003

Leicester (2-1-3) at Middlesbrough (2-1-3)

When: 3:00 p.m.
Where: The Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough
Forecast: 9º C (downpour)
Middlesbrough Out: DC Ugo Ehiogu, ML Allan Johnston
Leicester Out: GK Danny Coyne, DR Callum Davidson

Outlook: The Boro are coming off of a 2-1 win over Sheffield United, which should raise squad spirits, but that won't make the monkeys on their backs any lighter. The club is still scoreless in three straight league matches, and they didn't win any of them. Their last match prior to the Sheffield United contest was a 4-0 blowout at Leeds. Fortunately, Leicester seems to be a very beatable opponent, as a reent promotee to the Premiership. The Foxes have lost as expected in matches with Chelsea and Liverpool, but they surprised Newcastle, drawing them at home in August, and last Saturday they beat Blackburn at home, 4-2. Forward James Scowcraft leads Leicester with four goals, while winger Jordan Stewart has three. Centreback Steve Howey leads the defense, posting a squad-high 7.43 rating.

FA Barclaycard Premiership Game of the Round

Chelsea (3-0-3) at Liverpool (3-1-2) It is more or less acknowledged that Arsenal and Manchester United are the top two clubs in the league. The next team is up for grabs, though. Liverpool, the traditional holder of that spot, is epxected to be challenged for it by the financially well-supported Blues of Chelsea. Neither side has played nearly as well as expected so far. Although Chelsea has more recently hammered Southampton and Aston Villa, they also have a surprising loss to Bolton on their fixture, in addition to losses to Manchester United and Arsenal. While Liverpool has generally beaten who they were expected to, and even gave Arsenal it's first non-victory with a draw two weeks ago, they are still trying to recover from a surprise season-opening home loss to Leeds. The winner of this match will no doubt have the upper hand to run to the spot behind the top clubs in the Premiership.

The Rest of the Matches

Bolton at Blackburn
Southampton at Fulham
Leicester at Middlesbrough
Aston Villa at Newcastle
Manchester United at Portsmouth
Arsenal at Wolverhampton
Everton at Birmingham (Sunday)
Leeds at Manchester City (Sunday)
Charlton at Tottenham (Monday)

[Chief Rum]

SUNDAY, September 28, 2003

Boro Brings Bad Play Home

Squad Reaches New Low By Losing To Leicester At Riverside, 2-1

MIDDLESBROUGH-- They finally scored at least.

The Boro ended their three-match league scoreless streak Saturday, but they failed to stop their winless streak, extending that dubious honor to four matches with a 2-1 loss to Leicester in front of 27,504 disappointed Boro supporters at Riverside Stadium.

The Foxes, promoted from the First Division this past offseason, outplayed the Boro on their own turf, even as both sides were drenched by a shower for most of the matrch. Leicester outshot Middlesbrough, 11-6, with eight shots on goal to five by the home squad.

"We're in a funk right now," interim Boro manager Matthew Kieta said. "We need to come to play each day, and right now, we're not doing it."

The Foxes scored two goals in the first half to put the Boro back on their heels early.

The first score came courtesy of forward James Scowcraft, who put in his squad-leading fifth goal of the season in the 15th minute.

The Foxes won a corner after Boro keeper Carlo Nash put a Scowcraft shot over the net. Midfielder Muzzy Izzet sent a high pass directly into the six yard box. Scowcraft jumped in a crowd of Boro markers, including fullbacks Salvatore Fresi and Danny Mills, and midfielder Gaizka Mendieta. Scowcraft got to the pass and headed the ball to the right of Nash, who was just a couple yards away from the group. Nash made a jump and got his fingertips to it, deflecting the ball back out toward the goalbox. Scowcraft jumped to the ball before a Boro defender could get to it and put it into the open right end of the net before Nash could react.

"I can't pin that one on Carlo," Kieta said. "That one was all defense. We had three guys right there, and a bunch of others close by. There is absolutely no reason for Scowcraft to get to his own rebound before they should have gotten to it."

The second Leicester score came just seconds before the end of the half, when forward Stanley Spencer scored his second goal of the year.

Once again, it came off of a corner kick. The corner was set up after centreback Chris Riggott made a superb tackle on Scowcraft as the Leicester forward was making a run to the left post in the penalty area. On the ensuing corner, Izzet sent an in-swerving pass at a wider angle than the pass that set up the Foxes' first score. The ball fall into another group near the right end of the goal box edge. Spencer jumped up with centreback Gareth Southgate and headed the ball to the goal. The ball deflected slightly off of winger Lionel Morgan, though, and bounced past Nash for the second goal of the match.

"You can say the first goal wouldn't have happened with a better response from our guys in the box," Kieta said. "That second one could have been nailed down to a fluke deflection. The fact is, you can't give a team this many chances at this level and expect to come away with the win. There might two or three goals in the avergae match, and it can be just a little thing that makes the difference between a win and a loss."

The one highlight for the home squad came in the 80th minute, when forward Juninho scored his second goal of the season, and the first league goal by the Boro in a month.

The goal was set up by a nice defensive play near the right touchline. Winger Michael Ricketts made a fine tackle on Fox winger Jordan Stewart. Southgate charged into the play and launched a long pass across the pitch toward the right corner of the penalty area. Juninho, reading the play, broke from his marker, centreback John Curtis, and opened a wide lead to get under the pass. Juninho charged into the box from the right and kicked a sharp angled pass at the far post to elude hard-charging Leicester keeper Ian Walker. The shot just caught the edge of the post and went into the net.

"It just shows what teamwork can do," Kieta said. "That was a great tackle, a heads-up play by Gareth to get to it, a fine read by Juninho to break open, and a terrific shot."

Kieta said he was reaching the point where he would have to only play the guys he could count on to be consistent at their positions.

"I am hoping to avoid that, because that means the guys who can't be consistent aren't going to get onto the pitch, and that will unsettle some people," the manager said. "But we can't afford to lose any more matches this way. It can't be about potential anymore or tactical switches. We need definable performances right now. Next week, I think that's the sort of lineup you're going to see."

Kieta refused to say which players he had in mind--or which ones weren't making the cut.

The Boro will travel to Bolton on Saturday, beginning a rough two-month stretch that includes matches with several of the league's heavyweights, including Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle and Liverpool.

"With an upcoming fixture like that, we're not in an especially comfortable position in the table," Kieta said, noting the Boro had fallen to 17th in the league, just outside of the relegation spots. "Right now, I would call the Bolton match our most significant of the season. We need a win there."

Scowcraft received the Man of the Match.

Boro Under-19s Edge Out York, 1-0

Forward Tom Orchard is at it again.

The 17-year-old forward who scored a hat trick to lead the young Boros to a 4-0 win earlier this month scored the youth squad's only goal in their win over the York Under-19 squad at Bootham Crescent in York on Saturday.

Orchard got his goal in the 37th minute, giving him four goals in two matches, and a two-match goal streak. Orchard was selected, but never substituted into a match with Scarborough in between yesterday and his strong performance against Macclesfield.

The Boro dominated the match, outshooting York 14-1, and keeping the ball in the home squad's defensive third of the pitch for 31% of the match.

York keeper Aaran Reid received the Man of the Match for facing off six shots on goal and only allowing one score.

[Chief Rum]

SUNDAY, September 28, 2003

FA Barclaycard Action Recap

Blackburn 2, Bolton 0 The Rovers came into this season as one of the league favorites to end up in Eurpean competition next year, but some solid matches this season have been tarnished by surprise losses to Birmingham and Leicester, the former at home. Saturday they played the way they are expected, dominating the Wanderers at Ewood Park. They outshot Bolton 12-6, and kept the ball in Bolton's defensive third of the pitch for 35% of the match. The Rovers got to work early, when striker Andrew Cole scored his fourth goal of the season in the fourth minute. Forward Matt Jansen got the other score, his third, in the 28th minute. Bolton did put five shots on goal, but couldn't figure out Blackburn keeper Brad Freidel, who got his second clean sheet of the league season. Jansen got the Man of the Match as the Rovers' primary source of offense. Not only did he get a goal, he took six shots, four on goal, went on four runs and drew a foul.

Southampton 4, Fulham 1 Fulham is the only league squad to have yet to win or draw a match, losing its first six matches. So it isn't a shock to see Southampton come in and add to the Cottagers' woes. Star striker James Beattie scored his third and fourth goals of the season in the first half to get the Saints rolling. Fulham would get one back when striker Barry Hayles scored in the 59th minute. But it turned out to be a tease, as forward Brett Ormerod scored a twosome of his own in the 66th and 73rd minutes. They were Ormerod's first league scores of the year. The Saints outshot the Cottagers 17-8, and put 11 shots on goal. Beattie received the Man of the Match, with three runs, two drawn fouls and seven shots to add to his two goals.

Liverpool 2, Chelsea 2 Both squads had an opportunity to one-up the other to make a move on the top of the table, so it figures that they would instead draw each other and continue to tread water. The Reds will be kicking themselves over this one for a bit. They squandered a two-goal lead when striker Hernán Crespo scored in the 79th minute, and fellow striker Djibril Cissé put up the equaliser in the 87th minute. For Crespo, it was his league-leading sixth goal, while Cissé's score was his first in the Premiership. The squads were as evenly-matched shooting the ball as they were in scoring goals, each side getting off seven shots. Liverpool opened the scoring on a penalty by midfielder Danny Murphy in the 42nd minute, his first of the season. Striker sub Emile Heskey added what was thought to be the clincher in the 65th minute, also his first. Despite playing less than 30 minutes, Heskey got the Man of the Match nod. In his short time, he won 7 of 11 headers, drew three fouls, and took three shots, all on goal (and one in it).

Leicester 2, Middlesbrough 1 Following a 4-2 home shellacking of solid Blackburn, the Leicester Foxes are looking much more solid now after Saturday's road win over the Boro. The Foxes outplayed Middlesbrough on its own turf, outshooting them 11-6. Leicester got early goals from striker james Scowcraft, his fifth, in the 15th minute, and another by forward Stanley Spencer, who scored his second of the year with the first half coming to an end in the 45th minute. The nly good news was the Boro broke their three-match league scoreless streak when forward Juninho got his second goal of the season in the 80th minute. It was too little, too late, though. Scowcraft got the Man of the Match award, with the goal, five shots on goal, two runs and two drawn fouls.

Aston Villa 2, Newcastle 0 If the Magpies are trying to confuse the observers, consider that mission a success. Just a week after playing Arsenal tough at Highbury and beating Manchester United at home, Newcastle dropped its second odd home match of the season Saturday. The first came in the form of a season-opening loss at St. James Park to Leeds. The Magpies were further hampered in the 55th minute when star centreback Lúcio was sent off for a slide tackle on Villa striker Juan Pablo Angel. Not only did the tackle send the Brazilian defender to the engine roomearly, but it gave the Villans a penalty, which fullback Gareth Barry "buried" for the clinching score. Lúcio may have had a point in taking out Angel. who was on a run to the net when the defender cut him down. Angel was responsible for the Villans first score in the 33rd minute and his second of the season, and the striker also got the Man of the Match award. Angel picked up the goal and an assist on the penalty, in addition to three interceptions and two drawn fouls.

Portsmouth 0, Manchester United 0 The Pompey continue to show they are for real. Saturday's non-loss might have been their biggest match of the season yet, holding mighty Manchester United down to a draw. Even more amazing was how they kept the road squad to just three shots, only one on goal. Portsmouth fared little better, with four shots and also just a single shot at the net, in a very defensive match. Despite playing in such a defensive matchup, Pompey striker Yakubu got the Man of the Match, with one tackle, one run, five drawn fouls and a shot on goal.

Arsenal 4, Wolverhampton 2 It was a big day for recent promotees from the First Division. No, the Wolves were beaten by the powerful Gunners, but Arsenal needed a second half comeback to pull of the win, on a day when the other two new Premiership sides scored a road victory over Middlesbrough and a tough draw at home against Manchester United. Wolves' striker Henri Camara scored his fourth and fifth goals of the season by the 23rd minute to give the home squad the 2-1 lead. They would make it stick for a good way before star striker Thierry Henry scored his second of the season in the 60th minute to tie it up. Winger Freddie Ljungberg put int he go-ahead a fe wminutes later, and Henry scored again in the 75th minute tp cap the comeback with a clincher. Not surprisingly, the stats showed more dominance than the scoring ont he pitch did, with Arsenal outshooting the Wolves 18-6, although the goal shots was a smaller difference in eight to five. Henry got the Man of the Match, adding to his two goals an assist, a run and three interceptions.

Injuries & Suspensions

It was a fortunate day for the Premiership, as there were no injuries that go beyond a day-to-day level in Saturday's matches.

But then there are the suspensions.

The obvious one is to Newcastle's star centreback Lúcio. The brazilian defender was sent off after a rough tackle on Juan Pablo Angel, a striker for Aston Villa, in the 55ht minute. Not only did his removal put the Magpies down a man, but his ill-placed tackle gave the Villans a penalty they converted, essentially putting the match away. Lúcio will automatically miss Newcastle's nest league match.

In less obvious suspension news, Wolverhampton fullback Lee Naylor collected his fifth yellow card in the Wolves' match with Arsenal Saturday. The fifth yellow card, of course, carries with it an automatic one-match ban. Naylor has picked up four yellow cards in leeague play, and a fifth during English cup action.

Today's Matches

Everton at Birmingham
Leeds at Manchester City

[Chief Rum]

MONDAY, September 29, 2003

FA Barclaycard Action Recap

Everton 2, Birmingham 2 Birmingham got the lead, let it slip away and fell behind, and then they got back even again, just in time to escape their home St. Andrews with a draw with Everton Saturday. The two Blues squads went back-and-forth all match and ended up even in shots, with 11 each, as well as goals. Birmingham midfielder Darren Carter opened the scoring with his first goal of the season in the 10th minute. For a long while it looked like that might stand up, but Everton finally got its act together in the second half. Striker Francis Jeffers scored in the 47th minute to tie it up, and then fullback Alessandro Pistone put the road Blues ahead just two minutes later. They couldn't finish it off, though, as Birmingham striker Stern John scored his match-tying and third goal of the season in the 71st minute. Centreback Mike Duff for Birmingham was sent off with his second yellow card in the 89th minute, but ti was too late for Everton to take advantage. Everton keeper Richard Wright got the Man of the Match for facing off eight Birmingham shots on goal.

Manchester City 2, Leeds 0 Leeds played a fairly decent defensive match in keeping City to eight shots, three on goal, at its own place, but it's tough to win if your keeper isn't on. United netminder Paul Robinson wasn't on his game, and he allowed two of three shots to get by him for the difference in this one. City striker Antoine Sibierski scored his third league goal of the season in the 54th minute, breaking a lengthy scoreless draw. Manchester City's defense limited Leeds to just four shots overall to make the goal stand up. City midfielder Claudio Reyna added a goal in the 90th minute to seal the deal. Centreback David Sommell eight tackles, 14 for 16 headers, and five interceptions to lead the defense and earn himself the Man of the Match.

Injuries & Suspensions

Manchester City striker Robbie Fowler sprained his ankle, but it is a light sprain that is expected to keep him out for just three days.

There were no other injuries that aren't ay-to-day.

Birmingham centreback Mike Duff was sent off with two yellow cards in the Everton match. He will automatically miss the Blues' next match. There were no other suspensions or send offs from Sunday's matches.

Tonight's Match

Charlton at Tottenham

[Chief Rum]

TUESDAY, September 30, 2003

FA Barclaycard Action Recap

Tottenham 0, Charlton 0 Tottenham may have played its best match of the season so far, and in a pouring rain to boot, but it did them little good. Despite outshooting the Addicks 14-2, and leading the shots-on-goal tally 7-2, the Cockerels couldn't figure out Charlton keeper Dean Kiely. Kiely made sure his own side's lack of offesne wouldn't hurt the squad, taking the Man of the Match award. It was his second clean sheet of the season. It was also Keller's second clean sheet in league play, but he didn't have to work for it nearly as hard.

Injuries & Suspensions

Charlton midfielder Scott Parker recived his fifth yellow card in league play Monday night, and will have to miss the Addicks' next match.

There were no injuries in Monday night's match.

FA Barclaycard Premiership Table

(as of September 2, 2003)

Pos   Team                 Pld   Won   Drn   Lst  For    Ag    G.D.  Pts

1st   Arsenal               7     6     1     0    18     7    +11    19
2nd   Birmingham            7     4     2     1    12     6     +6    14
3rd   Man City              7     4     2     1    10     5     +5    14
4th   Man Utd               7     4     1     2    12     5     +7    13
5th   Blackburn             7     4     1     2    16    10     +6    13
6th   Liverpool             7     3     2     2    10     8     +2    11
7th   Newcastle             7     3     2     2    10     8     +2    11
8th   Portsmouth            7     3     2     2     8     7     +1    11
9th   Chelsea               7     3     1     3    14    10     +4    10
10th  Leeds                 7     3     1     3    11     9     +2    10
11th  Southampton           7     3     1     3     9    10     -1    10
12th  Leicester             7     3     1     3    11    13     -2    10
13th  Charlton              7     2     3     2     9     9      0     9
14th  Everton               7     2     3     2     7     8     -1     9
15th  Tottenham             7     2     2     3     6     8     -2     8
16th  Bolton                7     2     2     3     7    11     -4     8
17th  Middlesbrough         7     2     1     4     8    11     -3     7
18th  Aston Villa           7     2     0     5    10    17     -7     6
19th  Wolves                7     0     2     5     7    18    -11     2
20th  Fulham                7     0     0     7     4    19     -5     0

[Chief Rum]

TUESDAY, September 30, 2003

Grimsby To Loan Dove

MIDDLESBROUGH-- The Boro announced Monday that reserve forward Craig Dove will be spending the next three months on loan with Second Division Grimsby Town.

"Craig han't really been getting a lot of time with the reserves, so we thought this might be a good move for him," interim Boro manager Matthew Kieta said.

Dove has appeared in just one match for the Boro reserves, going scoreless and getting a 6 rating. The 21-year-old forward has never played for a first team in the English leagues.

Kieta wouldn't go into details on the loan contract except to note its length and that Grimsby would be taking on "most" of Dove's £75,000 annual salary during that period.

Dove, who has above average physical skills, but has a long way to go in both the technical and mental aspects of the game, is seen as a prospect with decent talent but very far from reaching the Boro first team.

Danny Graham and Chris Garbutt have been starting most of the Boro reserves' matches this season.

Dove is expected to join Grimsby today, and he will remain there through the end of the calendar year.

[Chief Rum]

WEDNESDAY, October 1, 2003

Kieta: "Play or Go"

Boro Manager Says Players Are Playing For Their Jobs Now

MIDDLESBROUGH-- Interim Boro manager Matthew Kieta put his foot down Tuesday, and threatened to send players away from the club who don't meet expectations.

"These guys are playing for their very livelihood now," Kieta said at his weekly press conference--but first in nearly a month. "Jobs are on the line. I'm going to play the best eleven I have, and everyone else should probably reconsider buying any homes in the area."

The tough words from the manager comes three days after the Boro fell at home to recent First Division promotee Leicester, 2-1. The Foxes outplayed the Boro at Riverside Stadium, a week after the Boro were embarassed, 4-0, in a road match at Leeds.

Middlesbrough has a four-match winless streak and has scored just one goal in league play since August.

The Boro now stand at 17th in the English Premier League, seven matches into the season. They are just outside of one of the three relegation spots in the league table, although it is very early in the season.

"Three months," Kieta warned. "The players on this club have three months to show me they deserve to stay. In July, when the last transfer window was open, I was reluctant to make big moves. I wanted to see what I had first. Well, now I am beginning to see what I have, and if it doesn't improve, I am going to go out there and get what I need. And I can't afford to do that unless I move some of the guys here with the club."

Kieta refused to say whom he was targeting, saying that all players would be considered on equal footing.

That won't stop football observers and media from making some guesses, though. It is thought that strikers Massimo Maccarone and Malcolm Christie might be deemed expendable if their play up front doesn't improve. The play of the forwards has been a key trouble area this season.

Others thought to be in some trouble are the formerly transfer-listed Szilard Németh, who may be listed again not for poor performance but simply because he has no defined role with the team; and fullback Franck Queudreu, whom it has been rumored has been the source of some discontent because of his attitude. Even star midfielder and forward Juninho is a possibility, given the likely high transfer fee he would bring to the club.

The only player observers seem to agree is safe is midfielder Gaizka Mendieta, the target of a future transfer with his current employer Lazio. Mendieta has been on loan with the Boro since the beginning of the season and has been one of the club's best players this season.

The manager said his main concerns remain with the forwards and on the right wing, which has been a swinging door most of the season for starter tryouts, but that he is beginning to be very concerned about the fullback position as well.

"I may switch up on tactics again somewhat slightly," Kieta said. "It might be time to bring ina true defensive midfielder, and shrink the backline to three men."

That would likely mean more time for midfielder George Boateng, who specializes in defnesive play in the midfield, but might put too much stress on right wing, which would be responsible for running with opposing wingers along the touchlines.

Kieta called the upcoming stretch, and particularly Saturday's road match with Bolton "absolutely critical" to the club's success.

"I said it Saturday and I will say it again," Kieta said. "We have matches coming up against Man U, Arsenal, Chelsea, the Reds and 'Castle. We have other matches, too, but that's a lot of them right there. We need to get this win, so we can approacht hat stretch with some kind of hope we can get through it and pull this club back into the position its talent should be placing it."

Kieta said Mark Schwarzer would start in net for the Boro. The goalkeeper position has also been in flux. Schwarzer was in net for the embarassing Leeds' loss, but Carlo Nash faired little better against Leicester.

Boro Reserves Beat Bolton, 3-2

The Boro reserve squad won for the second time ina row and extended to three a loss-less match streak Tuesday, as they beat the Bolton Wanderers' reserve squad, 3-2, at Reebok Stadium in Bolton.

Chris Garbutt starred again, scoring two penalty kicks in the eighth and 55th minutes. Garbutt scored a hat trick in the reserve's last match, against Ipswich on September 16.

Striker Danny Graham scored the Boros' other goal in the 14th minute, as they took an early 2-0 lead.

Bolton would get one back on a score by midfielder Kribib Reda in the 15th minute, but Garbutt's second goal would put the match away.

The Boro made theirs count, as Bolton outshot the road side 13-5, including 7-3 in goal shots. Bolton didn't help themselves with 16 fouls, two of which Garbutt converted into goals on penalty.

Reda got the Man of the match in a losing cause. In addition to his goal, the midfielder had two tackles, three interceptions, one run, an assist pn Bolton's other goal, and took three shots, two on goal.

Forward Jamie Cade suffered a pulled hamstring in the match and will likely be out ten days.

Parnaby Headed To Riverside

Defensive midfielder Stuart Parnaby was called up from the reserve squad Tuesday, following the conclusion of the reserve side's match with Bolton.

"He has played well down there, and I think he might be able to help us," interim Boro manager Matthew Kieta said Tuesday.

Parnaby, 21, has a 7.40 rating in five matches with the reserve squad this season, and served as its captain. He averaged 2.4 tackles and 3.1 interceptions, and has been very strong in the air, losing just five of 63 aerial challenges.

Parnaby might be most useful for the Boro as a fullback, an area that has been troubled for the club recently. He can also play centreback, which might come into play if the club switches to a three-man backline.

Parnaby isn't very quick, but he is a tough, strong defender who plays smart and has reasonable technical skills. He appaered in 21 matches for the Boro first team last year, going scoreless.

Last month, the defender complained about his exclusion from the top club, but backed off of his comments when Kieta told him he would "call him when he's ready."

[Chief Rum]

WEDNESDAY, October 1, 2003

Chelsea, Man U Have Bad Night At Champions

Chelsea Loses On The Road, While The Red Devils Draw At Old Trafford

This isn't likely to be a day most English football fans will like to remember.

Premiership sides Chelsea and Manchester United failed to get wins Tuesday night when their Champions League group fixtures began again.

Chelsea dropped a 3-1 tally to Serie A power Juventus, while United was surprised by Locomotiv Moscow at home, drawing with them, 0-0.

In Torino, Italy, Chelsea got an early score from striker Adrian Mutu in the fifth minute, but they were unable to add anything to it the rest of the match. In fact, Juventus allowed Chelsea to take just six total shots, with only two on goal.

Even Mutu's score only tied the match after Juventus defensive midfielder Stephen Appiah opened things with a goal in the second minute. Fullback Alessandro Birindelli scored the go ahead in the 31st minute, and forward Alessandro del Piero finished the Blues off with a 71st minute score.

Altogether, Juventus took 15 shots, and put nine on goal.

At Old Trafford, Manchester United was expecting to get an easy win against Lokomotiv Moscow, which is not considered to be anywhere near United's talent level.

Instead, the Red Devils were treated to a hot goalkeeper. Sergey Ovchinnikov faced off seven shots on goal, and 12 overall, to preserve a scoreless draw for his side.

Lokomotiv Moscow took just three shots all match, and had just one shot on goal. United controlled the ball in the Russian Premier Division club's defensive third of the pitch for an amazing 40% of the match.

Ovchninnikov, of course, receied the Man of the Match award for his work in net.

Making it an all around bad day for the British Isles, Scottish Premier Division power Rangers fell, 3-0, to Panathanaikos, or PAO, of the Greek National A Division in Athens. The Greek squad dominated the Scottish side, outshooting them 18-5, and allowing just one shot on goal.

Juventus' win over Chelsea gives the Italian power early control of Group F, after beating Portuguese Superleague squad Porto in the Champions League group fixture opener. Porto moves into a tie with Chelsea after beating Greek National A Division squad AEK.

In Group G, Lokomotiv Moscow's draw of the Red Devils is actually its second surprise so far, after beating Primera Liga at home in September. That puts it in a first place tie with United in the group. Celta is just a step behind with a win and a loss after beating Bundesliga squad VfB Stuttgart Tuesday.

The Rangers' loss spoils a diamond opportunity for them in Group E. The Scottish power drew 2001-02 Champions League holder and superpower Real Madrid at home. The loss to PAO, though, puts them third in the group.

Real Madrid beat Dutch power Ajax to move up to second, while PAO is the surprise group leader with two wins.

Group H was the only group in action that didn't include a club from the British Isles.

Serie A power Inter took early control of the group when they secured their second win with a 3-1 victory over La Ligue One squad Lyon. Lyon is now tied with Austria Vienna after the Austrian Premier Division squad beat BBundesliga power Dortmund, 3-0. Dortmund is a surprising 0-2 to start off the group fixture.

Play resumes in Groups E, F, G and H on October 21.

The first four groups of the Champions League, Groups A, B, C and D, will be in action tonight, including Arsenal and Newcastle.

The Champions League is Europe's most prestigious club competition. The current group stage features eight groups of four clubs each, with the top two clubs moving on to the competition playoffs.

[daedalus]

Way to put 'em players in their place!