Technology Partner


Community Partners

Five Spices

"One accusation you can't throw at me is that I've always done my best." (Alan Shearer) And our Chairman Damon can never be said to be one to make unfair criticisms.

Harsh, but fair, our Chairman dispenses his trenchant, pithy post match analysis of the overpaid heroes and goats that make up the “Happy Band” of the EPL. If you're in the prawn sandwich and skim latte club, or part of the "Dippy Darling" brigade this column is not for you!!

Who's hot? Who's not? Who's left their bottle at home? Watch this space carefully as the season unwinds.

Previous Analysis :

Week 26.... Week 25.... Week 24.... Week 23.... Week 22.... Week 21

Boro Win!

 

Arsenal 0 - Fulham 0

Arsenal make it four goal-less draws on the trot against a Fulham side who deserved at least their point at the Emirates. Despite not having won away from home this season, the Cottagers have been difficult to break down and so it proved again at the weekend. Not that they came to park the bus, as Andrew Johnson's early effort during a bright attacking start underlined. Both sides created chances in an open game but ultimately failed to make the breakthrough. These are testing times for Arsene Wenger's men as they look to try and secure Champions' League qualification and the truckload of moolah it entails, all to the accompaniment of boos from the fickle Ashburton faithful. Roy Hodgson, meanwhile, has done sterling work at Fulham, who look an entirely different proposition to the side who started last year's competition, and should cup final results go their way, they may even be playing in Europe themselves, next year.

 

Aston Villa 2 - Stoke City 2

Villa let slip a two-goal lead as Stoke stage a late fight back. The home side sprinted out of the blocks and put the visitors under pressure early on with City looking only intermittently threatening on the break. It looked as if Stoke's resolute tackling would see them hold out until the break but just before the whistle, James Milner's ball found Stylian Petrov inside the box and the midfielder smashed an effort past a partially unsighted Thomas Sorensen. Tony Pulis's side responded well after the break but found themselves further behind with just ten minutes to play after John Carew had swept an unrepeatable first-time effort over replacement keeper Steve Simonsen. With time running out, Ryan Shawcross reduced the deficit when he headed home James Beattie's cross and there was still time for Glenn Whelan to thrash a fierce drive past Brad Friedel in the dying seconds to grab a share of the spoils. Villa, then, fail to increase their lead over Arsenal, whilst Stoke keep their hopes of Premier League survival alive.

 

Bolton Wanderers 1 - Newcastle United 0

Substitute Ricardo Gardner scores with his first touch as Bolton move into the top half of the table. The midfielder showed a shower of profligate strikers how it should be done after Johan Elmander, especially, and Obefemi Martins had contrived to ensure the game had stayed scoreless up to half time. Gardner's introduction at the break proved critical, with the Jamaican latching onto Matt Taylor's pass just two minutes after the restart and finding the top corner with an emphatic finish. Wanderers, then, look to have put any lingering relegation worries to bed but for Newcastle, the next couple of months promise to be very, very nervous.

 

Chelsea 2 - Wigan Athletic 1

A late Frank Lampard goal continues Guus Hiddink's winning start as Chelsea manager and moves the side back into second. The Latics started impressively and had the better of the opening quarter of an hour with the returning Mario Melchiot, especially, proving a threat down the right-hand side. Titus Bramble, who enjoyed a monster of a game, saw his header cleared off the line by Ashley Cole before Chelsea eventually started to take control. John Terry's acrobatic left foot volley gave the Londoners the lead on twenty-five minutes and the Blues went on to dominate the rest of the half and the opening period of the second. Wigan centre-backs Bramble and Emerson Boyce, however, were proving a difficult obstacle to pass and the Londoners were stung by a sucker punch when Olivier Kapo turned home Maynor Figueroa's near-post cross with just eight minutes remaining. With more dropped points at home looking on the cards, Michael Ballack did well to flick on a late, long ball into the box and Lampard outmuscled Melchiot to loop his header over the stranded Chris Kirkland and seal the win.

 

Everton 2 - West Bromwich Albion 0

The Toffees continue to make light of their unfortunate sequence of injuries to key players and close to within two points of Arsenal. Albion, as ever, looked to move about quickly and looked the better side in the game's opening phase as they, as opposed to the last couple of weeks, produced some of their slicker work deep in their opponents' half. Marc-Antoine Fortune spurned a good chance to give them the lead and, not for the first time this season, his side paid for it. With ten minutes of the first half remaining, Scott Carson completely misjudged the flight of Leighton Baines's free-kick and Tim Cahill got in front of him to head home with at least two unmarked team mates queuing up behind him. The goal knocked some of the wind out of Albion's sails but they pulled themselves together at the break, again started the half brightly and could have been level but for Phil Jagielka's excellent goal-line stop. As it was, Everton went on to make the game safe with twenty minutes left through Louis Saha's excellent turn and finish from twenty-five yards to leave Tony Mowbray's side stranded at the foot of the table.

 

Hull City 1 - Blackburn Rovers 2

Rovers earn a priceless win that sees them close to within three points of Hull, as both sides finish with ten men. Blackburn took the lead shortly after the half-hour when Matt Duke dropped a skidding ball at the feet of Roque Santa Cruz and the striker squared for Stephen Warnock to sidefoot home. The visitors doubled their lead within three minutes. Morten Gamst Pedersen ran onto a long clearance before finding Warnock, who in turn set up Keith Andrews with a low cross. Things went from bad to worse for the Tigers shortly after the hour mark when Dean Marney saw red for kicking out at Pedersen, only for the Norwegian to get his own marching orders five minutes later for a second yellow. When Ian Ashbee volleyed home Bernard Mendy's cross with ten minutes left, hope briefly flared among the KC faithful but City were unable to create another clear chance. A season that started so brightly threatens to turn very sour up on Humberside.

 

Middlesbrough 2 - Liverpool 0

Liverpool drop off the pace as an excellent Boro side claim their first league win in fifteen attempts. The Reds started well enough with Nabil El Zhar looking a threat and the hosts' under pressure but their early dominance wasn't to last. Stewart Downing was in excellent form and was making Martin Skrtel's afternoon a misery down the left flank and his crosses into the box were causing unaccustomed panic in the Liverpool box. On such a barren run, a team needs a touch of fortune to turn things round and the home side got it just after the half-hour. Skrtel ducked out of the way of a Downing corner and the ball came off the unfortunate Xabi Alonso to add to his record of goals scored from his own half. With confidence flooding back, Gareth Southgate's side were able to hold their own against increasingly-desperate opponents from that point on and doubled their lead on the hour when Tuncay Sanli swept home after good work down the right from Gary O'Neill and Jeremie Aliadiere. With Rafael Benitez's men pushing hard as time ran out, it could even have been three for Boro, only for Marlon King to dwell too long on the ball when found in an ocean of space by Tuncay. The win gives Middlesbrough a fighting chance of beating the drop but Liverpool look now to be reduced to a tussle with Chelsea and Aston Villa for the runners' up spot.

 

West Ham United 1 - Manchester City 0

An awful-looking injury to Valon Behrami overshadows an excellent West Ham performance and thoroughly-deserved win against Man City. The Hammers outplayed their visitors from the first whistle but were often guilty of trying to over-play things when they got into dangerous situations and it was City who had the better chances to take the lead through Robinho, only for the Brazilian to miss a sitter and then draw a sharp save from Rob Green. The first half fizzled out, however, after Behrami needed six minutes of treatment after catching his studs in the turf and seeming to damage both his ankle and knee as he looked to turn. West Ham picked up again after the restart and finally got the goal they'd deserved with twenty minutes to go. Behrami's replacement Savio forced a fine left-handed save from Shay Given but the Irishman could only parry the ball back to the lurking Jack Collison, who lifted his finish over the keeper for the winner. United advance to seventh and can maybe start thinking of Europe. City manager Mark Hughes now probably needs to go and win the UEFA Cup in order to have any chance of saving his job.