Football Family

The Writer offers his input on some of footballers with blood relations. And with their current professions...

Rio (QPR) and Anton Ferdinand (Reading) - Brothers

Peter (ex-ManUtd Legend) and Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester City) - Father & Son

Andrew (ex-ManUtd Legend) and Devante Cole (Manchester City) - Father & Son

Lars (Bayer Leverkusen) and Sven Bender (Borussia Dortmund) - Twin

Kevin-Prince (Schalke 04) and Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich) - Brothers

Frank Lampard Jr (New York FC) and Frank Lampard Sr (ex-West Ham) - Father & Son

Phil (ex-ManUtd Legend) and Gary Neville (ex-ManUtd Legend) - Brothers

Steve (Hull City Manager) and Alex Bruce (Hull City Player) - Father & Son

Harry (QPR Manager) and Jamie Redknapp (ex-Liverpool Legend) - Father & Son

Felix (Werder Bremen) and Toni Kroos (Real Madrid) - Brothers

Shola (ex-Newcastle) and Sammy Ameobi (Newcastle Player) - Brothers

Steven (Liverpool) and Anthony Gerrard (ex-Cardiff) - Cousins

Gianfranco (ex-Chelsea Legend) and Andrea Zola (ex-West Ham) - Father & Son

Gus (Sunderland Manager) and Diego Poyet (West Ham Player) - Father & Son

Yaya (ManCity Player) and Kolo Toure (Liverpool Player) - Brothers

Wait for more in the next episode. Till next time...Ciao!

Pre-Match EPL 14/15: Week 2

The EPL is entering phase two and The Writer wants to offer his brief pre-match preview on all those 10 matches scheduled. With some Week 1 pre-match predictions went wrong, everyone should be prepared for some shocked outcome this weekend…

Aston Villa vs Newcastle United

Earliest game of this weekend. Aston Villa will be on a high mood after the surprised win over Stoke last weekend. Aston Villa is always good on the counter attacking game as they have abundant of speedy attackers. Their defense is their weakness but has improved since Ron Vlaar had a good World Cup. Meanwhile Newcastle can also be proud of their display against ManCity last Sunday. They gave a good fight but they lacked an Aguero and a Silva of this world, players who can be the point earner for their clubs. The Writer is waiting for Remy Cabella to make an impact by scoring as he looks like the true heir of Yohan Cabaye. However this game may see Villa to continue surprising people by winning, but still with a small margin.

Chelsea vs Leicester City

Fantasy Premier League players will be too eager to choose either Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas, or Eden Hazard to be their team’s fantasy captain as all will expect Chelsea to win this game with a big margin. But EPL doesn’t usually work like that as all would have expected ManUtd to win big last weekend. Leicester has nothing to lose and the spirited draw against Everton last week would instill the good belief in their attackers to surprise Chelsea with a goal or two. Mourinho will want to avoid his team last season’s problem to continue, which was the failure to win against some smaller teams. But this game may see the problem continues. 

Crystal Palace vs West Ham

Managerless last weekend and may also be managerless this weekend. However, Crystal Palace players are not too downhearted by the issues as they showed a good collective style of play like last season. Brede Hangeland is a good addition for Palace and he showed again last weekend on why he was once courted by some big clubs. In all, Palace seems capable to beat West Ham as long as Sam Allardyce still don’t want to start with a better strikers’ partnership. Their attack was weak last weekend and Carlton Cole is not the same bulldozing striker he once was. Mauro Zarate should start instead and Mark Noble should promise to kick a better penalty if he gets one this weekend.

Southampton vs West Brom

Southampton is not a broken team. Don’t believe the media hype. They are still a force to be reckoned with, as long as Dusan Tadic continues to impress from the left flank. And new captain, Jose Fonte proved The Writer was right by showing a main man show against Liverpool. Shane Long can be the thorn for his ex-club by scoring against them and West Brom should beware of him all the 90 minutes. Saido Berahino is the player to rival Shane Long on who can win the game for their respective clubs. But in away game, Berahino may sometimes suffer an off form.

Swansea City vs Burnley

Gary Monk is a great manager in the making. He can claim that he once beat the superior, Louis van Gaal in a tactical game by pointing at last weekend’s battle against ManUtd. Monk was unfazed by the hype of LVG’s new formation for ManUtd. 3-5-2? 4-3-3? Monk still won it. Burnley on the other hand, will have their first real test against an EPL opponent. Last match against Chelsea was a no match, really. Chelsea was expected to win from the start. Having said that, Burnley still need to buy a better center back cause the ones that they have may not be up to the EPL standard. 

Everton vs Arsenal

Mikel Arteta will return to his old home as the Gunners' captain. Quite an achievement, considering his little trophy collections and no Spanish cap whatsoever. But Arsenal has to be careful with Everton at their home. Playing in a small and tight stadium like the Goodison Park will always be a difficult outing for bigger club like Arsenal. Everton can upset Arsenal again for sure, but with Aaron Ramsey on fire and suspended for Champions League game, he will want to play to the very maximum. Which means a win and goals from him.  

Hull City vs Stoke City

Hull City is in danger of elimination from the Europa League. Stoke City is in total shocked from the surprised loss to Aston Villa. Expect both teams to try desperately to win this game and to get back the winning formula. Hull may rest some key players for the return leg of the Europa League but they have a big squad now and should be enough to win against Stoke. Unless Bojan and Marko Arnautovic spoil the party. Mark Hughes has to start them both.

Tottenham Hotspur vs QPR

Harry Redknapp will be back to the White Hart Lane again. Fans will be pleased to see him around as he was once their savior and hero. But there will surely be no love lost for Harry this time. He needs to win this game to repair the damage suffered in last weekend's defeat. He seriously need to reconsider using the 3-5-2 formation as it was a fragile formation. Their strike force of Charlie Austin, Loic Remy, and Bobby Zamora should have enough goals in their lockers to help QPR win. If not, Spurs will unleash last season's flop Erik Lamela to show his real class against the Hoops. He was a joy to watch in last Europa League match.

Sunderland vs Manchester United

Marcos Rojo will go straight to Sunderland and start for ManUtd. They need him as they still don't have Luke Shaw at the left flank. If Sunderland win, more misery will haunt LVG and rivals alike will make them as a laughing stock. That is a possibility as Sunderland is a renowned giant-killer, and old boy John O'Shea will have to perform 100% with Wes Brown to stop United. LVG may wish this game as another pre-season match in which they had an outstanding achievement. Wake up Red Devils!

Manchester City vs Liverpool

The first blockbuster of the season. Last term number 1 and 2 will battle for supremacy. If last season results were to be the indicator, ManCity should win this game. And they will be, considering they have almost everyone fit this time around. Bar new signing, Eliaquim Mangala as the boss said he will not play and so do Alvaro Negredo who has a critical injury. Nevertheless, Liverpool will still manage to nick a goal either from Daniel Sturridge or Raheem Sterling. Their new SAS. Meanwhile, Mario Balotelli is on the way.

Wednesday’s Special: Meet David Beckham

In this third episode of Wednesday’s Special, The Writer will bring the readers into the life and brief story of a weekly selected footballer. Today, readers will have the chance to meet the world proclaimed 'Golden Balls', David Beckham, albeit in words only.

David Beckham began his football career at Manchester United. He also played for Preston North End, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Los Angeles Galaxy, and Paris Saint-Germain. He was a former captain of England national team. He has won numerous amount of trophies and was known for his free-kicks and crossing ability. His techniques are so unique that Roberto Carlos during their time at Real Madrid, once said that he used to stand near the ball that Beckham was going to kick as he liked to watch how beautiful the balls were executed by Beckham. David Beckham became more popular after his marriage with Victoria, a former member of Spice Girls (world renowned girls band). In fact, The Writer thinks that Beckham is still and will forever be the most popular football player in the world because of his celebrity status. He and Victoria have three sons named Brooklyn, Romeo, and Cruz while they also have one daughter named Harper. David Beckham retired with PSG in the 2013.

There are so much things that readers already know about David Beckham. So, The Writer just put together facts about him that may sound rare for some...

1) Beckham never personally appeared in the 2002 film Bend It Like Beckham, except in archive footage. He and his wife wanted to make cameo appearances, but scheduling proved difficult, so the director used lookalike Andy Harmer instead

2)  Beckham makes a cameo appearance with Zinedine Zidane and Raúl, in the 2005 film Goal!: The Dream Begins.

3) Beckham captained England 59 times.

4)  Beckham has at least 20 tattoos adorning his body. There are names of his sons Romeo, Cruz and Brooklyn, and the name of his wife Victoria.

5)  Beckham reportedly spent hours after training sessions ended practising his free kicks. Ferguson was quoted as saying "David Beckham is Britain's finest striker of a football not because of God-given talent but because he practises with a relentless application that the vast majority of less gifted players wouldn’t contemplate."

6)  In 2005, Beckham founded the David Beckham Academy football school, operating from two sites: in London and in Los Angeles, California.

"He Looks Like Him..."

The Writer offers his opinions on footballers' lookalike...

Analysis EPL 14/15: Week 1

The EPL is finally back and The Writer offers his brief analysis on all those 10 matches played. Some pre-match predictions went wrong which shows how unpredictable this competitive league can be…

Manchester United vs Swansea City

The most shocking result of Week 1. No one expected Louis van Gaal and his new team to fail so early. Wayne Rooney started brightly as the new United’s captain by scoring an overhead kick but cannot bail out United for a win. Swansea needed no time to rebuild on this evidence as they played with a purpose. Gylfi Sigurdsson was back home again and was the star man with a goal and an assist. United needs to spend big and faster. This loss shows how good Sir Alex was in organizing United’s average team. That’s why he was called ‘The Godfather’ of EPL.

Leicester City vs Everton

Early predictions were to see Ross Barkley scored, but unfortunately he didn’t even start the match and was ruled out for more than 2 months. Aiden Mcgeady and Steven Naismith proved to be the unsung players for Everton in Barkley’s absence by scoring. Leicester on the other hand didn’t want to lose either. Especially at home. Expect them to be a tough nut to crack this season.

QPR vs Hull City

Hull City continued their fine form from pre-season and managed to nick a goal to win this match. QPR was just unfortunate but the 3-5-2 formation may be a weakness against bigger teams. Loic Remy was the surprised starter for QPR when it looked like he was very nearly going to leave for Liverpool. But it is indeed a bless in disguise as QPR can rely on him to score goals this season.

Stoke City vs Aston Villa

In the end, Bojan Krkic failed to score. But his performance was decent. The whole Stoke team surprisingly switched off during the game. Aston Villa deserved their win as an underdog. Paul Lambert and Roy Keane passed their first test and Villa maybe safe if both of them managed to instill winning mentality to Villa players throughout the season.

West Brom vs Sunderland

Yeah, The Writer got this almost right. A draw. Saido Berahino to star for West Brom. What else? But in a nutshell, West Brom showed that they can stay in this league with a confidence performance. Sunderland still the same passionate team like last season but still need better players to join them. If not, a relegation battle once more.

West Ham vs Tottenham Hotspur

Two red cards, without the match being violent. Draw is the almost outcome until centre back, Eric Dier scored on his debut in the stoppage times. The goal was a striker’s goal, such was the beauty and Dier’s level of composure. Mauricio Pochettino’s joyous celebration was an indicator of how Spurs really need to win this one. Mark Noble of West Ham was to blame for being so noble to Spurs by missing his penalty kick.

Arsenal vs Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace showed that they are still an organized team and that Tony Pullis left them in a good hand. They showed character by scoring first through Brade Hangeland’s header. However, they couldn’t maintain their focus throughout 90 minutes where they let Arsenal made a comeback and outscored them. Palace needs added quality and Tony Pullis was right to leave before the possibility of being sacked comes in if Palace still doesn’t get any better players.

Liverpool vs Southampton

No Adam Lallana? No problem. Southampton has got Dusan Tadic. He was the star of the show against Liverpool. The Writer was left wondering of how Southampton decided to withdraw him on the 70^th minutes when they had the chance to maybe win it at 1-1. Liverpool was relieved by that decision and in fact they came out as the winner on the 79^th minutes by Daniel Sturridge’s weak flick. They were lucky too, to win. As Liverpool looked out of sort where Coutinho had seen lost since the game’s kick-off.

Newcastle United vs Manchester City

For all the Newcastle’s hardwork and determination during the Sunday’s match, they still lack the world-class quality of ManCity. The Writer has focused again and again on the importance of world-class quality before this. These kinds of players can win you games when it looks like almost impossible and going to be a draw. David Silva’s goal oozed class and shocked Newcastle. Then the late Sergio Aguero’s goal showed how it’s done. Something Emmanuel Riviere has to learn and hope that he can do the same on many occasions this season for Newcastle.

Burnley vs Chelsea

Cesc Fabregas was the man of the match. He is unlucky and under appreciated at Barcelona but in truth, his performance and ability never going down. His passing is still sharp, still tricky, and still manages to change the game’s outcome. He was involved in all those 3 goals Chelsea scored. Meanwhile for Burnley, a decent job that they have done. Next game against weaker teams than Chelsea will show their true capability.

The INVINCIBLES

The ‘Invincibles’. That’s what they are called. Arsenal’s legendary group of players. If readers get the chance to watch the video compilation of their run of 49 unbeaten matches, surely all will feel highly amused. That was a complete team. From the goalkeeper to the defenders to the midfielders and to the strikers. All of them played with flair and without fear. They all knew where their teammates were and they all knew where their teammates were going to run. They played in a perfect system where anybody can replace anybody in any match, yet the outcome will be exactly the same. They will outclass the opponents. They will outscore the opponents. They will win matches. The only thing that stopped them from winning was their own luck, because there were matches where they play with the same brilliance but cannot score. No tactics from the opponents can defeat them in those 49 unbeaten matches. The season was in the year of 2003-2004.

The chief of that unbeaten run was undoubtedly Thierry Henry. One of the best players of the modern English Premier League era. Henry was a supreme goal getter in any angle, against any opponents, and using any scoring techniques. His only imperfection was scoring with headers. He was supported by the three tricky musketeers in the likes of Robert Pires, Fredrik Ljungberg, and Dennis Bergkamp. Pires was the vice chief of the team’s source of goals. He started from the left flank but ended up scoring on the left, right and even centre of the pitch. If Henry was not playing for Arsenal at that time, Pires will be the main superstar. Ljungberg on the other hand was stationed on the right flank. He also scored many goals but assisted more. One thing standout from him those days was his hair colour. Then there was Dennis Bergkamp. No blood relation with the more popular David Beckham. Bergkamp was the magician and playmaker of that great team. He played behind or beside Henry in the centre.

Not to forget, the steel behind those four were the formidable midfield partnership of Patrick Vieira and Gilberto Silva. Vieira offered leadership and box to box kind of play, while Gilberto offered ball tackling services with a touch of easy-looking Brazilian style. The Arsenal defenders were strong and almost unbeatable, but they had to thank their class forwards for making the opponents focused more on defending at their own half. With Ashley Cole on the left, Lauren on the right, Kolo Toure and Sol Campbell at the centre of defence, not many teams scored against them at that time. Last but not least, there was the great but often eccentric Jens Lehmann to safeguard their goal post. Other players who also involved in that historic run were Jose Antonio Reyes, Jermaine Pennant, Edu, Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie, Nwankwo Kanu, Gio van Bronckhorst, Ray Parlour, Martin Keown, and Gael Clichy.

In all, Arsene Wenger successfully managed to organize this group of players to play the best football in England at that time and maintain their discipline as well. Game number 50 against Manchester United was the end of that magnificent run. Ruud van Nistelrooy and Wayne Rooney were the responsible culprits. The Writer hopes to see another team emerges in the future to emulate this legendary team but if anyone has lost the appetite to watch football these days, it is highly recommended for them to go and watch that video compilation of 49 games unbeaten run to restore the love for this beautiful game...