English Premier League to start, but some games in doubt
Spurs fears: there are still extreme doubt over whether or not the White Hart Lane faithful will be able to cheer on their heroes in the EPL opener against Everton. Source: AP
THE new English Premier League season will start as scheduled on Saturday, with no plans for a blanket postponement of matches despite this week's civil unrest.
The Metropolitan Police is due to make a decision overnight on whether it will allow this weekend's London fixtures to proceed.
There is optimism that home matches for Queens Park Rangers, their first in the Premier League since 1996, and Fulham will go ahead but serious doubts remain over Tottenham's fixture at home to Everton because of demands on police resources and continuing tension in the area around White Hart Lane.
Separate decisions will be made by regional police forces about other matches after unrest in Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and West Bromwich in recent days but the Premier League and Football League have not received any indications that any other matches are under threat.
There is no appetite at the Premier League or the Football League for their entire weekend program to be wiped out, so matches will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, The (London) Times reported.
Several League Cup ties were postponed on police advice in midweek in addition to England's friendly match against Holland, which was due to take place at Wembley Wednesday night (local time), and Ghana's international match against Nigeria, which should have been played at Watford on Tuesday.
Police advised the postponement of League Cup fixtures at Bristol City, Bristol Rovers, Charlton Athletic, Crystal Palace and West Ham United, all of which have been rearranged for next week.
Greg Clarke, the Football League chairman, said the clubs and authorities would have no complaint in any cases where the police demand that games are postponed.
"The police have to make these calls," Clarke said. "If they feel they have more important things to do than send officers to football grounds, we will support that decision.
"We want to keep our games going ahead but that is a secondary priority. We have to support the police and the government in making the streets safe, then after that we can think about 'let's get our football games going ahead.' If they need to move police away from football games, we will cancel those games."2011-12 Premier League predictions: What the bloggers say
We asked some of the best football bloggers in the business to give their predictions for the forthcoming Premier League campaign - here's what they said...
Michael Cox, Zonal Marking - I think United won the title last year without being great, but I think they'll improve again and therefore win the title again. City have more attacking threat now but still collect too many draws instead of wins. Chelsea look promising, but I think Andre Villas-Boas might need a season to get the hang of the club and the English game. Arsenal will do their usual, with Liverpool challenging and Spurs surprising a few people.
1. Manchester United 2. Manchester City 3. Chelsea 4. Arsenal
Kieron O'Connor, Swiss Ramble - Technical analysts are fond of saying that 'the trend is your friend', so I'm going to stick with Manchester United as Premier League winners. Admittedly, they've lost valuable experience in Scholes, Van der Sar and even Gary Neville, but they've bought well and early to replace them.
I would expect serious challenges from both Manchester City, though they may be distracted by their first involvement in the Champions League, and Chelsea, who should have more pace and be more penetrative under Villas-Boas. Fourth place may be linked to transfer market activity: not enough (to date) for Arsenal and Spurs, possibly too much for Liverpool.
1. Manchester United 2. Chelsea 3. Manchester City 4. Arsenal
Andy Brassell, freelance journalist - I'm expecting Manchester United to retain the title, even if they really ground it out last year. They've added some good options, and Ashley Young should really augment their ability to attack swiftly. Chelsea look strong too, but maybe lack that 'mystery' player to break open tight situations. If they're lucky and he stays fit, maybe it could be Yossi Benayoun.
Man City's squad is impressive, but I just don't get the impression that Roberto Mancini is capable of making them as fluid as they could be. As for Spurs, maybe this could be the season where the fact they have a stronger overall squad than Arsenal will be brought to bear.
1. Manchester United 2. Chelsea 3. Manchester City 4. Tottenham Hotspur
Brooks Peck, Dirty Tackle - This season we will see the natural progression of 'Fergie Time', which will help Manchester United to their 20th title no matter how many matches it takes (Bonus prediction: They will get 13 added fixtures to win it).
The press will legally change Andre Villas-Boas' name to 'New Jose Mourinho' as he gets the most out of the Chelsea squad he has to work with and Roberto Mancini will get sacked for sitting third and having a Balotelli-induced nervous breakdown. Meanwhile, Arsenal will continue to float in that dim netherworld of Arsene Wenger's creation.
1. Manchester United 2. Chelsea 3. Manchester City 4. Luis Suarez
Luke Moore, Football Ramble - I think this season will see Manchester United win the title. United have strengthened in the right areas, and with the emergence of Tom Cleverley, they may not even need to sign a midfielder at all. If they manage to sign Wes Sneijder, then as far as I'm concerned it's done and dusted bar the shouting. I expect Man City to be stronger this season though; they've bought well, and look terrifying going forward. The key for them will be to break the shackles of their (in my opinion) overly defensive mindset, and also to maintain some sort of consistency of selection and management. They can run United close, but not close enough.
For me, Chelsea are most likely to finish third, and it remains to be seen whether Abramovich will stand for that. Because the top three are so clearly better equipped than the rest of the league, it essentially leaves a bun fight for fourth place. I've been saying Arsenal will pip Liverpool to it (especially if they sign Scott Dann, who I believe to be a first-rate defender), but the loss of Fabregas and Nasri will be difficult to stomach and, presuming they don't replace like for like in terms of quality, Liverpool could in fact beat them to it. I think Liverpool will be a force again this season.
1. Manchester United 2. Manchester City 3. Chelsea 4. Liverpool
Chris Mann, The Equaliser - I think this could be Manchester City's year. It's fashionable to criticise Roberto Mancini's side, but last season gave signs that the squad was coming together (at least on the field) and the defensive side of their game is particularly impressive. If Sergio Aguero can shine from the get-go then, in my opinion, City have all the components required to stage a serious title challenge, with Manchester United and Chelsea pushing them all the way.
I've gone for Arsenal in fourth, although I expect Liverpool to be much improved on last season and a strong contender for the Champions League places.
1. Manchester City 2. Manchester United 3. Chelsea 4. Arsenal
Jeff Livingstone, In Bed With Maradona - I've seen this one before. It was in the mid 90s; "You'll never win anything with kids" was Alan Hansen's famous opening line. But they did, and, as far as this pilgrim can see, a hungry and youthful Manchester United are going to win it again. Aside from the usual names, United have bought well. The Da Silva twins, Smalling, Cleverley and Welbeck now look like genuine players, while Hernandez has developed into as dangerous a striker as there is in the league. With talented kids such as Pogba, Morrison and Tunnicliffe likely to step up, everything is falling nicely into place for Fergie's team. A new era of dominance beckons.
I like AVB (the universally accepted acronym for the Chelsea boss), and, given that commodity that Chelsea managers don't get - time - I reckon he'll energise the Stamford Bridge club. Second to United though. I'd have Manchester City down as runners up, but that would involve Carlos Tevez still being around, which doesn't look likely. Spurs, in what is likely to be the Lancaster Gate-bound Harry Redknapp's last season, and Arsenal to slug it out for fourth, with the Gunners clinching the spoils.
1. Manchester United 2. Chelsea 3. Manchester City 4. Arsenal
Alex Netherton, Surreal Football - Having managed to keep hold of Michael Owen, I can't see past Manchester United for the title. Chelsea certainly haven't improved, Arsenal are losing their two best players and Liverpool will have Charlie Adam in midfield. Manchester City are probably the closest to United, but I imagine they'll persist in defending 0-0 leads away from home.
1. Manchester United 2. Manchester City 3. Chelsea 4. Arsenal
Chris Nee, Two Footed Tackle - There are three horses in this race and nobody will be surprised at which horses they are. I expect at least two of Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea to be in contention right up until the last couple of weeks, but I'm afraid I've chosen this season to predict City's triumph.
It's inevitably going to happen sometime and although United have added to their firepower it could be City that are most improved. A gamble, but one I'm willing to take for the chance to create the illusion of smarts come the end of the season. Or not.
1. Manchester City 2. Manchester United 3. Chelsea 4. Liverpool
Ben Shave, Cahiers du Sport - If the weekend's Community Shield is anything to go by, the coronation of Manchester's finest as the leading contenders for the Premier League title may have been somewhat premature. Both United and City exhibited a variety of concerning flaws, and with Arsenal continuing to flounder in the transfer market, perhaps the broadest pre-seasons smiles can be found at Stamford Bridge, where Andre Villas-Boas has joined the club on a wave of success. At the risk of damning us all with a procession, this one appears too close to call.
1. Manchester United 2. Chelsea 3. Manchester City 4. Liverpool
Scott, Republik of Mancunia - My money would be on United retaining the title this season. We won the league fairly comprehensively in the end last season and have strengthened since then. We've got some great young players coming through too and we might not yet be finished in the transfer market yet.
Where the top teams finish will largely depend on who is bought or sold in the remaining weeks. If Chelsea sign Modric, City keep Tevez, Arsenal keep Nasri and Fabregas, then who knows what impact that will have? Essentially though, Chelsea have the experience to be our closest rivals, although that is dependent on whether their young manager has what it takes.
1. Manchester United 2. Chelsea 3. Manchester City 4. Tottenham Hotspur
Dan Levene, Blueschronicle - Many feel Man United won last year's title by default, thanks to Chelsea's inconsistency. New boss Andre Villas-Boas looks a better tactician than Carlo Ancelotti, and has the owner's backing (for now). If the addition of an imaginative midfielder (ie. Modric) gets Torres scoring, this could be a very interesting season at Stamford Bridge.
1. Chelsea 2. Manchester United 3. Manchester City 4. Liverpool
Antoine Zammit, Empire of the Kop - With Kenny Dalglish at the helm Liverpool should make it back into the top four this season. The new signings and the fact that we don't have any European football we have enough depth to handle the long EPL season. As much as it pains me to admit, I can't see any other team being able to wrestle the league title from Manchester United's grasp. The only team to do this will be Liverpool FC in the 2012/13 season - we are just not ready yet.
1. Manchester United 2. Manchester City 3. Liverpool 4. Chelsea
Jamie Sanderson, Young Guns - It's hard to see beyond another Manchester United title, after a summer of swift transfer business, in which Sir Alex has freshened up in the fringe squad with new signings and promoted some of last seasons loanees. I expect Manchester City will capitalise on another slow United start, but I ultimately feel they're a year away from knitting into a side capable of sustaining a challenge.
I'm also expecting another campaign of ups and downs for Chelsea, as they adapt to Andre Villas-Boas and his way of doing things. Although much hyped, I don't consider Liverpool or Tottenham strong enough to overhaul Arsenal, who will certainly add to the squad in January if they're not there or thereabouts.
Riots cloud EPL fixtures
THE English Premier League will ask clubs to make a decision on whether to go ahead with the weekend’s fixtures - specifically the three games in London - after the England v Netherlands friendly scheduled for tonight at Wembley was abandoned in light of the rioting.
The clubs in London who are playing home fixtures on Saturday - Tottenham, Fulham and Queen’s Park Rangers - will take advice from the Metropolitan Police who will have the final say. If there are further disturbances overnight then the Premier League wants clubs to come to a decision as soon as possible, and by tomorrow evening at the latest.
The decision is based primarily on police resources. The Metropolitan Police advised last night that all major events that required police numbers should be postponed so that the force could concentrate on dealing with the rioters. Although the Football Association could not give precise numbers on the amount of police that would have been required at Wembley tonight, the number is estimated at around 400.
The London games are not the only fixtures being played in a city where there have been disturbances - Liverpool are also playing at home on Saturday - but given the scale of the rioting in the capital they are the only games which face being called off. The FA acted swiftly yesterday, deciding by 9am that, in consultation with the police, the government and Brent Council, the friendly against the Netherlands could not go ahead.
In the Football League there are five London clubs playing at home over the weekend in the three divisions - Crystal Palace, Millwall, Leyton Orient, Barnet and Dagenham and Redbridge. It will also seek police advice before deciding whether to go ahead with its fixtures depending on the situation over the next few days.
After the FA cancelled tonight’s game, the entire England squad, as well as Fabio Capello, accompanied FA chairman David Bernstein to a press conference at their hotel in Hertfordshire. The decision to come en masse was made by John Terry and Rio Ferdinand. Having watched the footage of the previous night’s riots at breakfast together, many of the players told the FA that they expected the match to be called off.
The players thought it would be unwise for them to speak individually about the riots with the situation changing all the time, but a statement was read on their behalf in which they appealed “for calm and an end to the disorder that has been going on”. The players’ statement said: “We’ve all seen the terrible pictures on the television and the most important thing is the safety of the fans and the general public.”
The FA said that it took advice from the police who said they could not guarantee the safety of the players or the fans and, in any event, would not have obtained the safety licence from Brent Council which is a legal necessity for any game to take place at Wembley.
Bernstein said: “It wasn’t the targeting of the game [by rioters that was the chief concern]. It was the question of resource, both of the police and the other emergency services, of transportation, certain concerns about protection of players from both sides, travelling in coaches and so on.
“At the end of the day we were not in a position to be given the licence we needed to open the stadium for this match. We had no choice. But we are in total sympathy and agreement with the police, the government, and Brent Council.”
Bernstein said that the decision was “not driven by money”. He said: “There are much more important considerations here. The costs involved are not great. There is a loss of income but we are hoping and believe this fixture will be rearranged, hopefully next year.”
Asked about whether the Dutch FA (KNVB) chief executive Bert van Oostveen would ask for compensation for the game, Bernstein said that he thought that was unlikely. He said: “I spoke to the president of the Dutch FA [yesterday morning] and he was greatly understanding and very sympathetic to our situation.” The Dutch were told the match was cancelled before they boarded their flight from Amsterdam.
The Minister for Sport, Hugh Robertson, said that the FA had made the right choice. He said: “They had received very clear advice from the Met police that against the backdrop of what was happening last night they couldn’t deploy the number of officers required to police a football game which is far greater than any other sports event. You also have the immediacy of this and it would clearly look bad if you are in a situation where businesses are being pillaged at the same time.”
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