The Football Addick

Before the Euro's started, no one gave England a chance. Expectations were extremely low, and it seemed as if England would bow out at the group stages in unconvincing fashion. Despite only being under the guidance of boss Roy Hodgson for just over a month prior to the tournament, Roy has managed to create a well drilled unit, who make up a lack of skill with extreme amounts of determination and effort. With England comfortably finishing top of their group, with a convincing 3 point margin over France , there is definitely signs that this England team can go far. This is a new England team, which means a fresh start for a team that have had more then their fair share of troubles in the past. There are still many who would write off England in a heartbeat, but can we prove these doubters wrong?  Hodgson must be credited for quickly installing a winning mentality in to his troops  I wouldn’t blame people for not giving England a chance. Out record in recent comp...

In contrast to the England football team, the Barclays Premier League has soared in reputation, to the point where it has become known as the best league in the world. This has been done so by the massive influx of foreign players into the Premier League in the past 15 years, adding extra quality and flair into the league. But it seems as if young, talented Englishmen are shunted out of the leagues and are replaced by these foreigners. As a result, the amount of English players in the Premier League is declining, but more worryingly, the quality of the English youngsters is also declining. This has had a massive impact on the national team, to a point where England can no longer compete with the best teams in the world. Therefore, the question must be asked; is it worth it to sacrifice talented English youngsters in order to improve the entertainment value of the Premier League?  Foreign players such as Ronaldo have contributed massively to the reputation of the Premier League ...

With the first game week of Euro 2012 completed, there have been those that have emerged as heroes, and those that have emerged as villains. There have also been massive upsets, most notably where Denmark stunned Holland with a shock 1-0 triumph. In addition to these upsets, there have been controversy, red cards, penalties, and outstanding performances. All these factors have added to the great excitement that the Euro's have generated, and the first round of games have been fascinating, with each and every player portraying vast amounts of passion when they step over the white line. But specific individual players have played a major part in their teams’ success, and I will state who I think have been the star men in the first round of games. Players of the round: (3-5-2) GK: Manuel Neuer (GER) One of the world's finest keeper's did well when called upon, and looked extremely reliable in the German goal. He vitally saved from V...

With the Championships kicking off tomorrow, Roy Hodgson and his men will be finalizing their preparation for their forthcoming group stage matches. England kick off their campaign against France on Monday, and will face a stern challenge in getting through group D unscathed, with the dangerous Swedes and also Ukraine contesting for a place in the quarter finals. This is the first tournament in which the 'golden generation' has been broken up and replaced by a young, promising breed of players, and this may work in England's favour. Now they don't have to carry the weight of expectation on their shoulders, meaning they don't have to play with any pressure. Nevertheless, a massive challenge awaits the England team, and they will have to overcome this challenge if they are to finally end their major tournament woes and conquer Europe for the first time in their history. Ibrahimovic and Sweden have the quality to hinder England's European Championship dream...

1st: Manchester City Points: 89 Won: 28 Drawn: 5 Lost: 5 GS: 93 GC: 29 GD: 64  Aguero lifts the Premier League cup aloft  They finally have done it. Manchester City are Premier League Champions. At times this season they looked unstoppable, at times they looked fragile, but in the end they toppled their arch rivals to win the league title in particularly dramatic fashion. Going into the last day of the season they needed a win at home to QPR, but despite prolonged pressure, found themselves 2-1 going into stoppage time. Buoyed by the fact that Manchester United had won, it seemed as if it was now or never. Dzeko pulled one back in the 91st minute, before Balotelli brilliantly played Aguero through and he finished in clinical fashion, breaking the stranglehold that the red half of Manchester had previously had. Despite being disappointing in cup competitions, this season will go down as one of the greatest in Manchester City history, and Mancini has to take a lot of cred...

6th: Chelsea Points: 64 Won: 18 Drawn: 10 Lost: 10 GS: 65 GC: 46 GD: 19 Chelsea will miss Drogba's presence on and off the field next season The year started off full of expectation back in August, but soon fizzled out into disappointment under the leadership of Andre Villas-Boas. The dressing room had lost their confidence in the manager, and the fans and the board had rapidly lost their patience with an under achieving Chelsea side. After a miserable night in Naples where senior figures Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and Ashley Cole were dropped, this proved to be the final straw. AVB consequently got the chop, and Chelsea 's fortunes were transformed under Roberto Di Matteo. Di Matteo guided Chelsea to an FA cup win, and most importantly the Champions League final after heroic comebacks against Napoli, Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Di Matteo performed a miracle in the Cup competitions, but was unable to prevent Chelsea finishing the lowest they have done for 10 ye...

11th: Swansea City Points: 47 Won: 12 Drawn: 11 Lost: 15 GS: 44 GC: 51 GD: -7 Vorm has been magnificent in goal for the Swans this year Swansea came into the season with low expectations and were expected to make a quick return back to the Championship, but it didn't turn out anything like that. Brendan Rodgers did brilliantly to marshal the team to a mid table finish, eclipsing all their critics and playing wonderful football along the way. They did have some defensive frailties, and their 'Swanselona' style of play sometimes backfired, but the majority of the time they were brilliant to watch. Their season was made sweeter by snatching points off Manchester City , Chelsea , Tottenham and Liverpool , and only losing narrowly to Manchester United. Joe Allen and Scott Sinclair particularly impressed in their individual roles, but the main performer was in fact their goalkeeper, Michel Vorm, who was brilliant all season round. Swansea were a breath of fresh air fo...