The Football Addick

A lot had been said about United and their worrying early season form, and they have looked less then convincing in numerous games this season. With David Moues replacing Sir Alex Ferguson at the helm, Moyes' team simply haven't been able to hit the scintillating heights achieved by his pre-decessor. With United having uncharacteristic problems at the back, coupled with a lack of steel in midfield, means that United find themselves in a precarious position as the Barclays Premier League approaches December.  David Moyes: Is he up to the job? I can't remember the last time United were outside the top 4 for such a lengthy period of time, and The last time they finished the season outside the coveted top 4 was back in 1991- a remarkable 22 years ago, and even 4 years before I was born. So with United struggling under Moyes, I raised the question on twitter: Will United finish the season in the top 4? Unlike some of my previous questions, there wasn't really widespr...

Qualification, achieved. We may have done it the hard way, but we managed to secure our passage to Brazil with two fine performances against Montengro and Poland in our concluding group games.  To be honest, in those last two games thats the best I've seen England play for a very long while. I'm being serious, I thought we were absolutely brilliant against Montenegro from the 1st minute to the very last, and although the game against Poland was a lot more of a nervy affair and bar some shaky moments whereby Lewandowski threatened, we also performed extremely well that night; particularly with the pressure that had been out on the team prior to the game.  In the two games we played with an intensity, urgency and with a will to succeed that has been evidently lacking in previous years. We looked like a team who wanted to win. We looked like a team who didn't want to let themselves down. And most importantly, we looked like a team that didn't want to let the country down. ...

The confusion about ones true nationality is not just a joke, but a complete and utter farce as the title of this post suggests. It has become ridiculous.  @JoshRiceyy posed the question on twitter when he asked 'How are we defining 'English' players though?' - and that is the question raised in reference to Manchester United's wonder kid, Adnan Januzaj, who is potentially available to represent an incredible 6 countries. should he play for England? United's young star Adnan Januzaj Januzaj burst on to the scene last Saturday when he saved United's blushes with a 2 goal performance against rock bottom Sunderland. But instead on focusing on what was a brilliant performance from such a young and talented player, (he's only 18 years of age) instead attention turned to the nations that Manchester United's up and coming star is eligible for. Due to FIFA regulations, It turns out that Januzaj is potentially available to represent 6 national si...

Spain's dominance in the last few years has been unwavering. In addition to the first team having won Euro 2008, World Cup 2010 and Euro 2012, Spain's under 21's also blitzed the competition in this summer's European Championships, indicating a very bright future for the worlds most dominant national side. But the miraculous happened in the most recent major tournament. They weren't just beaten. They were embarrassed. Overpowered, out skilled and out worked, Brazil and their coach Scolari initiated a tactically masterclass that played Spain off the park. They didn't just scrape through, but by a 3 goal margin. It was incredible. Similarly to Bayern Munich's pulverising win against Barcelona, Spain seemed to be easily undone by a dominant Brazilian unit. With both Barcelona and Spain looking powerless to avoid defeat, one could argue that Spanish football is becoming one dimensional. When a team gets physical and closes them down at pace, they look as if...

With the new season rapidly approaching, it's that time of year again; to pick your fantasy team again. After hours of deliberation I came up with a side that I thought was a solid team; a perfect blend of attack and defence, whilst balancing quality with price. So, with £100 million to spend on 15 players, I will show you who I picked and justify why I picked them. Formation: 4:3:3 Position/Name/Price/Opponent  GK: Joe Hart -£6.5million Newcastle (H) In goal I went with the ever present Joe Hart. He played every minute in the league for City last season, and was also the leading goalkeeper with 147 points. With numerous clean sheets last season, and facing a mediocre Newcastle side in game week 1, Manchester City and Hart have a good chance of starting their campaign with a clean sheet. Defence Joleon Lescott - £5.5million Newcastle (H) I was initially going to go with Nastasic at the same price, but due to his injury in pre-season I went for City's 3rd c...

There was a lot of hype surrounding Manchester City's 4 big summer signings, Fernandinho for a somewhat inflated £32 million fee, Montenegro ace Stevan Jovetic for £23 million, and Sevilla's attacking duo Jesus Navas and Alvaro Negredo for a combined £35 million fee. With Fernandinho not participating for his country Brazil in this summer's Confederations Cup and Negredo having not signed for Manchester City at this moment in time, all eyes were on Jesus Navas and how he performed for Spain. And didn't he perform. Jesus Navas posing in his new Manchester City strip Navas had received many a critique following his transfer from Sevilla to Manchester City and many had raised concerns to whether he would cut it in the Premier League. He had performed consistently well in LA Liga for a number of seasons, but his goal threat was put to question. No goals in 30 appearances last year is worrying for anyone who is looking for a goal threat especially when Manch...

Goodbye Jonjo, you shall be missed. Everyone that knows me is aware that Jonjo Shelvey is one of my footballing icons. In fact, he's one of my heroes. I took a liking to Jonjo when he progressed through  the ranks at my favourite club, Charlton Athletic, making his debut and excelling in a midfield role from the age of 16. Although he made a £1.8 million move 2 years later to another of my favoured clubs, Liverpool, I believed this was the chance he needed to fulfil his potential and become a world class player. He had all the tools, he had all the belief, he just needed to express his talent on the football pitch in one of the best leagues in the world. Brendan Rodgers (left) had high hopes for Shelvey, but sadly he never delivered But sadly it didn't go according to plan for Jonjo. A highly successful loan spell to Blackpool clustered in between a frustrating stay at Liverpool eventually meant that he was shown the door. The problem is...

Amazing. Incredible. Unbelievable. A few words that sum up CPR's season. The team that took to the field to play in their first competitive match against Hartley Whitney have gone through the good times and the bad times, but they have evolved into a top class team. The transformation that the team has shown has been quite remarkable, and to end the season with the Premier League title is the least that this gutsy team deserve. To cap off the season, I'd just like to conclude how the season has gone from start to finish, putting in a few stats and a few memorable moments. A win against Hartley Whitney on the first day of the season proved to be vital in the overall title race, but CPR came back down to earth a week later drawing 4-4 with Chobham Burymead. However this was rectified with emphatic progression to the quarter finals in the cup, and wins against Wokingham and Tongham. The month also culminated in Curley Park travelling to semi-professional side Eastleigh Town...

Wow, what a season. I've won multiple trophies throughout my youth career at AFC Wimbledon, but I can honestly say no season has been better then this one that I've spent at CPR. When I was at my first stint at the club (U5-U12) I left having not won a Premier League title, having narrowly missed out at U11's when my team finished second place. Although there were those that may not have shared the same belief that we'd stroll in and secure the title having formed only at the start of the season, I always thought we'd have a great chance. The celebrations were the best I've ever been part of, and I'm glad that I've been able to share a trophy with 17 of my good mates. It's been an honour sharing a football pitch with the lot of you, and although you may not be the most technically gifted bunch of lads I've played with, I've come across few with the same appetite and will to win; a testimony to the spirit all of you have shown in a CPR ...