TOP 100 SOCCER SITES
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| Birmingham City 0-0 Chelsea It was Chelsea who were left with the Blues after the battle thereof, dropping two more priceless points in a dangerous mid-season hiatus: they have only one win in their last seven matches in all competitions. The league leaders, who failed to score for the first time in 34 games, are increasingly vulnerable to Manchester United, whose trip to Hull today has the look of a gimme.Birmingham, in contrast, are on the up and up – the division's form team with 17 points from their last seven games. They are unbeaten in their last 10, and would have claimed another notable scalp yesterday but for an erroneous offside decision which robbed Christian "Chucho" BenÃtez of what should have been the winner.In fairness, defeat would have been hard on Chelsea, who created the lion's share of the scoring chances and were ultimately denied by a man-of-the-match performance from Joe Hart, who looked every inch the England goalkeeper in waiting. Alex McLeish, the manager at St Andrew's, said afterwards that he would love to make Hart, who is on loan from Manchester City, his first signing in January.Birmingham's new owner, Carson Yeung, is committed to making "substantial" funds available, and McLeish's record in the market to date should get him whatever he wants – within reason.Chelsea's well-documented problems, which Carlo Ancelotti admitted were mounting, are exacerbated by the loss of Florent Malouda, sent off for the second of two yellow cards, and therefore suspended for tomorrow's west London derby against Fulham. Nicolas Anelka and Michael Essien are also unavailable, injured, but Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou will now both play against another of the league's over-achieving teams before joining up with the Ivory Coast squad to prepare for the Africa Cup of Nations.This was an absorbing, thoroughly entertaining scrap, regardless of the scoreline. There was a time, not too long ago, when it would have been an away banker but the road Birmingham have been keeping on these past decades has ceased to be a cul-de-sac, and they are making great strides under McLeish's shrewd direction. It will have escaped no time-served follower of this yo-yo club that they were running sixth in April 2004, in Steve Bruce's day, before collapsing and finishing 10th, and a more recent sobering example is provided by Hull, who, like Birmingham, came charging out of the Championship and were seventh this time last year, only to avoid relegation by a single point.Enough negativity. The Scot has fashioned an impressively organised, combative unit, whose efficient defence should keep them out of trouble. This clean sheet was typical of their parsimony.McLeish dipped into the Championship, which many Premier League managers regard as a barren wilderness, to sign Roger Johnson (Cardiff) and Scott Dann (Coventry) for £8.5m the pair. Some well-respected sages are already likening the two centre-backs to Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister in their early days at Manchester United, and both added to their burgeoning reputations by subduing Didier Drogba and Daniel Sturridge, whose first Chelsea league start was unrewarding. The central defenders are quick to acknowledge the debt they owe to the vastly experienced Stephen Carr, reborn after his brief retirement, and to a couple of old heads, Barry Ferguson and Lee Bowyer, in midfield.Brimming with confidence, City might have scored after 30 seconds, when Barry Ferguson sent Cameron Jerome away in the inside-right channel, past Alex, only for the striker's finishing to let him down. Chelsea hit back hard, with Sturridge and Frank Lampard bringing the best out of Hart before the arrival of the major talking point, in the 34th minute. Carr's cross from the right was transferred by Dann's head to Liam Ridgewell, whose shot was heading wide when it was diverted in at point-blank range by BenÃtez. The referee's assistant, distracted by Drogba's prostrate body, flagged for offside when the Ecuadorian striker was level with the last man.Most managers would have berated those responsible loud and long, but McLeish is as impressive off the field as his charges are on it, and he said: "I've seen the replay and Chucho is onside, but we got a break against Everton last week [when Louis Saha had a legitimate goal disallowed] and it went the other way this time. I've no problem with the officials."Chelsea cranked up the pressure and Birmingham's back five had to earn their corn. Alex smacked a free-kick against the crossbar, Sturridge and Malouda both spurned open goals, Hart denied Kalou and Johnson headed clear off his own line at the death. Birmingham's only chance in the second half saw Petr Cech claw out a free-kick from James McFadden and collide with his right-hand post, summoning horrible memories of his career-threatening injury against Reading. To universal relief, he was able to continue after treatment. It was his manager who was left with the headache. "It was not a good result for us and this is not our best moment," Ancelotti said – an example, if ever there was one, of stating the bleedin' obvious.Premier LeagueBirmingham CityChelseaJoe Lovejoyguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Middlesbrough striker crisis undermines FA Cup hopes against Manchester City Gordon Strachan's chances of bringing Man City counterpart Roberto Mancini down to earth undermined by lack of strikers. telegraph.co.uk |
Togo attack: goalkeeper Kodjovi Obilale still in intensive care Nation begins three days of mourning after gun attack on coach in Angola while Kodjovi Obilale remains in South African hospital. telegraph.co.uk |
SPL survival vital for Kilmarnock Kilmarnock's difficult financial position means that relegation could come at a high priceThere is a certain frisson to Jimmy Calderwood's appointment as the Kilmarnock manager. One of his former clubs, after all, represent a lesson in just what could happen – on the field at least – if Scotland's oldest professional outfit were to lose their top league status.Calderwood's arrival in Ayrshire will be treated with the quiet approval which is the custom in these parts. Yet the departure of Jim Jefferies after eight years as the manager has suddenly put into sharp focus what troubles Kilmarnock have away from, rather than on, the field. Relegation would ensure a critical situation has the potential to become fatal; sitting a mere two points and one place off the bottom of the league, that fate cannot be ruled out.It can be reasonably argued that Dunfermline Athletic and Kilmarnock are clubs of an equal standing within Scottish football. Calderwood did a fine job when in charge of Dunfermline, guiding them to the upper echelons of the SPL and the latter stages of cup competitions before leaving for Aberdeen amid the typical animosity which fills the veins of football fans when a manager departs for a rival club.Now, Dunfermline are apparently stuck in a First Division rut, playing in front of dwindling crowds – little more than 1,800 trickled into East End Park last Saturday – with the SPL a mere pipe-dream. Unlike Kilmarnock, though, their very future does not appear on the line.While Jefferies's departure highlighted it, Kilmarnock have been widely regarded as something of a shambles for a while. They owe £9m to bankers from a long-term loan and overdraft facility; no business analyst could see the club trading out of that situation in the next 50 years. The position with the bank, indeed, would be worse had it not been for positive player sales such as the £2m departure of Steven Naismith to Rangers.It would be unfair to single out Kilmarnock as an SPL club with specific debt difficulties solely on account of their bank borrowings. However, steps taken by the chairman, Michael Johnston, in the latter stages of Jefferies's reign hardly appeared to sit squarely with what should happen at a professional club. Kilmarnock no longer have a club doctor, nor a video analyst. Gary Locke, a first-team coach, had a contract offer withdrawn last summer and was not even re-employed when Jefferies and his assistant, Billy Brown, offered to subsidise his wages.Other tales of how Johnston has bizarrely sought to cut even apparently minuscule costs routinely do the rounds within Scottish football circles. Those who are lucky enough to win even minor prizes in Kilmarnock's club lottery receive cheques with a polite notice alongside, suggesting it is cashed in quickly.Johnston is the sole member of Kilmarnock's board, a matter he puts down to not wanting to inflict potential liability for debts upon others. The solicitor, who by his own admission does not have the personal wealth even to partly fund the football club, instead operates a management committee.Outright change at the top, however, is necessary for Kilmarnock to thrive, if not quite ever to the extent they did in the 1960s. Some £4.5m was spent by the club on a hotel at Rugby Park with the aim of providing an alternative income stream in difficult football financial times – given the downsizing which has taken place in the last two years, the project may only now be useful for a capital injection and short-term solace if sold to a private hotelier.Johnston remains adamant Kilmarnock's wage budget compares favourably with those around them in the SPL. Which, if true, isn't saying much given the relatively paltry wages now on offer north of the border; the annual exodus to the Championship tells you all you need to know about that.The chairman also, somewhat dubiously, claims the demise of Setanta and its agreement to televise Scotland's top flight has played a large part in matters at Kilmarnock. Unless Johnston had somehow budgeted for a new and improved Setanta television contract which not only never came into force, but wasn't even scheduled to for another year at the time of its collapse, there is little evidence to show why Kilmarnock should feel the pinch of that affair more than any other club outside of the Old Firm.Speculation regarding fresh investment in the club refuses to go away, offering some respite to a supporter base which has patently become worn down by recent events. Johnston argues negative publicity regarding his running of Kilmarnock contributes to that sense. Before Jefferies's exit, the captain, Kevin Kyle, claimed in a tabloid interview that the chairman had asked him for a private chat regarding the former manager's tactical approach; hardly the sort of stuff of a happy camp.The chairman now has a crucial five-month spell as not only Calderwood looks to preserve Kilmarnock's status but Johnston himself attempts to source the investment which is needed to lift an off-field gloom which has descended over Rugby Park. That the new manager has only signed a deal until the end of this season supplies all the evidence anyone would need about the aims and objectives within this relationship.Scottish Premier LeagueKilmarnockEwan Murrayguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
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