The Soccer Blog: success

Showing posts with label success. Show all posts

Saturday, 3 December 2011

Pulis proud of Stoke success

Tony Pulis hailed his Stoke squad after their 1-1 draw with Dynamo Kiev secured a history-making berth in the last 32 of the Europa League.

An own-goal from Matthew Upson just before the half-hour mark put the visitors ahead at Britannia Stadium, but a late Kenwyne Jones header secured the point Stoke needed to qualify from Group E.

Stoke are unbeaten in Europe this term, and need just one point from their final game against Besiktas in Turkey to top the group.

“What we’ve done is fantastic and we’ve qualified from what I think is the toughest group,” Pulis said.

“It’s the first time this football club’s ever achieved this, so it’s another milestone and is testimony to everything we’re trying to do.”

“That’s nine games in Europe and nine games unbeaten. It’s a great, great achievement.”

“It’s very difficult for Premier League teams to play in the Europa League because you come back and every game is like a cup final.”

“You can look at other European leagues and the strength in depth isn’t as great. It’s a real struggle in that respect but we want to do well.”

“It’s the first time we’ve been in Europe for more than 30 years. I want to enjoy it, I want the supporters to enjoy it, I want everybody at the football club to enjoy it because we might not get it for a while again.”

View the original article here

Thursday, 31 March 2011

Title success awaits City, says Toure

Suspended Manchester City defender Kolo Toure believes his side have what it takes to be Premier League contenders in the future.

Toure, who is currently suspended after testing positive for a banned substance, also thinks the club are yet to see the best of troubled striker Mario Balotelli, and predicts big things for the Italian.

“I’m feeling really happy at City now, we have some new players and a new vision of football,” the Ivorian said.

“We want to win things and at the moment we’re doing well and we hope to finish in the top four and see if we can qualify for the Champions League.”

“We are improving every season, last season we finished fifth and if this season we can finish in the top four that will be great and it will show we’re progressing and I think that is the most important.”

“To win the Premier League is very difficult because there are some top teams but when you have good players (and) you all want to win, that can happen definitely.”

Toure believes the senior players at Eastlands have a responsibility to the help the younger players, such as Balotelli, adjust to life in the Premier League.

“We have some young players some more experienced players and I think the experienced players just try to help the young players,” he said.

“I think Balotelli is a young player and he needs to adapt to the Premier League and the English culture and to the English spirit. I think from next season you will see better coming from him.”

Thu 31 March, 2011

Tuesday, 29 March 2011

Dortmund could be the victims of their own success

Borussia Dortmund have gone from Bundesliga also ran’s to champions elect in the space of a season.

Jurgen Klopp’s side currently lead the Bundesliga by seven points.

Their nearest rivals Bayer Leverkusen are also notorious for end of season collapses.

It’s been an incredible campaign for the Ruhr club but Dortmund could become a victim of their own success.

Some of Dortmund’s young players have attracted the interest of bigger and richer clubs due to their success this season.

If reports are to be believed they could lose some of their top stars this summer.

Youngsters

Dortmund have the second youngster squad in the German flight with an average age of just 24.4 years. Dortmund’s young player’s profiles have shot through the roof recently because of this season’s successful campaign.

The club have suffered financial difficulties in recent times but club officials are now confident that the club are on a good financial footing. That means boss Jurgen Klopp is under no pressure to sell his prize assets.

However his players could have different ideas. The likes of central defensive duo Mats Hummel and Neven Subotic have already been linked with big money moves. Hummels is highly-rated and is being linked with a return to his former-club Bayern.

His defensive partner Subotic also has a reputation for being an up and coming young defensive star. The Serbian centre-back has already attracted the attention of Premier League sides Arsenal and Manchester City.

Those are just two of Dortmund’s stars to have attracted the attention of Europe’s big guns. Dortmund will do well to hang onto all their top players in the summer.

Staying

One man who looks set to stay at Dortmund is boss Jurgen Klopp. The former-Mainz head coach had been linked with a move to German giants Bayern at the end of the season. However he denied any interest in the position and Bayern have decided to replace boss Louis Van Gaal with experienced ex-Real Madrid boss Jupp Heynckes.

The fact that Klopp is staying with the club will be a big boost for the Dortmund fans. Klopp has reinvigorated the Ruhr club. His motivational effect on his players has brought great joy to Dortmund’s huge fanatical following.

The style of play Klopp likes to play is attractive, easy on the eye football. Dortmund’s style of football is not too dissimilar to that of the German national side at last year’s World Cup.

His success at Dortmund has not only brought him to the attention of Bayern but also Liverpool before the ill-fated appointment of Roy Hodgson last summer. It’s imperative that Dortmund keeps hold of the talented boss.

Champions League

The Dortmund team that Jurgen Klopp has assembled is an excellent unit. Barring any disasters next season the club will return to the Champions League for the first time since 2003. If the Dortmund boss can keep hold of most of his top players and add a few in the summer then the club will no doubt give a good account of themselves in Europe’s elite competition next season.

Experience

Dortmund have had a fantastic season and Klopp and his players deserve their chance to take on Europe’s top teams. Klopp seems to have a good rapport with his players and hopefully they will want to stay at the club and be part of the clubs Europe adventure next season.

Can Dortmund keep hold of all their top players?

Mon 28 March, 2011

Friday, 25 March 2011

Tumour surgery success for Abidal

Barcelona defender Eric Abidal could return to training within a month for the Catalan giants.

The 31-year-old Frenchman had successful surgery on a tumour in his liver last week and has finally returned to his home after being discharged from hospital on Wednesday.While a date has not been set by Barcelona for his first-team return, they are hopeful that he will return to training with Pep Guardiola’s side in the near future.”The player was discharged from hospital and is now resting at home,” a club statement from Barcelona’s medical team said.”The post operation process has been satisfactory in all aspects and no complications have occurred.”"(Abidal) will continue the recovery process at home and it is estimated that he will be able to begin physical exercise in four weeks’ time and then later to rejoin the squad training sessions.”

Fri 25 March, 2011

Sunday, 20 March 2011

Tottenham Seal Crucial Signing to Help Build for Long Term Success

no comments by The Newshound on March 20th, 2011

Star player commits to White Hart Lane.

Premier League Tickets Available from Tixdaq.com

Monday, 14 March 2011

Lavezzi inspires Napoli to success

Napoli forward Ezequiel Lavezzi believes his side’s 3-1 away win at Parma on Sunday has showed their ambition.

The Naples-based club entered the match with one win from their last five and their bad form looked like continuing when Raffaele Palladino’s 29th-minute goal had the hosts 1-0 up at half-time.

But Lavezzi, in his first match back from a three-game ban, inspired the comeback with a terrific solo performance that saw Napoli claw within one point of second-placed Inter.

“There’s no point hiding it. Napoli are ambitious and want to fight for important targets this season,” Lavezzi said.

The Argentine was at his best in the second half, setting up Marek Hamsik’s 52nd minute equaliser before he scored himself just six minutes later, to notch his ninth goal in all competitions this season.

Lavezzi said credit belonged to the team and felt he owed his teammates after his ban robbed them of one of their most creative players at such a vital point in the season.

“The team was decisive, not me. I did miss the playing field, as I always want to play and I felt bad at leaving my teammates in this difficult time,” he said.

“After a poor first half, we stepped out on to the pitch in a different way and gave it our all to earn the victory.”

Mon 14 March, 2011

Lavezzi inspires Napoli to success

Napoli forward Ezequiel Lavezzi believes his side’s 3-1 away win at Parma on Sunday has showed their ambition.

The Naples-based club entered the match with one win from their last five and their bad form looked like continuing when Raffaele Palladino’s 29th-minute goal had the hosts 1-0 up at half-time.

But Lavezzi, in his first match back from a three-game ban, inspired the comeback with a terrific solo performance that saw Napoli claw within one point of second-placed Inter.

“There’s no point hiding it. Napoli are ambitious and want to fight for important targets this season,” Lavezzi said.

Lavezzi said credit belonged to the team and felt he owed his teammates after his ban robbed them of one of their most creative players at such a vital point in the season.

“The team was decisive, not me. I did miss the playing field, as I always want to play and I felt bad at leaving my teammates in this difficult time,” he said.

“After a poor first half, we stepped out on to the pitch in a different way and gave it our all to earn the victory.”

Mon 14 March, 2011

Wednesday, 25 August 2010

Last gasp cup success for Wolves

By: DJ | August 24th, 2010

WOLVES V SOUTHEND 2 GD 24 Wolves secured their place in the next round of the Carling Cup by scoring the winner in the last minute of extra time against Southend at Molineux on Tuesday night. A winnning goal at 22:15 didn’t leave much time for a celebratory drink and it was more that a drink was needed to relieve the trauma than toast the performance. It was the fifth consecutive year that Wolves have struggled against lower division opposition at this stage of the competition and the 10,000 Wolves fans that turn up might ask the club to pay them to turn up to a comparable fixture next season.

Only Elokobi of the team that started the game against Everton on Saturday were to start against Southend as the starting line up was;

Hennessey,

Zubar, Baath, Stearman, Elokobi

Halford, Guedioura, Milijas, Edwards,

Winnall, Hemmings

There was not much to reflect on in the opening 27 minutes before Wolves took the lead. Winnall was tripped on the left side of the area and Milijas struck the resultant penalty home with aplomb. It was a lead that could have been short lived. The Southend centre back headed wide from a free header from 5 yards and then when he was left unmarked again a few minutes later he did find the net but was ruled offside.

It was the hour mark before Wolves produced a move of any great quality and this resulted in the two young strikers combining with Hemmings cross volleyed inches wide by Winnall. Then a solo run by Zubar ended with his shot from the edge of the box smothered by the keeper. But it was clear the job wasn’t done when Southend clipped the top of the bar with a long range effort. Things were livened up for a while when Doyle and Ebanks Blake replaced the two young strikers midway through the second half. But Southend were gradually hinting at an equaliser and it came with ten minutes left when a cross from their right wing was met with a diving header from Easton.

Within two minutes Ebanks Blake had the ball in the Southend net but was ruled offside when he turned in Zubar’s cross and that was the final worthwhile action as the game drifted into extra time. Foley replaced Edwards at the start of the extra period and Wolves looked to have won it when Ebanks Blake again had the ball in the net. A Miljas effort was deflected against the post and Ebanks Blake was ruled offside when he turned in the rebound, surely an incorrect decision.

Southend had a chance to win it late on but it was ultimately a feeble shot that went straight to Hennessey. And as the final whistle beckoned and the 10,000 Wolves fans were losing the will to live as a penalty shoot out looked inevitable, the winner finally came. Zubar, who had been by far Wolves best player on the night, played a one two on the right of the box before drilling the ball across the face of the goal and in a crowded area it was Stearman who prodded the ball home.

There were plenty of negatives on the night for Wolves when you look at individual performances with Stearman, Elokobi, Halford, Guedioura, Milijas and Edwards doing little to promote their case for a first team opportunity. Of the youngsters Baath got stronger as the game wore on and was winning everything in the air while Winnall showed more promise than Hemmings up front. Zubar was excellent as an attacking right back and was far and away the best player on the field.

So we now wait for the draw for the next round on Saturday lunch time before Saturday’s Premier League game with Newcastle will hopefully bury the memory of this Carling Cup occasion.

It was confirmed that Andy Keogh’s absence from the line up was due to him being lined up to join Cardiff City on a season long loan.