Wally with a Brolly

Team of the Weekend

GK Dean Brill (Oldham)

DR Abu Agogo (Dag & Red)

DC Darren Purse (Sheff Wed)

DC Will Antwi (Dag & Red)

DL Dean Lewington (MK Dons)

MR Dean Cox (Leyton Orient)

MC Ryan Harley (Exeter)

MC Gary Liddle (Hartlepool)

ML Johnnie Jackson (Charlton)

F Lee Martin (Charlton)

F Josh McQuoid (Bournemouth)

Game of the Weekend

Hartlepool 3-1 Brighton

Oh how the mighty have fallen. Two weeks ago, Brighton were flying and looked untouchable. Since then they have been held at home by non-league Woking and on Saturday lost out to lowly Hartlepool. The Monkey Hangers took the lead through Neil Austin before being pegged back by Gary Dicker. The real drama began in the 71^st minute when Hartlepool shocked the Seagulls by regaining their advantage through Gary Liddle. Brighton looked certain to restore parity and maintain their 13-game unbeaten streak until Liam Bridcutt received his marching orders in the 77^th minute for a horror tackle in the middle of the park. From then on the home side looked more than comfortable and sealed the shock of the weekend by adding a third goal in the 84^th minute as young substitute James Poole made his impact on proceedings. The question is, can Brighton recover from this mini-setback, or will they continue to slide and let other teams into the title race?

Player of the Weekend

Josh McQuoid

A second hat-trick in eight days for the Bournemouth striker, who was also called up to the Northern Ireland squad this week. It wasn’t a “perfect hatrick”, but it came very close. His first goal demonstrated his aerial ability as he rose well at the back post to head home a cross. His second goal showed his strikers’ instinct as he stole in with a diving header to turn home another good ball from the left flank. And he completed his hat-trick with a great long range effort which finished off a great team move. An amazing end to a great week for the 20-year old, who hadn’t scored in 9 games before last weekend.

Performance of the Weekend

Charlton Athletic

Before our game against Peterborough, I would have happily taken a point. After a dire display at Barnet and a tight 1-0 win over Southend, both of whom play in League Two, I thought we would have our work cut out playing against a team who last year were plying their trade in the Championship. Posh were a place ahead of us on goal difference, and we don’t normally travel too well. I’m not exactly sure how it happened but somehow we were 4-0 up by half time and saw out the second half with only one minor glitch. An incredible result which takes us up to second in the table and extends our unbeaten run to six games since the devastating defeat to Brighton, which now seems like a distant memory.

Goal of the Weekend

Dale Jennings

He’s done it again. Check out Jennings’ goal from Tranmere’s 1-0 win over Plymouth. He takes the ball from the halfway line, dribbles past about 5 Argyle players and slots the ball into the bottom corner. Exactly the kind of skill we have come to expect from the lad over the start of this season.

The WwaB team pit their wits against each other to predict the weekend's results: (3 points for a correct score, 1 point for a correct result)

Saturday, 6 November 2010


Bolton v Tottenham 
Westy (2-1) KD (1-1) Dad (1-1) Micro (1-2) Bappo (2-1)


Dad: "Bolton are strong at home and I think Spurs will have a bit of a Champions League hangover, especially after such a massive performance against Inter."

Bappo: "Expect some serious Champions' League hangover. Massive emotionally-charged win on tuesday. And to the Reebok on saturday. No disrespect to Bolton but any manager would find it hard to truly motivate his players for such an occasion."


Birmingham v West Ham
Westy (2-0) KD (2-1) Dad (2-0) Micro (2-0) Bappo (2-1)


Westy: "West Ham have been woeful recently, and with Upson, Da Costa and Noble doubts this looks like a home banker, especially when you consider Birmingham's outstanding record at St Andrews. West Ham need to turn a corner, but it won't happen today."


Blackburn v Wigan 
Westy (2-0) KD (1-0) Dad (2-1) Micro (1-0) Bappo (1-1)


Bappo: "Wigan are better away from home. I expect a similar performance as against Birmingham a few weeks ago (0-0). Or they will lose 4-0. Such is Wigan's season."

Blackpool v Everton 
Westy (2-1) KD (0-1) Dad (1-3) Micro (1-2) Bappo (0-2)


Westy: "It might have been lucky with the early red card changing the game, but I think last Monday's win over WBA marks a watershed for Blackpool at Bloomfield Road. They've played well at home for most of the season but the results haven't been coming - this result will give them a confidence boost. Whilst Everton will put up a fight I'm gonna put my neck out for a home win."

Fulham v Aston Villa 
Westy (1-2) KD (2-1) Dad (1-1) Micro (1-1) Bappo (1-1)


Westy: "Villa under Houllier have to turn a corner at some point, and the fact remains that they don't have a bad team. With both sides missing some of their top players through injury I wouldn't expect a great encounter, but Villa to sneak it through a mashup goal."

Man Utd v Wolverhampton 
Westy (3-1) KD (2-0) Dad (3-0) Micro (2-0) Bappo (2-0)


Westy: "The result's a bit of a no-brainer, although United's reserves did struggle to put Wolves away in the Cup. That said, it's hard to see Mick McCarthy's team resisting a close to full-strength Man Utd side. It will be interesting to see how they cope without this season's talisman Nani however."

Sunderland v Stoke 
Westy (1-2) KD (1-1) Dad (2-0) Micro (2-1) Bappo (1-0)


Dad: "As for Sunderland, derby games are always anomalies and you can guarantee Newcastle won't do as well as that at the Stadium of Light. Stoke are notoriously bad away from home and have only picked up 3 points in 5 games away from the Britannia."


Sunday, 7 November 2010


Arsenal v Newcastle 
Westy (3-0) KD (4-0) Dad (3-0) Micro (3-1) Bappo (3-0)


Westy: "The Carling Cup performance showed the dominance Arsenal had in the pace department over Newcastle. With the big stars returning, the Geordies should be delighted if they manage to sneak a point..... which they won't."

West Brom v Man City 
Westy (1-3) KD (1-4) Dad (2-2) Micro (1-2) Bappo (1-2)


Dad: "West Brom look really good, I like Di Matteo and they were unlucky against Blackpool - a harsh red against Ibanez and a ridiculous tackle from Jara that you can't account for basically ended the contest and even then they still almost nicked a point. On the other hand Man City have lost two on the bounce and I can't see them getting back to winning ways here."

Bappo: "Big fan of RDM's sensible work at West Brom. However Man City need the win, and with reports that Carlos Tevez could be back they should edge this. Three defeats in a row would be a catastrophy for City, and despite a few players' obvious dislike for Mancini they will aim to bounce back. A close win."

Liverpool v Chelsea 
Westy (1-1) KD (1-2) Dad (1-2) Micro (2-1) Bappo (0-2)

Bappo: "Despite playing relatively better over the last few games and finally getting a few wins, Liverpool are just too weak for the likes of Chelsea. The return of Terry will bring back the solid back four of Cashley-JT-Alex-Ivanovic. With a weak Torres, an inexistent Cole and an inconsistent Maxi, the Reds lack the firepower to seriously threaten such a defence. An early goal from Chelsea and the crowd will get restless. Chelsea win."

In a week that saw Tiger Woods finally toppled from the pinnacle of the Golf world hierarchy by England’s Lee Westwood, a major shift of momentum at the top of the Championship table also saw QPR finally replaced as early season front-runners by on form Cardiff City, whilst several unexpected results in the notoriously hard to predict division – often touted as the most exciting in the country – lead to a league table that looked remarkably different at the end of the weekend than at the start.

Game of the Week:

This week’s game of the week was not a hard one to select. Reading’s 4-3 home triumph over Doncaster, involving seven goals and a miraculous comeback by the dogged Royals, was compelling from start to finish. With the two teams beginning the match just one place apart and playing very similar styles, many had predicted a tight contest. However, when Reading took the lead thanks to a rare Matt Mills strike, admittedly fumbled and within yards of the goal, in just the 9^th minute it looked as though Reading’s home advantage could lead to an unexpected rout. The disparity, though, did not last long and in the 26^th minute James Hayter scored a fantastic header to level matters up.

A 1-1 score-line would have been an acceptable half-time score for both teams, but Reading did not receive such luck as a 42^nd minute Martis goal sent them into the break a goal down, with manager Brian McDermott’s team-talk seeming to arouse no immediate fight-back as Shiels struck with a low drive just 5 minutes after the re-start to double the advantage. Suddenly, Doncaster looked as though the team that may be taking an unexpected and simple three points. Jem Karacan, though, had other ideas and a bullet header in the 60^th minute left Doncaster ‘keeper, 40 year-old veteran Neil Sullivan, rooted to the spot, and in the 74^th minute the teams were level again when a stunning (but quite predictable) Ian Harte free kick evaded not only the wall and Sullivan but a Doncaster man who’d positioned himself on the post.

With time running out and both managers freshening up their line-ups with a flurry of substitutions, a draw began to seem the likely result. However, Simon Church had other ideas, and with 1 minute remaining in normal time a slick one-touch passing move lead to an inviting cross buried at the near post by the Welsh frontman. A fitting finale to an incredible match.

Player of the Week

Jonny Howson. A 15 minute hat-trick and an assist in Leeds United’s impressive 4-1 away defeat of Scunthorpe mean the influential local 22 year-old fully deserves the accolade this week. An inspirational display by the midfielder turned the game on its head in the second half as Leeds regained the lead after Max Gradel’s 8^th minute effort had been cancelled out by Scunthorpe’s Byrne on 27. The midfielder notched a further 2 goals in 2 minutes (74, 75) to ensure his team three valuable points following Leeds’ 4-0 thrashing by Cardiff – with a brief, but deserved, mention going to Jay Boothroyd here, who has started the season in inspired form - the week prior.

Local boy Howson celebrates an impressive hat-trick

Individual goal of the Week

Adel Taarabt’s 30 yard screamer narrowly pips Barnsley midfielder Adam Hammill’s impressive long range effort for best individual goal this week. Picking the ball up half way inside Burnley’s half, the ex-Spurs midfielder turned several defenders inside out before unleashing an unstoppable drive that had beaten the ‘keeper before he’d even realised it was struck. Unfortunately for Taarabt and QPR, the team produced very little else for the remainder of the match and Gary Alexander’s spot-kick just before the break was enough to see both teams walk away with a point and help knock Rangers from top-spot.

Adel Taarabt celebrates with the QPR faithful

Team goal of the Week

Team goal of the week this week goes to Reading and Simon Church’s last-minute winner. A spectacular passing move at the easiest of times, but with so little time left on the clock in front of an agitated home crowd and against a team well-known for its concentration and stubbornness, the manner of substitute Church’s 3^rd goal of the season must be admired.

Team performance of the Week

Derby County’s fantastic 4-1 win over Watford. A usually unpredictable team, Derby dominated the contest from start to finish, scoring four wonderful goals in the process. A double from the ever-improving Tomasz Cywka, plus two other fine efforts from right-back Brayford and substitute Shefki Kuqi was easily enough to nullify Watford’s all too frequent goal shyness, and ruin debutant Matthew Wichelow’s day following his first goal for the club – following a Xavi-esque through ball by midfielder Stephen McGinn.

Team of the Week:

GK – Keiren Westwood (Coventry City)

Without its fair share of controversy football clearly wouldn't be as exciting. The Hand of God, Zidane's head-butt, Waddle's mullet and FIFA's decision to keep an old overweight and corrupt Swiss banker at its head are numerous talking-points which still keep us debating and arguing. So here comes the first of a regular feature. Here comes the first Rant. And God does it deserve a capital R!

As a few of the team at WWaB use contact lenses, we are acutely aware of the trouble of bad eyesight. It is no laughing matter. Trust us, people without their contacts are basically blind. So, here at WWaB, we are starting a petititon to offer free prescription contact lenses to Mark Clattenburg, who happens to be suffering from a pretty severe bout of Old-Trafforditis.

"Alright let's concentrate. Did Nani hand-ball? Yes. Was there an advantage for Tottenham? No. Logical conclusion is therefore...goal for Man U! Crap, why is this migraine thing starting again?"

Mark Clattenburg's decision to award Nani his "goal" is, let's be fair, one of the worst decisions we at WWaB have EVER seen on a football pitch.

Hand of God? Scummy Diego did move his head to act like he didn't use his hand.

Germany's goal against England at the 2010 World Cup? Ref not helped at all by his blind (recurrent theme here!) linesman nor by fat Sepp's decision to ban the use of video replays.

Atwell's decision not to award the infamous "shadow goal" last season during Bristol City-Crystal Palace? Actually we have no excuse for that one either, the whole stadium saw it. Even the guy selling the pies underneath the stand saw it. And it's not easy to see through all that grease!

These men sell pies. They still would ref better than Atwell and Clattenburg combined.

But let's get back to Clattenburg's howler. Let's recap (really?): Nani dives, wants a penalty, handballs it in that Ronaldo "I've been touched by air and fallen on my ass, give me that pen already" manner that we all love to hate and then acts like a cry-baby when he doesn't get the "decision". So far nothing abnormal. Even the fact Nani was seemingly suffering from convulsions (always a good way to make the crowd love you) wasn't particularly surprising. So far, Mark Clattenburg had gotten EVERYTHING RIGHT, even casually telling Nani to get up.

Obviously ball to hand

And then the inexplicable. Gomes being told to play on, accused by Clattenburg of taking too much time and using his advantage, and Nani allowed to score into an empty net.

Now there are a few explanations that we'd like to advance for Mark Clattenburg's decision:

1. He followed the letter of the law. Actually that is utter crap. He claimed he played advantage. Fair enough we say. But where was it? Where was the advantage for Tottenham in conceding the goal? And shouldn't Clattenburg have followed the letter of the law by booking Nani for his unashamed hand-ball and despicable behaviour?

2. He just doesn't care about messing up. Now we believe at WWaB that this argument carries considerable weight. Look at Clattenburg's reaction after the "goal" is scored. The man just shrugs his shoulders as if to say "I gave Gomes a chance to play advantage". This seems to indicate a total disregard for the consequences of his acts. Is this to do with the fact the FA doesn't seem to ever condemn referees who make outrageous mistakes? After all Graham Poll was still reffing until the 2006 World Cup despite being hated by the whole of the Prem and handing out imaginary red cards. Similarly Stuart Atwell hasn't had a good game in 5 years (ever since he's started reffing above the Ryman Premier League!) and yet still is in charge of big games.


3. He suffers from Old-Trafforditis. No this is not an old sickness coming back to haunt. No Black Death scare or something like that.
Example of what went on inside Mark Clattenburg's head whilst suffering from Old-Trafforditis on saturday:
"Should I just book Nani already? After all he's such a ****! Nah fair enough he didn't get his pen, not gonna book him needlessly. Wait! What is he doing now? Oh **** he's just had a go and scored! But if I disallow it I'm gonna have 74,000 loyal (nah we're only joking here!) fans screaming abuse at me. And Sir Alex is gonna fume as well. I can't have that. Wait! Let me go to my assistant and maybe blame it on him! Nah why bother? Even the FA don't dare to tell Fergie where he can stick his ban against the BBC, so why would I risk getting lynched (again we're joking. Lynching requires loyal and dedicated fans)? What's this? Rio is telling me it's a goal? It must be right, Rio would never lie (intentionally forgets Rio's drugs scandal)!Sod this I'll give the goal and then go home!"

Sometimes you just have to clap when something special happened. And by "special" we don't mean his team's performance. We mean Clattenburg. As in "special needs".

Old-Trafforditis is something pretty common for Premier League referees. It comes from years of Fergie treating the Prem like his personal backyard and the FA buckling under his aura. However Mark Clattenburg suffers from acute trafforditis, having already disallowed another perfectly valid goal when Roy Carroll (remember him?) fumbled a Pedro Mendes shot a few years ago.

Roy's just picking up something a ballboy just happened to forget in his goal

So please sign our petition for free prescription contact lenses for Mark Clattenburg. We honestly hope that will do the trick and he just happens to be blind. But please, just to be on the safe side, can you please also sign the petition to declare an injunction preventing him from being within 500 yard of Old Trafford?

Battenburg. Better ref than his human near-namesake.

1. The blatant disregard for the concept of defending
2. Kamikaze German keepers
3. The fact that they take the wind-ball (a.k.a. Jabulani) seriously
4. Anyone can beat anyone (see 1, 2 and 3.)

One to watch: Goetze celebrates his 26th minute opener

The Rest of the Weekend's action


FC Bayern 4-2 SC Freiburg

A great week for Dortmund and Hoffenheim.

With the season already a few months old, it is time to review the transfer policies of all Premiership clubs. We will grade each team according to their signings, with profiles on each player. Here is a recap of Arsenal's summer.


Arsenal fans have undoubtedly been some of the most patient in the Premiership in the last few years. The "In Arsène we trust" mantra is one which isn't taken lightly at the Emirates, and with good reason. However, this summer was already edgier than previous ones. After five years without trophies and Arsène continuing to put his faith in youngsters, even relatively poor ones (hello Denilson, Vela, Djourou, Traoré, etc), the Frenchman had to send a strong signal to his fans that he was still intent on winning trophies and not just playing it safe.

Without surprise all his signings were French-speaking, a realistic yet slightly depressing feature of Arsène's time at the club. Two central defenders, one from a Spanish club outside the top 2 and the other from a mid-table Ligue 1 team, were soon joined by a not-very-prolific striker from a Bordeaux side which had gone on an incredible downward spiral at the end of the 2009/2010 season. What's more two of them had basically been free transfers and the unknown Koscielny seemed overpriced. Not the stuff of dreams! However, as we will see and have seen so far, we have to give Arsène and his scouts credit.






Signings:
Sebastien Squillaci (Sevilla)

Experienced cover

Signed from Sevilla towards the end of the transfer window, Squillaci is a former French international with a decent European pedigree, having competed in the Champions' League with all his former clubs, even reaching the final with that improbable As Monaco side in 2003/2004. A strong no-nonsense central defender, he will probably be used as third-choice behind the younger partnership of Laurent Koscielny and Thomas Vermaelen. A safety blanket for a young back-line. His first few months have been relatively difficult, with problems adjusting to the physicality and pace of the Prem, and this was evident in the game against Chelsea when he let Anelka run through only for the mercurial Frenchman to miss an absolute sitter. Relatively cheap at around £3m Squillaci seems to us to be a safe investment in a position in which Arsenal needed cover.






Laurent Koscielny (Lorient)

Quick learner

A completely unknown player, even (relatively) in his native France, Laurent Koscielny has had an atypical career path before culminating in a move to the Emirates. After starting out at Ligue 2 (French Championship) side Guingamp, he then joined newly-promoted Ligue 2 side Tours FC. Showing utter class as a ball-playing and safe central defender, Koscielny then joined mid-table Ligue 1 team Lorient after having been voted in the Ligue 2 team of the year for 2008-2009 season. In his new team renowned for playing positive and slick football under the helm of Yoann Gourcuff's dad Christian, Koscielny adapted quickly to the pace of the highest echelon of French football, proving to be one of the best central defenders in the league. Recommended by Gilles Grimandi, Arsenal's scout for France, he was quickly snapped up by Arsenal in the summer. His performances have been nothing short of surprisingly good for a young player with only one season of top flight football behind him. Assured, strong in the air and deceptively quick, he looks the perfect complement to Thomas Vermaelen. He even scored a goal against Bolton and should have had another against Chelsea. In our views, one of the finds of the season so far.




Marouane Chamakh (Bordeaux)

Giving Arsenal another dimension

"I enjoy the aerial battles". After hearing this quote from Marouane Chamakh, Arsenal's new signing, it felt as if Arsène had made the wrong move. After all, when do Arsenal ever play the ball in the air? But Chamakh has shown he is not only a great header of the ball, settling in perfectly despite having no time to adapt due to injuries to RVP and Nicklas Bendtner and the continuous incompetence of Carlos Vela to lead the line despite flashes of brilliance. Despite not being particularly prolific, Marouane enjoys nothing more than participating in creating goals, whether he be the finisher or not. An unselfish striker, but not to the point of being Emile Heskey-unselfish/bad (as in not shooting when clean through and open goal!), Chamakh has already scored a few goals and given defenders nightmares by his constant physical battles. Probably the best free transfer in the Prem in the last few years, if he keeps his form going.




Grade: A. Arsenal, as usual, haven't spent much, with these three signings amounting to about £12m. But it has definitely been shrewd. A safe, experienced cover at CB and two starters (RVP has work on his hands!), both relatively young and in constant progress. Probably Arsenal's best summer of the last few years. But, despite Alex Song's encouraging performances, where is the much-needed defensive-minded holding midfielder that the Gunners have been searching for ever since Gilberto Silva's departure?

Team of the Weekend

GK Paul Jones (Exeter)

DR Inigo Calderon (Brighton)

DC Peter Clarke (Huddersfield)

DC Antony Kay (Huddersfield)

DL Matt Fry (Charlton)

MR Scott Wagstaff (Charlton)

MC Radostin Kishishev (Brighton)

MC Stephen Dawson (Leyton Orient)

ML Dale Jennings (Tranmere)

F Bradley Wright-Phillips (Plymouth)

F Dean Bowditch (Yeovil)

Game of the Weekend

Yeovil 3-3 Swindon

In the 87^th minute, leading 3-1, Yeovil must have thought they were home and dry. But Swindon showed the fighting spirit that go

t them to the Play Off Final last year to turn it around through quality goals from Morrison and McGovern. The game had begun in very predictable fashion with Charlie Austin getting his name on the scoresheet for the 7^th time already this season. However, the Robins were pegged back just before half time, and Yeovil built on that goal in the second half until Swindon fought back to snatch a point from the jaws of defeat.

Player of the Weekend

Dale Jennings (Tranmere)

The game at Prenton Park this weekend really was the Dale Jennings show. The 17 year-old ran everything from the left side of midfield. He had a hand in every goal, grabbing himself 2 goals and also laying on 2 assists. He is faster than Usain Bolt, trickier than Cristiano Ronaldo and, for a right-footed player, has a left foot that would have Ryan Giggs turning in his grave. Don’t be surprised if you see this kid moving onwards and upwards in the January transfer window.

Performance of the Weekend

Brighton and Hove Albion

There really is only one team to choose from at the moment. Brighton are ripping League One to pieces and leaving destruction in their wake.

Having beaten Charlton 4-0 at the Valley, causing the Covered End choir to call for Phil Parkinson’s head, they had a similar effect at London Road as they comfortably took down another promotion contender and brought Gary Johnson’s position into question, despite the fact Peterborough still sit 5^th in League One. Gus Poyet has got the Seagulls playing a style of football that wouldn’t look out of place in La Liga, and they enjoyed a League One-record 82% possession last week as they brushed aside Yeovil Town. This week, goals from Inigo Calderon and two from Ashley Barnes saw off the Posh. It’s just like watching Spain. Or Uruguay, maybe.

Goal of the Weekend

Dale Jennings' 2^nd

With Tranmere already 2-1 up, Jennings received the ball on the left-hand corner of the penalty area before faking to go inside, cutting back and unleashing a powerful curling shot into the top right corner. Beautiful stuff from our player of the week.

Pass of the Weekend

Stephen Dawson for Orient’s 2^nd goal

On the turn on the edge of the box, Dawson received the ball at pace and in one touch flicked it round his body Bergkamp-style for Dean Cox to run on to and put Orient 2-1 up. Skill, awareness and vision out of the top drawer. Definitely worth a watch.

Controversy of the Weekend

Carlisle penalty vs Bristol Rovers in the 90^th minute

Carlisle were awarded a penalty in the final minute of their match away at Bristol Rovers for a very tenuous handball against Gary Sawyer in the six-yard box. Luckily for Carlisle, and also perhaps the referee’s safety, Mikkel Andersen saved Gary Madine’s penalty meaning that the two teams shared the points at the Memorial Stadium.