It just never ends…Birmingham City, the Second City’s only unsuccessful club, have once again hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons. You just have to laff!. As reported on the BBC Football page…
Blues bosses arrested by police
Birmingham City co-owner David Sullivan and managing director Karren Brady have been arrested and questioned by police.
City of London Police investigating alleged corruption in English football said they arrested a man, 59, and a woman 39, on Wednesday.
The pair were questioned in connection with allegations of false accounting and conspiracy to defraud.
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So, the semi-finalists in the European Championship League are in place and two fascinating ties lie ahead over the next month.
Liverpool v Chelsea
Chelsea – a simplistic analysis would be that, as predicted by many when Abramovich’s millions began to troll in, they will play as a team of individuals and success would come purely based on having a squad of world class players and thus have limitations. How much success this would mean was debatable. Under Jose Mourinho they reached a very high level of effectiveness and efficiency and it resulted in two Premiership titles. However, as time passes and the unimpressive Avram Grant-era grinds forward, the philosophy of money buying top players and thus success, has become somewhat skewered. They still have loads of money and all those top players but increasingly they play as a team of individuals and their style is duller than ever to watch. As a result, this philosophy and style is perhaps shown to have a limited shelf-life and, although they are still pursuing two major trophies, May be that simplistic view of world class individuals not playing as a team, and thus ending up short of the ultimate goal, is correct. I cannot help but feel that they have just about gone as far as they can expect to go and their trophy cabinet will not be added to this season.
Liverpool under Benitez just seem to raise their game and believe they can achieve anything when the E.C.L. games come around. They are a different team from the one we see in many of their domestic games and they really have no hope of challenging for the Premiership as long as their league form prevails. However, despite being slightly on the back foot with the second leg of the semi being played at Stamford Bridge, I expect the Red Scouse to survive two very close games and reach yet another final.
Man U v Barcelona
Another cracker with perhaps this tie being a less cagey affair than the all-English match-up and a few goals being scored. Man U are the best team I have seen this year and with so many weapons, coupled with Barcelona’s inconsistency, I see Man U coming out on top and giving us a Lancashire Champions League Final!
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So David James has announced that he wants to be England’s keeper for the World Cup in 2010. I hope not. Although he is in-form at the moment it is only a matter of time before he reverts to “Calamity” James once again. It was a well-deserved nickname and one that far too many England fans for my liking seem to have forgotten from his last disastrous and at times ridiculous spell in the team. Surely at least one from Kirkland, Green, Carson, Robinson, or Hart will develop a high level of performance and consistency in the next year or so and not put us through the inevitable once again…
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At the top of the Premiership goal scoring chart the only ‘Homey’ (English, Scottish, Welsh, Irish) player is Tottenham’s Robbie “Look at me, look at me!” Keane who is 4th with 14 goals, five behind the 3rd placed Adebayor…Ronaldo on 27 and Torres with 21 are first and second…The next Homey is in 9th with 12 goals and it’s Defoe followed by Rooney in 11th with 11 and tied for 12th it’s Gerrard and Lampard with 10 goals each…England for the World Cup!!??
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The Savage Besat update…Gobby Cabbage, currently on the bench for the relegated Derby team has garnered 8 yellow cards in his 23 Premiership appearances this season. That is a little off his usual rate of “success” in the category that he has owned for many of the recent seasons and he has slipped to a tie for 15th. However he is only two yellows out of 5th place and surely has a chance to regain his former “ glory” confirming once again that Savage is a wanker – trust me on this…
April 11, 2008 at 12:23 am
Of course this isn’t the first time for Mr Sullivan to be on the wrong side of the law. Some years ago he was convicted and imprisoned for using his premises as a den of ill repute. But what I find strange is that a club spokesperson has stated something along the lines of ..’No financial gain has been made by Brady Sullivan or the club’. As if they are completely without guilt. So why then have they been arrested? Why has Sullivan’s tacky gaff been searched? A spot of Spring cleaning by London’s finest? I think not. There’s Shenanigans here, for sure.
Earlier today a reporter questioned Brady regarding the soon to be proven ‘you are well guilty the pair of you’ recent occurrences….Ms Brady failed to fail to say no comment and went on to say “it’s a strap on… eh, I mean it’s a stitch up and anyway I’m not a slag, well, not much of a one”.