League Cup Final 2011 preview

Last week Birmingham fans would have had little  hope going into this Sunday's Carling Cup final at Wembley against Arsenal.

Arsenal had just beaten the "best" team in the world at the Emirates and confidence was sky high with nobody  expecting Birmingham to stop Arsenal ending their six year trophy drought.

Fast forward a week and after Arsenal's makeshift side couldn't put a brave Leyton Orient to the sword in the FA cup which will now go to a replay,this will have lead to belief among Birmingham fans and if that was not enough then some big injuries has put Alex McLeish's Brum side in with a real chance of causing a big upset.

Theo Walcott will be missed and his pace can change a game in an instant with his eye for goal however, Captain Cesc Fabregas will be the big miss as the influential Midfield maestro is the heart of the Arsenal side and he will be missed on Sunday.

Birmingham have worked their way to the final and can cause an upset if they play like they have shown over the last few seasons and in this cup run. Full of team spirit who don't know when they are down.

Arsenal will still start as favourites and if Arsenal turn up then and Birmingham are not at their best then Arsenal will run amok as they can to any English side. When Arsenal play at their best there is not many teams who can compete with Arsenal at their best.

No matter who wins the Final should be an exciting spectacle for fans of both teams and neutrals alike.

Crawley Town's Big day out

The FA Cup is known for producing memorable cup ties and great draws that can lead to memorable games and upsets.

On Saturday Crawley Town have the chance to produce one of the biggest if not the biggest Giant killing in FA cup History as they travel to Old Trafford to face English giants Manchester United.

2nd in the Blue Square Conference with four games in hand Crawley town are the big spenders of the lower leagues however their big spending is nothing compared to what any team in the Championship never mind Premiership leaders Manchester United spend.

Manchester United seem to be cruising to the title without really having to step up to first gear, however it is unlikely that Sir Alex Ferguson will field his strongest side as he will trust his young stars and reserves will have enough to defeat Crawley who have never played in a match like this before.

Crawley have money and have splashed out on expensive signings which is big for their lever with acqusitions of Sergio Torres,Richard Brodie, Matt Tubbs and willie Gibson over the last year costing a total of £595,000 which shows they mean buisness.

Crawley have a chance to cause a massive upset that will go down in FA cup history if they beat Manchester United and all eyes on Old Trafford on Saturday that are not Manchester United fans will most likely be hoping an uoset is on the cards.

Top 5 loan signings of January Transfer Window

As the dust has started to settle on what was a record breaking January transfer window, the headlines were hogged by the bank busting efforts of Chelsea's 50 million pounds Torres swoop and andy Carroll's 35 million move to Liverpool which rightfully so where the major talking points on an incredible deadline day.
   The January Transfer Window was full of many other big money moves like Darren Bent for example however as well as these big money moves there was some important signings that cost nothing at all that could turn out important over the remaing months of the season and here is five that could turn out to be important signings:

 Yakubu, Everton to Leicester:    A few seasons ago Yakubu was one of the top strikers in the Premiership. Successful spells with Portsmouth and Middlesbrough earned him a big money move to Everton and Yakubu keps his striking prowess as he continued to torment defences in the Premiership. Injuries have hampered his recent from and a loan move to Championship side Leicester doesn't sound like a good move
 but 2 goals in 3 appearences so far could lead to Yakubu finding his form and tormenting defences all over England once again.

 Adebayor, Man City to Real Madrid: Jose Mourinho has had some problems with his forwards in his quest for glory with Real Madrid and a loan signing of out of favour Manchester City striker and former Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor may not sound perfect but in Spain's recession it is looking like a wise move. Two goals already in his short time will help get the fans behind him and Adebayor has enough quality to fire Real Madrid to success.

 Obafemi Martins, Rubin Kazan- Birmingham:  Martins is a quick player who has the ability to score goals and torment defences. Birmingham are in a relegation dogfight so the loan signing of Martins could prove to be shrewd buisness by Alex Mcleish in his quest to keep Birmingham in the Premiership.Time will tell but on paper the signing of Martins could add some much needed pace and quality to the Birmingham front line which may be an advantage against their rivals.

 Stephen Ireland, Aston Villa - Newcastle: After falling out of favour at Manchester City when Mancini came to the club, Ireland was sold to Aston Villa at the start of the season as Milner went in the opposite direction. Ireland's time at Villa was short and not what he hoped for so a loan move to Newcastle could be perfect for both parties as he could help keep Newcastle up and also help get his career on the right track again.

 

Daniel Sturridge, Chelsea to Bolton: 21 year old Sturridge is a prospect for the future at Chelsea and Owen Coyle has pulled off a swoop with bringing Sturridge on loan for at least the rest of the season to help Bolton have a successful season. Two appearences so far and two goals to his name, Sturridge has began to show already why Coyle has brought him to Bolton and why Chelsea rate him so highly.