A new era at Ibrox

It has been a whirlwind few months for the blue side of Glasgow.

Craig Whyte’s takeover, a third successive league title, Walter Smith leaving and Ally McCoist taking over. There has been a lot to take in for the fans but they are not complaining!

Craig Whyte’s takeover seems to have ended years of financial uncertainty at Ibrox. With the bank in control money was tight as Rangers were repaying debts but now there is hope that the club will steer clear of financial troubles and stop having to keep the wallet closed. Whyte has promised to clear the debt and finance Ally McCoist so the future seems bright.

Walter Smith’s left Ibrox with another league title and as one of the clubs most successful managers and has handed the reigns to his assistant and Rangers legend Ally McCoist.

McCoist will have money to spend and the small squad he has needs at least five additions. Two central defenders, a central midfielder, a wide midfielder and a striker.

The Rangers defence needs some new faces. Club captain David Weir is 41 and if he does sign a contract it will likely only be short term and McCoist will be looking to find a defence he can base his team on. Madjid Bougherra will not be part of that defence.

If the rumours are true Bougherra wants away from Ibrox then McCoist should let him go. His replacement will be top of McCoist’s spending list. Danny Wilson or Kyle Bartley returning on loan would be a good short term signing but full time signings should be the priority.

The rumours about Carlos Cuellar are a promising start as Cuellar was key when first at the club and led them to the 2008 UEFA cup final. His return would be a crowd pleasing move.

 The midfield  needs a few additions urgently. A wide player is needed. Steven Naismith and Greig Wylde have done great but cover is needed or a winger to start as Wylde is still young so should not be under pressure and Naismith was originally a striker. 

Steven Davis in the centre of the midfield is one of the key players in the Rangers team. He needs a central midfielder to help him out as Maurice Edu and Lee Mculloch don’t seem to work with him and when Davis is not in the team Rangers are not the same.

As the season finished Kyle Lafferty and Nikica Jelavic were on fire. Jelavic has been great for Rangers since he signed and is paying back his heavy price tag of four million pounds.

Lafferty has had three up and down seasons for Rangers. When on form he has been great but at times his stupid actions have held him back. A striker to cover these two would be beneficial to Rangers as they lack cover up front. The rumours of David Goodwillie signing would be good news for Rangers as he is a talented player and McCoist is a known long time admirer of him.

McCoist could not have taken over at a better time at Ibrox. New owner, money to spend, McCoist and his familiar coaching team will have more at their disposal than Walter Smith had and if their results are the same then the Rangers fans will be very happy and it will lead to McCoist to be a successful manager as well as player.

Is this the Premiership Title decider ?

This Sunday Manchester United host Chelsea at Old Trafford and what is usually a big game has everything at stake for both clubs regarding the outcome of the Premiership title.

Manchester United lead the Premiership by three points which is crazy compared to the eleven point lead Manchester United had over Chelsea on the ninth of April.

Chelsea have been on blistering form in the past few months since defeating Manchester United 2-1 at Stamford Bridge while Manchester United have struggled at times , stuttering and only just grasping the advantage in the title race.

Manchester United fell at the hands of Arsenal last Sunday while Chelsea overcame Tottenham 2-1 at Stamford Bridge. This will give Chelsea the advantage in terms of form in the league however Manchester United have just qualified for the Champions League final at Wembley this year where they will face Barcelona and this could lead to confidence from Sir Alex Ferguson’s men.

Manchester United are chasing a historic double. If Manchester United win the Champions League(which they knocked Chelsea out of this season), it will be their fourth European Cup with three under Ferguson and the League which will hold even more prestige would be their eleventh under Ferguson but more importantly a record breaking nineteenth league title which would beat Liverpool’s record. These incentives help build belief that Manchester United have the edge and experience under Ferguson to win this match and a win would almost guarantee the historic nineteenth title.

Chelsea however have no other chance of silverware after crashing out of the other domestic and European cups. Carlo Ancelotti was on a shaky peg job wise a few short months ago. Fernando Torres’ lack of form or goals since his 50 million transfer in January has also put Ancelotti under a pressure as he just can’t drop a 50 million pounds striker and has had to try and help Torres out but Torres has still only returned a single goal and is being substituded regularly as he struggles.

A win at Old Trafford and a second Premiership title in a row however would surely change Ancelotti’s job safety. Two in a row would leave Ancelotti sighing with relief after a rollercoaster season.

After this clash both sides will have two games left. If Manchester United win they will be six points clear. If Chelsea win they will be top on goal difference.

With so much counting on this game would it surprise anybody if it ended up a boring 0-0 draw? I didn’t think so.

The Crazy World of Mario Balotelli by Calvin Berry

Since coming to England Mario Balotelli has managed to go from problem to problem.

It was not a new thing for Balotelli as his time with Inter Milan was full of problems as well. Even the “Special One” Jose Mourinho could not control him.

Roberto Mancini who had coached Balotelli before Mourinho at Inter decided that Balotelli could help Manchester City to glory.

Since then Balotelli has been a mixed bag.  At times he has been great and there is no question that he has the quality to succeed if he keeps his head but more often or not he will lose his head. That is where the problems begin.

Soon after his arrival he began to hit the headlines with his off field antics with girls and antics like crashing his Audi and escaping unscathed. He also became an internet sensation recently when a video of him having trouble to put on a bib being watched over and over on the World Wide Web.

His antics did not just stop off the field, they spilled on to the football field  and he has picked up a few stupid Red cards. The red card he received in the Europa League against Dynamo Kiev for a karate kick on an opponent was crazy and these problems have led to his skill being overshadowed by his stupid antics.

After the FA Cup semi final Manchester derby he was at it again causing trouble. He celebrated Manchester City’s victory in front of the Manchester United fans and this led to a heated clash between Balotelli and Manchester United’s Rio Ferdinand which threatened to overshadow City’s win for a little while.

Manchester City are having a successful season.. They are in a great position to win the FA cup and finish in the top four of the Premiership which would lead to City gracing the Champions League for the first time and Balotelli could still prove to be important for the rest of the season.

The problem is that he has to calm down and keep his cool. Too often does he descend into red mist and this could lead to him leaving City as continues to cause trouble.

Balotelli is only twenty one so he has time on his side to overcome his problems and if he can keep his head then he could go on to become a star for City and help lead them to glory in England and Europe as City continue to throw money at players and clubs as there onslaught for success continues.

Time will tell if Balotelli will calm down and the only thing for sure is the fact that no matter what Mario Balotelli will continue to hog the headlines. Whether it is the back pages or front pages is up to him.

Champions League Predictions

The UEFA Champions League has reached the Quarter Finals stage and the draw has made some cracking ties for Football fans to enjoy.

Here are predictions for the Quarter Finals matches.

Inter Milan vs Schalke 04:

Inter Milan will go into the first leg of on the back of a crushing 3-0 defeat at the hands of rivals AC Milan and Leonardo will hope they can bounce back quickly and that may lead to a completely different Inter taking the field against Schalke.

Inter look to have too much for Schalke over two legs however Schalke are a good side and with the experienced Raul who loves scoring in the Champions League leading the attacking line, don't expect Schalke to be pushovers.

I reckon Inter will have too much over two legs but Schalke will push them close.

1st leg: Inter, 2 Schalke  0

2nd leg: Schalke 1 Inter 1

Aggregat score: Inter (3) Schalke (1)

Real Madrid vs Tottenham:

After a surprise home defeat on Saturday which was coach Jose Mourinho's first home defeat in nine years, Real Madrid will come out fighting against Spurs and will be boosted by the news that Ronaldo is likely to feature in the first leg.

Spurs have been very impressive in their first ever Champions League appearence and they will hope to spring an upset like they did to AC Milan in the round before and they too will be boosted by the news that Gareth Bale is fit to play as he has been so important for them this season.

Real Madrid however, look too much for Tottenham but Tottenham will give their all in what will be an exciting tie.

1st leg: Real 3 Tottenham 0

2nd leg:Tottenham 2 Real 1

Aggregate score: Real (4) Tottenham (2)

Barcelona vs Shaktar Donetsk:

Barcelona have looked unbeatable at times this season and with Lionel Messi and company on blistering form , not many will give Shaktar a chance but the facts show Shaktar will put up a fight.

They have a higher win ratio in this seasons competition ,87.5 per cent to Barca's 62.5 per cent and have scored 18 goals in the competition, the same amount of goals as the high flying Barcelona and an incredible home record to match, Lucescu's side will certainly put up a fight.

Barcelona look unstoppable and i think a victory by a few goals in the first leg at the Nou Camp should kill off the tie with a draw in the return leg.

1st leg: Barcelona 2 Shaktar 0

2nd leg: Shaktar 1 Barcelona 1

Aggregate Score: Barcelona (3) Shaktar (1)

Chelsea vs Manchester United:

The English media will be drooling over this tie as two of "the big four" go head to head in what looks like an exciting tie.

Chelsea will be looking to avenge their 2008 final defeat on penalties to Manchester United by putting them out of this years competition and the Champions League looks like Chelsea's only realistic chance of winning silverware and they are hoping Didier Drogba, Nicholas Anelka and the misfiring Fernando Torres will start to click and the two that start the ties will put United to the sword.

Premiership leaders Manchester United will go into the tie slight favourites with Wayne Rooney getting back to his best form and if they can hold off Chelsea at Stamford Bridge they will fancy their chances of victory at Old Trafford.

I reckon Chelsea may sneak this tie over two legs with a victory on aggregate or by one goal.

1st leg: Chelsea  2 Man United 1
2nd leg: Man United 1 Chelsea 1
Aggregate: Chelsea (3) Man United (2)

Should standing areas return to British Football?

Could safe standing areas be reintroduced to British football soon?

If the Football Supporters Federation (FSF) have their way then the answer will be yes.

At the end of March the FSF launched a campaign to bring in safe standing areas to football grounds and the move has been backed by a large number of football fans who see the campaign as welcome move in bringing back an atmosphere to football stadiums.

There are many teams in the lower leagues of football in Britain who still have standing areas and the amateur and junior leagues have terraces as well with no problems so there is evidence to show no problems would be created if safe standing areas are reintroduced.

German football has incorporated safe standing areas successfully which has led to bigger crowds at the games and the FSF claim that following the lead set by the German leagues, a more enjoyable experience at football games would be created.

Many people claim that all seated stadiums have ruined the atmosphere at football games and when some fans try to stand up and sing their support for their team they are singled out as troublemakers and advised to sit down.

This would not happen if areas are created so fans are able to stand for the whole game if they like and sing away while the fans who want to sit down can sit in the seated areas of the ground. The FSF believe this would be ideal for all football supporters.

However, the campaign could be over before it gains any momentum.

The 22nd anniversary of the Hillsborough Disaster is this month and the 96 people who tragically lost their lives will never be forgotten. The disaster paved the way for a radical overhaul of British stadiums to make sure they were changed to be all seated stadiums to avoid any further fatalities.

Any move to bring back terracing would be met with the response that another disaster could happen which would be the main stumbling block if the FSF try to push the campaign.

Another would be the statistics on women and family attendance of football games.

Women make up 20 per cent of the English Premiership alones attendance with many more woman supporting their teams up and down Britain. This is double the number of women who attended football in the 90s.

Children at the football has also increased as the football grounds have become more hospitable and family friendly.

 The main reason for the higher attendance from women and kids however is safety as grounds are much safer than they were in the 80s and early 90s are there are strict rules and regulations to ensure the safety of the supporters.

The debate will go on if safe standing areas should be introduced however, unless the FSF can prove that there is no chance of another Hillsborough , safe standing areas in football grounds will stay as only a debate heard in the local pub or stadiums up and down Britain.

David Weir shows Doubters he still has much to offer

The 2011 Co Operative Insurance final brought joy to the blue half of Glasgow as it has done to more than any other club. Yesterday however the trophy was lifted by maybe someone who deserved to lift the trophy more than anybody else after the hassle he has been receiving.

That man is Rangers Captain David Weir.

Approaching his 41^st birthday this May David Weir has done in his career that some may not have managed in two yet as he captains Rangers in their quest for their third title in a row , he would have been forgiven for thinking that he should have retired at the end of last season.

This season has had many positives for Weir but the last few months have called his role at Rangers into doubt with many unfairly writing him off as “past it.”

Outpaced and outplayed by Gary Hooper in Rangers’ 3-0 demise at Parkhead in the league at the end of February, Weir was the victim of criticism from many who claimed Weir should be dropped and recent games like the Europa League ties against PSV and Sporting Lisbon have seen Weir taken off when Rangers have been going for it which looked as if Weir may be dropped with Kyle Bartley impressing more and more each time he plays.

If a 24 year old has a bad game he is off form but because Weir is 40, his bad game at Parkhead was seen as the end of his career.

Walter Smith has stuck by his Captain and with Bartley ruled out of final many would have been worried about Weir being made vulnerable. Walter Smith was not one of these doubters.

David Weir finished the Cup Final as one of the best players on the park with the on form Gary Hooper in his backpocket and he finished the 90 minutes plus 30 minutes extra time looking like one of the youngest players on the park with a great performance which should cast doubt in the minds of people who say David Weir is too old to play for Rangers.

If this happens to be Weir’s last season as a Rangers player then he can leave Ibrox with his head held high no matter what the outcome is of the season after being a great servant and captain for Rangers. If Rangers do win a third successive title then David weir will have the last laugh over all the doubters and yesterday was a little victory on its own for Weir who will have had a laugh to himself when he got home and went to bed that night.

Age is only a number.

Toure not the first case of failing Drugs test.

As Kolo Toure serves his suspension after failing a drugs test, Toure joins the list of famous Footballers who have failed drug tests.

Medication has been blamed as Toure tries to prove his innocence but others have not been so adamant of their innocence:

Here is a few other examples of players who have failed drugs tests:

Diego Maradona:

One of the greatest players of all time had many ups and downs in his career. One major one was in the 1994 World cup where after only two games Maradona was sent home for failing a drug test for Ephedrine doping.

Adrian Mutu:

Adrian Mutu's career at Chelsea was terminated in 2004 after he failed a drugs test was fined and ordered to pay Chelsea for his misconduct. Legal battles have been on and off for years and Mutu who is now at Fiorentina is supposed to pay Chelsea 17 million euros which he is expected to challenge again.

Simon Mensing

Not as high profile but a recent stroy. Simon Mensing has just returned from a month long ban for failing a drugs test.Mensing was banned for a month positive  for testing for a banned substance methylhexaneamine.  He missed five games for Hamilton in total. Mensing revealed that the substance was in a dietary supplement he had purchased of the high street and he had taken advise before taking and believed there to be no banned substances in it. Hamilton and Mensing only revealed details of the ban after it had been served. He was banned between the 29th of January and the 28th of February 2011 and as soon as his ban was finished the player and his club came out blasting the way drugtests are handled.

As these examples show Toure is the latest in a line of failed tests but he will likely not be the last.

Where does the FA draw the line?

The FA cup has produced many magical moments over the years but Aston Villa's tonight was not one of them.

Beaten 3-0 by a rampant Manchester City does not sound terrible but when you look at the team selection you can do nothing but scratch your head.

Making eight changes to your side when going to face a clubin the FA cup  who are sitting comfortably in top four is a crazy idea. Gerard Houllier has shown that next weeks game against Bolton and survival in the Premiership is more important than winning a trophy this season.

A disappointing Villa season could have ended with some success if they had wnet for the Cup and won it but changes were made. Will the FA fine Houllier and Villa for his team selection? I very much doubt it.

The FA don't see dropping players for cup games as a problem however somehow changing your team around in the league is supposedly different. Just ask Wolves and Blackpool.

Wolves were fined last season over team selection and this season Blackpool were fined for making ten changes to their team for a league match against Villa they narrowly lost.

Ian Holloway and Blackpool were furious that they had been fined and you can see why. Why do the FA make you pick a 23 man squad if you are not allowed to use the players you have picked without scrutiny?

The FA will not charge Aston Villa as changing your team in the cup seems to be ok as teams like Arsenal and Manchester United do it every year against lower teams. The problem will lie with Houllier who is receiving severe criticism from his teams fans whoare angry that mid table is the aim instead of winning a cup as well as.

Houllier might not last much longer than the end of this season if the fans get their way.

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.