First ever all-Irish clash for a European belt

It's been confirmed that Willie "Big Bang" Casey will fight Paul Hyland for the vacant European Super-Bantamweight title in Limerick on November 6th. Casey was supposed to fight Kiko Martinez but the Spaniard was forced to pull out with a rib injury. Hyland was the number one contender so he definitely deserves his title shot and he is the current Irish champion. Casey was catapulted into the spotlight after winning the Prizefighter series on Sky Sports. He has an unblemished record of 10 wins from 10 with 6 KO's. Hyland is far more experienced with 18 wins in 19 fights but has only 5 KO's. His only loss came on points in a four round fight in The U.S.A. two years ago.
Hyland has predicted that he will win by decision and if he can avoid Casey's big punch that seems like the likely outcome. Casey is fighting in front of his home crowd which may be a slight advantage. His other advantage is that he is a southpaw and Hyland had been training for a fight with Russian champion Andrey Bogdanov who is an orthodox fighter. Two weeks is not a lot of time to prepare for an opponent with a different style. However, i still think that the experience of Hyland should see him through this.

Is the Man City train about to derail?

I think most of us have looked at Manchester City's spending with bewilderment. Obviously having a billionaire owner has it's plus points but is Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan steering the team into irreperable danger? The pressure on Mancini to keep all of his players content is unmanagable. I don't believe he has very much say in the transfer policy. If he did why would he have 6 strikers (Roque Santa Cruz, Tevez, Jo, Bellamy, Adebayor, Balotelli) at the club and still be linked with Rooney? Competition for places is fine but that's just ridiculous. Also, three of the club's player of the year winners in the last four seasons have been bundled out of the club (Richard Dunne, Stephen Ireland and Craig Bellamy). Robinho has also been shown the door after the club paid a ridiculous price of £32.5 million for a player Madrid wanted to let go.
The huge worry now is that there are so many unsettled players at the club. Shay Given, Santa Cruz, Adebayor all want to leave. Yaya Toure has said he would love to go back to Barcelona despite only signing for City during the Summer for the ridiculous fee of £24 million (considering he was a Barcelona reserve player). There have also been bad signs from Tevez with newspapers today suggesting he also wants to leave. Tevez has said that he may quit football so he can move back to Argentina to be with his family (who have not moved with him to Manchester). It's really only a matter of time before other players follow suit.
9 midfielders who could demand a starting place in most Premiership clubs spells trouble.
If more players vent their frustrations to the press, City could get a terrible name and attract only big name players in the twilight of their career looking for a big payday. City really do need to look at their squad and start spending more wisely. The results have been decent on the pitch, particularly the one nil win over Chelsea. They sit in fourth position in the league but i think they may struggle if Mancini can't appease the dressing room

2 Great pieces of football news

I said in a recent blog that Portsmouth were on the verge of going out of business. Well the good news over the weekend is that their future has been secured. They are officially out of administration after Balram Chainrai completed his takeover. Obviously previous owner Alexandre Gaydamak saw the light as he eventually signed a deal which will see him being paid over a longer period of time. Gaydamak had accussed the club of using rumours about the club's imminent demise as a negotiating tactic. If that was a tactic it worked and Portsmouth celebrated with a 2-1 win over Hull.
The second piece of great news is that Milos Krasic of Juventus was suspended for 2 games for diving. The Serb dived to win a penalty against Bologna. Thankfully the penalty was missed. After reviewing video evidence the Italian Football Federation decided that Krasic had not been touched and decided to ban him. I think everyone will agree that this sort of cheating needs to be eradicated from the game and i commend the Italian's for taking a strong stance. Unfortunately, Juventus have decided to appeal the decision which i don't think they should be able to do as the video evidence shows it was clearly a dive. Juventus should have fined the player to show that they don't tolerate cheats but perhaps i'm expecting too much.

Munroe Completely Outclassed

Rendall Munroe's dreams of a first world title win were dashed this morning in Tokyo when he was absolutely outclassed by Toshiaki Nishioka. Although Munroe dominated the centre of the ring, he was picked off easily by the "Speed King" who's classy combinations left Munroe looking awkward and slow. Munroe walked forward for the entire fight forcing the Japanese man onto the backfoot which many felt was his best chance of winning. However, Munroe didn't throw any were near enough punches and although a lot of the champion's punches were blocked early on, he was catching the eye of the judges and outworking Munroe.
I gave Munroe only one round, number 4, when it really looked like Nishioka had run out of steam. Round 5 saw Munroe in trouble with a big left hand landing to the temple. The champion absolutely dominated the remaining rounds, hammering in body shots which seriously hurt Munroe. The Englishman ended round 8 with a nasty cut under his eye. In rounds 10 and 11 Nishioka, with the fight already won on the cards, went for the knockout leaving Munroe clinging on, deperate to see out the fight. In round 12 Munroe showed real heart as he came out swinging but he ended up being hurt again as the champion landed stylish combinations with ease.
In the end the judges scored the fight 119-109 which was the correct score. Munroe should be commended for his heart and grit but it's hard to see where he can go from here. He really looked out of his depth and it may have have to be admitted that he is European class, not world class. He was horrendously outclassed here.

Portsmouth F.C. on the verge of closure

Two years ago Portsmouth beat Cardiff to win the FA Cp. Tonight the club have released a statement saying that they are on the brink of going out of business. Former owner Sacha Gaydamak has demanded a large cash payment from the club which is in administration. This, the club say will cripple them financially forcing them to close the club down. Gaydamak initially said that he would do his all to save the club's future but the club have said he has shown "complete disregard for the supporters, the club and the City of Portsmouth, who had granted him freedom of the city in 2008". The administrator, Andrew Andronikou, has suggested all is not lost just yet and is desperately trying to get Gaydamak to agree to a last minute deal.
                                                                                 Portsmouth had just begun to get on a roll in the league with 4 wins and a draw in their last 5 games. I hope for their fan's sake that they can drag themselves out of this mess. Good luck to them. Hopefully Gaydamak sees some sense and signs the deal.

Rendall Munroe v Toshiaki Nishioka

The boxing bin man Rendall Munroe finally gets his chance at a world title shot on Sunday morning in Japan. He will fight for the WBO Super-Bantamweight title against the very dangerous Toshiaki Nishioka. Munroe has only one loss in 22 fights and that was when he moved up to featherweight to fight Andy Morris in 2006. At Super-Bantamweight he's unbeaten and has held the European Super-Bantamweight title since 2007 when he beat Kiko Martinez. He faces Nishioka who has won 36 of 43 fights. A man who has beaten current IBO Featherweight champion, Jhonny Gonzalez, in Mexico in 3 rounds.
                                                                  The big problem for Rendall Munroe is his lack of power. He has only 9 KO's in his 22 fights. Compare that to 23 KO's in 36 wins for Nishioka, including 8 in his last 9 fights. However, Munroe is always in superb shape and has waited so long for this title shot that i'm sure he'll put his heart and soul into this fight. He also has a couple of hundred supporters travelling to Japan with him to cheer him on. Nishioka is a firm favourite but Munroe showed against Martinez that he can outbox big hitters. He has to prove this again. He has a chance but he has to start quicker than he usually does. I will go against the tide here and pick Munroe to win. It's on Sunday morning at 10 a.m.

Pressure on Managers-Chris Houghton

It might suprise some, but probably not Newcastle fans, that Chris Houghton is the second favourite manager to be sacked after Roy Hodgson. Now Roy Hodgson i think we can all agree, is out of his depth at Liverpool. The team is second from bottom with one win in eight games. Also, Liverpool is a team expected to challenge for Silverware.
So what of Newcastle? Well, they've just been promoted after winning the Championship comfortably under the guidance of Houghton. They lie 16th in the Premier League with two wins from 8 games. One win could send them as high as 7th in the league. They've been very hit and miss, with a 6-0 win over Aston Villa and 2-0 loss to Blackpool summing that up. Two of their 4 losses have come against Man City and Man United, teams expected to challenge for the title. So are Newcastle fans expecting too much from this team and their manager? I think so. The Newcastle side that was relegated was far better than this one. Players like Shea Given, Michael Owen, Damien Duff, Mark Viduka and Obafemi Martins have all left since then. Nobody has really come in to replace them. The loss of Hatem Ben Arfa who was on loan is unfortunate but honestly, Premiership survival is all that this squad can hope for.
The off-field problems of star striker Andy Carroll are also doing no favours for the manager.
Unless there is significant investment, and lets face it under current owner Mike Ashley that's not going to happen, this team will struggle. They are essentially a Championship team. The beacon of hope they have is that there are so many poor teams in the Premiership this season, they may just survive. How there is any calls for Houghton's head is beyond me. Who will replace him and what could they achieve with such a limited squad? One win at home is not good enough and that is certainly were they could improve but does this show the pressure on the players from an over-expectant home support? The next two weeks could be vitally important with West Ham away and Sunderland at home. Hopefully Houghton gets the time he deserves for bringing them back up to the Premiership.

Klitschko v Chisora. A disaster waiting to happen.

It was announced today that Wladimir Klitschko will fight Derek Chisora for the IBF, IBO, and WBO heavyweight world titles on the 11th of December in Germany. Klitschko has 55 wins in 58 fights with 49 KO's. Chisora has 14 wins in 14 with 9 KO's. Chisora has been British champion for 5 months. Klitschko has been heavyweight champion of the world since April 2006. How in the hell does anyone think that this is a good matchup? Only a week after Vitali Klitschko put Shannon Briggs, a former heavyweight champ, in intensive care with serious injuries, Frank Warren decides it's a great idea to put an inexperienced boxer in the ring with a man with 49 KO's against world quality heavyweights. This seems ludicrous to me and if anything happens to Chisora serious questions should be asked of Warren.
David Haye who has 25 fights behind him is running scared of Klitschko, surely that should be a warning sign. The fact that Klitschko has knocked out 4 former world champions in his last four fights should be a warning.
Does Chisora have any chance? I seriously doubt it. He may be a talented boxer but he should be at least ten fights away from this opportunity. Klitschko may have a dodgy chin but he has developed a style to protect that and I really do fear that he could seriously injure Chisora.

Are Manchester United in decline?

Wayne Rooney has revealed that the reason he wants to quit is because the club doesn't share his ambitions and that he wants to win more trophies. He also feels that they are struggling to attract top players to the club? Well, it is very difficult to disagree with Rooney. United's squad is the worst it's been in a long time. Even if you look back at the 1999 Champion's League winning team, it's much stronger than this current team. The central midfield of United is of mid-table quality (with the exception of Paul Scholes). Carrick, Anderson and Gibson would struggle to get into the Newcastle team. Berbatov, Hernandez, Bebe and Macheda are certainly not a feared strike force and Van der Sar is almost 40 and starting to make ridiculous blunders.
In the last few years they have attracted nobody of great quality with Berbatov (19 goals in 53 appearances) the last big signing in 2008. They've lost Ronaldo, Van Nistelrooy, Carlos Tevez and the fact that Roy Keane hasn't been replaced despite leaving in 2005 points to big problems. You would have to wonder how much the Glazer debts has influenced this lack of spending. Despite this, the fact that Manchester City (if Rooney decides to go there) are throwing money at players does not point to success. Mancini needs to do the balancing act of his life to keep all of his players happy. There have already been rumblings with Tevez behind the scenes. Everyone is immediately pointing at a Rooney-Tevez strikeforce. What about Balotelli, Santa Cruz, Adebayor and Jo? I don't think Rooney will stroll into that team and the possibility of City self destructing is massive. So the grass may not be greener, the money may be.
It must be a worry for United fans that star players continue to leave with the arrival of no one. Ferguson's assertion that it's a young squad with great potential is not as realistic as Arsene Wenger's. A horrendous game against Bursaspor and a 2-2 draw at West Brom, both at home, seem to point to cracks in this team. Is it possible to find a world class player in United's team without Rooney? No!

On a seperate note, it's great to see Robbie Fowler still has his sense of humour. He jokingly told Sky Sports that he has convinced Rooney to join Perth Glory. Good to see some players don't take themselves so seriously. Fair play Robbie

Rooney to Leave!

Obviously in a blatant attempt to prove me wrong after reading my blog, Wayne Rooney has said that he wants to leave Manchester United. In a very open interview, an obviously emotional Alex Ferguson, revealed that the player had told him that he would not sign a new contract and wanted out of the club. Ferguson said that he was at a loss to explain the reasons behind Rooney's decision.
This has obviously left a few clubs around the world on high alert. Will Barcelona and Real Madrid overturn their inital statements that said they would not be in the transfer market in January? Would Manchester United sell Rooney to Premiership rivals with Chelsea and Manchester City already poised to make offers? Another option is Inter Milan who only this week said that they may make a move for Lionel Messi. Rooney's value will certainly have dropped in the wake of the scandals surrounding his private life, his public spat with Ferguson and he only has 18 months on his contract.  Could United be prepared to swap him? Considering United's financial problems and their desperate need to replace Rooney with a world class striker, this could be a big possibility.

Next Liverpool Manager?

After the insipid display against Everton in the Merseyside derby, even the most loyal Roy Hodgson supporter must feel it is only a matter of time before the axe falls on him. The worrying thing for Liverppol fans is the lack of character and heart shown by their team. Everton were incredibly comfortable and really should have made the scoreline worse for Liverpool in the last fifteen minutes. Torres doesn't want to be there and Gerrard looks the most frustrated figure in football. Joe Cole has had a disastrous start to his Liverpool career and was terrible on Sunday. So has Hodgson lost the dressing room? I believe he has. Many of the players will see him as a carry over from the Hicks and Gillette regime and i would be very suprised if he were still manager if they don't win their next game at Blackburn.
So who will replace him? Well, the bookies last night slashed the odds on Frank Rijkaard becoming the new Liverpool manager and he his now favourite ahead of Kenny Dalglish. This was due to media reports that he had quit Galatasaray. It actually seems in the cold light of day that he may have been sacked from that post and a look at his managerial record at Galatasaray shows that he may not be the saviour Liverpool are seeking. A third place finish last season and a 4-2 loss at the weekend leaving them in 9th position doesn't leave Frank in the strongest positions despite his previous record at a wonderfully talented Barcelona team. How about King Kenny Dalglish? He hasn't managed in ten years when he led Celtic to second place int SPL. I feel it would end in the same manner as Alan Shearer's short lived managerial career as Newcastle manager. He has been out of the loop for too long and a disastrous reign would tarnish his glittering reputation at Liverpool. Martin O'Neil's name is always thrown into the hat if a job is up for grabs and this time it's no different. He's currently unemployed and enjoys a glowing reputation in Britain. I don't think he should. His record at Villa, despite what some may lead you to believe, was poor. He had an awful lot of money to spend and delivered nothing. Two european places, only to blow them in the qualifying rounds is not good enough. He also left the club in the mire when he quit days before the season started. He seems like a difficult character to work for judging by the reports still coming from Villa and he may not be the man to get the best out of Gerrard and Torres.
There are a few managers being mentioned who could lead Liverpool back to glory. There are the two Dutch masters Guus Hiddink and Louis Van Gaal but a name not spoken about a lot is Ottmar Hitzfeld. He has won 18 major trophies including the Champions League twice and the Bundesliga 7 times. He now manages Switzerland who i'm sure Liverpool's new owners could agree a compensation package with. I think Liverpool fans should let Dalglish enjoy his retirement and champion a guy who has a proven record in pressure cooker situations.

Rooney to leave in January?

The headlines scream "World Exclusive: Wayne Rooney to be sold in January", but how much is this "insider" story by the Daily Mirror sensationalist speculation. Obviously, we know that Rooney is at logger-heads with Alex Ferguson. The Manchester United manager claimed that Rooney had an ankle injury, leaving him unavailable for key matches. Rooney, for reasons only known to himself, has publicly denied this, leaving Ferguson looking very foolish. Rooney's form this season has been atrocious. He failed to score at the World Cup, a tournament at which he was tipped to star, and has scored only once for United this season. His private life has been splashed across the front pages of the papers with reports of romps with hookers, and sponsorship losses dominating headlines.
However, does this all point to a January exit? Not in my opinion. The idea that United will look for the relatively small fee of £50 million is ludicrous. United's aging squad cannot be bolstered with that sum. They do not have the replacements within the team, with young lads like Welbeck and Hernandez untested and Berbatov still very much hit and miss. Real Madrid and Barcelona have said they will not buy in January. That leaves Manchester City and Chelsea with that kind of money and there is absolutely no chance that Ferguson will sell to his two biggest rivals. Also, Rooney scored 26 goals in 32 Premier League games last season. He may be going through the worst spell of his career but Ferguson knows that he is a proven goalscorer in the Premiership. He could splash out on Fernando LLorente from Bilbao or Benzema of Madrid but neither are proven goalscorers at the highest level with Benzema in particular being considered a failure at Madrid (9 goals in 33 games). I cannot see United parting with Rooney in January whatsoever. In summer, if they were offered 80-90 million and Rooney hasn't regained his form, there is a small possibility he will be allowed to leave to go abroad.

Barca turn on the class

We had to wait for the second half, but Barcelona eventually turned in a performance worthy of champions tonight. Valencia topped the league before the game and they attacked Barcelona in the first half and really drove the hosts onto the back foot. They got their just rewards in the 38th minute when a lovely flowing move was finished by Pablo Henandez with a little help from a slight deflection off Keita. Barcelona were poor and created very little but the half time team talk seemed to do the trick. A minute after the restart, Iniesta put Barcelona on level terms after a sublime through ball from Xavi. The game had completely changed and Valencia struggled to get even a touch of the ball as Barca created chance after chance. In the 63rd minute, Captain Carles Puyol got onto the end of a Xavi cross to direct a bullet header passed Cesar Sanchez in the Valencia goal. Barcelona had a number of great chances to finish the game with David Villa particularly being guilty of over-playing. Messi had a goal rightly dissallowed for offside and Barca comfortably closed out the game.