Celtic 0-3 Juventus

Celtic 0-3 Juventus

Juventus showed their class and took a step closer to the quarter final of the Champions League with a hard-fought win at Celtic Park.

It was Celtic who dominated much of the possession, but in the end mistakes were a key factor for the Scottish champions. An early Alessandro Matri goal started the tie, before Claudio Marchisio and Mirko Vucinic put the game beyond doubt.

Juventus were ahead inside four minutes, when Efe Ambrose misjudged a long ball over the top, allowing Matri to poke the ball under the legs of Fraser Forster. Replays showed his shot had crossed the line before being cleared, but Marchisio was lurking to smash the ball home from six yards just in case.

Celtic began to exert some pressure on their opponents in the following exchanges, Victor Wanyana forcing Buffon into a save and Kris Commons firing a shot over the bar with a first-time effort in the 15^th minute.

In the second half, it was still Celtic who looked the more likely to score. Ambrose, who only returned home from the African Cup of Nations less than 24 hours before kick-off, could have made amends for his early mistake, but couldn’t direct his header past Buffon.

Completely against the run of play, the away side put the game beyond doubt in the 77^th minute. Marchisio picked the ball up deep into the Celtic half, before turning inside Celtic captain Scott Brown and firing home.

Tired legs and tired minds proved costly for Celtic, and despite their hard work they conceded a third. Another mistake from Ambrose gave Vucinic the chance to get on the score sheet. He showed the Scots how to do it, and slotted the ball in with ease.

 

Ben Nagle

We're a Lucky Bunch...

We’re a lucky bunch, us Crystal Palace fans. Chairmen that run the club in the way it should be run, players that wear the shirt with pride and fight for every point, a manager so uncontrollably passionate to lead his team. But do we take it all for granted?

I’ve just come off air, from Holmesdale Radio. We do the show week in, week out to a dedicated bunch of Crystal Palace fans. Sometimes we’re lucky to speak to a special guest - and trust me, some have been special. Today was one of those times.

We interviewed Steve Parish on the show, who coincidentally was calling us live from Australia. At 7am. A chairman of a major football club happy to set his alarm on his holiday to talk to a bunch of amateurs on Skype about football. Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it?

He gave us 50 minutes of his time, to answer questions from us, and from you. Questions from Twitter, about things he didn’t need to talk about. We had a record number of listeners, pretty much double our previous best.

He spoke about Wilfried Zaha and his multi-million pound move to Manchester United. He spoke about the stadium, and what he plans to do with the money he’s just made. He spoke about the academy, and how much it helps this football club.

He also spoke about Twitter. Now, this is a subject fraught with disagreement. Should he be on there, answering questions from fans? Is he too open? Yes he should, is the answer. The openness and access we as fans get to the owners of our club is undisputed, you can’t get it anywhere else.

But, like always, there are a few that spoil the party. Before we went on air, we chatted briefly to Steve about the social media site. He told us that he’s toying with the idea of quitting, leaving Twitter for good. There are some, he says, who take it too far.

He likes banter, and good-natured arguments, as you can see from his constant replies and jokes with fans. He’s been warned, though. 

“Me, Neil (Ashton) and Mark (Bright) were speaking about it, and they told me that I’m too willing to chat to people on there. I am open about who I am, but people hide behind usernames and say things - they could be anyone.”

It’s a problem that most high-profile people face - Gary Lineker has recently quit (and re-joined, admittedly), but many others have followed suit in a permanent fashion. Palace fans need to be aware before they tweet, aware that what they say could influence a decision that nobody wants.

Besides, why are people abusing him anyway? I don’t understand it. Maybe I’m missing something, but aren’t we the most financially-stable we’ve been in a long time? Aren’t we fourth in a notoriously difficult league? Haven’t we just made a potentially £20 million profit on a player? Haven’t we got a fantastic manager that none of us could have dreamed of getting? We’re in the best place we could be.

But still there’s conspiracy theorists. People claiming that Parish and co. aren’t what they seem? It’s ridiculous. We need to sort this out, stop abusing a man who has worked wonders and saved this club from definite liquidation.

Think before you tweet, please. You won’t know what you’re missing until it’s gone.

The Holmesdale Radio podcast with Steve Parish is available here (http://bit.ly/WhO9vB ) or via iTunes (www.holradio.net/itunes) 

Thanks for reading,

Ben.

Capital One Cup Preview - Reading vs Arsenal

ARSENAL MANAGER Arsene Wenger is expected to field a young side at the Madejski Stadium tonight, as his team face Premier League new boys Reading in the Capital One Cup fourth round.

Wenger last week listed the competition as his fifth priority in a list of five, but sticks by his comments and insists that playing an inexperienced team is not a bad thing.

“The Capital One Cup comes in a period where you have to make a decision sometimes, as it is a time when we also have the league and the Champions League.

“We have always played with a younger side (in this competition) and our record shows we have always been focused every time we play.”

Meanwhile, Reading, who are without a league win this season, will be looking to beat Arsenal for the first time ever. Boss Brian McDermott isn’t worried about their form though:

“It’s positive that we’ve been ahead four times and we’re scoring goals – we just need to finish off games like we have done over the last two or three years.”

McDermott began his playing career at Arsenal in the late 1970s, and was quick to praise the club that served him so well:

“I was lucky to be brought up at a fantastic club like Arsenal. The word I use is ‘class’ – the way they conduct themselves and go about their business.”

Despite his kind words, there is only one thing on the Reading manager’s mind:

“Arsenal are my old club so I’ve obviously got a lot of respect for them. But we’re trying to win the game and it’s all I’m thinking of.”

(Reading vs Arsenal is live on Sky Sports 2 tonight, 7.45 kick off) 

Ben Nagle

Dougie Who? - The Crystal Palace Candidates.

IT'S BEEN AN eventful week to say the least for Crystal Palace fans. Last Saturday, we came away from Selhurst Park with a point against local rivals Millwall, propelling us to 4th in the league and taking our unbeaten run to nine games.

We haven't lost since a 4-1 away defeat to League One side Preston North End on August 28th, and we've won four of our last five away games. That said, things looked good.

And then Dougie Freedman left to go to Bolton Wanderers. For a brief moment, things looked a lot bleaker than they had previously, and everything was up in the air. Rumours circulated about whose fault it was, and why he'd want to leave for a club 12 places lower than us in the league.

Today's 2-1 away win at league leaders Leicester City have changed the mindsets again, and a whirlwind week ends on a high. We as fans have seven days rest now, until Blackburn Rovers are the visitors to Selhurst on Saturday. For the owners though, the week is far from empty.

A new manager has to be found, and this blog post will look at the candidates tipped by the bookies, to see who's best for the job.

There's been a few main names at the top of the pecking order, and the first of which is Karl Robinson.

Karl Robinson - 7/4

At the time of writing, SkyBet have the current MK Dons manager Karl Robinson as the clear favourite. He's at 7/4, and fits Steve Parish's mould perfectly. 'Young, hungry and enthusiastic' are what the board wants, and he has those in abundance.

Born in Liverpool, his playing career didn't ever hit the high notes, with Karl plying his trade in the lower, semi-professional leagues. It is as a manager that he's made his name, starting at Liverpool's academy before coaching at Blackburn and then MK Dons, as Paul Ince's assistant.

When he became the permanent manager at MK Dons, he was the youngest in the Football League at the age of 29. 32 years of age now, his win percentage at the Dons is 46%. Coming to Palace would be a step up, for sure, but would Robinson leave stability at MK Dons - especially when they're tipped for promotion themselves?

I see him as the same kind of manager as Dougie Freedman was - both young, both striving for success. Dougie Freedman left his job half done, will Karl Robinson do the same?

Michael Appleton - 3/1

Another young manager who fits the bill, current Portsmouth manager Michal Appleton has come completely out of the blue in the last 24 hours. He has shot up to 3/1 with bookies BetVictor, but is a relatively unproven manager.

His playing career began at Manchester United, before moving around the lower leagues at Lincoln, Grimsby and Preston. He switched to West Brom in 2001, where he played for two years before a knee injury prematurely ended his playing career. It was at the Baggies that he stayed though, coaching various academy sides for a number of years, until he eventually worked his way up to first-team coach.

He was Roberto Di Matteo's assistant for two years, until the Italian was sacked in 2011. This proved to be Appleton's big break, as he was made caretaker manager until Roy Hodgson took charge shortly after. Portsmouth came calling in November 2011, evidently impressed with his work at West Brom in the years previously. It is at the south-coast club that he currently resides, and the job hasn't been easy.

Portsmouth have been faced with various high-profile money problems, and Appleton would have a much more stable job if he were to make the move to Selhurst. At 36 years of age, Appleton has high hopes for his managerial career, especially as his playing career was cut so short due to injury. The CPFC job is a league higher, and will give him a chance to take a team to the Premier League.

Steve Coppell - 7/2

He was always going to pop up, wasn't he? A bonafide Palace legend, who's already managed the club on four occasions. As a player, Coppell was predominantly a Manchester United winger, making 322 appearances for the Old Trafford club.

In management, Selhurst Park was his first destination. Much like Karl Robinson at MK Dons, he was 28 when he began. He held the position at Palace until 1993, winning promotion in 1989, and taking us to the FA Cup final in 1990. He resigned after relegation in '93, before rejoining two years later in the Director of Football role that he currently resides in at Crawley Town.

Two more spells followed, and Coppell has cemented himself in Palace legend. The worrying thing with Steve is that we've already damaged one club legend's reputation with the departure of Freedman - would this turn into another stake in a Palace fan's heart?

It's worth noting that even if he doesn't come in as manager, it's likely that he'll be at the club in some capacity - perhaps the Director of Football role that he currently holds at Crawley. What's certain is that Palace is in his blood, and that he has bags of experience that wouldn't do any harm at all.

Sean Dyche 6/1

A relative outsider for the majority of the week, Sean Dyche is rumoured to be in talks with Burnley to take over at Turf Moor. He was spotted in the hospitality seats at their game at the weekend, and a shock would be on the cards if he were to u-turn south.

That said, he wouldn't be a bad appointment. Yet another young manager at the age of 41, he was relatively successful at his only managerial job so far, at Watford. His sacking was harsh, his only fault seemingly is that he didn't fit with the Pozzo's plan when they took over at Vicarage Road. In his only season at the club, they finished in 11th place - higher than most had predicted, and the team's best position since 2007/8.

Mick McCarthy - 9/1

Favourite for much of the week, McCarthy has now dropped to 9/1 at SkyBet. Undoubtedly a very good and experienced manager, the only worry for Palace fans is the style of football that would be applied. He started his managerial career at Millwall, where he stayed for four years. He resigned after speculation over the vacant Republic of Ireland job in 1996, leaving the Lions 16 points clear of the relegation zone. Despite this, Millwall only survived by virtue of goals scored that season, many of the club's fans citing McCarthy's departure as the reason for their demise.

McCarthy then went on to a successful spell in charge of his national side, the Republic of Ireland. He was in the hot-seat for six years, the most notable time of which was 2002, and the World Cup in Korea and Japan. To even qualify was a surprise, but he took the team to a penalty shoot-out in the Second Round (in a match that they had already missed and scored a penalty in normal time) against Spain, in which they got knocked out.

Pressure on him increased in 2002 after a poor start to their Euro 2004 qualifying campaign, and McCarthy resigned from the role in November.

Sunderland was next on the agenda. Near-certain relegation was on the cards upon his arrival, which he was unable to turn around, but the season following their departure of the Premier League McCarthy took them to the play-offs to potentially take them straight back up.

Most Palace fans will remember what followed, as the Eagles dumped the Black Cats out in the semi-finals before beating West Ham at Cardiff to secure promotion to the top-flight.
The season following this, Mick McCarthy did what he couldn't the previous year, and took Sunderland to the Premier League as champions.

His most recent, and longest spell, at a football club was at Wolverhampton Wanderers, in which he amassed 104 wins in 270 games. In the 2008/9 season, his side topped the Championship table for 42 of the 46 games, and McCarthy was crowned Manager of the Season, taking his side to the lofty heights of the Premier League.

Admittedly, that was a longer summary than I was first planning. I researched McCarthy and didn't realise quite how successful he'd been. A fantastic manager, and one that I think could potentially lead us to promotion.

The Candidates In Full - 27/10/12

Karl Robinson - 7/4
Michael Appleton - 3/1
Steve Coppell - 7/2
Ian Holloway - 5/1

Andy Thorn - 6/1

Sean Dyche - 6/1
Mick McCarthy - 9/1
Lennie Lawrence - 9/1
Gareth Southgate - 14/1
Mark Bright - 14/1
Owen Coyle - 30/1
Carl Fletcher - 40/1
Steve Lomas - 40/1
Paolo Sousa - 40/1
Attilio Lombardo - 40/1

So there we are - some potential candidates. One thing that's certain is that it's a very exciting time to be a Palace fan. Whoever takes over as manager, whether it is one of the above, or someone completely different, they will inherit a talented and young Palace side, whose ambition and class will surely grace the Premier League sooner rather than later. The form we're in at the moment certainly is top level standard. The future is bright.

Ben Nagle

Barcelona vs Celtic - Match Preview

NEIL LENNON HAS called for his Celtic team to continue in their good vein of form as they travel to the Nou Camp to face an injury-ravaged Barcelona tonight.

The Scots, who have won their last six games in all competitions, welcome back Scott Brown, James Forrest, Georgios Samaras and Kris Commons, who all missed Saturday’s rampant 5-0 win at St Mirren.

Lennon’s side, although overwhelming underdogs, will be confident going into Tuesday’s match, and the Celtic manager has told his team to enjoy the occasion.

“I’m hoping that the bubble doesn’t burst, but if it does we’re able to pick ourselves up very, very quickly. It’s a great challenge for the players, and one that they should embrace.”

Barcelona are unbeaten in their last 17 at home in the Champions League, but tonight will be missing the defensive prowess of Gerard Pique, Dani Alves, and Carlos Puyol.

The Spanish giants shipped four goals at Deportivo last Saturday, and Barcelona manager Tito Vilanova is wary of the threat that Celtic possess.

“All Champions League games are complicated. I am worried because Celtic are very fast up front and they proved it against Spartak Moscow.”

Celtic, though, have not scored in nine of their last 13 games in Spain, and Neil Lennon admits that the Catalan giants can win the game in the blink of an eye.

“Barcelona are killers with the face of angels. They eat you alive if you don’t pay attention.”

Ben Nagle

The Boo Boys Are Out In Force

Well, the league season is officially underway. We're only 90 minutes in, and we've already had massive highs and even lower lows. This, I realise, is going to be one of those blog posts that doesn't conform to everyone's requirements.

I sat on the train home from Selhurst, flicking through my Twitter timeline reading negative post after negative post - the boo boys were out in force. It dumfounds me that after one match, one match in 46, so many people can climb out of the woodwork and be so ridiculously negative about a team, about a manager, and about four owners.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, correct, but surely a little bit of realisation is needed. Complete knee-jerk reactions to the first 90 minutes of the season, a game that was only lost in the last six minutes. May I remind you that there's over 4,050 still to go, discounting cup matches? I'm of the view that booing and negativity will get the team nowhere - what good will it do venting your nonsensical opinions? It seems everyone has become a football manager overnight.

"These two colours unite us all..." (c) @CpfcDoe

There are many positives to be taken from today. The atmosphere was superb, singing for 90 minutes in the Holmesdale. New signing Joel Ward looked solid at right-back, and stand-in captain Mile Jedinak was consistent and classy in the centre of midfield. At times, the Watford defence didn't know what to do when Wilfried Zaha was running at them, and we scored two goals.

Admittedly, we sat back too much in the second half and invited pressure. It wasn't pleasant viewing, and as Dougie said after the game, we didn't deserve the three points. But he should be sacked? Really?

The club is in good hands. Our owners and manager are Palace through and through, and I'm sure that if we lost all of what we have currently, in a year's time we'd look back and wish for now.

 At half time, we were top of the league - everyone was happy. How things can change in 45 minutes. Let's get rid of this negativity, and cheer the boys on to three points at Bristol City on Tuesday night. I'm not blinkered, and don't think we'll get promoted, but relegation isn't on the cards. Believe, Palace fans... Believe.

Everything was rosy at 4.15...

Ben Nagle
 @bennagle17




 

Football - A Matter of Life or Death?

"Football isn't a matter of life or death. It's much more important than that".

Bill Shankly's words have become a mantra, a motto, and an excuse for men all over the world, but events from the past few days have, in my opinion, proved otherwise.

The death of 12-year-old Tia Sharp has put the sport into perspective, and made football fans and non-football fans alike realise that there are much more important things in life than arguing about where a journeyman striker will end up next, or how much your talented youngster is earning per week.

The story is a sad one, of a young Croydon girl murdered unforgivably. As a Crystal Palace fan and Twitter addict, the story was prominent on my timeline. Fellow supporters wondering where the young girl could be, potentially 5 minutes away from their homes in Addington and the surrounding areas.

Manhunt

What was surreal about the whole situation was that between tweets about Tia were more passionate ponderings on why more wasn't being done to strengthen the side during pre-season, and why we hadn't signed Jose Baxter.

I'm not condemning these tweets, as I myself am guilty too. But thinking about it, it's worrying that football can have such a stranglehold on you when in the grand scheme of things it really isn't that important.

That said, football is a release. It is loved so fiercely because of its ability to take you to a different place, a different world in which nothing matters apart from 3pm on a Saturday afternoon.

I go to Selhurst Park on a Saturday and everything that has been a worry in my life is, for an hour and a half, forgotten. It's weird to think that when I walk through the turnstile, everything else disappears.

In hindsight, maybe Bill Shankly would have changed his quote, as it seems football isn't really a matter of life or death. I guess sometimes, though, it's a welcome break from the things that really are.

Ben Nagle
@bennagle17

 

The Shankly Quote