There Is Only One Sinnacle

- It’s really fitting that even on the final day of the season Sunderland, Hull, Newcastle and Middlesbrough all lose. What is worst than seeing all those teams lose where just how flat each team played with so much at stake.

- Darren Gibson’s strike was a goal even Paul Scholes could be proud of. With more playing time teams will quickly learn to close down Gibson or risk more goals like yesterday’s.

- So United fans you excited about the new Ritchie De Laet era?

- To the surprise of no one Ricky Sbragia stepped down before he was pushed, or was told to step down instead of being fired. Either way the result is the same. After a few positive first couple of games under Sbragia it became clear that the Sunderland players were not buying into what Sbragia was trying to instill in them. Too many defensive mistakes, coupled with a lack of creativity from the midfield equals a new coach with new ideas come next season.

- One win in their final 21 games and somehow Hull stayed up. It was like the Hull players were going by the emotions of their fans. When they cheered like crazy they knew Aston Villa scored and since no groans were ever made it allowed Hull to play like it was a pre season game.

- Seems typical of the kind of season Newcastle had going down due to a Damien Duff own goal. Over the course of this season it was defensive mistakes which doomed Newcastle but in the end not scoring in their final two games did them in.

- Wonder how Kevin Keegan feels this morning?

- Does Michael Owen even go to the training complex to pick up his stuff or does he have an assistant do that for him?

- In the end it didn’t shock me that Sunderland couldn’t muster up a performance against a strong Chelsea side. Even the Manchester C team will give Hull a tough test. Newcastle is well, Newcastle. Enough said there but the team I’m most disappointing in is Middlesbrough. They entered the final game of the season against West Ham acting like they were already doomed to the Championship. Last year Middlesbrough put in 8 on the final day of the season against Manchester City. A performance half of that effort would of seen Middlesbrough stay up even with the goal differential being against them at the start of play yesterday.

- Love it when Arsenal play a meaningless game against the team they are vastly superior than. If you didn’t think I had money on Arsenal -1.5 goals against Stoke you’d be mistaken.

- Congrats on making it to the Europa League next season Fulham. Even with the defeat against Everton who are playing some of the best football in the country it’s still a remarkable achievement what Roy Hodgson was able to do with this squad.

- Think Robbie Keane felt good scoring against Liverpool?

- Think Rafa Benitez even cared as Liverpool were up 2-0 already once Keane scored?

- Job well done Sami Hyypiä. Far from a Liverpool fan but always admire how they send players off or treat former Liverpool players who gave it their all while wearing Liverpool colours when they come back to Anfield.

Gary Neville included in Capello’s England squad

Gary Neville has received a surprise England recall for the World Cup double-header against Kazakhstan and Andorra next month.

Article

Here are the full lineup called up by Fabio Capello. Interesting to see who the first choice goalie will be with David James hurt.

Goalies : Carson (West Brom); Green (West Ham); Robinson (Blackburn).

Defenders : Bridge (Man City), A Cole (Chelsea), Ferdinand (Man Utd), Johnson (Portsmouth), Lescott (Everton), Neville (Man Utd), Terry (Chelsea), Upson (West Ham); Barry (Aston Villa).

Midfielders : Beckham (LA Galaxy), Carrick (Man Utd), Gerrard (Liverpool), Lampard (Chelsea), Walcott (Arsenal), Wright-Phillips (Man City), Young (Aston Villa).

Strikers : C Cole (West Ham), Crouch (Portsmouth), Defoe (Tottenham), Heskey (Aston Villa), Rooney (Man Utd).

Last One Of The Season.

Was reading another Byaern Munich trashing Jurgen Klinsmann article but the main thing I took away from this piece was the trashing of Landon Donovan. Below is the quote from Bayern general manager Uli Hoeness.

“The only concrete suggestion Klinsmann had was to sign Landon Donovan and (reserve team coach) Hermann Gerland said he would never even have played him in the reserve team.”

Article

Report: Napoli Reject Liverpool’s €22m Bid For Ezequiel Lavezzi

The Vesuviani have turned down the Reds’ initial offer for ‘El Pocho’, however, the parties could meet again next week.

Article

Have a feeling there may be a few Liverpool fans who are breathing a sigh of relief that this offer was turned down and hope Napoli don’t cash in on Lavezzi. No denying Lavezzi’s talent but he hasn’t exactly been in his best form since the start of the new year. For that type of money you really want a sure thing and Lavezzi falls just below that mark.

Have a good weekend everyone. I do update my twitter page over the weekend so remember you can follow me by clicking on the link below.

Sinnacle’s Twitter Page

Carlos Tevez’s future at Manchester United is looking bleak with the Argentine, as well as fellow forward Dimitar Berbatov, set to be left on the bench for the Champions League final next week. (The Sun)

Not that I have any say in this matter but always prefer seeing Ronaldo up front with Rooney and Park on the flanks. Playing in the central midfield I’d have Anderson, Carrick and Giggs. Feel feel to come up with your ideal lineup if you wish.

Chelsea will bid £22m in the summer for Inter Milan’s Brazilian defender Douglas Maicon, a player wanted by the club’s probable new manager Carlo Ancelotti. (Daily Star)

Why? José Bosingwa hasn’t exactly been a flop since he arrived last year and did a good job against Messi during the Champions League. Look for Ancelotti to jump ship after the season, don’t look for Maicon to join him.

Tottenham and Liverpool are battling it out for the chance to buy Portsmouth and England right-back Glen Johnson. (The Sun)

Ever since Portsmouth sold Sulley Muntari to help balance the books it sent a clear signal to other clubs that Portsmouth will sell at the right price.

Arsenal are preparing a £15m move for Fulham defender Brede Hangeland. (The Sun)

Arsenal really don’t need a massive overhaul. Spending millions alone won’t close the gap between them and Manchester United. What they do need however is a defender like Hangeland heading into next season.

Aston Villa and Birmingham are leading the chase for Anderlecht midfielder Lucas Biglia, who is rated at £8m. (The Sun)

I know the Villa and Birmingham are rivals but no foreign player is going to see playing for Birmingham as a more attractive proposition when compared to Aston Villa.

West Ham are willing to sell injury-prone striker Dean Ashton over the summer and are hoping that Newcastle or Aston Villa might revive their previous interest. (Daily Mirror)

When you are in your mid 20′s and injury prone it doesn’t bode well once the player hits his late 20′s and early 30′s. Despite flashes of quality Ashton hasn’t been able to piece together a decent run of games since joining West Ham three years ago.

Newcastle defender Sebastien Bassong has warned the Magpies that he will seek a transfer should the club drop into the Championship. (The Times)

Already mentioned how much I hate this announcements. Even more so when Bassong silly red card last week didn’t help matters when they were playing Fulham.

Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas has been cleared by the Football Association in his spitting row with Hull assistant manager Brian Horton. (The Sun)

From a front page firestorm to ending with barely a whisper.

Sunderland will offer former Tottenham boss Martin Jol the manager’s job at the Stadium of Light in the summer. (Daily Star)

Sunderland isn’t a big enough name for Jol to leave Hamburg for. It would be kinda of fitting however since it was Sunderland opening day win over Tottenham in 2007 which got Spurs off to a start Jol couldn’t recover from.

Inter Milan manager Jose Mourinho has predicted that AC Milan counterpart Carlo Ancelotti will switch to Chelsea for next season. (The Independent)

Reminds me of the time he predicted the Barcelona lineup ahead of their Champions League match.

The end of the season is always hard in some aspects but one of the things which is differcult to come to grips with is the fact there will be some players you grew up watching who will hang up their boots. Two players who quickly jump to mind are A.C Milan’s Pablo Maldini and Juventus Pavel Nedvěd.

Just about every subject is up for debate when it comes to football. Greatest player Pele or Diego Maradona? Ronaldinho or Zidane as the best player of this decade? Most storied club? One of the few debates a person would have a hard time winning is naming someone other than Pablo Maldini who has been a better defender in this or any generation. Never the biggest player, never the strongest player out there but technically Maldini has always been in a class all his own. Playing in a position which is easy to take for granted watching Maldini keep attackers at bay for nearly 25 years you could see the brilliance in how Maldini always seemed to be two steps ahead of everyone else and always in a perfect defensive position. An A.C Milan mainstay from those star stubbed 1989-1990 Champions League squads all the way up to Milan’s 2007 Champions League title. Maldini has had a career few will ever be able to match.

The highest compliment I could think of giving Pavel Nedved is not once have I ever heard a Juventus fan go, “Boy I wish we still had Zinédine Zidane.” Pavel Nedved wasn’t placed in an ideal situation having to replace Zidane with a club record 41 million price tag paid for his services. A perfect combination of a player who excels at the highest level yet who is also humble. I’ve heard a lot of negatives things said just about every player as fans are always quick to point out a players flaws but when the name Pavel Nedved the focus would always turn to his qualities as a player. Pavel Nedved had already endeared himself to the Juve faithful but that bond must of grown stronger when Nedved willing stayed with the club once they were demoted to Serie B. Even more impressive was the fact this was coming from a foreign player. Even homegrown players decided to further their careers with other clubs instead of helping Juventus back to Serie A. The fact that Nedved was willing to give one of the few remaining years he had left in the game to help Juventus says a great deal about his character as a person since his talents on the field have never been questioned.

Dunga Omits Ronaldinho And Ronaldo From Brazil’s Confederations Cup Squad

Dunga has not included Ronaldinho or Ronaldo in his Brazil squad for next month’s World Cup Qualifiers or the Confederations Cup this summer.

Article

You know what? If I’m a veteran player, after playing a long season I wouldn’t be to disappointing with not getting called up to play in the Confederation Cup. FIFA mostly uses this competition as a trail run for the host nation to prepare for next year’s world cup. With that in mind countries like Brazil should call up younger players with an eye toward the future. Not exactly with case with this Brazilian lineup as even without Ronaldinho or Ronaldo this squad is still impressive.

Goalkeepers: Julio Cesar (Inter Milan), Gomes (Tottenham Hotspur), Victor (Gremio)

Defenders: Maicon (Inter Milan), Daniel Alves (Barcelona), Alex (Chelsea), Juan (AS Roma), Lucio (Bayern Munich), Luisao (Benfica), Kleber (Internacional), Andre Santos (Corinthians).

Midfielders: Anderson (Manchester United), Gilberto Silva (Panathinaikos), Josue (VfL Wolfsburg), Ramires (Cruzeiro), Elano (Manchester City), Felipe Melo (Fiorentina), Julio Baptista (AS Roma), Kaka (AC Milan)

Forwards: Alexandre Pato (AC Milan), Luis Fabiano (Sevilla), Nilmar (Internacional), Robinho (Manchester City).

OFFICIAL: Diego Milito & Thiago Motta Join Inter, Sergio Floccari To Genoa

Genoa president Enrico Preziosi has announced that Inter have signed star duo Diego Milito and Thiago Motta, in exchange for cash plus Robert Acquafresca.

Article

You knew once Genoa failed to qualify for Champions League football they would cash in Diego Milito and Thiago Motta, the latter they signed on a free transfer. Interesting to see Inter already making moves for next year before this season is even over.

Inter’s Luis Figo Reconsiders Retirement Plans

Having claimed he would hang up his boots, Figo is having second thoughts as he has hinted at an adventure outside of Europe…

Article

As Barcelona fans love to point out Figo isn’t known for letting money slip him by. Hopefully that one last payday will come from an MLS side. It would be great for example to see Figo play for the Galaxy and do something which David Beckham couldn’t which is lead them into the playoffs.

Real Madrid are confident of landing Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso for £23m if Florentino Perez is appointed president again.
(The Sun)

Source aside, everyone knows I think highly of Xabi Alonso but 23 million is 23 million. You do the deal if such a bid ever becomes reality.

Inter Milan are preparing a double-swoop for Chelsea duo Ricardo Carvalho and Jon Mikel Obi and hope to land the pair for £21m. (Daily Express)

Not nearly as high on Jon Obi Mikel as I am on Xabi Alonso but he’d be wise to read the tea levees and realizes he is never going to over take Michael Essien in the Chelsea setup.

Meanwhile Chelsea are confident they can hold off the advances of Barcelona and tie left-back Ashley Cole to a new deal.
(The Guardian)

We all know Ashley Cole isn’t oppose to switching teams over some extra cash.

Manchester United have been warned they face stiff competition to land Wigan winger Antonio Valencia. (The Sun)

I’m sure Manchester United would be worried how they would win a 4th straight EPL crown without Valencia in the lineup next season.

Aston Villa are prepared to lose £9m and let Gareth Barry run out the remainder of his contract, rather than sell him to a Premier League rival. (The Sun)

I understand the message Martin O’Neill was trying to send last year in not moving Gareth Barry. You don’t want to send a message to the rest of the top four teams that they can pick off your best players at will. A year later however Aston Villa should do business for Barry and strengthen themselves in other areas.

Liverpool are preparing a £10m bid for Portsmouth right-back Glen Johnson. (Daily Star)

However, Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez may be prepared to pay as much as £15m for the Portsmouth man.
(Daily Mail)

Despite Portsmouth season you’d be hard press to find many right backs who played better than Glen Johnson this year. Must admit never quite saw this one coming after his stint being a defensive nightmare with Chelsea.

Wheater is wanted by Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill who is hopeful of landing the centre-back for £7m. (Daily Star)

See, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if Martin O’Neill used that Berry money on David Wheater for example.

Chelsea are leading the chase for Wolfsburg’s £6m-rated striker Edin Dzeko. (Daily Mirror)

Something wrong in this world when Dzeko worth is only 6 million according to the Daily Mirror yet Blackburn rates Santa Cruz at 20 million.

Celtic want David Moyes to become their new manager next season. (The Sun)

Despite being Scottish, David Moyes would be a fool at this point taking over Celtic. Currently he is one of the few coaches who has support at the board level. At Everton he is left to run the club as he sees fit. Despite winning the SPL for the last three years Celtic fans have never warmed up to Gordan Strachan since he took over from Martin O’Neill in 2005.