Who's Spent The Most In Top 6 ?

If you ever needed a reason to trust in Arsene Wenger surely this is enough proof for any Gooner, Since Wenger arrived in North London he's managed to spend £150 million LESS than bitter rivals Spurs and has never finished below the The Lilywhites.


Much has been said and written about Arsenal and indeed In Wenger and his transfer policy but the fact of the matter is Arsene has built some of the best playing sides in English football history and done so in comparison a shoestring budget.


Going into his 20th season Arsene has picked up 9 majors :

x3 Premier League's

x6 FA Cups

In the same time Spurs have x 2 League Cups.

Below is a last seasons top 6 and their spending the last 19 years shows how well a job he's done and I hope he continues to do.

                                    Spent                       Recieved                 Loss

Chelsea =              1,270,000,000             716,000,000        553,000,000
Man City =                947.700,000             261,000,000        686,700,000
Man Utd =                 890,000,000             382,500,000        507,500,000
Liverpool =                873,700,000             504,100,000       369,600,000
Spurs =                      740,500,000             463,800,000       276,700,000
Arsenal =                   586,400,000             445,800,000       140,600,000

These figures may surprise some but the facts are there for all to see.

Looking forward to Wenger's 20th season and hopeful of another double.

Who Brendan Rodgers could buy to repair a broken Liverpool !

So Liverpool need a favour from Arsenal to make their summer a better prospect than it could be if Aston Villa win the Old Lady on Saturday.

Liverpool's summer schedule could differ hugely depending who lifts the FA Cup on Saturday, If Wenger wins it for a joint record 6 times then it would see Liverpool advance to the Europa League group stage meaning their first fixture would be on the 17th September but the other side of the coin a Villa win would mean the Pool would have to enter in the 3rd qualifying round beginning July 30th!

Liverpool's final game in Malaysia is on the 24th July not leaving much room for a decent prep or rest.

Either way if FSG keep BR this is a few players I think they could get in without much trouble and give Liverpool at least a chance at the top 4 next season. If not I fear Rogers will be gone by Christmas.

Player                              My Valuation
Christian Benteke                 25
Toby Alderweireld                7.0
Arturo Vidal                          25
Carl Jenkinson                    8-10
Stevan Jovetić                    8-10
James Milner                       15
Asmir Begović                       5
Petr Čech                              5

Prefessor Wenger the master of the Old Lady

Arsene Wenger has had a fair bit of criticism the last few seasons for losing ground on Premiership's elite clubs but come January every year the distraction of the FA cup always seems to bring out the best from his sides.
After beating Hull in last years competition Wenger has been in the final 6 times and picked up the Old Lady 5 times in 18 seasons and losing just the 1 final.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GIerbqFpx7374pbblY-6XCP7ICJYUt9thrqqtwr4Avc/pubhtml
Wenger only this week has admitted that his intent on winning the oldest trophy in football has in his opinion had a detrimental effect on progressing in the Champions League.

Arsenal surely must fancy the chances of retaining the cup as many of the Premiership clubs have already been dumped out by lower league opposition, Arsenal's next opponents however should not be underestimated, Middlesbrough sit top of the Championship and after knocking out City in round 4 they will be brimming with confidence at the moment.

If Arsene was to retain it he'd level FA cup managerial honours with George Ramsay who sits solo as a 6 time winner with Aston Villa in  1887, 1895, 1897, 1905, 1913, 1920.

Depending on the draw Arsenal or Liverpool are surely odds on to make the final and considering both have hopes of progressing in Europe it will still be a tough ask.

One thing is for sure 18 FA cups and winning 5 is quite astonishing considering the quality around these days.

The Premiership should not be the only thing we use to decide if a manager is successful or not but unfortunately due to media and money pressure put on clubs and managers it seems that to some the Old Lady has little or no impact on determining if you've had a good season or not.

To the true football fan nothing's better than the romance of the FA cup on a valentines weekend.

Semper Fidelis

Plymouth Argyle mid-season REVIEW

Summer

So after finishing last season in a disappointing 10th place and just outside the playoffs like many others we were hoping for more this season.

When Sheridan came in we were a club in disarray and with an unbalanced squad of journey men just looking to gaining another year on their contract and another years wages.

In all honesty it took John Sheridan time, a year and a half to have any chance to really check the status of the squad and last summer completely get rid of all the dead wood and baggage at the club had been carrying for the past few seasons.

He managed to convince Reuben Reid to put pen to paper after his successful loan last season and Reid repaid the faith put on him from Sheridan and the green army this campaign scoring goals and chipping away at the 20 goal a year striker everybody needs.

Also the fact that in Luke McCormick probably the best keeper you can get at this level has helped.
I think had it not been for Luke's past he would have at a  minimum championship clubs after him.

We also seem to have got in the right balance of players bringing in Kelvin Mellor, Peter Hartley,
Oliver Norburn and Carl McHugh.

Loanees

Like many other clubs not in the top flight rely on loanees to get the by. In recent season the majority of these haven't really paid off for us for one reason or another. Of the four loans we have got in this season 3 of the 4 have played a major part in our good form this season. And the other Alex Bray from Swansea ruptured anterior ligament in the knee so returned to Swansea.

Bobby Reid from Bristol City has been in excellent form scoring two goals and creating a mountain of chances in the 12 games since he's been here.

Anthony O'Connor from Blackburn has played a part in every fixture since the opening day loss against Cambridge with 25 starts and 2 substitute appearances, The fact that since his first professional contract was signed with Blackburn in 2011 he's yet to make an appearance for his parent club instead spending the last 2 & 1/2 seasons out on loan, First to Burton 12/13 getting 46 appearances then last year at Torquay getting 31 appearances I think he'd be happy to leave Blackburn if we were to offer him a deal of maybe 2-3 years and can get Blackburn to let him go.
That's surely the whole point of the loan system. A try before you buy but nowadays seems to be used with the bigger clubs just using it to get they're younger players game time.

Andy Kellett is proving really popular with the fans and manager alike. In April Kellett was Bolton's first academy player to make an appearance for the first team in eight years and has shown a lot of promise since his arrival in October making 12 starts for the pilgrims since.

With a bit of luck I think we should try to sign O'Connor in a permanent deal in January and try to persuade Bristol and Bolton to extend the other two for the remainder of the season.

All 3 Loanees are due to expire in January:

Bobby Reid  = 03 January
Anthony O’Connor = 10 January
Andy Kellett = 17 January

Summary

Up until now we've had a solid defence. Unfortunately due to injuries to captain Curtis Nelson and Peter Hartley being out for the last two games with elbow and groin injuries respectively both are due to return against York on the weekend and hopefully we can shake of the last two results.

We currently sit in the final play off spot despite losing the last two games and we're on 37 points, that's an improvement of 7 points on last season at this stage so there is room to be optimistic.

84 points would of got you automatic promotion the last 5 seasons in League two so that surely has to be Sheridan's and the clubs aim.

The thought of ending in the lottery of the playoffs fills me with thoughts of Exeter v Plymouth Argyle final at Wembley which is a game you just cant afford to lose.

Lots of football to look forward to in the second half and if we can keep the loan players there is no reason we cant get one of the three automatic spots!

Semper Fidelis.

After spending £ 717,000,000 In the last 17 Years under 5 managers why Liverpool are still way off winning the Premiership.

After speaking to a friend of mine about his beloved Reds and why he wants Rodgers gone I've done some extensive research on Liverpool's transfer policy.


Going back as far as the arrival of Gérard Houllier and his meticulous painstaking overhaul of everything from Melwood to Anfield in a bid to halt Manchester United's dominance and bring back the league title back to Anfield.


It hasn't  happened and 17 years later, 5 Managers and 77 Million spent and they seem even further away then the day Gérard Houllier stepped of the plane in England.


Of course its just my opinion after all but the amount of money been spent at Liverpool on players that have been majorly over priced IMO has not helped matters.


Rodgers has nearly spent the same as Rafa Benitez only 40 million less and he will probably go over that in January should the board again open the cheque book, and that's in only 3 season and took Rafa 6 seasons to spend the same.


Houllier also only spent half of what Rodgers has, again in 6 seasons and arguably he left Benitez with only minor tinkering in his first season to win the Champions League with the squad Gerard had assembled.


Below is a document I've spent a while on and I've tried highlighting the players who I believe have just not lived up to the price or reputation and they're far to many of them that fit that bill.


Until Liverpool start spending the money they have more carefully they have no hope of becoming champions.


Every manager buys duds and they always will but some of the player in the last 17 years are just nowhere near.


You only have to look at the players that have signed and then left with the exception of a couple ie Xabi Alonso and a few more who have moved on and progressed since leaving.


Most have left and disappeared into the football wilderness and the reason is because they were just never good enough.







https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wBETaAglNQQ34ryp_zrrd-Z6Ia-u2LeoxL8EN2hnZJc/pubhtml


Semper Fidelis.


Ps There is a few players who I'm undecided on if they will work out so haven't included them in the GOOD BUYS or DUD list so will amend if they make me sway one way or the other

Champions League: Can Chelsea, Manchester City or Arsenal challenge in the Champions League?

Manchester City's win in the Italian capital's Stadio Olimpico against AS Roma was just about enough to push them into the last 16 knockout stage for a second successive season under Manuel Pellegrini.

But in all honesty can Chelsea, Manchester City or Arsenal Challenge in the Champions League?

In short my opinion is Yes but it isn't going to be easy, But when should becoming European Champions be easy!

Who is into the last 16?

Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Real Madrid, Basel, Monaco, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Paris St-Germain, Schalke, Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk.

The fact that from the 3 progressing English clubs only Chelsea managed to top their group is going to no doubt give Arsenal and City a huge task in the first knock out round, on paper it looks grim reading though all hope is not lost as we know winning the group by no means guarantees you an easy passage to the quarter finals.

Who can English sides can face in Monday's last-16 draw?

Arsenal - Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Monaco, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Porto.

Chelsea - Juventus, Basel, Bayer Leverkusen, PSG, Shakhtar Donetsk.

Manchester City - Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Monaco, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona, Porto.

Whatever the outcome of the draw on Monday the clubs will have until the end of February to prepare for knockout football and hope to keep players injury free around the busiest time of the season over Christmas and New Year, And also try to get injured players back before the 17 February.

The Usual Suspects

Arsenal - Arsene Wenger has come under much scrutiny again but his Champions League record speaks for itself. Arsenal have yet to match the 2005/06 final, on their day will provide a stern test for anyone and most teams will fear the pace in the side from the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Alexis Sánchez and Theo Walcott when  he returns. They really need to keep the squad fit to have any chance of bettering the 05/06 final.

Chelsea - The Pensioners were the group stages highest scorers finding the net 17 times in the 6 group games and that's without the prolific Diego Costa yet to bring his league scoring exploits to this years Competition, Having also only conceded 3 they go into the last 16 flying in Europe and will be a match for anyone.

Real Madrid - Carlo Ancelotti will be looking to bump his CV into football history, after securing 'La Decima' with Real's 10th title when they beat neighbours Atletico Madrid in Lisbon. If he can repeat last season he would become the only manager to win it 4 times. At the moment he's in good company tied with Bob Paisley on 3. They have also been the only team to win all 6 group games and with a squad of new Galácticos really showing how strong they can be and must be the last team you want to have in the first knockout games.

Barcelona - The Catalans are also a team you really don't want, Lionel Messi is now on 75 Champions League goals and the all time leading goal scorer in the competition. The biggest threat without doubt is the attacking options they have are scary with Messi, Neymar and the small £75m signing from Liverpool, Luis Suarez. Defensively though they can be rattled.

Bayern Munich - Pep Guardiola twice a winning manager with Barcelona crashed out last season to Madrid will want to make amends. The German champions will need to improve on the showing in Manchester if they want to progress even though they did field a weakened side. With a solid well balanced squad they have quality all through the squad from arguably the best goalkeeper in the world Manuel Neuer to experienced midfield maestro Xabi Alonso and Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery and World Cup golden boot winning Thomas Muller they will be a match for anyone.

Atlético Madrid - Diego Simeone is proving as adept a manager as he was as a player, after winning the Europe League in his first season and then following it up with a Cope Del Ray and Super Cup and then last season proving his most fruitful grappling the La Liga trophy from the dominance of Barcelona and Real Madrid and also coming runners-up to Madrid in last years final. This has all been done whilst losing arguably his best players each summer. In the summer Thibaut Courtois loan ended and also selling Diego Costa and Filipe Luis to Chelsea like the previous season losing Radamel Falcao to Monaco doesn't seem to of effected their progress with key replacements of Mario Mandžukić and Antoine Griezmann proving quality replacements. Having only lost one game in the group they will again be a deadly opponent.

Borussia Dortmund - After a stuttering start domestically Dortmund have faired better in Europe topping group D above Arsenal. Losing Robert Lewandowski last summer and replacing his 28 goals from last season is starting to have an impact, and has made goals hard to come by with replacement Ciro Immobile hardly hitting the ground running isn't helping. Still a well organised outfit but not quite what they were.

Paris Saint-Germain - Since QSi acquisition of Paris Saint-Germain in June 2011 a lot of money has been spent bringing in the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimović, Thiago Silva, Edinson Cavani and most recently David Luiz. Seemingly unfazed after receiving €60 million fine along with City for breaking Financial Fare Play ( FFF ) rules. The fact they got through a group also containing Barca and beating them once this season they will fear nobody. They have plenty of talent and I don't see them going out easily. Chelsea only beating them on the away goals last year proves that and they've only strengthened since.

Manchester City - With a formidable squad it's quite bizarre that city left it until the final group game to scrape through the groups. Will they have any chance of progressing? Its not going to be easy as like Arsenal only coming second in the group means the heavyweights await on Monday's draw and both will be hoping to avoid the Spanish sides but with the likes of Sergio Aguero who has been on fire this season and a solid defence with the likes of Kompany and Zabaleta and Hart between the posts they have every chance.

Bayer Leverkusen - After just squeezing into 4th to qualify on the last day of the season it may be a surprise to see them making the knockout stages. But with Stefan Kießling they have someone who knows his way around the box and the back of the net so they can't be taken lightly.

Juventus - The Old Lady are no European fools, The Serie A Champions came runners-up behind Athletico and always provide a test in Turin. The away form hasn't been great and with Tevez and Llorente leading the line they have goals in the side. Also Gianluigi Buffon shows no sign of slowing down.

Basel - The reigning Super League Champions are obvious underdogs and have little or no chance of making the final let alone winning it, Saying that they've been around the competition and have a few players who have got good pedigree and can damage you as Liverpool and Manchester United have found out in recent seasons. Paulo Sousa has Argentine hardman Walter Samuel with his wealth of experience sure to help along with captain Marco Streller also clever player and topped with Albanian Shkëlzen Gashi scoring 11 from his first 15 appearances he's one to keep an eye on.

Monaco - Remarkably goal shy Monaco won their group after only scoring 4 goals in the 6 opening games, Despite this it was enough to top the group and the fact that they sold James Rodríguez and let Radamel Falcao join United on loan to scale down on wages is surely going to coat them. They do obviously have quality in the team but I don't think even captain Jérémy Toulalan probably wouldn't of expected them to make the knockout stages.

Porto - The Portuguese Dragons topped the group without losing a game. The fact they lost two players in Mangala and Fernando to City in the summer for a combined €42 million they've used that money well bringing in Yacine Brahimi and Dutch International Bruno Martins Indi and also Adrián López Álvarez from Athletico Madrid. The squad has no fewer than 9 Brazilians which shows were the majority of there players are scouted. Jackson Martinez has a phenomenal goal scoring record and with pace to catch out any defenders expecting an easy game.
  
Schalke - Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting provide the attacking options for the 4th Germans left in the competition. Along with pace from the likes of  Jefferson Farfán and Sidney Sam a summer arrival from Leverkusen. Benedikt Höwedes is captain and normally with Kevin Prince Boateng providing the strength in the middle of the park. Also 21 year old hot prospect Julian Draxler is a player to watch out for.

Shakhtar Donetsk - The Ukrainians make up the final place and with this years leading scorer Luiz Adriano on 9 Goals which is 1 more then Messi they do have quality. Though it has to be said the group they were in was by far the easiest with FC BATE Borisov in the group winning 7-0 away and 5-0 home helped massively. They Also have Brazilians Fred and Bernard and Croatian Darijo Srna as captain they have plenty of experience but definitely not enough quality to win it.     

Will this year see an English team become champions of Europe remains to be seen but for the record I think it will be Real Madrid with Carlo Ancelotti becoming the first to do it outright as a manager 4 times putting ghim ahead of the legend Bob Paisley. Add that to his to winners medals as a player this could be his 6th year of holding the European Cup which would really be something. 

Semper Fidelis  

Pushing For Promotion

So after a great 0-1 win on the 6th September on Sky Sports against Luton at Kenilworth Road, September took a change for the worse. Going on to lose three of the next four games with only a 2-0 home win against Hartlepool the only points picked up in a dismal few weeks after Luton.

Since then Sheridan and Argyle have gone under the radar quietly creeping up the table picking up five wins out of seven and also progressing through the 1st round of the FA Cup against a tricky Conference North side AFC Fylde.

We now have the best defence in the Football League only conceding 12 goals in the first 17 league fixtures.

That encompassed with Reuben Reid carrying his goal scoring exploits to 9 league goals the confidence is starting to flow out of a free playing progressive Argyle side.

The 3-5-2 formation is putting every opponent to the sword especially at home and that with not only a defence but a whole team who now seem to have had it drummed into them that defending as a team and keeping clean sheets is the mainstay every championship winning team needs to gain promotion I ask myself, Is this the year of true revival after seven years of terrible clueless football with players who don't seem to care ?

I believe that Sheridan now with HIS team is starting to get the best out of a decent group with the help from the correct people is finally paying dividends, Paul Wotton having played 491 games for Argyle as Captain must be doing a lot with the defensive unit that screams organisation of the Coughlan / Wotton partnership of 01/02 season.

Before the season started many questioned the appointment of a young captain selected by Sheridan in Curtis Nelson, At 21 years old Curtis has already picked up 164 appearances since the 2010/11 season he is the only player we've managed to keep who didn't seem to be carrying the scars of succesive relagations on to the turf. The rest are long gone and hopefully we can continue to carry on picking up points whilst tring to get past Sheffield United on the 6th December and be in the 3rd round draw with hope of a money-spinning tie in January.

The last seven league games have seen us score ten and only concede a single goal in a remarkable improvement in our fortunes.

We have six league games before the new year and things are looking good!

Semper Fidelis