HULL-MUFC PREVIEW..THE TIGERS HOPING TO ROAR ONCE AGAIN AS UNITED COME TO TOWN

                                             


It's CHRISTMAS yet again and we all know what that means to Premier League clubs fighting for survival, European qualification and the much coveted EPL crown. It is crunch time even more so for Manchester United and Hull City. A bad run for either side will put paid to their different dreams.

United's dearly beloved son and former skipper, Steve Bruce leads the tigers who have done really well up till now. The KC Stadium is something of a fortress now for Hull. Only Crystal Palace managed to win there and table toppers Liverpool were soundly beaten a couple of weeks ago. When Manchester United visit any ground in the World, the buzz is always high and the game high octane and nerve wracking. Hull's 5-5-7 record and 12th place is very decent. There are connections between both sides as Jonny Evans will be playing against his brother, Corry. James Chester and Robbie Brady are all former Manchester United players who couldn't find a place in the team, hence sought for pastures new. Friendship, brotherhood and what have you, will be put to one side when both teams clash on Boxing day.

Manchester United love this period. The red army have won the last 10 battles on boxing day dating back to 2002 when they last dropped points in a 3-1 humbling by Middlesbrough. When it is Xmas and New Year, United click into gear and raise the bar higher, beyond the reach of anyone. Traditionally, this is time the EPL table shapes up and we are able to differentiate contenders from also-rans. The defending champions lie in 8th position, eight points behind Xmas Leaders, Liverpool. The gap could be trimmed after Thursday games. 8th is the lowest position United have occupied at Christmas since 1989. Moyes will be hoping lady luck has something good in store for him and his team when the new year comes along.

Hull City tigers earned a creditable point last time out at the Hawthorns and will be looking to build on an impressive home form on Thursday afternoon. Victory will do them a world of good and add more daylight between them and those battling to beat the drop. Steve Bruce's side are 7 points ahead of Crystal Palace in 18th. That is no guarantee that they will not be drawn into the relegation dogfight.


TEAM NEWS

HULL CITY-

McGregor, Chester, Bruce, Davies, El Mohamady, Livermore, Huddlestone, Meyler, Figueroa, Graham, Sagbo

Steve Bruce will be without Robbie Brady for yet another game as he is still struggling with a groin injury. Quiinn, Dudgeon and Aluko are long term absentees with hamstring, knee and achilles problems. Yannick Sagbo has been very industrious and hardworking this season. He's worked his socks off and provided more than expected, although the goals return isn't impressive. Danny Graham broke his goal duck against former club Swansea, but still remains goals shy. Hull don't possess a potent striker/attacking threat, but they all work very hard to make up for that. With Livermore and Tom in midfield, United can expect to have their hands full on Thursday, without doubt.


MANCHESTER UNITED-

DDG, Rafa, Evans, Smalling, Evra, Jones, Cleverley, TonyV, Januzaj, Rooney, Welbeck

Danny Welbeck limped off in the 2nd half of the West Ham game on Saturday but is expected to shake off whatever niggles and spearhead the United attack. Wayne Rooney has been as selfless as ever since the Aston villa game. He has put in shifts in midfield to stabilise the team and the results are glaring for all to see. I never thought I'd find myself saying this, but he is INDISPENSABLE at the moment and b y far, the most important team member at the Club. However, fans will be on his case to try and increase his goal tally in the League as he hasn't scored since the Spurs game. Moyes is praying and hoping that RVP and Carrick will be fit to play their part in the run-in. This game might come too soon for them. Nemanja Vidic could return to the set-up.

The festive period traditionally throws up a crucial run of games for all Premier League clubs, testing fitness, mental strength and squad depth. It is squeaky bum time. Slack and be left gasping for breath. A boxing day win could herald a new wave of glory for sides looking to accumulate the required points to achieve their personal objectives. Start well, end even better.


Ohireime P Eboreime
@ohiskaka1990

The AVB sacking........A kick in the teeth

I know the lilywhites have only managed 15 goals in the Premier League this season. I am also aware that 107 Million Pounds was pumped into player purchases in the Summer. But what I don't know and can't be convinced about is why Andre Villas Boas was shown the door just four months into a new project. I can never be part of the school of thought who believe that sacking managers midway through an ongoing season is rational. Daniel Levy has once again, made the wrong decision.

It is obvious that loyalty long died in Football and what obtains now is instant results or you are thrown out like dirty water, but considering the treatment the Portuguese got in West London, I thought North London would be more lenient and patient. It is a sad development that managers are ever so often relieved of their appointments as soon as one or two negative results surface. If Arsenal had been so quick to act, Wenger would have long departed the Emirates. The French manager might be the most successful manager in Arsenal's long and proud history, but he hasn't won a thing since 2005. In this day and age, that is totally unacceptable. Whatever be the case, he remains manager and for a long time yet.

SACKED AGAIN BY A LONDON CLUB

AVB probably didn't help himself with the number of signings he made. A squad revamp most times, does more harm than good initially, but pays off in the end, depending on how fast the new guys clique and bond. For Spurs, they got the RS9 brand from Valencia, thinking they had secured a great striker whose immediate impact would be felt. It hasn't gone as planned and that is infuriating. 26 Million pounds just for scoring penalties is hardly a good investment. However, most of the players the young manager wanted were not pursued as well as the ones who came. The likes of Leandro Damiao, David Villa and Joao Moutinho were highly sought after by AVb, but Levy couldn't land any of them and was mulling over a 500,000 pound(s) difference in the Moutinho transfer saga. The midfield pearl was required to replace Luka Modric. that deal fell through and instead, Dembele was recruited later on. The Belgian is anything but Modric or Moutinho. Together with Baldini, Villas Boas also brought in the likes of Paulinho, Christian Eriksen, Erik Lamela, Nacer Chadli, Etienne Capoue and Vlad Chiriches to bolster the squad after the sale of Gareth Bale. They thought, like most of us, that the new boys will help fill the vacuum the Bale transfer had left. So far, it has not been the case. Naturally, the manager is to blame.

Coupled with the inability of the new players to cope with the pace and power of the Premier League, some devastating results have also come Spurs way. A 3-0 loss to toothless, striker-less West Ham was perhaps the most painful. Manchester City robbed salt with a 6-0 demolition of the North Londoners and the last straw was the weekend's 5-0 humbling by Liverpool in a match that was largely dominated by a side that hadn't won there since 2008. Even Jon Flamagan was having a field day against overrated England right back, Kyle Walker. Paulinho's rash and idiotic challenge on Luis Suarez was even more crushing than the defeat itself and it left the manager wondering what next. The Brazilian midfielder might need a break as he has been playing competitive football since the turn of the year with Corinthians, Brazil and now Spurs. AVB didn't see the need to rest him as he plays in every competition because of his reliability and strength.

All said and done, the news of AVB's departure was shocking, considering the fact that he lies just five points behind 4th place with another 22 matches to play. Spurs may be 7th now, but there's room for improvement and Sunday's 5-0 loss was largely because of a makeshift defence that had Naughton at leftback and Capoue in the centre. With Vertonghen and Kaboul on the sidelines, there's little or nothing the manager could do. Sandro also had to leave the fray in the first half and that weakened the midfield. All these may be seen as flimsy excuses, but they are not. If the transfer kitty was in the excess of 107 million and many players came in, then enough time should have been given to the coach to find the right balance and team. We are only in December for crying the bucket. Only 19 months into a 3 year contract with a bright future ahead of the dude and the team and he has been sent away. Not a good sign for whoever is going to replace him. I hear names like Murat Yakin, Mauricio Pochettino who will take some convincing, not only because it depends on him alone. Southampton Chairman, Nicola Cortese is an ambition man and will certainly put up a fight. Fabio Capello has thrown his hat in the ring too because of his friendship with DOF, Franco Baldini. Guus Hiddink takes over from LVG after the World Cup, so he's ruled out. Interim manager, Tim Sherwood, also has a chance to be considered on a permanent basis. Swansea's Micheal Laudrup is also among the possibilities being looked out. That is likely to happen.

The question Joe Lewis and Daniel Levy should ask themselves is- What is the guarantee that the new manager will find the balance between now and the end of the season? How many available managers can achieve the goal of reaching the Champions League with the present crop of players? Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Everton will take some stopping this season and relieving AVB of his duties will not change anything. I can't remember the last time TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR sacked a manger when above MANCHESTER UNITED on the Table. That and a lot of things best explain why Levy and Lewis have made probably the worst decision. Managers should be given more time. Boards should take a cue from Manchester United and Arsenal. Success isn't easy to achieve. it takes some people a longer time, others, shorter and short lived at the same time. Stability is a prerequisite for success.

For Andre Villas-Boas, it is a case of what next for the rather unfortunate guy. London seems to be a nightmare place for him in just two years. Awful and a big slight on his young and growing managerial RESUME. It has been rumoured that Valencia may be his next port of call after Miroslav Djukic suffered the same fate at the weekend. Whatever happens, he wouldn't set foot on English soil for the foreseeable future

LE DESEO SUERTE!  DESEJO-IHE SORTE!


Ohireime P Eboreime
@ohiskaka1990

UCL ROUND OF 16 DRAWS...WHAT TO EXPECT...........THE PREVIEW!

The LONG AWAITED draw for the ROUND OF 16 of the Champions League has finally come and indeed gone, but not without leaving us with some tasty, mouthwatering and eagerly anticipated encounters which are set to blow our minds away. Come take a jolly good ride with me as we look in depth into what to expect when FEBRUARY comes upon us.

After the draw took place on Monday afternoon, Manchester City drew Barcelona, Mourinho got his wish for a clash with Galatasaray, Manchester United pitched against MITROGLOU's Olympiakos, Schalke v Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid lurk horns with Milan, Leverkusen-PSG, Zenit v Dortmund and Arsenal-Bayern Munich.


MANCHESTER CITY-BARCELONA
                                                      

Even El Mundo Deportivo didn't want Barcelona's R16 opponents to be Manchester City. When the blue army qualified in second place behind Bayern Munich, all the other group winners were gripped with fear at the prospect of being drawn against what they labelled the 'MOST DANGEROUS' 2nd placed team in the Competition. Unfortunately for the Blaugrana and luckily for football, we have a great match in prospect.

For City and Barcelona, a few ties exist.Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain  who currently hold exalted positions at City, were largely responsible for Barcelona's great resurgence and domination of European and World club football for many years. Txiki, more especially, was part of the group that chose Pep Guardiola to replace Frank Rijkaard in 2008. Perhaps the bravest decision ever made and one that worked wonders. The pair are working together at City to attempt to bring success to the Manchester Club, If the task at Barcelona was tough, this is herculean. The blue moon gave a very good account of themselves in Europe this time around, after two failed campaigns under Roberto Mancini. They capped it up by defeating the much fancied Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena in the last matchday of the group stages. If they manage to successfully negotiate through this phase at the expense of Barcelona, the world cannot help but take notice.

The Catalans have been very consistent in Europe since 2008. For six straight UCL campaigns, they have never been eliminated before the semi-final stage. An excellent run started by Rijkaard, continued by Pep and kept alive by Tito Vilanova. Gerardo 'Tata' Martino will be aware of this record and must continue the tradition. Thye won't have fond memories of last year's run though. A 7-0 agg loss to eventual winners, Bayern Munich was perhaps the biggest shock ever in Champions League history. The annihilation was extreme and they wouldn't like a repeat of that. Ahead lies a very tricky test v Manuel Pellegrini's Manchester City and they will know more than to take things for granted. Lionel Messi will be all guns blazing hopefully, and Neymar can continue his rich vein of form. Xavi, Iniesta and Sergio will face-off against former teammate, Yaya, Fernandinho and national colleague, David Silva.

In the end, it might come down to small tactical details. It will depend on which manager gets it right from the touchline either with the starting eleven or game changing substitutions. Barcelona and Manchester City have the best players in the World and the prayer is to have everyone fit and raring to go when the fixture starts.

MANCHESTER CITY  to sail through


                                              

Seven-time European Champions, AC Milan have been drawn against high flying Liga side, Atletico Madrid in a duel between a fading European super power and an emerging European force. Maximiliano Allegri is the most worried man in the World, whereas Cholo Simeone is the happiest with the squad at his disposal and the results they are achieving week in, week out. The Madrid based side destroyed Porto, Wien and Zenit in their group en route to qualifying in style. Milan just scrapped through their section with Barcelona largely dominating it. The days when Milan struck a cord of fear in the hearts of opposition team are long gone. The time when Clarence, Kaka, Pirlo, Gattuso were in midfield and Sheva and Pippo Inzaghi led the line is now history. Now, Montolivo captains Milan with Poli, Muntari and Nocerino supporting him in midfield and an older and less imposing Kaka is trying to regain his lost swagger. The Rossoneri still boast of some fantastic players like Mario Balotelli, Stephan El Shaarawy, GP Pazzini, captain Ricky Montolivo and of course, Kaka, but as a team, they lack cohesion and are still trying to build an understanding between them. February and Los Colchoneros might come too early for them to strike the required balance.

Diego Simeone has turned Atletico Madrid into a fearless, well drilled side capable of defeating any team in the World. Their phenomenal form this season is one of the most exciting topics amongst the biggest journos on the planet. The Argentine coach is something else and when he let Falcao go, everyone thought that was the end of Los Rojiblancos. Out of the shadows stepped a certain DIEGO COSTA and the rest is sweetness and success. The Brazilian born Spanish International actually scored a respectable 20 goals last season but was always going to be overshadowed by the TIGER-FALCAO. The Colombian International's move to Monaco might be the best thing that has happened to Atletico for some time. David Villa was brought in from the Nou Camp and together with the likes of Rsul Garcia, Arda Turan, Koke, Mario Suarez, JuanFran, Felipe Luis, Miranda, Godin, and the irrepressible Thibaut Courtois, has made the Madrid based club one of the best in Europe today.

The clash with Milan means a whole lot to the ever improving Atletico. On paper, it should be one of the easiest games this season. But you never know with a club as big as AC MILAN who can give anyone a hard game when on form and all their players are fit. Kaka is getting back to that WORLD CLASS DEADLY FORM and Balotelli, with the right service can shoot down any opponent. He might no longer be the invincible spot-kick converter, but he is a special talent any day. The match should be an interesting watch for us all. Having the second leg at the Calderon favours Los Colchoneros  I TIP ATLETICO to go through



                                                

Luciano Spaletti led AS ROMA nad Fiorentina brillIiantly as manager and regularly took the former to the latter stages of the UCL. Now in charge of Zenit St Ptersburg, the Italian tactician made history this term, qualifying for the knockout stages with six points, due to the collapse of Fonseca's Porto. Now they have a big, huge task on their hands. Their Round of 16 opponents? last season's finalists and one of the best clubsides in the World, Borussia Dortmund. The Russian based club know that they have to be more than wonderful to get past this stage, especially as Dortmund have been terribly in the League this season and will hope to go far in a tournament they reached the title match last time out.

Jorgen Klopp has not said it yet, but he knows that only a heavy miracle can prevent Bayern Munich from retaining the Bundesliga. What remains for them now is the POKAL nad the Champions League. The club was within three minutes of being dumped out of the competition until Kev Groskreutz popped up and scored the winner at the Velodrome to ensure qualification as group winners after Arsenal fell to Napoli.

Last season's mazy run was stopped by Bayern in the final and since then, they have bounced back to win four out of their six group games. The only dampener was the 1-0 loss at home to Arsenal. Even if Die Borussen don't admit it, this is the easiest team remaining in the Round of 16. It shouldn't be a problem getting to the quarter-final for the Ruhr based side. Zenit possess some good guys like Hulk, Arshavin, Kerzhakov and Danny. Dortmund have Reus, Aubameyang, Kuba, Mkhitarayan and LEWANDOWSKI. Hardly any cause for alarm then. DORTMUND TO ZOOM THROUGH WITHOUT MUCH ADO.



                                                  


Before the picks were made, The 'Happy One' opined that he'll delighted if he was pitted against Gala because of his close ties with Drogba and Sneijder who ply their trade with the Istanbul outfit. He's got his wish. Galatasaray first host the West Londoners before travelling to the bridge for the second leg. A fine performance v Juventus made it certain that they will be among the remaining sixteen teams vying for Europe's biggest club honour. Dutchman, Wesley Sneijder got on a Drogba header and safely guided a sweet strike past Buffon and that was it.

Faith Terim was sacked by Gala and Mancini brought in to replace the legendary Turk. It has been a season of mixed results for the Italian ex-City and Inter manager. He will hope to go one better in this season's competition with Gala. However, Chelsea know all about this tournament  and cannot afford any slip-ups now that they have better their run of last season which saw them eliminated in the group stages. Jose Mourinho is back and wants to win the competition again after successes in 04 and '10 with Porto and Inter Milan. He's had some near misses with Chelsea but never managed to reach the final. I am sure he's the manager that has reached the most semi-finals in Champions League history. NO?

Didier Drogba and his colleague, Wesley, will put friendship with Mou aside when they tackle his Chelsea team, For CFC Legend, Drogba, nothing will make him happier than to score the goals needed to send the blues packing out of the competition. In terms of player strength, Gala are nothing compared to Chelsea but the Drogba effect alone might sway the match in their favour a bit. The Ivorian knows Mou and Chelsea inside out and must have glided past Terry and his other central defensive pairings many times in training. Approaching 36 years of age, there is no sign of weakness in his game and he is as deadly as ever. Some pace might have gone though.

Mourinho will not take Gala lightly. The managerial myth always does his homework well and will hope the likes of Hazard, Oscar, Schurrle, Willian, Lampard, Ramires play their best and supply the toothless attack led by Torres. Azpi has taken the place of Ashley Cole in the team and it seems it will remain so for the time being. Jaun Mata had been on the periphery of the team since Mourinho returned. He has the ability to do things only a few others can. Surely, he'll be given a chance either home or away.

DROGBA OR NO DROGBA, I think Chelsea will edge this. 'Edge' might be putting it fairly though.


                                          


2011 semi-finalists and hosts of the 2004 UEFA Champions League final, Schalke 04 will be kicking themselves very hard for getting drawn against nine time European Champions, Real Madrid. The 32 time Spanish Champions have been looking to claim their 10th European crown since the last at the BayArena eleven years ago and it has been so long that the man whose left foot volley ensured victory that day, Zinedine Zidane, is now assistant manager to Carlo Ancelotti. The former PSG coach won the competition in 03 and 07 with Milan and so has the credentials to bring home the elusive 10th Trophy. Although a certain Mourinho tried his best, but always came up short against the teams bearing the 'B BARRIER'.

Jens Keller is something of a rookie in this competition. In comparison with Don Carlo, he is an amateur. Having only started managing a team very recently, he will come up against one of the best managers of the last twenty years in Ancelotti. The Scalke manager came second in a group involving Chelsea, Steaua and Basel and needed the magic of Julian Draxler to qualify. One of my favourite footballers right now, carried the Gelsenkirchen side alone all through the group stages. He was conspicuously absent in the 3-0 home and away loss(es) to Chelsea, but in other matches, he raised his game. The Ruhr giants go head to head with one of the best teams in the World and will require something greater than the 'miracle of Istanbul' to make any headway.

World footballer of the year elect, Cristiano Ronaldo is a man on a mission. Haven seen Lionel Messi hoist the Ballon D'or trophy in the last four years, he is set to claim the globe's biggest individual football prize yet again. The Portuguese captain has in the last two months, done incredibly amazing things. He is the highest goal scorer in the Champions League with nine goals-breaking the group stage record of Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Pippo Inzaghi in the process. He also almost single-handedly qualified Portugal for next year's World Cup Finals. This season, he has notched 26 goals in all competitions-more than any other player in Europe. The enormous and unenviable task of keeping him quiet will be given to Beedikt Howedes and Joel Matip. Players who couldn't stop the aging Eto'o and faded El Nino. Such as the arduousness of the challenge ahead. Apart from Ronaldo, there are the likes of Bale, Benzema, Modric, Di Maria, Alonso, Isco and others to think about. It will be an uphill battle for Die Knappen. Something they will most likely lose.

Keller can boast of the likes of Draxler, Szalai, Meyer, KPB, Fuchs, Uchida, Jones and Howedes...but they are hardly WORLD CLASS. Real Madrid can assemble the best players in the WORLD in one single file. No stress. LA DECIMA is driving them raving mad and this is the best opportunity yet again to win it.

I can' see beyond a REAL MADRID dominated affair.



                                                     



Sami Hyypia has taken Bayer04 beyond their own imagination. Despite the 5-0 home loss to Manchester United, he rallied the team to seal qualification to the knockout stages of the competition. Well, the reward for hard work is often more work. Now, the hurdle between this stage and the quarter-final is a certain Paris st Germain complete with MR ZLATAN. While Leverkusen stuttered, le Parisien effectively walked the pack in their group thanks to the Taekwondo expert and fantastic Swedish maestro, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The giant attacking genius scored 8 goals on the way yo leading the French Champions to the round of 16 for the 2nd season running. Defeat at the Luz was academic as they had already qualified as group winners. It will be really tough for Bayer to get past them.

Players like Stefan Keisling, Son, Rolfes, Lars Bender and Sidney Sam are capable of springing a surprise or two, although the PSG ladder might be too tall to climb. Ziki Lavezzi, Lucas Moura, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani, Marco Verratti, Thiago Motta, Thiago Silva and co want to go one better than last season. Leverkusen will have it all to do to stop them from even equalling that achievement.

PSG all the way.


                                                         


Arsenal v Bayern Munich again. Wenger must be cursing his side's luck in the CL. Barcelona, Barcelona, Milan, Bayern, Bayern. Holy Christ. Is this Life? Well, to be the best, you must beat the best. the gooners have been storming through the EPL with reckless abandon and currently sit atop the League, staring down at the rest with pride. They came out of the toughest group in the GS and now have to face the best team in the World and one who's breaking all the records in Germany and Europe. There are some positives from their meeting with the Bavarians last year as they only went through on away goals after exerting revenge on the German Champions. This time around, there will be no time for lapses as this Bayern seem to be better than the ones who won the TREBLE last season. They are now more flexible and adjustable.

Pep Guardiola has slowly and steadily instilled his own ideas and philosophy in an already excellent side, with Philipp Lahm now used to playing as a defensive midfielder. The Germany and Die Roten skipper has been hailed as the most intelligent player he has ever worked with by his new manager and there are evidences to show why he deserves the encomiums. The former Barcelona manager has led the treble winners to more success this season, breaking records along the way and setting new ones almost immediately. The Arsenal game will be their toughest yet and they are aware of that fact. Mesut Ozil has always been admired by Pep and he knows what the German superstar can do when on song. Big timers like Santi Cazorla, Flamini, Per, Kos and now Aaron Ramsey love special occasions too.

Bayern will know better than to make the same silly mistakes of last season when they laid back and allowed the gooners in on them at the Allianz. Dante is looking less assured and Jerome Boateng is error prone. Arjen Robben should be fit for the tie and that is a welcome development for the reds. The ROBBERY gang is the deadliest in the World and the other half of the gang is vying for the 2013 Ballon D'OR. Franck Ribery is a fantastic footballer and comes up with his A-game almost every time.

Arsenal will unlikely get past Bayern, but you never know.

BAYERN to go through.



                                                


Kostas Mitroglou is another footballer I love so much and his team have been chosen to contest the ROUND OF 16 with Manchester United. The much talked about decline of the red army has been blown out of proportion by the press. The Greeks finished 2nd behind PSG and played some good football along the way. Penalties aplenty were awarded in their last game and they converted only one. Javier Saviola and Dominguez are playing great as well as on loan Arsenal forward, Joel Campbell. Superb team. Roy Carroll also returns to Old Trafford. The Northern Irishman kept goal for four years, making 49 appearances in the League.

Hopefully, Robin Van Persie will be back fit in time for the encounter. United have to travel to Greece before hosting their opponents at the Theatre. Wayne Rooney is in exceptional form and players will be brought in next month to bolster the squad. The midfield is crying for new/fresh legs and that problem has to be solved. Easy as the fixture may seem, there are some players who can cause trouble for the red army.

I fear MITROGLOU but United have great players to stiffen the threat he poses.


It has been a superb Campaign until now. From here on , it is lose and get lost. The better it gets.


Ohireime P Eboreime
@ohiskaka1990