Fern Mc Costigan: January 2018

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Hail to those Bournemouth Boys

What a shocker in the Bridge today, as the visiting Bournemouth Cherries delivered an all-around upset to the defending champions Chelsea Blues.

With a magnificent and inspired game of football delivered today over their hosts after coming to these parts of London Town and labeled as a total underdog, Eddie Howe and company produced a wondrous result as a visitor.

After the Cherries struggles in the campaign and briefly occupying the bottom three spots being firm candidates to relegation after poor football displayed, today result shows a different squad.

As both Asmir Begovic and Nathan Ake homecoming to their old ground, these today had the last laugh and the man from Bosnia and former Pensioner keeper, had a dandy of a performance shutting down his former team.

The win over Chelsea suddenly catapults Bournemouth to tenth place with 28 points and exposes the crisis its manager Antonio Conte is going through with some of his important players sidelined to injuries in Alvaro Morata, Willian and now Andrea Christensen.

As of today the likes of Michy Batshuayi gone to Borussia Dortmund in that mega deal of a loan, his services definitely missed as the Blues despite their first half dominance and arrivals at goal, nothing serious happened.

The combination of Eden Hazard and newcomer Ross Barkley were not a threat despite their arrivals along of close plays with Gary Cahill shoot hitting the post and a pass from Zappacosta to Marco Alonso sending a shoot wide.

All of these plays were not enough to incommode the Cherries keeper Asmir Begovic, by showing his skills and stopping the Blues rally and ending the first half scoreless.

Despite the Blues dominance the local’s lack of resolve, exposed this club crisis in its game.

For Conte, the going is getting tougher and tougher to improvise in his initial lineup, as the likes of players to compete and adapt rapidly to his scheme, is becoming a bit difficult despite having newcomers Emerson Palmieri and Oliver Giroud already in the stands.

Unfortunately, the two were not eligible to play and became simple spectators.

Still the night belonged to the determination and push of an inspired Bournemouth that came ready to play football and not intimated by the crowds that make this venue considered in league circles as difficult.

With the second half underway the Blues tried their best to open up the score, all of a sudden in the 51 minute the combination of Jordan Ibe and Callum Wilson as the latter one opening the score to the dismay of the Chelsea followers.

Another play in the 64 became the go-ahead goal for the visitors when Callum Wilson serves to Junior Stanislas for the second goal in what were the second score in favor of the Boscombe Boys to a 2-0.

Once again, the fortunes of the visitors exposed again and after three minutes pass, in the 67 minute when a well-placed and opportune Nathan Ake took a rebound and push the ball for the definitive and go-ahead goal to end the match with a score of 3-0.

At the end the game and afternoon belonged to the Bournemouth Boys delivering a solid game of defense and playing with hunger a not being intimidated since the get go and net an important win that for sure will increase their confidence in the rest of the campaign.

Photos Credit and Property of © Copyright Premier League. com 2017

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Even in Premiership Carlos Carvalhal’s magic is effective for his Swans

For Swansea Swans manager Carlos Carvalhal after taking over this troubled program, so far in five matches the man has a magic touch, by applying it to the Welsh side, and making a stunning comeback.

As all of a sudden, the Swans have earned ten points out of fifteen in play with notable wins over Watford, Liverpool and the Gunners their latest victims.

With back-to-back wins and playing spoilers against the so-called league giants and playing in a rare league schedule on Tuesday being this one of three matches, todays mano a mano became an all-around headliner after the Swans pulling another upset at home.

The Arsenal squad, coming to Liberty Stadium with the labels of favorites and maybe by the way the Highbury squad is making all sorts of headlines after their notorious moves in the Winter market with Henrik Mkhitaryan and a reunion with his former Borussia mate Pierre- Emerick Aubemayang.

The Gunners are supposed to be a force not to mess with and looking forward to move up the table to the top four spots and coming from achieving an important win in cup play against their cross-town foes Chelsea.

Today’s match as a visitor the Gunners had the upper hand and with manager Arsene Wegner sending an attacking oriented 4-3-3 formation with Granit Xhaha, Mohamed Elneny and Alexandre Lacazette in the front.

The visitors had all the right moves with the Frenchman sending the ideal initial eleven to put in display the game the Gunners can show off with a fireworks loaded offensive attack and defensive minded backfield.

Still they had to play against a squad that was coming from an upsetting win over the hot steaked Liverpool Reds by a lone score a week ago that put this squad on the edge of catapulting out of the relegation bottom spots.

Fabulous the ideal moniker to apply for this Welsh squad that all of a sudden are applying with conviction and lots of initiative that can be the ideal ingredient to come out of the infamous abyss and see themselves in the safety zone.

After a missed call inside the area the game official Lee Mason not awarding a clear penal over who later became the man of the match if not the hero Sam Cloucas getting tripped by Mohamed Elneny inside the area.

That did not deterred the locals of putting an offensive display and inspired attack over the arches defended by Petr Cech who succumbed in a play that gave the Swans the lead after the sheer perseverance from three of its attackers.

The first goal of the match came in a play that showed the Arsenal bunch in charge of this match and exercising their dominance, in a combination and assist from Mesut Ozil to a well-situated and opportune Nacho Monreal.

As the Spaniard coming from the back in a nice set ball sent by the German that opened the hostilities and score in the 33 minute with a nice push on the right corner and out of Fabiansky reach for the 1-0 favoring the London Boys.

However, do not call these Swans quitters, as early in the campaign this was something impossible to conceive from this squad filled with a deterred state of mind in its majority of players lacking a spark now revived under their new manager.

Within a minute of the Gunners enjoying their lead briefly, the Swans performed a sort of carbon copy of the visitors play on goal and even the score with what became Sam Clucas first goal of a double performance.

As Alfie Mawson with a nice pass to the feet of Claucas the Swans sent the whole of Liberty Stadium into a frenzy in the 34 minute, and putting a dent in the visitors momentum despite their intentions of trying to break the deadlock.

The second half under way the Gunners top man in the posts Petr Cechc doing the unthinkable in a routine play to clear and by pressuring the likes of defender Shkodran Mustafi passing to Petr who in his error the ball landed in Jordan Ayew feet for the go ahead goal.

Exposing the Gunners top rated of keepers and scoring the goal that the Swans took the lead with just 61 minutes in the clock and a 2-1 led, still the final and decisive goal came in the 86 with Sam Cloucas pushing a loose ball for the Swans third goal.

This win made the Swans players into believers with these wins coming in a consecutive manner and earned lately over the league giants, uplifting this squad spirits ahead in what seems to be a challenging and amazing run.

By the way, this squad top game displayed lately and seeing its continuance, we may have in the Swans another miraculous revival in this edition of Premiership and see their salvation as their reward for their efforts.

Photos Credit and Property of © Copyright Premier League. com 2017

Monday, January 29, 2018

The Sligo Rovers looking for a notable campaign

After a near brush with relegation and at the end their perseverance and push were enough for them to finish in ninth place and see the light of another campaign in the ranks of the Republic of Ireland Premiership.

The Rovers manager Gerard Lyttle in this preseason being hard at work to prevent in his squad to experience another meltdown his squad experienced and almost cost their permanency in the top flight.

The Bit O’ Red with a few friendlies against Athlone Town, Finn Harps and Cabinteely were manager Lyttle will experiment with a couple of XI’s in observing and determining who will be his starting initial lineup come opening day.

With new faces coming to the Showgrounds, the outlook planned by these club directives will be of seeing a contender in this Rovers squad in league and cup play, looking forward to a successful campaign in this 2018.

As new players added to the Bit O’ Red ahead of the new campaign reinforcing many areas in need and with players that at the end will become valuable.

As this squad lacking attacking options and looking forward to create a kind of fortress in its backfield.

By believing in youth and experienced in its current player base, the Bit O’ Red have acquired players with a vast experience that will contribute to these club aspirations if these would like to finish among the top three spots.

New faces coming to the Showgrounds are Drogheda United winger Adam Wixted to reinforce the Rovers midfield, Galway United winger David Cawley, Finn Harps prospect winger Caolan McAleer, Ethnikos Achna Brazilian Eduardo Pincelli.

These newcomers will boost one of the areas that was in need last campaign, the midfield in manager Lyttle strategies is getting an upgrade both defensively and offensively.

Not only in the midfield had this squad reinforced its ranks, by adding a trio of forwards in veteran Raffaele Cretaro, former Premiership side Liverpool Reds Adam Morgan and Scottish League Saint Mirren Lewis Morrison.

Also the return of last campaign notable players in Michael Schlingermann, Reagn Donelon, Kyle Callahan-McFadden, Seamus Sharkey, Craig Roddan, Rhys McCabe, Greg Moorhouse, Jack Keaney, Ed Ginty and John Mahon.

The Sligo squad is ready to front another contested campaign in the League of Ireland.

As mentioned in a previous paragraph, the Bit O’ Red by getting players considered as prospects and veterans in the case of Raffaele Cretaro to boost its attack, with his influence and wisdom.

So far in the preseason manager Gerard Lyttle experimenting with his new players and his returning veterans is preparing his Sligo squad into an all-around contender ahead of a contested 2018, looking forward to a notable finish filled with many achievements.

Limerick looking forward to a grand campaign

The Super Blues are back and looking forward to a grand campaign in this upcoming edition of the SSE Airtricity League of Ireland in what promises to be a much-contested affair.

After seeing how the majority of its squads are reinforcing themselves towards a challenging 2018.

The Limerick bunch is looking forward to many outstanding afternoons in Markets Field and with their new man at the helm Tommy Barrett who took over for Neil McDonald after leaving for League 1 Scunthorpe United.

As the work performed by McDonald was amazing after a slow start the Blues experienced in the early stages in the campaign and seeing a couple of managers, his work that allowed this squad to finish in seventh place and nabbing a semifinals spot in the FAI Cup.

That feat in this important cup competition became a first for this club, still McDonald left for a more brad challenges and U-19 Limerick reserves Tommy Barrett taking over and with many challenges ahead.

For Barrett taking over after leaving a successful program behind in this club academy seeing his work achievements with several of his players getting international call ups, now his time has arrived in the big team.

So far, his first step is to bring new players to reinforce this side and cover the areas of much need this club lack in last campaign after a having to deal in the end to avoid the infamous relegation spots and make a return to the top circuit.

Still the way the new man at the Super Blues helm is to look to many memorable afternoons in the helm of this squad and reinforcing it with important players to make a decent stand and see a possibility of landing a trophy or two in cup play.

As the likes of Billy Denehy a winger coming from the Pats, Cork City striker Connor Ellis, Sligo Rovers striker Daniel Kearns, Finn Harps striker Danny Morrisey, Waterford striker Mark O’ Sullivan, Bohs midfielder Eion Warren and Cork City U-19 midfielder Cian Coleman.

The return of longtime Blues captain Shane Duggan along with Shaun Kelly, Shane Tracy, Chiedozie Ogbene, Brendan Clarke, Darren Denehy and others, gives a promising outlook of what the Super Blues campaign will offer us in this 2018.

The state of this club academies in its U-15 and U-19 looks a bit promising as several of the alter one can make their jump under manager Barrett requests anytime to the big squad after some of them recent call ups to international play.

At the end a finish among the top three is a feat not seen as impossible, despite the competition and the way these have armed themselves in this upcoming campaign as well a turn for the better in the so called Munster Derbies.

Despite the rivalry against their cross-region foes and league champions Cork City, the idea of the Limerick side is to play the role of spoilers in these derbies and netting the upper hand, a fight for a finish between fifth and fourth place spots will do.