Can Liverpool finish in the top four?

Until recently, Liverpool were the most successful English team. Their comprehensive history includes: 18 top tier English football league titles, 7 FA Cups, 7 League Cups, 5 UEFA Champions League titles, and 3 UEFA Cups.

The Reds' most successful season was back in the 1983/84 season where they managed to claim a prestigious treble obtaining the top tier league title, the League Cup, and the European Cup. With their current squad it seems unlikely that they will have the quality to enable the Reds to achieve as successfully as they have done in previous seasons.

The once mighty Reds have dipped in form since the 2009/10 season where Liverpool finished in a disappointing 7th place, which effectively led to ex manager Rafael Benitez leaving by mutual consent. Those looking at the football predictions should remember this.

Soon after Benitez's departure, it was former Fulham and current West Brom manager Roy Hodgson that took the managerial reigns. After a mere 6 months in charge Hodgson was sacked with Kenny Dalglish taking his place. Since Dalglish's arrival, things are looking slightly brighter for Liverpool. Probably due to the fact that the current owners allowed free reign to Dalglish in terms of available cash to spend on new acquisitions; something which they didn't entrust with Hodgson.

This season's Liverpool squad does not contain the quality in comparison to the likes of a handful of teams including: Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham, Arsenal and Chelsea. The Premier League betting predictions reflect this.

Current manager and Anfield legend Kenny Dalglish will have to claim some important purchases in the January transfer market to compete with the likes of the aforementioned teams; especially so when considering the fact that their star player and Uruguayan international Luis Suarez has been banned for 8 games for being found guilty of racially abusing Manchester United's French left-back Patrice Evra.

Dyer in fresh injury heartbreak

Injury-plagued Queens Park Rangers midfielder Kieran Dyer may not feature again this season after breaking down during a reserve team comeback.

The 32-year-old limped off with a recurrence of the foot injury he suffered minutes into his QPR debut against Bolton Wanderers on the opening day of the season. The injury will now require surgery and is likely to keep him out for the rest of the season. People who have placed football bets will know how unlucky he has been.
QPR boss Neil Warnock has moved to dismiss fears that this latest setback could spell the end of Dyer’s career. He said: "I have absolutely no doubt that he will recover after the operation."

The former Ipswich Town and Newcastle United man has spent the latter part of his career on the sidelines. He has featured just 41 times for various clubs over the last five seasons and has struggled to string a run of games together. The latest setback will no doubt have him questioning his future in football.

Injuries have blighted Dyer’s career. After a promising start to his career at Ipswich, Dyer seemed destined for the top. He signed for Newcastle in a multi-million pound deal in 1999, but controversy and injuries were never far away.

Dyer spent some time on loan back at Ipswich last season after a failed spell at West Ham United, before making the move to west London in the summer on a one-year deal. It remains to be seen whether he will add to his brief appearance for QPR.

On the flipside, QPR must decide whether to renew his deal next summer. It is another testing period in Dyer’s career.

Soccer World: Big sides gear up for FA Cup action

With the FA Cup third round just around the corner, let’s take a look at how the cup was won last season.

Arsenal and Manchester City were given scares by Championship sides on their way to the fourth round. The Gunners needed a late penalty to earn a replay at Elland Road, while City were taken to a replay by Leicester City. Notts County provided the shock of the round, beating Sunderland 2-1 at the Stadium of Light.

Manchester City needed another replay in the fourth round, this time to get past third-round giant-killers Notts County. Chelsea left the FA Cup at the fourth round stage after losing on penalties to Everton. Anyone making an online FA Cup bet would have been shocked.

Manchester United were faring better than the previous season, but made hard work of Crawley Town at Old Trafford in the fifth round. The non-league outfit won all the plaudits, despite losing the tie 1-0. Manchester City, Arsenal and United were the high-profile names in the hat for the quarter-final draw.

Arsenal came unstuck at Old Trafford, while City scraped past Reading at home. Bolton Wanderers and Stoke City also took their places in the semi-final following narrow victories over Birmingham City and West Ham United, respectively.

Any hopes of an all-Manchester final were dashed when the cross-city rivals were drawn together in the semis. Yaya Toure scored the only goal of the game as City overcame United at Wembley. The following day, Stoke demolished Bolton 5-0.

Toure was the star of the show again in the final. His goal with 15 minutes remaining was enough to see off Stoke and give City FA Cup success for the first time in 42 years.

City start their defence at home to bitter rivals United in the third round. It promises to be another exciting FA Cup journey.

Blow for Barca as Villa breaks leg

It is a tournament that receives much criticism given its awkward timing and relative unimportance, but I guess the World Club Championship has lost a whole heap more supporters following Barcelona’s game with Al-Sadd.

Not that is was anything to do with Barca's Qatari opponents, who worked diligently to try and contain the European Champions. The eventual 4-0 score-line was perfectly respectable given the difference in quality between the two sides.

But Pep Guardiola’s men paid a heavy price for their win and progression to Sundays final against Santos, with striker David Villa suffering a broken leg.

The 30-year-old Spain international fractured his left tibia when he fell awkwardly just before half-time of the clash in Yokohama, Japan.

"Bad news for David Villa and Barca; the striker's left tibia is fractured," Barcelona said on their Twitter feed.

"The player has been taken to the Yokohama Rosa hospital for further tests."

The injury means he could miss the rest of the season and even his participation with Spain at Euro 2012 is now in doubt, leaving the club to ruw their particpation in a tourament that is more cermonial than anything else.

Barca’s La Liga odds may take a hit after this, with the Catalan outfit facing the prospect of going into the winter break second behind Real, who unlike Barca, will play this weekend.

As Spain’s all-time leading goalscorer with 50 goals in 81 games his absence would also be keenly felt in Poland and the Ukraine next summer, with Villa’s striker partner, Fernando Torres, struggling for form.

Villa was a popular name for those looking to bet on the top scorer at the Championships, given the key role he played in the 2010 World Cup and the 12 goals in 26 games he has hit so far this term.

Barca will be hoping hospital scan prove the break to be not as serious as feared and that the former Valencia man can get back fit and firing before the end of the season.

Soccer Games:Tractor Boys come from behind

Ipswich Town boss Paul Jewell must have feared the worse when he walked into the dressing room at half-time during their game against Barnsley at Oakwell last Saturday.

His side was 2-0 down and staring down the barrel of an eight consecutive league defeat. Incredibly, they hit five goals during the second half as they staged the most unlikely of comebacks.

Barnsley went into the game full of confidence having won their previous four games and looked set to make it five wins on the bounce when Craig Davies gave them the lead from the spot. Those who had placed Championship bets on the side will have been confident things were going their way.

When in-form Ricardo Vaz Te headed home to make it 2-0 five minutes before the break, there looked to be no way back for a demoralised Ipswich side. It seemed a case of damage limitation for Jewell and his men.

Crucially, Keith Andrews got one back within 20 seconds of the restart with a brilliant volley. The Ipswich skipper then hauled his side well and truly back in the game just a few minutes later when he headed past Luke Steele to make it 2-2. The Republic of Ireland international had completely changed the complexion of the game and Barnsley were rocking.

Worse was to come for the home side. Danny Collins gave the Tractor Boys the lead with a powerful header, before Michael Chopra doubled that lead within the space of two minutes.

Ipswich weren’t done yet. Jason Scotland finished Cresswell’s cross to make it five and end a goal drought which had spanned eight games. Barnsley did get one back late on through an excellent Davies free-kick, but it was too late for the Tykes.

It was a brilliant second half display which could well have saved Jewell from the sack. The game could prove to be a watershed in Ipswich’s season.

Top sides set for Champions League misery

In recent years, qualifying for the Champions League has become an obsession for the top clubs in England.

Although the title is still the main prize, even fourth spot can offer adequate consolation given the amount of cash on offer in Europe’s top club competition.

However, only four sides are given the opportunity to play in the tournament, meaning at least one fancied side misses out each season.

With so many clubs spending huge amounts of money in the hope of qualifying for the Champions League the stakes are even higher than ever before.

Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur all have serious top four aspirations this season and by and large have spent big to make sure they get there. Those following the latest Champions League odds will know how important the tournament is.

Although City’s owners mean they don’t have to worry too much about missing out on the massive windfall that is the Champions League, the other five clubs can ill afford not to be getting a slice of that lucrative pie.

The plain fact is though, two of the six clubs will miss out and will have to cope with a Champions League sized hole in their accounts the next season.

Worse, the world’s best players now expect Champions League football in order to showcase their skills at the highest level, and if a club can’t offer that they may look to move on.

Spurs look the most vulnerable here, with the likes of Luka Modric clearly unsettled last summer when the side failed to finish in the top four.

Whatever happens, two of the Premier League’s top sides will be in for a tough summer.

Soccer World: Curbs thinks Parker talented has been wasted by England

Former Charlton and West Ham manager Alan Curbishley believes England have failed to utlise the talents of midfielder Scott Parker during his career.

The 31-year-old has only just begun to play for England regular after winning his first four caps while with four different clubs across eight years.

However, he has finally found a niche in Fabio Capello’s line-up, acting as a holding midfielder in front of the back four.

It is a position that is ‘en vogue’ given the success of Claude Makelele at Chelsea and the adoption of the 4-1-3-2 formation at international level, finally giving Parker the chance to gain a foot hold in the England set-up.

He also seems to have found a new home at Tottenham Hotspur. After battling, unsuccessfully against relegation with West Ham last season it was always clear he would leave. But after failing to truly find his best form in spells at Newcastle and Chelsea Parker knew it was a big move.

Thankfully for him and Spurs it has worked and the club are currently third in the table and well fancied in the champions league betting stakes.

They are even considered dark horses for the title after winning ten games out of 11, though their premier league odds did drift after their controversial 2-1 defeat at Stoke last Sunday.

Switching back to Parker and when asked if he thought England had wasted the midfielder's ability, Curbishley told BBC Radio 5 live: "I think so.

"If you define his role as a holding midfielder, there's nobody better."

"We saw the advent of Makelele as a holding midfield player, [Nigel] De Jong is in there for Manchester City, and Scott Parker is up there with them all because he is so quick over the ground, he makes tackles and wins the ball.

"We have been crying out for somebody in the England set-up to do that when you have the likes of [Steven] Gerrard and [Frank] Lampard either side.

"Parker would have been the ideal foil for them and I can't understand that [why he was not used more often in the past].

"He went off with the [extended] England squad to the World Cup in South Africa, before it got whittled down to the squad that went, and he didn't get in.

"That was a massive surprise to everybody because the way he played and trained in that week, everyone thought he was an absolute cert to be going and, if you look at the best countries around the world, especially at that World Cup in South Africa, Spain had two holding players, so did Brazil.

"Everyone had holding midfield players except us.”

Bruce departure highlights fine lines of success and failure

In the end it was not the Sunderland chairman, Ellis Short, who condemned manager Steve Bruce to the sack, it was the Black Cats supporters.

The sheer level of bile and vitriol aimed in his direction following Wigan’s last minute winner on Saturday rendered his position untenable.

Bruce looked wounded in his post-match press conference, stressing that he “couldn’t help where he was born”. Sadly for him, the north east is more tribal than most, so Bruce’s Newcastle roots were always going to be a stick to beat him with when things went wrong.

And they certainly did that on Saturday – “you fat Geordie b******, get out of our club” was the chant swirling venomously around the Stadium of Light.

Bruce said it bordered on abuse and I can’t say I disagree, but in the eyes of the chairman those singing fans are also paying punters, and when they lose faith in the manager it is very hard for the boss to turn things round. The relegation betting alone will have caused the Sunderland hierarchy to get twitchy.

Ellis Short consulted those around him and after a few days to take stock decided that results were not good enough for Bruce to continue.

Three home wins so far this year certainly points to that, but performances haven’t been that bad. But such are the fine margins in football scores a failure to convert close draws into narrow wins have cost Bruce dear.

His biggest mistake though was probably the failure to adequately replaced Darren Bent, Danny Welbeck and Asamoah Gyan – a more ruthless cutting edge may have made the difference in some games this season. Thirty players have come and gone during his tenure, suggesting a lack of an overall plan or formula for success.

Supporters have also criticised him for being too rigid tactically, that a failure to adapt to game situations leaves him open to be out manoeuvred by more astute managers.

There is no doubt that Steve Bruce is a talented manager, but in the cut-throat arena of the Premier League small details make a big difference, and it has cost him dear.