Daily News: NHL and EPL

 

NHL News:

Torres suspended for four games – Raffi Torres has been handed a four game suspension for his hit on Jordan Eberle.

New stadium for Edmonton Oilers? Alberta Premier expects funding pitch – Exciting news for the Oilers. However, things are at a very, very early stage.

Race for final playoff spots rages on – The last games of the regular season should be fantastic.

Sens' GM Murray signs up for three more years – Fairly self-explanatory headline.

Interesting article discussing the 2010/11 NHL season in numbers – Go read, it's fun.

EPL News:

Chelsea players backing Torres and Ancelotti – John Terry has stated that the Chelsea squad are all behind their manager and star striker.

Park Ji-Sung is ready to get back to his best form for United – The hard-working winger is hoping he can play a big part in the Red Devil's remaining games.

Dalglish talks ongoing – Neither the FSG group nor King Kenny are rushing into a decision at Liverpool

Season for over for Liverpool skipper – Liverpool will be without their best player for the rest of the season.

Wenger putting his faith in youth – Wenger is pleading with the Arsenal fans to put their faith in his youthful squad. I think the fans are pleading with Wenger to buy in some experience and grit.

More news next week!

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Does Jeff Skinner Deserve the Calder Trophy?

Who Will Win the EPL Golden Boot?

Blackpool Showing Their True Colours.

The boys in orange took the first half of this Premiership season by storm and at one point they were sitting in the top half of the League table looking at possible European qualification. Their attacking style of play took plenty of the Premier League's ever-presents, and pundits, by surprise, allowing The Seasiders to record victories over Liverpool (twice), Tottenham, Sunderland and Stoke. However, these big wins have been too few and far between in the second half of the season. The element of surprise has been lost and the honeymoon period is well and truly over.

The same Blackpool side that were looking to get into Europe are now staring at possible relegation as they sit just one place and one point above the relegation zone with games against Arsenal, Stoke, Tottenham, Bolton and Manchester United to come. A massive six point, must-win game against Wigan Athletic is coming up on the 16^th of this month and you have to say that if they fail to win that, things will look very bleak indeed for Ian Holloway's side.

Why have Blackpool suffered so much recently? I think it's simple. Blackpool play a very attacking but very risky game. To highlight this, Blackpool have scored more goals than any club in the bottom half of the table with 45. However, they have the second worst GD (Goal Difference) in the Premier League with -18. Only bottom placed Wigan are worse. They have also conceded the most goals out of every club, letting in 59 goals in just 31 games. That is nearly 2 per game.

There is a reason why many clubs who get promoted to the Premier League play a conservative style of football in their first year at least. They are looking to win games by one goal or play for draws against the powerhouse teams by packing men behind the ball or flooding the midfield with bodies. In contrast, Blackpool have attacked in every game and, while that is admirable, it has not helped the club in the long run as they look to secure their Premier League status.

Holloway: Too inflexible?

I am loathe to blame managers for the player's performances but in this case, most of the blame has to lie with Ian Holloway. It is his system that the team is playing and it is his lack of flexibility that has cost the team greatly. When things started to go wrong for Blackpool, Holloway should have changed to a more conservative style of football. Instead, he continues to pile men forward, leaving gaps at the back which have been exploited on too many occasions this year.

I worry for Blackpool and I think they are favourites, along with Wolves and Wigan to go down. You have to admit that for the first half of the season The Seasiders were playing well beyond themselves and things were bound to get worse.

What do you think?

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Daily News: NHL and EPL

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NHL News:

Miller won't play Tuesday, but is back on the ice – Sabres' goalie Ryan Miller did not practice with the team on Monday morning, nor will he play against the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight, but he did skate on his own.

Who can clinch tonight? - Interesting article that shows which teams can clinch playoff spots or division titles after Tuesday's results are in.

No Semin for Caps – Alexander Semin has been given some time to rest to recover from “his injuries from the past.”

Ranger's Callahan out with a broken ankle – Ryan Callahan is out for the rest of the season and the playoffs after breaking his ankle blocking a Zdeno Chara shot. This is a huge blow to the Rangers.

Sharks beat Kings and clinch Pacific Division title – This is the fourth straight Division title for the Sharks, who beat the Kings by a final score of 6-1. 

 

EPL News:

Newcastle boosted by Ben Arfa return – Talented French winger Hatem Ben Arfa has returned to training after recovering from a broken leg earlier in the season.

Higginbotham out for six months – After rupturing knee ligaments, Stoke City's Danny Higginbotham will miss six months of action, that will include the FA Cup semi-final.

Fergie would step down if asked – He doesn't have plans to retire yet, but Alex Ferguson insists he won't outstay his welcome.

Chelsea's John Terry isn't giving up on the title – But he should.

Bruce concerned about loss of form – Black Cats' boss Steve Bruce is worried about his team's slide down the Premier League table.

More news on Thursday!

Daily News: NHL and EPL

 NHL News:

Phoenix and Atlanta on the brink of a move – The Coyotes and the Thrashers are both on the brink of moving. But which franchise will end up in Winnipeg?

Canucks win President's Trophy for the first time, poised to make more history too – The Vancouver Canucks are enjoying their best ever season.

Pronger out til playoffs – Flyers' captain, Chris Pronger is out until the playoffs while he recovers from hand surgery.

McCreary refs final game on Saturday – Veteran ref, Bill McCreary will officiate the final game of his 26 year refereeing career tomorrow night when the Caps take on the Sabres.

Wideman in hospital, no telling when he will return – Washington Capital's defenceman Dennis Wideman is in hospital suffering from a leg hematoma.

EPL News:

Saha to miss the remainder of the season – Everton striker Louis Saha will miss the rest of the EPL season after having undergone surgery.

Hodgson believes he never stood a chance at Anfield – Former Reds boss Roy Hodgson has stated that he never felt wanted at Anfield.

Arsenal join the hunt for Al Habsi – Arsenal have joined the race, along with Liverpool, Aston Villa and Celtic, to sign Bolton goalie, Ali Al Habsi. They desperately need him too.

Mancini warns Balotelli – Man City boss Roberto Mancini wants Balotelli to improve his behaviour on and off the pitch.

Spurs' Hutton out for a month – More injury woe for Spurs as right-back Alan Hutton is sidelined for a month with a knee problem.

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Bittersweet Season for Birmingham?

Birmingham City pulled off a huge upset in the Carling Cup final last month when they defeated heavy favourites Arsenal to win their first League Cup since 1963. That was a massive achievement for the Second City club, however, their form in the Premier League has them languishing in the relegation zone. It would surely be a bittersweet season for the Blues if they coupled a major trophy win with relegation to the Championship.

With only one win in their last five Premier League games, the shine has quickly worn off that memorable Carling Cup win and Birmingham need to re-find the form that served them so well last season when they finished 9^th overall.

Like many teams that get promoted to the Premiership, Birmingham's current squad are experiencing the phenomenon that is “second-season-syndrome”. Usually, after over-achieving in their first season in the top flight, teams suffer pretty badly in their second season. Why is that?

Well, if you think about it, it boils down to two reasons, the mentality of the players and the expectation surrounding the club. The players have a different mind-set in their second season compared to that of their first. When a team is promoted, there is little expectation for them to do well. In fact, they are expected to lose most of their games and to either be relegated or just avoid relegation. Therefore, the squad plays with a “nothing-to-lose” mentality that can often have very positive side effects as the team will play without nerves or the weight of expectation.

However, in a club's second season, things change drastically. The team suddenly has something to lose and is now expected to stay up. This change in expectation causes a change in the player's mentality, often producing negative side-effects that can lead to a disappointing League campaign.

The Blues are suffering from a cup success hangover

Birmingham have the squad and the manager to stay up. They are also a well supported club and have the pedigree to play in Europe's best League. However, they are currently playing like a team who believes it has done its job after winning a major trophy. With only nine Premier League games to go, including games against Sunderland, Tottenham, Liverpool and Chelsea, Birmingham need to start playing desperately.

I'm not sure that they can turn things around at this late stage. Other teams around them are currently playing better than they are and are finding the form that Birmingham so desperately crave.

If things don't change, this could very much be a bittersweet season for Birmingham City's fans.