footballpro

True Lion's look at EPL Leaders

2012-01-04T18:20:00.000-08:00

General December came and left but her effects are still felt around the league.There is a new kid on the block and she is not a stranger.Yes Tottenham has everybody talking about her.They play one of the most attractive football in the league with Modric controlling the midfield like no one else.Keeping Modric was like a new signing for Tottenham as we all know Chelsea and ManU wanted the little wizard.Bale is healthy and running on all cylinders.We have also seen Adebayor come back to life under Harry.With all that said,i think Tottenham has the squad to play with the best and make a run at the EPL tittle.What they lack is the endurance and experience to win it all.I predict a top four finish for Tottenham.

ManU is always the team to beat no matter her recent stumbles.Sir Alex knows how to motivate his squad and always brings out the best out of the players.Today's defeat against Newcastle is the most recent setbacks amongst many this season.ManU has problems that they might never solve this season.Let's start with that central Defense.Vidic and Rio's injury has left ManU exposed at the back.18 million pound signing in De Gea has been a liability so far with many inconsistencies.The midfield is another area where ManU needs to build on.Giggs is being played out of position to cover that void but that is not working.Rooney cannot be the player he is because he falls too deep into the midfield to help support the non existing midfield.With all this said ManU is just 3 points from the leaders and cannot be written off.I predict ManU to finish second and my reasons for that are as follows.Van Der Sar won games for ManU last year when she struggled.This year De Gea is loosing games for ManU.With a weak defense and a struggling keeper,ManU will need to out score the Big 4 in other to win the EPL and i do not see that happening.

Arsenal had the worst start in recent years at the beginning of this season.Arsenal had two of their most important players in Nasri and Cesc leave without replacing them quickly enough.Arsenal has made an incredible run into top 5.Arteta was a great buy from Everton and he has fitted in so fine with the squad.Walcott has also been in good form partnering with RVP upfront.Song has been a rock in the midfield.Arsenal still has worries at the back four but i must admit they are not as bad.With all that said i think Arsenal will fight for a top four finish.They will need a striker during this January market that can help RVP with scoring.Wilshire and Sagna are expected to be back from injury late this month and sometime in February to buster the squad.Last but not the least the Great Henry will bring lots of experience if he completes his loan deal to the Gunners.

Chelsea has been a disappointment this season although they seat 4th in the league.It's a surprise to many but not me.The backbone of the squad is old and has been for a while.Chelsea had the opportunity to change that during the summer but instead went for a new coach.It's true some new players were brought in but it's hard for a new coach to make the right buys without knowing his squad.Torres is still not comfortable and might never fit into Chelsea.Drogba has shown signs of revival but he will be off to Africa and that will not help Chelsea.Lampard who has been so great for Chelsea in recent years is finding it difficult as the new Coach prefers him on the bench.With all that said, Chelsea will be fighting for a top four finish but will not challenge for the EPL this year.They have some bright spots in Ramires and Sturridge who is Chelsea's number 1 striker so far with 9 EPL goals.

City the lousy neighbors are making a statement with all their millions and yes Mancini has a squad that can win the EPL tittle.Silva and Yaya have been outstanding so far.Those two have been the catalyst of this City team linking up the midfielders with an explosive strike force.They are an all around squad from back to front line.Kompany has come to life as a captain with rock solid performances.Hart is one of the best keepers in the league as he continues to prove himself week in week out.Mario is matching his off field performances with goals and they seem to have made us football lovers to forget about the Tevez saga.Mancini has won tittles with Inter before and he knows this will not be easy.Getting kicked out of the UCL group stage might be the song he uses to inspire his players to a strong finish.With all that said City will miss Yaya and Kolo who leave for Africa this January.Replacing Yaya might be one of the greatest difficulties they face for a month.There is hardly a duplicate out there like Yaya.He makes good use of his physic.There is no big man out there with great sight and great control of the ball like him.City will only be weaker without him but i still have them as favorite to win it all

EL CLASSICO

2011-12-01T08:06:00.000-08:00

It's even better with Mourinho a former Barcelona Staff at the helm of Los Merengues.The second year at Mourinho's last clubs was a charm with Inter winning the treble and you can bet that the Real Boss is going for more than one trophy this year.Real is way better than the team Barca eliminated from Champions league as well as beat to the La Liga tittle.Madrid has so many weapons and most importantly are playing like a team.Real unlike other Mourinho teams is scoring many goals and are not defending as well as what the special one is known for.With injury to Carvahlo,Ramos has been deployed to central defense.Real concedes more goals at home than away and although 10 goals conceded after 13 games is a good number,i will say that the pair of Pepe and Ramos has not been tested yet.Barcelona's away record is the opposite of how they have been playing at home so far.They are yet to concede a goal at home but have allowed 7 goals on the road so far.Their scoring on the road is also not as brilliant as their home form.8 goals away as opposed to 34 at home,that's why Pep will be going for 3-5-2 formation which will unleash their attacking mentality.This is a statement by Pep who will want to have ball possession and frustrate Madrid at the Bernabeau.

With all that being said here is what i look forward to.Madrid has to play destroyer and count on their fast players to catch Barca on the break.Counter attacking football will be Madrid's best friend on the 10TH.Madrid has to keep the game tight at the back with the midfield loaded of players that can defend.Opening up the game will be inviting disaster for Real Madrid.Barcelona on their part will try to open up the game and use their 5 man midfield as an attacking machine.Villa might be called upfront to partner Messi.Barca knows only a win will put pressure on league leaders and also cut their lead down to 3.Madrid on the other hand will be anxious to increase the gap at the top.That is if they win their upcoming weekend game.9 days to go and we are all excited to see the greatest rivalry in football.

ManC vs Liverpool

2011-11-26T16:55:00.000-08:00

ManC will look forward to revenge the 3-0 beat down at the hands of Liverpool when they last visited Anfield.They will also want to increase their lead in the EPL following City rivals draw against Newcastle.Following a difficult lose in the Champions league Macini will need words of encouragement to boost the moral of his boys.Playing Liverpool will be a tricky one because the Reds are a physical team that are good at counter attacking football.Suarez will be a handful for the City Defense.He might start up front with Carol who had a double last season against City.Liverpool posses a good Defense with 2 good full backs that can play very well on the flanks as well.The battle will be fierce in the midfield but i see City slightly winning that midfield battle.Silva and Yaya are a powerful force to reckon with.They will take the pressure to the Reds and feed up the electrifying forwards in Aguero and Balotelli.With both teams possessing good defenses,the difference will be in the quality of their striking force.I see the advantage going to City who are not depended on one person.They have a free scoring squad no matter who starts(Balotelli,Aguero or Aguero Dzeko)Liverpool will need their 12th man to be also on top of their game as they play in the Anfield but i doubt this will have any effect on City.This game is totally different from the one last season as City has grown away from Tevez dependence and play more lick a squad.They also have good additions to their squad in Aguero,Nasri and Clichy.There is so much creativity in City's midfield,running against that Red back four will make them defend deep.Although both boost quality Defenses i predict a high scoring game 3-1 in favor of City

R.V.P

2011-11-25T11:01:00.000-08:00

Van Persie is not a new name but a man of his own.Once in the shadows of former team mates(Cesc and Nasri)and always plague by injury,the new Arsenal captain now shines alone.No one but Wenger ever saw this coming.After their worst ever EPL start in decades many critics thought Arsenal will melt down because of the exits of Cesc and Nasri.These two were the very bright spots of Arsenal in the past years thus the backbone of a very fragile team.R.V.P had different thoughts.Scoring 34 goals out of 41 appearances this year is a stats few can boost of.He so far has 13 goals in the EPL as he stands alone on top of the goal scoring charts.He makes the most out of less and has grown from a winger into a very feared talisman.Makes me think of Thiery Henry transformation from winger to the most feared striker in Europe.Wenger knows best and should get all the credit for bringing the best out of this very talented player.What impresses me the most is the way the Dutchman waves all the attention from himself as he gives credit to fellow team mates.He praises the lightening speed and excellence of Theo Walcott who has been phenomenal.He has also lavished praises to Song who put on a great performance and has provided 2 assist to R.V.P in the space of a week.Van Persie's form will never the less depend on his ability to stay fit as we know how vulnerable he is too injury.For now he is fit and cannot stop scoring.He is great on the ball,good in the air and can play from flanks with very good movement off the ball.R.V.P is just unstoppable and will be a big challenge for Arsenal board of directors to keep him.They will need to go over the clubs salary cap to prevent the future of Arsenal from leaving.A superstar is born in R.V.P and the question is born, will this be the next Thiery Henry?

Wenger deserves more from Players

2011-11-25T09:08:00.000-08:00

Wenger has proven to be a master at his art for so many years.From the Henry's,Anelka and now Van Persie.Wenger has produced so many good players that grow to be superstars.The master does what few coaches now our days can achieve.This is not coming up easy for him because Arsenal has not won a trophy in the past 7 years.Arsenal seems to be a squad that prepares players for bigger clubs.My opinion is strong about Arsene Wenger.He does lots with so little as his hands are tight by a board of managers who have for so long enjoyed the big profits he makes for them.Only in recent years have they provided money for more experienced players to come in,folllowing the exodus of Cesc and Nasri.V. Persie is the next made superstar under Arsene and he cannot afford to let him go.He is for sure telling the board of directors this.The reason this is critical is because V.Persie's signing will see other important players like Song,Vermalen,Theo and Wilsire also commit to the Gunners.These cast of players that received so much critism,have grown so fast than expected and are proving critics wrong.Although Arsenal has a long way to go as far as their defensive woes,they can still attract talented and ambitious players given their excellent displays in Europe.Wenger deserved more from a player like Nasri whom I thought should have taken a pay raise to reward the man who put so much trust in him.Nasri choice in City was a good pay day financially but not a good sports decision as he will play in the shadow of Silva.Nasri staying for another two years would have seen him win some silver ware with Arsenal and also increase his worth as a player.Wenger has been challenged with all the summer drama and now he knows he needs to make it right now or never.He might not win the EPL this season but I bet you Arsenal is on the verge to win big

A LOOK AT EPL BIG GUNS

2011-11-21T15:53:00.000-08:00

There is no doubt Mancini can play with the big boys as he continues to prove ManCity is for real.We all knew they will be tittle contenders this year but no one could predict such a brilliant start.They are finally playing like a team and no longer Tevez depended.Silva is well settled in the EPL and runs the show like no one does.It will be difficult to keep City off the EPL tittle because they have so much individual talent.Players like Aguero,Nasri just to name a few can single handed change games at any giving moment.In addition to their attacking powers ManCity's defense last year was the one that won them a ticket to Champions league birth.Joe Hart is the leader of that Defense with company just in front of him.Good goalkeeping wins tittles and i can say Hart is no doubt the best shot stopper in the EPL.City faces Liverpool next week and i predict a win for them.

Liverpool is the true definition of a team.They are well organized at the back and are a hard tackling team.Liverpool won in a well balanced game against Chelsea and proved to be deadly when they counter attacked Chelsea.They have their own problems as Carol is still struggling to find the form that brought him to Anfield.Suarez meanwhile cannot stop terrorizing defenses.He is amazing on the ball and will pose a threat to City's Defense when they meet next week.At 22 points the Reds will need help from other sources if they need to make top 4 this season.Goal differences might be important in what seems to be a real fight at the top of the table.

ManU is not playing their best football at this moment but unlike Chelsea,they know how to win when playing bad.This is Deja Vu from Sir Alex team as they know how to grind victories out of poor performances.Just 5 points away from their noisy neighbors ManU must be happy given the thrashing they received at the hands of City.Sir Alex is an expert of keeping players hungry.Giggs will play a minimal but important role as he has always done.His assist this weekend was enough to see off a good Swansea team.ManU's biggest worries is at center Defense as they face fitness worries from Ferdinard and even Vidic.De Gea seems to be calm now after a shaky start and only time will tell if he finally settled down.

Arsenal will always be around when it is set and done.Criticized at the start of the campaign for lack of activities in the transfer market,Wenger is again proving to be the master.His boys have turned the page around and are now playing at the level we expect.Van Persie is a real leader and has fired his team up the EPL table.Vermalen seems like a new signing after coming back from a long lay off.They are making fewer mistakes at the back and getting wins even when they play ugly.Ramzy,Song and Arteta are a force to reckon with in the midfield.Arsenal just hopes their injury nightmare do not continue as they keep accumulating wins.

Chelsea the blue beast is in all sort of problems.Their problem lies in the midfield.They are always second best when it comes to the battles in the midfield.They loose the ball easily and are not able to create chances for their forwards.Failing to sign Modric has dealt a blow to the beginning of their campaign.Lamps is not the same player 4 years ago and also needs a supporting cast like Essien to bring the best out of him.He likes playing in a free role and so will need someone that can do dirty work and allow him focus more on moving forward.Mata is still adjusting to the EPL.With time he will be a good buy for the blues.Chelsea will need to clean the house they failed to clean come January.Anelka,Malouda and even Kalou are players they might have to let go.I think with the right midfield Drogba,Torres and Sturridge can handle the job up front.

Spurs, the party scratches are living up to their name.Harry knew he had to keep Modric.What a genius that little magician.I can guarantee he leaves this coming summer for big bucks.Spurs play one of the most electrifying football in the EPL.The addition of Adebayor is more value to what was a good squad.Their biggest gain remains in the Goalie with Brad replacing calamity Gomez.Tottenham can beat any team on a given day while playing entertaining football

Chelsea vs Liverpool

2011-11-16T06:35:00.000-08:00

With both teams looking for consistency as they try to close the gap at the top,I will say the stage is set for an interesting game.Liverpool will hope Suarez is not affected by the racist incident against Evra as well as the knock he picked up while on duty with Uruguay.He has so far been charged and will need to answer to those claims.Suarez who is red hot for his country hopes to continue scoring with Liverpool.He will no doubt be the man to watch out for while Carol is still struggling to find the form that made Liverpool break the bank for him.Liverpool in their last game created so many goal scoring chances but could not find the back of the net in a very disappointing display.A win will take them to 22 points level with Chelsea.Chelsea has also struggled recently.They have had disciplinary issues lately but playing at the Bridge might just be the right Venue for back to back wins.They will need to count on misfiring Torres to get his act together.Chelsea's defense has consistently let them down and will only hope that the long international break gave then enough time to get their tactics together.I see a very physical game at the midfield.Liverpool will test the shaky Chelsea defense as they hope the knock picked up by Suarez during international duty does not keep him out.Chelsea will need to count on Lampard's recent form as they will need to be aggressive from get go.It will be a well contested game and I expect Liverpool to come out with atleast a point.It's game on

Barca, end of an era!

2011-11-10T08:17:00.000-08:00

Second in the league, 3 points away from leaders Real Madrid, seems to be good for Barca so far.I do not see it that way.What i see in this Barca team, is a team that is hard to motivate.Barca is not able to replicate same fire power they had last year.Some important puzzles of the team are getting tired and not playing at the same level.Although Barca has so much individual talent their greatest strength has been team work.Messi is still playing at the same level we all know and admire.He has not slowed down on scoring.The problem with Barca are the other important puzzles.Puyol will never play on the same level as age and injuries have taken a toll on him.Xavi is not playing at his best and was frustrated after he was substituted last game.Iniesta will have to be more valuable this year although Barca new comer Cesc is playing at a very good level.Their opposition in Real Madrid is much more stronger and playing more like a Mourinho team.With Mourinho being at his second year at Madrid, Barca is surely feeling the heat this time around.David Villa who seemed to be settled at Barca might be forced out due to constant friction in the squad.Rumors have him leaving for Liverpool this January as the striker is not happy at the way he is being used at Barca.With all this said Barca is still the team to beat in La Liga and the up coming El Classico in December will prove to us what this 2011/12 Barca team is made off.Keep in mind the margin of error for Barca and Madrid is very slim as it is a two man race.

Managers not Coaches for Chelsea

2011-11-03T17:49:00.000-07:00

Chevchenko,Crespo and Tores have all proven to be bad buys for Chelsea.Tores is so far playing well but way beyond the $50 million price tag. Roman has thus far proven that his knowledge of the game is well limited as he was the one behind those buys.I said last season that Chelsea needed more than a new coach.Their aging squad is just too slow and cannot keep up with the fast pace of the EPL.Here we are at the start of the season and Chelsea is already looking like a team in the second round of the EPL.Players like Lamps,Drogba,Malouda are just a shadow of themselves.Chelsea was built on a strong defense and very competitive midfield.All that seem to have disappeared with the constant change of coaches and with Roman's influence on who he wants as player.Chelsea as far as I am concerned needed to clean the house over the summer.5 or more players needed to leave with players like Lampard relegated to the bench.The constant changing of coaches puts Chelsea in a bad position as new coaches have no time to build a new base.Their quest to be European champs is taking a toll on the squad and might need a miracle for things to turn around.Roman needs to keep his hands off and let the new coach build a squad that can be successful.They are having a bad run at this moment but all that Chelsea needs is to avoid loosing more points until January when they can reinforce.Essien's absence has no doubt dealt a hard blow for the blues.Villas-Boas will need to shake up his leaky defense and will also need a hard tackler in the midfield.The problems upfront could be solved with time and consistency with the crew he already has.Chelsea needs managers and not coaches if they need to keep up with ManU and Barca..

ManCity is for Real!

2011-11-03T16:11:00.000-07:00

ManCity is the most balanced squad in the EPL.They can out score any team as well as defend.City has successfully moved away from Tevez depended to a squad where everyone can score.Silva is so far the best EPL player.He is now settled in the EPL and links the midfield with strikers like no one does.He brings the best out of the striking force as City has 3 strikers that boost more than 5 goals so far in the EPL.The addition of Aguero and Nasri make City even more dangerous as these players can single handed change games.Nasri is yet to pick his form of last season and might just do so when City needs the most.Balotelli seem to be walking away from his bad boy tag. It just feels like a new signing for Mancini who gets credit for believing in the lad when no one did.Making Kompany captain is another popular move as the Belgian is rock solid and the best leader City has seen so far.He will be missed due to his red card last game but ManCity has a big squad that will be up to task.Yaya Toure who i think deserves every dime of the $12 million he makes annually is the stabilizer.He is just as important as Silva.He reminds me of Viera at his best although not as hard a tackler.He does not have to work as hard as last year so that will keep him fresh as City looks forward to challenge for trophies this year.Hart is another important piece in Mancini's puzzle as he stakes claim to become the best in the EPL.There is no doubt City has a good squad.The question is how will they react when they finally get their first defeat in the EPL?Haven won La Liga with Inter, Mancini for sure knows what it will take his City team to win the EPL.He also knows ManU,Arsenal,Chelsea and Liverpool will make life difficult for him.The race in England is fought on many fronts and no one runs away with the crown at the start of the season.Injuries, poor runs and involvement in many different competitions will test how good of a team City is.City has so far survived from the Tevez-Mancini Saga and might actually gain from it if Tevez apologizes and stays with City.A well rested Tevez doing what he does best will be vital to their run for the EPL crown.

London Derby

2011-10-27T14:27:00.000-07:00

Chelsea missed the opportunity to go second last week by loosing to QPR.Chelsea has been inconsistent so far although they are 3rd on the table.They have disciplinary problems so far with lots of sending off.Drogba and Bosingwa will miss this game serving suspension from last week red cards.Torres is back from suspension and might pair up with Sturridge upfront.Sturridge might be the man to watch due to his current form.This will be an important game for both teams as they will not want to loose points to the front leaders.Arsenal on it's part will want to build on the recent form and close up the gap into that top four position.Gervinho and Van Persie are combining well upfront.Three goals between them saw Stoke off last week.My take on this game is a draw 1-1.The key of this game is the Arsenal defense.They must not be out played by the physical approach of the Chelsea attack.They have played okay in recent weeks but still have a problem with free and corner kicks.Chelsea on the other hand is yet to find the right formation at the midfield and also cannot stop getting red cards.I can't see Chelsea winning this although they play in Stanford bridge.Arsenal might pull out with a W.It's game on come Saturday

Same Old tactics for sorry Lions

2011-10-20T09:45:00.000-07:00

Indomitable, never die attitude has won Cameroon fame and respect in the football world.Sounds like a double edge sword to me because same statement has let us neglect signs of our failures.Since 2008 we have been rebuilding this team.ACN in Ghana was a success as far as rebuilding although we lost in the finals to Egypt.There was hope with Otto Phfister until when we lost to Togo in our first qualification game for 2010 WC.Cameroon never prepared for this game as a team should prepare for.Defeat was hard to avoid but Milla's recklessness led to a fist fight with the old German .Many applauded this move and gave the team to Nkono and 4 other coaches spelling failure for the toothless lions.LE GUEN was doom to fail although he managed to sneak us in.The scandals of the WC did not end there but just helped to open up the problems of our team.Le Guen was gone,players suspended, rules were implemented but the true problem is still amongst us.Corrupt Fecafools and incompetent Ministry of Sports are the true problems we face.Here we are again talking about replacing a coach that is just gelling with his players.We must have not qualified for the ACN but i strongly believe that a change in coaches will be the wrong move.My reasons being, we play better than a year ago.We have included some new players that are actually doing good in recent games.We are playing more test games and key players like Song and Kameni are now back in the squad.Changing the coaches now will be a step back as chemistry is very important.Omam Biyik should stay in place if Clemente gets fired.I see a bright future as the next Fecafoot elections are looming.Iya must go as any change away from a president that has no trophies under his reign will be a good one.

Derby Day for Manchester

2011-10-20T08:58:00.000-07:00

Both teams came out with a mid week win in the Champions league.This will be a boost of morale for ManU after their 1-1 tie to Liverpool.More importantly Rooney was on the score sheet after difficult weeks where he was red carded and suspended for 3 games in international football.ManU seem to be struggling in their play but Mancini knows that Six Alex team can always turn the table around when it matters.ManCity on the other hand seem to have distanced themselves from the Tevez scandal.Their offense is not dependent on one person as they were on the previous year.This game will be played in the midfield.City in my opinion has a better midfield and will dominate ManU in that area.ManU has an offensive line that gels better and on a good day they will be a handful for the robust City defense.This derby might come down to the play of the goal keepers.De Gea inconsistency in some games might be a major concern for ManU or the 18 million man might just have another big game to prove his price tag.One thing is for sure.This game is a much more bigger game for ManU than the one against Liverpool.They are 2 points away from leaders City and will not want to see themselves 5 points down.City on the other hand will want to make a statement as real tittle contenders and silence critics who still see them as under dogs.My prediction for this game is a victory for City.They are stronger mentally and seem invincible although they will need to play a full 90minutes against a relentless side in ManU.2-1 for City is my prediction

Eto'o to EPL?

2011-06-17T14:12:00.000-07:00

Eto'o has again proven his critics wrong with another strong season in Italy.Although Inter missed out on the Calcio crown,Eto'o scored three quarters of inter's goals this season helping them win the Italian cup with two impressive goals at the finals.With such a high, Eto'o certainly knows that this is his best shot at the EPL.With three years remaining to his Inter contract and almost 36 million dollars in cash, Eto'o can cease the opportunity for a move to England.At 30 Eto'o has 3 to 5 years in his tank at a high level.Eto'o like Mourinho guarantees trophies thus has great bargain power on his side.Manchester City looks like a very likely destination for the Cameroonian as they have the buying power and also have the possibility to trade Tevez for Eto'o.Also they will play champions league football this year and will very much be in contention for the EPL crown.Another team which might try to persuade the Cameroonian sniper will be Arsenal.It will be very difficult though because of many factors.First Eto'o is 30. Arsenal will be reluctant to offer him a lengthy and lucrative contract.Arsenal's play style and his love for Wenger might work in Arsenal's favor.Chelsea might also be interested depending on the future of the top Drog but that will be a surprising destination for the Cameroonian hit man who will be out to get the same compensation as in Inter and maybe more.With nothing more to prove in Italy a move this summer is very likely as the Cameroonian sniper looks forward to conquer yet another league with Man City strongly favorites to land him

The difference between our 1st and 2nd generation of Lions

2011-06-14T12:15:00.000-07:00

Back in the 70'S we had Canon,Tonnere and a certain Union.These clubs had talented players who terrorized Africa,winning various African championships.Canon had a handfull of players who played together with their clubs as well as with the Lions.There was chemistry carried from the club level into the national team.These players grew to play together for years thus bringing success to the Lions in the 80's right up to the 90's when the Lions made history.This success was brought not only because our players were talented but also because nearly all of them played in the local league.The 1990 team played together for atleast ten years at the local level as well as with the Lions.Defense was the key part of our success as we won numerous games with a one goal margin.Nkono and Bell were the best pair u could find in any team.Kunde a rock in defence,while Mbouh and makanaky set up the pace in the midfield.Omam was the labourer,a goal getter and worked hard for wonder man Roger Milla.Yes Dr Abega was a jewel in the midfield as i will say.He was the master mind behind the 1984 success.The second generation of Lions is more flashy.I will boldly say the 2002 team was the most talented team we ever had although their acheivements fall short of the first generation Lions.1998 world cup showed us what the second generation was made off.Lifting the olympic gold medal in 2000 and the ANC in 2000 and 2002 was a display we might never witness again.Most player play now abroad and the focus of our game is no longer our Defense.The lions are struggling to make a transition from Defense into attack.This is due to the lack of a national league worthy of our players standard.Our football skills are built around a good defensive system.Now that our players leave for greener pastures our national team has taken a hit.The Lions need to score more than 2 goals to hope for a win.With the lack of creative midfielders we continue to struggle.From the Late Foe,Etame,Geremi,Mboma,Eto'o and Magnan the 2nd generation Lions had what it takes to succeed in 2002 but yet Korea/Japan was just another dark side.Ever since the Lions under FECAFOOLS leadership of IYA Mohammed have been a complete failure.Our 3rd generation Lions will have to dig deeper to match the 1st and 2nd generation

Fecafoot dances to the tunes of Eto'o's Song

2011-06-14T11:35:00.000-07:00

South Africa was thought to be rock bottom for the Lions but Fecafools had other plans.Waiving away the problems within the Lions and playing cat and mouse games was the approach Fecafools used.Eto'o and Song have been the main subject since South Africa with blames flying all over.Fans are desperate to know what really went wrong.As always,the coach was sacrificed,Alex,Kameni and Emana were banned from the team.Fecafools had then succeeded to convince the public that they had taken care of the problems.Not so quickly.Different Coach, a change with some new players but yet the same results.Eto'o has made mistakes as a captain,Song has his own share and both have asked the authorities to resolve this problem.Their calls are falling on def ears as Fecafools use the attention these two superstars are getting to continue their dirty work.It's obvious that Eto'o and Song do not like each other but again they are not suppose to like each other to be successful with the lions.These players are professionals and are trained to play under such circumstances.Fecafools have a code of conduct that they are so reluctant to use.No one is taking resdponsibility,no one is dishing out the fines but yet we all think that the problem lies in Eto'o's Song

La Danse Du Vieux Lion

2011-04-01T05:44:00.000-07:00

The World knew Milla in 1990 with the famous Makossa celebration dance.I first saw Milla in 1984 in Abijan when he combined with Abega to raise Cameroon to their first African glory.Milla back then was gentle,smooth and had the biggest smile i had ever seen.Joy was all over his face when he played the game,even when he was picking himself up from the ground.I had never seen Milla on a stretcher.This confirmed his toughness and made him unbeatable in the eyes of his supporters and the opposing team. Milla could go unnoticed just to stab the opposing team when it mattered.I still have memories on the brink of elimination as we played Morocco in dieing moments of the game.Milla scored an incredible goal.From a long clearance Milla spotted Zaki off his goal and played a one timer lob earning Cameroon a point that qualified us,eventual winners to the next round.Milla was already great for us Cameroonians as we knew how dangerous he was.1990 is the year that crowned the old Lion.What a tournament,what a team and yes Milla was part of the team and a true finisher.His introduction late in the game against Argentina was a glimpse of what was to be.Most saw Milla dance after scoring, that was not my case.I saw Milla dance his way through defenders, i saw Milla score from an impossible angle against Columbia.Not even in my wildest dream did i ever think Milla will take goal scoring celebration to another level.Yes Milla gave a whole new meaning to goal celebration with his makossa dance.Everywhere the Old Lion goes he is being asked to repeat the corner kick dance.I remember Embe David trying one when he scored against Sweden US 94.Roger Albert Milla was a star, a joy to watch and the greatest footballer ever to grace the African soil.La Dance Du Vieux Lion will always be a standard for African football and the world at large

EPL full of surprises

2011-03-31T11:42:00.000-07:00

Club football is back as we all put away our National Jerseys in favor of our respective team jerseys.A look at the premiership, as the race for the title is on.West Ham plays host to ManU in what will be a match to avoid relegation.ManU on the other hand looks to pile pressure on Arsenal who has since lost confidence in recent weeks.Chelsea although 9 points behind league leaders ManU has recently found form and is riding high with confidence.Arsenal and Chelsea have all played a game less than ManU and will look forward to keep the chase hoping ManU falters over the weekend.City meanwhile has fallen into 4th position and will look to tighten their grip as they can no longer afford to loose.With Toure suspended for a positive drug test and Balotelli being fined 100.000 pounds for misbehaving,Mancini will need to rally his troops so as to avoid the sack.City faces Sunderland of the great Gyan who is glowing with confidence after his wonder strike brought Ghana to level with England at the Wembley.He will be alongside Welbeck who was booed by the Ghanaian spectators.Welbeck who was eligible to play for his parent's country Ghana turned down the opportunity.He played 20 minutes for the three lions and later on said it was a difficult decision for him to play against Ghana. ManU plays the first game of Saturday and will have the opportunity to stretch its lead to 8 points.Everton faces an Aston Villa team that is struggling.Tottenham has a game at hand with 4 points behind City. Tottenham travel to Wigan without Bale who was left out of the Wales team that lost to England over the Weekend.Wolfs who have an incredible home run recently will be away to Newcastle as they look to fight their way out of the relegation zone.Arsenal welcome Song,Diaby,Walcott and Fabregas as they host Blackburn at the Emirates.Arsenal will be looking to bounce back after some dropping points in their last game.Lemann has since been brought out of retirement to help solve Goalkeeping crises.Will be interesting to see who starts at goal for Arsenal

The Milan Derby

2011-03-31T11:05:00.000-07:00

Zlatan will be serving his 2nd and final suspension as Inter clashes with city Rivals AC Milan.This will be a do or die game as a win will put Inter a point ahead of AC Milan.The serie A race is on with 4 teams gunning for the title in their quest to succeed Inter as Champs.Inter who lost 1-0 in the away game is booming with confidence after their new found form under former AC Coach Leonardo.Zlatan who is the main man for Milan will be greatly missed by Milan who are struggling.The big Swede has netted 14 goals in 27 appearances this season and will miss the opportunity to face Eto'o who has also been influential for Inter Milan.Eto'o so far has 19 goals in 27 games and will be looking to increase his tally this Saturday.The Cameroonian hitman will need to be at his best after a disappointing outing with the Lions in Senegal.He has since come under scrutiny after a war of words during a press conference involving a local journalist. Napoli and Udinese are also on the chase with Udinese playing away at Leece.Napoli will face a tougher task as they play 5th place Lazio.

Eto'o a True Lion with so much attacking skills

2011-03-30T09:35:00.000-07:00

Eto'o's outrage at a press conference after the Lions defeat at the hands of Senegal is making news all over the web.Videos of Eto'o response to a journalist from radio EQUINOXE show the captains anger and fustration.He even threatens to get the journalist fired for a question Eto'o deemed to be very unpatriotic."« Samuel, allez-vous mettre fin à votre carrière internationale ce soir, vu que vous venez d’être battu pas le Sénégal et que la qualification du Cameroun pour la prochaine Can ne dépend plus de vous ? » Here is Eto's response ""Je suis très surpris, cher frère, parce que vous vous faites remarquer et négativement. Je vais vous dire quelque chose : quand on joue comme on a joué ce soir, vous deviez plutôt dire merci parce que ça fait longtemps qu’on n’avait pas joué de la sorte… Je me demande si vous êtes camerounais et si vous avez vu le même match que nous… Et, je parlerai à votre patron d’Equinoxe Télévision parce que vous ne méritez même pas de travailler pour cette merveilleuse chaîne, je verrai avec lui. Je vais vous dire, j’ai 30 ans et j’ai tout gagné dans ma carrière, je n’ai que la Coupe du monde qui manque… Les gens comme vous, vous ne méritez pas d’exister, vous et certains journalistes comme vous qui ne voulaient pas que l’Afrique avance, que le Cameroun avance, arrêtez d’être négatif, essayez de changer. "..Eto'o actually went on the counter attack giving the journalist a taste of his medicine.I watched the game and these guys played with their hearts on their sleeves.They left their all on the field and after such a defeat i understand the bitterness of Eto'o.I was bitter as a fan and had to take a nap for a good two hours.With all that said the journalist was doing his job and now he is making headlines.He will live to remember the day he met a True Lion with so much attacking skills

"Sick way dey catch Cocoa na ye dey catch Coffee."

2011-03-30T08:47:00.000-07:00

We can now blame Eto'o for the lack of success because he is captain of the lions.Same happened when Song was captain but my blame falls on Fecafools.It's 8 months counting after the world cup, no one has taken responsibility, no feed backs have been given and there is no real structure for same mistakes to be prevented.We envy teams like Ghana but we fail to copy good examples from them.Fecafools should focus on domestic football.Our true success will be determined by the true level of our domestic league.The lions have a culture that is fast evading us.We are known as the Germans of Africa for the simple reason that we do not concede easy goals.We cannot live up to that now our days because our defenders play abroad and have little or no playing time together.Ghana has played two games in the space of two weeks and our poor Lions are there leaking their wounds after defeat at the hands of Senegal.Fecafools just again canceled a friendly against Gabon.There is actually no accountability on their part but yet we want the players to kill themselves on the field.Only a true structure and good organization will see the Lions climb the charts again.I can see some progress from the game against Senegal as the boys were really motivated and played a good game irrespective of the results.The question is, will they progress, or will Fecafools stick to their bad habits.

Cameroon Vs Senegal from True Lions view

2011-03-24T08:37:00.000-07:00

The Taranga Lions are roaring loud with their new found form.From Niang to Cissey they boost a free attacking force that has been terrorizing defenses all over Africa.After missing the Nations cup and World cup the Lions of Senegal are really hungry to impress.The Lions have been training in Dakar with confidence as they prepare to face the Indomitable lions of Cameroon.Huge numbers of supporters have been watching the lions train and players have been giving interviews about the upcoming game.The Senegalese are fired up and ready to prove themselves against a superior breed of Lions.Yes against the Indomitable lions whose pride is in jeopardy.There is no better time to face the lions who are fighting to find their identity at this moment.But as we all know the Lions always know how to pull themselves from situations like this.The lions of Cameroon are quiet and concentrated as they train in Portugal.The Lions know that a win will silent their critics and will be a great boost as the team struggles to move away from what happened in South Africa.Clemente and Omam have all come under high criticism after omitting the likes of Ekotto,Song and Emana!Milla in an Interview blasted that the best have been left out.Ekotto was immediately called under immense pressure but Emana and Song are still not with the Lions.Let the truth be said, Milla is very wrong because his job is to encourage the Lions and not to distract them before a crucial game.Milla was given an opportunity to bring back Song and Emana to the national team but he failed to even see them.Eto'o and his troops know what awaits them on the 26th in Dakar.The Lions will need to be concentrated, disciplined and well organized in other to take down the Taranga lions who will be under immense pressure when they face their biggest rivals.The Taranga lions might be good but they have not played under this type of situation before and also lack the experience to aboard such a game.I predict the Indomitable lions will come out with a victory leaving the vegetarian Lions of Senegal licking their wounds

Barca's low blow as Eto'o makes history

2010-12-21T21:50:00.000-08:00

Marca a Barcelona based newspaper published an article accusing Eto'o of being corrupt and of being the source of Kameni and Emana's problems with the lions.Marca the Barca newspaper says Eto'o was the cancer that plagued the Barca locker room...Hold on, what has Barca won ever since Eto'o left? The last time i verified Eto'o won the treble and has recently been crown club world champ.It's 2 years counting, Barca replaced Eto'o with Ibra and thought to have buried the Cameroonian after trading him to Inter but they were all wrong.Yes Eto'o stuck it to them after winning the treble with a club most never gave a chance.Eto'o as a Barca player flew Milla to his first El Classico,hotels and best seat at Nou Camp but the Marca never made comment of it because Eto'o wore the shirt then.Eto'o has always given gift to teammates, former lions and to his country as a whole so why is it now corruption when he gives Milla 30 thousand euros and a cayenne?Marca's timing adds more fuel to rumours about Barca's true reason for letting Eto'o go.They are still bitter about the Cameroonian hit man's achievements and even say it will be difficult for him to win the CAF award for a 4th time.I now understand why Barcelona has always been second best to Madrid and yes i do mean it.Barca has never respected legends.Eto'o is the most successful player ever to grace a Barca shirt and as Inista and Messi said he should be recognised.Football is a game of trophies and the Barca fans will remember Eto'o for that including me.

Talent alone not enough

2010-12-16T06:25:00.000-08:00

Can the lions learn from what TP Mazembe has just accomplished?A country that has been in war and has so much instability but yet are getting it right with good organization and less talent.The lions have been riding on past glories and hope since 1990 when talent over shadowed poor organization.The lions are yet to reproduce the same greatness after 2 decades.Great players have come and gone, talent back home is being wasted on dusty pitches with no true stage for them to show case their talents.Aboubakar Vincent is a good example of the raw talent we have back home but yet most of them are not lucky to get the same exposure due to lack of a true local league and infrastructure back home.The so call professionals we really on to create magic are not all good enough.When i look at their performances, i know we have talented and hungry players back home that can do a better job.Omam and Clemente are taking the right approach by scouting the local leagues.27 local players are having training sessions back home but is that enough to booster the lions who are desperate to be African champions again?Iya has had disastrous performances for the past decade at the helm of fecafoot and yet is still there.Former lions should be incorporated in the running of our football.Cameroon plays China next year in a test game as they gear up for a clash with Senegal in march.It's almost a must win for the Lions as we cannot afford another set back after the draw against a well organized Congo side.Will the Song's,Emana's and Kameni's be recalled?Fecafoot's amateur ways have again dragged on a problem that we had since the world cup.France has dealt with theirs and moved on.Can Fecafoot not copy good examples?Affaire a suivre

Mou over shadow's Messi and Ronaldo

2010-11-23T21:13:00.000-08:00

It's the Messi and Ronaldo show as Barca clash with Madrid on an unusual Monday el clasico but we might just see the special one steal the show.This is the reason why he is the best coach period.He takes challenges that the Sir Alex's and Wenger will not dare take.His mind game is second to none and yes he just served a 2 game ban in Spain.Madrid is a totally different team and as the season goes further they are quickly getting the identity of the special one and the difference is that they can score lots of goals and do not concede many.This is what you will see on Monday.Mourinho will shut down the game and count on the speed of his front men to counter attack Barca.He understands that no matter how good Madrid is they cannot win playing Barca's game.On the other hand Pep has to count on the brilliance of Xavi and Messi to beat Real.Pep will need to work hard on his tactics if he wants to revenge the the beat down Inter gave them under Mou.This is why i watch the Spanish league and this is why we love the beautiful game.My prediction is that Real will beat Barca, what is yours?

Eto'o wants out of Inter!

2010-11-23T20:40:00.000-08:00

It might sound crazy right now but i have never seen Eto'o this crazy.Yes fustration has got to Eto'o winning mentality.I have followed Eto'o closely with Inter and it's very difficult for me to fall in love with the club but as a true Eto'o fan i have stuck in there.Final analysis Eto'o frustration might just be against the Inter team not playing as a team.It's easy to blame the coach,yes Rafa is to blame but when you watch Inter play you realize division and this is the reason why Eto'o is frustrated.Inter has scored 10 goals this season in calcio and Eto'o has 9 with melito scoring 1 from an assist from Eto'o but yet the front line players are yet to realize who their true goal getter is.Has all this affected Eto'o who is so use to the ball circulation?Yes it has and he is loosing his mind and wants out of Inter Milan because
he is not so much in control and is tired of the Italian way of doing things.Eto'o knows better that a head but will suspend him from the game and he wanted out.Eto'o has never lost his composure in such a way but the refs did not help protect the prolific striker.He was assaulted by Ceasar and even the Italian football association have failed to sanction the one who provoked Eto'o with blows.3 games ban will be good for Eto'o and will be reflection time for Inter as a whole.Eto'o needs some rest and will be back in business as soon as he gets back with the squad.He will for sure regret his actions but there is no need for Eto'o to apologize as there is only that much that a man can withstand, the monkey chants, the blows and refs who will not protect the best striker in the business.

True Lion's case for Eto'o

2010-09-30T07:37:00.000-07:00

During a visit with Inter Milan to Dallas,Eto'o made me a promise and now he is delivering the goods.The Cameroonian sniper lamented on the bad SA outing and promised to work with everyone towards a better national team.Eto'o as i noticed is a person that wants to do it all.He gave money and watches trying to motivate players when Cameroon needed a lift to qualify for WC.These actions came back to hunt Eto'o when the lions did not deliver the goods although these very actions had motivated them to qualify for WC.Eto'o is back scoring goals both for Country and for club at the rate that we are used to see him score.25 is the magic number for serie A and 35 will be for all competitions.Eto'o has done it before and although most have always credited Ronaldinho,Messi, Xavi and Iniesta i just wonder if they will credit Sneijder when Eto'o hits these numbers.The Cameroonian sniper for me is the best in the world after Ronaldo De Souza who was also as consistent for years just like Eto'o.Kaka,Owen,Beckham,Ronaldinho (2)Canavaro just to name a few, have all won the Ballon d'or and not Eto'o.Sir Alex Ferguson lately said Melito should win it this year and i begin to wonder if Eto'o is not better than the players i just named.Yes he is better and has competed with them since 2004 and he is still the last one standing and still terrifying defenses without Ronaldinho nor Messi..Vive the True Lion

Clemente's Song for Kameni and Emana

2010-09-30T07:15:00.000-07:00

Clemente made a choice becoming the lions coach thus inheriting the problems that come with the job.Fecafoot and the Ministry of sports have failed to tell the fans what really happened in SA thus putting Clemente in a situation where he has to find out from the players.Clemente in an interview says he will visit Song, Kameni and Emana respectively before calling them for the squad.This unprofessional ways by administration is the greatest problem we do have.Without a good base it will be difficult for long term success.This issue puts the lions in a difficult situation with players trying to justify themselves instead of focusing on their actual job.Clemente is yet to get his mark on the squad because there has been no real system and unless the lions get a true identity then we shall always move a step behind every time we get a new coach.

How Le Guen lost the game

2010-06-14T15:14:00.000-07:00

Le Guen is so stubborn and cannot realize that a 4-3-3 formation is not working for the lions.I think he should look at history before moving forward.Well authorities who hire coaches should always hire those that have the same football philosophy as the Lions.4-4-2 is what the lions are built on.With a striker like Samuel Eto'o there is no reason we play 3 center forwards upfront.Eto'o has terrorized defends single handed.All we need is service from our midfielders and not two center forwards deployed as wingers.Cameroon is not Inter or Barca with multiple target men.Webo can come from the bench where i think makes him more effective.Moting proves to be good on the ball and can partner Eto'o upfront.He is big and can play as the target just exactly how Heskey plays for England along side Rooney.We need four at the midfield.ACN 2008 in Ghana proved that Song and Mbia can be a dominant force in the midfield.They are very dominant on the ball and Mbia has an eye for goal as he climbs forward.Playing Mbia at the back takes away our strength just the same as playing Eto'o as a winger.Enoh and Emana can be the other two at the midfield thus giving Emana the liberty to support our front men.Geremi is no doubt the best when it comes to crosses and dead ball plays.With 4 in the midfield we definitely will have cover for Njitap who is lacking defensively.Nkoulou and Bassong can play central while Assou Ekotto completes the back four.The constant changing of personnel not knowing who your starters are has been a weakness for Le Guen.There are players that really are not replaceable in a team even when they are having a bad day.Song is one of those players because his 50 percent is usually better than most players efforts.Most analyst were shocked by Le Guen's move.What was really shocking is that he came out with the same formation after halftime.When does the emergency bell ring for Paul Le Guen who is one of the best paid coaches in this tournament.The lions were a disgrace and i have never seen them so disorganised

The Lions are not 1990 greats

2010-06-13T10:36:00.000-07:00

The Lions have the quality it takes to go far but they will never be 1990 greats.The 1990 Cameroonian squad was more of a team with coherence and most players playing at home.Cameroon will need to invest in the home league in other to produce such a great team again.The back line was strong and played with lots of discipline,the midfield was a rock with the likes of Mbouh,Makanaky,Pagal and you name it.Watching Ghana played today just proved my point.The youth players like Anan,Asamoah and Ayew last year junior world cup winners proved to be essential for their victory.Our lions now our days need to play much together to get to that level.We need to make less mistakes at the back.Most of our goals conceded be it during the ANC or Friendlies have been self inflicted.Mistakes will be punished at the highest level and it's very vital for the lions not to concede early goals.Goal keeping trouble is another worry for our Lions.In 1990 Nkono was overwhelming and if not the best at the tournament.kameni who is our best keeper is not playing at a high level.It's easy to say Souleymanou will replace him but remember he is not playing well either.He has not convinced us but instead he is now number one because Kameni lost it.In my opinion Songo is not doing his job because he came in a immediately threw Kameni under the bus instead of trying the get him back to playing at the highest level.The element of surprise is no longer with the lions.Their star studded squad makes them one of Africa's favourites and thus will not be flying under the radar.There is however no doubt that these lions can do great things but they will need to play at their real level and be lucky to go as far as the 1990 Greats.Allez les lions

Judging Le Guen

2010-06-06T17:05:00.000-07:00

Paul Le Guen was brought to Cameroon to rescue the Lions who were on the brink of elimination of yet another world cup.The charismatic French man went back to basis,winning 4 out of 4 remaining games.Le Guen was hero for a short time but that quickly went away.Le Guen has been heavily chriticized for his 4 3 3 playing style and for not delivering results.The face of the Lions has changed drastically and we are looking into a bright future thanks to Le Guen.The question at hand is,can he deliver now?The Lions have a very competative team, young and talented.Playing a 4 3 3 has exposed our weakness at defense and we all know there is no Cameroon without a strong defense.This is Le Guen's mistakes and i believe he has to resolve this before the 14th.Madjeck is a midfielder and in many a games has struggled at right back.Playing him at right back for the world cup will be a mistake.Geremi i think has played himself into Le Guen's rotation.His crosses and passes are second to non and this is what's lacking for Le Guen's team.If Geremi plays right back we shall need A. Song to look out for him defensively.But Njitap will be very influecial with croses and in dead ball situations.So far our left and right backs have more assist than our offensive midfielders.The Lions need a link between our midfield and attacking line.Eto'o needs to be involved in the game.Playing him on the right hand side of attack will only make him less explosive.A 4 4 2 system of play for the Lions will open up so much for our strikers.They will play central and bring a direct approach for our front men.This will make the midfield compact thus protect out fragile back line.Songo, yes i said Songo because we are still having a goalkeeper problem.Kameni is struggling now but there is no doubt that he shoukld be our number 1 for many reasons.Songo needs to have faith in this guy and get him ready for the job at hand.Souleymanou is good but very shaky.He does not command the same presence Kameni does as a keeper.The lions have shownsome good signs but also shown fragility and metal weakness during these friendly games.Le Guen needs to build confidence and discipline in our game plan.Le Guen assures the future but can he deliver now?

Milla blast Eto'o and Le Guen

2010-05-27T19:42:00.000-07:00

When asked about what he thinks about the Lion's chances,Milla took a direct shot at Eto'o.Why Eto'o and not the whole team?Milla with direct comments said,he Eto'o has not won anything for the Lions.I begin to wonder if the Lions now belong to one person?Milla forgets the Omam's had to qualify Cameroon for the world Cup to give him a chance to show case his skill.He expresses his disapproval for Le Guen's choice of players and he goes on to say the whole nation is frustrated with the Lions.Milla is known not to shy away from such comments but alot will question his timing and his multiple attacks directed at Samuel Eto'o.Is the Cameroonian Legend jealous?I do not think so but i can say he loves the attention and spot light.Just like Maradona,Milla is a Legend who is very much liked by his country men but people might be running out of patience with the old Lion.What Milla forgets is that he never won trophies single handed.Cameroon had a great group of players who played together for long and also had the element of surprise in their favour.I am not making any excuses for the current squad but with players like Mfede,Makanaky,Mbouh,Nkono and Omam(just to name a few)Milla had the supporting cast that made the difference.These Lions might have had a poor outing at the nations cup but they still have a say during the upcoming world cup.Milla completely threw Paul Le Guen under the bus which i find to be unfounded.The failure of the team during the Nations cup should not be attributed only to the coach but the Federation should take the lions share of the blame with the approach they took.Le Guen took Cameroon from last place during the qualifiers to first winning every game left.He has earned the benefit of doubt and i think Milla needs to show some respect to earn respect.Eto'o will need a good supporting cast to make a difference.Cameroon will need to stand tall in defense,all they need is serenity and a good training session.Affaire a suivre

Eto'o the Legend I know

2010-05-25T19:54:00.000-07:00

Kaham is not impressed by the role Eto'o played after winning an impressive 4Th champions league title.I totally agree with him because i know how lethal Eto'o can be and how important it is for Eto'o to be rolling on all cylinders come world cup time.Eto'o did struggle in a new system where defense wins games and not attacking football, however his versatility helped him fill the blanks.Eto'o the superstar took up a more defensive role when it matters.Mourinho in an interview on the inter website says "Eto'o is a winner as a defender,as a keeper and as a striker"Mou knows how important his player was for his tactics against Barca and Bayern in the finals.He deployed Eto'o as left back against Barca and right back against Bayern.Barca might not admit it but they lost a leader in Eto'o, the most prolific striker they ever had and a winner who has engraved his name in every trophy out there to be won except the golden one that might be a stiffer test for the man from Douala.At 29 the Legend continues and Eto'o is yet to write his name in the biggest of stages.A stage where stars get humbled, a stage where stars emerge and a stage where the best distinguish themselves.Eto'o will not be stopped this time around as the Lions will roar in South Africa.I believe in the element of surprise from the Lions.This group will not be intimidated but will be led by Eto'o the Legend i know...Allez les lions

why Lienz,Austria for our Lions?

2010-05-25T19:12:00.000-07:00

The world cup is for sure in Africa but the weather has no similarities with most African countries at this moment.Lienz is a mountainous town in Austria known for its many skiing resorts.Height altitudes the lions need to acclimatise themselves to.Paul Le Guen and the other 8 countries that are currently training in Austria know that the most physically fit teams with have an edge over the others.The Lions however played their first of 4 friendlies today and came out flat against Georgia(0-0)Coach Paul Le Guen expressed his satisfaction with his players and said he understood how difficult it was for his players today.Le Guen used a string of new comers today as he tries to give everybody a realistic chance of making the squad.With no goals scored the lions are still having difficulties creating and converting chances.A well rested Eto'o who is yet to join the squad and Emana who met up with the team on the 24Th will be needed to boost up the Lions striking force.Mbia is nursing a light knock and will be under the watchful eyes of the medical staff.Cameroon play Slovakia next in a more challenging game where players will need to assert themselves and Coaches will make a final cut after the game.Allez nos Lions

Cameroon must defend to Impress in SA 2010

2010-05-17T21:29:00.000-07:00

The pressure is building up as the World cup draws closer. Le Guen's honey moon has been over after the poor performance of the Lions during the nations cup. Cameroon will need a good preparation to be at it's best. With 4 friendlies in the space of two weeks the lions will have everything in place to ensure a good start against Japan. Le Guen has come under fire after naming his 30 man squad. With Song and Geremi in the squad, Le Guen is following the same steps of his predecessors. Geremi for me has a case to make, he might still be a threat from dead ball situations, passes, and good collective playing. That is if he comes from the bench. Song for me has no case to make, especially after playing so poorly in the nations cup and has been a regular poor player in the past four years. Song might have the experience but he is too slow and turns to make lots of costly mistakes. The Japanese or Holland will take advatange of him with their fast game and fast players. He has no place in this squad and i doubt he makes it to South Africa. Cameroon is known to be a defensive team and it is very important we get things together before our first game. We feed from good defensive games and get confident as we play on. Cameroon is like a diesel engine that starts slow and then pick up steam, so it's very important we defend well in the early minutes. Our stong defenses in gave us success in 1982, 1984,1988, 1990,2000 and the famous 2002 where we played the nations cup without considering a goal until shoot outs in the finals against Senegal. The Germans of Africa need to get this right to succeed in South Africa. The draw 0-0 draw against Italy was positive from a defensive point for the lions after considering the poor show up at the nations cup. Our defensive midfield is our strongest link so far with so many options and tense competition. Like always it will be the backbone of the Lions. Le Guen's headache is the front line as he still searches for a link between our midfield and the forwards. Who will partner Eto'o upfront? Will Emana show up? Emana can do the job connecting midfielders with the attack line but its important he plays discipline football and create chances for strikers. Cameroon will camp in Austria and play 4 friendly games.(Cam vs Georgia 05/25) (Cam vs Slovakia 05/29) (Cam vs Portugal 06/01) (Cam vs Serbia 06/05)

Guadiola takes out Madrid's 12th man

2010-04-11T10:34:00.000-07:00

what a tactical game from Pep Guadiola point of view.This is a coach who has one of the greatest if not the best player in the world.We might say that's what it takes to win games but that's not enough when two teams full of excellent players meet.Pushing Alves into the right side of the midfield and playing Puyol behind him stopped Ronaldo and Madrid from running down that left side of attack.Yes i mean Pep out coached Pellegrini.With 5 defenders in the game and a defensive midfielder as well you can say Barca went in to defend.This to me was the telling points of the game because Baarca was never really in any defensive struggles and this put them in a position to do what they do best.Yes Barca attacked Madrid as a team and with magic from Xavi exposed the weakness of Madrid.Madrid was indiscipline and played with no coordination with Ronaldo trying to do too much.Pelligrini had no answers and his only bright moment was bringing Guti in.The question is why did he leave Guti on the bench for so long or why did he not start him?I credit Guardiola for taking Madrid's 12th man out of the game with his tactical genius.Barca absorbed the pressure at the Bernabeu and struck with 2 deadly goals leaving Madrid helpless as they now trail Barca by three points and a head to head that favours Barca.

ManU falter as City stroll into Manchester derby week

2010-04-11T09:49:00.001-07:00

ManU are seeing premiership tittle hope shrink away after a tie against Blackburn.Rooney was out with a recurrent injury after Sir Alex risked him against Bayern.The Rovers frustrated the likes of Berbatov and Valencia all day long.Sir Alex will be kicking himself but next neighbour rivals Man City pulled out an excellent display thrashing Birmingham 5-1.City is holding tight on the 4th position and ManU is still in contention for the tittle.This will make the upcoming derby really purpose full.With their recent form,City might just be the one to deal a final blow to ManU tittle hope.They will also look forward to revenge the controversial winning goal Owen scored when the 2 sides met earlier last year.Sir Alex was wrong when he said Tevez does not score enough and also for not giving him enough credit.Tevez now has 21 goals this season and might be the one to hunt down his former employers.14 goals for city for their last 3 games in the EPL and with Rooney back for United will make a very electrifying game

Barca takes Real to the cleaners

2010-04-11T07:57:00.000-07:00

Pep is to be given credit for this game as his 4-3-3 line up kept Real at bay and saw the never threaten Barca out play Real at the santiago Bernabeu.Dani Alves was pushed up into the right midfield with Puyol playing behind him.This prevented Ronaldo from making runs down the left flank and frustrated him as well.A quick free kick saw Messi combine well with Xavi who pulled out a wonder pass to fine the little Argentine to make it 1-0 for Barca.Madrid showed heart but Barca was more of a team than a one man show.Ronaldo tried so hard to make an impression but Real's millions will not buy them a tittle this year.Barca came strong in the second half to close down the game.Pedro took advantage of some lazy defending to make it 2-0.From then it was the Barca show with quick passes showing their supremacy.Madrid saw some light with the introduction of Guti who later set up Van Der Vaat in their best chance of the game.The Dutch man stroke the ball straight into Valdes body.Barca moves 3 points clear to the top of La Liga and they might just be going into another year of trophies except they beat themselves.Xavi in my opinion is the man of the match after 2 beautiful assist

EL Classico Barca vs Real

2010-04-08T14:54:00.000-07:00

This might be the Ronaldo vs Messi show or the Valdes vs Casillas show but also might have many other hidden actors in the much awaited EL Classico.Most Real and Barca players play soccer for moments like this, especially when much is at stake.This might be the season decider as both sides are almost unbeatable in La Liga.The Spanish sides are known for good offensive football, but this will be a very physical game as well.Real will not let Barca have too much time on the ball with the likes of Xabi Alonso and Diarra looking forward to disrupt play in the midfield.Barca lacks last years speed up front but they have Messi who can compensate for that.He will be very difficult to close down once he has the ball and his scoring touch has dramatically improved from previous years.A fit Ronaldo will be at the other end running down Barca's throat.Barca's defense will have their hands full but the real man they need to fear will be La Liga's second highest scorer and Argentina's hit man Higuain.His scoring touch is as deadly as Messi's thus relegating Benzema to the bench.This will be an electrifying game and the goalkeepers might be the difference maker.Valdes is now playing at Casillas level and will all be very busy come this weekend.Madrid is well rested for the game while Barca will have to recuperate quickly after their champions league win over the Gunners.My prediction for this is Real will overcome Barca in a highly contested game.The game of words have already started as Ronaldo declared his Real will overcome Barca

Song down and out against Barca

2010-04-05T15:47:00.000-07:00

Alex Song's absence for the return leg against Barca might be the last straw that breaks the Carmel's back.Arsenal already has a long list of first team players that are out with injuries.The versatile Cameroonian is an instrumental player for the gunners.The defensive midfielder will be missed.He kept Messi quiet for most part of the 2-2 tie at the emirates.Arsene Webger said he is very surprised with Alex going down with a groin injury.Barca will also be missing Zlatan who scored both goals for his team in the away fixture.

Inter trained in Moscow on Sunday ahead of their fixture with the military men of Moscow(cska)Sneijder might be missing for Inter after picking up a knock in training.Inter take a slim 1-0 advantage to Moscow.They will need to adapt quickly to the synthetic pitch.

Bayern travel to Old Trafford with a boost as Arjen Robben will be with the squad.Meanwhile the red devils might miss tallies man Wayne Rooney.ManU will need to pick themselves up after loosing to Chelsea in a crucial game that might determine who wins the premiere league this season.Bayern has a 2-1 lead going into the second game.

Lyon go to Bordeaux beaming with confidence as new Ligue 1 leaders and with a 3-1 advantage from the first leg.They know well they cannot rest on this though as Bordeaux is a side to recon with.The stage is set for a mouth watery return leg

Will element of surprise be a weapon for the lions again?

2010-04-05T14:27:00.000-07:00

Before Italia 1990, the Lions were a force to recon with in Africa.After a very poor performance at the 1990 nations cup no one expected the Lions to make it far in the world cup.Good team spirit and hard work saw the lions make it to the Quarter finals.The greatest element of surprise was Roger Milla who came out of retirement to set up a world class performance.The bar has been set up so high for the next generations of lions trying to fill in the boots of the Legendary Roger Milla.Many have come close but not on the biggest stage where good players distinguish themselves into greatness.Cameroon is known for it's great defense and to my honest opinion we need to excel in defense to make a difference in the World cup.Our attack line is not free flowing now but my greatest worries for the lions is to find the right combination at right back and central defense.Early,cheap and stupid goals like we took in the African Nations cup will destabilise any teams game plan.We have a great midfield as good as the 90s.Milla's greatness in 1990 was also due to the fact that he played with Omam Biyik who had grown to be a very good passer of the ball as well as an intelligent team player.Cameroon desperately needs someone to play behind Eto'o and let him be the threat we all know.Eto'o cannot go to South Africa playing deep for Cameroon.Le Guen has to make this happen and live to the great standards he is known for.This is why he was given the big bucks.There will be no excuse for the lions this time around.They have the stage,the support and hunger to make it happen.They have also reserved the 3rd most expensive facilities as home for their world cup campaign in South Africa.No more excuses about how the team is ran.The lions have 3 more friendlies against Slovakia,Portugal and Serbia before they open up World Cup campaign against Japan.Yes the element of surprise in my honest opinion will lead the lions to greatness.Affaire a suivre

My line up against Togo

2009-10-06T05:48:00.000-07:00

The Lions face Togo in a crucial world cup qualifier as they look forward to continue their 100 percent record under Paul Le Guen.Le Guen and his squad are already in Yaounde preparing for the game against Togo.Here is my starting 11 against Togo.Kameni starts in goal.Nkoulou and Song in central defense.Basong switches left replacing the suspended Ekoto.Geremi plays right.Mbia will return to partner Song just ahead of the back four while Makoun and Emana will play slightly ahead in midfield.Eto'o and Webo will play upfront with Webo playing ahead of Eto'o.I look forward to a game dominated by the lions in the midfield with Song combining well with Emana.Song is the key player in this game as his dominance in the midfield will allow Emana to have a great game thus creating all types of problems for the Togo defense.Eto'o will continue with his fine form for the lions by scoring and i also predict a goal from Webo.Cameroon will beat Togo 3-1.

Eto'o welcomes Pep and Ibra

2009-09-15T20:17:00.000-07:00

Mourinho is in the cold for the first time before a big encounter as Eto'o welcomes Pep and Ibra.The spot light is on the trio in what has started as a war of words.Xavi
on an interview said it will be weird to see Eto'o spot a different shirt to play against Barca.He later on said it was Pep's decision to let Eto'o go and will rather not go into that.Pep questioned Eto'o's commitment to the Blaugrana saying Eto'o played without any feelings for the club.Did actually did not sit well will the out spoken Cameroonian who chose his words well.Eto'o said he never refused to play out of place like other players have done but gave it 100 percent everytime he wore the Barca shirt.What feeling is Pep talking about?Infact Pep decision to oust Eto'o was nothing but personal.He never praised Eto'o for his work ethic and goals he gave to this club but always praised the likes of Messi,Iniesta and Henry.He is too week of a coach to deal with a character like Eto'o.How can Eto'o be baggage?Baggage is a player that cannot play.Pep is a rookie who has much to learn about the game.He will need to prove himself.Rijkard still takes some credit for putting the treble winning squad together and only time will tell who will have more to proof in what was the biggest transfer story during this summer.Eto'o got his money,Pep got his man and lets see if Barca dominates as they did last season.Eto'o will keep scoring goals without the Messi's,Xavi's,Iniesta's, it's time the press look up for another reason why Eto'o is so explosive.Ballon D'or 2009

Ibra who?

2009-09-14T19:53:00.000-07:00

Ibra has never scored a goal in the knock out stages of the champions league,has a 3year scoring draught with the Swedish national team but yet highly regarded by Pep Guardiola.This is a make or break season and important part of Ibra's career.If he does not win it win Barca he will be one of the biggest flops in big games.This week the Swedish quickly stated that he won trophies single handed for Inter.I wonder why he has not done the same for Sweden?Pep rates him so high so much so that he paid $40 million plus Eto'o to Inter.How can you dare compare a winner like Eto'o with a whiner like Ibra?Eto'o has been compared to every striker in the books since 2004 and what amazes me is that he is still standing going on strong.Consistency makes the Cameroonian man untouchable.He has lived to all expectations from coming back from double injury,to life after Ronaldinho and now life without the Iniesta's,Xavi's and the Messi's.He even played under a manager who openly stated Eto'o had no place in his squad and yet scored important goals to win the treble for Barca.Eto'o is in a league of his own and is now focus on taking the lions to the world cup as he lately arquired new responsibilities as captain of the lions.Eto'o has nothing to proof but is just on another challenge as he will try to reward the Nerazzuri for their confidence in him.Ibra on the other hand kissed the Barca batch during his presentation at the Camp Nou but he will have more to proof as it will be hard for the fans to love him if he does not turn from whiner to winner.Rendez vous at the San Siro for the first blood

Barca vs Inter

2009-09-13T19:06:00.000-07:00

Barca will begin their champions league defense in the capital of fashion Milano.All eyes will be on that game not only because Barca plays the most attractive football but because their most decorated hitman now plays for the Neazzuri.Eto'o will face the man that wanted him out of Barca at any price.Pep will have his hands full as his defense will try to keep Eto'o from doing what he does best.Ibra on the other hand will have a very hostile welcome back to the San Siro.The Swedish has been running his mouth alot in the past weeks saying Inter never won any trophies before his arrival.He went on saying Barca is a better team and they will beat Inter.Mourinho played a strong squad against Parma this sunday and will be happy with the hard fought win ahead of the big test against Barca in mid week.Pep on the other hand rested alot of his stars and only brought them in when Barca face stiff opposition against Getafe on saturday.Barca went on to win the game 2-0 with goals from Ibra and Messi.A win for Inter will be a big boost for Mourinho who wants to win the champions league with the Neazzuri team

Bad Boy Ade punishes Arsenal

2009-09-13T18:16:00.000-07:00

Adebeyor played the hero and valiant in the 4-2 win over his former club Arsenal.He was the man of the match in a game he scored bringing up his premiership tally to 4 goals in as many games.Adebayor let his imotions get the better part of him and he should be wise enough to know that the ref must have missed his actions but the F.A will come down hard on him.There is no place for such brutality.After watching the video over and over Adebayor kicked Van Persie intentionally in the face.He should be wiser than that and should show a better example to kids who watch the game and see him as an idol.Football wise Man City exposed Wenger's youth and in experience side.After pulling out the hard tackling Song and Denilson from the midfield it was a no show for Arsenal defensively.A man City that was missing Tevez and Robinho did not dominate but won an important game to keep their 100 percent start.They might miss Adebayor in the derby game against ManU if the F.A suspense's him.Tevez might also miss the game which he will very much like to play in.

ManU faced the Spurs in a game that started with Defoe scoring in the very first minute earning his six year scoring draught against the red devils.ManU responded well with a stunning free kick from Giggs.Anderson also scored his first ever ManU goal after making it back to the starting 11.Wayne Rooney showed class with a solo action and slotting the ball in between Cudiccini's legs to make it 3-1.ManU proved to be strong tittle contenders even after the departure of Ronaldo.Chelsea left it late against stoke after Drogba scored a stunner and Malouda secured a W for them in extra time.

Mourinho lebels Eto'o, best in the world

2009-09-13T17:42:00.000-07:00

It was the 3rd day of play in the serie A and Juventus had won their Saturday game which meant Inter Milan had to keep pace by winning on Sunday.However it was not an easy game for Inter after the long international break.Parma played with confidence and defended really well not giving Inter any chance to play their game.Eto'o was cut off from the action as his team mates hardly found him.He turned provider in many occasions but the Neazzuri could not convert.But this all changed in the 74Th minute when Eto'o received the ball from the left flank and curled it into the second
goal.What a strike that left the goal keeper stranded and openned up things for Inter who quickly made it 2-0.In an interview after the game Mourinho was full of praises for his Cameroonian hitman.Eto'o is the best striker i have ever coached and definitely the best in the world.Morratti the Inter coach was beaming with smiles as he stood up to applaud Eto'o's goal.Eto'o has never received a warm welcome by coaches ever since he left Mallorca.From Rijkard to Guadiola it has always been tense.The Real Madrid killer as he was known in Spain will have a chance to challenge Barcelona's supremacy in Europe as they face each other in the champions league on Wednesday.Its the Eto'o-Ibra show, not taken anything away from the great game.

Song is back

2009-09-07T19:12:00.000-07:00

He is not the Song we all know but the Song we all want.Alex Song will be available for the Lions after serving a 3 game ban.He comes at a time when Cameroon needs to be strong in the midfield.We lost so many balls against Gabon in the first half.We need to win the war in the midfield.Song is a strong player with very good vision of the game.He was outstanding at the last nation cup and is even better this year.He is one of Arsene Wengers key players with Arsenal.He will provide Emana with the balls who will later link up with the men upfront.Playing alongside with Mbia will be a rock in the midfield and cause problems for the opponents.The lions are happy to be back home after the hostile atmosphere they played in Gabon.The Gabonese made it difficult for the Cameroonian delegation.The reception and treatment of the lions was very poor but one thing they failed to understand is that Cameroon has survived in situations like that.From sureleye, Nigeria to Abijan, Cote D'Ivoire.Song is back, but for how long?He came in place of Bassong who picked up an injury.Le Guen's first choice might have to sit out for Wednesdays game thus open up things for Magnan.He showed one or two glimpse of his old self but overall he played a manageable game.In an interview Eto'o said he will hand over the captain band to Magnan if Magnan is on the pitch.I think he was just being naive.Le Guen made a decision which was the right one so Song should humble himself and play whenever he is called up.So far he has been a good example for the young Lions.He is a good professional but we all agree the only Song is the new Song and his name is Alex Song.It's just a matter of time before he stops featuring for the lions.A decade of captaincy is over for Magnan

world cup 2010

2009-09-07T18:37:00.000-07:00

With less than 10 months to go the WC 2010 qualifiers have heated up across the globe with the likes of Brazil,Ghana,Holland and Australia already qualified for the South African event.Argentina has fallen into further trouble after their 3rd straight defeat.Brazil had no mercy for Maradona's men beating them easily 3-1.Nigeria came close to beating leaders Tunisia only to see their efforts put away by a late Tunisia equalizer(2-2)The main event was the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon.Under new leadership the lions are now 2 and 0.The lions look very strong at the back and now a very different team from their first 2games against Togo and Morocco.Gabon is a well disciplined and organised team under the leadership of Alain Giresse.They played high pressing the ball not giving an upportunity for the Lions to play their game.The first half was a balance game with the Panthers threatening the Lions with fast pace counter attacking football.The lions never showed any sort of panic but for their coach Paul Le Guen.Cameroon came out strong on the second half with Emana hitting the left wood work with a powerful right footer.Gabon never backed down despite the mounting Cameroonian pressure.66 minutes into the game after some good ball control from Eto'o, Emana was there to put the lions ahead with a brilliant strike.Two minutes later Eto'o scored with a curling right footer to settle the game.Oma Bongo's death gave the Lions time to get their new man in Paul Le Guen and also valuable time for preparation.It was a blessing in disguise because the Lions will only get better as they practice more together and fight for a spot to South Africa.From interviews given to the players so far you can tell they know it will not be an easy task.They cannot afford to loose concentration as the most difficult game will always be the next.Cameroon play Gabon again on Wednesday in Yaounde and they will be happy to welcome back Alex Song who has completed his 3match band.For me, he is one of the most important players in this Cameroonian squad.He is a had tackler and very good at connecting with the attacking midfielders.He will be of good help to Emana who i think greatly of too.Cameroon has a chance to take top spot of their group this Wednesday if they beat Gabon for the second time in a week.Morocco held Togo to a draw in Lome thus opening up things for the lions.

Lions score 2 as Spurs beat Liverpool

2009-08-16T17:46:00.001-07:00

Liverpool are one of the favorites to win the EPL this year but their struggle against Tottenham continue.
The Spurs came into the game knowing they could beat the Reds but no one could have predicted Ekoto and Bassong scoring both goals.The Cameroonian duo played side to side lining up at the defense.Bassong partnered King at central defense and Ekoto started on the left.Ekoto opened the score with a powerful left footer about 40yards away.Tottenham's lead lasted just 12mins as liverpooled leveled scores from the penalty spot.Liverpool looked confident after the equalizer but they went behind again after Bassong sent a powerful header flying into Reina's net.Tottenham looked strong at the defense and refused Torres any opportunity at goal.Bassong looked very confident and stood tall alongside ledley King.Woodgate was definitely not missed as he recovers from injury.8million pounds paid for Bassong could be money well spent as he gave a man of the match performance,scoring the winning goal and taking all three points for Tottenham.
Alex Song also gave a strong performance for Arsenal as they scored six pass Everton.The Cameroonian played hard,winning balls and his distribution was also high class.Arsenal showed no mercy to Everton who had a very porous defense.
ManU and Chelsea also grabbed all 3points from their openning games.Chelsea's game went down the wire and were saved in dieing minutes as the Top Drog scored his second to grab all 3points for the blues

A Song celebrating Song

2009-08-12T06:42:00.001-07:00

There is only one Song.Magnian as he is well known made his name with the lions in the 1994 world cup.His work ethic and professionalism has made him one of the greatest lions of all times.He was named captain at the tender age of 22 and after 10yrs the old lion is not willing to slow down.Its difficult to celebrate Song now because the lions are facing tough times but if we all consider his contribution to this team,we shall all agree what a great lion he is.There is only one Song from Metz ,Liverpool,Cologne,Galatasaray just to name a few.He has always been a fan favorite and has gained respect from team mates as well as officials.He came,he played and conquered all those who watched him.Although his stay at Liverpool was brief they had a Song for Song"There is only one Song".Paul Le Guen is just doing his job and we all know its time for the only Song to watch from the bench

10 years of Song might be over!

2009-08-11T18:51:00.000-07:00

Assou Ekoto's absence might have given Geremi just another chance to start for the lions.The left guards absence means Bassong has to play on the left thus leaving Le Guen no option but to start veteran player Geremi.Song on the other hand will start from the bench.The 10year long serving captain might not have another starting chance with the Lions.After watching tapes Le Guen has taken the step that his predecessors were afraid to take.Although it is not clear if this is a long term decision it is a statement for the young guards to take this opportunity.Le Guen is making it clear that no one is guaranteed a spot for his Lions.On the other hand Eto'o might be starting his era as captain for the Lions.He will need to be a leader on and off the pitch and will be even more responsible for this team than ever.Truly there is only one Song,the Song we all grew to love,the Song we all know,the inspiring Song on and off the field but he now sits on the bench.So who will step up and feel that void?Anxiety is on and up at its highest level.All eyes turn on to Austria tomorrow as the Lions look to gather momentum for the games against Gabon next month.

Le Guen the Man for Cameroon

2009-08-08T19:00:00.000-07:00

Le Guen is the new Man to lead the lions and he has already given us a hint in what atmosphere and direction he will be leading the lions.He has told the minister and fecafoot that he wants only 13 staff around the team as they prepare for the game against Austria.This includes the medical staff,his assistants and security for his delegation.There has been too much distraction around the lions in the past and Le Guen seems to be grabbing the bull by the horns.Some are questioning the list of players called up but i will say this,we must give the man incharge time to see who best fits the plan he has for his new team.The lions now have a coach that is fit for the star studded team and that can bring the much needed discipline they so much need if they are to make it to the world cup in South Africa.Le Guen acknowledge that the task will not be an easy one as he was interviewed on french TV but he said it is not an impossible one given the quality of players Cameroon has.Cameroon play Austria on the 12th in a friendly and then will turn their heads to Gabon.

Eto'o takes his scoring boots to INTER

2009-08-08T18:39:00.000-07:00

Iniesta and Xavi say Barca is missing Eto'o already.Iniesta went on to say Barcelona need to erect a statue in honour of the Cameroonian striker who has won everything with the club in his 5year stay at Barca.On the other hand Eto'o has turned onto a new page as he says Barca is now history.He opened a new page today with his first official goal for Inter Milan.What a strike as Eto'o volleyed home after receiving the ball from Barlotelli.Although Inter lost 2-1 to Lazio in the super cup Samuel Eto'o was outstanding.His passing game was great and he also showed some good skill with the ball.He even came close from equalising from a free kick as he braced the bar with the ball.Mourinho has his man and he is now looking for a play maker to compliment the lethal Cameroonian striker.

Eto'o Real for Life

2009-07-17T06:56:00.000-07:00

13 years ago Eto'o boarded a flight for Real Madrid destined to play and win trophies for the legendry Spanish team.His dreams finally faded as he was later sold to rivals Barcelona.Sammy quickly fell in love, has scored over 100 goals, won 3 La
Liga tittles, 2 champions leagues, a super cup and one copa del Rey.Yet Barcelona has treated him as a "Madridsta"Barca love their own(Messi).Eto'o came from the Madrid rangs and Real Madrid will always take credit for that while Barca will always be proud of Messi although he is yet to match Eto'o's quality as a team player and what Sammy has given to Barca in terms of trophies.Without doubt Eto'o has been the most consistent striker in the world since Ronaldo at his best.Eto'o might be on his way out of Barca this year and i bet we shall all hear the real truth of the love and hate relationship with Barca.Eto'o has been very out spoken through out his career and some people like Guadiola cannot handle that.Barca some how is avoiding a sale to ManU because they fear Eto'o might come back to hunt them as he has hunted Real Madrid.They prefer to sell to Inter as they see Inter as a weaker European opposition.Barca or no Barca Eto'o is Real for Life

Can Real's crazy spending transfer to trophies?

2009-07-12T14:31:00.000-07:00

There is no doubt that La Liga this year will be very competative at the top of the table.With Real's spending spree Barca will be have to be almost perfect to secure another La Liga championship.Not saying Villareal,Valencia,Sevilla and Atletico Madrid will be walk overs.This season will not be the one man shoe it was last term.
With CR9,kaka and Benzema all arriving the pressure is now on Real and that might hunt them.It will be even more difficult winning the champions league because as we have all witness from the past 4 years,the most complete teams have triumph in this competition.Real will need time to gell as a team but will they be given time after the mind breaking spending?Real will need to be perfect from day one to keep away the critics.CR9 will need to reproduce his magic of the last 2 seasons with ManU,Kaka needs to reproduce his ballon dor form and most of all Benzema needs to prove he can play in the big leagues.It will be amazing to see these super stars gel with each other in and out of the field.Football is a game of chemistry and now Pelligrini will need to work twice as hard to build a strong team with his newly acclaimed Galatico.Europe will be difficult for Real this year but La Liga and the copa del Rey are the most realistic trophies for them this year

Ungrateful Barca sweat on Eto'o

2009-07-11T14:42:00.000-07:00

There was a reason why Laporta had earlier publicised City's bid to make Eto'o highest paid player in the world.The funds from Eto'o's sale would have helped them to get players they need.City offered 25 million pounds for a player that has only 1year left on his current contract.Barca knows Eto'o is a tough cookie to crack and now that City has pulled the plug on Eto'o i doubt they will be able to get that amount for the sale of Eto'o.They might even loose him for free if Sammy decides to play out his last season for the blaugrana.Barca recently offered Eto'o a 2year extension with the same salary terms.This is a lack of respect to Eto'o's person after giving so much to a club that have always been second best to Real Madrid before Eto'o's arrival.The Drama continues as Eto'o even ignored Laporta's calls while vacationing in the U.S.A.Laporta then went on to say he will speak to Eto'o calmly as they try to come to a compromise.Eto'o has later said he is ready to leave the club but we can never say what happens next in this year long soap opera that started last summer when Guadiola wanted Mister Eto'o out.So far Eto'o is getting his way and stands firm on a 10 million euro yearly wage.

Cameroon a disgrace as Fifa honor's Foe

2009-06-29T14:46:00.000-07:00

Fifa honored the late Marc Vivian Foe who died 6years ago while representing Cameroon in the confederation cup in France 2003.The late Foe's son bravely took stage congratulating those who have never forgot about his dad passing away.Wearing his late's dad number 17 jersey he gave thanks to Fifa,Mboma,Olembe Eto'o and Pepe
Diouf.Cameroon was nowhere to be found as the government cannot even take over the ruins of the football complex he was building for his country.In an interview after a soccer game hosted in Yaounde in honor of the late Foe, the legendary louis Paul Mfede lamented on the whole situation.Foe is a Cameroonian hero he said but yet the government has no respect for the fallen hero.Mfede went further mucking the Lions as he said their style of play is compared to teams that play in the "quartier".He also said Nkono should be given time to try to improve the team.

Eto'o contemplates Barca future

2009-06-27T17:26:00.000-07:00

Eto'o's love and hate relationship part 2 resurrected during the second phase of last season when the striker insisted on talking about his future at the end of the season
Eto'o refused to leave Barca last season on Guadiola's terms knowing his value was not at the best after a disruptive end of season.Believing on himself Eto'o proved to be a vital piece of Barca's treble this season, scoring another important goal in the champions league final.You might think Barca will reward him with a mind busting contract within the clubs contractual limits but that's not the case.Barca wants to cash in on Eto'o's mind busting season by selling him for almost twice the amount they bought the player.What am i saying?Even more if you consider 3 La Liga championships,2 European champions leagues and 2 king cups with so many vital goals to his name.My problem here is that if Eto'o was so bad why not sell him for a give away price as you did to Deco and Ronaldinho?Eto'o might just see out his last year at Barca and move on for free either in January or next summer.This will enable him to negotiate a better deal away from Barca.Manchester City is on Eto'o's heels but i am not sure if money alone will lure the best striker in the world away from Barcelona.Eto'o needs more challenges and will like to move to a club playing champions league football.

Lions lack class

2009-06-27T10:57:00.000-07:00

With such a disappointing start in the last round of the 2010 world cup qualifiers the indomitable lions of Cameroon still have no solution to their current crises.Never in the history of football have i seen 4 coaches trying to lead a team into such an important tournament.The foundation on which our national team is built on is old,unprofessional and very dis-organised.Without a true leader we will keep missing out on big occasions.We need a coach of big caliber.No matter the nationality what we want are the results.We need friendly games for the team to gel and play organised football.Through these friendlies new talent can be tested thus replacing the Song's,Geremi and others who do not have a place in this team.Cameroon has never built on good results.We always seem to take a step forward and two backwards.The two upcoming games against Gabon need to be a statement game for the lions.First we need to get one coach and an assistant as soon as possible.Nkono should be given the money and the challenge to lead this team and he should have a say on who his assistant should be.Full responsibility i say,because no excuses should be made if there are no results.If we do not trust him then get reed of him and put someone experienced who is willing to take the challenge.Secondly let top performers at club level play.Geremi and Song are old and slow and should come off the bench just in case.Thirdly we should have a game plan that suites the players.We need to get our best players involved.Eto'o needs to take more responsibility.Make him the captain.Let him know this is his time to lead the lions as he deed lead Majorca to Spanish cup glory as captain of that team.Finally let fecafoot take full responsibility of Cameroonian football and let the minister stay away from all football decisions.Organised football starts from a well disciplined administration that works hard to put their teams on the best conditions to have good results.Allez les lion

Emana classy Captain

2009-02-18T09:19:00.000-08:00

Achille Emana must have missed out on a national team call up last week but he did not miss out on the 2-2 draw against Barca.He was made captain of Betis and his on field displays justified why.Emana shut down the Barca midfield machine out playing them technically and also with his big physic.He set up the first goal and could have scored if not of the wonderful save from Valdes.Emana is by far the best buy of the Spanish season this year and makes frequent appearances in the team of the week
column.He is the teams best scorer with 7 goals to his tally.Although his team play
is not close to his performance in the national side, i will just say it is a matter of time before that happens.He has so much talent and i believe Pfister will figure out how to improve on his performance for the Lions.He will gain confidence just like Eto'o has improved on his game with the National side.He is a player to watch and the Spanish media and Betis fans have already fallen in love with his talent and effort

Eto'o says NO to Guardiola

2009-02-18T08:57:00.000-08:00

The Spanish media has been talking about Eto'o's reaction when Guardiola asked him to play on the wings so as to let Messi and Bojan play upfront.Eto'o politely said NO to Guardiola telling him i will score if i play as the main guy.Wao what a character,what a striker because minutes after that Eto'o scored his second of the day in fantastic style.He made a goal out of nothing and ran towards Guardiola saying i told you and Guardiola's response was go get a third.There is tension now between the outspoken striker and management as both will not agree on a new contract.Eto'o has not forgotten about the treatment they gave him last summer but might sign if Barca meet his asking price of 9 million Euro a year after tax.Likes of Milan and Manchester City are ready to pounce on the striker should he fail to come into an agreement with Barca.Eto'o is on fire 23 goals in 22 games played.He is on track of winning pichichi and golden boot.Also trying to break the 30goal per season record held by a Barca player(Ronaldo)

Ghana beats Cameroon 2-0

2009-02-01T07:24:00.000-08:00

Cameroonian coach,Alain Wabo promised hell for the Ghanian team saying he knows how to beat and out play teams like Ghana.He went on saying Ghana will live to remember the football lesson he will give them.He ofcourse won the final of words but it was the direct opposite on the pitch when the two actors met today.Ghana scored in both half's out playing the Cameroonians who played hard but rarely troubled the Black
Satellites.Ghana was technically better and they looked very comfortable on the ball.
They were everywhere on the pitch refusing the lion cubs from constructing their game
The level of play was very high for both teams and they will now look forward for a good outing this September during the under 20 world cup taking place in Egypt.Osei
scored both goals for Ghana.Ghana are champions,Cameroon second and Nigeria third after beating South Africa 2-1.

Rwanda's President and VP sets standard

2009-01-29T14:33:00.000-08:00

It was no publicity stunt neither was it a campaign but it was for real.H.E Paul
Kagame came down on the pitch after the Cameroon,Rwanda game to speak to both teams.
Although we could not tell what he was saying to the players we could see the warmth
the President showed for the youth of Africa.Everybody was talking about it and the players were all happy and did not leave the field just to shake the hands of an unexpected visit of H.E.A few days later it was the turn of the Vice President who asked the Cameroonian coach if he could participate in training with the team.The VP
who is also a football fan trains every Sunday.He was very happy to kick penalty kicks against the Cameroonian keeper.He scored 3 out of 5 kicked and wished the Cameroonian
team luck ahead of their clash with Nigeria(Cameroon beat Nigeria 2-0)It's just amazing we still have some leaders in Africa that can relate to the local people.Football plays a very important role socially in Africa and this will only be positive for Rwanda that has been through alot recently.Long live Rwanda and Africa as a whole

Premiership round-up

2009-01-28T15:46:00.000-08:00

ManU thrashed Wes Brom yesterday 5-0 and are now 2points ahead of second place Chelsea.ManU has a game in hand and as ever they are hiting form when it matters.

Liverpool failed to go on top of the table as they were denied victory today by a well taken penalty from newcomer Mido who is on loan to Wigan from Middlesbrough.
Wigan showed alot of heart after falling a goal down.They played well at the back and looked dangerous from counter attack.They almost stole all 3 points when they hit the cross bar with a well taken free kick.Liverpool is now 3rd behind Chelsea.

Emile Heskey could not have had a better game for his new club Aston Villa.He scored the only goal of the game that saw Villa beat a brave Portsmouth that fought till the end.

Kalou's double keeps Chelsea in chase of ManU.The blues dominated a poor middlesbrough side thus making life difficult for them as they struggle to stay in the top flight.

Arsenal was lucky to still a point at the dying minutes of a game that Everton should have won.Arsenal stay 5th looking from behind as Aston Villa push for a champions league spot.

Craig Bellamy the well travelled Welsh man of the premier league scored on his debut
for Manchester City.Wright Philips was the other scorer as City beat injury troubled
Newcastle City.Owens limped out of the game with an Ankle injury

Cameroon beat Nigeria 2-0 to reach finals

2009-01-28T12:27:00.000-08:00

The Lions played a tactical game capitalising on their oportunities to beat a good Nigerian team.The Green Eagles U20 team started the game well but could not find a way pass the well organised Cameroonian defense.THe Lions were swift,playing good counter attacking football and they opened scoring when Zoua scored from a good cross in the 40th minute of play.The score at half stayed the same.The Nigerian came out in the second half passing the ball around but the Cameroonians restricted them to passes in their own half.Cameroon shut down the Nigerians who tried to play long balls into the Cameroonian half and then with another good move from the right hand side,the Cameroonian attacker left the Nigerian defense stranded with the goalkeeper and defender not knowing what to do.Germain Tiko capitalised on the loose ball to make it 2-0.Few minutes later with just 10 minutes to play the referee awarded a penalty to the Nigerians who failed to score.Cameroon will now face Ghana in the finals on saturday.Cameroon and Ghana drew 1-1 in their openning games of this under 20 african championship taking place in Rwanda

like wine Eto'o gets better with age

2009-01-27T08:19:00.000-08:00

Eto'o has come to realise that talent alone will not be enough to crown him world best.Eto'o has to sell his image on and off the field and as i can say he is doing a perfect job on the field and some of my comrades have nicknamed him UNITED NATIONS.He is by far the most fair play player in the game of football.Eto'o's problems have always come with journalist.His most infamous one was when he head budded a journalist in Cameroon.Eto'o has also had problems with French journalist which he refused to accord interviews claiming he does not get respect from them because he never went through the french football system.Eto'o's hot temper has landed him into hot water when he dissed Real Madrid in 2006 when Barca became champs
All this was negative to his image as a football star and now Eto'o has learned from that as he realises that he is to sell his image.Last week he had a training incident and was sent to have an early shower but the all matured Mister Samuel Eto'o never offered any interview or made a statement about what happened.He never pointed any fingers but what he did was return to training the next day and scored on Saturday taking his tally to 19 goals for the season.Instead Guadiola came on Eto'o's defense saying that there is no one as professional as Eto'o,praised his work ethic as well.Eto'o might have learned from Becks who is now at AC MILAN not because of his talent only but mostly because of his image and of his professionalism.At 27 Eto'o is a role model to many youth of Cameroon through his humanitarian works and not only that but to some colleagues of the national team who try to emulate Sammy by playing for bigger clubs and winning trophies like Eto'o.Like wine Eto'o is better with age and his dream this year is to win La Liga,Champions League,pichichi and qualify the Lions for the world cup in South Africa

ManU and Arsenal leave it late

2009-01-17T14:00:00.000-08:00

Berbatov late header lifted ManU to the top of the preniership table for the first time this year.ManU still have a game in hand.Bolton played hard and defended very good.Jussi had kept ManU at bay with some brilliant saves denying Ronaldo twice but a last minute cross from Tevez to Berbatov sealed all 3points for ManU.

Arsenal started the day brilliantly with a powerful header from Adebayor putting them 1-0 ahead.The gunners who have been having problems closing games saw their lead
disappear when Daniel Cousin headed Hull City back into the game.Nasri and Bentner found a way to make it 3-1 for Arsenal who greatly deserved all 3 points..Arsenal stay 5th for Aston Villa won 2-1 against Sunderland.Liverpool play tomorrow and they might claim the top spot if they win their game

Barca sets standard

2009-01-17T13:26:00.000-08:00

Barca breaks Real's La Liga's first round record after thrashing Deportivo by 5-0.Barca has an impressive 50points after they played the last game of the first round of La Liga.Messi openned scoring with a beautiful goal.He dribled passed 3 defenders and left the goal keeper stranded to make it 1-0.Alves who also had a wonderful game was provider for the second after picking up Henry who headed the second goal in.Eto'o then made it 3-0 scoring from close range after the keeper could not handle Keita's header.Barca was at it's best infront of the Nou Camp crowd but it looked as if they were content with the 3-0 lead at the start of the second half.Iniesta came in 20 minutes to the end and he brought the hunger back as he was involved in Henry's second and Barca's 4th.Eto rounded up the scoring from the spot after Puyol was brought down by the keeper who was red carded.Barca seems to be running away with the La Liga tittle but Pep Guadiola has warned them about being over confident.
If Barca stays injury free they might just win it all this season.They will hope they carry their league form into the champions league as they face Lyon in Febuary for the knock out stages.

Chelsea saves Scholari's job for another week

2009-01-17T13:09:00.000-08:00

Chelsea was headed for yet another defeat with 15 minutes left in their game against lowly ranked Stoke.Although Chelsea had great ball possession they looked far from troubling the Stoke goal.Abdoulaye Faye captain of Stoke had a wonderful game as he played hard in the midfield winning lots of possesion.Stoke went ahead after a great run from Delap who had Peter Chech beaten to make it 1-0.Chelsea responded well with Anelka and Lampard all threatening but the keeper put them at bay for a while.Belleti
was brought in for the second time in 2 games in place of right back Bosingwa.This time around Scolari looked like a genuis as he scored the equaliser for Chelsea.With just 5 minutes to go Chelsea stepped up the pressure and they were rewarded with a goal from Lamps who stroke the ball perfectly to give Chelsea all 3 points.Scolari hails his players for the display as they might have just saved their manager his job
Meanwhile Drogba feels he has been made the scape goat of Chelsea's 3-0 thrashing by rival ManU.Drogba was made to train with the reserves on wednesday and was left out of the squad for the game today.

Eto'o Fifa's 7th world best player

2009-01-14T07:37:00.000-08:00

After a year full of injury that saw Samuel Eto'o stay out of the field for more than 3 months he was still voted 7th world best player.This is a blow in the face of CAF who does not have Eto'o in it's short list of best African players.Eto'o was best
scorer in the 2008 nations cup with 5goals,he scored 16 goals in 17 games an amazing average for someone who was injured for a longtime.Eto'o has started the new season very strongly and has already netted 16 goals in as many games played.At this rate
L'enfant terrible de New Bell could be PICHICHI for the second time in Spain.He will have tough competition from David Villa who is only 2 goals behind him

Ronaldo wins Fifa player of the year 2008

2009-01-12T16:45:00.000-08:00

CR7 was no doubt the most oustanding player of the year as his 42 goals helped ManU win both the premiership and the champions league titles.Most will say he was a dissapointment in the Euro 2008 while they try to make a case for Messi.But Messi had a season to forget with Barca a they missed out on any silver wear.Ronaldo however had a slow start this season as he missed out on the beginning of the season due to an surgery.

Vacation is over for Scolari

2009-01-11T10:15:00.000-08:00

Jose Mourinho was in the stands to watch his former club get disgraced by ManU.Scolari
who has been under fire since the end of last year might be on the way out of Chelsea
It is one thing to loose but to loose without style is disgraceful when you look at the star studded team as Chelsea.I raised some eye brows when Evram Graham was let go by Abramovich after the good work he did when Mourinho left Chelsea.Now they got the man they needed and Chelsea is worst than last year.Scolari brought a washed up Deco to Chelsea and this guy who says he is willing to play Barca in the champions league has been nothing but a big flop.Deco was no where to be found in the game during the first half and was replaced by Anelka who is still the leagues top goal scorer with 14 but was kept on the bench.I tell you big Phil as he is called was out couched and to my opinion should get the boot at Chelsea.Drogba was isolated upfront
and Chelsea did not threaten Van Der saar on goal.With the way this team is playing,they will be licking their wounds at the end of the season missing out on silver wear again.Anelka should have started but instead was on the bench and he might be loosing his confidence because this is the 3rd game he starts at the bench since the return of the top DOG Drogba

ManU surge over Chelsea

2009-01-11T09:57:00.000-08:00

The maestro Sir Alex proved to beleive a great tactician again as ManU out played Chelsea into a 3-0 victory.ManU had great ball possesion through out the game and was always the threat.From Vidic who to me is one of the best central defenders in the world to Berbatov upfront ManU played as a real world champion as they close the gap to 1 point behind Chelsea.ManU has 2 delayed games behind first place Liverpool and they could overtake the leaders by next sunday as they play Wigan and Bolton within a week.ManU took the lead at the end of the first half with a nice header from Vidic.ManU kept the pressure on and they even looked better and more confident as Park Ju Sung combined with Phil Neville on the right side.The second goal came from a beautiful cross from Evra with Rooney scoring with a nice touch.Berbatov sealed the victory after a nice free kick from Ronaldo leaving Chech helpless.ManU as in past season have always played well in the second half of the season and this should have liverpool concerned as they loose points earlier on saturday to low table Stoke after a 0-0 draw

Barca leave it late against Real

2008-12-14T16:49:00.000-08:00

Ramos first game as Real Coach must just be the one that revives their season although they suffered to defeat in the hands of Barca.Real came with a game plan to
stop Barca from playing attractive football.They played hard on Messi and Eto'o taking them to the ground in most occasions.Real had 5 yellow cards at halftime already.They crowded the midfield preventing Barca from passing the ball around and the game seemed destined for a draw when Eto'o's penalty was saved by Ike Casillas.Real had it's share of chances in the first half but Valdes stood tall to deny Drenthe who had just the keeper to beat.The first goal came just 7 mins to the end when Eto'o deflected a Pujol header to make it 1-0.Few minutes after Barca was on counter attack and Messi made use of a Henry's golden pass to make it 2-0.All the hard work of Real had gone down in a matter of minutes.Even Guadiola who has been able to hide his feelings could not do so when Eto'o scored the first.Nou Camp went
crazy why chants and Eto'o was yellow carded for taking off his shirt.Same thing happened when Messi scored.So each had a yellow to go with their goals.At the end of the day Barca proved to be the better and the most determined side to win.Real was playing for a draw at one point and now will have to work extra hard if they hope to stay in the race for the La Liga crown.Real play Valencia next and Barca will face Villarreal.Villarreal will be a tough nut to crack for Barca

Transfer Window

2008-12-12T11:17:00.000-08:00

Kameni's most anticipated move to England might just happen this January.Espanyol
has an offer for Kameni but the Cameroonian international does not seem to be interested.He Kameni has been linked with a move to England in recent years but that never seemed to materialise as he turn down an offer to Tottenham because of the clauses on the contract.But with a new coach now at Tottenham and lack of confidence
at their current number 1 shirt Kameni might just strike a deal withe Spurs.There are other clubs said to be interested in him but we will have to wait to see what happens.

ManU and Aston Villa outcast Eric Njemba Njemba known as "L'enfant Terrible" might be on his way back to England.Eric has revived his career with a move to Odense of Denmark and also a call back to the Cameroonian national side.With Zola looking for someone in the midfield he just thinks the Cameroonian will be a good option.Eric has been in the premiership before and although he did not succeed he is more determine this time to prove he has the skills to make it at the highest level.

Monaco's revelation of the season Nicholas Nkoulou is being scouted by Hull city and they are planning to make a move for him this January.It will be difficult task for Monaco sees potential in him and will like to see the Cameroonian international improve under them for several years.They are not just ready to part with such a young talent.

Ivorian wonder boy Drogba has calm down claims of a move to Inter by scoring the winning goal in the midweek champions league victory and saying that he will like to stay at Chelsea.Drogba's season so far has been full with injury.

Lasana Diara might be on his way to Real Madrid.The Poutsmouth midfielder is been seen as the new Makelele and he might be an excellent replacement for Diara who will be out for the whole season

Barca vs Real from a fans view

2008-12-12T10:49:00.000-08:00

I have been into football for so long to know that no game is won on paper or before the whistle is blown but yet we still can farely say which of the teams are better placed to win the game.As i put on my Eto'o shirt tomorrow i can say and will say Barca will win this game.I have my reasons for this,Barca is playing it's best football in two years.Barca's strikers have 30 goals within them in 13 games.Barca is hungry for revenge over last 2 yrs La Liga champs(Real) and they have a coach which is well aware of the fact that his players need to be cautious as they approach the game of tomorrow.Barca sit 9 points ahead of Real and recently beat the likes of Valencia and Sevila who are tittle chasers.A win against Real Madrid will be a bold statement as Barca states a claim to be Spanish Champions this year.It will be a statement for Messi who most said was not matured enough to fill in for the departed Ronaldinho,also a statement for Eto'o who even the new coach did not trust but so far has 14 goals in 13 games and not the least a statement for Henry who
was almost giving up on what was an adventure so far to Barcelona.But the much revived French striker is now even hungrier as he says he is ready for REVENGE.Never the less it will not be an easy one for Barca as games against Real Madrid are always high profile, watched by millions and good for attacking football.Real goes into this game with a new coach(Ramos) as they look forward to upset Barca at the Nou camp

EL CLASSICO Barca vs Real Madrid

2008-12-10T14:13:00.000-08:00

The stage is set for one of the greatest games in football and the biggest in Spain.
Real Madrid just let go Schusters after one of their worst starts in recent years.
Tottenham outcast Ramos is the new Sheriff in town and he will try to do what he never succeeded to do in London.Real Madrid know the importance of this game because with a defeat they will be 12 points from leaders Barcelona and might as well call it
quites so far as winning the La Liga crown this year.Barcelona on the other hand are playing excellent and will like to revenge for last year's lost to Real Madrid.Henry is already relinquishing a start against Real with his new found form.He says he still has memories about the guard of honour Barca gave to Real when they visited Madrid and Real were already crowned La Liga Champs."it hurts and i do not want that to happen again"Eto'o who is known as the "REAL KILLER" is all fired up coming back from suspension.Messi on the other hand criticised his own game against Valencia.He will be looking forward to shine against Real Madrid at the NOU CAMP.Barca rested 8 of it's starters in their mid week champions league lost to sharter Donesk.Barca and Real are into the next stage of the Champions league and will now focus on to this weekend's game.Barca go into this as favourites but they are cautious of the fact that Real has talented players that can steel the show from them in front of a full Nou Camp crowd.Millions will be watching the game around the world.A no miss game full of fire works and good attacking football

Henry sees the light

2008-12-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

Henry had no excuses this time as he put 3 pass Valencia.Henry had earlier said his lack of scoring was due to the fact that he had to defend as much than he was use to at Arsenal.His divorce has finally been resolved with his ex walking away with about $12 million.Henry might have finally rediscovered himself as he took advantage of a suspended Eto'o.He was fast and made Valencia pay for all the spaces they gave him.
Henry has taking his tally now to 7goals and with such a performance he will certainly command more playing time for Barca.Although Henry might need to regain his position on the flank when Eto'o returns from suspension next week,Barca will certainly need his new found form.Barca has the most lethal striking force in Europe so far.Henry has 7 goals, Messi 9 goals and Eto'o has 14 goals.Not even European
champs ManU nor Chelsea,Liverpool,Arsenal and Inter can boost of such an attacking trio.

Hail Guardiola as Barca beat Valencia 4-0

2008-12-07T07:44:00.000-08:00

Thiery Henry was all washed out last year with Gudjohsen well on his way out of Barca
Pepe was not afraid to let Ronaldinho together with Deco.Eto'o did not leave but Guardiola has proven to be one of the defence makers so far.Barca with almost the same players is just a whole new team.The players play with a lot of conviction and anxiety.Eto'o is scoring lots of goals,Messi is living up to expectation,Xavi and Iniesta at their best and Thiery Henry seems to be building on the confidence Guardiola gave him.A hat trick this weekend saw his tally in la liga go up to 7goals.
Barca is scoring goals and considering very few.They are +21 goals so far.Although Messi sometimes keeps the ball for a little longer Barca is more of a team than they were last 2 seasons.Disciplined and well organised while attacking and also defending
Barca plays Madrid next but i believe their toughest test will come when they play Villereal in two weeks.At this rate Barca might run away with the La Liga crown this season.Barca for now is in a class of their own after thrashing Valencia 4-0.Madrid is next and expectations are high

Why African players don't get respect abroad

2008-12-03T18:06:00.000-08:00

You will be correct if you say that the society in which we live rewards hard work and talent.The English premier league which is the most watched league in the world.It has seen a rise in number of African players because of their talent and hard work.This is also true for the other leagues in Europe.African players give it their all for the game they so love.They are as competitive as the other players from south America and Europe.But the problem here is that they do not have that much room for error as their counterparts.They also do not get paid as much as their counterparts and the reason for all this is that simple.Most African leagues do not respect players.Players are treated like commodities and in most cases always exploited.How can we then expected players from Africa to be respected abroad if we cannot respect them back home.Only very few of African players are marketable.Eto'o,
Drogba,Adebayor just naming a few,and this is because these players have proven to be the best and still have to prove themselves every time they step on the pitch.Drogba and Adebayor have it easier because they play in a league that appreciates African players better but Eto'o has to sometimes play and stand against racist supporters in places like Zaragossa.African league will need lots of improvement in the way they conduct themselves and the way they treat players.If this is done they will get more respect from other leagues around the world.Mido of Egypt is the lasted victim when Newcastle shouted the word "BOMB" making reference to him being an Arab everytime he tourched the ball

Emana best signing in Spain

2008-12-02T09:10:00.000-08:00

Betis Sevilla is getting more than it's moneys worth after signing Achille Emana from
Toulouse in the summer.The man from Cameroon has become a house whole name after 13
games for his new team.Emana is a product of Vallencia youth team who left for France
after he was let go.He was brilliant with Toulouse but found it difficult to get a regular shirt for the national side.With the WC coming Emana cannot be over looked this time with the performances he is having for his club side.6 times he has been selected for team of the week and analyst say he is the most valuable signing in Spain this summer.He is a force to reckon with in the midfield and has 5goals to his name so far.He is very good with the ball and is giving all types of trouble to defences.He will be on display this coming Sunday when Betis plays Espanyol who sacked coach Marquez earlier this week.Kameni will be in goal.Kameni might be playing his last season for Espanyol after the two failed to agree on a new contract

Barca,Barca,barrrca

2008-12-02T08:55:00.000-08:00

Barca is not just a club,it is more than a club.(mes que un club).Barca has started the month of dirth with a very important victory at Sevilla.Eto'o took his tally for the season to 14 after openning the scoring with a brilliant strike.Messi made it 2 and 3-0 taking his tally to 9 goals for the season.Let the score line not deceive you because Sevilla played good football but Barca whas at their best.1 down 3 to go as Barca plays Vallencia next followed by Real Madrid and then Villareal.What a schedule of must see games.All those in the U.S.A can watch these games on GOL TV.If you have cable of directv call and add it on to your package.You can as well go to
www.goltv.tv to check on the schedule for these games

Arsenal fire on Chelsea

2008-12-02T08:44:00.000-08:00

The Gunners looked demoralised after conceding an own goal in the first half.Chelsea
played it tight in the midfield leaving no spaces for Arsenal to built up their game.
It was totally a different story in the second half.The Gunners played with confidence and that paid off with Van Persie scoring to make it 1-1.They later went on 2-1 when Van Persie scored with a brilliant left footer after pouncing on an Adebayor deflected shot.Chelsea's coach was furious after the match asking the referee to apologise for Van Persie's first goal that was clearly off-side.Arsenal is
now 7 points off leaders Liverpool who drew on monday against West HAM.Chelsea is
second 1point away while ManU is third

South Africa must improve on Organisation for WC

2008-11-24T09:12:00.000-08:00

South Africa beat Cameroon 3-2 on a friendly game last week that left the Cameroonian coach really angry.Cameroon had to play with 4 junior players in their defense because of bad organisation from the South African F.A.Eto'o,R.Song,Bikey and Geremi were all missing from the game due to lack of tickets.Their tickets were to be provided by the South African F.A and it did not get to them on time.Somen Tchoyi on arrival in South Africa spent the night at the airport with no one waiting for him.The players were lodged at a hotel were food was not ready in time for them and also had to play without practicing.Pfister had some bitter words for the South Africans and he later said he will not play his team should in case anything of this sort happens in a friendly again.His players were tired and he did not have some of his key players.Never the less he pulled out some positive things by playing some new players that he has been thinking of.This is not the first time we hear fears about S.A incapability of organisation.Hope they listen to their critics and put on a good show for what will benefit S.A and Africa at large

French connection fails Arsenal again

2008-11-22T13:37:00.000-08:00

Wenger has had enough of his captain Gallas and the later says it's unfair for all the blame to be put on the players.Arsenal were beaten for the 5Th time this season and this time it's was a 3-0 thrashing from Manchester City.Arsenal has talent but they lack a real leader on the pitch.They also lack a backup plan when ever they are unable to play Arsenal football.Their defense has been exposed time and time.It's about time Arsenal starts counting on experienced players other than only youth.Wenger has to be on the HOT SEAT for lack of trophies for a team that was to be challenging for the top spot this year.Meanwhile Liverpool,ManU and Chelsea all drew today.

Drogba gets 3 match ban

2008-11-18T11:51:00.000-08:00

Drogba is having a nightmare season so far.After haven spent most of the season with injuries Drogba will now again be sidelined this time because of an incident that took place 2 weeks ago.Drogba was involved with throwing a coin back into a crowd of supporters who had earlier thrown the coin provoking Didier.Although he had the support from team mates and coaches the F.A still banned Drogba for 3games.

Eto'o this week said he will like to play for Marseilles and Mallorca towards the end of his playing days.Eto'o gave an interview to L'Equipe while on his way to international duty with the Lions.The Lions will face Bafana Bafana in south Africa on Wednesday.Coton left back Nkana has been called up as the only amateur to the side.

Barcelona goes 3 points clear of Villareal over the weekend.Vallencia and Real Madrid suffered defeats over the weekend and that leaves them 5points behind Barcelona.Eto'o failed to score but was provider for second goal that saw them beat Recreativo Huelva 2-0

Al Ahly beat Coton on aggregate

2008-11-18T11:39:00.000-08:00

Coton Sport of Garoua was fired up for the return leg of the African Champions league against the Egyptian counter parts.That did not last long into the first half when they found themselves trailing by a goal..Coton equalised minutes before halftime.After squandering numerous opportunities they went 2-1 up cutting down their deficit to 1goal overall.But the Egyptians stood tall and played through pressure for the rest of the second half.Al Ahly then equalised 2-2 putting the final straw that break the backs of Coton.Al Ahly wins a record 6 African champions cup.Coton on the other hand proved to be a force to recon with and will look forward to make an impact for next years competition.

Tiko holds Coton 1-1

2008-11-09T17:44:00.000-08:00

Tiko United continues a good run after 3games in the 08-09 MTN elite 1 league in Cameroon.The Samba boys came into the third day of play after winning their fist 2 games.Coton came into this game as defending Champs and also looking forward to revenge the 4-1 thrashing they received last year at the hand of the Samba boys.Coton filled in all of their starters as they look to gain form for the return leg of the African champions league finals against Al Ahly of Egypt.Coton opened score but Tiko equalised as both sides shared the spoils in a highly entertained encounter.Coton was left the game disappointed as they played infront of an very demanding Garoua crowd.Tiko is still the leader after 3 games played with 7 points while Coton is 5th with only 2 games played so far.

Eto'o bags 4 in 6 goal demolition

2008-11-09T17:03:00.000-08:00

Eto'o is the hottest striker on planet earth after scoring 4 goals in 43 minutes in the Spanish league.It will only be fair to say it was as a result of good team work but Eto'o's pace,talent and desire proved to be too much for the opposing team.After a great run from the right wing Eto'o dribbled two of his markers and left the goalie stranded making it 1-0 for Barcelona.He then added a second with a powerful shot and at the 43 minute he had completed his first ever career quartet.Eto'o is now leading the goal scoring chart with 13 goals ahead of Spain's David Villa with 10 goals.With 10games played so far Barcelona is 2points ahead of Madrid in second place.Eto'o's good form comes at a good moment.He is at the last year of his current contract and this will play to his advantage as he looks forward to an improved deal.With performances like this it's hard to believe that Samuel Eto'o is not in the 5 man short list for African player of the year but he is in the running for best player in the world.

Hatrick Eto'o, Barca not Eto'o

2008-10-27T09:58:00.000-07:00

Eto'o showed maturity this weekend both on the field and out of it.His aim is being a better player than he has been and he took a step towards that by scoring a hattrick in 24 minutes.That is the fastest in the history of Barcelona.Almeria suffered from the hands of a team that is playing with lots of confidence.All Barca's goals came in the first half and also saw Thiery scoring his 3rd of the campaign.Eto'o is now joint at the top of goals scored so far with David Villa.They both have 9goals scored in 8games so far.Barca is joint 2nd with Real just 1point away from leaders Valencia.Eto'o told reporters that his success came as a result of good team work and he looks forward to be a better player after last two years rocked by injuries.Barca will soon be tested when they play Real madrid,Sevilla fc,Vallencia and Villareal all in December.That will be a tough stretch for the top four teams in La liga.

Liverpool downs Chelsea

2008-10-27T09:41:00.000-07:00

Liverpool might just be a real contender for the English premiership this year.They proved that by beating Chelsea at the Stamford Bridge ending their 86game unbeaten run.
Xavi Alonso early goal was the difference in what was a tight game.The Reds are now 3points are head of Chelsea in the standings.Chelsea's coach played down the unbeaten record at the Bridge as just another game.It's still an early season but we will need to see how Liverpool reacts from such an important win of the season.Manchester droped points after they drew with Everton 1-1.Arsenal showed some heart as Adebayor scored 2 coming in as a second half substitute against the Hammers.Tottenham had to change coaches to get their first win of the season and no body does it better than Harry Redknapp as he moved from Portmouth to Tottenham

Coton taste of success

2008-10-27T09:23:00.000-07:00

Coton sport De Garoua beat Aigle De Dschang 4-2 for the Cameroonian cup this past weekend.The game was a festival of good football after a longtime in Cameroonian recent cup encounters.Coton used this game also as a preparation for an even bigger finals when they go to Cairo next weekend to face Al Alhy of Egypt.It will be the first time in 28years since a team from Cameroon has been to this stage.Coton will be confident to win the $1 million price for the most prestigious club trophy in Africa.They will face tough opposition from Al Alhy a club that has already won the trophy more than one time.Meanwhile a win for Coton will be a great boost to the Cameroonian MTN elite division championship that has suffered allot of criticism in recent years.Allez les cotonier de Garoua

Eto set to Leave Barca....

2008-10-13T15:24:00.000-07:00

Eto'o proved to be the master of his football destiny when he beat the odds saying no one will push him out of Barca.Guadiola openly said Eto'o was one of the players he needed to be traded away from Barca."L'enfant terrible de New Bell" has since been the top goal scorer so far for Barca scoring 8 goals out of 10 games in all competitions.He has been on fire even though he has been playing less this season.Eto'o at the beginning of the season asked Barca to cut down his ask out price
from $150 million.This has raised eye brows about his eminent departure away from Barca.Barca has questioned his commitment..how can they?Eto'o gives his all on the pitch and is not even disturbed by all the calls of him being transferred.There was certainly a price tag on his name.Barca was the one not committed to Eto'o.Barca's fears for the worst now..Eto'o may leave for free at the end of the season.His contract runs out in 2010 but due to the Bosman ruling he is free to leave for free at the end of the season.Barca is feeling the pressure from it's supporters and from the local press.Will they loose Eto'o to Chelsea,Milan or Inter.These clubs are set to pounce on Eto'o with lucrative deals as soon as he is available.Eto'o is also known as one who always keep to his stands when his mind is made.The question is,Is Eto'o playing the time game and leave for free at the end of the season? or will he push for an improved contract with Barca?

Cameroon vs France 2009?

2008-10-13T11:28:00.000-07:00

The lions beat Mauritius Island 5-0 after scoring just 1goal in the first half.The Lions who had already qualified for the final round of the WC and ANC 2010 called on all of their top players for this game.The Lions looked sharp from get go but found the net only once in the first half.They came on in the second half looking for more goals.Eto'o added one more to his tally from the penalty spot.The flood gates were now open with Meyong Ze scoring 2 more and Makoun 1 crowning the Lions with their heaviest win in a longtime.With all that being said there are still questions to be answered.Friendly games?Pfister during a press conference in Yaounde made it known to the authorities that the Lions need more friendly games for a better preparation of his team.Alex Ribeiro was in Yaounde over the weekend to discuss with officials about organising friendlies for the Lions and he is looking forward to tie down a date for the Lions to battle Les Blues sometime in 2009.It's only during friendlies that we can keep our team competitive and replace old guards like Rigo Song.I have a strong believe that the Lions did not make it to the last WC due to rust that they inquired due to lack of playing time.If the lions had played games in between their games with Ivory Coast and Egypt they would have maintained the same level they had from the game they beat Ivory Coast

Song sets retirement for 2010

2008-10-07T21:05:00.000-07:00

Most will say it's time for Rigobert Song to call it off.His best days are behind him
and their argument can be sustained by the fact that he made a fatal error that saw Cameroon lost to Egypt in the last nations cup finals.Some will say he is experienced
and needs to pass that on to the young guards.I will say no matter what your argument is Song needs to realise that he cannot play as a starter for the Lions anymore.But again it's not his job to choose who plays,the coach should make that
decision.We should be able to play more friendly games that will enable the coach to look for new options to partner Bikey at central defense.It's every African players dream to play at the first ever world cup hosted in Africa.I believe Song should be considered only if he is competitive enough.For 10 good years he has been captain for the Lions and no one can argue about the way he lead the team.His passion is second to none so it will be a great honour if he makes it to the 2010 WC but it should not be at the detriment of the team or of a better player.Look at what happened to the likes of Thuram.He could not keep up with those young attackers.So lets be very careful on how we honour our old guards.Song might be a good politician..Song for President

why African players don't get full respect Abroad

2008-10-05T08:59:00.000-07:00

English league best in world

2008-10-05T08:32:00.000-07:00

Money makes a difference when it comes to sports and it is making a significant difference in the European leagues this year.The champion league has seen the smaller
leagues playing better,putting in better competition against the teams from the bigger leagues.Yet another season and the English premier league is making lots of noise.New money for clubs like Manchester City means they will be more competitive.Chelsea got priced out of Robinho at the very last moment.Manchester City is now threatening to break into the BIG FOUR.(Chelsea,ManU,Arsernal,liverpool)
The teams in England this year are also receiving much more money from big tv deals
thus making them very competitive when it comes to buying the best players.ManU stood in the way of big spending Real Madrid in their search for Christiano Ronaldo.For the past 4 years an English team has either won the Champions league or been to the finals.Last year it was an all English affair as ManU won over Chelsea.This year the English teams are all faring well after 2 games of champions league football and will face tough opposition from Spanish and Italian teams who anxiously want to stop the English reign.Will Barca,Real,Inter or Ac Milan steal the show from the English teams this year?My money is on Eto'o,Barca.. mes que un club

More than a Club

2008-10-04T18:11:00.000-07:00

For the past 2 years Barca has been known all over the world for the fight against malaria number 1 killer decease in Africa.Since Barca was found some 101yrs ago they never advertised any company on their jerseys.That came to an end 2 years ago when they turn down millions of dollars in advertisement money to carry the UNICEF logo on their shirts for 2 years(free).Wao Barca is truly not only a soccer club.Today barca proved why allot is expected from them this season.Atletico Madrid came into the game as one of the hottest teams not only in spain but in Europe as well.No one would have predicted such a score with Barca not playing at its potentials their last two games.With Iniesta playing at his best,Xavi running through players at will,
Eto'o on fire and Messi being Messi it took only 28 minutes to decide the winners of the day.At 5-1 Atletico was out played and out coached.Pepe who i think has been taking lots of risk to make his squad competitive had to prove himself today.Eto'o as i will say is an undoubtedly starter in this team as his partnership with Messi has proven to be lethal.Upfront Eto'o runs good routs off the ball creating space and always keeping the defence guessing.His second goal was a master piece of good understanding and how good he can stretch defences making them pay dearly.Henry came on in the second half for Eto'o who had a standing ovation.Henry looked very sharp and scored a beautiful goal from about 30yards.Madrid plays tomorrow against an Espanol team that will look forward to bounce back from an unlucky defeat last week against Barca...Barca 6 Atletico Madrid 1

New Look Barca

2008-10-02T12:03:00.000-07:00

Barca so far is not playing at their best but yet winning games and to be frank only good teams have that killer instinct.Barca needs to take care of the problems they have at the back.Pujol needs to settle down and become a true leader on the field.Guadiola is rotating his squad and still coming up with the results Barca needs
This will go a long way deep in the season when he will need fresh players for the tittle race if it gets close.Barca has so far played mediocre teams but for Espanol that has been a pain for Barca in recent years.The real test is still to come.Atletico Madrid so far is the team to beat,Real madrid always tittle con testers,
Villereal playing good and Valencia always a threat.Pepe Guadiola so far has shown alot of rookie ways and will need to correct them before he faces the big guys.I will make a bold prediction, we might see a new Champion this year in La Liga apart from Barca and Real Madrid