See what I mean about Anderson?

Against Blackburn Rovers, new Manchester United midfielder Anderson showed again why I don't think he is as good as people claim.

There were lots of comments in my last entry on the subject, most disagreed. The most common argument was regarding how talented he is but nobody could point to much game changing impact. Talent, that may be true, he has lots and is tenacious, but he’s nowhere close to a finished product. What I do admire about him is how quick and willing he is to go after the ball. All the comparisons to Edgar Davids are justified; they are very, very alike. Now, that aside.

Anderson’s passing was very weak against Blackburn. I paid special attention to it as I watched the match. Many claimed that I hadn’t seen him play, well I have about 4 or 5 times now and what I saw this time was the same as the last: aimless passing and regularly out of position. I counted nine bad balls, I might have missed a few and about 3 good passes, one great pass and the rest of his touches had no impact. I also saw him contort the United shape as he wandered out of position. It’s a testament to how good Owen Hargreaves is that he covered for Anderson and kept the back line protected. I think many watchers confuse talent with impact. Anderson has talent, but it’s Hargreaves that makes the real impact.

Maybe one point we can all agree on is that the hair just isn't working for him.

How a win can see both winning and losing managers leave

Rumor is, should Blackburn worsen the horrors of Tottenham’s season it will be the last game manager Martin Jol is in charge. In the frame to replace him would be the very manager who beat him: Mark Hughes. So of Blackburn beat Tottenham they lose their manager as well as Jol getting fired? How strange football can be.

Blackburn have quietly been having an excellent season. Nothing noteworthy or exceptional, but solid results that has seen the club in a solid 6th place with a game in hand. Tottenham, on the other hand, have only a single win to show for their millions spent on players. It couldn’t be a more striking contrast.

Really, it’s time for Martin Jol to go. The squad is not performing. If they really wanted him, they’d more their asses and get some results and for me, Jol has been tactically outmaneuvered too many times.

Apparently, Jol will be forced out of Tottenham if they don’t beat Blackburn on Sunday.
How a team with such an expensive set of salaries can be in the relegation zone is beyond me. And I have heard the comment over and over that this also happened last year and they clawed back but It begs the question: if it happened last season, way wasn’t anything done to prevent a repeat??

Things worsened this week as Dimitar Berbatov needed to be told 3 times to warm up for a substitution against Newcastle and then proceeded to lolly-gag around the pitch until the whistle blew.

If the rumor is true, Mark Hughes would be a excellent replacement. He knows how to organize a squad and won’t be tactically undone like Jol is being. And having spent 40m pounds on players, Hughes could probably get a lot more out of this lot than now.

Blackburn and Manchester City want Santa Cruz

Both Blackburn Rovers and Manchester City are hoping to sign Paraguayan international Roque Santa Cruz from Bayern Munich.

Rovers boss Mark Hughes and City boss Sven Goran-Eriksson are keen to start talks with the 25 year old player who has been given permission to talk to both clubs as well as FC Porto of Portugal. A deal may be wrapped up over the weekend if Santa Cruz can come to terms and decide on a club. Galatasaray has also been rumored to have inquired.

Santa Cruz has been sidelined at Munich to protect the asset while a deal is made for the player. A good showing at the Copa America has boosted his stock among suitors and his place at Bayern has been usurped by new signings Miroslav Klose and Luca Toni.

The pricetag for the player is said to be around 4.5m pounds well within reason for all potential suitors.

U-21 Standout signs for Blackburn, Celtic pipped

Celtic have been beaten out to the signature of Maceo Rigters, the top scorer in June’s U-21 Championship. Blackburn Rovers have signed the talented striker from NAC Breda for an undisclosed fee.

The young Dutchman has signed a four-year deal at Ewood Park. Rigters had been linked with a host of British clubs, including Newcastle, Celtic, Rangers, Aston Villa and Norwich.

“The Dutch lad is someone that Mark Hughes likes. I know that he admires him a lot” - Blackburn chairman John Williams

Rigters agent was so close to linking up with Celtic that he was planning to fly into Glasgow today to tie up a move. Rigters himself was due to travel to Glasgow to finalize the deal with Celtic on Tuesday. It was virtually a done deal until Blackburn moved in with a late offer which bested all comers. Rigters had a 400,000 pound buyout clause in his contract which was activated by Blackburn, it’s thought that they paid significantly over that price though, probably in the range of 600k.