Footballbits and pieces

We’re all here looking ahead to the World Cup in South Africa, but lets not forget that in 2 years time it’s the European Championships again!
The draw was made yesterday in Poland for the qualifying groups and came up with some interesting match-ups:

GROUP A: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Belgium, Austria, Turkey, Germany

GROUP B: Andorra, Armenia, Macedonia, Republic of Ireland, Slovakia, Russia

GROUP C: Faroe Islands, Estonia, Slovenia, NORTHERN IRELAND, Serbia, Italy

GROUP D: Luxembourg, Albania, Belarus, Bosnia, Romania, France

GROUP E: San Marino, Moldova, Hungary, Finland, Sweden, Netherlands

GROUP F: Malta, Georgia, Latvia, Israel, Greece, Croatia

GROUP G: Montenegro, WALES, Bulgaria, Switzerland, ENGLAND

GROUP H: Iceland, Cyprus, Norway, Denmark, Portugal

GROUP I: Liechtenstein, Lithuania, SCOTLAND, Czech Republic, Spain

Qualification starts in September and runs through to October 2011 with the nine group winners automatically qualifying for the tournament together with the runner-up with the best overall record. The eight other runners-up will then face play-offs over two legs in November 2011. Co-hosts, Poland and Ukraine qualify automatically.

England manager Fabio Capello said his team had been drawn in one of the two toughest groups, “All four opponents are really dangerous,” Capello said. “Wales will be my first derby as manager of an international team. It will be interesting. They are really young but the value of the players is high.” “I prefer a smaller group because we have less games but the group is very tough.”
“Switzerland qualified for the World Cup, they are one of the best teams. I remember when I played against them it was not easy to win away.”

“I have big confidence in my team and I am sure we will play a fantastic qualifying tournament for 2012.”

Little belated I know, but continuing our look at teams for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, this week we look at Group D

Germany

Ranked 6 by FIFA
Winners in 1954,1974 and 1990
Manager: Joachim Low
Key Player:  Michael Ballack
Too many silver medals for Chelsea’s Ballack, so he’ll be hoping to win the big one before he retires.
Footballbits Group prediction –  Winners

Australia

Ranked 21 by FIFA
3nd round in 2006
Manager: Pim Verbeek
Key Player: Tim Cahill
Great provider of goals from midfield
Footballbits Group prediction – 4th

Serbia

Ranked 20 by FIFA
Manager: Raddy Antic
Key Player: Dejan Stankovic
Consistent performer in Serie A for a decade
Footballbits Group prediction – 3rd

Ghana

Ranked 37 by FIFA
2nd round 2006
Manager: Milovan Rajevac
Key Player: MIchael Essien
Not the tireless worker he once was, but still skillful and creative
Footballbits Group prediction – 2nd

The games:

13th June, Germany v Australia
13th June, Serbia v Ghana
18th June, Germany v Serbia
19th June, Ghana v Australia
23rd June, Ghana v Germany
23rd June, Australia v Serbia

How we think it will finish

1st Germany
2nd Ghana
3rd Serbia
4th Australia

Next week, we move on to group E

Well OK, maybe anyone who hasnt looked at a newspaper or seen the television for the last few months anyway!

Manchester City’s Brazilian international Robinho is joining his former club Santos on a six-month loan until August.
Santos will take over Robinho’s contract, including his wages and bonuses, for the duration of the loan.
Manchester City manager, Roberto Mancini said “Robinho is someone who needs to be playing regularly and we wish him well for the period of his loan,”

The 26-year-old forward scored his first goal of the season in City’s 4-2 FA Cup win over Scunthorpe last Sunday, but didnt feature in the squad for City’s 3-2 aggregate defeat to Manchester United in the Carling Cup semi-final.

Robinho cost a British transfer record £32.4m when he was bought from Real Madrid in 2008 but has only played sporadically and has had startling variations of form. He has been keen to return to Brazil ahead of the World Cup in South Africa this summer as he attempts to ensure his starting place.

Chance of Robinho returning to City after the World Cup?
We reckon none at all…

The most ardent football supporters spend the majority of their Saturdays (and a lot of time in their dreams) at the home of their team – their spiritual home.
So why not get them a nice reminder of where they love to be with a Framed photograph of the stadium?

Footballbits Football Souvenirs now have a new range of glass fronted, black framed stadium photographs for vitually every team in the Premier League and Football League.

Premier League and Championship stadiums are on sale now, the lower leagues will be on the site shortly.

Go on, treat the fan in your life to one of these – they will love you for it!

Manchester City’s Carlos Tevez has branded Manchester United’s Gary Neville a “boot-licker” and a “moron” in explaining his goal celebration in Tuesday’s Carling Cup semi-final Former Manchester United striker Tevez gestured and cupped his ears towards the United bench after scoring twice in Manchester City’s 2-1 derby win.

“My celebration was directed at Gary Neville,” Tevez told ESPN Argentina.”He acted like a complete boot-licker when he said I wasn’t worth £25m, just to suck up to the manager,” he added.

Before the first-leg tie at Eastlands, Neville said that manager Alex Ferguson had been right to let Tevez leave in the summer, rather than signing him on a permanent deal after his two-year loan spell ended.And during United’s defeat cameras appeared to catch Neville making an obscene gesture when Tevez scored.

“I don’t know what the hell that moron is talking about me for,” said Tevez.

Dont hear too many people arguing that one…

You can buy your souvenirs for both City and United ready for next week’s second leg at Footballbits Football Souvenirs