Sheffield United Can Get New Star

John-joe O’Toole is understood to been keen on ressurecting his career in the north of England with Sheffield United. Where he has had a loan spell with just one start for Sheffield United. United have seen their opening offer rejected and Newcastel and Wolves are intrested in him. Kevin Blackwell wants to sign O’Toole after being inpressed with O’Toole on his loan spell. SUFC have sold about 18500 season tickets so far which is about 5% up on last year

Burnley v Sheffield United

So it is the Play offs for Burnley and Sheffield United on Monday 25th May and it could be anyone who gets to play in the Premier League next season. Take a look at the top 3 in the Premier League and you will see that they have only lost 10 games between them, where Wolverhampton Wanderers Top of the Championship have lost 10 and the top 3  in the Championship table have lost 29 games agains the 10 in the Premier top 3.

So that said do you think Burnley or Sheffield United have a chance of staying up, I hope I am wrong as they are both great teams with a great history that sould both be in the Premier. The first goal in the Premier League was scored by Dean of Sheffield United (That is all I can come up with at the min). It will not be about giving the fans a good game on Monday at Wembley but what team wins , winning is all, it will be a good game for the fans that win, but do not forget the fans that have traveled all the way down to Wembley to see the team they love back in the championship

Paul Gascoigne.

Paul Gascoigne the master of football last played a profesional match back in 2004. Gazza has started training for a one off All Stars match at the Darlington Arena on 3rd May, to help Darllington who went into administration in February and were docked 10 points they are looking for a new owner and are yet to find one. Paul Gascoigne former Newcastle, Tottenham, Everton, Middlesbrough, England, Lazio, Rangers, Burnley, Gansu Tianma and boston United star is hoping to play 15 minutes of the game.

I think this says all about Gazza, he does not do things in half measures when Gazza says he is in training he is super fit just for 15 mins in a Stars match. Todays football stars should learn from gazza. In Gazzas last into football moment, Gazza was manager of Kettering Town and with the same passionate effort of all his life put all he had into Kettering Town. Gazza was in charge of the club for only six League matches with help from Paul Davis in that time Kettering won 2, draw 2 and lost 2. Paul Davis played 351 times for Arsenal from 1978 - 1995. Gazza is only 41 years old and could still play a big part in football

Reading v Sheff Utd

Reading  v Sheff Utd at the Madejski Stadium 5.30 tonight, with both teams trying to hold 3rd place. Former Reading player Darius Henderson will certainly start up front and another ex Royal Greg Halford should play, he is on loan from Sunderland and at Sheffield united. For Reading Liam Rosenior serves a second game of a two match suspension, but he is out the team anyway following a operation on his hand. More than 20,000 tickets have been sold for the match. Steve Coppel the Reading manager sould be up for this match

Liverpool 1 - 3 Chelsea

Chelsea coach Guus Hiddink claimed Wednesday’s 3-1 Champions League victory over Liverpool was an unexpected but deserved quarter-final first-leg scoreline.

The Blues are now firm favourites to reach the last four stage after overcoming the disappointment of conceding a sixth-minute Fernando Torres opener at Anfield.

Two headed goals from Branislav Ivanovic and a third from Didier Drogba stunned Liverpool and left Hiddink thrilled with the manner of the fightback.

“I admit it was an unexpected result, but we are very happy with the win and it was well deserved,” he said.

“We started very sloppily, the jobs we were doing in defence were not as good as they could have been.

Liverpool  v  Chelsea

• It is the fifth consecutive season that Chelsea and Liverpool have met in the Champions League. Three of the four previous meetings have been in the semi-finals of the competition.

• Until last season when Chelsea reached the final 4-3 on aggregate, matches between the two had never produced more than one goal.

• Liverpool have lost only one of their last 19 Champions League games, including qualifiers, and that was the 3-2 extra time defeat to Chelsea in last season’s semi-final.

• Liverpool have conceded only two goals in their last five European home games and have lost only once in eight matches against English clubs at home in European competition, a 1-0 defeat to Leeds United in the 1971 Fairs Cup semi-finals.

• Chelsea have not won any of their last seven Champions League away games though they have drawn five.
• Team details

  Liverpool (4-2-3-1, r-l): Reina; Arbeloa, Skrtel, Carragher, Aurelio; Alonso, Lucas; Kuyt, Gerrard, Riera; Torres.
  Chelsea (4-3-3, r-l): Cech; Ivanovic, Alex, Terry, A Cole; Mikel, Essien, Lampard; Kalou, Drogba, Malouda.
  Referee: Claus Bo Larsen (Denmark)

Sheffield United 2 - 1 Barnsley

Late goals from Sheffield United’s John Joe O’Toole and Arturo Lupoli decided a feisty South Yorkshire derby that ended in explosive fashion.

O’Toole, on loan from Watford, bundled home his first goal for the club in the 81st minute to keep United’s automatic promotion hopes alive and former Arsenal striker Lupoli slid home the clincher.

Jamal Campbell-Ryce had a last-minute penalty saved by Paddy Kenny with 90 minutes on the clock – but there was still time for substitute Daniel Bogdanovic to pull one back.

Both managers and their benches were forced apart by police as the derby clash threatened to get out of control in the closing stages as the Blades secured a fourth straight league win.

Defeat for Barnsley – their second in six matches – leaves the Tykes perilously close to the relegation zone.

Kevin Blackwell made two changes to his starting line-up, with O’Toole recalled to midfield in place of Stephen Quinn and Leigh Bromby in for Matthew Kilgallon.

O’Toole and Jamie Ward went closest to breaking the first-half deadlock for the home side, the latter’s header brilliantly tipped over the bar by Barnsley goalkeeper Heinz Muller just before the break.

Blades captain Chris Morgan was an early target for Barnsley’s travelling support, who remember the league clash at Oakwell in November which left Iain Hume with a fractured skull.

But ex-Barnsley captain Morgan’s first touch met with cheers from the Blades end.

After the break Muller reacted brilliantly to keep out O’Toole’s point-blank effort from Naysmith’s long throw, but the ball ricocheted back off the Irishman and referee Grant Hegley was convinced the ball had crossed the line.

Lupoli then swept the ball in from Henderson’s cutback.

But then Hegley awarded the a last-minute penalty for handball by Halford, which Kenny saved well to his right before Bogdanovic turned home Macken’s neat pass.

Match details

Sheff Utd: Kenny, Naughton, Morgan, Bromby, Naysmith, Halford, Montgomery, O’Toole, Cotterill (Lupoli 70), Ward (Beattie 90), Henderson.
Subs: Bennett, Howard, Walker.
Booked: O’Toole.
Barnsley: Muller, Hassell, Moore, Foster, Kozluk, Teymourian, De Silva, Colace (Bogdanovic 84), Campbell-Ryce, Macken, Mifsud (Hammill 76).
Subs: Steele, Guedes, Devaney.
Booked: De Silva, Campbell-Ryce.
Referee: G Hegley (Hertfordshire).

Just

Rafa Benitez - Liverpool ?

Rafa Benitez has been linked to the Spanish giants Real Madrid according to several papers this morning.

It is the fifth contract offer that Rafa Benitez has turned down. Liverpool may be short of Rafa the start of next season. What do Liverpool fans think of that?

Crystal Palace V  Sheffield United

Crystal Palace manager Neil Warnocks last match of the season on Sunday May 3rd is at home to Sheffield United. Where will that leave Neil Warnock. Crystal Palace have won against Sheffield United in the play offs in about the last the last kick of the game. This time Sheffield United the team Neil Warnock loves and was manager before his move to Palace, could be near the top of the Coca-cola Championship and at the moment Crystal Palace are 13th and 12 points away from the play offs will Neil Warnocks heart be back with Sheffield United or will he be up too win against his old club

It is all getting a bit tight at the top of the championship League any team from the top 4 could get that second spot