<div id="attachment_707" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><div><figure class="external-image"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-707" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-707" src="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/7/files/2009/12/38463113_bellamy2_getty300.jpg" alt="A game i&apos;m sure did nothing good for my health" width="300" height="180"></figure></div><p id="caption-attachment-707" class="wp-caption-text">A game i&apos;m sure did nothing good for my health</p></div>
<p>I was looking around a few sites, particularly reading all the articles on <a href="http://epltalk.com">epltalk.com</a> that have recently been posted and they have been looking back over what has been an amazing decade for football. You can go to any sports related website and you will have an abundance of critics and experts telling you what their favourite moment of the past ten years was. And what is so great about reading them is that everyone has a different opinion as different moments in football can mean different things to people. It could be easy of me to make a countdown of what I think are the X greatest Y’s of the decade but no one can ever agree on different things. And that is why instead I decided I’d just write about what for me was my favourite moment of the decade as I realised everyone has their own say. I know this is a Championship related website and I try to filter through news and opinion related to the league but here at Championship talk we value any sort of opinion and any article people want to write. And if everyone else can do it then so can I!</p>
<p><strong>November 13th 2002 – Champions League Group Stage One – Feyenoord 2-3 Newcastle United:</strong></p>
<p>This was one of those games that can only back up any claim that football is the most exciting sport in the world. Sir Bobby Robson helped Newcastle climb back to the top of the table and make it into the Champions league once again, but unlike our woeful efforts in Europe under Keegan, this time we were up to the challenge. When having a bit of a search to see if I could bring back even more memories of the match, I found <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2002/nov/13/minutebyminute.sport">the Guardian’s minute by minute updates </a>of the match and just reading through that gives me goose bumps.</p>
<p>This was such in important game in a very open group between Juventus, Dynamo Kiev, Feyenoord and Newcastle. Juventus looked comfortable at the top but the other three teams most certainly had something to play for and they were ready to give it their all. It was a packed house on a cold night in Holland and Newcastle were hoping to become the first team in history to qualify for the next stage after losing their first three group games and it wasn’t easy considering that we were relying on a Juventus win against Kiev in Ukraine as well as winning our own game. Even more hairs were standing on the back of my neck as the players walked out to a cauldron of flares, streamers, flags and an electric continental atmosphere.</p>
<p>The first half had a few chances and most of them were Newcastle. We were dominating the game and the pace of our team seemed to be catching Feyenoord out every time. But I watched on, as our 2-0 lead all of a sudden became 2-2. In the middle of Newcastle and Feyenoord goals, it was all kicking off at Kiev as Dynamo had went 1-0 up only to be pegged back to 2-1. The game in Rotterdam had turned and Newcastle were starting to get over run by a heart-pounding atmosphere and the new found Feyenoord confidence. If things stayed the way they were in Kiev, the winner would be through to the second group phase.</p>
<p>Clive Tyldesley was commentating on the match and I remember him saying something along the lines of ‘a goal here is so important for either of these teams, especially when you consider it could be worth £10 million pounds’. That was what was at stake here, but more importantly for me it was for the chance to play in the next round, stay in the greatest competition in club football and meet more of Europe’s elite.</p>
<p>Feyenoord were pressing and it just seemed like it wasn’t going to be Newcastle’s night. We were 2-0 up and in control and had thrown it all away. But in the 92nd minute we thumped the ball forward where Shearer managed to head the ball to Dyer who shot was saved. Craig Bellamy latched onto the ball and could of held it up, but instead shot from a difficult angle and the keeper could do nothing about it. It was absolutely amazing and what football was all about. A pure battle which had a blockbuster ending and I think it was a couple of days before I stopped bouncing off the walls in my house after that one. One of my favourite games ever.</p>
<p>I had someone ask me a few months ago, obviously not trying to be offensive, why do Newcastle fans chant Sir Bobby Robson’s name all the time and why was there such a monument for a manager that didn’t win anything for Newcastle. Well apart from being from the local area, it is moments like this that we love Bobby for. He brought excitement to the team and moments like what I’ve mentioned above. He made us into a side that did amazing things and we had some great games with him at the helm. Sacking Bobby was a terrible mistake, but the fans will always love him and its games like our 3-2 victory against Feyenoord that we will remember him best for.</p>
<p>So there you have it! That was my personal favourite moment of the decade. And here at Championship Talk we would love to hear your opinion on what was your favourite moment. And also as a new year (and decade) looms, we are looking for new writers to help add their opinion on all matters Championship and Football League! If you are interested in writing for the site and would love to have your say, please send an e-mail to:</p>
<p>thegaffer[at]epltalk[dot]com</p>
<p>We hope to hear from you!</p>


My Favourite Football Moment Of The Decade

My Favourite Football Moment Of The Decade - World Soccer Talk

<div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter" src="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/uploads/3.bp.blogspot.com/media/_fotos/bildergalerien/teuerste_transfers/veron_f.jpg" alt="" width="476" height="358"></figure></div>
<p>For every Ronaldo, there’s a Shevchenko. Sometimes, great reputations come at a great cost yet fail to deliver. Shevchenko is a great player to start with. Feared throughout Europe, his performances for Dynamo Kiev and A.C. Milan saw him become one of the most lethal strikers in the world. Once he arrived at Stamford Bridge, his reputation began to fall apart.</p>
<p>Yet these things happen. Sometimes, for a variety of reasons, some players cannot settle. Yet others flourish when they were expected to fail. Now we look at some of the worst signings in the last ten years and ask ourselves, did Juan Sebastian Veron really cost £43 million for English clubs alone!!</p>
<p></p>
<p>Well over the years, especially as the Premiership’s international appeal has grown, we now find ourselves in a situation were probably as case can be made for a large chunk of the best players in the world currently ply their trade in England. From Rooney to Torres, Essien to Mascherano, every team offers us a plethora of international flavour. Now let’s cast our eyes over some of my selections for the worst signings this decade in no particular order.</p>
<div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter" src="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/uploads/3.bp.blogspot.com/CandidatePix/32378.gif" alt="" width="200" height="256"></figure></div>
<p><strong>1. Juan Sebastian Veron £43.6 million</strong></p>
<p>Now Veron’s failure to cope with the Premiership is something I still can’t get to grips with. His international pedigree was assured, he’d pulled the strings for Lazio and Parma during a 5 year spell in Italy, he was a top player. The failure of the Little Witch to adapt to the Premiership still astounds me. Manchester United paid £28.1 million for him, but off loaded him 2 years later to Chelsea, were he continued to under-perform. A return to Italy at Inter Milan never saw him recapture his form and he has now returned to Argentinian football.</p>
<div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter" src="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/uploads/3.bp.blogspot.com/content_images/Chelsea/andrei%20shevchenko.jpg" alt="" width="228" height="341"></figure></div>
<p><strong>2. Andrey Shevchenko £30.8 million</strong></p>
<p>As I’ve mentioned earlier, a striker with one of the most feared reputations in Europe caused Chelsea to change their system and lose their way a little under Jose Mourinho. Rumours abound that the Special One never wanted him at Stamford Bridge but since he joined Chelsea, his career has taken a nose dive. Even a return to A.C. Milan couldn’t recapture his glory days and he has now returned to Kiev. It was like watching a different player when he was at Chelsea, he just couldn’t cope with the game.</p>
<div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter" src="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/uploads/3.bp.blogspot.com/bongdaso/090617193408-297-163.jpg" alt="" width="285" height="178"></figure></div>
<p><strong>3. Sergei Rebrov £11 million</strong></p>
<p>Oddly, Shevchenko’s strike partner failed to adapt to the English game also, but his refusal to accept black players as team mates meant that he was always going to struggle. Perhaps a little more digging in to his personal life would have avoided an £11 million mistake for Tottenham Hotspur in 2000.&nbsp; Made a return to publicity when Spurs signed Roman Pavlychenko, warning him about the amount of “Non-whites” in the Tottenham area. A thoroughly horrible man, the Premiership is better for his absence.</p>
<div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter" src="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/uploads/3.bp.blogspot.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Fernando-Morientes.jpg" alt="" width="222" height="222"></figure></div>
<p><strong>4. Fernando Morientes £6.5 million</strong></p>
<p>Another striker with a fearsome reputation who looked as if he’d been kidnapped and replaced by a stand in when he joined Liverpool in January 2005. It was especially strange as the season before, he’d had a marvelous campaign in the Champions League with Monaco and a solid reputation forged for Real Madrid and Spain. He just never got going at Anfield and returned to Spain after just 18 months.</p>
<div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter" src="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/uploads/3.bp.blogspot.com/images/1_8_2009_content/ttvh_160N20090814044855718T130_bentleyspurs.jpg" alt="" width="296" height="177"></figure></div>
<p><strong>5. David Bentley £15 million</strong></p>
<p>Bentley had forged an excellent reputation under Mark Hughes at Blackburn Rovers but his spell at Tottenham has seen him under perform constantly. That goal against Arsenal was expected to be the catalyst but Aaron Lennon’s continued excellent form has seen him become a peripheral player at his beloved Tottenham. It’s simply not worked for him and the problem is no one can work out why.</p>
<div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter" src="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/uploads/3.bp.blogspot.com/media/images/41284000/jpg/_41284344_vassell300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300"></figure></div>
<p><strong>6. Jean Alain Boumsong £8.2 million</strong></p>
<p>This transfer still makes me laugh, as it was a ludicrous amount of money for a centre half who struggled to cope with Scottish football during his spell at Rangers. Yet, if you want someone to pay over the odds, who better than Graeme Souness to come to your rescue. Never coped while he was at St James’ Park, he was moved on to Juventus and struggled in Serie B before joining Lyon.</p>
<div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter" src="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/uploads/3.bp.blogspot.com/_OiHVfUKRPhU/SBWpXZYuuSI/AAAAAAAABAQ/EE3AoCXKBII/s400/albertluqueR_350x300.jpg" alt="" width="292" height="250"></figure></div>
<p><strong> 7. Albert Luque £9.5 million</strong></p>
<p>Another one of Souness’ signings during his awful spell as Newcastle manager, Luque came highly rated but never saw his career take off at all in the North East. He’d had three excellent seasons at Deportivo but since his two year hell at Newcastle his career has collapsed. Another dreadful Souness signing that never recovered to show his early potential.</p>
<div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter" src="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/uploads/3.bp.blogspot.com/multimedia/archive/00122/Bosko_Balaban_122644s.jpg" alt="" width="311" height="334"></figure></div>
<p><strong>8. Bosko Balaban £6 million</strong></p>
<p>Was highly rated when John Gregory signed him for Aston Villa but in his 30 month spell he never started a game or scored a goal. The long running joke amongst Villa fans was that they’d actually signed the wrong player but he was signed as a goal getting striker. On leaving Villa he continued to score goals but will always be remembered for the goalless spell at Villa Park.</p>
<div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter" src="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/uploads/3.bp.blogspot.com/images/steve-marlet-380.jpg" alt="" width="297" height="297"></figure></div>
<p><strong>9. Steve Marlet £11.5 million</strong></p>
<p>The signing that brought the end to Jean Tigana’s reign as Fulham manager and caused a legal battle with the chairman of Fulham, Marlet was an unmitigated disaster. 11 goals in 4 years says it all and he is currently without a club. Though how he was ever valued at £11.5 million after scoring just 13 goals in 2 seasons at Lyon still mystifies me.</p>
<div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter" src="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/uploads/3.bp.blogspot.com//keanelazio.jpg" alt="" width="281" height="174"></figure></div>
<p><strong>10. Robbie Keane £20 million</strong></p>
<p>Poor old Robbie Keane thought he’d gone to heaven when Spurs grudgingly accepted a hefty bid for the Liverpool supporting Irishman. Yet, unbeknown to Keane, Benitez didn’t want him and he became a pawn in an internal battle between Rick Parry and Rafa Benitez. 6 months later he was on his way back to White Hart Lane for the remainder of the fee that Liverpool owed Spurs, so effectively the Reds paid £8 million for a 6 month loan deal. Has never looked the same player since he returned either.</p>
<div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter" src="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/uploads/3.bp.blogspot.com/francisjeffers/bi_francis_jeffers.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300"></figure></div>
<p><strong>11. Francis Jeffers £8 million</strong></p>
<p>Arsene Wengers most expensive mistake, Jeffers was supposedly the fox in the box the Gunners needed as the long term replacement for Ian Wright. Yet Jeffers’ attitude had caused him to be gladly sold by Everton and his career has seen him fall down the leagues, failing to score or stay fit for than a month a time. A shining example of wasted potential, he scored on his England debut in 2001 and it was all down hill from there. Is frighteningly still 28, currently injured at Sheffield Wednesday.</p>
<p>So, any thoughts on who you feel was the worst Premiership signing of the last 10 years? Please leave your comments below.</p>

The Worst Premiership Signings Of The Noughties

The Worst Premiership Signings Of The Noughties - World Soccer Talk

Latest news from Kiev. Find out about all the news related to Kiev on worldsoccertalk.com

ALL POSTS TAGGED "Kiev"

News

My Favourite Football Moment Of The Decade

News

The Worst Premiership Signings Of The Noughties