C’Mon Yu Irons!

World Club Rankings: EPL Team There’s a New No 1 ! Man Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Chelsea

Dec 1, 2008 Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man Utd, world club rankings

From our freinds at World Club Rankings

WCR Top 25 Clubs in the World - Liverpool Goes Top Edition

We have a new number one in the World Club Rankings, but it’s probably not who it should be. Who is number one? Liverpool. Who should be? I think it’s pretty clear to most people that Barcelona should be. So, why aren’t they? Several weeks ago, I went into some detail about how the rankings are generated. I short, it’s a combination of how a club is doing domestically along with how those clubs’ domestic leagues have performed in recent continental championship tournaments, e.g., the UEFA Champions League. The problem for Barcelona is that the English Premiership has a pretty overwhelming lead with respect to the domestic league coefficients. Scoring six of the last eight Champions League semifinal spots and having three different clubs appear in the Champions League finals over the past two years will give you such an overwhelming domestic league coefficient advantage.

What does this mean for Barcelona? Will they never be able to take over the number one spot? Actually, they can, but they will have to earn it on the field – even more so than they already have. Right now, the system sees Barcelona as the leader of a domestic league and a qualifier for the Champions League knockout stage. Meanwhile, Liverpool is first place in a better league and also a qualifier for the Champions League knockout stage. Because of bonus points given for advancement in continental competition, Barcelona likely will advance past the top club in England if it advances further than that club in the Champions League. It is also possible if a club advances to the top of the Premiership with a significantly below average goal differential, but that is unlikely to happen between now and the Champions League knockout stages.

These league rankings also explain why we have two Scottish Premier League clubs in the rankings despite the fact that there soon will be none left in European competition. Celtic and Rangers’ dominance in the league allow them to jump over clubs from better leagues and the SPL is benefitting from successes in recent competitions, despite doing so poorly this season. Coefficients will be adjusted after the group stage ends, so we can see how that affects the SPL. It certainly won’t help it.

I didn’t get much of a chance to talk much about last week’s matches. Or this week’s matches. Or anything at all, really. I guess I’ll do that in the course of the WCR Top 25, below.

World Club Rankings – Top 25 Clubs in the World – December 1, 2008

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Tags: Array, Arsenal, Barcelona, Bonus Points, chelsea, Coefficients, Continental, Continental Championship, Continental Competition, Differential, england, English Premiership, Freinds, Knockout Stage, Knockout Stages, Liverpool, Man Utd, People, Premier League Clubs, Scottish Premier League, Top Man, Uefa Champions League

**WORKING** World Club Rankings: Theres a NEW Number 1!!!: Chelsea - Man Utd - Liverpool - Arsenal - Everton - Real madrid - Roma - Barcelona

Sep 15, 2008 West Ham News

WCR Top 25 Clubs in the World - New Number One Edition

We still have two weeks to go until last season’s results are erased from
the databases for English clubs (three weeks for some others), yet
Manchester United has already managed to lose the advantage that it
carried into this season. With its loss to Liverpool, Manchester United has relinquished the title that it has held since early this year. Since we started this blog eleven months ago, only two clubs have reached the pinnacle, Inter Milan and Manchester United. This week, we welcome a third as Chelsea takes over the top spot. As a note to Liverpool fans, Liverpool did not improve this week because it finished a distant fourth place last year and those results will still be used over the next few weeks. Provided Liverpool maintains form over the next few weeks, I foresee it rising to or near the top of the rankings at that time.

A few domestic leagues did reach the point in their seasons where last season’s results have been eliminated. Most notably, those nations include France and Scotland. The results of this change are reflected in the Top 25, where Marseille replaces Bordeaux and Rangers replace Scotland. As mention in recent past rankings, as last season’s results are dropped, the Top 25 will become much more fluid and that is reflected in this week’s chart, where we have five clubs that were not around last week.

Another reason for changes this week is that clubs near the bottom of the rankings did their best to forfeit their spots. Boca Juniors managed only a draw against Independiente, Bordeaux, a draw
against Marseille, and AC Milan and Atletico de Madrid both fell this weekend. All of these clubs have been removed from the rankings for this week, if only temporarily. We’ll see how the numbers work out in future weeks.

Rankings, shmakings. The big news this week, of course, is the beginning of the UEFA Champions League group stage. This will provide us with six great matchweeks full of great matches, beginning this week, where we will see clubs like Manchester United and Villarreal face off. Matches involving multiple Top 25 clubs are highlighted below. Even when those are over, however, it’s still not over as Manchester United,
fresh off of its trip to Liverpool, goes to London to take on Chelsea over the weekend. Also, in the Bundesliga, Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich will face off on Saturday.

Great clubs, great matches. I love this time of year!!! Below is the current Top 25.

WCR Top 25 Clubs in the World – September 15, 2008

1. Chelsea (Eng) (4) – Chelsea becomes the third club to top the WCR Top 25 by virtue of Manchester United’s loss and Chelsea’s 3-1 defeat of the other club from Manchester. Robinho scored early, but Chelsea scored often. In
Champions League action, Chelsea will host Bordeaux, but the more important match for Chelsea will be on Sunday, when Chelsea faces the club they displaced at the top of the rankings.

2. Inter Milan (Ita) (2) – Just below Jose Mourinho’s former club is Jose Mourinho, himself. Inter won its first Serie A match this week, defeating Catania 2-1. Internazionale has two away matches this week, against Panathinaikos in Champions League action and Torino in domestic play.

3. Real Madrid (Esp) (3) – It wasn’t easy, and for a while it looked like another upset, but Real Madrid held on to defeat Numancia 4-3 in Primera Division play. Real Madrid will host BATE Barisov on Wednesday in Champions League action and play Racing Santander in La Liga this weekend.

4. Manchester United (Eng) (1) – Liverpool knocked United off its perch with a 2-1 victory over the defending champions. United is at risk of falling even further when it travels to London to take on Chelsea. Before
that, however, Manchester United has to host Villarreal in Champions League play and the way the Reds have been playing recently, it’s definitely not a given that they will win.

5. Bayern Munich (Ger) (5) – Bayern was dominant this weekend, defeating Cologne 3-0. Bayern returns to the Champions League this week when it takes on Steaua Bucuresti. Its more difficult match, likely, will be in the Bundesliga on Saturday, when Bayern will host Werder Bremen.

6. Arsenal (Eng) (7) – Arsenal moved up a little bit after defeating Blackburn Rovers 4-0 this weekend and could move up even more if they can take advantage of the fall of Manchester United. Arsenal goes out to Ukraine for a Champions League matchup against Dynamo Kyiv and head to Bolton to take on the Wanderers this weekend.

7. Roma (Ita) (6) – Roma’s Serie A season is not shaping up as it had hoped, falling this week 1-3 to Palermo. Although it is taking advantage of last season’s results, it will need to turn things around quickly or it will not be long for this chart. Roma will host CFR Cluj in Champions League action this week before hosting Reggina in domestic action this weekend.

8. Lyon (Fra) (10) – No longer surviving on last season’s results, Lyon doesn’t have to with its 3-2 victory over Nice placing Lyon in its familiar spot atop the Ligue Un standings. In a very interesting Champions League match, Lyon hosts Fiorentina. In domestic action, OL will take on Le Havre.

9. Gremio (Bra) (8) – Unlike most European leagues, the Brasileiro Serie A season is mature – over halfway complete. Gremio jumped out to a quick lead, but that lead has been shrinking and shrank some more this weekend as Gremio fell 1-2 to Goias. As Gremio attempts to hang on, Gremio will take on Atletico Parananense this weekend.

10. PSV Eindhoven (Ned) (9) – With a 1-0 victory over Sparta Rotterdam this weekend, PSV hangs on to a Top Ten spot. In an intriguing matchup on Tuesday, PSV will host Atletico de Madrid in Champions League action. Domestically, PSV will take on AZ Alkmaar this weekend.

11. Porto (Por) (9) – Porto has had a few weeks off now, and it’s time for them to get back to work. First up? Last season’s surprise club, Fenerbahce. This weekend, Porto returns to bwin Superliga action against Rio Ave.

12. Juventus (Ita) (12) – Juventus was able to defeat Udinese 1-0 in Serie A action this weekend. It’s
match against Zenit St. Petersburg on Wednesday promises to be one of the most interesting of Matchday One in the Champions League. Juventus will play Cagliari this weekend in Serie A.

13. Villarreal (Esp) (13) – Villarreal was able to put one in the victory column this weekend with a 1-0 victory over Deportivo La Coruna. Villarreal comes to the isles this week to take on slumping Manchester United in Champions League play. In La Liga’s Primera Division, Villarreal will be next on the agenda for
Numancia, who is coming off of matches against Real Madrid and Barcelona. Welcome to the Primera Division, Numancia!!!

14. Liverpool (Eng) (14) – Don’t get upset, this is only temporary. Once last season’s data is removed in two weeks, Liverpool should shoot up. For now, Liverpool can celebrate knocking Manchester United with its 2-1 victory, even if it does mean that it is responsible for placing Chelsea in the top spot. Liverpool crosses the Channel this week to take on Marseille in the Champions League. Domestically, Liverpool will host Stoke City over the weekend.

15. Marseille (Fra)
(NR) – The first club in this week’s Top 25 to benefit from losing last season’s data is Marseille, which debuts in the Top 25 despite drawing 1-1 with Bordeaux this weekend. As I stated in the paragraph above, Marseille will host Liverpool in the Champions League. In Ligue Un, Marseille will host AS Monaco on Sunday.

16. Schalke 04 (Ger)
– Schalke lost its top spot in the Bundesliga this weekend when it couldn’t hold on to its 3-0 lead against Borussia Dortmund and had to settle for a 3-3 draw. Schalke, is the highest currently ranked club in the UEFA Cup and it will enter that tournament playing APOEL Nicosia on Thursday. This weekend, Schalke will host Eintracht Frankfurt in Bundesliga action.

17. Barcelona (Esp) (15) – Barcelona remains without a victory in the Primera Division after managing only a 1-1 draw with Racing Santander. On Tuesday, Barcelona will host Sporting CP in the Champions League and it will try to bounce back in La Liga against Sporting Gijon on Sunday.

18. Ajax (Ned) (17) – Ajax bounced back in the Eredivisie with a 1-0 victory over Roda JC this weekend. Ajax probably should be in the Champions League, but it’s not, so it will face Borac Cacak in UEFA Cup competition on Thursday. Domestically, Ajax will face Feyenoord in a classic Dutch matchup.

19. Werder Bremen (Ger) (19)– As Bremen gears up for the Champions League, it defeated Energie Cottbus handily, as it should, 3-0. Bremen will host surprising Cypriot participant Anorthosis Famagusta in a Champions League match on Tuesday. The competition will pick up on Saturday when Bremen travels to Munich to take on Bayern in Bundesliga action.

20. Rangers (Sco) (NR) – It’s true that Rangers already has been eliminated from European action, but Rangers returns to the rankings by virtue of being on top of the SPL after this weekend’s victory. With no match to focus on in midweek, Rangers can concentrate on defeating Motherwell on Sunday.

21. Sevilla (Esp) (NR) – Sevilla is off to a good start and returns to the Top 25 this week. Sevilla will take place in the UEFA Cup on Thursday, hosting FC Salzburg. In trying to continue its solid Primera Division start, Sevilla will take on Real Betis on Sunday.

22. Pumas UNAM (Mex) (NR) – With a 2-0 victory over Tigres, Pumas moves to the top of the Mexican Primera division and makes its debut in the WCR Top 25 this week. The move is timely, as well, as it allows me to highlight the fact that the two best clubs in Mexico in the current season will face off on Sunday
when Pumas hosts San Luis.

23. Fiorentina (Ita) (22) – Fiorentina is off to a disappointing start in the Serie A season, losing this weekend 1-2 to Napoli. Fiorentina heads north to take on Lyon on Wednesday in Champions League play. On Sunday, Fiorentina will host Bologna in domestic action.

24. Palmeiras (Bra) (21) – With a 1-0 victory over Cruzeiro this weekend, Palmeiras firmly is in second place in the Brasileiro Serie A and only three points behind leading Gremio. Palmeiras will host Vasco da Gama twice this week, on Thursday in the Copa Sudamerican and on Sunday in domestic league play.

25. Everton (Eng) (NR) – Everton is here more by default than any other reason, but with a victory this weekend, they slide ahead of clubs like AC Milan and Atletico de Madrid. Everton will host Standard Liege in this week’s UEFA Cup match and will play Hull City in what promises to be an interesting early-season matchup.

Bubbling Under (alphabetically): Boca Juniors (Arg), Cruzeiro (Bra), Hamburger (Ger), Heerenveen (Ned), Milan (Ita).

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Tags: AC Milan, Arsenal Everton, Atletico De Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Begi, Boca Juniors, Bordeaux, chelsea, Databases, English Clubs, Inter Milan, Liverpool Fans, Man Utd, Manchester United, Marseille, Nbsp, New Edition, Pinnacle, Rangers, Real Madrid, Roma, Scotland

Joining us or Not?

Jul 22, 2008 Talks, Transfer Rumours, Transfers, West Ham News

I would have thought that Eidur Gudjohnsen would have made his mind up by now about not only joining West Ham but also if he still has a career at Barcelona, if it be the latter then good luck to him, but if he is holding out for a better offer with West Ham, then we should look elsewhere.

One of Eidur’s conditions on joining us would be that he is guaranteed 1st team football, and that is something we know Curbishley is not going to guarantee any of his players, but if he is as good as he is meant to be then 1st team football should not be a problem.

I know its still early yet and there is plenty of time for new signings, but i do hope we do not leave it until the last minute and then pay what Gudjohnsen demands and then we find out why barca made the decision to let him go was that he just isn’t good enough anymore, so c’mon Euidur are you joining us or not?

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Tags: Barcelona, Career, curbishley, Good Luck, Guarantee, Gudjohnsen, Last Minute, New Signings, Plenty Of Time, Team Football, West Ham

A Gud Move!

Jul 11, 2008 West Ham News

Eidur Gudjohnsens agent has said that he would prefer a move to either Manchester or London.

Curbishley failed to get the fella the first time round, but with
the news of the iceman wanting one option to move to London, surely
this will raise Curbishleys hopes of getting him. And with Zamora on
his way soon, this rumour will hot up and become more realistic.

It’s all quiet at West Ham at the moment, yet despite this, it does
not mean something isn’t going on behind the scenes. I remember when
Faubert signed for us, it came from out of the blue.

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Tags: Barcelona, curbishley, Eid, Eidur Gudjohnsen, Fella, Hot, London, Out Of The Blue, rumour, West Ham News, zamora

88 European Transfer Rumours 29-6-08

Jun 29, 2008 West Ham News

ITALY
Boselli..FW..Boca Juniors..Catania..Italy
Kosicky..GK..Bratislava..Catania..Italy
Ledesma..MF..Boca Juniors..Catania..Italy

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Tags: Barcelona, Bratislava, Carlos Alberto, Derry, Dortmund, France, germany, Gilberto Silva, Hertha Berlin, Italy, Liverpool, lyon, Madrid, manchester, milan, Monaco, Newcastle, Nurnberg, Portsmouth, Sevilla, spain, Stuttgart, United Kingdom, Valencia

Gudjohnsen to Join West Ham, Portsmouth or not so Likely Newcastle?

Jun 12, 2008 West Ham News

It seems almost inevitable now that Gudjohnsen will be joining the Hammers.

C’Mon Yu Irons! was the very first with the news about Gudjohnsen’s interest in joining the hammers when he leaves Barcelona, and now his father whom is also his agent has told the media that his his son will be coming back to the Premiership.

Quote from the East London Advertiser today:

Gudjohnsen told the radio station that his close friendship with West Ham’s Icelandic owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson and his desire to move back to London made a move to West Ham more attractive.

Portsmouth have now shown an interest in Gudjohnsen, harry is even bragging that his son Jamie and Eidur are very close friends.
Newcastle also showed an interest, bur Gudjohnsen has stated he has

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Tags: Advertiser, Array, Barcelona, Close Friends, Desire, East London, Eidur, Eidur Gudjohnsen, Friendship, Gudjohnsen, Gudmundsson, hammers, irons, James Park, London Radio, Newcastle, Portsmouth, premier league, Quote, Radio Station, Son Jamie, St James Park, transfer rumours, transfer talk, West Ham News

Transfer News: West Ham would be my First Choice, not Newcastle!

Jun 6, 2008 West Ham News

Eidur Gudjohnsen, Star Player of the Mourinho era at Chelsea

Eidur Gudjohnsen spoke on Catalunya Radio and said if he was to leave Barcelona and went to the Premier League, then it would be to West Ham and not Newcastle.
His main reasons were because of his close friends, who live in London and his relationship with West Ham’s Icelandic owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson, who has spoken to Gudjohnsen about his ambitions for West Ham and how he would love for him to be a part of the Hammers future.

He said that Barcelona have given him permission to leave and that his agents are soon to start talks with a premier league club in regards to his future.

West Ham’s Manager Alan Curbishley has tried to persuade Gudjohnsen to come to the Hammers since last year and also with the aid of BG talking to the player.

It may all depend on what West Ham have to offer Gudjohnsen. and if it is anything

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Tags: Alan Curbishley, Ambitions, ashton, Barcelona, BG, Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson, Close Friends, Eidur Gudjohnsen, Era, First Choice, iceland, London, Newcastle, premier league, Relationship, rumours, Second Glance, Star Player, Toons, Transfer News, upton park, West Ham News

Hammers Monitoring Scandinavian Ace

May 19, 2008 West Ham News

According to Eyefootball.com West Ham are keeping a close eye on whats happening at Barcelona regarding Eidur Gudjohnsen.

The site quotes the following:-

One of last summer’s hottest transfer rumours has reemerged, as Eidur Gudjohnsen has yet again been linked with a move back to the Premiership with West Ham monitoring the player.

The Hammers’ Icelandic owners are all long-term admirers of the striker, who formerly played for Chelsea.

Barcelona’s new coach Pep Guardiola is to orchestrate a huge summer clear

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Tags: Barcelona, Eidur Gudjohnsen, iceland, West Ham News

Tottenham Hunting Striking Duo

May 18, 2008 West Ham News

By Frank (Staff Writer)

Tottenham boss Juande Ramos is determined to capture West Ham’s Dean Ashton & Barcelona Samuel Eto.
Dimitar Berbatov seems certain to make a move either to Man Utd or Chelsea this summer.
Ramos has a budget of £30 Million to spend on replacements and a large chunk of that will be to try and buy Eto at around £24m.
West Ham are still in the process of having contract negotiations with Ashton and the Hammers will be determined to keep a hold of the newly ignited Striker, and if he was to

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Tags: Barcelona, chelsea, dean ashton, Man Utd, samuel eto, tottenaham, West Ham News

World Club Rankings - Top 25 Clubs Final Week

May 12, 2008 West Ham News

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Tags: Arsenal, Barcelona, Birmingham, Bolton, chelsea, Everton, Final Week, Fulham, Liverpool, Man Utd, Newcastle, Real Madrid, Sunderland, Top 25 Clubs, Tottenham, Wigan, world club rankings