Reebok Effect Fails To Rub Off on Benik Afobe

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Hugo Greenhalgh asks where it went wrong for Benik Afobe at Bolton and looks ahead to his new club, Millwall…

He was the boy who at the age of 16 was wanted by Barcelona. Three years on, Benik Afobe is about to embark on a make or break loan spell at Millwall. This follows a highly disappointing half a season with Bolton Wanderers where the young English striker hit the mark just three times in 23 appearances. Not so long ago, the Reebok was the go-to destination for promising youngsters; indeed, two of the Premier League’s brightest stars in recent weeks cut their teeth in the North West – Jack Wilshere and Daniel Sturridge. So what went wrong with Afobe’s time at ‘finishing school’? Continue reading

The Battle for Fourth: North London and Merseyside

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Halfway though the  Premier League season, Simon Smith surveys the chances of Arsenal, Everton, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur in finishing Fourth…

At the start of the season nearly everyone predicted a Manchester top two by this point, and Chelsea looked a good bet for third after a busy summer in the transfer market to improve on a dire league campaign last season.  Fourth place, just as in 09/10, 10/11 and 11/12, looked to be the position most hotly contested for a lucrative Champions League spot.  At the halfway point, with so many more questions than answers, it seems a good time to review the four contenders vying for fourth place.

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The Nearly Men of the League Cup

Arsenal’s astonishing 7-5 win at Reading put them into the quarter-final of the League Cup for the 10th consecutive season. False Nine editor, Andrew Belt, looks back on their efforts over this time and finds a club who have been involved in some fantastic games without winning the ultimate prize…

Arsene Wenger surprised no one when he claimed that the Capital One Cup was not a priority for Arsenal ahead of the Gunners’ Fourth Round tie versus Reading. Under the Frenchman’s stewardship, Arsenal have fielded youthful sides in the League Cup, using it as a vehicle for promising players at the club to get some competitive experience under their belts. Continue reading