S-League 2008 – Dalian Shide to replace Liaoning Guangyuan

As announced by S-League, Dalian Shide will replace Liaoning Guangyuan in Singapore’s S-League. Dalian operational model is expected to be similar to that of another S-League foreign franchisee, Albirex Niigata.

Let’s hope they are better than the previous two, Sinchi and Liaoning …

Announcement from S-League

Quote

China’s most successful club side Dalian Shide will be fielding a team in Singapore’s NTUC Income – YEO’S S.League for the 2008 season. Dalian will take the place of Liaoning Guangyuan as the 12th team in the S.League and they will play their home matches at Queenstown Stadium.

Dalian comes with a strong reputation in Chinese football, having been crowned champions on eight occasions in the past 14 years.

China internationals who have hailed from Dalian Shide include the likes of Sun Jihai and Dong Fangzhuo who are both currently plying their trade in the English Premiership with giants Manchester City and Manchester United respectively.

One of China’s best ever strikers – Hao Haidong – played for Dalian for nine years (1996-2005) where he won seven league titles, three Super Cups and two FA Cups. He won more than 90 caps for China and was instrumental in them qualifying for their first World Cup Finals appearance in 2002.

Dalian Shide’s model in the S.League will be similar to that of Albirex Niigata who will be embarking on their fifth season in Singapore’s professional league. The team will be made up mainly of young upcoming players on the fringes of Dalian’s first team supplemented by several experienced players.

Says S.League CEO Winston Lee, “We’ll like to welcome Dalian Shide to the S.League. They are a well-known football brand in Asia and they come with a good reputation and track record in China. We are impressed with their football and management capabilities as well as their plans and ambitions. I will like to wish them all the best in the coming season.”

Says Dalian Shide General Manager, Li Ming, “Singapore football is constantly improving and the S.League is one of the best leagues in Asia. We are delighted to be accepted to play in the S.League. We are looking forward to the challenge and we know it will not be easy in our first season. We will do our best and we want to bring the Dalian brand of football to entertain the fans in Singapore.” 

Unquote.

Barclay’s Premier League – 30th Jan 2008

Tips for today’s games ..

Man Utd vs Portsmouth

Man Utd take on Portsmouth at Old Trafford after a busy week travelling to the Middle East and a tough FA Cup game against Tottenham. Though they managed to defeat Spurs 3-1, they scoreline does not tell the true story. They looked tired and were fortunate to come away with a win aided by a needless penalty and awful goalkeeping error. They will be travelling to White Hart Lane this weekend for the league fixture and Sir Alex would be tempted to rest some of his key players during or before the game. With Arsenal going to the top of the table with a convincing 3-0 win over Newcastle, added pressure on Sir Alex’s team to win this game.

Portsmouth on the other hand, have a good away form and should be hoping to come away with at least a point. Though the absence of the africans in the midfield will be a major concern, the defence (well marshalled by Campbell and Distin) and the attack (spearheaded by Benjani and new signing Baros) can cause some problems for Man Utd in their attempt to dominate the game. David James is playing his 500th League game and he would definitely try to avoid any howlers. Redknapp has problems with his midfield but has done well in the transfer market in acquiring the services of Lassana Diarra from Arsenal.

Expect Redknapp to play 4-5-1 to frustrate United but the Champions have too much quality and should win this game narrowly (1-0).

Result – Home Win (2-0)

Other matches tonight :

Derby County vs Manchester City – (Away Win)

Man City away from is not comparable to their excellent home form but they should beat Derby tonight. Derby were hopeless against Preston and nothing much Jewell can do with the current squad.

Result – Draw (1-1)

West Ham Utd vs Liverpool – Draw

It is always difficult to predict Liverpool matches as you do not know which team Rafael Benitez might play. Big guns like Gerrard, Reina, Carragher and Torres should return to the squad to replace the players who had struggled against the part-timers of Havant and Waterlooville. However, West Ham are a hard nut to crack under Curbishley and would provide better resistance than the part-timers.

Result – Home Win (1-0)

Chelsea – Reading – (Home Win)

This should be straight forward. Chelsea are unbeaten at home and I do not foresee Reading getting anything out of this game. Even without key players (on international duty and injuries), Chelsea have continued to win and this should be an easy one.

Result – Home Win (1-0)

Everton – Tottenham (Home Win)

Everton are a force at home and they have had additional days rest (thanks to Oldham Athletic) compared to Spurs. Spurs have problems at the back (dun think Woodgate will play) and Everton are still a force to reckon when going forward (even without Yakubu).

Result – Draw (0-0)