- Birmingham boss Steve Bruce has singled out Jermaine Pennant as the player his side is worried most about come Saturday. Pennant though, who played two seasons for the Blues, isn't sure he'll even get to play after being sent off in the Porto match. I'm not sure he'll start, but would be a bit surprised if he didn't get to play at all. Rafa may save him for our Carling Cup match at Reading next week.- Jamie Carragher has vowed to stop the giving away of penalties. Well, Carra, if you can somehow manage to get the league to hire better quality referees, you might have a shot at doing so, but don't hold your breathe. What sucks is that Pepe has yet to concede a goal from play this season.
- Paul Anderson may get his first league start for Swansea when they face League One side Leeds tomorrow, who has won all six of it's previous matches yet stand bottom to last on the table because of a 15 point penalty deduction for failure to comply with rules on insolvency. The 19-year-old on-loan winger already has two goals for his temporary club, one in Leaugue play and the other in League Cup.
- UEFA spokesman William Gaillard is running his mouth again. This time he accused our new owners of having ulterior motives when they took over the club. He claims they are in it for the 'quick buck'. Rick Parry has responded, calling the obligations 'absurd'. I'm not even going to bother to address this, if Platini and UEFA are so stupid that they don't see the true negative influences in the sport, than maybe they are collecting a few bucks on the side from that influence.
- Rafa is worried about the effect the loss of Agger is going to have on the squad. I think it was made worse with Xabi going down as well since the Spaniard showed he was capable of playing centre back if needed, but it's far too soon to panic. We have ample coverage at the moment and I truly believe that Mascherano is fully capable of covering there if needed. Hell, Gerrard could too. One of the pluses is that Carra has just come off a vacation, so as long as he can remain healthy, we'll be fine. The thing that I'm worried about is bringing up Jack Hobbs from the Reserves as a needs be basis. I say give him the start against Reading and if he does well, go from there. The couple of times I've seen the lad play I've been wholly unimpressed, but am more than willing to give him another shot.
- Finally, Michael Shields is set to spend his 21st birthday in prison. He was convicted of attacking a Bulgarian barman just after the 2005 Champions League final. If you want to read more about his situation, go here.
