Jean Makoun Joins Aston Villa

Jean Makoun when he played for Lille

Aston Villa have signed Jean Makoun from Olympique Lyonnais for about 6 million Pounsa. The Cameroon midfielder joins Villa in 19th position, and he should be able to bring some solidity to the midfield. Makoun is a dynamic defensive midfielder, he's seen in front of the defence spreading passes around and offering an extra layer of protection in front of goal.

It's a great signing for Aston Villa. The 27 year-old is a very talented and hardworking player. Makoun won't be diving into two-footed tackles with his studs up, in fact in 17 appearances for Lyon this season, he's only received one yellow card. Villa fans might still be scratching their head, wondering who Makoun exactly is, a special goal of his might help remember him. This was in the Champions League last season, and Lyon were against Real Madrid in the round of 16. Makoun provided a solid defensive performance, and produced this gem of a goal.

While Makoun won't be playing for Aston Villa tomorrow away against Birmingham City, I do believe that the player will have a positive impact once his work permit is sorted out. Aston Villa have only gotten four points out of their last fifteen possible, and this has a lot to do with the large amount of goals the team concedes. Makoun should be able to provide cover for the back four, while also distributing the ball and creating a few chances for him and his teammates.

It's certainly a great signing for Aston Villa, but it could last just until the summer. If Makoun has a great second half of the season with Aston Villa, I could see "bigger" clubs calling his name. Manchester United could use a player like Makoun in their midfield, and Makoun would also be useful to Arsenal. But for now he's an Aston Villa player, and I expect great things from Jean Makoun in the English Premier League.

SUFC Shirt: Let 'Em Hang Blue

I recently won this awesome t-shirt from Studs Up Football Club. I just thought I'd give them a mention because they have fantastic shirts, and I think I'll certainly be getting myself a few in the future.

If you're not interested in buying awesome shirts, I highly suggest you check out Studs Up. Chris Toy's hilarious comic strips are relatable to what's going on in the world of soccer right now, and his writing is wonderful. He has plenty of cleat and gear reviews worth checking out, so head over there if you've got time to spare.

Here's the official SWU Youtube video of opening the shirt along with a few pictures of it. It's my favorite of the selection, but there's plenty other awesome ones!

Lionel Messi Wins 2011 Ballon D'Or

Choosing the winner of the 2011 Ballon D'Or seemed like a tough decision to make. Three Barcelona geniuses, all with a chance to be crowned as the best player of the world. Iniesta and Xavi had just triumphed in the World Cup with Spain, but Messi was part of an amazing season for Barcelona, scoring 43 goals in 57 matches. Xavi Hernandez seemed like the favorite because of his long and underrated career as a true midfield maestro, but Andres Iniesta had scored the goal in the World Cup final, making Spain the world champions for the first time in the nation's history.

The trio of nominees, from left to right, Xavi, Messi, and Iniesta

While all this speculation was amassed, it seemed unlikely that Lionel Messi would win the Ballon D'Or for the second year in a row. But the Argentine won the award with his loveable humility on display for everyone,

I’m happy, but I didn’t expect it because everyone had been talking so much about Xavi and Andres [Iniesta]. They also deserved it for the wonderful year they had. They won the World Cup, which usually goes a long way to deciding who wins this award, and they both had big parts to play in that. That’s why I thought one of them would be going up to collect the trophy. It was a wonderful surprise.

It really is fantastic seeing such a fantastic player with so much humility. Yet I feel that if there was a year where Xavi or Iniesta would've won the award, it would've been this one. As for the Soccer Wrap Up poll which all you readers voted in, it was Lionel Messi who got more than 55% of your votes. Xavi came in second place with about 25% and Iniesta came last with 17%. Thank you for voting!

Jose Mourinho, winner of the Coach of the Year award of 2011

But there was more than one award given out at the FIFA gala. Marta won female player of the year for the fifth time running, and it was Jose Mourinho who won the Coach of the Year award. I really think that the Coach of the Year award winner is spot on, Jose Mourinho truly deserves the award after his historic season at Inter Milan. While of course Vicente Del Bosque won the World Cup, and Josep Guardiola won another La Liga title with Barcelona, the two Spaniards had much more talent to work with, and they ultimately achieved less.

What are your thoughts on Messi winning the award? Many say that this was to be Xavi's year of recognition, do you agree? And do you think Jose Mourinho truly deserves the coach of the year award? Share your comments below!

Was Roy Hodgson Destined To Fail At Liverpool?

Roy Hodgson's presentation

After Roy Hodgson left Liverpool, this question sprung immediately into my mind: was Roy Hodgson destined to fail at Liverpool? If you look at it, there are few other jobs which entail a bigger revival needed than Liverpool's. When Roy first joined the Liverpool project, there were fans burning American flags to spite the incompetent owners, there was a shattered group of players searching for a saviour, and there was Roy. Looking at Roy, he seemed out of place in the disaster setup that was going on. A calm and experienced manager, looking to do his best with what he could. Wasn't he exactly what Liverpool needed? So, like a sane man joining a group of lunatics, Roy soon found it difficult to cope with the multiple troubles which sprung up.

While last season the Liverpool train wreck was entertaining, this season I found it a little bit sad. I saw Roy, doing his best to permeate a sense of order throughout the club, even if the players weren't even of his choice. Roy Hodgson had to do his best with a group selected by the previous manager Rafa Benitez, with some of the key players like Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano gone. Roy tried to do the sensible thing: bring in the best players he could with the limited financial resources at his disposal. Hodgson signed the dependable defender Konchesky, swapped Yossi Benayoun for Joe Cole, and did his best with what he could, getting Poulsen and Raul Mereiles to strengthen the midfield, along with Jovanovic at no cost. Roy also managed to keep the two talismans (Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard), therefore having two players he could count on in times of trouble (but not really). I don't think I could've done a better job myself with the poor resources given, and the fact that Liverpool weren't in the Champions League made it even harder to attract top-quality players.

Throughout his career at Liverpool, it seems to me that Roy has always tried to do the sensible thing. He tried to make a disorganized group into a strong team, teaching them about "cooperation" and "working together". Roy tried to build from the bottom up, the foundations first, with the individuality and star-power of the players coming second. At Fulham it worked, so why wouldn't it work at Liverpool?

The darker times for Roy Hodgson

You could say that there is a difference in the expectations at Fulham and at Liverpool. Strangely enough, Liverpool fans seem to ignore the fact that the majority of their squad is made up of average players, with a couple of more notable ones littered around here and there. So while the fans should be expecting a season to rebuild, regroup, and refocus, they expected a season of glory and trophies. And while the high expectations of the fans weren't being met, the Liverpool ownership was like a pendulum sustained by a thin and frail string.

Ultimately a distraction came for Roy Hodgson. New England Sports Ventures (NESV) bought the club, giving Roy about a month in which the head honcho (John W. Henry) was being questioned by the media about his plans for Liverpool. The new owners seemed like a sensible bunch, and they realized that this shambles of what was once a great side couldn't be rebuilt overnight. Roy got the vote of confidence, and was allowed to continue his work with one less thing to worry about.

But Roy didn't realize that he had a stone wall, impeding his progress in managing Liverpool. While he did his best to get his players to work hard and execute his plans, the players didn't seem to understand Roy. My theory about managers is: a manager can tell, teach, and motivate all he wants, but in the end it's the players who will do what they want. Yet no matter what, the manager will always be blamed. This sad truth was the real reason behind Roy Hodgson's and Liverpool's "mutual consent". Maybe the players aren't completely to blame, but they certainly had their part in Roy's unemployment.

Liverpool's appointed caretaker manager, Kenny Dalglish

As things have become slightly steadier at Liverpool now, the owners (NESV) felt that there wasn't enough unpredictability among the club. So they got rid of the sensible Roy Hodgson, and they appointed the sprited fan favorite Kenny Dalglish. I can't say how things will go now for Liverpool; maybe Dalglish will get more out of this group of players, but in my humble opinion, Roy was best left alone. Roy Hodgson came in at the worst of times, took the abuse, and left when the good times looked ready to start. There's a man to admire.