Anyone like that old chestnut -- what day is it in England on the Fourth of July?
Well, apply that to Thanksgiving. Let that be my ultra-lame excuse for no witty lead-in to the game guesses this weekend. At least Sunday features a double-header of must-watch games.
Ok, one little kernel...does Tim Howard invite his Everton teammates over for a big roasted turkey? Would they even care?
One other MLS related note, why did it hold the expansion draft for the Sounders the day before Thanksgiving? Talk about if a tree falls in the woods...
Perhaps there is some kind of Thanksgiving hangover in England, since all the games on Saturday are the same time. Then again, the English overbook the Christmas period with games, so who knows.
Saturday
(Be warned, my guesses this year have been awful...just awful.)
* Aston Villa v. Fulham -- Talk about preception, or the fact that the table might lie. Villa are now talked about crashing the "Big Four" stranglehold on the Champions League spots, but they are only six points better than Fulham. If you think about it, you'd think the gulf was about 10. This could be a trap game for Villa, which plays in the UEFA Cup next week, then home to Everton two days later. Fulham, from what I've seen, seem to get a lot of fluky goals and my man Brad Freidel doesn't concede cheaply. ... Villa 2, Fulham 0
* Middlesbrough v. Newcastle United -- (Live, FSC, 10 a.m.) Interesting theory to test, in this mini-derby. The Riverside Stadium usually has more fans disguised as empty seats, than actual paying customers. Meanwhile, Newcastle haven't won away yet this season, so will that streak end with a traveling band of pudgy and pasty Geordies making the short trip? Hey, Christian Miles, feel free to use that plot point on the Fox Soccer Matchday, because what else is there? ... Boro 1, Newcastle 1
* Stoke City v. Hull City -- Stoke won a promotion fiesta at home last weekend against West Brom, so it has that going for it. Hull's streak without a win hits six, but the Tigers are still in the top half of the table. ... Stoke City 1, Hull Ciy 1
* Sunderland v. Bolton -- (Live, Setanta, 10 a.m.) How poor would Sunderland be if it didn't have Djibril Cisse? ... Sunderland 0, Bolton 0
* Wigan Athletic v. West Brom -- West Brom could learn a lot from Wigan if it wants to hang around for another year of relegation battles. Play unattractive, defensive soccer and just try to hang on the best you can, like a flower growing out of a craggy mountain. ... Wigan 1, West Ham 0
Sunday
* Manchester City v. Manchester United -- (Live, Setanta, 8:30 a.m.) United lost to City twice last season -- including on the memorial for the Munich air disaster -- yet still won the league. Too bad for City that Geovanni and some of other heroes are long gone. If City plays to counter-attack, then maybe it has a chance. Methinks they might come out and try to play, which might create chances for Robinho, Ireland and Wright-Phillips, but that leaves a lot of space for Ronaldo, Rooney & Co. The difference, though, even its current state the United midfield should be able to handle things, so barring any fluke type goals the Red Devils should win. ... City 1, United 2
* Portsmouth v. Blackburn -- Can Portsmouth bounce back a couple days after letting Pipo Inzaghi and Milan draw level in the UEFA Cup in the last minute? Will it matter against a reeling Rovers side stuck in a massive tailspin? Paul Ince, pull up on the throttle, quick. ... Portsmouth 2, Blackburn 1
* Tottenham v. Everton -- Let me go on record as saying I love the Spurs' rollercoaster. I can't wait until we hit the next loop-de-loop. A win here for Spurs and we might finally be able to put the relegation talk to rest...for a couple days. Just when you think you have Everton figured out they go and fall back to mediocrity and to add injury to insult, the Toffees are dropping like flies. ... Spurs 1, Everton 1
* Chelsea v. Arsenal -- (Live, FSC, 11 a.m.) At their best -- or in a videogame -- this is a pretty even matchup from a talent standpoint, though Chelsea gets minor edges. The thing about this game is that you know, week-in, week-out Chelsea is going to bludgeon opponents and get results it needs, aside from outliers like last week's draw with Newcastle. Arsenal, on the other hand, is like spinning the 'Wheel of Fortune'. Sure, one week you could win a trip for two to Lake Tahoe, yet the next you're hitting Bankrupt. Amazingly, a couple more poor results and Arsene Wenger's might lose his Pat Sajak-like job security. The Gunners should be up for this match, but they're catching the Blues at the wrong time and Phil Scolari won't be in a giving mood after a pair of draws in the past seven days. Wenger's old pal, Nic Anelka, probably is the one to say, 'Au revoir' Sunday. ... Chelsea 1, Arsenal 0
Monday
* Liverpool v. West Ham -- (Live, Setanta, 2 p.m.) Hosting West Ham might be the perfect tonic to jumpstart it's league form again. ... Liverpool 2, West Ham 0
Last round: 1-9...it happened!
Season: 55-81
Well, apply that to Thanksgiving. Let that be my ultra-lame excuse for no witty lead-in to the game guesses this weekend. At least Sunday features a double-header of must-watch games.
Ok, one little kernel...does Tim Howard invite his Everton teammates over for a big roasted turkey? Would they even care?
One other MLS related note, why did it hold the expansion draft for the Sounders the day before Thanksgiving? Talk about if a tree falls in the woods...
Perhaps there is some kind of Thanksgiving hangover in England, since all the games on Saturday are the same time. Then again, the English overbook the Christmas period with games, so who knows.
Saturday
(Be warned, my guesses this year have been awful...just awful.)
* Aston Villa v. Fulham -- Talk about preception, or the fact that the table might lie. Villa are now talked about crashing the "Big Four" stranglehold on the Champions League spots, but they are only six points better than Fulham. If you think about it, you'd think the gulf was about 10. This could be a trap game for Villa, which plays in the UEFA Cup next week, then home to Everton two days later. Fulham, from what I've seen, seem to get a lot of fluky goals and my man Brad Freidel doesn't concede cheaply. ... Villa 2, Fulham 0
* Middlesbrough v. Newcastle United -- (Live, FSC, 10 a.m.) Interesting theory to test, in this mini-derby. The Riverside Stadium usually has more fans disguised as empty seats, than actual paying customers. Meanwhile, Newcastle haven't won away yet this season, so will that streak end with a traveling band of pudgy and pasty Geordies making the short trip? Hey, Christian Miles, feel free to use that plot point on the Fox Soccer Matchday, because what else is there? ... Boro 1, Newcastle 1
* Stoke City v. Hull City -- Stoke won a promotion fiesta at home last weekend against West Brom, so it has that going for it. Hull's streak without a win hits six, but the Tigers are still in the top half of the table. ... Stoke City 1, Hull Ciy 1
* Sunderland v. Bolton -- (Live, Setanta, 10 a.m.) How poor would Sunderland be if it didn't have Djibril Cisse? ... Sunderland 0, Bolton 0
* Wigan Athletic v. West Brom -- West Brom could learn a lot from Wigan if it wants to hang around for another year of relegation battles. Play unattractive, defensive soccer and just try to hang on the best you can, like a flower growing out of a craggy mountain. ... Wigan 1, West Ham 0
Sunday
* Manchester City v. Manchester United -- (Live, Setanta, 8:30 a.m.) United lost to City twice last season -- including on the memorial for the Munich air disaster -- yet still won the league. Too bad for City that Geovanni and some of other heroes are long gone. If City plays to counter-attack, then maybe it has a chance. Methinks they might come out and try to play, which might create chances for Robinho, Ireland and Wright-Phillips, but that leaves a lot of space for Ronaldo, Rooney & Co. The difference, though, even its current state the United midfield should be able to handle things, so barring any fluke type goals the Red Devils should win. ... City 1, United 2
* Portsmouth v. Blackburn -- Can Portsmouth bounce back a couple days after letting Pipo Inzaghi and Milan draw level in the UEFA Cup in the last minute? Will it matter against a reeling Rovers side stuck in a massive tailspin? Paul Ince, pull up on the throttle, quick. ... Portsmouth 2, Blackburn 1
* Tottenham v. Everton -- Let me go on record as saying I love the Spurs' rollercoaster. I can't wait until we hit the next loop-de-loop. A win here for Spurs and we might finally be able to put the relegation talk to rest...for a couple days. Just when you think you have Everton figured out they go and fall back to mediocrity and to add injury to insult, the Toffees are dropping like flies. ... Spurs 1, Everton 1
* Chelsea v. Arsenal -- (Live, FSC, 11 a.m.) At their best -- or in a videogame -- this is a pretty even matchup from a talent standpoint, though Chelsea gets minor edges. The thing about this game is that you know, week-in, week-out Chelsea is going to bludgeon opponents and get results it needs, aside from outliers like last week's draw with Newcastle. Arsenal, on the other hand, is like spinning the 'Wheel of Fortune'. Sure, one week you could win a trip for two to Lake Tahoe, yet the next you're hitting Bankrupt. Amazingly, a couple more poor results and Arsene Wenger's might lose his Pat Sajak-like job security. The Gunners should be up for this match, but they're catching the Blues at the wrong time and Phil Scolari won't be in a giving mood after a pair of draws in the past seven days. Wenger's old pal, Nic Anelka, probably is the one to say, 'Au revoir' Sunday. ... Chelsea 1, Arsenal 0
Monday
* Liverpool v. West Ham -- (Live, Setanta, 2 p.m.) Hosting West Ham might be the perfect tonic to jumpstart it's league form again. ... Liverpool 2, West Ham 0
Last round: 1-9...it happened!
Season: 55-81
Labels: Prem Picks, Premier League, Soccer
I don't know about Timmy, but I remember reading last year that the Hahnemanns had about 25 people over for their Thanksgiving, including at least a few Reading players.