Bear with me, typing this roundup/rambling at work with a belly full of Christmas cookies...
What a crazy Friday morning. First of all it offered Premier League soccer, which is always a good thing, even if it leaves this morning pretty barren.
Admittedly, I couldn't get up early enough for the Manchester United win over Stoke. Did see the highlights, err, specifically, it seems, highlight. Good to see Carlos Tevez is still alive. No empirical evidence here, but it seems the hulking Argentine seems to play his best when he's saving United in tight matches.
Ditto for Chelsea, couldn't get up early enough for it...not that I missed much, as the result went to form, well, maybe form from 2005 as Didier Drogba scored from a header and Frank Lampard made a run into the box and tallied. Thought it was interesting that only seven players on the Blues are still around from the back-to-back championship teams under Jose Mourinho -- Petr Cech, Ricardo Carvalho, Joe Cole, Drogba, Lampard, John Terry and Paulo Ferreira. It wasn't that long ago, was it?
When I finally rubbed the sand out of my eyes and moseyed down the stairs, Manchester City had annilated Hull City 4-0, eventually winning 5-1. If it wasn't so trite and cliche, I'd call it a Festivus miracle. Then again, Stephen Ireland set up Felipe Caicedo on nearly identical feeds from the right side. Even though they're near the bottom, can we call City a bully team? And speaking of Ireland, did he buy the shaved-head/beard look off Antoine Sibierski?
At the same time this was happening, Liverpool actually looked good -- specifically like a first place team -- taking care of business against Bolton at Anfield.
Finally, around noon Arsenal kicked off against Aston Villa in a game that was enjoyable throughout. Even though I had to run out for the second half, I recorded it and didn't lose any luster though I already knew the result.
Gutty result for both teams. Arsenal probably needed a win here, but a point is acceptable. The Gunners were lucky not to be down a couple time early, when Steve Sidwell hit the post, Backary Sagna cleared a ball of the line, and finally James Milner hit the woodwork at close range.
Against the run of play, the much maligned by me Denilson stole the ball away at the top of the box, raced in a beat Brad Friedel. It's weird how soccer works like that, one team dominates but the other gets the goal.
Arsenal were on the moon when Abou Diaby put them up 2-0 at the start of the second half, but Villa showed a lot of guts and fought back to draw it on Zat Knight's late goal. That's the second crazy finish for Villa in a month. Maybe it really will be the Villians year.
If I have time this week I'll muscle up a standard Best of/Worst of the first half of the season, if it's necessary.
But first...
Neven, we hardly knew ye -- I actually squeezed out a FanHouse on Christmas night at the office. If you didn't see, Borussia Dortmund defender Neven Subotic decided to play for Serbia instead of the USMNT on the senior international level.
A couple weeks ago I was pretty pissed about this. I'm still upset, but not at Subotic. Can you honestly blame him for wanting to play for Serbia instead of the U.S.? Is it really worth it for him to really across the Atlantic to play with a group of players he has little in common with? It's a stupid reason, but the name Neven Subotic does sound pretty foreign, or Euro if you will. Let's not forget his first choice was to play in Germany -- where he grew up -- before FIFA denied him.
From what I've seen Subotic is a nice player and has a lot of promise at his age. That said, is a central defender going to push the USMNT over the top in the World Cup? Probably not. He could just as easily make the one slip-up to cost a game as Carlos Bocanegra or Oguchi Onyewu -- who are also good at scoring from set plays.
The bigger disappointment is with the USSF in Chicago. Why would a player turn down America? Is it the training or the tactics? That scares me.
Sunday
* Newcastle United v. Liverpool -- (Live, Setanta, 7 a.m.) Liverpool relinquished hold of first place to Chelsea for about 26 minutes Friday. Will that be it the rest of the way? It would be a shame to blow a great, albeit it rocky, 2008 with a stinker before the FA Cup break next weekend...and who is this Robbie Keane character?. Newcastle will make Liverpool work, but Rafa's men get it done. ... Newcastle 0, Liverpool 1
* Arsenal v. Portsmouth -- (Live, Setanta, 9 a.m.) All signs point to Arsenal simply needing to flick its finger in the direction of a teetering Portsmouth side, to push the Southcoaster into the rabbit hole. The fact that Tony Adams is on the opposing touchlines might win some sentiment at the Emirates, but not games. I took some time to realize why Portsmouth's defense is so shoddy (-11 GD), Sol Campbell and Sylvain Distin knee joints calcified at the same time in mid-July. ... Arsenal 2, Portsmouth 0
* Bolton v. Wigan -- Could the winner of this fixture go into 2009 dreaming about the UEFA Cup, or whatever it will be called next year? ... Bolton 1, Wigan 0
* Everton v. Sunderland -- Gun to my head, if I had to pick a team to support in this league it would be Everton. This team has fighting spirit in spades. ... Everton 1, Sunderland 0
* Fulham v. Chelsea -- (Live, FSC, 9 a.m.) Fortress Craven Cottage? Fulham have only lost once at home this season and welcome West London rival this weekend. To my utter surprise, Fulham has held its own against the 'Big Four'...though it's only two matches -- beating Arsenal at home and drawing Liverpool. Sunday should be a good comparison between the high-priced international stars of Cheslea and the mostly home-grown palookas at Fulham. ... Fulham 0, Chelsea 2
* West Brom v. Tottenham -- Seems the initial jolt from Harry Redknapp has cooled at Tottenham. Should be fun to watch the Janaury wheelings and dealings, though. ... West Brom 1, Tottenham 2
* West Ham v. Stoke City -- (Live, Setanta Xtra, 9 a.m.) The seasons and coaches change, but the unpredictability of West Ham never changes. Looks like the 'Please Buy Me' sign got passed to Craig Bellamy Friday. Stoke? Meh, we're almost running out things to say at this point, unless Rory Delap returns. ... West Ham 2, Stoke 1
* Blackburn v. Manchester City -- (Live, FSC, 11:15 a.m.) Should be a good one at Ewood Park, hope Mark Hughes gets a nice reception. He deserves it. City are either good or bad, but it doesn't seem like Blackburn's makeshift defense is enough to bring out the bad. Very intriguing game for both teams fortunes going forward. Can Blackburn string together three positive results under Big Sam, and likewise can City put together a run to get away from the relegation zone? ... Blackburn 0, City 2
Monday
* Manchester United v. Middlesbrough -- (Live, Setanta, 3 p.m.) Manchester United are lurking...always lurking. Sort of like Clint Eastwood these days. You know if he makes a movie it's going to be primed to win some awards. (Sorry, just very pumped for 'Gran Torino.') Meanwhile, 'Boro is spinning its wheels. United seem due for running riot, because it really hasn't kicked much ass this season, perhaps that makes the season the Red Devils had last season all the more impressive. ... Manchester United 3, Middlesbrough 0
Tuesday
* Hull City v. Aston Villa -- (Live, Setanta, 3 p.m.) That's two shit-stampings in a row for Hull. Does this spell the end of the Prem's best story of the year? Haven't we said that before? We'll probably say it until May, when they survive the drop. Villa are doing enough, but ought to bring in some 'squad' players to fill out depth. Three points from games like these are mandatory to hold off Arsenal. ... Hull 1, Villa 2
Last round: 6-4
Season: 79-106
What a crazy Friday morning. First of all it offered Premier League soccer, which is always a good thing, even if it leaves this morning pretty barren.
Admittedly, I couldn't get up early enough for the Manchester United win over Stoke. Did see the highlights, err, specifically, it seems, highlight. Good to see Carlos Tevez is still alive. No empirical evidence here, but it seems the hulking Argentine seems to play his best when he's saving United in tight matches.
Ditto for Chelsea, couldn't get up early enough for it...not that I missed much, as the result went to form, well, maybe form from 2005 as Didier Drogba scored from a header and Frank Lampard made a run into the box and tallied. Thought it was interesting that only seven players on the Blues are still around from the back-to-back championship teams under Jose Mourinho -- Petr Cech, Ricardo Carvalho, Joe Cole, Drogba, Lampard, John Terry and Paulo Ferreira. It wasn't that long ago, was it?
When I finally rubbed the sand out of my eyes and moseyed down the stairs, Manchester City had annilated Hull City 4-0, eventually winning 5-1. If it wasn't so trite and cliche, I'd call it a Festivus miracle. Then again, Stephen Ireland set up Felipe Caicedo on nearly identical feeds from the right side. Even though they're near the bottom, can we call City a bully team? And speaking of Ireland, did he buy the shaved-head/beard look off Antoine Sibierski?
At the same time this was happening, Liverpool actually looked good -- specifically like a first place team -- taking care of business against Bolton at Anfield.
Finally, around noon Arsenal kicked off against Aston Villa in a game that was enjoyable throughout. Even though I had to run out for the second half, I recorded it and didn't lose any luster though I already knew the result.
Gutty result for both teams. Arsenal probably needed a win here, but a point is acceptable. The Gunners were lucky not to be down a couple time early, when Steve Sidwell hit the post, Backary Sagna cleared a ball of the line, and finally James Milner hit the woodwork at close range.
Against the run of play, the much maligned by me Denilson stole the ball away at the top of the box, raced in a beat Brad Friedel. It's weird how soccer works like that, one team dominates but the other gets the goal.
Arsenal were on the moon when Abou Diaby put them up 2-0 at the start of the second half, but Villa showed a lot of guts and fought back to draw it on Zat Knight's late goal. That's the second crazy finish for Villa in a month. Maybe it really will be the Villians year.
If I have time this week I'll muscle up a standard Best of/Worst of the first half of the season, if it's necessary.
But first...
Neven, we hardly knew ye -- I actually squeezed out a FanHouse on Christmas night at the office. If you didn't see, Borussia Dortmund defender Neven Subotic decided to play for Serbia instead of the USMNT on the senior international level.
A couple weeks ago I was pretty pissed about this. I'm still upset, but not at Subotic. Can you honestly blame him for wanting to play for Serbia instead of the U.S.? Is it really worth it for him to really across the Atlantic to play with a group of players he has little in common with? It's a stupid reason, but the name Neven Subotic does sound pretty foreign, or Euro if you will. Let's not forget his first choice was to play in Germany -- where he grew up -- before FIFA denied him.
From what I've seen Subotic is a nice player and has a lot of promise at his age. That said, is a central defender going to push the USMNT over the top in the World Cup? Probably not. He could just as easily make the one slip-up to cost a game as Carlos Bocanegra or Oguchi Onyewu -- who are also good at scoring from set plays.
The bigger disappointment is with the USSF in Chicago. Why would a player turn down America? Is it the training or the tactics? That scares me.
Sunday
* Newcastle United v. Liverpool -- (Live, Setanta, 7 a.m.) Liverpool relinquished hold of first place to Chelsea for about 26 minutes Friday. Will that be it the rest of the way? It would be a shame to blow a great, albeit it rocky, 2008 with a stinker before the FA Cup break next weekend...and who is this Robbie Keane character?. Newcastle will make Liverpool work, but Rafa's men get it done. ... Newcastle 0, Liverpool 1
* Arsenal v. Portsmouth -- (Live, Setanta, 9 a.m.) All signs point to Arsenal simply needing to flick its finger in the direction of a teetering Portsmouth side, to push the Southcoaster into the rabbit hole. The fact that Tony Adams is on the opposing touchlines might win some sentiment at the Emirates, but not games. I took some time to realize why Portsmouth's defense is so shoddy (-11 GD), Sol Campbell and Sylvain Distin knee joints calcified at the same time in mid-July. ... Arsenal 2, Portsmouth 0
* Bolton v. Wigan -- Could the winner of this fixture go into 2009 dreaming about the UEFA Cup, or whatever it will be called next year? ... Bolton 1, Wigan 0
* Everton v. Sunderland -- Gun to my head, if I had to pick a team to support in this league it would be Everton. This team has fighting spirit in spades. ... Everton 1, Sunderland 0
* Fulham v. Chelsea -- (Live, FSC, 9 a.m.) Fortress Craven Cottage? Fulham have only lost once at home this season and welcome West London rival this weekend. To my utter surprise, Fulham has held its own against the 'Big Four'...though it's only two matches -- beating Arsenal at home and drawing Liverpool. Sunday should be a good comparison between the high-priced international stars of Cheslea and the mostly home-grown palookas at Fulham. ... Fulham 0, Chelsea 2
* West Brom v. Tottenham -- Seems the initial jolt from Harry Redknapp has cooled at Tottenham. Should be fun to watch the Janaury wheelings and dealings, though. ... West Brom 1, Tottenham 2
* West Ham v. Stoke City -- (Live, Setanta Xtra, 9 a.m.) The seasons and coaches change, but the unpredictability of West Ham never changes. Looks like the 'Please Buy Me' sign got passed to Craig Bellamy Friday. Stoke? Meh, we're almost running out things to say at this point, unless Rory Delap returns. ... West Ham 2, Stoke 1
* Blackburn v. Manchester City -- (Live, FSC, 11:15 a.m.) Should be a good one at Ewood Park, hope Mark Hughes gets a nice reception. He deserves it. City are either good or bad, but it doesn't seem like Blackburn's makeshift defense is enough to bring out the bad. Very intriguing game for both teams fortunes going forward. Can Blackburn string together three positive results under Big Sam, and likewise can City put together a run to get away from the relegation zone? ... Blackburn 0, City 2
Monday
* Manchester United v. Middlesbrough -- (Live, Setanta, 3 p.m.) Manchester United are lurking...always lurking. Sort of like Clint Eastwood these days. You know if he makes a movie it's going to be primed to win some awards. (Sorry, just very pumped for 'Gran Torino.') Meanwhile, 'Boro is spinning its wheels. United seem due for running riot, because it really hasn't kicked much ass this season, perhaps that makes the season the Red Devils had last season all the more impressive. ... Manchester United 3, Middlesbrough 0
Tuesday
* Hull City v. Aston Villa -- (Live, Setanta, 3 p.m.) That's two shit-stampings in a row for Hull. Does this spell the end of the Prem's best story of the year? Haven't we said that before? We'll probably say it until May, when they survive the drop. Villa are doing enough, but ought to bring in some 'squad' players to fill out depth. Three points from games like these are mandatory to hold off Arsenal. ... Hull 1, Villa 2
Last round: 6-4
Season: 79-106
Labels: Prem Picks, Premier League, Soccer
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