Well...there's not going to be much form to this post, just some scattered musings as the title suggests because the Premier League decided to scatter games over two days in the middle of the week.
Maybe it's just me but the televised games seemed lively. This could be because I'm a lot more awake at 2:45 p.m. as opposed to 7:45 a.m. Of course, this all changes since we revert to daylight savings time in the States this weekend, throwing the schedule around yet again.
Today, I'm here to mourn the Champions League hopes of Martin O'Neill's game Aston Villa squad. (Note: Claret-on-claret, a fashion faux pas.)
I hate to write this, but it's over. Done. Finished. Caput.
Minutes from taking an eight-point lead over Arsenal for fourth, Villa gagged it up against Stoke City and now three days later are a mere three points above the underachieving Gunners following a 1-0 loss at Manchester City -- an Elano penalty kick, no less, which Brad Freidel nearly saved. Humbug.
Why do I say it's over?
The next four games for Villa -- Tottenham, Liverpool, Manchester United and Everton.
In other words, please step through door number two and thanks for playing. We have some lovely parting gifts, the standard Casio keyboard and BK Knights high tops which I'm sure Ashley Young will love.
Actually, the consolation prize is a UEFAEUROPA Cup scenario, which if I were Villa I'd turn down. The club has been down the second-tier road before and we've seen how that's gone -- dying on the Russian front to CSKA.
In fact, most Villa fans are going to look back and see that Feb. 18 1-1 draw with CSKA at Villa park as the reason for the season's downfall.
So Aston Villa likely will have to play catch-up and hope Arsenal stumbles down the stretch with back-to-back matches with Chelsea and Manchester United in May. If not, the club will be stuck like Sawyer, Juliet and Daniel Faraday on a time-skipping island, repeating the same second-tier scenarios over-and-over.
It's weird. I have no vested interest in Aston Villa, nor do I really hate Arsenal, just the hype around a mediocore team. It simply would have been nice to see some change at the top of the table and watch another team in Europe's top competition on those midweek days in October and November. (Is 'change' still in these days?)
Instead, Arsenal will amble through with a limp performance, which might just show that the Premier League might not the proverbial 'bee's knee's' like we all like to think it is. The Gunners have been tepid, at best, yet will be rewarded with the Champions League dough as the machine churns on.
(Yeah, that draw to Stoke by Villa was completely gutless and probably cost the team millions, and possibly earned the Potters even more if they survive.)
Elsewhere, for about 10 minutes Chelsea and Liverpool may have put a scare into Manchester United for the title race.
Newcastle United came out gangbusters Wednesday at St. James, probably to the delight of Brad in the Pacific Northwest, courtesy of a rare blunder by Edwin Van Der Sar, cashed in by Peter Løvenkrands. (God bless Scandanavian characters.)
Didn't matter much, Wayne Rooney continued his ownage of the Magpies with a cool response a few minutes later and Dmitar Berbatov tapped in a Steven Harper fumble after the break and it's still as you were at the top of the table. Manchester United has a joint seven-point lead over Chelsea and Liverpool with a game in hand.
Does any current athlete or anyone in the world own another person/team/thing like Rooney Tunes does to Newcastle at the moment? And no, the Harlem Globetrotters over the Washington Generals doesn't count.
My quick answer -- Jack Bauer vs. redshirt terrorists on '24' -- "Dont' fight it!"
Nothing, obviously, will ever top this goal which is pure dynamite and never gets old in my book.
My other shock during this week, after Didier Drogba curled his winning-goal for Chelsea in the muck-and-mire of Fratton Park, the announcers nearly jizzed over each other that it was only his second Premier League goal of the season.
Gwah?!
Not possible. If you told me in March the Ivorian Assasin would only have two tallies to his name, I'd have said you were crazy. What's next, you're going to tell me Brett Michaels has had not one, not two, but three shitty reality shows to his name.
However, to quote both Yogi Berra and Mike Francesa, "You can look it up."
A couple other thoughts...
* Weird quirk, after 28/27 games Tottenham, West Ham and Wigan are all at zero goal difference.
* Tottenham, which plays Sunderland in the lone PL game this weekend, probably, finally has it's act together, though I've said that before.
* Holy snikies, Hull City got a win -- it's first since the Bush Adminstration -- and did it at Craven Cottage no less on a 90th miunte goal from Manucho. That's only the second league loss for Fulham at home, the other coming Sept. 27 to West Ham. I still think Hull is in some trouble, but could catch a huge break with its final game at home to Manchester United which by then should have the title wrapped up and might line up Sir Alex Ferguson's grand kids at center back.
* Sunderland, Stoke City, Newcastle United, Portsmouth, Middlesbrough, Blackburn Rovers -- take your pick. Two are dead to us.
* Maybe they ought to create another league in England -- the 'Semi-Premier League' or better yet, the 'Purgatory League' where teams of the above ilk and other tweeners can play and actually have a shot of winning a title. (Speaking of purgatory, 'In Bruges' is in the HBO rotation now and if you haven't seen it, give it a look. Yeah, it does have Colin Ferrell in it, but it's actually a good flick.)
* I'm using a temporary laptop and I can't install programs. I forgot how much I hate Internet Explorer and love Firefox...assuming one can love a computer program not named Cameron from 'Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.'
* Last but not least, I hope a savvy street merchant around Merseyside is hawking shirts reading, "I saw David Ngog score." A sure-fire collector's item.
Maybe it's just me but the televised games seemed lively. This could be because I'm a lot more awake at 2:45 p.m. as opposed to 7:45 a.m. Of course, this all changes since we revert to daylight savings time in the States this weekend, throwing the schedule around yet again.
Today, I'm here to mourn the Champions League hopes of Martin O'Neill's game Aston Villa squad. (Note: Claret-on-claret, a fashion faux pas.)
I hate to write this, but it's over. Done. Finished. Caput.
Minutes from taking an eight-point lead over Arsenal for fourth, Villa gagged it up against Stoke City and now three days later are a mere three points above the underachieving Gunners following a 1-0 loss at Manchester City -- an Elano penalty kick, no less, which Brad Freidel nearly saved. Humbug.
Why do I say it's over?
The next four games for Villa -- Tottenham, Liverpool, Manchester United and Everton.
In other words, please step through door number two and thanks for playing. We have some lovely parting gifts, the standard Casio keyboard and BK Knights high tops which I'm sure Ashley Young will love.
Actually, the consolation prize is a UEFAEUROPA Cup scenario, which if I were Villa I'd turn down. The club has been down the second-tier road before and we've seen how that's gone -- dying on the Russian front to CSKA.
In fact, most Villa fans are going to look back and see that Feb. 18 1-1 draw with CSKA at Villa park as the reason for the season's downfall.
So Aston Villa likely will have to play catch-up and hope Arsenal stumbles down the stretch with back-to-back matches with Chelsea and Manchester United in May. If not, the club will be stuck like Sawyer, Juliet and Daniel Faraday on a time-skipping island, repeating the same second-tier scenarios over-and-over.
It's weird. I have no vested interest in Aston Villa, nor do I really hate Arsenal, just the hype around a mediocore team. It simply would have been nice to see some change at the top of the table and watch another team in Europe's top competition on those midweek days in October and November. (Is 'change' still in these days?)
Instead, Arsenal will amble through with a limp performance, which might just show that the Premier League might not the proverbial 'bee's knee's' like we all like to think it is. The Gunners have been tepid, at best, yet will be rewarded with the Champions League dough as the machine churns on.
(Yeah, that draw to Stoke by Villa was completely gutless and probably cost the team millions, and possibly earned the Potters even more if they survive.)
Elsewhere, for about 10 minutes Chelsea and Liverpool may have put a scare into Manchester United for the title race.
Newcastle United came out gangbusters Wednesday at St. James, probably to the delight of Brad in the Pacific Northwest, courtesy of a rare blunder by Edwin Van Der Sar, cashed in by Peter Løvenkrands. (God bless Scandanavian characters.)
Didn't matter much, Wayne Rooney continued his ownage of the Magpies with a cool response a few minutes later and Dmitar Berbatov tapped in a Steven Harper fumble after the break and it's still as you were at the top of the table. Manchester United has a joint seven-point lead over Chelsea and Liverpool with a game in hand.
Does any current athlete or anyone in the world own another person/team/thing like Rooney Tunes does to Newcastle at the moment? And no, the Harlem Globetrotters over the Washington Generals doesn't count.
My quick answer -- Jack Bauer vs. redshirt terrorists on '24' -- "Dont' fight it!"
Nothing, obviously, will ever top this goal which is pure dynamite and never gets old in my book.
My other shock during this week, after Didier Drogba curled his winning-goal for Chelsea in the muck-and-mire of Fratton Park, the announcers nearly jizzed over each other that it was only his second Premier League goal of the season.
Gwah?!
Not possible. If you told me in March the Ivorian Assasin would only have two tallies to his name, I'd have said you were crazy. What's next, you're going to tell me Brett Michaels has had not one, not two, but three shitty reality shows to his name.
However, to quote both Yogi Berra and Mike Francesa, "You can look it up."
A couple other thoughts...
* Weird quirk, after 28/27 games Tottenham, West Ham and Wigan are all at zero goal difference.
* Tottenham, which plays Sunderland in the lone PL game this weekend, probably, finally has it's act together, though I've said that before.
* Holy snikies, Hull City got a win -- it's first since the Bush Adminstration -- and did it at Craven Cottage no less on a 90th miunte goal from Manucho. That's only the second league loss for Fulham at home, the other coming Sept. 27 to West Ham. I still think Hull is in some trouble, but could catch a huge break with its final game at home to Manchester United which by then should have the title wrapped up and might line up Sir Alex Ferguson's grand kids at center back.
* Sunderland, Stoke City, Newcastle United, Portsmouth, Middlesbrough, Blackburn Rovers -- take your pick. Two are dead to us.
* Maybe they ought to create another league in England -- the 'Semi-Premier League' or better yet, the 'Purgatory League' where teams of the above ilk and other tweeners can play and actually have a shot of winning a title. (Speaking of purgatory, 'In Bruges' is in the HBO rotation now and if you haven't seen it, give it a look. Yeah, it does have Colin Ferrell in it, but it's actually a good flick.)
* I'm using a temporary laptop and I can't install programs. I forgot how much I hate Internet Explorer and love Firefox...assuming one can love a computer program not named Cameron from 'Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.'
* Last but not least, I hope a savvy street merchant around Merseyside is hawking shirts reading, "I saw David Ngog score." A sure-fire collector's item.
Labels: musings, Premier League, Soccer
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