Dude, don't get a Dell.
Saturday morning was primed to be a bellwether test of trying to successfully cycle three different concurrently airing Premier League matches. Instead, it quickly morphed into an exercise in erring when my laptop wouldn't turn on.
So goodbye Manchester City/Arsenal via my Setanta-I subscription.
Fan-friggin-tastic.
Instead of enjoying the on-again, off-again HD feed from Anfield or Stoke City fighting valiantly against Anton Chigurah, err, Chelsea for 94 minutes I spent a good chunk of the much-anticipated morning on the phone with "Baby" from Dell Tech Support. Yep, Baby.
Oh right, this was after the first guy -- "Phil" -- put me on hold and disconnected me after I waited a solid 25 minutes in the first place.
Would I be so mad if I didn't fry my older, reliable Dell Laptop with a cup of tea over the keyboard? Probably not. But is it unreasonable to expect a laptop to last more than six months without either the processor or motherboard failing?
Suffice to say, my next purchase will be an Apple. Sorry PC. (Luckily I stole some time at my parent's house and used their computer to type this.)
At least by the time the Tottenham/Manchester United match rolled around by 12:30 p.m., my anger and ire had subsided enough to actually sit and enjoy the match.
And what a match it could have been, starting with Jermain Defoe's 'Gone in 60 Seconds' overhead/bicycle kick.
Then, well, Spurs mysteriously decided to crib a couple notes from the Bob Bradley playbook. (Ironically, I had planned to write a U.S. redux/"are we too hard on the team?" post Saturday. Maybe this week.)
Man-for-man, the lineups were pretty even so you can't use the excuse the Manchester United has tons or money/players at its disposal (cough, cough Bill Simmons), especially considering the last couple transfer windows.
What set the clubs apart, for lack of a better word, is grit.
Manchester United didn't play exceedingly well offensively, yet threatened since Wayne Rooney makes danger with every touch. The United defense seems like its back on track with the Nemanja Vidic/Rio Ferdinand pairing back, which masks the overall shakiness of Ben Foster.
United took advantage of chances -- a Ryan Giggs freekick to even it and Anderson being in the right place at the right time at the top of the box to slot it past Carlo Cudicini right before the half.
And that was pretty much it. If these teams played 10 matches, the final result would be pretty even, except even with all the departures and questions Sir Alex Ferguson's refuse-to-lose attitude still counts for something.
So yeah, I was pretty much ready to write United off as serious title contenders, but they'll hang around. Do they have the horses to run with Chelsea and now maybe even Manchester City? Probably not, but regardless they continue to cast a long shadow.
We'll get a better gauge of this shadow next Sunday when City comes to Old Trafford, followed by Chelsea hosting Spurs.
My computer better be fixed by then.
Quickfire other stuff:
* Arsenal, for all its talent, remains snake-bitten. How else to explain Manuel Almunia pulling his best Jose Cancesco impression leading to the first City goal in their eventual 4-2 win at Eastlands.
Is there a French equivalent for the "Really?" trope? That's what Arsene Wenger had to be saying to himself. Craig Bellamy? Really?
Man, that 6-1 win at Goodison seems like ages ago, since Arsenal is already chasing nine points on Chelsea, granted the Gunners have a game-in-hand, but still it's a lot to make up.
* Wow, an English announcer calling out an English legend, when the color guy on the Spurs/United match claimed Paul Scholes "can't tackle" when he earned his second yellow card for a clumsy foul on Tom Huddlestone. The analyst should have added he "can't stay out in the sun for more than 15 minutes", to add insult to injury.
* Speaking of insult to injury, Emmanuel Adebayor's goal and subsequent cross-field celebration might be the textbook definition of such an act.
* Credit Carlo Ancelotti for actually having a player try to block Rory Delap's long-bomb throw-ins. Oddly, Soloman Kalou was booked for trying jump in the way of the throw. (His other smart move, lining up Jose Bosingwa in a more advanced role, actually giving Chelsea width for a change.)
* Even with the late, extra-time loss, Stoke City has a little mojo going. How else to explain the booty-shaking celebration between Abdoulaye Faye and Ricardo Fuller after the Potters goal int he first half? NFL commish Roger Goodell would have fined them each a week's pay. (Gotta love Faye using the A.D. Faye abbreviation on his shirt.)
* Did anyone think once the fourth official showed five minutes of stoppage time that Chelsea wouldn't score? The only surprise that it was Flourent Malouda, not Frankie Lampard.
Right now the only thing that might stop the Blues is if Didier Drogba AND Nic Anelka both pick up injuries.
* Liverpool 4, Burnley 0. ... Yossi, Yossi, Yossi. That about sums it up.
* Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Warren Barton (or maybe it was Robbie Mustoe) claimed if Portsmouth lost to Bolton they'd be relegated. I like the balls in a statement like that, especially after Pompey goes down 3-2 at home.
* Hey, whaddaya know? Damien Duff is alive.
* And Clint Dempsey might have a pulse, too.
* Aston Villa 1, Birmingham City 0 ... Anyone see this one?
* Maybe it's the red-and-white stripes, but Sunderland suddenly looks like a live team, too. Steve Bruce knows what he's doing. The Michael Turner move was a steal.
Fantasy Team O'the Week:
* Phong Huynh's Pants FC takes top honors with 68 points, thanks to Tim and Gary Cahill, Steven Gerrard and Darren Bent's brace.
Saturday morning was primed to be a bellwether test of trying to successfully cycle three different concurrently airing Premier League matches. Instead, it quickly morphed into an exercise in erring when my laptop wouldn't turn on.
So goodbye Manchester City/Arsenal via my Setanta-I subscription.
Fan-friggin-tastic.
Instead of enjoying the on-again, off-again HD feed from Anfield or Stoke City fighting valiantly against Anton Chigurah, err, Chelsea for 94 minutes I spent a good chunk of the much-anticipated morning on the phone with "Baby" from Dell Tech Support. Yep, Baby.
Oh right, this was after the first guy -- "Phil" -- put me on hold and disconnected me after I waited a solid 25 minutes in the first place.
Would I be so mad if I didn't fry my older, reliable Dell Laptop with a cup of tea over the keyboard? Probably not. But is it unreasonable to expect a laptop to last more than six months without either the processor or motherboard failing?
Suffice to say, my next purchase will be an Apple. Sorry PC. (Luckily I stole some time at my parent's house and used their computer to type this.)
At least by the time the Tottenham/Manchester United match rolled around by 12:30 p.m., my anger and ire had subsided enough to actually sit and enjoy the match.
And what a match it could have been, starting with Jermain Defoe's 'Gone in 60 Seconds' overhead/bicycle kick.
Then, well, Spurs mysteriously decided to crib a couple notes from the Bob Bradley playbook. (Ironically, I had planned to write a U.S. redux/"are we too hard on the team?" post Saturday. Maybe this week.)
Man-for-man, the lineups were pretty even so you can't use the excuse the Manchester United has tons or money/players at its disposal (cough, cough Bill Simmons), especially considering the last couple transfer windows.
What set the clubs apart, for lack of a better word, is grit.
Manchester United didn't play exceedingly well offensively, yet threatened since Wayne Rooney makes danger with every touch. The United defense seems like its back on track with the Nemanja Vidic/Rio Ferdinand pairing back, which masks the overall shakiness of Ben Foster.
United took advantage of chances -- a Ryan Giggs freekick to even it and Anderson being in the right place at the right time at the top of the box to slot it past Carlo Cudicini right before the half.
And that was pretty much it. If these teams played 10 matches, the final result would be pretty even, except even with all the departures and questions Sir Alex Ferguson's refuse-to-lose attitude still counts for something.
So yeah, I was pretty much ready to write United off as serious title contenders, but they'll hang around. Do they have the horses to run with Chelsea and now maybe even Manchester City? Probably not, but regardless they continue to cast a long shadow.
We'll get a better gauge of this shadow next Sunday when City comes to Old Trafford, followed by Chelsea hosting Spurs.
My computer better be fixed by then.
Quickfire other stuff:
* Arsenal, for all its talent, remains snake-bitten. How else to explain Manuel Almunia pulling his best Jose Cancesco impression leading to the first City goal in their eventual 4-2 win at Eastlands.
Is there a French equivalent for the "Really?" trope? That's what Arsene Wenger had to be saying to himself. Craig Bellamy? Really?
Man, that 6-1 win at Goodison seems like ages ago, since Arsenal is already chasing nine points on Chelsea, granted the Gunners have a game-in-hand, but still it's a lot to make up.
* Wow, an English announcer calling out an English legend, when the color guy on the Spurs/United match claimed Paul Scholes "can't tackle" when he earned his second yellow card for a clumsy foul on Tom Huddlestone. The analyst should have added he "can't stay out in the sun for more than 15 minutes", to add insult to injury.
* Speaking of insult to injury, Emmanuel Adebayor's goal and subsequent cross-field celebration might be the textbook definition of such an act.
* Credit Carlo Ancelotti for actually having a player try to block Rory Delap's long-bomb throw-ins. Oddly, Soloman Kalou was booked for trying jump in the way of the throw. (His other smart move, lining up Jose Bosingwa in a more advanced role, actually giving Chelsea width for a change.)
* Even with the late, extra-time loss, Stoke City has a little mojo going. How else to explain the booty-shaking celebration between Abdoulaye Faye and Ricardo Fuller after the Potters goal int he first half? NFL commish Roger Goodell would have fined them each a week's pay. (Gotta love Faye using the A.D. Faye abbreviation on his shirt.)
* Did anyone think once the fourth official showed five minutes of stoppage time that Chelsea wouldn't score? The only surprise that it was Flourent Malouda, not Frankie Lampard.
Right now the only thing that might stop the Blues is if Didier Drogba AND Nic Anelka both pick up injuries.
* Liverpool 4, Burnley 0. ... Yossi, Yossi, Yossi. That about sums it up.
* Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Warren Barton (or maybe it was Robbie Mustoe) claimed if Portsmouth lost to Bolton they'd be relegated. I like the balls in a statement like that, especially after Pompey goes down 3-2 at home.
* Hey, whaddaya know? Damien Duff is alive.
* And Clint Dempsey might have a pulse, too.
* Aston Villa 1, Birmingham City 0 ... Anyone see this one?
* Maybe it's the red-and-white stripes, but Sunderland suddenly looks like a live team, too. Steve Bruce knows what he's doing. The Michael Turner move was a steal.
Fantasy Team O'the Week:
* Phong Huynh's Pants FC takes top honors with 68 points, thanks to Tim and Gary Cahill, Steven Gerrard and Darren Bent's brace.
Labels: Monday recaps, Premier League, Premier League on ESPN, Soccer
United continue to show more life and [shudder] grit than I expected. I have to tip my hat to a team that looks horribly under-whelming yet continues to get results. As a Chelsea supporter, I'd be a hypocrite not to.
All praise aside, if this team wins the title this season their end-of-season video has to be called "Better Lucky Than Good." Completely outplayed for 75 mins at home, they pull out a 2-1 win over Arsenal. They get Spurs in the first match without Modric, their best player, and win 3-1 in a match they should have ended with 9 men (Vidic's flying elbow deserved a second yellow for sure). Next week, they get a City team that will be without Robinho, Tevez, Santa Cruz, and (if there is any justice) Adebayor.
As for Spurs, the loss of Modric is going to hurt a lot more than people are letting on. He pulls all the strings in the middle of the park for them and they're forced to either play the long ball to Crouch or go up the wings. I think this match shows that Peter Crouch will never be anything more than an impact sub on an above-average side. You can't start him against Ferdinand and Vidic and expect him to have an impact. Coming on with 30 minutes to go against Birmingham after they've been chasing Defoe and Keane? He can play well then, but he'll lose battles against most CB's in this league.
I haven't reffed in about six years so I don't remember exactly, but I think the yellow card against Kalou was correct. What the announcers were saying about not jumping at it sounded correct, but I could be wrong. That particular Delap throw-in was illegal anyways and as such shouldn't have counted. Nice win for the Blues, very unfortunate loss for Stoke - I thought they deserved a point. I don't see any reason Stoke can't sneak into Europe next season.
As for Chelsea, I appreciate the rotational policy but I'm looking forward to next week's game v. Spurs to see if Ancelotti will give an indication of his preferred XI. Kalou looked awful, and Cech really shit the bed on Faye's goal. I wouldn't mind seeing more Sturridge, but this team should only be getting stronger in the next month or so with Deco, Zhirkov, Joe Cole, Alex, and Ferreira all getting close to match fit. Let's see how they do against Porto tomorrow w/out Drogba & Bosingwa.
The USMNT players had kind of a rough week back in club football.
Dempsey was at least ten times more active and awake than he has looked since the US came home from South Africa. Deuce did shoot when he should have passed a few times yet his performance was far and away the best of the Americans - non-Goalie division.
Bradley the Younger - on the bench for Borussia Munchkincocblock - 0 minutes.
Onyewu - not on the roster for AC Milan.
Charlie Davies - started for Sochaux, subbed off after 59 minutes.
Adu - not on roster for new Portuguese club.
Altidore - on the bench, came on in 64th minute of loss.
And the harshest of all, Lando and the Beckhamettes getting hammered by Dallas and Donovan getting roughed up in a little post match 'conversation.'
Is this lack of playing time a result of the European manager's assuming US based players would be tired from travel? Or do the club coaches watch the internationals that closely and perhaps see that no USMNT player looked all that good in the two qualifiers?
Hey thanks for the fantasy team shout-out. Gotta thank Barry Glendenning from the Guardian's Football Weekly podcast for the tip on Andy Reid.
Apparently he did pretty well in the internationals, so I transferred him in and got an instant payoff of 12 points.