Before we dig into our leftover stuffing and cranberry sauce this Monday morning, a moment of digital silence for Gary Speed, who apparently hung himself Sunday ending his life at 42.
Simply a sad development and almost unfathomable that an active manager of a national team would do this while he was employed.
Without glossing over too much, I'll always remember Speed for being "old" when I first seriously started watching the Premier League when he was part of Sam Allardyce's unfancied "International House of Footballers" at Bolton early last decade. Yet he kept plying his trade and plugging away, giving an honest effort into his 40s at Sheffield United.
Reading the reactions from England from his former teammates and colleagues makes the situation all the more depressing. You can sense the grief and despair -- across the entire world of British soccer -- which makes it all the more dispiriting.
A shame.
Rest in peace.
Can't make it up:
Hate to shift gears from the sad Speed story to something as inconsequential as this, but hear me out. As you may or may not my "day job" is an actual paid writing gig for my local newspaper. A lot of my work this time of the year entails covering high school soccer. (Don't laugh.)
Anyways, it was the state championships this weekend, which brought actual broadcast media to some of the games. Whether it was for a local public television or webcast, I can't rightly say, but the two guys announcing the doubleheader I covered were a microcosm of soccer broadcasting in America.
The play-by-play guy was a stat-churning, by-the-numbers guy who would raise his voice like 17 octaves whenever a little action developed, while the color guy was a stodgy Brit found of saying stuff like, "fair play to him."
It was, in many ways, surreal, least of all because the two never took a breath for the entire 80 minutes of the game.
More than anything, it helps explain why Americans, on average, still fail the grasp the finer points and strategies of the game.
Fit to be Tied:
Sort of an eventfully uneventful weekend in the Premier League, from a results standpoint. (Again, my "day" job meant I missed most of Saturday's action.) Manchester City couldn't add more distance between second place Manchester United, with both teams drawing their respective matches. Arsenal's hot streak ended with a 1-1 draw to Fulham. Chelsea's "crisis" was halted momentarily thanks to an easy 3-0 win over Wolves. The big winner of the weekend was Tottenham, which overturned an early 1-0 deficit to beat West Brom 3-1 on the road and move into third place with a game in hand.
So here's my quick impressions from what I did see and read about.
1. Misfiring United -- Far be it from me to tell you to pay for SiriusXM radio, but the service almost pays for itself in the rare instances I get to listen to a Premier League game, especially the in-house Manchester United broadcast which features more "we's" than a Nintendo factory.
First, let's all have a laugh at United dropping points on a dubious penalty awarded to Newcastle United via a Rio Ferdinand "challenge" on Hatem Ben Arfa. Guess Sir Alex will have to throw a shoe at Karma next time he sees her.
That shouldn't hide the fact United haven't been able to score more than one goal in a match -- again. Ashley Young, Wayne Rooney, Nani? The Red Devils need some inspiration from their big offensive creators sooner rather than later.
Full marks to Newcastle United, too.
2. Joe Hart is Great -- Not the best week for Roberto Mancini with City losing to Napoli in the Champions League, then drawing Liverpool -- having to watch Mario Balotelli sent off, again.(*)
Interesting stat with City. Since October in 11 matches, the club has kept only two clean sheets.
We used to mock Mancini for his defensive commitment, with a Nigel de Jong/Yaya Toure/Gareth Barry midfield. Now it seems James Milner has taken one of those places. Is that the only reason for the less stout defense? Has Jolean Lescott been exposed again? Is Vincent Kompany slipping, if only ever so slightly? Are City less inclined to play as sharp since their offense is so stacked? (Did Samir Nasri touch the ball Sunday? the formation-less attacking trio of Nasri, David Silva and Sergio Aguero didn't quite work out, did it?)
Whichever way you slice it, City can survive its sudden lax defense because Joe Hart is simply a great keeper. The England No. 1 put on a show late vs. Liverpool and its a rare keeper that's fun to watch. Okay, that's not entirely true. A guy like Gomes is fun to watch. Hart is just excellent.
Liverpool? Different week, same story. About the only players in Red you can expect a consistent effort from match-to-match are Lucas and Pepe Reina. Everything else is a scatter shot mixed bag.
(*) As I eluded to on Twitter, let's hope that Balotelli follows the path of Dennis Rodman and either a) dips his toes into professional wrestling or b) releases a couple lousy action comedies. One or the other is bound to happen.
3. Arry and the Henderson -- Spurs are definitely the "it" team in the Premier League at the moment. That points to a bigger picture on why winning in soccer -- so long as there isn't playoffs -- is that it's a massive grind.
It's hard to be the "it" team over the course of 10 months.
As well as Spurs have played the last month, their ultimate fate won't be determined by it. You just have to keep grinding and grinding because nobody comes out and hands you the three points. You can't just say, I'm going to play well for these three weeks and we can win something. It keeps going and going and going. It's truly relentless.
Tottenham has the right mix at the moment, but if Emmanuel Adebayor picks up a minor injury it could derail the momentum. He's the once piece the club really can't replace.
If you want a concrete reason to be bullish on Spurs? They're scoring goals. A lot of goals.
Tottenham has scored multiple goals in 10 of their 12 matches. The only two they didn't were season-opening losses to Manchester City and Manchester United in August.
Beyond that? It's coming from multiple sources. Adebayor has 7, Rafael van der Vaart 6, Jermain Defore 5 and Gareth Bale 4.
Around the League:
Benoit Assou-Ekotto's afro might be the best thing ever. Try to argue otherwise. ... Chelsea fans, is it Juan Mata, Daniel Sturridge and now Oriol Romeu and pray for rain? ... Robin van Persie didn't score this weekend for Arsenal against Fulham. He didn't get hurt either, if that's a silver lining. ... Sunderland gagged away a 1-0 lead at home to lose 2-1 to Wigan. That's atrocious Steve Bruce. Might be time to go because all the money you've spent hasn't amounted to anything but struggles and wildly inconsistent play. ... Everton continue to ride the elevator up-and-down the table, now sitting ninth after a solid 2-0 win over Bolton. ... Not sure how Aston Villa is up to eighth, but it is. Can't imagine too many people on the pitch for Villa's game against Swansea in Wales had their heads in the game following the news about Speed's death.
Fantasy Team O' the Week:
Hank Cole's "Who Are Ya" takes top honors with 76 points this week thanks mainly to Mata, Adebayor and Seb Larsson.
One Other Thing:
Not sure what was more irritating the last couple days, reading about Black Friday, the people participating in Black Friday or the people making snarky comments about Black Friday?
At this point in my life, hate to sound like the most smug asshole on the planet, but I'm over Christmas. The commercials, the sales, the songs, the decorations, the phoney cheer, what have you. Enough. Baahhhhhhh Humbug.
Without sounding like a total Scrooge, here's my simple solution to make everyone's life much easier -- granted this probably doesn't work if you have young children.
Instead of driving yourself crazy at malls -- just maneuvering around the parking lots irritate me -- or wasting money on junk, or gift cards or clothes people are only going to end up returning ... why not buy (or make) the people you care about a heartfelt gift? Find something they'll truly appreciate.
Or you can just go to Jared, whatever floats your boat.
Song of the Week:
Scenario, if you were in a crowded bar and or night club type place, which (bear in mind) only played about seven songs -- four from the Black Eyed Peas -- if you heard, "Tha Crossroads" come on, you'd immediately smile, right?
Labels: English Premier League, EPL, Soccer
Hey, it's Thanksgiving week in the States ... meaning the comings-and-goings of the Premier League take a backseat to turkey and gravy, that is unless you're Frank Lampard! (See, get it, he's allegedly 'fat'.)
Wait, let's get a take two on punchline.
Unless you're ... Ronaldo?
Ronaldinho?
Eh, let's just move on.
This is an easy holiday-themed trope.
EPL TURKEYS of 2011.
* Carlos Tevez -- Yep, it's a crime to be getting paid somewhere in the range of $200,000 per week. The indignity of it all!
* Gary Cahill -- Who wouldn't want to buy the England international in January? He's only been at the heart of a defense that's allowed an EPL-high 29 goals in 12 matches.
* Alex McLeish -- Sure he won a Carling Cup, but he also saw Birmingham City get relegated AND has turned Aston Villa to one of the league's most unwatchable teams.
* Adel Taarabt -- How many goals has this allegedly star played scored this season? Zippo.
* John Terry -- ... because.
Saturday:
* Stoke City v. Blackburn Rovers -- (Live, 7:45 a.m., ESPN3.com) Not going to feel too bad if I rage pretty hard on Friday and sleep through it. It's not on ESPN, so I don't feel bad since I won't miss Mr. Darke. ... Stoke City 2, Blackburn Rovers 2
* Bolton v. Everton -- While neither of these two teams can exactly be considered, "good," they do have one thing going for them. Their fans have trust in Owen Coyle and David Moyes. Even if things look bad, there's at least a little hope at the top. ... Bolton 1, Everton 1
* Chelsea v. Wolves -- (Live, FSC, 10 a.m.) Didn't they already play this game? Like last weekend? Sure feels that way. Maybe it's just that I'm sick and tired of watching Chelsea, lately. Think I'm more sick of reading about the imminent demise of Andre Villas-Boas, frankly. (Ever notice the English media just loooooves to put the hangman's noose around a manager?) This is a second guess, but it's hard to say the Portuguese manager's tactics aren't going to work. When he was with Porto he was the biggest fish in a small, small pond. You could get away with a high line, because how many other teams in Portugal could stand toe-to-toe with Porto every week? At Chelsea, you can't get away with it. Plus when you factor in Chelsea's latest roster movements seem to be done by a kid playing "career mode" on FIFA 12, rather than an actual soccer field, you have the mess the Blues currently sit. ... Chelsea 3, Wolves 1
* West Brom v. Tottenham -- (Live, FSC+, 10 a.m.) Game of the weekend, or at least the day. West Brom have face-rubbed its way up to 10th place in the table, despite having a porous defense and having lost two of their last three. Spurs are as hot as a pistol and now Harry Redknapp is thinking about winning the league. Crazy as that sounds, unless the team is beset by more defensive injuries why can Spurs keep the pace? Odds Rafael van der Vaart and Emmanuel Adebayor keep it up, too? ... West Brom 1, Spurs 2
* Manchester United v. Newcastle United -- (Live, ESPN2, 10 a.m.) Sorry Manchester United fans, going to ruin something for you. Chicharito looks, or at least has the same facial expression as Kirsten Stewart from the "Twilight" movies. Believe me, you'll see it next time he's on your television set. You'd have to think, at Old Trafford, off a draw in the Champions League that United is due to kick it into gear and kick some but, however Newcastle's discipline might make this harder than it sounds. Paging Mr. Own Goal or Mr. Penalty Kick. ... Manchester United 2, Newcastle United 1
* Norwich City v. QPR -- Here's my sense with Norwich City. The club, as currently assembled, is good enough to last a year in the Premier League. There's enough players with camaraderie who are on the same page. Prpblem is, it's going to be hard to add to that core on the limited budget and means the team has. QPR has a little more cash and ambition and brought in some reinforcements from its promoted team already, therefore it'll sink or swim right away. The Canaries are 2-2-2 so far at home with 10 goals scored and nine allowed. That might need to improve, like right away. ... Norwich City 3, QPR 1
* Sunderland v. Wigan Athletic -- It's weird how Sunderland built the Stadium of Light ... and basically have zero home-field advantage. The Black Cats are routinely bad at home, which is an anomaly in world club soccer. Everyone is going to say Sunderland should be Wigan at home, but this club seems to be terrible dealing with pressure. However, all that said, I think Steve Bruce's team is due a somewhat decent performance by the law of averages. ... Sunderland 1, Wigan 0
* Arsenal v. Fulham -- (Live, FSC, 12:30 p.m.) Arsene Wenger has lost his touch. Arsene Wener has NEVER lost his touch. You have to hand it to the soccer media for being reasonable and consistent, right? The more realistic assessment, Wenger was a little misguided in the summer, waiting for the last second to replace Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri. Right now the club is stabilized and riding an all-time hot streak from Robin van Persie, who's scoring faster than (timely reference, alert.) 1971 Warren Beatty. Also, are we sure Mikel Arteta is playing for Arsenal, you almost never hear his any, despite playing most games. Fulham have stung Arsenal in the past, doubt it happens here. ... Arsenal 2, Fulham 0
Sunday:
* Swansea City v. Aston Villa -- (Live, FSC+, 8:30 a.m.) Given the chance, McLeish might try to field nine defenders and isolate Darren Bent up top. ... Swansea 1, Aston Villa 0
* Liverpool v. Manchester City -- (Live, FSC, 11 a.m.) Let's see what Kenny Dalglish pulls out of his managerial bag of tricks this time, home at Anfield against the league leaders. There are so many variables for both managers that it's hard to blindly guess what will happen. Liverpool did look susceptible in the second half with Chelsea when Juan Mata moved into a more central position, one where David Silva normally operates. Hard to diagnose City's struggles in the Champions League. Is the reason they might not advance to the knockout stages all because they drew two of the best clubs in the competition in Bayern Munich and Napoli? Maybe it's worth noting the scales at City have tipped more in favor of its offense than it's once very stout defense. ... Liverpool 1, City 1
Last round: 5-5
Season: 64-55
The Premier League in England returned after the international break and it's like nothing changed. More specifically, through the nine fixtures played Saturday and Sunday, we didn't gain any huge revelations.
Instead, there was confirmation of what we already thought we knew about the league this season.
* Robin van Persie can score.
* Manchester City are still the best team.
* Chelsea don't want to play defense any more.
* Liverpool remain the most maddeningly, inconsistently entertaining team in the league.
* Manchester United are the new kings of winning ugly.
* Mario Balotelli loves scowling and spending more money than my yearly salary entirely on haircuts.
* Sad John Terry never -- ever -- gets old.
If there was one semi-revealing takeaway it's the Newcastle United, despite losing 3-1 at Manchester City, didn't look that bad in the loss.
Marquee Match:
First things first, these two teams are not once what they were when they played almost every year in the Champions League knockout stages. After Sunday you'd have to feel a little more bullish on the future of the Reds vs. that of the Blues, if only for Kenny Dalglish proving that a manager tinkering with a lineup can still yield a direct result.
Good looks to Liverpool for using the entirety of its squad to field a starting XI including Craig Bellamy, goal-scoring Maxi Rodriguez as well as keeping Jamie Carragher on the bench to play a faster, quicker lineup that would trouble Chelsea's insanely high defensive line. Liverpool have so many pieces -- at least in the midfield and forward lines -- it should be able to mix-and-match. (Insert your own Rafa Benitez rotation joke here.)
For all the wild mood swings Liverpool seem to posses on a weekly basis, the four-way battle for the Champions League spots between the Reds, Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal will be fun, so a win over one of those rivals goes a long way for Liverpool.
Curious to see if Dalglish will stick with Maxi in the starting lineup over the disappointing Stewart Downing. Guess that's a nice luxury to have.
Chelsea? The problem of reacting after one game is dangerous, though the defense of the once mighty club is a shell of itself. Or more accurately the change in the way the game is played at Stamford Bridge could be seen in Petr Cech's increasingly robotic face -- sort of a Officer Murphy/Robocop scenario.
The bloom appears to be off the rose on David Luiz, who's marauding runs forward are being offset by his increasingly lax defense. With John Terry getting older and more weepy, Alex slow-footed and stuck to the bench, the Blues' once vaunted defense isn't what it once was.
Throw in the new manager Andre Villas-Boas is stuck with the Fernando Torres/Daniel Sturridge/Didier Drogba (a little) issue, plus trying to find a place for Juan Mata in the Chelsea formation (and hegemony) and there are clear issues at Stamford Bridge. The club has been borderline great for almost a decade, eventually its bound to have a semi-down season.
The Blues are unbeatable, nor even feared so much any more. They're certainly still dangerous and maybe it works out that this is the year the team finally can win the Champions League.
Possess the Night Away:
Somebody smarter -- or more prominent -- than me could draw a nice parallel to England defeating Spain 1-0 last week in a friendly and Manchester United winning 1-0 at Swansea City, which pundits are trying to position as the Barcelona of England.
Both winning teams won ugly, but didn't earn style points in the process.
United did enough and made the early Chicharito gifted goal hold up, while Swansea played a lot of passes, but didn't create too many chances to trouble United.
The Red Devils are playing more-and-more close games as goals have been harder to come by. Since defeating Chelsea 3-1 in mid-September United have only scored multiple goals in games against this murderers row: Leeds United, FC Basel, Norwich City, Otelu Galati and Aldershot town. That Chelsea result was the last time Wayne Rooney scored in a Premier League game, too.
Swansea? For all the nice talk about how well this team passes and possesses, it's still relying on unproven Danny Graham for goals. It's not too crazy to see this team sinking as the season progresses like a Burnley or Hull City or even Blackpool.
Great vs. Good:
Take heed if you're a Newcastle United fan. Sure the Magpies lost 3-1 at Manchester City, but remember, too, how the goals came. The first was a penalty on a Ryan Taylor handball, the second, Taylor got torched on a run by Michah Richards and the final was another spot kick.
Not a disaster, they even got a late goal from Dan Gosling.
Newcastle probably doesn't have enough quality to hang with the top four in the league all year, but this team isn't terrible. Is seventh or eighth place a season to celebrate?
It won't get any easier for the club with next week's game at Old Trafford followed by a home game against Chelsea. Maybe the best word for the Magpies at this juncture is solid.
Around the League:
If you're not following Joey Barton on Twitter, it's your loss. His incendiary comments to Stoke fans who threw money at him during QPR's 3-2 win at the Britianna Stadium are what the service was created for. Two goals by Icelandic hero Heidar Helguson were key for QPR. ... Wigan coughed up a late 3-2 lead and Blackburn got a 3-3 draw from the two bottom teams in the league, aka the "You're a Loser and a Loser" match. ... Sunderland 0, Fulham 0, if a Premier League match falls in the woods, does it make a sound? ... Everton got a semi-weak penalty late against Wolves at Goodison Park, but Leighton Baines converted it and the Toffees can breath easier for a couple days. The idea David Moyes will have money to spend in January is somewhat laughable. Guess they'll be sending scouts to the Cypriot second division post haste. ...
Fantasy Team O' the week:
Mark Chambers Nott Real FC put up 65 points this week with captain Robin van Persie (hint, hint) leading the way. Also contributing were Phil Jones, Sergio Aguero and Jon Walters.
Bummer of the Week:
Today's Tottenham/Aston Villa game is only available on ESPN3.com and ESPN Deportes. Boo. Hiss. The only saving grant is that the game is being bumped for college basketball on ESPN, not a show were idiots yell at each other.
Bye-Bye Beckham:
With Sunday night's historic MLS Cup in the books, it's probably worth tipping the cap in the direction of David Beckham as he heroically lifts the Phil Anchultz Trophy and rides off into the Parisian night. I just feel so proud that I'll be able to tell my grandkids I was alive during the Beckham era.
As purely life-affirming as sports get.
Also can't wait until they release a "Moneyball" style movie about Beckham's five years in America. Hell, they can use most of the same cast. Brad Pitt can play Beckham and if Jonah Hill gains a little weight he's Bruce Arena. Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane can play themselves since they've both looked the same at age 20 as they do now at age 30.
Random Thing of the Week:
Keep an eye and ear open for a new phrase that seems to be gaining traction at all levels of soccer, where people comment how a forward or striker, "comes back to get the ball." Should be a good trope soon enough.
One Other Thing:
Say Hi to Ajax backup keeper Jeroen Verhoeven. Not only does he share an amazing last name with director, Paul, and look like a cross between Frank Sobotka and Christopher Cross, but well ... just watch the video and be blown away.
Labels: EPL, manchester city, manchester United, Premier League, Soccer
We're back after the (welcome) international break, so let's take a couple quick hits around the world before settling back in for the long haul leading up to Christmas.
* This topic will be explored at length at a future date, but if you were starting a Premier League team from scratch tomorrow, who would be your first pick? In the past, that answer was pretty easy since you'd likely opt for a two-way, hard-charging midfielder in the Cesc Fabregas/Steven Gerrard mold, or go with the chalk pick of Wayne Rooney or Cristiano Ronaldo.
Nowadays, it's not necessarily so clear cut.
If you had to pick the best player in the EPL at the moment, most would probably opt for Manchester City midfielder David Silva or maybe an in-form Robin van Persie. As skilled as both of these attackers are, would you make them your No. 1 pick? You'd have to do a lot of filling in around them, ie defensive enforcers in order to let them do their thing.
It's something to ponder since fewer teams are playing a straight 4-4-2 where you needed that true, two-way midfield warrior in the center of the field. More-and-more Premier League teams seem to be defined by speedy hybrid wing/attack players, which also -- as written at length on the Web -- means the death knell for the classic English two-man strike tandem.
Curious, basically, if you guys had that No. 1 pick to build a team who would you take?
* Only the self-loathing England fans could bemoan a 1-0 win over Spain, since stylistically it wasn't very pleasing.
* If you're going to bet on Germany to win Euro 2012, do it fast because the odds are dwindling by the day. Right now the Germans are 5-to-1, basically right at Spain 4-to-1. Don't love any of the the other longshots, either. Maybe, don't laugh, England at 10-to-1.
* Felt like it was necessary to throw in one or two thoughts on the USMNT via there loss to France and 3-2 win over Slovenia, without overreacting to either result.
Let's just say the U.S. defense needs a lot of work and nobody's spot should be safe. Carlos Bocanegra has about zero pace now, what will it be in three years? You can't expect Tim Howard to stand on his head every match.
Fabian Johnson looked good and (buzzword alert) composed on the ball. Yes, it's my cynical nature, but I'm not going to go gaga over one game for a player. If there's one thing as U.S. fans were guilty of, it's overrating players off one game. Let's see how it all shakes out.
Considering there doesn't seem to be a lot of overflowing talent in the U.S. ranks -- across the globe in fact -- this team might have to continue to grind to get results like the Bob Bradley era. If this is ever going to change, Jurgen Klinsmann is going to have to make good on his seemingly mythical plan to overhaul the U.S. youth development program.
* Finally, what is there to say about Sepp Blatter. The FIFA boss is a jackass in the truest sense of the word. His latest gaffe via his solution to solve on-field racist abuse between players -- a postgame handshake -- is so beyond dumb even George W. Bush is laughing at it. Seriously. Could you possibly be a bigger fool?
Then again, you may have to lay off Sepp just a little bit. Your mind would be warped, too, if you'd attention as many "Eyes Wide Shut" style parties as he probably has in his life.
Saturday:
* Norwich City v. Arsenal -- (Live, 7:45 a.m., ESPN2) Be honest, Gooners, you're just a little bit worried about Grant Holt throwing his burly gut into Laurent Koscielny, running him over and scoring a late winner. Or Leon Barnett sliding in studs up on Aaron Ramsey. Never change, Gooners, never change. ... Norwich City 1, Arsenal 2
* Sunderland v. Fulham -- This is among the most nondescript games we're going to see this season. Sunderland aren't very good at home, Fulham still have troubles on the road. Neither side seems to have a lot of "juice" this year. ... Sunderland 1, Fulham 0
* West Brom v. Bolton --Aboslutely no idea what to make here. West Brom isn't very good, but neither is Bolton. How's that for crackerjack analysis! ... West Brom 1, Bolton 1
* Wigan Athletic v. Blackburn Rovers -- I'll try note to make a joke here because I like Roberto Martinez. I can make a case for Blackburn at least being frisky because they have a knack for scoring goals -- even in losses. Wigan? There's just not that much there anymore. Wonder if both sides in the Charles N'Zogbia deal to Villa would like to do a do-over? ... Wigan 1, Blackburn 2
* Manchester City v. Newcastle United -- (Live, FSC, 10 a.m.) We wait and we wait, sometimes, for a match that is actually intriguing. This one is it. City, as we know, are very talented and barring an asteroid landing on their training ground, are in prime position to win the league. Newcastle United might be good. We really don't know if the Magpies undefeated start is a mirage or the work and planning of Alan Pardew paying off. If you doubt Newcastle, it's mainly down to the fact the defense -- Fabrico Colocinni, Ryan Taylor -- are the same as last season and they're really nothing special. A team like City could and should expose them. That said, even if Newcastle do lose this match, it's doubtful the club implodes since they seem to be on the same page and have an actual leader in Yohan Cabaye. Really looking forward to this one, shame I have to work right about the time it kicks off. ... Manchester City 1, Newcastle United 0
* Everton v. Wolves -- (Live, Fox Soccer Plus, 10 a.m.) It's too early to call this a "must win" but if you're Everton ... you have to win this game. ... Everton 2, Wolves 0
* Stoke City v. QPR -- Bloom is off that Stoke City, rose, eh? Guess if it's any consolation, England's win over Spain was labeled "Stoke-esque," naturally it wasn't a compliment. Stoke are Stoke. The Potters will finish between 8-13th and go about its business. Nothing less. Nothing more. Granted, he never would have co-existed with Tony Pulis, but Joey Barton is the type of player Stoke have lacked since coming up to the top flight in England. Stoke still lacks that creative midfield spark, which sometimes holds them back to their one-dimensional, bludgeoning routine. Think we'll see some goals here. ... Stoke City 3, QPR 2
* Swansea City v. Manchester United -- (Live, FSC, 12:30 p.m.) Now it's time to see if all this Swansea is Welsh Barcelona is real, because as we know Barca ran circles around United last time the teams played. A lot of this game probably goes down to how motivated Sir Alex gets United. Are they ready to run around and chase the Swans possession game? We can assume Swansea won't be ready to bow down and kiss the ring, right? In the end the hodge podge in the middle of Anderson/Michael Carrick/Darren Fletcher can do enough in the middle. It might work against Swansea, probably not against Barcelona. ... Swansea City 1, Manchester United 2
Sunday:
* Chelsea v. Liverpool -- (Live, FSC, 11 a.m./replayed before or after NFL on FOX) For once I'm not totally turned off by this match before it even kicks off, and that's not just because I can make who's a bigger racist -- John Terry or Luis Suarez jokes all game on Twitter. (It's Terry, by the way.)
These are two teams with plenty of talent on the books, but it's talent that doesn't seem 100 percent assured of itself as both sides are still working in a lot of new players.
If there's something to watch -- which I'm sure FSC's newest commentator Piers Morgan (really?) will tell you -- Chelsea don't play defense any more, while Liverpool have these weird games where they have about a million chances but can't score. Oh right, there's the whole cross-pollanation between the teams with Fernando Torres and Raul Mereirles moving from Anfield to Stamford Bridge in the last six months.
However this result breaks, it shouldn't be cataclysmic for either side. Chelsea probably aren't good enough to win the League anyway, while Liverpool should hang around the Top Four for a Champions League place regardless. This is more about hanging one on a team that you hate. ... Chelsea 2, Liverpool 1
Monday:
* Tottenham v. Aston Villa -- (Live, ESPN3.com so we can watch Colin Cowherd instead, 3 p.m.) No Rafa? No Arry? No worry for Spurs? Guess Emmanuel Adebayor takes the sting away from selling off Darren Bent all these years ago. Another one of those games with a lot of crossover on both rosters (Kyle Walker, Jermaine Jenas, Alan Hutton, Brad Freidel, Bent). Spurs are due a clunker, but probably not here. Odd Villa stat, they've drawn four of their five away matches, yet have conceded nine goals in those games. ... Spurs 3, Aston Villa 1
Last round: 7-3 Season: 59-50
U.S. at Slovenia (today, noon, ESPN2) ... inquiring minds wants to know where will Koman Coulibaly be watching this match? And what's the over/under on amount of times ESPN replays Maurice Edu's goal that wasn't a goal at the 2010 World Cup?
Since this is probably the final match from the U.S. in 2011, let's at least cobble together a couple quick thoughts, considering time is at a premium these days. (Or maybe it's that devoting too many brain cells to an instantly forgettable friendly is a cure sign of insanity.)
* It's probably too early to use the term, "sold a bill of goods," but a couple months into the Jurgen Klinsmann era it's been ... pretty boring. The theory that the U.S. would experience a media gladnost under the German coach seems to be accurate, however the idea the U.S. would move away from the stale malaise exhibited in the waning days of Bob Bradley seem to be a figment of Sunil Gulati's imagination, so far.
* Jozy Altidore, physically at least, looked imposing in the game vs. France. Can he play basically by himself up top? Does he need a running mate? Didn't Germany go a lot of 4-4-2 under Klinsman?
* Hard to find much logic in the fact Klinsmann keeps calling in Robbie Rogers, while leaving Freddy Adu out.
* Since I don't follow MLS obsessively, aside from Brad Davis (injured anyway) and Omar Gonzalez (playing in the league final) anyone from the league unfairly being snubbed by Klinsmann?
* It's weird, but with all the Bundesliga imports Klinsmann is trying to court, it's like its 1996 all over again. Remember when you'd watch a U.S. game -- basically the only non-Mexican league games on American television at the time -- and you'd hear how Earnie Stewart played for this semi-mythical team NAC Breda, or that Thomas Dooley was employed by something called Kaiserslautern.
That's how it almost feels with guys like Fabian Johnson or Danny Williams. Yeah, at this point, a lot of American soccer folks know all about TSG Hoffenheim, but at the same time how often to we ever get a glimpse of these teams in action? They're not in the Champions League, so all you get are those one or two VHS-tape quality Bundesliga games on GolTV per week. (Same for some of those guys toiling away in obscurity in various Scandinavian ports of call.)
Granted, this isn't a huge issue, but as a fan it's hard to find a connection to guys who seemingly appeared overnight, show up for a couple international games, then disappear back into the ether.
* The last couple U.S. games, admittedly, have made me reevaluate international soccer, which seems to be about 83 percent tedious and 99 percent a money-making scheme by Sepp and his cronies.
The World Cup Finals -- awesome. The European Championship? The Copa America or even the African Cup of Nations -- lots of fun. The run up to those tournaments? Until the final couple matchdays? Not all that compelling. Plus, by its nature international games aren't quite as open and exciting as weekly club action, so it's the drama of the tournaments themselves that make a lot of the magic happen.
And friendlies ... sigh.
* Whatever mitigating factors ... two goals in six games under Klinsmann is atrocious. (Oddly enough, aside from the 1-1 draw vs. Brazil in his debut, the other five Klinsmann games have been 1-0 results.)
* It's only a friendly, three years from a World Cup, months from games that matter and all that jazz, but at least send U.S. fans into the January training camp with something, anything. Another listless 90 minutes shrugged off by Klinsmann isn't the end of the world in the grand scheme of things, but it doesn't inspire much confidence, either.
* Please Ian Darke, don't succumb to the powers of John Harkes and continue to give a fair, honest evaluation of the games, instead of sugar coating it like the Captain.
* Multiple reporters have already labeled Samir Handanovič the best keeper in Serie A, for whatever that's worth.
* Keep an eye on Palermo's Josip Iličić, too.
Labels: jurgen klinsmann, Soccer, USMNT
"I guess I'll to have, I guess I'll have to wait and seeeeee." -- Holy Ghost!, "Wait & See."
Kind of a weird time for the U.S. National Soccer Team, isn't it?
We're still about seven months before the team plays a game that "matters," although back-to-back friendlies with former World Cup champion France, along with Slovenia -- both on hallowed European soil -- are a nice diversion. (For everyone's sake, let's avoid bad, stale French jokes. This picture shall suffice on that front.)
Hey, anything is better than a match against Guatemala or Denmark's C team, right?
In the meantime, Jurgen Klinsmann continues to scour the globe(*) for any soccer player who a) may have a drop of American blood; b) has lived in America for a year or two as teenagers or c) has eaten a McRib.
(*) Part of me pictures Klinsmann in a WWI-era biplane with a leather aviation cap and goggles, sort of panning the globe in Indian Jones fashion with a map in the background.
You almost have to think of Sunil Gulati called in Klinsmann a couple days after he hired him in the summer and threw a sack of printed out, angry emails from fans upset that Giuseppe Rossi chose to play for Italy, rather than the U.S. Can't you see Gulati stamping his feet, never EVER again. You hear me.(**)
(**) I imagine this scene played out like when Mr. Burns ordered Smithers to assemble the best set of softball ringers the world had seen.
All jokes aside, this is probably the right tact for the U.S. at this stage. Granted, if you claim to know anything tangible about this almost random German-Americans that Klinsmann is bringing into the fold aside from their name or what Google searching yields, you're a better man than I -- and I do love me some grainy YouTube footage.
The thing is, the U.S. can use whomever they can find. There simply isn't an overflowing abundance of world class talent on the books at the moment.
Aside from Clint Dempsey, Tim Howard and Landon Donovan, which U.S. players can you say are automatic starters? Guys who's positions in the team are unquestioned, with the skills to back it up? And those three aren't getting any younger. Might as well try to find as many different options that the exceedingly lax FIFA laws allow.
If there's a caveat to this catch-all, globe-trotting approach, it's that Klinsmann's other stated goal -- developing a style for the U.S. -- isn't exactly simple when you're throwing a handful of German-Americans from the Bundesliga, some Mexican-Americans playing in the Primera Division de Mexico, a couple MLS stalwarts and the other U.S. players scattered across the globe. There are only so many international days on the calendar. Trying to forge a united, one-minded side out of all these disparate players and playing styles is part of what makes the U.S. job so challenging. (Then again, you could draw some parallels between this and the way America the country is supposed to work on paper.)
However it all pans out, whatever Klinsmann's gran plan for the U.S. is, this is still a game on European soil against a Top 10 team in the world. Perhaps not the best situation to continue experimenting, but so it goes.
Miscellany:
* Modern international soccer in a nutshell? Alfredo Morales. Born in Peru. Lives and plays in Germany, yet can represent the U.S. internationally. Guess it makes sense.
* Hip, hip hooray! Jermaine Jones is back with the U.S. Really felt like we were all being cheated by being denied the Jones-Michael Bradley midfield.
* Jozy Altidore seems to be enjoying his time in the Netherlands with AZ like a submarine crew member who's been on assignment for eight months and is now on shore leave. Four goals in 15 games already tops his combined totals at Hull City, Villareal, Xerez and Bursapor. You do have to wonder, though, do they even bother to play defense in the Eredivisie or do they just throw up a couple cardboard cutouts?
* Absolutely the right move for Landon Donovan to skip these games to prep for the MLS Cup next week. No arguments.
* When you boil it down, kind of a shame the way DaMarcus Beasley's club career panned out. He played a role in that great Guus Hiddink-led PSV side that lost in the 2004-05 Champions League semifinals to AC Milan (other players on that team: Ji-Sung Park, Mark van Bommel, Alex, Jefferson Farfan, ahem, Gomes) then had that ill-fated loan to Manchester City -- before the Middle Eastern oil tycoon takeover. From 2007-11 he only played about 30-ish game for Rangers and then a brief spell with Hannover 96. So in a weird way, now that he's with Puebla, he might have a lot of game left in his legs despite the fact he'll turn 30 in May.
* Michael Orozco-Fisal = Klinsmann's Jonathan Bornstein. Convince me otherwise, Internet.
* Looks like France might, stress, might be turning a page under Blanc. Instead of a team that was loaded with defensive midfielders and strikes with basically no defenders, there are some fresh faces in the mix. It's possible Mamadou Sakho and Yan M'Villa -- each 21 -- to be the foundations of this team going forward, although neither might start for Laurent Blanc today.
* As a U.S. fan, it warms the heart that Laurent Koscielny is poised to make his first senior appearance for France.
* If Wikipedia is to be believed, this is one German with American ancestry that Klinsmann might want to leave out of future National Team camps.
* There is probably a good Aldo Raine/Inglorious Basterds joke in there somewhere. Guess we'll have to wait until Klinsmann calls in Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz.
Lineup Guess:
GK -- Howard
DEF -- Cherundolo -- Oneywu -- Bocanegra -- Chandler
MID -- Rogers -- Beckerman -- Bradley -- Shea
FOR -- Altidore -- Dempsey
Final Thought:
Shame this game wasn't being played an hour or two later. Think it might have gotten some nice traction for the Friday Happy Hour crowds. Who doesn't love a live sporting event -- albeit a friendly -- at 5 p.m. on a Friday? Then again, if that was the case, ESPN probably would have bumped it in order to give Colin Cowherd even more air time.
[Quick note, have to be somewhere at 5 p.m. today, hence who knows when I'll get to watch the second half and write up some thoughts. Apologies.]
Labels: Friendlies, jurgen klinsmann, Soccer, USMNT
"I was punched in the face. What's your excuse?" -- Max Fischer
In the many years since I've started clattering away in this corner of the World Wide Web, I'd like to think we've established a solid rapport. Me, the crackpot blogger, you the patient, much appreciated reader. So with that said, it doesn't seem necessary to attribute that quote any further.
As we know, excuses are a bane in sports at all levels.
Players, coaches, team executives, fans all -- at one time or another -- use them to justify losses, bad plays, ... general malaise and or apathy. It's easy to make excuses. Much easier than doing things like looking yourself in the mirror to make actual life/sport changes. Blame the other guy, shrug your shoulders and move on. It's the easy way out.
Part of me, when I sat down to start typing out this weekly, poorly spelled, horrifically syntax-ed trip around the English Premier League wanted to wimp out and let my side-splitting, migraine headache -- likely caused by a crippling addiction to my stupid iPhone/laptop during NFL Sundays -- be a built-in excuse. But hey, screw that. It's the easy way out. I know a lot of times come Monday morning, especially lately, this write up hasn't been all that interesting, but this week there's at least one thing I wanted to write about so let's try to do that, deal?
Boring is in the Eye of the Beholder:
Again, not to make everything I write here somehow reflected to my Twitter feed -- hey 140 characters is easy -- but during the week I had a go at ESPN's relentless hype of the LSU/Alabama No. 1 vs. No. 2 NCAA Football game, which was essentially THE MOST IMPORTANT GAME EVER PLAYED. EVER.
Part of me Saturday didn't want to watch the game just to make a point -- and avoid CBS promos. (Yeah, ESPN went overboard with the hype despite the fact it was aired on another network.(*)) Still, come kickoff -- exhausted and cold -- I did like 18 million other red blooded Americans and watched the game.
And, boy, what a game it was -- 9-6 -- in overtime, no less! Let's Geeeeeeeaux Tigers!(**)
A funny thing started happening during the game, lots of soccer people started chiming in on Twitter, taking a poke at the game and pumping up soccer in the process. In essence, if you're a person that will blindly say this gridiron defensive struggle is a "great" game, then you can't exactly make fun of a 0-0 soccer game for being boring. The logic was sound, though I'd have thought we were past that sort of argument with soccer in America.
It was a good contrast, since earlier in the day the Liverpool/Swansea City match finished 0-0, yet it was a very compelling game, with lots of twists and turns, including Andy Carroll missing a wide open chance early, some great saves from both Pepe Reina and Michel Vorm, plus a whole lot of Luis Suarez. Quickly on Swansea, haven't we seen this before? A promoted team impressive before Christmas and then fades? Not to say that'll happen to the Swans, who are playing excellent and attractive soccer, but Brendan Rodgers' team has a lot left to do before it takes any bows.
When you watch enough sports -- whatever the level -- they tend to blend into one big blur, especially in the age of ESPN when whatever is on at the give moment can be billed as THE MOST IMPORTANT GAME EVER.. Some are good, some are bad, most are forgettable and disposable as we move onto the next MOST IMPORTANT GAME EVER the next night.
Rarely, it seems, do we witness a truly remarkable sporting event, which made Game Six of the 2011 World Series so memorable. That felt like something historic ... and it just sort of happened organically.
Entertainment is in the eye of the beholder, whatever the sport or art form.
So there isn't a great big conclusion here, we're intelligent sports fans. A "good game" isn't necessarily defined one way or another by tons of offense or loads of points. A Michael Bay movie might have a lot of explosions. Does it make it a good movie simply on the basis of a bunch of robots breaking skyscrapers?
Nah, you can have that I'll stick with stuff like "Rushmore."
The nice thing is, we'll probably both be entertained and we don't even have to argue about it.
(*) Again this is a chicken/egg argument, but wouldn't ESPN be served to at least address MLS playoffs -- an entity it does have the rights for -- across some of its platforms? MLS isn't a television ratings bonanza, but with so many hours to fill of live "Sportscenter" and whatnot, why not give the league more than a cursory glance. Maybe give it three minutes. Then again, MLS does appear to be one of the few sports entities where viewers are immune to the WWL hype machine.
(**) More free advice: if you are ever in a social situation, say, a party with a girl from Louisiana, who claims to be an LSU fan, don't ask her if anyone in her family has "eaux" in their last name. It's for the best.
A Quick Second on Sir Alex:
Is there any reason to wax poetic here about Sir Alex Ferguson. Love him or hate him, the man is a sporting legend, even if the seemingly weekly ESPN halftime soft focus features make you want to vomit.
Twenty-five years at Manchester United? The treble? The 31 trophies (though 10 are Community Shields)?
What more needs to be said, really? It was certainly a nice gesture by the club to name the massive stand in his honor. If not him, who else? Special moment.
Having said all that, barely 24 hours after United defeated Sunderland, having a tough time trying to remember anything from the match, aside from the reappearance of that delightful chap, "Own Goal." (You know Wes Brown wanted to pay his own personal tribute to Sir Alex, didn't you?)
This is a team that needs to regroup after the international break and try to find that form it carried over from its summer North American tour.
As great as the weekend was for Sir Alex, from a sentimental standpoint, it wasn't perfect for the Scot. It seemed like we were close to another chance for him to flash the shit-eating grin, with QPR taking a 1-0 lead vs. first place Manchester City and later tying the match 2-2 before ultimately losing 3-2 on a Yaya Toure goal. (Note, never take David Silva out of your fantasy lineup, even if it's listed with a 75 percent chance of not playing.)
Most weekends it feels like it's Sir Alex's world and we're all living in it ... if only so.
Looking Up in North London:
Shoveling the dirt on Arsenal and Arsene Wenger in September, as expected, proved foolish. Sure it was fun to have a laugh at the beleaguered Frenchman, but anyone who thought the Gunners would languish in the relegation zone were a little silly.
For one, as usual, Arsenal's fortunes come down to the health of its players. This team is much different when the very useful Thomas Vermaelen is part of the defense instead of, say, Johan Djourou or Sebastian Squilacci. Theoretically, the Belgian international paired with Per Mertesacker should make the Gunners less susceptible to set pieces for their height alone.
Then there is the absolutely pistol-hot Robin van Persie, who scored again in the Gunners 3-0 win over West Brom -- bit of a garbage goal this time from the Dutchman, but who's counting? He did add two assists and now leads the Premier League with 11 goals, vaulting past Edin Dzeko, Sergio Aguero and Wayne Rooney.
If Aaron Ramsey continues his upward trend from his long road back from his broken leg, Arsenal should be reasonably fierce the rest of the way. (And as I mentioned in August, the Arteta/Andre Santos signings might not be great long-term, they'd stabilize the team for this season.)
If you're an Arsenal fan, the best thing you can say about the club right now, is it seems a little settled. Players aren't openly talking about leaving. Every single result isn't a matter of life and death. Is this team good enough to catch Manchester City? Probably not. Do we know if the team will crumple with the first bad result or touch of adversity in the coming months? Who knows.
At the very least, Arsenal is fun to watch again.
As hot as Arsenal's been, it's their North London neighbors in white that can't stop winning games.
Tottenham found a way to grind out a 3-1 win over Fulham, in a match that screamed out to finish 2-2 in the final 10 minutes, which would have been typical Tottenham fashion. Suppose the players were ultimately inspired by an ailing Harry Redknapp, which surely caused Clint Dempsey et al to miss from close range after numerous late scrums inside the box, right?
Not sure when or why the good times will stop at White Hart Lane, but aside from a Dec. 22 date with Chelsea, Spurs' upcoming schedule is very manageable.
And, it also bears noting, in a total shocker ... Tottenham is a much better team after fighting off Chelsea and retaining Luka Modric, even if he locks himself in his bathroom listening to Chopin piano concertos every other week on Tuesday and Wednesday when the Champions League is in action.
Around the League:
Admittedly, during his time on the Champions League call in the Bristol Broom Closet, I never had much affinity toward Derek Rae. That was probably more because of working with Tommy Smyth. So I'll give the Scot credit, he filled Ian Darke's shoes ably Saturday morning during Newcastle's 2-1 win over Everton. ... Nice win for the Magpies, who remain unbeaten. Great strike by defender Ryan Taylor for the winner. Yohan Cabaye did leave the game with injury, which bears watching when the club returns from the international break with a massive stretch of games. ... Not going to heap any misery on poor Farmer Jones via Everton's precariously place above the drop zone. He's had a rough enough weekend with his other sports teams. ... Rarely do I do a cartoonish eye-bulge, but Bolton 5, Stoke City 0 was one of those moments. ... Maybe this is it for Wigan. A loss to Wolves Sunday pushed Roberto Martinez's team to the bottom. The cubboard seems bare, but haven't we all said that before? ... Not inclined to write much about Chelsea's 1-0 win over Blackburn. Suffering from a bit of Chelsea fatigue at the moment. There's minimal joy around the Blues these days. ... Sunderland losses strike Connor Wickham for a few months with a knee injury. Shame, I had a ton of "he looks like Josh Hamilton" jokes lined up. (And no, that's not insinuating the young Englishman has ever smoked crystal meth out of a lightbulb.)
Fantasy Team O' the Week:
Well, a hearty tip of the cap to my actual-life friend Jared Keene (a great FIFA player) for a 90-point week, thanks to van Persie, David Silva, Gabby Agbonlahor, Ryan Taylor, Nani and Vorm. Well-played.
One Other Thing:
If you read/follow my Twitter feed, or this little blog-o-roonie you know my Sunday mornings are spent playing -- more realistically rolling around in the dirt -- playing softball with my friends. Anyways, the season ended with a loss in the quarterfinals Sunday, so I'll be with you for the Sunday kickoffs from here on out.(Settle down, I can hear your cheering from here. Sheesh.)
One semi-funny story. In the third inning of our second game of the morning -- after my team had posted four straight hits mind you -- a couple soccer moms and dads walked across the outfield and started complaining. See the outfield at this venue is used for soccer, occasionally. So they were super pissed we were playing when their little darlings had an epic U-9 match to play and didn't want to get hit by a softball -- a reasonable argument -- yet they, as you'd expect, were massive dicks about it.
I yelled, semi-kidding in their direction from the bench, this is all we (or at least I) have, this is it, your kids have their entire futures ahead of them, all we've got is softball, so don't take it away from us. Please.
Song of the Week:
This song by Waters really isn't anything special. It's catchy, crunchy, distortion rock. Felt like linking it because they actually took the time to make a video. The video, again, isn't anything special and seems like something you'd have seen circa 1994 from Soundgarden, yet considering nobody really cares about videos any more, it sort of fits with the vibe of the song and it's slightly above average-ness.
Labels: English Premier League, EPL, Monday recaps, Soccer, why even bother with tags on these posts?
***
One of those weeks, folks, the stars didn't quite align, the genius didn't filter down through my fingers. No sense lying about it, right?
Instead, threw up a couple videos from the best Premier League goals from earlier in the year. Figure that's basically just as good as whatever rambling I come up with.
Saturday:
* Newcastle United v. Everton -- (Live, ESPN2, 8:45 a.m.) After the Magpies beat Stoke City on Monday the stories started flying around the web trying to make sense of the team's unbeaten run, in light of losing its most influential (in theory) players from last season. Most everyone chalked it up to extensive scouting, particularly in France. Makes you wonder, who's the next to wash up at St. James Park, a conehead? (Oh, don't roll your eyes, who doesn't love 1977 SNL references?) Eventually Newcastle is going to lose, probably in two weeks against Manchester City, if not then against Manchester United. Still, this team -- at least the core of it -- seems pretty sound. Maybe it's a vanilla 4-4-2 set up with not much flair -- if you created a generic striker in "FIFA 12" he would be Demba Ba -- but it works. Everton looked on the uptick a couple matches ago, and now are hovering above the bottom three. Must be a fun life supporting a club like this. At least the Toffees have authenticity, right? (Not a good job by Ian Darke, but a great job, going from MLS playoffs in Los Angeles on Thursday Night ... Newcastle United 2, Everton 0
* Manchester United v. Sunderland -- (Live, FSC+, 11 a.m.) Wonder if Steve Bruce will try to "tap up" Jonny Evans at halftime? Maybe before the opening kick. After full time, surely. Joking aside, this match might not as easy as it sounds for Manchester United, which is without Ashley Young and Tom Cleverly, meaning more of a creative burden heaped on Wayne Rooney. You have to wonder, a little, why Sir Alex didn't spend a little more time in the last couple months trying to plant an ear in Luka Modric's ear that Old Trafford, not Stamford Bridge should have been his future. Also, it might be recording the commentary for this game to see the announcers lobbing plaudits on Sir Alex for his 25 years in charge at Manchester United. Should be downright Favrian. ... Manchester United 1, Sunderland 0
* Arsenal v. West Brom -- Word I'm hearing is that defensive will be optional in this one. ... Arsenal 4, West Brom 1
* Aston Villa v. Norwich City -- Norwich City is actually ahead of Villa by a point in the table, despite a lack of "big" names on its roster. Also, in the Canaries benefit they actually seem like a team that can be fun to watch, instead of the agony that 90 minutes of Villa usually involve. Even with Darren Bent and a rejuvenated Gabriel Agbonlahor, Villa have been one of my least favorite teams to watch this season. To the surprise of nobody, too, Charles N'Zogbia has been N'visible since moving to Villa from Wigan. ... Aston Villa 1, Norwich City 1
* Blackburn Rovers v. Chelsea -- (Live, FSC, 11 a.m.) If only Fred Savage and Judge Reinhold were somehow involved in this match, then Blackburn fans could chant racist taunts instead of anti-Steve Kean ones, while Chelsea fans could scream about AVB instead of, ya know, being racists and all. Too bad El Hadj Diouf wasn't still around Ewood Park to spit on John Terry. Chelsea can't expect to just throw their boots on the field and expect to win this, either, since Blackburn -- even in last place -- has been scoring goals this season. ... Blackburn 1, Chelsea 2
* Liverpool v. Swansea City -- Big game here for Lucas to try to break up the fast-moving Swansea passing game, because lord knows Charlie Adam isn't tracking back aside from sticking his leg out to trip Scott Sinclair when he isn't looking. Pretty sure this should be end-to-end stuff. Against type, Swansea made Danny Graham its biggest signing in the summer adding him from Watford. He's scored four goals and seems to be getting better. Go figure. ... Liverpool 3, Swansea 2
* QPR v. Manchester City -- (Live, FSC, 1:30 p.m.) Maybe we'll get to see if, in fact, David Silva is City's most important player since he might not play after picking up a back injury on Champions league duty. Guess that means an increased workload for Adam Johnson who's morphed from more of a pure winger this season. City are also without Vincent Kompany, who was the team's MVP last year. Does that open up the door for QPR? Could be better than it sounds. ... QPR 0, Manchester City 2
Sunday:
* Wolves v. Wigan Athletic -- (Live, FSC+, 8:30 a.m.) If you wake up early on Sunday, wherever you might live, I salute thee. ... Wolves 1, Wigan 0
* Bolton v. Stoke City -- If you wake up early on Sunday and try to find an illegal stream of this match ... well ... I might be calling the police, or Interpol. ... Bolton 1, Stoke City 1
* Fulham v. Tottenham -- (Live, FSC, 11 a.m.) Are any Harry Redknapp jokes out of bounds after he had heart surgery to avoid going to the middle of nowhere Russia for Spurs' Europa League match against Rubin Kazan? Do you think Martin Jol dies a little inside every time Gareth Bale scores a goal? Well, maybe not dies, but he probably lights up another cig. Is it wrong to think the other shoe is about to drop on Tottenham, which hasn't lost a league game since August? ... Fulham 1, Spurs 2
Last week: 4-6
Season: 52-47
