1. The wrong team won at Wembley.
The simple stats may point to one club battering the other, but the reality was that a considerably lesser team went toe to toe with Liverpool’s expensively assembled pool of mediocrity and out fought them for 120 minutes. Cardiff showed heart, skill and energy. The majority of Liverpool’s team had turned up simply expecting to win. Already the worst shooters in the league, Pool’s £110m front five, plus Gerrard, mustered up a preposterous 45 shots on goal and well over 100 corners. It took a defender to get them back into the game and the oncoming Dirk Kuyt to finally get them over the finish line. Suarez and Carroll were bad beyond all belief, the first barely trying and sulking for the majority of the match and the latter just unable to head the ball anywhere near the goal. Neither player took part in what tried to pass as a penalty shoot out, a damning statement upon £60m of attacking talent. Liverpool, of course, eventually did win the match and claim a trophy that still looks beyond Arsene Wenger; they may even win the FA Cup given the teams that have gone out. But even if they did, the cold hard facts are that Kenny Daglish’s Liverpool team are supremely average. They remain the least likely of the Chelsea/Arsenal trio to claim 4th spot and unless they start scoring goals and fast, they will once again contemplate a season without major European football. That may be good enough for some teams, but for Liverpool, after all that money spent, it’s not even close.
The simple stats may point to one club battering the other, but the reality was that a considerably lesser team went toe to toe with Liverpool’s expensively assembled pool of mediocrity and out fought them for 120 minutes. Cardiff showed heart, skill and energy. The majority of Liverpool’s team had turned up simply expecting to win. Already the worst shooters in the league, Pool’s £110m front five, plus Gerrard, mustered up a preposterous 45 shots on goal and well over 100 corners. It took a defender to get them back into the game and the oncoming Dirk Kuyt to finally get them over the finish line. Suarez and Carroll were bad beyond all belief, the first barely trying and sulking for the majority of the match and the latter just unable to head the ball anywhere near the goal. Neither player took part in what tried to pass as a penalty shoot out, a damning statement upon £60m of attacking talent. Liverpool, of course, eventually did win the match and claim a trophy that still looks beyond Arsene Wenger; they may even win the FA Cup given the teams that have gone out. But even if they did, the cold hard facts are that Kenny Daglish’s Liverpool team are supremely average. They remain the least likely of the Chelsea/Arsenal trio to claim 4th spot and unless they start scoring goals and fast, they will once again contemplate a season without major European football. That may be good enough for some teams, but for Liverpool, after all that money spent, it’s not even close.
2. A new adjective is required for Ryan Giggs.
38, 900 appearances and still popping up with match winning performances... each and every year new records tumble, new words need to be invented to describe the ongoing brilliance of Ryan Giggs. The Welshman’s performances, fitness and pace haven’t dipped over the past 5 years, indeed there’s an argument to say he’s improved in that time. Since reinventing himself and changing his game he has added years to his career and is now without a doubt, the greatest player the Premier League has known. His latest trick was to ghost in at the far post after another 90 minutes of excellence and provide Utd with a beyond priceless three points. The most pleasing thing about this latest chapter in the Neverending Story, was the reaction of Giggs following the goal. This wasn’t a calm, seen it all before celebration. There was not a trace of arrogance. No, Giggsy celebrated with the passion of an 18 year old netting his first goal. Punching the air with delight and running to the Utd fans with a fair degree of madness, if his team do win the title this year, this moment will be remembered as much as any. Arise sir...
38, 900 appearances and still popping up with match winning performances... each and every year new records tumble, new words need to be invented to describe the ongoing brilliance of Ryan Giggs. The Welshman’s performances, fitness and pace haven’t dipped over the past 5 years, indeed there’s an argument to say he’s improved in that time. Since reinventing himself and changing his game he has added years to his career and is now without a doubt, the greatest player the Premier League has known. His latest trick was to ghost in at the far post after another 90 minutes of excellence and provide Utd with a beyond priceless three points. The most pleasing thing about this latest chapter in the Neverending Story, was the reaction of Giggs following the goal. This wasn’t a calm, seen it all before celebration. There was not a trace of arrogance. No, Giggsy celebrated with the passion of an 18 year old netting his first goal. Punching the air with delight and running to the Utd fans with a fair degree of madness, if his team do win the title this year, this moment will be remembered as much as any. Arise sir...
3. Arsenal owed Arsene Wenger those 30 minutes.
Wenger deserves a longer leash than most managers given his past achievements at Arsenal, but there’s little doubt he has lost his way over the past few years and this season has reached even lower depths. For 30 minutes yesterday though, his Arsenal starlets reminded the world what they could do when they all hit form at once. Van Persie was electric, Rosisky rolled back 8 years, Song snapped and harried and Walcott was pacey and penetrative. They tore into Spurs with such venom that one of the teams of the season was left exposed and all over the place, unable to prevent their rivals coming at them again and again. The result of course, does not change the fact that Arsenal and their manager still look on borrowed time, but if they can now rally and claim 4th, the players will at least have gone some way to paying back the faith shown by a manager who has given his all to his adopted club.
Wenger deserves a longer leash than most managers given his past achievements at Arsenal, but there’s little doubt he has lost his way over the past few years and this season has reached even lower depths. For 30 minutes yesterday though, his Arsenal starlets reminded the world what they could do when they all hit form at once. Van Persie was electric, Rosisky rolled back 8 years, Song snapped and harried and Walcott was pacey and penetrative. They tore into Spurs with such venom that one of the teams of the season was left exposed and all over the place, unable to prevent their rivals coming at them again and again. The result of course, does not change the fact that Arsenal and their manager still look on borrowed time, but if they can now rally and claim 4th, the players will at least have gone some way to paying back the faith shown by a manager who has given his all to his adopted club.
4. When Peter’s good, he’s very very good.
West Brom have had a strange season and it’s been in part due to the erratic form shown by both Shane Long (who started well and has since faded) and the enigmatic Peter Odemwingie. Last season Odemwingie mixed the surreal and the sublime, being the man of the match one minute, falling over and missing penalties all... the... time... the next. This season has been no different and after an abject start to the campaign he hit form over Christmas netting three in three in some crucial results. He then went missing again and had done next to nothing until a fortnight ago where he scored a hat trick. Adding two more well taken finishes this weekend, Odemwingie is almost unplayable when he’s on song, possessing of quick feet and an assurance of touch that sometimes makes it look like the ball is glued to his feet. He also has a low and powerful shot that regularly makes the keeper work. Of course, none of this is true on days when he turns up and looks like the bastard lovechild of all Bobby Zamora and Emile Heskey’s bad points. When he’s bad he’s bloody awful, but thankfully for West Brom right now, he’s very good indeed.
West Brom have had a strange season and it’s been in part due to the erratic form shown by both Shane Long (who started well and has since faded) and the enigmatic Peter Odemwingie. Last season Odemwingie mixed the surreal and the sublime, being the man of the match one minute, falling over and missing penalties all... the... time... the next. This season has been no different and after an abject start to the campaign he hit form over Christmas netting three in three in some crucial results. He then went missing again and had done next to nothing until a fortnight ago where he scored a hat trick. Adding two more well taken finishes this weekend, Odemwingie is almost unplayable when he’s on song, possessing of quick feet and an assurance of touch that sometimes makes it look like the ball is glued to his feet. He also has a low and powerful shot that regularly makes the keeper work. Of course, none of this is true on days when he turns up and looks like the bastard lovechild of all Bobby Zamora and Emile Heskey’s bad points. When he’s bad he’s bloody awful, but thankfully for West Brom right now, he’s very good indeed.
5. Can Connor really keep the Wolves at bay?
One of the great managerial farces came to an end this week with Wolves finally appointing Mick McCarthy’s assistant as their new boss after 78 managers had turned down the job. Making a mockery of their decision in the first place, Wolves chairman Steve Morgan has poured embarrassment on the club from the moment he undermined the manager by marching into the dressing room last month. Initially turned down by Alan Curbishley, Wolves then offered the job to Walter Smith, Brian McDermott, Gus Poyet and Neil Warnock, before lying about it all when the managers rejected the chance to join them. Finally deciding that anyone was better than Steve Bruce (who now surely has to return to the lower leagues, or go abroad, before he can get near the Premiership again) – Connor was appointed and was off and running in fine style this weekend. Masterminding a comeback against Newcastle at St James’ is never easy, but if Morgan and his club aren’t going to rue their decision, Connor has much bigger tasks ahead. Only surviving relegation will spare Morgan from the fans ire and this weekend told us nothing we don’t already know. It’s three from five... and all bets are off.
One of the great managerial farces came to an end this week with Wolves finally appointing Mick McCarthy’s assistant as their new boss after 78 managers had turned down the job. Making a mockery of their decision in the first place, Wolves chairman Steve Morgan has poured embarrassment on the club from the moment he undermined the manager by marching into the dressing room last month. Initially turned down by Alan Curbishley, Wolves then offered the job to Walter Smith, Brian McDermott, Gus Poyet and Neil Warnock, before lying about it all when the managers rejected the chance to join them. Finally deciding that anyone was better than Steve Bruce (who now surely has to return to the lower leagues, or go abroad, before he can get near the Premiership again) – Connor was appointed and was off and running in fine style this weekend. Masterminding a comeback against Newcastle at St James’ is never easy, but if Morgan and his club aren’t going to rue their decision, Connor has much bigger tasks ahead. Only surviving relegation will spare Morgan from the fans ire and this weekend told us nothing we don’t already know. It’s three from five... and all bets are off.
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