Fergie is many things, a wonderful manager who’s passion for the game remains undimmed at the age of 70 for one. But he is a terribly petulant, frequently childish man who proves time and time again that age is no barrier to ever wanting to grow up. Utd were involved in two cracking games this Christmas, plundering 4 points where lesser teams would have achieved none. But at both of these seasonal crackers were two incidents that saw Fergie at his worst. The first was Ashley Williams “clearing” the ball onto the head of Van Persie. Williams knew exactly what he was doing and probably should have been sent off, but the claim from Fergie that it was the “most dangerous thing he’d ever seen on a football pitch” was so over the top you had to pause for several seconds to wonder if he’d really just said it. This is a man who managed Roy Keane. Fergie followed up this insane outburst yesterday by unleashing his hair dryer on the entire officiating staff at home to Newcastle for correctly awarding a goal against his team. Ok, so the real guilty party here is the terrible offside rule, but right or wrong, his reaction was over the top, out of order and pathetic. He should have been sent to the stands and banned for 5 matches. The FA won’t do that, because whilst I don’t believe Utd still get the big decisions anymore (if you compare the statistical evidence over the past few years Utd sit proudly in mid table and last season they were the most wronged team full stop*), there is no doubt that Fergie rules the roost regarding the League Managers Association. Other managers respect him, even fear him. I just wish one of them would tell him to grow the fuck up.
2. Less Zzzz... more WTF.
And to think I called Villa boring. 12 goals in two matches has changed all that; sadly for Villa fans... they’ve scored none of them. Indeed, when you consider the first half was nil nil against Spurs, Villa have conceded 12 goals in 135 minutes of football. One every dozen or so minutes. Well and truly battered by Rafa’s resurgent Chelsea (play David Luiz in midfield... it’s not so hard is it) - Villa’s reaction on Boxing Day was admirable until they conceded the first goal. Then, like at Stamford Bridge, they completely imploded as Gareth Bale showed no mercy to rain fire on this poor, once great Midlands club. Villa have a very young, inexperienced squad. Barry Bannan, a child with 50 odd Premier League appearances to his name, was their most experienced player at Chelsea. But youth is no excuse for incompetence, and Villa continue to look like a team who are only going one way. Backwards. They’ve won four times this season and three of them have been against teams struggling as badly as they are. At least that (and Benteke) should keep them out of a relegation dog fight, but for their fans... there really is very little light at the end of a tunnel that has now gone past boredom and pulled over at despair.
And to think I called Villa boring. 12 goals in two matches has changed all that; sadly for Villa fans... they’ve scored none of them. Indeed, when you consider the first half was nil nil against Spurs, Villa have conceded 12 goals in 135 minutes of football. One every dozen or so minutes. Well and truly battered by Rafa’s resurgent Chelsea (play David Luiz in midfield... it’s not so hard is it) - Villa’s reaction on Boxing Day was admirable until they conceded the first goal. Then, like at Stamford Bridge, they completely imploded as Gareth Bale showed no mercy to rain fire on this poor, once great Midlands club. Villa have a very young, inexperienced squad. Barry Bannan, a child with 50 odd Premier League appearances to his name, was their most experienced player at Chelsea. But youth is no excuse for incompetence, and Villa continue to look like a team who are only going one way. Backwards. They’ve won four times this season and three of them have been against teams struggling as badly as they are. At least that (and Benteke) should keep them out of a relegation dog fight, but for their fans... there really is very little light at the end of a tunnel that has now gone past boredom and pulled over at despair.
3. Fulham are in a rut.
Only Reading and Wigan sit below Fulham in the current form table and having won just once in their last ten games, they somehow managed to turn a win into a draw at home to the leagues worst away side. The Cottagers should have put the game to bed long before Lambert’s late penalty and paid for build up play that too often lacked a final, penetrative ball. Just two shots on target was a poor return and indicative of the way Fulham are currently playing. They look lost without the combined guile of Demeble, Dempsey and the injured Brian Ruiz and the midfield is beginning to look two dimensional. It’s all very well keeping calm and passing Berbatov the ball, but Martin Jol may have to look in January for somebody new to actually do that.
Only Reading and Wigan sit below Fulham in the current form table and having won just once in their last ten games, they somehow managed to turn a win into a draw at home to the leagues worst away side. The Cottagers should have put the game to bed long before Lambert’s late penalty and paid for build up play that too often lacked a final, penetrative ball. Just two shots on target was a poor return and indicative of the way Fulham are currently playing. They look lost without the combined guile of Demeble, Dempsey and the injured Brian Ruiz and the midfield is beginning to look two dimensional. It’s all very well keeping calm and passing Berbatov the ball, but Martin Jol may have to look in January for somebody new to actually do that.
4. Just how good is Asmir Begovic?
Stoke get a lot of bad press, not least from me, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have some very decent players. AVB was not joking when he said Stoke had the best defence in Europe (only three top flight teams across the continent currently do) and at the heart of all great defences usually lies a very good goal keeper. Asmir Begovic has only played 73 Premier League games for Stoke City and has kept 25 clean sheets in that period. Only Petr Cech has kept more over the same time frame and he plays for Chelsea, not little old Stoke. The Bosnian is good in the air, rarely makes errors and is a supreme shot stopper. He is brilliant at double saves, making almost one a match and his late effort to keep out Spurs on Saturday was simply world class. At the age of just 25 and with his best years ahead of him, Begovic is as good as any keeper in the world. If that wasn’t enough, the fucker is top of my fantasy football cash league...
Stoke get a lot of bad press, not least from me, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have some very decent players. AVB was not joking when he said Stoke had the best defence in Europe (only three top flight teams across the continent currently do) and at the heart of all great defences usually lies a very good goal keeper. Asmir Begovic has only played 73 Premier League games for Stoke City and has kept 25 clean sheets in that period. Only Petr Cech has kept more over the same time frame and he plays for Chelsea, not little old Stoke. The Bosnian is good in the air, rarely makes errors and is a supreme shot stopper. He is brilliant at double saves, making almost one a match and his late effort to keep out Spurs on Saturday was simply world class. At the age of just 25 and with his best years ahead of him, Begovic is as good as any keeper in the world. If that wasn’t enough, the fucker is top of my fantasy football cash league...
5. The Team of the Season so far is not entirely what one would have expected.
It’s been a strange first half to the season, I’m not sure anyone was predicting QPR to implode quite so quickly and it remains a mystery how Man Utd are 7 points clear at the top of the table after playing so badly for 70 minutes of almost every game. Far from vintage fare, there has been plenty to discuss and the next 19 games promise a titanic battle for 4th, a potential late charge from a well drilled Chelsea and a relegation battle involving um... all of four teams. But for now, here’s my mid-season XI, featuring not a single player from the Champions.
It’s been a strange first half to the season, I’m not sure anyone was predicting QPR to implode quite so quickly and it remains a mystery how Man Utd are 7 points clear at the top of the table after playing so badly for 70 minutes of almost every game. Far from vintage fare, there has been plenty to discuss and the next 19 games promise a titanic battle for 4th, a potential late charge from a well drilled Chelsea and a relegation battle involving um... all of four teams. But for now, here’s my mid-season XI, featuring not a single player from the Champions.
Begovic
Ivanovic Shawcross Bassong Baines
Mata Fellaini Santi Bale
Michu Van Persie
Ivanovic Shawcross Bassong Baines
Mata Fellaini Santi Bale
Michu Van Persie
(if you've enjoyed this, please follow me on twitter for the latest updates - PhillJames@HinduMonkey)
https://twitter.com/HinduMonkey
Merry Christmas Phill! Keep up the good work, always fun to read your opinions on this now faraway league... olly x
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