Five Things We Learnt From Watching Football This Weekend - Week Seventeen

1. The time has come for the FA to take action at club owners
Even in a Premier League littered with foreign owners, dodgy takeovers and a shameless lack of loyalty, the situation currently unfolding at Cardiff has taken things to yet another low. Let us move past the obvious details, given I think any sane football fan can see Mackay deserves to be lauded, not sacked, for his efforts with Cardiff. Instead I want to focus on the current lack of respect that is afforded to managers up and down the country; certainly in comparison to the unrivalled player power that is now on offer. It used to be you got sacked for having a bad season, which in recent years has evolved into simply having a bad run. This year however, you can get sacked off the back of a single result (AVB) or simply for not being the new owner’s “choice.” Incredibly, after being told to “resign or be sacked” – Mackay has been given a stay of execution as his clueless owner was presumably visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future during his long haul flight back into the country. AVB on the other hand, was not so lucky. I myself was guilty of slamming his teams efforts last week (it was, quite literally, the worst performance I’ve ever witnessed) – but the facts are that this was a manager with the best points per game average of any Spurs manager in over 100 years. He was sacked with his team a mere 3 points from the Champions league places and into the quarter finals of the League Cup and last 32 of the Europa Cup. Many would argue that if you lose the dressing room you have to go, and AVB certainly didn’t do himself any favours with some of his tactics, but the point still stands that managers are now getting sacked for not achieving things that the club they’re managing has NEVER ACHIEVED BEFORE. That, quite frankly, is ridiculous. It is time the FA got involved. Fining, or better still, deducting points for clubs who fire their manager’s mid-season. Yes they are protected by big payouts, but they still earn considerably less than the players and it wrecks careers with far more frequency. The mentality of “when a club is doing well it’s the players and when they’re doing badly it’s the manager” simply has to change. The Telegraph wrote this weekend that “Arsene Wenger is the only true manager left in the league.” On this evidence, it’s hard to disagree.

2. Ross Barkley and Adam Lallana have to be on the plane to Brazil
Sometimes experience really does count for nothing. Roy Hodgson has a tough job narrowing his squad down to the 23 players who will go out in the group stage, but two names that should be etched in ink onto his sheet are that of Barkley and Lallana. The two stand out performers (Coleman and the reanimated corpse of Adeboyer aside) of the weekend; both combined grace, skill and a dead eye for goal in all round displays that showed all sorts of ability. The way Gary Neville waxed lyrical about Lallana’s vision suggested he should already be reaching for his passport. He was everywhere in a performance that gave new credence to the phrase “did not deserve to be on the losing team.” Barkley meanwhile capped off a lively all round display with a brilliant free kick that propelled his team into the top four. England need players who compete without fear in Brazil… and those players aren’t those who have frozen in the headlights countless times before (Lampard take a bow). Lallana and Barkley are the two most inform English players in the entire league alongside Wayne Rooney. If either of them don’t make the trip on account of Tom Cleverly somebody needs to be assassinated.

3. Sunderland are probably going down
Despite a moral boosting win over Chelsea in the League Cup this week, the Black Cats chance of survival is looking bleaker and bleaker with each passing fixture. The initially promising victories over Newcastle and Manchester City have now faded into obscurity by a run of six games without a victory. Sunderland haven’t scored in four of those matches. That is hardly a surprise when you possess the league’s worst striker in Jozy Altidore and continue to pick Seb Larsson in every… single… game… no matter who the manager is for no possible… reason… on… earth. Sunderland have Everton away before a run of matches against teams in the bottom half that they simply have to get some points in. Gus Poyet was right this week when he said Sunderland were looking unlikely to get to the 40 point mark. The good news for any Mackems out there however, is that with so many teams challenging for the top spots, it is likely that 34-36 points could well be enough this time around. On the evidence of the last fortnight however, Sunderland will do well to get even that.

4. Cabaye is increasing his value by the week
Following a bid so embarrassingly low it could have been made by David Moyes, there were a few comments in August that Cabaye was not good enough to go and play for Arsenal. The irony is with a sea of creative midfielders now added to by the talismanic Mesut Ozil, that may now be the case. But that doesn’t change the fact that the Frenchman’s stock is rising by the week. He has been the central figure in a Newcastle surge that has carried them to just six points from the top spot. Indeed, the Geordies are now a full 9 points clear of Stoke who sit in 10^th and are very much a part of the “upper echelon” of a tight knitted league. Cabaye has score three and made three in that run of games but he is far more than the sum of his parts. He is a delightful footballer to watch, full of shoulder drops and caressed passes. Pardew’s formation is working wonders, especially away from home where Cabaye is afford more space and is central to everything that is good about Newcastle right now. Keeping him at the club at January is of vital importance to any hopes Newcastle have of European football next season. Without wanting to agree with Garth Crooks, he is currently making the £27m paid for Fellaini look laughable. And while we’re on the subject…

5. Thus far, Fellaini hasn’t been the worst signing of the season
It’s true. Despite contributing a single red card and a handful of performances so bad he has made his manager play a defender and a pensioner ahead of him, Marouane Fellaini has not been the most questionable signing of the season to date. Step forward Erik Lamela. The Argentinean has plenty of time on his side to prove his doubters wrong, but after 15 appearances he is now starting from a level of base zero. £30m is an awful lot of money, even in today’s inflated market, and it is not an amount where players are afforded time to “grow” without at least some criticism. I wasn’t expecting Lamela to hit the ground running, but I was at least expecting to see some sign of any natural ability. He has been unequivocally dreadful since signing with the possible exception of a single half in a cup game that didn’t ultimately matter. Nani at least tries to be good before he falls over or slices horribly wide. Even Willian has smashed in a couple of strikes and shown flashes of ability to suggest he may be worth around a tenth of the price Chelsea paid for him. Lamela has offered literally nothing. I’m not sure he completed a pass before he was hauled off against Southampton this weekend and his substitution was the catalyst for Spurs to go on and win the game. He looks so short of confidence he seems unable to even run, let alone dribble, cross or show anything like the form which lit up Serie A last year. There are many conclusions that can be drawn from this. The first is he’s an imposter. The real Lamela has been kidnapped and replaced by somebody who may or may not be Bebe. The second is his performances last year were doctored by a highly skilled marketing executive and, in reality, he only actually played twice. The third is that Serie A is now a league so bad most Championship clubs would compete for the top four spots. Personally I hope it’s all three…

Merry Christmas

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Five Things We Learnt From Watching Football This Weekend - Week Sixteen

1. Can Liverpool win the league?

It is a testament to how well Liverpool are playing this season that their fans have moved already from dreaming of the return of the Champions League… to dreams of the Holy Grail itself. Liverpool have been indifferent away from Anfield so far, but dismantled Spurs yesterday in possibly the most brutal slaughter of a “big team” in Premier League history. The scoreline was harsh enough, but this felt different to other away day horror shows. City’s 6-1 away at Utd turned on a sending off and a foolish United still pouring forward at 4-1 down. The same team’s dismantling of Spurs earlier that season was one of those games when every shot went in. There was nothing lucky about this. There were no mitigating circumstances. Liverpool had 60% possession, 20 shots on goal, 9 corners and completely dominated a Spurs team who failed to muster a single… shot… on… target. It was impossible to believe that at the start of the season these two were probably on an even keel. There is an irony to all of this of course. And that in many ways Liverpool have become what Spurs were last season. Which is the ultimate one man team. Sure they were winning games without Suarez, but not like this. Plus Suarez was still at the club, which makes a huge difference. All the players would have seen him in training, chomping at the bit and would have known they have to perform each and every week or one of them would be moving aside as soon as he was back again. In fairness to Liverpool they are a good team anyway, even if their squad remains thin. Jordan Henderson can hardly be described as “a bargain” like one over enthusiastic fan stated on 606, but he is completely reborn and can play in a variety of roles. The defence is solid enough and Coutinho moves the ball with such casual grace that the midfields of Spurs and Man Utd must look on in whimsical envy. But despite this, there is no denying that Suarez towers about this team like a colossus. Since his return from suspension he has scored 17 goals and created a further 10. He has scored or assisted 13 in his last 3 games and has been involved, in some way or another… in 85% of all goals since he returned. That is dominance of an astonishing level. This is a team that plays through one man, and keeping him fit and happy remains the only chance this club have of lifting the big prize again come May.

2. Can AVB recover from this?
As I’ve already mentioned, this was not just a lucky or freak away win, this was a total embarrassment from start to finish that asked every question that could be asked about the managerial ability of AVB. Everybody gets stuffed at the Etihad, there is no shame in that, but getting torn apart in front of your own fans by a team who spent considerably less than you in the summer is something else. Four of Spurs summer signings started here, at a collective cost of £60m. They were made to look like school children by the likes of Joe Allen and Raheem Sterling. AVB has stuck rigidly to his 4-2-3-1 formation and seems physically unable to accept that it isn’t working. He does not have the personal to pull it off and would be far more suited to a 3-5-2 or a 4-3-3. For starters Spurs only have one real winger in Aaron Lennon. All their other wide players cut in and shoot rather than providing genuine width. This limits the supply to the front man and also crowds the midfield, leaving them vulnerable down the flanks. 4-3-3 is fine with inverted wingers, as Jose perfected during his first spell at Chelsea. It would enable them to get an extra body in midfield without compromising the attack. Soldado is not a bad player, but he is being made to look bad by a system that woefully fails to play to his strengths. Spurs formation looks like a lopsided 4-5-1 when teams attack them and the only way to get around this would be to play a false 9 and flood the midfield to control the game. Soldado is not a false 9. He is a proper, genuine number 9 who needs balls played into the box to thrive. Systems aside though, the most damning thing about Spurs yesterday was that some of the players completely gave up. The last three Liverpool goals all featured the unforgivable sight of Spurs players walking. Walking? I don’t care if you’re 20 nil down. If you’re getting paid as much money as this lot are you should be giving 100% in every minute of every match. You cannot protect your players when they do that, and the best thing AVB could have done was come out and say he was fining everyone involved in the match two weeks wages. They let him down and they let their club and fans down. As the final whistle blew Spurs had been humiliated, destroyed and absolutely disgraced. A lot of soul searching is in order and unless they respond and quick, this could be the final nail in AVB’s Premier League career.

*AVB was sacked 2 minutes upon completion of this blog. So I could just have written "no" - and moved on...

3. Man City are now the team to beat.
If anyone finishes about Man City this year they will win the title. City are now so good at home that even with such indifferent away form they will probably collect enough points to get over the line. Would anyone bet against them getting 57 from their 19 home games? They have already played five of the seven clubs around them there and they have scored an astonishing 35 goals at an average of 4.4 per match. They still have to play the bottom six clubs at the Etihad… who must be all looking at that date in the fixture calendar with something amounting to total fear. Arsenal were always likely to lose the game off the back of a tough midweek fixture, but in truth the scoreline flattered them. They were brutally dismantled by a team who, in full flow, are attacking as a collective unit better than any club I’ve witnessed on these shores since the Man Utd team of 1998-2000. At their current rate they will score 112 goals and have netted more times than Sunderland, Palace, Cardiff and West Ham combined. Sometimes all you can do is sit back and enjoy the ride. Unless, like me, you’re a Man Utd fan and a terrible fantasy football player who has elected to not include a single City attacker in his line up all season…

4. Steve Clarke can consider himself a little unlucky.
If Jol’s sacking was about as expected as Christmas, Steve Clarke getting the boot this weekend was a little more out of left field. West Brom had been on a poor run, and anyone who pays money for Victor Anichebe probably has to answer a few hard questions. Losing Lukaku was always going to unsettle the team given they played through him so often last season, but replacing him with someone who averages a goal every 7 games wasn’t the answer. That said West Brom have been a little unlucky this season, most notably against Chelsea when they deserved to win and break the most detestable home record in football. They have never been in the relegation zone and it was hard to make a case for Clarke’s team finishing below three of Sunderland, Palace, Fulham, Cardiff, West Ham and Norwich. No, ultimately Clarke was a victim of his own success and can consider himself very unfortunate to have been relieved of his job. Especially when the favourite to take over is Mike Phelan. Who despite claims that he “ran Man Utd” for the last two years has no experience as the main man whatsoever and represents a clear gamble.

5. What is wrong with Garth Crookes?
There is probably no short answer to that question, but even compared to himself Crookes has managed to become every stranger in his aggression this year. His team of the week feature for the BBC regularly include bizarre rants, questionable choices and needlessly confrontational comments. Following on from a terrible Rooney anecdote, Crookes last week implied that Jose’s decision to take off an injured Schurrle was “laughable.” Despite him being… er… injured. This week however Crookes plumped new depths. His keeper choice was Pantilimon… who conceded 3 goals? Crookes defended his choice by saying he “could have taken the easy option with Mignolet” – who didn’t make a single save?? Had he not watched the game at Hull? Where Asmir Begovic once again grinded out a nil nil draw for his side? Could he not even have bothered checking some stats at the least? Seemingly not. Crookes then went on to select Phil Jones at centre back, who could probably have slept through the Villa game and kept a clean sheet. But the thing that really irks with Crookes, other than the chip the size of the titanic on his shoulder, is that he never picks real formations for his weekly column. He included four strikers this week and his graphic implies that Danny Welbeck played as an inside right? When he played the entire match as the number 9? Garth mate, you can only pick two strikers each week… that’s kind of the point. You don’t have to pick Wayne Rooney every single week without fail… especially when he didn’t even play that well. Was Leon Osman not worth a mention? Or Peter Whittingham? Did he only watch 3 games all weekend?

Sometimes one word says more than hundreds ever could.

Wanker.

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Five Things We Learnt From Watching Football This Weekend - Week Fifteen

1. Is this really an open title race?

The most open title race for years. One of six could win it. This one will go all the way to the wire. You could pick any of those statements at random and find them in almost any newspaper every weekend at the moment. However, all of these statements continue to rely on something that, at this stage, still hasn’t happened. And that is Arsenal suffering a bad run of form. Consider this for a moment. Sir Alex Ferguson is still at Manchester United and after 15 games his team find themselves 5 points clear at the top of the table. They find themselves in good form, scoring goals, with the best defensive record to boot. They possess the stand out contender for player of the year and all of their rivals continue to drop points almost every week, especially away from home. Would anyone be saying this was an open title race? No. They would be saying the writing was on the wall and this could be over by March. Arsenal of course, aren’t Ferguson’s United. Even if they are a more credible alternative than David Moyes’ United. But January looms closer and the Gunners injury list is shortening. Centre forward aside, they are well stocked in every area. Indeed, their midfield cup runneth over with such riches that their rivals must be sick of the sight of pacy, creative magicians coming off the bench if the first lot haven’t done the job. Arsenal didn’t even win this weekend and still extended their lead at the top. They have two huge games up next in City and Chelsea, but even if they get say, one point from those two they would remain top and see themselves playing the current bottom quarter in 5 of their next 6 fixtures. Of course, if pushed, I too would probably not put any money on them winning the league. But it will be interesting at what point people stop considering them to be merely having a very good run... and realise that they are quite clearly the team to beat.

2. Jose’s defence is full of holes

It’s safe to say that this weekend’s result at the Britannia was right up there with any shocks we’ve had this season. A badly out of form Stoke, who hadn’t scored in 4 hours of football, coming from behind to draw and eventually beat Chelsea by 3 goals to 2. Jose bemoaned his attackers afterwards, and he had good reason to given a Chelsea centre forward has still not netted an away league goal in 2013. But 99% of the time, scoring two goals against Stoke is gonna be enough to win the game. The reason Chelsea lost on Saturday wasn’t because Fernando Torres missed a string of chances, it was because Mourinho’s side currently cannot defend a set piece to save their lives. After conceding 3 goals in this manner to Sunderland midweek, the Chelsea boss saw his team pegged back by yet another terrible set piece mix up. To rub salt into his wounds he then witnessed several mistakes in the build up to Sunderland’s second, before the sight of Assaidi turning Ivanovic like he was a duck on ice and hammering in the winner. Chelsea have stuttered this season like everyone with the exception of Arsenal and Everton. But they key to any title winning team remains the defence. The ability to grind out 1 nil wins when you’re not playing well being far more important than scoring half a dozen when you are. Chelsea don’t look capable of doing that at the moment. Ashley Cole can’t get a game, John Terry is playing every minute despite question marks over his fitness and Ivanovic is a sham of a right back. Sure he’s brilliant going forward, but only really from set pieces. He has continuously given his best performances for Chelsea from centre back so it baffles me why he is still deployed out wide whilst Azpilicueta, the best right back in the league, is using his wrong foot on the other side. Jose hasn’t really changed four of his back five all season, and with different options and personal available... perhaps it’s time he did.

3. Tony Pulis could organise a damn good piss up in a brewery

Three games, two wins, two clean sheets, two goals for Chamakh. It’s early days but this is already a miracle healing job from Tony Pulis. Crystal Palace obviously haven’t bought anyone since Pulis took over, and indeed the most negative manager outside of Greece has actually started playing two up front. What has changed though is plain and simple organisation. And there are few people better at it than our Tony. Crystal Palace have been a regimented unit of efficiency in their last two games. Closing down space, marking intelligently and actually learning the art of defending a set piece. They are still in the relegation zone, but only on goal difference and are now just a win away from 15th spot. Chelsea away is next up which should give us more of an idea how Tony is doing. If Chamakh can score against England’s Brave John Terry then anything is possible. Expect a recall for his beloved country hopefully.

4. Martinez & Pardew should be happy to be ignored
Arsenal and Man City’s home team aside, the two clubs who should be getting the most credit at present are Everton and Newcastle. The former are playing some truly wonderful football and have, seemingly overnight, evolved into a squad full of young attacking talent harnessed by a rock sold defence. The latter are the best example of a “team” in the league - with each and every player doing a job for the good of the unit. Alan Pardew’s men have beaten Chelsea, Spurs and Man Utd in the last month with a collective scoreline of 4-0 in their favour. A feat that won’t be matched by anybody come May. They sit in 5th and 7th respectively, both within striking distance of the Champions League spots. They also, of course, both won at Old Trafford this week and on both occasions were not given their fair share of praise from a media more focussed on the wreckage of Alex Ferguson’s title winning side. They should be grateful for this though. Football is a fickle business and, as a general rule, if nobody is talking about you it’s probably because you’re doing a very good job. Both these managers are, in highly contrasting ways. But they both deserve huge credit in a season that is really separating the men from the David Moyes.


5. Manchester United could get worse, before they get any better

With the parting words of Sir Alex ringing in their ears, it is likely that the board of Manchester United will give David Moyes until the end of the season to prove to them that he is the right man for the job. After 15 league games, he looks anything but that. People can criticize the squad he was left with all they want, but it was still a squad that won the title by a near record margin and Moyes was well aware of the flaws within it even before he took over. Of course, the Fergie Factor goes a long way, but even without that, the time has very much come for Moyes to be judged on his own two feet. Put bluntly, he is failing on every single level that you can judge someone on. His team selection is seemingly random, with no hold of the art of rotating players for the right fixtures whatsoever. His defence is creaking, error strewn and lacking in basic organisation. Something that he was famed for at Everton. His midfield doesn’t function either as a creative force or a protective one. He has killed, stone dead, the careers of Nani, Young, Cleverly, Fellani, Kagawa and Valencia in 4 months. Players who clubs would have fallen over themselves to sign a year ago (ok maybe not Cleverly) and now couldn’t be sold to Sunderland. His attack has become hopelessly one dimensional, reliant completely on Rooney to the extent that the striking talent of RVP and Hernandez looked like they had no idea what they were doing on a pitch together. But worst of all, worse even than his insipid, cowardly post match interviews, is his complete lack of man management. 



Looking around the pitch during the last four games, none of them victories, I could see nobody bar Rooney and De Gea who looked bothered about winning. Many people pointed to the good work on a limited resource Moyes had done at Everton as why he should be given a shot at the Utd job. Others, and I wasn’t one of them then, instead looked at a record against big clubs or in big games of somebody who did not possess the necessary nous, bottle, ability... whatever you want to call it... to get his team over the line when it mattered. Right now those people are laughing. Because as manager of Manchester Utd, League Champions, every game is a big game. And right now it’s becoming increasingly clear that David Moyes simply cannot handle the pressure.

 Utd obviously won’t win the league and they probably won’t get near the top four bar a complete collapse from both Merseyside clubs. To be honest, it’s probably best if they finish mid-table, take it on the chin and realise that whilst Fergie did more good for his club than any in its history... he left them up shit creek without a paddle when he choose his replacement.



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Five Things We Learnt From Watching Football This Weekend - Week Thirteen

1. Stalemate at the Lane leaves both teams chasing shadows
Spurs v Man Utd was, as ever, an entertaining match filled with moments of quality, refereeing controversy and lots of goals. But as the game eventually ended with the teams locked together, it had becoming increasingly clear that neither of these teams have the quality to challenge for the title. Utd have fine attackers; Rooney was at his imperious best yet again and is forming a decent partnership with Kagawa in the absence of the still brilliant Van Persie. I cannot be bothered to even think, let alone write, about the midfield deficiencies anymore. Let me just say that when a 40 year old man is the best the club can still offer, you have problems. Behind even that obvious problem lies a defence where only Jonny Evans seems capable of going 90 minutes without making a mistake. That’s right… Jonny Evans.  Spurs meanwhile find themselves changing their team not by wholesale but by incessant one tweak there, one fiddle there measures. Whatever you call it, it isn’t working. And nor are Roberto Soldado’s shooting boots. Spurs have a good, solid spine and over the season won’t concede a lot of goals, despite the 8 they have just shipped to Manchester. But both of these teams lack the ability throughout the squad to put together a run of 7 or 8 wins and challenge for the main event. No, it is likely both will be competing for a single Champions League spot with the Merseyside clubs come May. Although given both are still below Newcastle… maybe even that is wishful thinking.

2. Chelsea have the best reserve number 10 in the world
The reason Juan Mata can’t get a game, as Jose tells us, is because Oscar is playing in his position and playing out of his skin. That may well be true, but as the Brazilian limped off before half time on Sunday, Mata stepped into his chosen role and from there on in pulled the strings in a second half performance of real quality. Chelsea were outplayed and tactically out thought in the first half. They deserved to be behind to a Southampton team who closed them down all over the pitch. But they came out second half playing longer balls over the middle and were a blur of movement around the Saints penalty box. Key to all of this was Mata. Whether ghosting into space, laying off deft touches or playing mesmeric cross field passes with his instep… the Spaniard reminded everyone that he is simply far, far, far, far too good a player to be on the bench. So should Jose drop Oscar? Clearly not. But given the kid has played 200 games in the last 18 months it wouldn’t hurt to have a slightly more liberal approach to rotating him. Plus even on the flanks Mata remains a handful. Especially when one of your options is Willian. Who is so bad he belongs in a very unique club which I like to call “The Nani’s.”

3. Pascal Chimbonda is a legend
Let us take a break from the top flight for a moment to remember somebody who used to be in it. Pascal Chimbonda, once of Spurs, Sunderland, Wigan and France… and purchased 18 times by Harry Redknapp during transfer windows, is currently playing for League 1 Carlisle United. The phrase “how the mighty have fallen” doesn’t really apply here. For starters Chimbonda never really looked like a footballer to begin with; more of an actor who’d wandered onto the pitch between takes and kind of thought he knew what he was doing. But also because prior to joining Carlisle, Chimbonda had been playing for first Doncaster and then non-league Market Drayton Town. The time has come though, for Pascal to not be mocked for his fall from grace, but celebrated for it. This is a player who clearly loves the game. A man who has no interest in football for the cash, but just for the feeling of stepping on a pitch every Saturday and giving his all. Chimbonda is a dying breed. Hell this is a player who loves the sport so much he agreed to play with El Hadji Diouf. Three fucking times. Pascal. I salute you. And if Harry gets back in the big time soon, I for one will cheer your inevitable signing.

4. Jol had to go
Martin Jol’s position this weekend was just about the dictionary definition of “untenable.” Fulham have now lost five games in a row and are entrenched in the relegation zone. Conceding to the likes of Man Utd and Liverpool is one thing, but conceding three goals to West Ham is something else. Hell, conceding any goal to Carlton Cole is worth the sack alone. Jol ended the last season badly and has never got started this one. Fulham aren’t scoring, are shipping goals like the Titanic did water and look almost completely leaderless. Jol is a likeable man, and I for one would like to see him back in the big leagues with a team solid enough to be able to compete as well as play pretty stuff with almost zero end product going forward. Fulham wasted no time in turning to Rene Meulensteen to rectify the damage caused by Jol’s entertaining but ultimately sub Chris Coleman reign. The Dutchman is highly thought of because he once urinated next to Sir Alex Ferguson. Well that and the fact David Moyes got rid of him. Which right now is just about the highest compliment you could pay anyone. So I’m sure he’ll do fine.

5. Hull aren’t just cultured off the pitch
Having just spent a surprisingly nice weekend in Hull (it had trees and everything) – I thought I’d do them the honour of my final blog piece. Of course, they somewhat helped me on that front by putting together an inspired display this afternoon where they played Liverpool off the park. Brendan Rodgers men have hit a bit of a wall away from Anfield, and one that won’t be helped by the news that Daniel Sturridge is out until the New Year. It wasn’t entirely clear why Sterling was on the pitch instead of Coutinho… or anyone, but it’s hard to think of a more ineffective performance since Willian last started a gig. Sorry, a game. Anyway, with Suarez not at the races it was left for Steve Bruce’s team to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in. Which they duly did, led by pub captain Curtis Davies. Hull have been relegation fodder waiting to happen all season, so I was amazed not only that their city had some nice areas… but that they now sit a barely believable single place back from Spurs in the table. Two back from the champions themselves. If that isn’t a reason to forget about a name change I don’t know what is. Well, Arsenal away in two days maybe.

Goodnight.

https://twitter.com/HinduMonkey