1. You don’t get what you deserve in this sport…
Following a Liverpool v Utd match which saw the away fans behave impeccably and the home fans lead a stirring tribute to the 96 who died at Hillsborough, it was left, for once, for the football to do the talking. The only incident of note during a first half of the worst possible quality was a harsh sending off for the Liverpool youngster Jonjo Shelvey. The challenge was reckless, but Shelvey’s real crime was catching the equally as committed Evans and not the ball and he paid the worst possible price. On another day that and an equally as soft penalty decision could have gone Liverpool’s way. It is indicative of their season so far that they didn’t. The Anfield faithful deserved to come home with a victory this weekend and yet again they saw their team undone by a combination of bad luck, poor finishing and some questionable defending. Man Utd have won their last four games despite playing well for around 30 minutes in total. Criminally still reliant on Paul Scholes, a Utd team shorn of him and Rooney look unable to create anything, especially when Kagawa sees so little of the ball from a midfield used to continuously spraying it out wide. Nani is a shadow of his former self, and that former self was pretty shit to begin with. RVP looked tired, Valencia not at the races and Patrice Evra is now the worst full back defensively in the entire league. As it is, Utd somehow sit a point off the top of the table haven’t yet to get going this season and that can only spell bad news for everyone else. As for Liverpool, 2 points from 5 games and a goal difference of minus 6 is a brutally harsh statistic. Rodgers style will take time to bed in but already what little chance they had of returning to the Champions League is gone. Winning a game has to be the immediate priority, keeping a clean sheet the next. Rodgers’ teams are easy on the eye but the contrast with the slick, first time passing of Joe Allen and the penetrating, sometimes brilliant, sometimes wayward through balls of Gerrard just isn’t working as a combination. At this rate Everton might, just might, win a Derby match this year.
EDIT - following writing this it has emerged that a small pocket of Utd fans stayed behind after the match and sang anti-Hillsborough chants until they were cleared to exit. This is a sickening development to a day that started so well. They should be identified, banned for life and charged by a court of law. They are a disgrace to MUFC and a disgrace to football in general. Utd should be fined, docked points and made to play games behind closed doors. This cannot be allowed to happen and if I was Alex Ferguson I would refuse to play a match until these "fans" are identified and thrown out of football.
Following a Liverpool v Utd match which saw the away fans behave impeccably and the home fans lead a stirring tribute to the 96 who died at Hillsborough, it was left, for once, for the football to do the talking. The only incident of note during a first half of the worst possible quality was a harsh sending off for the Liverpool youngster Jonjo Shelvey. The challenge was reckless, but Shelvey’s real crime was catching the equally as committed Evans and not the ball and he paid the worst possible price. On another day that and an equally as soft penalty decision could have gone Liverpool’s way. It is indicative of their season so far that they didn’t. The Anfield faithful deserved to come home with a victory this weekend and yet again they saw their team undone by a combination of bad luck, poor finishing and some questionable defending. Man Utd have won their last four games despite playing well for around 30 minutes in total. Criminally still reliant on Paul Scholes, a Utd team shorn of him and Rooney look unable to create anything, especially when Kagawa sees so little of the ball from a midfield used to continuously spraying it out wide. Nani is a shadow of his former self, and that former self was pretty shit to begin with. RVP looked tired, Valencia not at the races and Patrice Evra is now the worst full back defensively in the entire league. As it is, Utd somehow sit a point off the top of the table haven’t yet to get going this season and that can only spell bad news for everyone else. As for Liverpool, 2 points from 5 games and a goal difference of minus 6 is a brutally harsh statistic. Rodgers style will take time to bed in but already what little chance they had of returning to the Champions League is gone. Winning a game has to be the immediate priority, keeping a clean sheet the next. Rodgers’ teams are easy on the eye but the contrast with the slick, first time passing of Joe Allen and the penetrating, sometimes brilliant, sometimes wayward through balls of Gerrard just isn’t working as a combination. At this rate Everton might, just might, win a Derby match this year.
EDIT - following writing this it has emerged that a small pocket of Utd fans stayed behind after the match and sang anti-Hillsborough chants until they were cleared to exit. This is a sickening development to a day that started so well. They should be identified, banned for life and charged by a court of law. They are a disgrace to MUFC and a disgrace to football in general. Utd should be fined, docked points and made to play games behind closed doors. This cannot be allowed to happen and if I was Alex Ferguson I would refuse to play a match until these "fans" are identified and thrown out of football.
2. …and ultimately, points are everything.
If Utd can consider themselves lucky to be 2nd in the league, the fact that Manchester City remain unbeaten looks almost criminal. They have been outplayed in every match this season and Sunday was no exception. A rampant, slick Arsenal side, led by the majestical Santi Carzola, tore into City during an opening 40 minutes when they could have led by three goals. As it was, Gervinho had one of those days and as it was left to the Arsenal centre back to salvage a point late on following Joleon Lescott’s undeserved opener. The league table doesn’t lie, but with the exception of Everton it currently provides scant reward for those who have played the best football this season. Arsenal have looked as good as anyone yet find themselves just a point ahead of Spurs and Newcastle, both of whom have been pretty dreadful. The turgid West Ham meanwhile, have twice as many points as Sunderland & Stoke; both of whom have looked solid and dependable and unlikely to concede too many goals. Points mean everything in this game though and whilst Liverpool have been poor, they have not been anywhere close to the second worst team in the division. Perhaps in another month or two things will start to even out a bit, but right now Utd, City and even Chelsea are there for the taking. The fact that nobody is managing to do that looks ominous.
If Utd can consider themselves lucky to be 2nd in the league, the fact that Manchester City remain unbeaten looks almost criminal. They have been outplayed in every match this season and Sunday was no exception. A rampant, slick Arsenal side, led by the majestical Santi Carzola, tore into City during an opening 40 minutes when they could have led by three goals. As it was, Gervinho had one of those days and as it was left to the Arsenal centre back to salvage a point late on following Joleon Lescott’s undeserved opener. The league table doesn’t lie, but with the exception of Everton it currently provides scant reward for those who have played the best football this season. Arsenal have looked as good as anyone yet find themselves just a point ahead of Spurs and Newcastle, both of whom have been pretty dreadful. The turgid West Ham meanwhile, have twice as many points as Sunderland & Stoke; both of whom have looked solid and dependable and unlikely to concede too many goals. Points mean everything in this game though and whilst Liverpool have been poor, they have not been anywhere close to the second worst team in the division. Perhaps in another month or two things will start to even out a bit, but right now Utd, City and even Chelsea are there for the taking. The fact that nobody is managing to do that looks ominous.
3. Gervinho is not the new Kanu.
Lethal against the defensive might of Southampton, the talk in some quarters was that Gervinho was now ready to fulfil his potential and live up to his billing as the new Kanu. Not on Sunday’s evidence. In an otherwise near faultless Arsenal performance, the Ivorian had an absolute horror show. One first touch following a beautiful through ball which sent him free of the defence was so bad he should be fined two weeks wages on the spot. He followed that up with a mixture of falling over, failing to pick a pass or weaving around three players before blazing a shot high and wide over and over again. Gervinho can certainly dribble, but he has none of the effortless, almost poetic qualities of Kanu that made him such a joy to watch. Whereas Kanu looked like a sleek panther who sometimes couldn’t be bothered to hunt for his prey, Gervinho looks like a strange puppet who is being pulled in several different directions at once. His approach to finishing seems to just be hit it as hard as physically possible every time. Of course, he’s still capable of the odd moment of brilliance, but his selection over Walcott, contract wrangling’s aside, looks a touch perverse. And don’t even get me started on that hairline.
Lethal against the defensive might of Southampton, the talk in some quarters was that Gervinho was now ready to fulfil his potential and live up to his billing as the new Kanu. Not on Sunday’s evidence. In an otherwise near faultless Arsenal performance, the Ivorian had an absolute horror show. One first touch following a beautiful through ball which sent him free of the defence was so bad he should be fined two weeks wages on the spot. He followed that up with a mixture of falling over, failing to pick a pass or weaving around three players before blazing a shot high and wide over and over again. Gervinho can certainly dribble, but he has none of the effortless, almost poetic qualities of Kanu that made him such a joy to watch. Whereas Kanu looked like a sleek panther who sometimes couldn’t be bothered to hunt for his prey, Gervinho looks like a strange puppet who is being pulled in several different directions at once. His approach to finishing seems to just be hit it as hard as physically possible every time. Of course, he’s still capable of the odd moment of brilliance, but his selection over Walcott, contract wrangling’s aside, looks a touch perverse. And don’t even get me started on that hairline.
4. When will Alan Pardew get the call from the big guy downstairs?
There’s no denying that Pardew has assembled a fine team on a shoestring budget. If he could get Ba and Cisse scoring at the same time his Newcastle team could even finish in the top four. There is also no denying however, that the man IS the Anti-Christ. The way Pardew prowls a touchline, strokes his hair back and gazes menacingly into space all points to one thing. That he’s simply not human. Right now the question has to be asked whether there is a more detestable sight in football than the Pardew fist pump? It’s not just the mannerisms and the actions though, it’s the post-match interviews where Pardew has managed to invent an entirely new tense in which to speak in. He manages to mix a third person narrative arc in with an almost voyeuristic description of the way his team is performing. In one section of his post-match interview this weekend he used the words “they,” “we,” “I,” “them” and “us” all in the same speech to describe his own team. He then bore into the reporter and his eyes turned red. I’m not making this up folks. Still think he’s not waiting for a return to the underworld? Just watch this celebration and tell me this guy is all there.
There’s no denying that Pardew has assembled a fine team on a shoestring budget. If he could get Ba and Cisse scoring at the same time his Newcastle team could even finish in the top four. There is also no denying however, that the man IS the Anti-Christ. The way Pardew prowls a touchline, strokes his hair back and gazes menacingly into space all points to one thing. That he’s simply not human. Right now the question has to be asked whether there is a more detestable sight in football than the Pardew fist pump? It’s not just the mannerisms and the actions though, it’s the post-match interviews where Pardew has managed to invent an entirely new tense in which to speak in. He manages to mix a third person narrative arc in with an almost voyeuristic description of the way his team is performing. In one section of his post-match interview this weekend he used the words “they,” “we,” “I,” “them” and “us” all in the same speech to describe his own team. He then bore into the reporter and his eyes turned red. I’m not making this up folks. Still think he’s not waiting for a return to the underworld? Just watch this celebration and tell me this guy is all there.
5. John Terry will not be missed.
I can’t even be bothered to drag up old banter about JT. The news he has retired from International football is worthy enough to declare a national holiday. The most detestable football of my lifetime will play for my country no more. Given Jags & Cahill are better and Smalling & Jones the future, his “retirement” is no loss anyway. If Gerrard, Barry, Cole and Lampard can now all follow suit that would be lovely. I’ll leave you with this as a parting shot… last month JT was asked about England’s questionable ranking of 3rd in the world. His response? “I think that’s fair. We have the players, it’s just up to us to prove it.” Few people have had a more inflated opinion of their own ability and importance than JT. And few players have managed to be so hated for just being themselves. John Terry is a sewer rat and I hope the FA through the book at him today. Not for being racist. But for just being John fucking Terry. Cheering for the national side again just got a whole lot easier.
I can’t even be bothered to drag up old banter about JT. The news he has retired from International football is worthy enough to declare a national holiday. The most detestable football of my lifetime will play for my country no more. Given Jags & Cahill are better and Smalling & Jones the future, his “retirement” is no loss anyway. If Gerrard, Barry, Cole and Lampard can now all follow suit that would be lovely. I’ll leave you with this as a parting shot… last month JT was asked about England’s questionable ranking of 3rd in the world. His response? “I think that’s fair. We have the players, it’s just up to us to prove it.” Few people have had a more inflated opinion of their own ability and importance than JT. And few players have managed to be so hated for just being themselves. John Terry is a sewer rat and I hope the FA through the book at him today. Not for being racist. But for just being John fucking Terry. Cheering for the national side again just got a whole lot easier.
No comments:
Post a Comment