Hey Colin, I really don't mean to be a dick and post the earlier game after yours, but I was busy before. Sorry dude. Anyways, here it goes.
Gotta say, Marvel Wynne is getting into the National Anthem. That's the type of spirit I want to see! By contrast, Dempsey looks like he just finished smoking a bowl.
4-3-3?!?!? I know Bradley is trying to shift things up, but how did Mr Two-Holding-Defensive-Midfielders suddenly bust out a three-striker formation? 20 Dollars says the most this is a 4-2-2.
Not too encouraged by the lineup out there. First off, Beasley at left back? The man isn't a good winger, and the only reason he is any good is because he is speedy. How is he going to stop anyone. Furthermore, it is a sad state of American Soccer that Pablo Mastroeni is still starting. The man belongs in a museum at this point. And I've never heard of Jose Torres. Looking great.
On a plus side, I haven't heard of a single Costa Rican player.
Costa Rica is currently 6-0-1 in their last 7 games against the US in Costa Rica. Shit. Considering I have NEVER heard of a Costa Rican player, this could actually prove to be a bad omen.
The ref is from Trinidad & Tobago. Great. Didn't we learn our lesson with refs from small countries with Ovrebo?
1' Howard has got some interesting sweats on. Looks like he just got out of an aerobics class for elderly women. Isn't it supposed to be sweltering here?
2' Uh....well then. I mean, credit where credit is due, that's a sick goal by Saborio. But Torres got turned pretty badly, and Old Man Winter (Pablo) was pathetic. Gave him way too much space.
6' My initial reaction to "there are 8 MLS players on the field" is OH GOD THIS IS DOOMED. However, Howard, Onyewu, Bocanegra, Torres, Beasley, Dempsey, Altidore...what is he talking about. Does he mean 8 field players who have, at one point in their career, played in the MLS? Would a baseball announcer start a game with "9 of the players on the pitch have played Minor League Baseball!" What a stupid comment.
7' This is Jozy's first game since December. Always makes you feel good when your starting striker is totally on-form.
10' And Beasley hasn't played since the beginning of April. Injuries or not, not good omens for the US.
13' Well that just made things go from bad to worse. Yet again, credit where credit is due, great attacking play and a fine finish by Borges but seriously? 2-0 Costa Rica
15' Torres gets the Alexsandr Hleb "Worst Attempt on Goal" award for this match. Congratulations young man!
16' Donovan looks disinterested and this shot reflects it. Like a golf chip, probably from a course he wishes he was playing right now...
18' USA FIFA Rank: 14. Costa Rica FIFA Rank: 41. Unless this is opposite day, you'd imagine play would reflect this. Also Wynne nearly shipped a goal by giving Saborio a free header.
22' I swear, John Harkes is a pseudonym. This guy sounds just like Pat McEnroe. As you can probably gather, I only watch sports that Americans suck at.
24' Wow, lazy passes all game. It can't be just the surface. Speaking of passing, is Michael Bradley playing? Where is he?
26' Quality free kick attempt from Demps. Though as Scoops pointed out to me, Harkes used the classic "we've seen him blast these in before" line. But have we?
30' Beasley just won a free kick by using the classic "out of control freight train" style of running into people. Naturally we botch the free kick.
37' UGLY UGLY Defense. No pressure on the ball whatsoever. Can we really lose to a team that has jerseys that make them look like a high school traveling team?
38' I just learnt that Saborio, the man with the sweet name that is KILLING us, has five goals in 36 Swiss League appearances. I'll repeat that. The striker, who only manages to score about once every six games in a borderline amateur league, is absolutely shredding us. Awesome.
42' Altidore may not play often in Spain but they sure are teaching him to dive well.
45' Another low and crappy free kick by Landy Cakes.
Well, that really couldn't have gone worse, other than the fact that we could be down more. I can't say that anything should be different in this match. We have not been robbed. We have not taken any good chances. Surprisingly, the best player on the pitch has been Torres. Well done. Mastroeni should be dragged out back and shot. Bradley is not playing apparently. Dempsey and Donovan definitely smoked some weed before the game. Altidore is rusty. The entire defense, noticeably Beasley, have been god-awful and Tim Howard is two more goals from killing everyone on the field.
45' Naturally, the ineffective Sacha Klejstan replaces Jose Torres. Brilliant.
51' And we should be down 3-0. Bob Bradley has told them that they should jump for headers right?
54' U-S-A! U-S-A!
57' A Mortal Kombat style clearance. I whole-heartedly approve.
63' Adu for Mastroeni! YES!
64' Another day, another shitty and low free kick.
67' I'd like to give you a new series, one I'd like to call "What's Clint Thinking?" This will start with "God, everyone around here sucks so much. Why am I even here? It's hot as balls, the surface sucks, my team sucks and I only get two months off every year! These assholes play in MLS, our reserves would run the table in that shitshow! Beasley just lost the ball again, fuck my life man. If I start sobbing uncontrollably, would Bradley sub me then?"
69' Wow, everyone just stopped on that one. Bradley gets burnt and then Bocanegra gives the guy 5 yards IN THE BOX. Howard had no chance and laid on the ground sobbing for a few minutes after the goal. Surprised by Bocanegra, normally reliable. Maybe we should start a "What's Carlos Thinking?" too. Probably sounds a lot like Clint.
71' Going to plagerize my fave sportswriter Bill Simmons (as if the running diary wasn't already a decently large ripoff) but sometimes you have to look around and ask "Can you go to war with these guys?" Outside of the Gooch and Howard, I don't think so. If you can't go to war with them, you're going to lose when it matters, and I see no reason why this team won't be another 1-point wonder like 06.
74' Ah yes, the Ole's have begun.
76' Ladies and Gentlemen, we have the first good shot of the night by the Americans! Congratulations boys, better late than never.
79' Jozy Altidore gets the Didier Drogba "Big Men Who Fall Easily" award for the night.
80' Dempsey for Charlie Davies. I mean, doesn't matter.
83' Wow, big acting job by the Costa Rican defender there. A literal two second difference between contact and the holding of the face. What possibly use would that serve now? You're up 3-0!
85' Davies should have been in all game! Maybe no one else cares anymore, but the US looks spirited and attacking now.
87' A horrible cross by Beasley. I mean, the man got dumped in Scotland. What do you want from him?
89' A very elaborate, four-man set piece clearly saved for games where they have insurmountable leads and want to fuck with the opponent. Surprisingly effective but a great save by Timbo Slice.
91' PENAL! Clinically taken by Landy Cakes. Well this changes everything.
93' And that's all she wrote! Suddenly, we find ourselves second and with the need to beat Honduras in a supposedly pro-Honduran environment. I don't care if we play on the White House Lawn, you can't win with how we played tonight. Onto Soldier Field!
Saturday, June 6, 2009
USA v Honduras: Game Log
Halftime thoughts:
Overall we are easily outplaying Honduras, from whom I actually expected much more of a fight. We seem to have put the Costa Rica performance out of our minds, as we are really going after this game, possessing the ball well, and dictating play reasonably well.
Their goal was well taken, a capitalization on Dempsey's dribbling error. Other than that goal, however, I have not been scared by many of the Hondurans' possessions. Palacios looks good in the middle (TOTTENHAM REPRESENT, SON!!!) but he has been offset by the total anonymity that his midfield partner Amado Guevara has assumed.
Our goal was (what else?) a Landon Donovan penalty, perhaps an unlucky break for the Hondurans, but it was fully deserved according to the run of play. The last 30 minutes of the half I felt were a solid shift for the US, particularly Clint Dempsey, who seems to have pulled his finger out of his anal sphincter. He has actually seemed to care this entire game!! It's a miracle!! Seriously though, I wonder what Bob Bradley did to motivate Dempsey... I am willing to bet it went something like this:
"Hey Clint, is there anything I can do to motivate you?"
"Sure Bob. Here is the starting line-up I want... Make it happen, or I will once again roam around as if I am 7000 times better than the rest of my country."
Other than Deuce coming through with some sick skills, Specter has looked like a stud out there, hopefully he can cement a place in the first team (perhaps at LB, with Cherundolo when healthy at RB). Clarke I think has looked good, especially when you see him next to Pablo Mastroeni who has been AWFUL once again (looks like he is being subber out for Feilhaber at halftime... nice). Altidore and Casey have been putting in the effort... no results yet, but don't be surprised to see one or both of them get on the scoresheet.
OK, second half is starting... peace out, suckas!!
2nd Half:
Feilhaber is immediately making an impact, and a BIG one. I wasn't there when Napoleon came out of exile and shook stuff up in France, but I would imagine that it was something like what Feilhaber is doing right now. This is arguably the most influential substitution that I have ever witnessed in any USA match. Take the black hole that is Pablo Mastroeni and replace him with Napoleon. It's kind of strange to say this, but Feilhaber's greatest strength (which he is displaying finely tonight) is that he just knows what to do. His field vision leads him to make the correct play almost every time.
******
(In proofreading the above paragraph, I realize that I may be jumping to conclusions with Feilhaber... He has provided excellent play for the US in the past (Gold Cup 2007 anyone?), but 45 minutes of excellence tonight does not forgive his 21 consecutive months of not impressing for club or country. Here's to hoping that Feilhaber can finally realize his massive potential.)
******
Other subs:
Jay Demerit played 20 solid minutes after Bocanegra went off. If Boca is going to be out for the Confederations Cup (I have no idea how serious his injury is, just saying worst case scenario) then I would feel pretty confident in Demerit to fill in. The only thing is that we would need someone else in the outfield to step up in terms of leadership (Boca is captain, after all...). This is where Benny "Napoleon" Feilhaber steps in...
Beasley looked below average, he didn't make any of the blunders that he made in Saprissa but he also did nothing to impress. He made a few stupid passes, had a few miscommunications, and all in all was unimpressive. Amazing that he managed to do so all in what, 10 minutes?
On to Donovan, who picked up his game big time in this second half. That LM role which has been often filled by Beasley seemed to suit Donovan well in the final 45 minutes (the first half not so much... I will give him a mulligan, as I can't remember a time when he has ever had to play LM before). He settled in perhaps a little more forward than the rest of the midfield line, but still behind the strikers enough that he could provide service from the left flank. Perhaps we have finally found a position for the jostled-around Landycakes?
Player Ratings:
Howard: 7- made some great clearences, even coming out of the box on several occasions
Specter: 7- solid defending, got forward very well... definitely convinced me that he should have a spot in the team.
Bocanegra: 8.5- best performance out of him since Guatemala. Classic Bocanegra goal, no scary moments that I can recall.
Bornstein: 6- didn't do much to impress until the final 10 minutes, which at least means that he's got plenty of endurance. And you know as a marathon runner myself that I value endurance very, very much.
Dempsey: 8 (MotM)- finally we see the same Clint Dempsey that plays at Fulham play for the USA. He wanted this game, you could see it from the opening minute when he chased down Guevara right off of the kick-off. Great footskills, which the USA sadly lacks very much, he took people on and scared the crap out of Honduras' defense.
Clark: 6- I was not blown away by his attacking, but he was great in the middle, breaking up play all over the place (a la Wilson Palacios?). I would assess him at this point as a poor man's Maurice Edu.
Donovan: 6.5- silent first half was made up for by a stellar second half. He looked comfortable on that left wing and did well to take players on 1v1. Also ran past Wilson Palacios like he was a red headed stepchild. But then he gave it away. But it was sweet.
Altidore and Casey: 5 each- like I said, they were trying really hard, running after everything (or maybe "chasing" after everything...implications that they were a bit unsuccessful), but just could never get anything to really scare los Catrachos. We missed Brian Ching, who is great at setting his strike partner up. Too bad Brian Ching is injured (NEVER thought I'd say that... but I am warming up to Ching. He's like a poor man's Emile Heskey).
Subs:
Feilhaber: 8- Napoleon reincarnated. Need I say more?
Demerit: 6- no-nonsense defending that he has put into practice in England for years. Great to have him as backup.
Beasley: 4.5- what has happened to the man who was at one point our undisputed 2nd best field player? He and Donovan used to tear it up. He needs to get his club career back on track, either by coming back to MLS (it might be a little early to do this, but the league would certainly welcome him) or maybe a move to a midlevel team in a league like France, Portugal or Holland. Anywhere really, just so long as he gets on the field with regularity, otherwise this could be the beginning of the end for the once feared DMB.
******************
Also I just want to say that as I have been writing my post game analysis, I have had the last 20 minutes of El Salvador vs Mexico on Telefutura... I love El Salvador. Period. They may have taken 2 points away from us, but they took all 3 away from Mexico tonight! Mexico are, as I write this, NOT in a good enough position to qualify for the World Cup (not even for the playoff with CONMEBOL). I fully expect them to turn it around and at least make come in 4th, probably 3rd, in the hexagonal... but here's to hoping...
This is Scoops Callahan... over and out.
Overall we are easily outplaying Honduras, from whom I actually expected much more of a fight. We seem to have put the Costa Rica performance out of our minds, as we are really going after this game, possessing the ball well, and dictating play reasonably well.
Their goal was well taken, a capitalization on Dempsey's dribbling error. Other than that goal, however, I have not been scared by many of the Hondurans' possessions. Palacios looks good in the middle (TOTTENHAM REPRESENT, SON!!!) but he has been offset by the total anonymity that his midfield partner Amado Guevara has assumed.
Our goal was (what else?) a Landon Donovan penalty, perhaps an unlucky break for the Hondurans, but it was fully deserved according to the run of play. The last 30 minutes of the half I felt were a solid shift for the US, particularly Clint Dempsey, who seems to have pulled his finger out of his anal sphincter. He has actually seemed to care this entire game!! It's a miracle!! Seriously though, I wonder what Bob Bradley did to motivate Dempsey... I am willing to bet it went something like this:
"Hey Clint, is there anything I can do to motivate you?"
"Sure Bob. Here is the starting line-up I want... Make it happen, or I will once again roam around as if I am 7000 times better than the rest of my country."
Other than Deuce coming through with some sick skills, Specter has looked like a stud out there, hopefully he can cement a place in the first team (perhaps at LB, with Cherundolo when healthy at RB). Clarke I think has looked good, especially when you see him next to Pablo Mastroeni who has been AWFUL once again (looks like he is being subber out for Feilhaber at halftime... nice). Altidore and Casey have been putting in the effort... no results yet, but don't be surprised to see one or both of them get on the scoresheet.
OK, second half is starting... peace out, suckas!!
2nd Half:
Feilhaber is immediately making an impact, and a BIG one. I wasn't there when Napoleon came out of exile and shook stuff up in France, but I would imagine that it was something like what Feilhaber is doing right now. This is arguably the most influential substitution that I have ever witnessed in any USA match. Take the black hole that is Pablo Mastroeni and replace him with Napoleon. It's kind of strange to say this, but Feilhaber's greatest strength (which he is displaying finely tonight) is that he just knows what to do. His field vision leads him to make the correct play almost every time.
******
(In proofreading the above paragraph, I realize that I may be jumping to conclusions with Feilhaber... He has provided excellent play for the US in the past (Gold Cup 2007 anyone?), but 45 minutes of excellence tonight does not forgive his 21 consecutive months of not impressing for club or country. Here's to hoping that Feilhaber can finally realize his massive potential.)
******
Other subs:
Jay Demerit played 20 solid minutes after Bocanegra went off. If Boca is going to be out for the Confederations Cup (I have no idea how serious his injury is, just saying worst case scenario) then I would feel pretty confident in Demerit to fill in. The only thing is that we would need someone else in the outfield to step up in terms of leadership (Boca is captain, after all...). This is where Benny "Napoleon" Feilhaber steps in...
Beasley looked below average, he didn't make any of the blunders that he made in Saprissa but he also did nothing to impress. He made a few stupid passes, had a few miscommunications, and all in all was unimpressive. Amazing that he managed to do so all in what, 10 minutes?
On to Donovan, who picked up his game big time in this second half. That LM role which has been often filled by Beasley seemed to suit Donovan well in the final 45 minutes (the first half not so much... I will give him a mulligan, as I can't remember a time when he has ever had to play LM before). He settled in perhaps a little more forward than the rest of the midfield line, but still behind the strikers enough that he could provide service from the left flank. Perhaps we have finally found a position for the jostled-around Landycakes?
Player Ratings:
Howard: 7- made some great clearences, even coming out of the box on several occasions
Specter: 7- solid defending, got forward very well... definitely convinced me that he should have a spot in the team.
Bocanegra: 8.5- best performance out of him since Guatemala. Classic Bocanegra goal, no scary moments that I can recall.
Bornstein: 6- didn't do much to impress until the final 10 minutes, which at least means that he's got plenty of endurance. And you know as a marathon runner myself that I value endurance very, very much.
Dempsey: 8 (MotM)- finally we see the same Clint Dempsey that plays at Fulham play for the USA. He wanted this game, you could see it from the opening minute when he chased down Guevara right off of the kick-off. Great footskills, which the USA sadly lacks very much, he took people on and scared the crap out of Honduras' defense.
Clark: 6- I was not blown away by his attacking, but he was great in the middle, breaking up play all over the place (a la Wilson Palacios?). I would assess him at this point as a poor man's Maurice Edu.
Donovan: 6.5- silent first half was made up for by a stellar second half. He looked comfortable on that left wing and did well to take players on 1v1. Also ran past Wilson Palacios like he was a red headed stepchild. But then he gave it away. But it was sweet.
Altidore and Casey: 5 each- like I said, they were trying really hard, running after everything (or maybe "chasing" after everything...implications that they were a bit unsuccessful), but just could never get anything to really scare los Catrachos. We missed Brian Ching, who is great at setting his strike partner up. Too bad Brian Ching is injured (NEVER thought I'd say that... but I am warming up to Ching. He's like a poor man's Emile Heskey).
Subs:
Feilhaber: 8- Napoleon reincarnated. Need I say more?
Demerit: 6- no-nonsense defending that he has put into practice in England for years. Great to have him as backup.
Beasley: 4.5- what has happened to the man who was at one point our undisputed 2nd best field player? He and Donovan used to tear it up. He needs to get his club career back on track, either by coming back to MLS (it might be a little early to do this, but the league would certainly welcome him) or maybe a move to a midlevel team in a league like France, Portugal or Holland. Anywhere really, just so long as he gets on the field with regularity, otherwise this could be the beginning of the end for the once feared DMB.
******************
Also I just want to say that as I have been writing my post game analysis, I have had the last 20 minutes of El Salvador vs Mexico on Telefutura... I love El Salvador. Period. They may have taken 2 points away from us, but they took all 3 away from Mexico tonight! Mexico are, as I write this, NOT in a good enough position to qualify for the World Cup (not even for the playoff with CONMEBOL). I fully expect them to turn it around and at least make come in 4th, probably 3rd, in the hexagonal... but here's to hoping...
This is Scoops Callahan... over and out.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Credit where Credit is Due
I'm sure you all watched last night's (afternoon for those Stateside...) Champions League Final, and if your viewing experience was anything like mine, you were amazed continually by the virtuosity of Barcelona's players. The list could go on through every player on the pitch, but to name a two, Iniesta and Messi were ridiculous. The Spaniard carried the ball, connected with his forwards, recovered the ball on countless occasions fom the deflated Man U defense, and really was the thread that wove together Barcelona's attacking 2/3. I couldn't help but get chills when literally minutes ticked off the clock while the ball was under Barcelona's control. Especially in the final 30 minutes of the first half, they were untouchable.
Messi dominated as well - even the english, admittedly Manchester-supporting commentators noted his performance clearly outshined Ronaldo's. The Argentinian ran circles around Man U's defense, climaxing his amazing performance with a simply towering header to conclude the game's scoring. Messi's leap, suspending him in the air for a near eternity, put the 5'7" man on top of the football world. For lack of a more eloquent way of putting it, it was disgusting.
No team could match Barcelona last night, evidenced not only by their skill but by the scorecard which read 2-0 over the (previously) most likely candidate for best club in the world.
What impressed me very much, aside from the unreal level of play, was that in response to this skill, the Man U fans seated next to me were clapping and shaking their heads in disbelief after each astounding feat of Barcelona. That's called giving credit where credit is due, even if your team is at the losing end. In da words of my main man Ali-G, RESPECT.
Messi dominated as well - even the english, admittedly Manchester-supporting commentators noted his performance clearly outshined Ronaldo's. The Argentinian ran circles around Man U's defense, climaxing his amazing performance with a simply towering header to conclude the game's scoring. Messi's leap, suspending him in the air for a near eternity, put the 5'7" man on top of the football world. For lack of a more eloquent way of putting it, it was disgusting.
No team could match Barcelona last night, evidenced not only by their skill but by the scorecard which read 2-0 over the (previously) most likely candidate for best club in the world.
What impressed me very much, aside from the unreal level of play, was that in response to this skill, the Man U fans seated next to me were clapping and shaking their heads in disbelief after each astounding feat of Barcelona. That's called giving credit where credit is due, even if your team is at the losing end. In da words of my main man Ali-G, RESPECT.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Sportscenter Makes My Day
Soccer is not common fodder for ESPN. On Sportscenter, soccer shows up once and a while, and while all MLS and US National Team games are shown, others are rather rare. Maybe an "ESPN Deportes" update with a couple goals shown from all the games of the world in the past week. In the Top 10 Plays, maybe an absolutely nasty goal will get the 8th spot or something. The only time they ever really promote soccer is when it involves the UEFA Champions League because...THEY SHOW IT. While I was thrilled that ESPN picked up the games, thinking it would result in a lot more exposure, I really don't see a huge difference yet as there is no real independent analysis. If ESPN picked up La Liga or Premiership games, I think it would result in a huge boon in the sport's interest, but I don't see that happening anytime soon.
The reason I bring this all up is that the Top 10 Plays segment today was made up of the Top 10 plays from this year's Champion League! A rather strong list, though lacking some good contenders, and I liked that Iniesta's goal is first due to its importance. The anchor, don't know his name, kept referencing how much he loves soccer and how he freaked out during the Essien goal in the Barcelona game. All in all, very encouraging signs that the world's biggest sports network is dedicating its most popular segment of its popular and iconic show to soccer, even if only for a day.
The reason I bring this all up is that the Top 10 Plays segment today was made up of the Top 10 plays from this year's Champion League! A rather strong list, though lacking some good contenders, and I liked that Iniesta's goal is first due to its importance. The anchor, don't know his name, kept referencing how much he loves soccer and how he freaked out during the Essien goal in the Barcelona game. All in all, very encouraging signs that the world's biggest sports network is dedicating its most popular segment of its popular and iconic show to soccer, even if only for a day.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Survival Sunday
The 38th and final week of the Premier League season is just about upon us, and with it will come the relegation results. WBA are already down, with 4 other teams (Sunderland, Hull City, Newcastle and Middlesbrough) competing to stay out of the final 2 spots. The way I see it, Boro are already down. They have to win by a large goal difference AND get some help, not going to happen. Sorry, Mr Southgate, and good luck with your yo-yo skills.
Hull City have got no shot against Man U, as even Sir Alex Ferguson's C team is good enough to crush Hull. This simplifies things greatly, for if Hull lose, then Sunderland are safe. So for the final relegation spot, it is between Newcastle and Hull.
If these predictions hold true then it all comes down to Villa vs Newcastle (at Villa Park), from which (again if the predictions hold true) a draw will save the Geordies. Can they do it? Villa have been less then stellar for months, a shadow of the team that once held a 6 point lead for the fourth spot. The Villans have lost or drawn in 10 of their last 11 games, against arguably weaker opposition than what the Geordies will offer up on Sunday. As much as I hate to say it, I have a sneaky feeling that the Barcodes of Newcastle will achieve a 0-0 bore draw, enough to keep the Toon Army in the Premiership.
Well, so long, Phil Brown... and take your spray on tans with you.
Hull City have got no shot against Man U, as even Sir Alex Ferguson's C team is good enough to crush Hull. This simplifies things greatly, for if Hull lose, then Sunderland are safe. So for the final relegation spot, it is between Newcastle and Hull.
If these predictions hold true then it all comes down to Villa vs Newcastle (at Villa Park), from which (again if the predictions hold true) a draw will save the Geordies. Can they do it? Villa have been less then stellar for months, a shadow of the team that once held a 6 point lead for the fourth spot. The Villans have lost or drawn in 10 of their last 11 games, against arguably weaker opposition than what the Geordies will offer up on Sunday. As much as I hate to say it, I have a sneaky feeling that the Barcodes of Newcastle will achieve a 0-0 bore draw, enough to keep the Toon Army in the Premiership.
Well, so long, Phil Brown... and take your spray on tans with you.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Update: Chase for the Europa League!
Ok, so as it stands, if Totts is gonna make it to Europa league, we've got to catch Fulham, who are 2 points up. Their remaining games are away to Newcastle and home to Everton. Ours are home to Man City and away to Liverpool (yikes).
The way I see it, Tottenham will beat Man City, but lose to Liverpool. That's as realistic as I can get. In that scenario, we would need Fulham to drop points in both of their remaining games.
So to break this down, is there any situation in which I can enivision Fulham dropping enough points? Well, It is easy to see Fulham losing to Everton. Newcastle have been abysmal and I know you can't rely on them to get the job done... but maybe by some miracle Shearer captures the magic of Tyneside and holds them to a draw?
Overall, I don't think it's looking too good for Tottenham. We basically either have to beat Liverpool or hope Newcastle beats/draws Fulham. Pretty unlikely to happen, in my opinion.
Anyways, I wish you luck, Harry, in your chase for Europe... You're gonna need it!
The way I see it, Tottenham will beat Man City, but lose to Liverpool. That's as realistic as I can get. In that scenario, we would need Fulham to drop points in both of their remaining games.
So to break this down, is there any situation in which I can enivision Fulham dropping enough points? Well, It is easy to see Fulham losing to Everton. Newcastle have been abysmal and I know you can't rely on them to get the job done... but maybe by some miracle Shearer captures the magic of Tyneside and holds them to a draw?
Overall, I don't think it's looking too good for Tottenham. We basically either have to beat Liverpool or hope Newcastle beats/draws Fulham. Pretty unlikely to happen, in my opinion.
Anyways, I wish you luck, Harry, in your chase for Europe... You're gonna need it!
Sunday, May 3, 2009
A mire of despair
It seems every year there's one great escape story, or at the very least, an attempt at one. Last year was Fulham's great escape, however, this year there seem to be no surprises. The bottom five teams are absolutely dreadful, and I don't expect any of them to go on a run to safety. Hull and Sunderland have points on Boro, Toon and WBA, and that's all they'll need. Toon and Boro are stuck on 31, and if they end up with 33, that'll be great for them. All five of these teams simply suck. Newcastle and Boro play next week, and if a team wins that, they'll have a chance, as none of these teams face each other outside of that one match. If Boro and Toon tie, they'll both go down. I'd vote to have all five go down this year; none of them have any fight in them. I think there should be a new rule: 38 point threshold. If you don't average a point a game, you don't deserve to stay in the premier league. Rovers will (hopefully) get a point out of their next three matches, meaning that this would send these five awful teams down. You won't have a repeat of 2002 when West Ham went down with 42 points, and then bounced straight back up because they were too good for the Championship. I won't shed any tears of more yo-yo clubs being denied a year in the Premier League.
Lets look at the teams currently bouncing back up this year:
Wolves I think Wolves will get up and stay up. They're a big club, a quality side and the irony of Mick McCarthy taking the place for (hopefully) Roy Keane's former club in Sunderland will be great.
Birmingham CityYo-Yo city. Destined for another 18/19th place finish.
Playoff Winner (Sheffield Burnley Reading Preston) Lets just look at the history of the last playoff winners: Hull City (dreadful after an amazing start, if they stay up next year bet the farm they go Derby the year after), Derby County (the worst Premier League season in history), Watford (20th by a mile, dreadful dreadful season), West Ham United (stayed up, well done), Crystal Palace (18th, down), Wolves (20th, down), Birmingham (stayed up for a few years, before yo-yoing again).
Outside of West Ham, no playoff team in recent memory has avoided either a yo-yo fate or a fate to drop straight down to the Championship for awhile. When I look at these clubs, I can't say I see a different fate for any of them. If Hull stays up, I'm calling right now a bottom 3 of Hull City, Birmingham City and whoever wins the Playoff.
Lets look at the teams currently bouncing back up this year:
Wolves I think Wolves will get up and stay up. They're a big club, a quality side and the irony of Mick McCarthy taking the place for (hopefully) Roy Keane's former club in Sunderland will be great.
Birmingham CityYo-Yo city. Destined for another 18/19th place finish.
Playoff Winner (Sheffield Burnley Reading Preston) Lets just look at the history of the last playoff winners: Hull City (dreadful after an amazing start, if they stay up next year bet the farm they go Derby the year after), Derby County (the worst Premier League season in history), Watford (20th by a mile, dreadful dreadful season), West Ham United (stayed up, well done), Crystal Palace (18th, down), Wolves (20th, down), Birmingham (stayed up for a few years, before yo-yoing again).
Outside of West Ham, no playoff team in recent memory has avoided either a yo-yo fate or a fate to drop straight down to the Championship for awhile. When I look at these clubs, I can't say I see a different fate for any of them. If Hull stays up, I'm calling right now a bottom 3 of Hull City, Birmingham City and whoever wins the Playoff.
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