Spanish Genius

Absolutely Incredible skill. Lob while running at full pace - pure skill.

Pwn'd

Rugby tackles for all

If you read below, apparently rugby tackles are legal in football if the ref mistakenly reports it as serious foul play, because apparently it not unsportsman or cynical enough.

Due to this ground breaking ruling, I suggest that all teams should now employ this technique as it is effective at bring down a player and obviously will save you from conceding goals.

Every single time I see another player only receiving a 3 match ban for gross misconduct insults Rio Ferdinand's missed drugs test in which he was banned for 9 months for missing a drugs test in which he later passed clean. Guthrie's tackle was cynical and deliberate unlike the Eduardo injury where was was unluckily caught full on and Taylor was in visible distress at his own actions received a 3 match automatic suspension. Guthrie showed little remorse and will only receive a 3 match ban (a less than 2 weeks suspension). Guthrie's wild swing has now costed Fagan 6 weeks to recover from his broken leg. There are serious flaws in this system in which seemingly bad tackles are categorised with those that are gross and degrading football. 

FA demands respects

If you have even seen football even at school level, abuse goes around like choirs in in a church, continuous and effortless. Like many people I have never been a fan of abuse as I see no point in giving it if the ref has done a good job. You never saw anyone abuse Collina because he always delivered fair and precise rulings. However if they do a sub-par job but expect to be respected, then they obviously either come from another planet or work for the FA. The FA has blamed the players for descent but I am sure that they would rather not do such a thing if the refs were consistent and precise in judgment. In no other profession do you ever a company protect an employee in such a way when they blatantly performed badly. The players get fined, dropped from the team and even abused if they perform badly, refs too are professionally employed, I do not understand why their mistakes are dealt with.

Personally, I will give a ref the respect he or she deserves plus the benefit of the doubt, but if they perform badly, you can be assured that comments will follow.

The FA shoots themselves in the foot again

John Terry was sent off for the above incident when hes was adjudged to have hauled down Jo, denying a clear opportunity towards goal. There weren't that many complaints from either side as it clearly shows that John Terry used his arm to bring down Jo. However as there was another defender between Jo and the goal, it gave grounds for Chelsea to appeal. Mark Hughes later said that the ref was erratic in handing out the card, obviously he wants to be in Chelsea's good books as he showed no sympathy for his own player Jo. 

Later on in the week, Chelsea won their appear and had the red card rescinded, meaning that John Terry is cleared to play. However, the puzzling point is that apparently Mark Halsey the ref that was incharge reported the incident as "serious foul play." However, no top-tier referee would ever consider Terry's bear hug as "serious foul play"but more correctly as "denying an opportunity to score" or an "unsportsman behaviour" (for holding on). Because of so, Terry's card was rescinded because it was not foul play. This has left many fuming as it was obvious that the FA has tinkered with Halsey's report in order to allow Terry to play. 

The reason being is that Terry is the England captain and therefore the front man of the FA, no one is every dumb enough to penalise their main man. This also happened when Terry was captain during the McClaren era. Unrelated so, clubs play certain players because it is in their contract with TV broadcasters to play big names. Think of Beckham's contract when out on friendlies. If Beckham was absent less people watch i.e. less popular less money for the club. Change the word club for FA and Terry for Beckham and you will know why it is advantageous. 

With the FA constantly promoting respect towards referees, they have humiliated Halsey so that they can clear Terry's name how can we repect people when their own employers won't respect them? FA = hypocrites. 

Matchweek 4 - The two big matches

This matchweek saw the traditional fixture between Liverpool and Man Utd, billed as the biggest fixture in English football. The other was the Clash of Cashes, between Chelski and Man (the oil pumps) City. 

Man City 1 - 3 Chelsea

This game was really never about unexpected winners, Chelsea in the way that they have played were not simply going to get a run around because Man City has now got their own Sugar Daddy. City itself is good but still much out of par with the rest of the big 4 with a general lack of depth in some key positions, if by simply having Billionaire owners made you play well, Chelsea and Liverpool would have definitely been classified as retarding stocks. 

Man City got a goal through Robinho, who still seemed disorientated regarding where at and who he is playing for, that glimmer of hope resulting from the freekick pretty much died as fast as it came and everyone in the light blue strip looked more confused than Mr Bean with a turkey on his head. Chelsea came into ascendancy and equalised through Carvalho 3 minutes later and Chelsea were ahead curtesy of Lampard 7 minutes before the hour. Anelka who has pretty much turned around his career under Scolari got the third 18 minutes afterwards. However the show did not end there, the England Captain had yet another mad moment when he hauled down Jo who made light work from the defender's marking. Terry will now most likely miss Chelsea's next three league matches including Man Utd at the Bridge next week. 

Liverpool 1 - 2 Man Utd

With Liverpool failing to win against United in the Benitez era and with Torres and Gerrard injured, few would bet on them coming away with 3 points today. However they did not anticipate United to do another shocker worthy to mention the 4-1 loss to Middlesbrough couple of seasons back. United were at full flight from the start and got a goal in 3 minutes via a Berbatov and Tevez linkup in the Liverpool box. However for United it was all downhill as soon as van der Sar spilt a corner into the path of Kuyt, who was just as shocked to receive the ball shot straight back into the United keeper. It was obvious that van der Sar was going to have one of 'those' days and soon the keeper unsurprisingly delivered on that note needlessly coming out trying to collect a tame deflected shot. Wes Brown expecting to clear the ball was shocked to see vdS punching the ball into his legs and subsequently rolling into the empty net. United tried to resurrect the game but Liverpool controlled it all too well and was in no danger in conceding again. With Liverpool looking to get their first win out of 7 meetings with United, they relentless attacked and found the winner through substitute Babel who was left acres of space from the United defence in their own box very much so like Tevez goal. Vidic was later sent off for a second bookable offense and will now miss the tie with Chelsea.

Benitez was a happy man afterwards as Gerrard made yet another timely but successfully come back and with another 3 points in the bag and United out of hand, however most importantly it has shown that Liverpool can actually play without Gerrard and Torres. 

Pick of the Week

Pick of the week video all that way back in 1995 August 1st between Man Utd and Liverpool. How Fowler was so good back then.

Service for the nation

Croatia 1 - 4 England

Tense times were amongst the English fans heading into this fixture especially after that indifferent showing in Barcelona against a minnow of a team Andorra. 

The surprise inclusion of Walcott on the wing certainly shocked a few, but it yet again comes to show that big managers like Capello and Eriksson can defy all logic and choose a boy that has yet to establish himself as a regular at the Emirates. 

The Heskey and Rooney partnership was obviously the only way to go as simply besides Rooney there are not any English strikers that can hold a candle to International level. However when the game started, the horror. Wayne was seen running all the way back to his own box and even gave away a clumsy freekick right at the edge of the box. The Rooney that most England fans hate to see was on display again. 

The English defense was getting ripped apart by Srna's dribbling and errors from the two Chelsea defenders did not help in the mix. However their last ditch efforts meant that both sides was having a fairly toothless attacking display. The Croatian Magician, Luka Modric who was said to be the dangerman looked more like Lampard when he plays alongside Gerrard, totally overshadowed and forgotten. Srna was stealing the show in Croatian terms. 

England had a couple of good chances with Heskey getting tackled to the ground in the box but the so called 'best' referee in Europe, Mr Michel, thought otherwise. Walcott now seemingly forgotten by Josip 'I'll hack you in half, but only get sent off after three yellow cards' Simunic, got a lucky rebound from a poor Croatian clearance slid the ball past Pletikosa like a seasoned professional. It was not totally against the run of play but neither can you say England looked anywhe

re near comfortable afterwards.

Joey Barton has a thing or two to learn from Simunic who continued to sit on a yellow by commit fouls by the dozen but only got a slap on the wrist. 

It looked more like a matter of when not if for Simunic to get sent off, however his Captain Kovac went into a header but demonstrated that the ball wasn't the only thing he was going after. With half of Joe Cole's forehead on his elbow, Kovac was given his marching orders with little complaint from Bilic or the Croatian supporters.

The game changed from there onwards and the previously unnoticed Lampard came to life commanding the center of the pitch like he so often does at the Bridge. This inturn allowed Rooney to have the space up front with Heskey. There was no looking back, literally, Rooney didn't go any further back than the half way line after Kovac was dispatched home. Rooney who was much critised and rightfully so went out to redeem his name and showed that he has lost none of the promise that he gave in 2004. Rooney terrorised the Croatian defense with Heskey up front, it took all four Croatian defenders to mark them two creating acres of space for Walcott and Jenas on each flank. Going wide each time, Walcott slide wide and produced a carbon copy of his first goal bagging a second of the night, before some good work between Ashley Cole and Jenas put the ball on a plate for Rooney to slide home.

Lampard was unlucky to not get his name on the score sheet after Heskey was judged to be too big and strong for the Croatian defender who went down faster than Drogba. It would not been a memorable night if 

Terry was not at war again with Srna millimetres away from decapitating the England Captain, the Croatian squared the ball for his teammate whose tidy finish prevented a mass evcuation from the Croatian fans too embarrassed to watch their own team. 

It was always England's night, with commentators drawing comparisons with 'That' game in Munich some years back in which Owen bagged a Hattrick when playing alongside the now Wigan's pillar man. Walcott got on the end of a Rooney's special (pass that is) raced towards goal but seemed to take one too many touches, however like Eriksson who never doubted him, calmly finished to become England's youngest hattrick hero. He later said the reason why he took so long before shooting was because he apparently lost some studs on his right boot. Who can blame the boy?

All wrapped up at 1-4, Capello had that same smirk on his face Bilic had back at Wembley, knowing that all is not lost with England but that this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. 

Rooney a hero no more

As a fan of United and England, it hurts me greatly for Rooney to come out and say that he is unfazed by the fact that he isn't scoring. see Rooney unfazed by England drought and Rooney: I'm a team player

I have always thought of him as a winner, a man that never settles for second, but this complacency when England needs him to score so much has really shown that 'darker side' that Keane was referring to in his vent on MUTV. England already have Lampard and Gerrard that can sit in that hole and with Rooney there, it will cause another vs-Czech like performance where we kept the ball just in front of their box but with no penetration into the box.

God forbid, but if it takes another player to start in his position then so be, I want him to succeed even if it means dropping him. No one in the England or United team is irreplaceable especially those that are ignorant of what their team needs them to do.

New Season Tough Beginnings

As the new season of 2008/09 begins it is exciting to see that all the mid and low tier clubs have been busy over the summer in boosting their squad. With the likes of Sunderland and Bolton pretty much signing a whole new squad while the top four being much more conservative in their spending, the minnows seems to resist a walk-over from the top four.

The transfers in the top four has been limited and probably due to the fact that a reasonable player can cost up to 20 million pounds these days, although they might be cash strapped no one will fork out that much money constantly to strengthen their bench.Arsenal saw the transfers of Nasri and Silvestre, both Frenchmen have a lot to offer in terms of carrying the ball and creating opportunities from Nasri and the much needed experience of Silvestre from his time at United. However Arsenal's summer was more about how many would leave, with Flamini and Hleb out the door in double time, doubts remained over the loyalty of some other players. The average age of the Arsenal team is still extremely young and with the unexpected departures it is sure to harm the progress of Arsene's promising talents. However like last two seasons, their possibility of winning the Premier League is close of that Man Utd getting relegated, the consistency of under 21s are always left wanting.

Chelsea's window was more about that manager that the players, Big Phil entered the club and managed to impress everyone like Capello when he came into the English post. However English fans are never too shy to express their feelings, reputation or not, Phil starts from scratch at the Bridge and will be expected to deliver. With a squad with that kind of quality and depth, anything but convincing wins are rightfully expected, however Phil will need to help his keeper Cech from injury and Terry from slipping over on wet surfaces if they want to add silverware.

Liverpool saw quite a bit of action, thats if action means the conflicts between the owners and the once-good manager. Benitez continues to big in half names into the club in his now famous trial and error transfer policy, Voronin got the short end of the stick and has headed back overseas after getting a big fat Fail in his test. The depth of Liverpool still remains with the three, Torres, Gerrard and Carragher, most other players are secondary, as long as those three are fit and in form, Liverpool can still scare the crap out of the teams, local or in Europe, how causing a scare is the furtherest they will get in terms of getting anything but a mickey mouse consolation prize.

Man Utd, yet another aimless summer transfer blighted by the Ronaldo saga for the second time, however the is no story to be had if the media simply accepted the fact that Ronaldo said 'I stay' at the end of last season. 

Transfers causes the news not those that stay. But I really doubt Ronaldo disliked the free publicity though. Knowing Berbatov's loyalty this transfer was a done deal long before September 1st, however the hypocrites down in London wanted more cash. Spurs managed to do deals with Liverpool and Man Utd despite the fact that they were going after a complaint after both teams. Ferguson must really believe in his team or is seriously cash strapped to only 30 million as his team looked far from convincing when winning the Champions League last season, scrapping past Barcelona by the skin of their teeth and needed the weather to send Chelsea sliding back to London. However with Berbatov in their team, they do have a chance to retain both crowns but will always be the one chasing.