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28th, 29th and 30th Oct 2006
I suppose I am one of those critics Wayne Rooney proved wrong, well if it suits people's bizarre fantasies and celebrity fetishism then so be it. The key for me was that Rooney stroked the ball home twice. OK the first was a swing with the swinger but as swings with the swinger go it was pretty good. Actually I felt as smug as hell about the Roonster's performance having argued a) Rooney is a front striker not a 2nd striker and all his goals were pure striker b) Rooney should hit the target more and not hit so many wide (from memory 38% or so on target last year RvN more like 65% Lampard, same number of goals 30 less shots 49% or so). I have also argued all season in a two Rooney and Saha were the best front 2 in the premiership. See Below Saha and Rooney Lead The League. As it is Rooney does show how deceptive goals totals are - he has 5 and is on track for 25 maybe but that would mean only scoring in 10 games (5 in 2 he has scored in) otherwise known as a high "cream on top" quotient. However his opening 2 were the kind of goals I want to see more of from a top striker at 0-0 and 1-0 - superb opportunism for the 2nd. One thing a couple of passes leading somewhere does not suddenly make Carrick a good player or worth 18 million, sorry Sir Alex - 10 solid performances on the trot will.
So Man Us cup runneth over? Well yes and no they are playing well and have the same number of points as Chelsea even though Chelsea are not playing well. Indeed but for some late nonsense at the Riverside Chelsea would be top. United also lost to the only good team they faced this year in Arsenal. However whilst accepting Bolton were not at their best this was an impressive away win at the Reebok.
One wonders if the likes of Villa, Bolton, Reading and Blackburn have put so much into the early season that now when the big boys start 15 match unbeaten runs they will fall away. Bolton I had down for 5th and they could have lost 6 or 7 had everyone else's finishing match the Roonster. Blackburn so unlucky v Bolton last week lost to West Ham. West Ham and Man City may hope they are on the up now but it will take more than one game over opposition on their uppers to prove that.
Is there a nastier piece of work than Tim Cahill? OK OK some make worse tacklers but he is a nasty one always snarling and shouting at the ref. Indeed after Arteta had rugby tackled and stamped on Gallas Cahill and Phil Neville tried to get Gallas sent off by grabbing him round the throat and patting his head. If anyone wants to know why players should go down at the slightest contact they only need look at Mike Yellow Card Riley who booked Gallas as well as Arteta but not the cheating Cahill who got away with "raising hands". If you are one of the moronic 1 liners for knowledge brigade you are no doubt wondering how he did not send off Arteta, Neville and Cahill as they all raised hands. Actually no one is but imagine a dark skinned foreigner like Gallas, a Chelsea or Man U player did half as much.... As for Riley he is a useless tosser who allowed Everton to reduce the amount of time the ball was in play to Italian levels. He will not issue reds or make decisions and just keeps gutlessly yellowing - equating nothing, like Gallas being upset, with a shocking stamp by Arteta and ignoring trying to get a fellow professional sent off by Cahill and Neville, which is a sin when done by foreigners waving imaginary cards but OK when done by Anglo Commonwealth scum bags.
The real test of Martin O'Neill begins now. Can he having organised and motivated Villa do more than re-tread some of his old Celtic players and get more from Villa's kids. At the end of the day he cannot just do what he did at Leicester. It should also be remembered head to head he did not do better than McLeish with the same, if not more, money in the Celtic v Rangers stakes.
Chelsea won in routine fashion with a referee seemingly oblivious to the tackle from behind being outlawed years ago. Lampard shows up the supposed delivery of Beckham as he gets far more goals and assists from free kicks by just striking the ball hard between the posts. Beckham has been averaging 1 or 2 a season and yes they are things of beauty when they dip in but Lampard's lead to more goals. Ditto corners Beckham went almost a whole season once without a corner being converted Lampard is lucky to go 5 games. Lampard goal and assist not bad for someone who is said to be fat, useless and wasteful of the ball!
Coppell's hit men continue to show their poor grace. Although they did not hit with extreme force twice in the game Reading players just jumped into people without any eye on the ball. Sidwell in open play landed on someone and someone (Sidwell again) buzzed James for the goal although James was still at fault and the goal was meaningless anyway. I will need some convincing this is not a deliberate tactic from Reading. It seems that only moron footballers think there is much moral difference between putting one on someone and deliberately hurting someone. Sure no one sets out to badly injure but I am sure drunk drivers do not either.
Never been a big fan of Sheringham but delighted to see guile triumph over perspiration and maybe a player like that is needed sometimes in a struggling team. Someone who can come in without any confidence problems.
I hate to conclude on refs but they seem bullied by ignorant ex-footballers into craven red card averse weaklings who equate trivial foul play with brainings. Riley's performance in letting off Arteta and Cahill and an Everton game plan that did not involve kicking the ball was criminal. Worse given, and maybe because of, such craven referreeing we are I fear starting to see the return of the tackle from behind.
Bite Me: Berkshire Based Hunt A Nice Man As Well
22nd Oct 2006
Alcohol has probably robbed me of the ability comment reasonably much beyond the first half of the Arsenal game. However watching the demeanour of the Berkshire based Hunt he looks like a career ending injury waiting to happen. Seriously like the Fulham butcher who got Giggs and then C'Ashley, only to be let off by the appropriately named FA, these excessively aggressive players beloved of managers of p1ss poor clubs need to be run out of football. Letting them off because their violence is not pre-meditated is ridiculous. To those nailing their colours to Hunt being a good honest pro all I can say is, are you sure?
Jermain Defoe found a way to make headlines in a rare start for Spurs. I have not seen it but the melee that ensued sounds funny.
Talking of gurning fools surrounding referees how it took the ref 2 attempts to send Nolan off is beyond me. Frankly this scars football more than anything and is too common. The sight of young mainly English players gurning and screaming like kids who are not getting enough attention is sickening. I sincerly hope that Nolan got a straight red and that he gets a long ban to consider his position.
As said last week Bolton are going well and have a better team than ever however Blackburn seem equally well managed and were unlucky to get nothing. This could be the battle for 5th. Hughes in many ways is doing a remarkable job at a club Souness had marked for the drop and cannot seemingly attract or retain players. They despite the odd nasty player (Neill, a right Hunt) and overly physical game play good stuff on the grass when I have seen them.
Anyway to the comedy. Liverpool spent 27 million last summer and one wonders how they can continue to spend the equivalent of a Gerrard every summer to no purpose. Honestly texts were crossing with the same joke when they brought on Pennant - is that all they have? My ironic to a United Fan "you must be scared now". They were not up for the game and at 1-0 seemed to play to avoid a striping, gutless.
United looked like a team, indeed as with Arsenal, their geese are becoming sort of swans. I was asking people if Evra, Vidic and Fletcher were actually that good. Saha of course makes the team and his pace and physicality make him talent wise the most talented forward around or at least in the shake up with the Drog. Had Rooney and Rio deemed to show some class, Rio's uncharateristic box brilliance excepted, and followed the example of Scholes and played for the team it would have been a team I would give a great shot of over turning Chelsea who have even more star baggage.
It is always dangerous to criticise an Arsenal player who looks poor on first viewing as Hleb shows signs of being less sh1te than first viewed. There are teams who get 1 early and sit back, not Arsenal. Arsenal just look to tear teams apart in the first 30 minutes. Whereas say Chelsea wear teams down and bury them 30 till 75 -> according to Skytext last year Chelsea collectively led only 4-2 after 30odd first 30 minutes, the equivalent of 10 games.
I hope it is more than a hope but United and Arsenal with their team focus and Chelsea with its new shiny (ageing actually) Galacticos could lead to a proper fight for the league this year. Drogba cannot keep up playing for 2 or 3.
Robben the Bigger News: Not Galacticos' Goals
21st Oct 2006
So Chelsea finally got some goals from those two prancing gliders. Honestly you have to admire the other 8 players when they play. Sheva showed more strength over the game but needed a deflection for his goal. The goal was not the issue as the fact that Chelsea's two dominant years have seen multiple goal scorers adding up to more than van Nistlerooy and Henry. The team is about organisation and work rate things that seem not to be demanded of the Ukrainian.
Chelsea fielded a 4132 which with Robben wide shows a formation does not have to be symmetrical. One winger is enough in a formation with 2 strikers. This formation will make the best tactic to attack Chelsea to isolate Makelele and exploit his [Makelele] limitations in passing - with Essien there it is more problematic. Get him to turn the ball over near goal and get runners at Terry and Carvalho which is what they do not like. For me to beat Chelsea consistently you have to master transition, to use a Mourinho/Basketball term, as if you allow them time to get set then Terry becomes a colossus. You see in a 442 that demands a high line for England Terry can be exposed. Against Chelsea the only way to expose him is to press the holding player(s) especially now the outlet Robben (or Joey) is back.
Chelsea will want, at least, Cudicini back as soon as possible as Portsmouth managed 1 shot on target 1 goal and he was nowhere near making a save or intervention on that. Even though he did not score Sheva's goal owed a lot to Drogba taking the defenders away and an oddly unselfish Robben - that pair created a similar chance for Ballack who blew it. Not to mention the deflection that took Sheva'a shot away from James.
The hard work begins now for Martin O'Neill: the first ordinary result for a while and basically he has the good youth O'Leary did not bring out, Petrov and last year's squad complete with Angel and Baros.... If they finish top half he will have done well.
Aside from being a regular penalty taker James Beattie still does not convince as more than a square peg with round holes. Andy Johnson is like a one man forward line and Beattie sort of hangs around hoping to get a header or a set piece occasionally. Beattie it should be remembered has done something few players have and done it twice - a 20 goal premiership season. Michael Owen has never done that. However as above about Shevchenko good organised teams with good tactics and organisation need a forward to do more than just play for himself.
Manchester City were simply abject handing their opponents 2 goals. One wonders if Pearce has the knowledge to take the side forward. Honesty, openess and likeability mean players will play up to a point but City look soft at present. With so many young players you wonder if they require the kind of direction and confidence a Redknapp clearly provides when on his game.
Bolton Start to Sort Out Forward Roles
15th Oct 2006
In beating Newcastle away Bolton rode their luck first half but with Anelka dropping left side looked to be coming together as an attacking force. I felt at the start of the year that Bolton would be better without Okocha and Nakata in their midfield as any two hard working players would do. Diouf showed he is still the most annoying player in the division by inducing kicks from Emre and Ramage although he bizarrely got booked for being Newcastle's Pinata. In the end Diouf got the benefit of his own movement and good work by Anelka for the first and good familiar stuff by Kevin Davies for his 2nd. Bolton would appear to have the organisation and players this year to have an outside shot at 5th - assuming Liverpool pick up otherwise maybe 4th. Certainly they appear like a team compared to say Newcastle and Spurs who most would consider their competitors.
Saha and Rooney Lead The League
14th Oct 2006
Rooney apparently played well and I felt it was a more Rooneyesque performance. United started 433 which seems to be their way to have Ronaldo but not be so reliant on him as a defender - ironically Ronaldo was not playing. Whilst the formation led to amazing attacking movement as Rooney, Saha and Ole took turns at playing the centre forward this positional flexibility often left United confused and stretched. Second half they went 442 and restored the best front 2 around in Saha and Rooney. Rooney missed a few passes when dropped off and all his best work is still generally done in and around the box as he can beat a man but does not have the pace and passing to exploit that further back - at least on what I have seen. I would bet statistically Rooney is as good as anyone not called Henry as a front striker - he gets less effective the further back and wide he plays, IMO. Combine his devastating ability to beat men with Saha's pace and athleticism that forces defenses back and you have a way to win. the only problem is they do not seem to want to play 442 with Ronaldo. It will be interesting which way United go. A couple of years ago when Ruud got injured Rooney played 4321 and Giggs and Ronaldo led United on a long unbeaten run and maybe Rooney created space for them but it did not help him score lots - young man then. Regardless of Rooney do they leave out Saha or make him a winger in a 433? Although I generally favour 433 I think United play 442 and leave us the movement and physical power of Rooney and Saha - the best front pairing in the premiership. Where that leaves Ronaldo is anyone's guess. Even better news for Man U is Vidic did a passable John Terry impression and a United fan of my acquaintance was not too against Vidic and Brown over Rio!
If Steve McClown was watching and wanted a wing back and middle 3 then maybe he should have picked players for that formation. He basically played a back 4 with Carragher and less is more with 5 defenders. Had he wanted a genuine wing back he should maybe have used Barry rather than a talentless, in skill terms, runner like C'Ash. Phil Neville showed he is less than a steller right back that McClown selected him as. Seriously in lesser positions like full back McClaren needs to just trust premiership players and not fall back on old players he knows. If full backs were good players most likely they would not be playing there.
On the Young Player watch for McClown Theo Walcott at least is starting to play and we can all see what the fuss is about. David Bentley another Arsenal 'trained' winger is beginning to appear in my assists records regularly as well. Anton Ferdinand is beginning to look like Rio judged on his marking of Kanu for Portsmouth's opener.
Shevchenko's form is getting pathetic. Chelsea effectively play with 10 men and Jose Mourinho knows it. When Chelsea have a man sent off, a very common occurence since the middle of last season, the special one pulls off Sheva (Fnaa Fnaa, gurgle gurgle) and sticks on Joey or Kalou so Chelsea stay at 10 men (9 with Ballack so far). You also see how much of a cog in a good team Lampard is. He will never be the play maker in a 442 that England want. Yet again he wins the free kick and yes luck played a part but front and centre and back closing down and tackling was Lampard - has anyone scored more deflected goals! For England I am at a loss and suspect he is not truely compatible with a 442 and especially with Rooney and Gerrard who want the same space - et tu Michael Ballack? So he should probably do McClown a favour and retire especially as he will be 32 at the next world cup and frankly I do not care about the Europeans - 2 teams cancelling each other out for 120 minutes wake me up when it is over.
Harry Redknapp continues to show case his talent for grabbing, motivating and organising disparate players to just go out and perform. Frankly despite my aversion to the guy it does seem surprising he was not considered for England. I think he would simplify and support the players enough to never turn in the absurd performances McClown has given us so far.
The supposed big 'bloid issue from the week end was the Hunt knee to Cech's head. Most of the ex-players rattled on about intent. Shearer scraping the deepest barrell with his if he was trying to injure the keeper he would not use his knee. Surely if he was playing the ball then he uses his foot.... If he was not playing the ball he was playing????? Cech's head? Just trying to scare him with a close shave? The point is this kind of reckless challenge is the standard and it should be clamped on. Whether Hunt thought he might leave his mark is irrelevant we cannot know he meant it as we can never 100% know Schumacher meant to get Battiston. Reckless dangerous play is reckless dangerous play whether it is done deliberately or not. Hunt was not playing the ball and played the man however much he did not expect to.
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