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398 - I'm obviously biased, but I can't see how that wasn't a yellow for Fellaini, if not a straight red. He quite clearly stomped Kyrgiakos' ankle. Combine that with his kicking of Dirk Kuyt in the face and he should have been off, one way or another.
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Not getting the reference.
He didn't look bad. Everton as a group was pretty disappointing and Donovan didn't really stick out one way or the other. As a group they just looked completely out of it and he was no different from anyone else.
I actually think Donovan had a great first 20 or 30 minutes of the match. I specifically remember a couple nice sequences early in the match where his defensive pressure forced Liverpool to pass backward off of his side and work the ball through the defense over to their right on two consecutive possessions, and he forced a nice turnover around then too. They basically didn't attack down his side the entire time it was 11 v 11 (after which it was much more of a helter skelter game).
On the offensive end he created a couple nice chances before and after the red card, including Everton's most dangerous chance when he skinned Insua in the box and stood up a nice cross on the far post. He also megged a player (Agger?) at some point, for what that's worth.
He did lose the ball a couple times, but that is inevitable. For what it's worth, I think he had a better game than Pienaar, the other player I watch a lot.
(I really should just go ahead and chart these games.)
And WTF, Huntelaar? You're useless.
With Donovan playing well and Dempsey's injury not serious and Altidore not completely sucking anymore, I'm more hopeful about the World Cup, even though I think the defense isn't really up to taking on the world's best playmakers. (I'm not looking forward to Spector etc trying to slow up Wayne Rooney who looks impossibly good right now). When do we get to see the first team start working together again?
They've got a friendly against the Netherlands in a couple weeks. It's an international break so I expect all of the non-injured big guns to be out.
Is Jones healthy enough for a call up?
The USSF has just announced that they've lined up Turkey and the Czech Republic as "send off series" opponents in May. The Turkey game is in Philly, the Czech game will be TBD. Not sure if they're trying to get another game -- last cycle we played 3.
Supposedly just starting to train with a ball, so no chance he makes the Netherlands roster. At this point I think his chances are slim, since that is his last chance before provisional rosters are submitted. Granted, BB could take a chance and name him if he gets back on the field and looks good for Schalke, and then maybe if he can't find his form with the USMNT he picks up another "injury" and an alternate is called up (Maurice Edu come on down!).
Hmm. Edu hasn't played much, either.
The Turkey game is in Philly, the Czech game will be TBD. Not sure if they're trying to get another game -- last cycle we played 3.
Hopefully they'll break in the new Red Bulls stadium with a game.(I can see the stadium from my office window! Too bad I find it impossible to get behind a team that calls itself the Red Bulls.)
He's at least on the field these days. Jones has the dreaded "no timetable for his return." It's also been trendy in some circles to favor Edu lately because he could serve as CB depth, perhaps allowing Boca to serve as the primary LB backup. Edu has played there at the U20 level, but I think any situation where he'd have to come into the game at CB because Boca is out left is one in which we're either screwed anyway or are only there because of card accumulation because we're in the semis.
USSF usually likes to spread the games around regionally. It'd be cool if they came to Pac Bell again, though even if it was in LA I'd think hard about take a road trip.
SPOILER BELOW In case you have it on tape.
By keepers and refs and think the BBC was using a longhand form of "Fabianski". He blew the game, basically.
It's rare that you see someone make ONE mental blunder that big. To make one and then follow it up by utterly failing to pay attention is just unforgivable.
In other news, Reading won again and are out of the relegation zone. Here's hoping they've actually turned the corner.
In other other news, Charlie Davies is heading back to France and it seems possible that he'll be back and ready to go for the World Cup. Which would be huge. Even if he's rusty and not quite match-fit he absolutely has to be in the squad if he can play. There's just no one else of remotely the same quality who can fill that role for us.
Those English love their singing...
There aren't too many sports that couldn't be improved by thousands of spectators singing, chanting, and taunting the opposition in unison. It is, in my opinion, quite possibly the best thing about the Premier League experience.
Yeah. Just watching at a distance on the tube, the English soccer experience seems a lot more fun and interesting from a spectator POV than Spain and Italy. The stadiums in England seem much closer to the action. I admit to not liking the scarves, though. I'm probably too American to ever embrace decorative scarves.
I'm guessing there won't be as many South Africans in the stands as during the Confederations Cup, so probably not as many horns. Though those things didn't seem to bother the Nats, so what the hell...horns for everyone!
Based on the Confed Cup...no, the horns are not better. The sound was annoying but I got used to it quick enough. What I did not like was that the noise just sort of keeps going so even on goals or great saves the crowd noise remained constant. A good crowd is interactive with the game on the field and should reflect the ebbs and flows of the game.
Incidentally, I second everything Shooty said about the English soccer experience.
Also, Landon Donovan named Everton Player of the month by fans.
I'd like to say that our approach is more mature, but I've been forced to endure the wave all too many times...
Nope. FSC had the good sense to show Arsenal-Porto live, thank god.
Nice. I can get up before the gf and watch it in peace. I hate Man U (of course) but seeing Wayne Rooney becoming a truly great player has been fascinating. Any chance Man U really sells him to Barca? I know Man U's finances are putrid, but selling Rooney seems like a scorched earth policy at this point. He's so far and away their best player and he's couldn't be any more freakin English.
We're still more mature, since in Britain they call it "the Mexican wave".
That game was like watching an early-round FA Cup game. It was terrible. Arsenal has really been up and down this year, even more so than usual.
Are any of you lucky enough to be seeing FSC in HD yet? I'm hoping it's available soon.
Does anyone know if FSC HD is a different channel? The FSC broadcasts I've seen lately say they are HD, though they clearly aren't. I looked through my channel lineup and didn't see anything new though. I'm on Comcast.
They've had Stoke on a couple times now recently, who are just about always awful to watch. I'm not sure why they insist on punishing us so. But wait...they've got a rare Sunday game tomorrow!
Blackburn v Bolton. Oh for ####'s sake.
In other news, Jamie O'Hara is bossing procedings at Fratton Park. Attaboy!
There are at least six or seven teams worse than West Ham. They'll be fine.
Isn't this going a bit far? (Depends on what one means by "world's best," I guess.) His ball skills are still amazing and entertaining, and he appeared to play harder vs. Manchester United. However, there are still too many times when he fails to run, too many when he holds on to the ball rather than looks to pass, and their offense tends to come to stop when the ball goes to his side. It's like when Bird was getting on McHale for being a black hole...
Not Dish. Don't know of any cable or satellite system that has FSC HD yet. There's also that Fox Soccer Plus coming March 1 that no system has yet.
I would assume it is probably an accumulation thing. Just playing a Wednesday-Saturday schedule once is no big deal but if you do it enough over the course of a season it catches up with you. A team that goes deep into the FA Cup while playing Champions/Europa League could play 50-60 games in a season while a team like Wigan is going to play up to a dozen fewer.
Scholes is no spring chicken either. I imagine he needs more rest than a 25 year old. Giggs doesn't count, he may not be human.
I'll say Liverpool. It just seems like after all the hubbub, all the disappointment, they seem to be straightening themselves out (yesterday's joke of a game with Man City notwithstanding, calling that professional soccer shouldn't be allowed). Add to that they have a pretty favorable schedule and I just can't see them dropping out. I think the hiccup for them could be a few key guys who start looking ahead to either the World Cup or summer transfers. If they miss the CL one has to assume they will sell like crazy and even if they don't they may sell as a precaution after coming close.
I think you are right about Everton. Moyes is doing it again with that team. I think the Lescott saga really distracted them at the start of the season.
I think Spurs or City. Liverpool just seem structurally incapable of scoring more than 1 goal against anyone decent, so I can't see them winning enough to get there. I think City are the better team of the 4 (throwing Villa in there, too), but they're not exactly a model of consistency, either.
I do agree that Everton is better than all 4 of the other contenders- too bad they spotted everyone else a 2 month headstart.
That, and having about half their regular first team out with medium- to long-term injuries.
I do agree that Everton is better than all 4 of the other contenders
On current form, sure. But in terms of true talent level, I think Everton is simply right in the mix with the other four.
Spurs = best depth
Liverpool = best individual talents
Man City = best attack (and very close to best depth)
Villa = best defense
Everton = best manager*
*Moyes gets a ton of credit, and deservedly so, but I think his squad gets unfairly underrated by many. There are a lot of good players in that team. And many of them are even fit now!
Liverpool = best individual talents
Man City = best attack (and very close to best depth)
Villa = best defense
Everton = best manager*
Anybody watch MOTD2 this week? Slaven Bilic was on, and he was AWESOME. He basically called out Liverpool for being gutless.
I think Spurs have more individual talent than Liverpool and a better squad with more depth. Gerrard has been a complete non-entity and only Torres, the fullbacks and Reina are definitely better than Tottenham have available. Liverpool are really quite horribly average.
Gerrard hasn’t been at his best, it’s true, and I suspect he’s not fully fit. But I’d still take him in Spurs’ midfield any day. (Same goes for Torres as well, obviously.) Spurs don’t have that attacking threat from the middle of the park, the midfielder who will get in the box and run beyond the striker(s) on occasion. Well, Jenas is supposed to be that guy, but he’s shite. I would be delighted if Stephen Ireland continues to get forced to the margins at City and Spurs went after him in the summer. He’s got exactly the skillset we need to complement Palacios in central midfield.
As for the fullbacks, I prefer our guys. Johnson’s brilliant going forward, but he’s been crocked for a while now and Corluka’s a better defender. An injury-free Glen Johnson would be welcome, but at the moment I’ll take steady ol’ Charlie. At left back, though, it’s Bale for me and it’s not even close. He’s consistently been our best player for about two months now and is finally making good on all that potential. Most importantly, he’s made huge improvements to the defensive side of his game while maintaining the attacking threat that’s his bread and butter. Insua is thoroughly pedestrian and Aurelio can’t get regular starts ahead of him. No thanks.
Reina might be a better keeper than Gomes, but it's not by much. Gomes has become massively popular with the fans too, and I suspect I'm not alone in preferring him to Reina for reasons that include a few that have nothing to do with performance. Regardless, he is a breathtaking natural shot-stopper, and he's improved other facets of his game dramatically. One of the five best keepers in the league, no question.
I do like Benayoun, and he would be a perfect fit for Spurs. Tricky midfielder, loads of flair, a bit lightweight, and doesn’t score. We’ve already full up with that type of player, unfortunately.
EDIT: I should clarify that initial comment about Liverpool = best individual talents. I didn't mean they're better man-for-man than anyone else. I meant the Stevie & Nando Show, when fit, are better players than anyone else on any of the other contending teams.
Jenas is a complete non-entity, cannot believe my club managed to get so much for him from Spurs.
Watch him for any amount of time and you really wouldn't. Can be a terrific individual player but terrible guy to try and get to work in a team. Liverpool were playing better when he wasn't in the side, and I don't think it was coincidental.
It’s possible. Form seems to be more fleeting in football than in many other sports, so it’s difficult to feel even 90% sold on all but the very best players in the world. Ireland’s game is precisely what Spurs need, so I think he’d be worth pursuing. To get a much more reliable player with his skillset, you’d have to pay more money than Spurs are probably willing to shell out. I'm not sure City will let Ireland go in the summer anyway, so it's probably moot. Other options for Spurs? It will be interesting to see if this Sandro fellow ever materializes and, if he does, who makes way.
Watch him for any amount of time and you really wouldn't. Can be a terrific individual player but terrible guy to try and get to work in a team. Liverpool were playing better when he wasn't in the side, and I don't think it was coincidental.
I agree Gerrard is a difficult player to fit into a system that’s not built around him. Witness the juggling that goes on in the England team to try and accommodate him. That said, he is pretty versatile; it’s clear he’s at his best playing behind an intelligent striker in the 4-2-3-1 favored by Benitez, but he’s adapted reasonably well to playing in the middle or wide left in the traditional England 4-4-2. He’s been off the pace lately, but I think some of that is a lack of fitness and some is down to being surrounded by mildly-above-averageness at Liverpool. When Torres was fit, the two of them were basically unplayable.
Same here.
If you weren't careful he'd just end up completely nullifying Modric and Lennon as he drifts into the space they want to use, witness how Benayoun dissapears if Gerrard is playing.
Totally agreed, I think he's kind of Frank Lampard-lite: those forward runs into the dangerous areas of the box make him dangerous, but he can't do much else.
Virtually the same Liverpool squad was just four points off winning the title last year. Alonso is good, but he's not worth 20 points a year.
Mascherano is very good - even when he's a little off he's just about as good as any other defensive midfielder in the league. Skrtel is solid (and a match for anyone else among the challengers). Torres and Gerrard, meanwhile, are among the 6 or 7 guys who could realistically be considered the best player in the league.
Rooney, Drogba, Cesc, Torres, Gerrard, Lampard, Essien. Anyone else who deserves to be in that group?
If Van Persie could ever get healthy for a full year he might be in the conversation. The healthy and fit Vidic is pretty dominant. Same goes for Mikel Arteta. A few of these young guns might be playing their way into the conversation (Ashley Young, Agbonlahor, Milner, Lennon, etc.) but it's hard to say they've made it.
Along those lines:
He's not a great defender, but he does track back a lot and makes a few big tackles every match. Beyond that, he does a lot more on the offensive end than just make some runs. He's a great passer and has a tremendously good sense of timing and how to weight a pass.
When they've played the 4-4-1-1 with Gerrard slotted behind Torres they've been the most dangerous because it gives Gerrard maximum flexibility to use his talents. And yes, to some extent that does require shaping the team around him. But it's not that big of an imposition. It just requires a squad capable of adapting a little bit to switching among a de facto 4-5-1 into a 4-4-2 and even into a 4-2-4.
All of which is to say that even if Kuyt isn't anyone's idea of world class, he is ideally suited to play in a well-functioned Liverpool squad. He's not selfish, but can take a shot when it's offered. He runs like a maniac. And he's happy to cover gaps as necessary.
Liverpool have never really hit their stride this year and they're still within one win of taking fourth place back. If they click even a little bit, they're still in great shape.
Also, they've got a pretty light run-in.
Blackburn (H), Wigan, Portsmouth (H), Man U, Sunderland (H), Birmingham, Fulham (H), West Ham (H), Burnley, Chelsea (H), Hull
Apart from Man United and Chelsea, they really should be considered favorites in the rest of those. What's the next most difficult match? Away to Birmingham (who have been punching above their weight all season and seem unlikely to still be doing so in April)? Home to Fulham?
Nothing's certain, but until someone jumps ahead of the pack I'm going to call this Liverpool's spot to lose.
last season was a 4th place team overavhieving, this year is a 4th place team which has lots its most creative passer and best midfielder, unfortunately this season there are also several other teams good enough for fourth place.
and gerrards problem is that as he gets deeper his passing gets worse as he trys to force through balls into non-existant spaces and likes his raking diagonal balls to the linesman.
I have no idea what cable system you have, but I know Comcast in DC is showing the Barcelona game on Comcast SportsNet (or whatever the heck it's called) live, so it might be worth flipping around the guide to see.
Found it. Hurray!
I can't speak to comparisons but Reina has quite easily been Liverpool's best player this year, hands down. He's pretty amazing at knowing when to come out for a ball on set pieces versus when to sit back and play a potential shot.
Regarding Liverpool as a whole, I've been waiting for them to show consistently good form for the whole year and it hasn't happened yet. Gerrard just hasn't been very good this year, and that's rather surprising considering the great year he had last season. Furthermore, when you build a squad around two players that frequently get hurt, you're going to struggle for long stretches when said players are injured. This is why I wasn't particularly pleased with their summer signings. Benitez bought Johnson and Aquilani for (IIRC) a total of ~35 million pounds. For a squad lacking depth behind their big two, you'd think that money could have been spread out over three-or-four players rather than just those two (who, even when healthy, haven't been all that great).
That being said, their schedule is pretty favorable down the stretch -- of the top eight teams they only have to play Chelsea and Man-U.
I agree with this. Reina has been great this year- easily top 2 or 3 in the league.
Rafa's defenders seem to forget this when defending him and blaming the owners for not spending more- those were terrible, terrible signings. It also seemingly took him a while to figure out that Benayoun was one of his best attacking options, and he still hasn't figured out what to do with Babel (who looks solid everytime I see him play).
I think they still have a chance- but that has more to do with my lack of confidence in City or Tottenham playing consistently well.
I'm tlking about Ireland, just to make sure.
Seriously guys, is it really this corrupt?
I watched the first half. Kljestan (sp?) probably looked the best. Findley looked super fast and super clueless. No one else really stood out for me in the first half. Beckerman was pretty active and determined.
Rafa's defenders seem to forget this when defending him and blaming the owners for not spending more- those were terrible, terrible signings. It also seemingly took him a while to figure out that Benayoun was one of his best attacking options, and he still hasn't figured out what to do with Babel (who looks solid everytime I see him play).
I don't put Babel's inability to take the next step up on Benitez. There have been several times over the past two or three years where Babel comes on as a late sub and looks fantastic -- great pace out wide with a cannon shot from his right foot. Benitez subsequently rewards him with a start and Babel is invisible for 70-90 minutes. Babel just has not shown any consistency in his time at Liverpool.
Pearce played well, Goodson didn't have to do much but was fine. Nobody else showed much of anything AFAIC. Rogers probably hurt his chances quite a bit.
I don't get Findley's inclusion, to be honest.
I can see that, but all four teams in the race for 4th have demonstrated the "ability" to drop points against crap sides this season. Liverpool should rake in at least 23-25 points from that run-in. But will they? If they take care of business against the lesser lights of the league, they should creep back into the Champions League ahead of City.
Unfortunately, I think Spurs are likely to finish 5th or 6th even if they play reasonably well over the next two months. April looks desperate: Arsenal and Chelsea back-to-back at the Lane followed by a trip to Old Trafford. That stretch is where all the points Spurs have dropped against dross like Stoke, Wolves, and Hull will come back to haunt them unless they can finally shake their fear of the big boys. If they're going to stay in it, they'll need to take a minimum of 4 points from those three glamor fixtures, as they did last season.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhbPo06yZwQ&feature=player_embedded
496: I'm pretty content with that roster -- good to see both Edu and Beasley get rewarded, as both have seemingly been in good form when they've been healthy for Rangers this year. I'm interested in seeing who Bradley goes with for his front six. Altidore, Bradley and Donovan are locks -- who are the other two? Holden out wide and Edu as a defensive mid?
(Off topic: does the BBTF wiki contain info on how to put a link in text? I have yet to learn how to do so, and I feel silly having to link whole URLs below paragraphs.)
Or, type your comment, select the text you want highlighted, then press the < a > button and add the URL.
For making links:
1. Press the "<a>" button
2. Enter URL
3. Enter text you want to appear instead of URL
done
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