Angry Fans
He casts his eye over your comments and gives his own critical analysis of the
goings on throughout the world of football. Adebayor sending off a joke; Gerrard
should be carded for simultation; Will the real Robbie Keane please stand up;
Wenger should go to Specsavers; Kinnear not doing too badly; Man City three points
off bottom; World Cup Club competition a nothing trophy; Managers becoming obsessive;
Scott Parker is just fated; CL draw a classic; Mourinho to do an action replay
at OT; Lawrenson’s blunder; Diarra a water carrier; Scolari is losing the
plot.
The Letter of the Week goes to Peter Benson, Tipperary. Get in touch
with your postal address and our magnificent prize will be winging its way to
you.
SOMEONE explain to me how Adebayor got sent off on Sunday, while Julio Arca
of Middlesbrough committed easily the worst foul of the season at Craven Cottage
and didn't. Respect? It's got to do with consistency.
STEVEN Gerrard really needs to pick up some cards or
a suspension for simulation. He's at it all the time this season, and his dive
against Gallas in the second half at the Emirates was just plain embarrassing.
Great player, but goes to earth far too easily. They should just rename them Diverpool
THAT, at least, was a £20m
goal by Ronnie Keane against Arsenal. Where's the real player been hiding for
the first half of the season?
ARE Liverpool
going for some sort of record for the number of opponents who have been sent off
against them season. Adebayor's dismissal must have been the fifth, or sixth time
they've played against ten min in six months. Meanwhile Arsenal have to go to
Villa Park without either Adebayor or Cesc Fabregas.
I ALWAYS thought they had a National Health Service in England.
Doesn't it extend to eye tests? Because if it does Arsène Wenger is in
critical need of treatment. How he can complain against the second yellow card
for Adebayor is beyond belief.
A manager - any manager - failing to see a blatant transgression
by one of his own? Not “beyond belief” at all. The appropriate phrase,
I think, is “blindingly obvious”.
Joe F Kinnear. HeÂ’s
not doing too shabbily at the moment is he? Even got the Duffer scoring goals
again. What price them for a cup run?
Only on Tyneside could an interim appointment bring a measure of
stability.
THE thing that most pleased “Big Sam” about Blackburn’s
3-0 victory was keeping a clean sheet. How absolutely typical. Expect Kevins Davies
and Nolan to be turning up at Ewood Park in January.
Another throw of the Allardyce, you might even
say, if, like me, you were prone to very bad puns.
MANCHESTER City three
points from the bottom of the table, and will need to earn 14 more points than
Arsenal or 15 more than Villa in the second half of the season in order to qualify
for the UEFA Cup next year. Money can't buy you love, and it certainly can't buy
you football success. It may have looked that way when Abramovich took over, but
the team he bought was at least a top four side already, and were playing in the
Champions League. It wouldn't surprise me if they were relegated, and I think
it's pretty unlikely that any really ambitious players will join them in January
or next summer. And I can't say that I am particularly sorry. I am sure that Kaka
will enjoy playing in the Championship.
We used to think that managers, not teams, got fired. Manchester
City might just be about to do both. Is it any wonder there's an air of mad uncertainty
about the place.
MANCHESTER United “world champions.” Right-o.
Who did they beat? Trumpton Town and Chigley United. What a joke tournament. Honestly,
what's the point of it? It doesn't even get a decent TV audience.
WHEN I am older I expect my young son to
turn to me and say and say, where exactly were you dad, when you heard the news
of United's victory over Liga de Quito?
: Lovely hurling, Peter. Have out Christmas Letter of the week
prize.
ARE footballers who were considered hard men on the field able
to deliver a performance as top-flight managers? We have seen Keane and Ince get
sacked recently. And Hughes isn't exactly terrifying the PL at the moment. Most
of the top managers seem to have been journeyman players, and I include Martin
O'Neil in that.
:
Hey, what about Gareth Southgate?!? Oh, right, I see what you mean.
TROUBLE
with managers these days is that they become undone by their personal obsessions.
When Ranieri was at Chelsea he was always trying to prove that players could perform
in every position. Benitez is preoccupied with rotation. Wenger is fixated on
bringing through young players and not making the strategic replacements he needs
at the price they would cost. I can see this. Why can't they? Do they need counseling
or something. If so, I will offer my services for a reasonable rate. Be more pragmatic,
that's my (free) advice for 2009.
Always nice to hear from Big Sam.
SCOTT Parker has
been West Ham's player of the season so far. The first time Capello goes to watch
him he commits the worst back pass of his career straight to a Villa forward.
Some players are just fated, and he is one of them.
Hmm. Can't honestly say I've been losing too much
sleep over this one, Niamh. But it's nice to know someone cares.
CHAMPIONS
League draw is brilliant with the United-Inter games the best of the bunch. The
current United manager against the next United manager; the two best bosses at
mind games. Wonder if they'll be able to come up with anything to wind Wenger
up on this occasion?
I WOULD give
anything to see Mourinho doing an action replay of his charge down the Old Trafford
touchline windmilling his arms in the air again in March. Ferguson has only beaten
him in one game out of the 12. The worst draw United could have got in the Champions
League without a doubt.
Everyone is talking about the major clubs in the Champions
League, but I think this could be a season when one of the unfancied smaller sides
go all the way. Villarreal look very dangerous to me, and are formidable at home.
They could be the new Porto and are capable of overcoming any of the English clubs.
: Don't think we
won't be keeping this on file, Michael. Me, I'm still gong for Barca.
WAS it witless of Mark Lawrenson to indicate that Steven Gerrard was the source
of the speculation that Robbie Keane might be on his way out of Anfield?
: What about all those magnificent
puns?
ARE we seeing some signs that Scolari is losing it at Chelsea?
Not just the useless home record, which if it had been half what it was last season
would see them eight or nine points ahead at the top of the Premier League, but
the apparent paranoia about stories being “leaked” to the press by unsettled
players. Tough job, but maybe he is too old for it.
Good lord Cork Blue, with supporters like you... With Carvalho
and Essien back and Drogba, if he stays, at full fitness, Chelsea will be United's
biggest challengers come season's end. (Do I need to add - the card is in the
post).
