Angry Fans
NOT content with ridiculous penalty decisions, red card immunity for Rooney and freedom to unsettle players at will (while simultaneously stamping their feet when Real dare to mention Ronaldo's name), United now want to control the fixture list as well. And what else would you like "Sir" Alex, how about you play all 38 of your league games at Old Trafford? Oh and of course we'll throw in a ban on away supporters. And you'd like Rob Styles as ref for all the games? The irony is that there is actually stronger evidence of a conspiracy in favour of, rather than against, United. All of their nearest rivals have to visit Old Trafford.
Indeed, let’s just name this particular piece of paranoia The Ferguson Corollary . . . playing away in the first half of the season, when it doesn’t matter so much, is more than cancelled out by home advantage in the second half of the season , when it does. Have the letter of the week award by the way.
FERGUSON might be paranoid about the way in which fixture selection works, but if you made up a draw which paired Everton and Liverpool on the 20th anniversary year of the Hillsborough disaster then people just wouldn’t believe it. That single game changed the face of league football. Thank goodness there has been nothing like it since.
All-seater stadia, the arrival of the Premier League, sky-high TV deals, much of what we see in 2009 has its roots in that day 20 years ago. Let’s hope the Liverpool-Everton game fits the tragic memory appropriately.
I COULDN’T really believe that Steven Gerrard would get into any trouble at a nightclub until the moment that I read that there had been an argument over Phil Collins. Now that’s got the ring of truth about it. Who hasn’t had a row about bad music at some time? I can understand him going to the wall for something off “Selling England By The Pound.” Just don’t tell me it was "Sussudio."
PERHAPS as a punishment Steven Gerrard should be made to listen to The Coral?
Ahem, in rock aficionado Liam’s absence we don’t want the column to spill over into musical snobbery, particularly as at least one of us likes Phil Collins. However, in the interest of wider knowledge current betting is that the track requested was In the Air Tonight. Lay a little money off on Coldplay however, they’re Gerrard’s favourite group. And he always seems such a cheerful lad too.
THE serious point about the Steven Gerrard incident is this . . . he is a player who has spent all his life on Merseyside and needs -- David Beckham is another case in point -- to ply his trade in a bigger goldfish bowl. There was a time when Chelsea were in their short-lived ascendancy when London might have done the trick, but he was dragged back in by club and local loyalties. He needs to move away, and if Liverpool can lift the title then that will be the time to do it.
And perhaps, when he has a Premier League winner’s medal in his pocket that might be just the moment to do it. By the way, Limerick Red, have a matching red card for excessive street cred.
HOW many more mistakes does Mike Riley have to make before his relegated from the “Elite” group of referees. Unlike Howard Webb, who took a brave decision in the Hull-Villa game, he is never prepared to countenance that he is wrong. The ball that hit David McGoldrick was off his head, not his arm. Southampton were already down to ten men.
I’m not Riley’s biggest fan Peter, but I think he’s innocent on this one. Easy mistake to make and he got the red card decision correct. So have a yellow card yourself.
WATCHING Arjen Robben’s superb goal for Real Madrid which allowed them to beat Villarreal after seeing Chelsea’s low grade performance against Southend, it’s not that hard to work out what has gone wrong at Stamford Bridge is it? They’ve sold good players, and bought worse ones. For how much longer will Peter Kenyon be in work there?
WHAT’s the big deal with Chelsea players being asked to buy their own tickets after receiving four complimentaries? Even at London prices it won’t make much of a dent in £150,000 a week and 60% of it will be tax deductible anyway.
Shouldn’t you be looking for somewhere to stay in Sarfend, CB? But the answer is . . . probably as soon as he’s made Chelsea self-financing. So around 2120 then? As for cutting back on players free tickets if the Blues go on like this they’re going to have to pay people to watch them at the Bridge.
WOULDN’T IT be a laugh if, having been sacked by Spurs, Juande Ramos, a coach with a proven cup record who doesn’t have to worry about winning La Liga, went on to lift the Champions League?
I think that Real Madrid could potentially be the most difficult draw faced by any of the Premier League teams. Ramos v Wenger in the final could be interesting. Madrid’s current boss against possibly their next one?
LOTS of people rubbish the FA Cup but 7,000 people trekked from Barrow across the country to see the game at Middlesbrough; and could there be anything funnier than 6,000 fans taunting the team that is second in the Premier League, and in the last 16 of Europe by chanting “come on Chelsea” at Stamford Bridge. Still a great competition.
Good weekend’s sport, almost as good as the darts.
MARK Hughes may have made a realistic signing in prising Chelsea and England’s second choice left back away from Stamford Bridge -- although £13m is a lot to spend on someone who has had barely any match play and is one-footed -- but I would be very surprised if Sparky will still be at Eastlands at the end of the season. The performance against Nottingham Forest was pathetic, and the side he already has possesses more than enough talent to see off the likes of Championship relegation candidates.
SO Mark Hughes says he needs two or three transfer windows to turn Manchester City around. Well, I’ve got news for him. He’s not going to get that time. And nor should if he blames “players’ attitudes” for performances like we saw at the weekend.
Grim weekend for Hughes for sure, but Bridge, and possibly Parker are players with a bit of steel around them. He should get at least one more season, but he needs a good second half.
IF the Premier League is so great then why is that half of the clubs are capable of being bought . . . West Ham, Portsmouth, Everton, Newcastle, Liverpool, and perhaps even Arsenal . . . but can’t find serious purchasers?
It’s called a recession Sean. Tried selling a house or a flat recently. Have a red card to go with the red ink.
FINANCIAL systems have collapsed everywhere. Then why do we still have a transfer window?
Yes, completely bonkers, and always has been.
