comfortable. We werent worried at all. | Forum
miaowang123
May 13 '19
As club football takes a pause for the traditional mid-November international break, and one where Gibraltar will likely want to park that world famous rock in front of their goal when they play Germany in EURO2016 qualification Friday afternoon, it gives perfect opportunity for us all to catch our BPL breath of this altogether quite peculiar season to date. Wayne Ellington Jersey . In alphabetical order – here’s my ‘Staring XI’ highlights and lowlights. Inspiring, divine or otherwise, you choose. Arsene Aggro Hello We got an indication in the pre-match press conferences that a whiff of ‘Specialist in Failure’ animosity would be in the Stamford Bridge air come kick off for the October 5 Chelsea vs. Arsenal encounter. Then factor in last season’s 6-0 spanking. It was clear from the get go, Mourinho’s players were intent on getting all physical with their opponent. I was in the crowd that day with my wife, who was in disbelief at the wanton abuse metered out to Wenger from all around us whenever ‘Le Professeur’ wandered into his technical area. Twenty minutes were not even on the clock when adjacent to Mourinho’s technical area Cahill slalomed into Sánchez. Arsene had seen enough. Striding right past the fourth official and deep into Mourinho’s manor the Arsenal manager had but one intention. A prod here, a two handed push there, Arsene steamed in. José had his expensive feathers ruffled. Calm down and carry on though did his team. It was fantastic to witness first hand this high emotion from a man who often puts his hands in his pockets as adversity arrives. Wenger though, twelve matches played and still winless on the pitch against Mourinho. Browned Off Newcastle’s owner Mike Ashley looks as if he could drink any and all of them world famous bare bellied, beer barrelled fans off the park. However for his manager, and even on the back of a current five game BPL unbeaten streak where Newcastle have taken thirteen of a possible fifteen points Alan Pardew still can’t win over any Geordie admirers. By the end of September, Newcastle had garnered a measly two points from six matches and drew the honour of bottom of the BPL pile. Now eleven matches in, they have the same point total as Manchester United. Where sit down protests in front of the director’s box used to be the order of the day, in this modern era supporter protests have morphed into websites such as SackPardew.com that want him gone. Has anyone registered BringBackKeegan.com yet? Cockney Knees Up Another much maligned English manager Sam Allardyce, who last season stared at the sack more often than Santa, has got them dancing in the aisles as one great big cockney knees up crowd prevails Upton Park way this season. Fat Sam, as he is proverbially referred to, has already squashed the might and season long intentions of last season’s champions and runners up with mighty splendid home displays invoking a West Ham of yesteryear. Allardyce’s 60th birthday celebrations last month were capped off when he was rightfully proclaimed BPL Manager of the Month for October one week ago today, along with leading scorer Diafra Sakho picking up the Players award. Sam’s Hammers deservedly round out the top four currently. With Messi having already experienced the East End with Argentina in midweek, they’ll forever be blowing bubbles if the likes of Ronaldo, or Ibrahimovic or Neymar put in an appearance at the Boleyn next season where the spirit of Sir Booby Moore will always prevail. European Domination Put on Hold A few short seasons ago, when two BPL clubs would habitually make it all the way to a Champions League semi-final berth, football’s opinion makers repeated ad nauseam England’s finest were in the full throes of European domination. I said until I was blue in the teeth that it was a ridiculous assertion then, and will say it again as we stand today where, with just two matches to go, quite feasibly three of four BPL clubs could be eliminated at this season’s group stage. Just you wait until Liverpool make it back to Europe’s biggest stage. Oh wait, they have. Football and Finance Hand in Hand Unbeaten to date, playing a hybrid brand of football which is part scintillating and the one which Abramovich most craves. Then, when needed, the pragmatic hand of José prevails has Chelsea purring along, firmly sat in pole position. Southampton might only be four points adrift but when ‘Meticulous Mourinho’ plotted his season course not even he could have dreamt of the eight point chasm to the current champions. The football fizz that bought a second title in three seasons to the Etihad has mysteriously disappeared. No one will delight in Pellegrini’s misfortune more than Mourinho - or ‘Pellegrino’ as he ironically refers to the 68-year old Chilean as. Diego Costa has smashed to pieces the long held irrational illusion that foreign players need a season or two to settle in to the unique rigours and demands of BPL football. Message to Managers: If you repeatedly and obsessively remind your under-performers of what they are, they’re bound to coast. Just as Pavlov’s Dog did. No surprise to most, Chelsea atop the table. What will be is Thursday’s news the club made enough profit ￡18.4m [$26m CAD] on record revenues that well exceed half a billion dollars in the last financial year. This should keep Abramovich’s armada of private yachts in gas for the remainder of the season. Here’s to AFC Monaco in springtime. Front Office Bro for Bo Bo Jackson might well be anointed as the most legitimate two sport professional in this modern era, [Internationally renowned cricketer Denis Compton successfully moonlighted for Arsenal in the 1940’s] but what to make of Ralph Krueger’s seamless transition from the hockey arena to Southampton’s directors box. Ralph who? Was how the UK media tagged him when the appointment was announced towards the business end of last season. Selling off an abundance of St Mary’s prime assets in a supposed summer fire sale had many gasping in horror. And appointing Ronald Koeman was not exactly a universal selection. This after all was a failed and fired Oilers bench boss, read the headlines. Au contraire. An integral part of the back room staff as Canada successful defended Olympic gold in Sochi, Krueger was born and grew up in Germany and was touched by football from an early age. Krueger is a member of the prestigious World Economic Forum and, by the way, he has re-invested Southampton’s transfer funds as he likely sprinkles UEFA’s Financial Fair Play on his morning cornflakes for fun. Eat your football heart out John ‘Billy Bean’ Henry. Glory, Glory Tottenham Hotspur, Hardly Hands up. In TSN.ca’s BPL Preview I predicted Spurs would finish in third spot. With last Sunday’s latest self-inflicted wound, where we witnessed Mark Hughes’ Stoke leave North London stealing three points, the pressure mounts on Se?or Pochettino to finally re-enact the performances and victories which were the hallmark of his early Southampton days. Ones which were enough to convince Daniel Levy, the owner of the fastest trigger hands in the BPL to appoint the highly regarded Argentine in the summer. Having already lost five games this season, and alarmingly three of their last four, the Spurs currently sit nestled below mid table mediocrity AVB must be looking on from his St-Petersburg Penthouse with a rather large grin. Fired by Levy last December his new club Zenit are currently waltzing away with the Russian title and, with just two matches to go, stand good opportunity to emerge from a tight group in Champions League play. Remember the Champions League Daniel? With Adebayor very critical of long suffering Spurs supporters earlier in the week, one of the few bright lights at White Hart Lane this season is the form of 21-year old local lad Harry Kane. Pochettino though has mainly confined Kane’s appearances to the cup competitions and must now be willing to give him extended outings in the league. Otherwise he might soon be feeling a Levy tap on his shoulder. Hip, Hip Hooray At the eleventh time of asking, Burnley finally secured their first win of the season last Saturday at home to Hull. Not only the last team in the BPL to register the three points - going into the match Burnley were the only club in the four professional tiers of English football without a win this season. This is the worst start for the Turf Moor outfit for close to half a century. You wouldn’t know it though from the quiet demeanour which has been on display all season long from manager Sean Dyche. The man on the shoe string budget who last season guided Burnley back to top flight football. One of English football’s final bastions of small town traditions, it will be a remarkable achievement if Burnley are able to maintain their BPL status. After almost shocking Chelsea in the opening game of the season, and taking a home point from Manchester United in late August, it will be key how Burnley perform at home against the BPL aristocrats as late fall turns into the annual winter gloom up north. OT Doppelganger It was opening day and set to be the dawn of yet another successful Old Trafford Era. Or was it? The most unfancied Gary Monk, and even less fanciful Swansea refused to abide by the script when they took their shocking lead midway through the first frame. Rooney levelled early in the second but just before the eighty minute mark Sigurdsson deservedly put the pride of South Wales up for good. At that instant the cameras flashed to the fabled United bench. The look, that exact moment on the face of Louis Van Gaal as he looked left and then right for a shoulder to cry on, made me think the firing of Moyes was a mirage. The only thing missing was Ferguson’s shadow looming rather large from the directors box. United’s first home defeat on opening day since George Best was in his prime. The only thing missing was the light plane flying by trailing the ‘Moyes Out’ banner. Start as you mean to go on then In the middle of September and following the highly deserved Anfield victory - Paul Lambert and Roy Keane were looking like the BPL’s latest dynamic duo as the famous Villa sat just below Chelsea at the top of the table. With a highly anticipated encounter with Arsenal at home up next, and after year upon year of heaped upon misery, the Holt End faithful were thinking of what could be. What was to follow, no one could have scripted. Six straight defeats has left Villa’s season in tatters. They now sit only two points away from safety, deeply rooted in their annual relegation dog fight. Over those six games, Villa has only managed a solitary goal whilst - most alarmingly - conceding fifteen. Meanwhile Batman and Robin have morphed into Abbott and Costello. By the time Villa hit the BPL pitch again, and as they feature in next Monday night’s showdown against Southampton, they may well have moved into the drop zone. Next up for Villa are three fixtures which could go a long way to define their season. All coming against current relegation fodder. Woe Brendan Where to start? Want to chat, on how best to get the very most out of your supposed, ‘team in transition’ – suggest you pick up the phone and have a chat with your opposite number at St. Mary’s. Blame the so termed ‘unexpected summer sale of Suarez’ all you want, then reinforce this with the long term injury to Sturridge and do feel free to continually hang Mario out to dry in public as the main reasons last year’s runners-up have quickly turned into this season’s court jesters. The simple fact of the matter is, Liverpool still possess one of the softest defences in all of the BPL whilst their midfield is devoid of any anchor. Brendan Rodgers rightfully came in for criticism for rolling the Santiago Barnebeau dice and coming up with double zeroes. It’s not the Anfield way, something we have heard an awful lot of in recent seasons. When you’re next at it Brendan blaming the officials for an incorrect call late on during a game your team was dominated in for 89-minutes is a mugs game. Take it on the chin. Learn, move on. At least creativity still reigns supreme on that world famous Anfield Kop. Dion Waiters Jersey . "Its amazing to do this coming from such a small island, where tennis isnt necessarily recognized as one of the main sports," Puig said. "Im just happy Im able to be here playing tennis not only for myself, but for my country too. Hassan Whiteside Jersey . Griffin scored 13 of his 31 points in the final 7:05 and Dudley got 11 of his 20 points in the third quarter, leading the defending Pacific Division champions to a 112-85 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night. "Dud is a shooter.BERKELEY, Calif. -- Every time Arizona had been challenged this season, the Wildcats survived by making big plays and big shots in the closing moments of big games. They finally found out what it feels like to be on other end of a celebration. Justin Cobbs hit a step-back jumper with 0.9 seconds left, and California stunned No. 1 Arizona 60-58 on Saturday night to hand the Wildcats their first loss of the season. "Wed always found a way to be on the positive end of it," Wildcats coach Sean Miller said. "Tonight in that same moment, we didnt make the shots and we didnt get the big stop." Cobbs, who scored Cals final 12 points, dribbled to his left and beat Nick Johnson before pulling up in front of an oncoming defender to sink the winning shot that sent a raucous, gold-shirt wearing crowd at Haas Pavilion spilling onto the court. Not realizing a timeout had been called, Cal coach Mike Montgomery and security had to frantically usher fans away before the final play. Gabe Yorks full-court pass was knocked down to give the Bears (15-7, 6-3 Pac-12) their first victory over a top-ranked opponent since Jan. 30, 1994, when they beat UCLA 85-70 at the Oakland Coliseum. "I think its just good for Cal, and I think its good for the university and the students to come out and have that kind of excitement," Montgomery said. "I think one of the things youre trying to generate is them enjoying the game, enjoying the experience, and I think there was some of that tonight." Arizona (21-1, 8-1), which had won a school-record 21 straight games after surviving to beat Stanford 60-57 on Wednesday night, was one of just three unbeaten teams left in Division I. Now only second-ranked Syracuse (21-0), which outlasted No. 17 Duke 91-89 in overtime Saturday, and No. 4 Wichita State (23-0) remain. Even worse for the Wildcats, Miller said starting forward Brandon Ashley appeared to have broken his right foot going for a rebound in the opening minutes. He was scheduled to have an X-ray when the team gets back in Tucson, Miller said. Cobbs finished with 19 points and seven assists, David Kravish had 14 points and 11 rebounds and Richard Solomon scored 12 points to propel Cal to one of the biggest wins in school history. The Bears improved to 3-24 against teams ranked No. 1 in The Associated Press poll, and they had never beaten a top-ranked team in Berkeley. "Just a lot of fun," Solomon said. Shaquille ONeal Jersey. Kaleb Tarczewski scored a career-high 18 points and grabbed six rebounds, and T.J. McConnell scored 13 points for the Wildcats, who shot just 32.3 per cent from the floor. Cal, which shot 44.6 per cent, held Johnson -- Arizonas star guard -- to just 4 points on 1-of-14 shooting. "Because weve been in this situation so many times, were really comfortable. We werent worried at all. We were ramped up," Tarczewski said. "Cobbs made a really, really tough shot." The game attracted quite an audience, too. There were 21 scouts from 14 different NBA teams in attendance. Former Wildcats coach Lute Olson sat in the stands behind Arizonas bench, and Oakland Athletics manager Bob Melvin -- a Cal alum -- also supported his Bears. "No. 1 brings out everybody," Montgomery said. The Wildcats rallied from nine points down in the first half and eight in the second to set up a furious finish. Arizona took the lead twice in the final minutes, and twice Cobbs came back with a tying score -- first on a runner in the lane and then on a pair of free throws. On the final sequence, Johnson missed a short jumper in the lane and Cal corralled the rebound. Cobbs let the clock tick down, then beat Johnson for a shot that will long be remembered in Berkeley. Fans had to be pushed back off the court in a weird and wild scene, with the public address announcer screaming for them to get back. The Bears soon gave them reason to come back and celebrate. "Honestly I was getting claustrophobic," Cobbs said, laughing. "I couldnt breathe." The Bears kept Arizonas big front line at bay from the start. Solomon made his first six shots, including a short jumper that put the Bears ahead 28-19 late with 5:18 remaining in the first half. Arizona answered back by converting steals into easy baskets, closing the half on a 10-2 run to cut Cals lead to 30-29. It was the seventh time Arizona had trailed at the half this season. Both teams had to overcome adversity after the break. Johnson seemed to be bothered by an injury to his left hand -- repeatedly shaking his wrist after shots and grimacing -- and Solomon was stuck in foul trouble. In the end, Cal just made one more play than Arizona. "We made plays to put us in that position," McConnell said. "But Cobbs made a good shot down the stretch." 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