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Fish & Chip Shots: Flash Fried
The races in the English Premier League got ever-tighter this weekend and as usual, Goal.com’s Shane Evans is here to break down what happened.
Apr 14, 2009 2:01:27 PM
By Shane Evans
The Champions League is great. It really is one of football’s best tournaments, and that’s worldwide. It brings all of Europe’s best teams together to duke it out over who is the continent’s best club.
If I had to have a complaint about it though, it’d be that it takes away from domestic play and if you have read any of my work over the last six months, you know that I’m a bit of a homer. That’s all well and good though.
This topic has often come up in the circle of Goal.com editors, that is, what is more important to teams like Manchester United and Barcelona: the league or Europe. Strong arguments can be made by either side, but when it comes down to it, I think it’s either pride or money. Winning domestically brings pride, while conquering Europe brings boat loads of cash (and a trophy that resonates pride).
Let us focus on the league, as that is the purpose of this column. This weekend brought us some more surprises and some quality matches, but most importantly it brought me a virtually untainted predictions section, for the second week in a row. Hurrah!
We’ll start at the top, as that makes the most sense in my head. Manchester United won again, in a match many people expected them to win. Who was the savior again? Federico Macheda. The guy is becoming the stuff of legend around Old Trafford, which I cannot help but think is bad news for one of my all-time favorites: Carlos Tevez.
Macheda is apparently getting a new five-year deal in the coming days or weeks or what not, and Tevez hasn’t even got a sniff or a new contract. Obviously, the deals between the two players will differ greatly as Tevez is an established goal-scorer and EPL player, but I can’t help but think what is going through his head. He can barely get a match as is, now he has to compete with this 17-year-old nobody for a spot on the pitch? I’d like to see Tevez stay at United, and I think he would too, it just looks a bit unlikely at the moment.
So with United’s win over Sunderland, and Liverpool’s thrashing of Blackburn, the difference between the two sides is still only a point. The Red Devils still have that game in hand, which if I can read a schedule for anything, doesn’t get utilized until mid-May, which is to their advantage I think.
It’ll be a tight run down the stretch, with both teams facing some stiff competition along the way. Arsenal is on both team’s list, as is Spurs. Don’t count out Chelsea either, they have proved what they can do under Guus Hiddink, and as I’ve mentioned before, they’d be at the top if he took over say, before Christmas.
What I prefer is the bottom end of things. The battles are a lot more scrappy and the desire is there in all the players, not just some. Case-in-point: Middlesbrough. It’s not often you openly pick them to win matches, but Gareth Southgate had his men simply chomping at the bit on Saturday, against equal opposition I might add, and they responded with a resounding 3-1 victory.
Without that win, they would have surely joined West Brom as the second team doomed for relegation, but with their backs against the wall they won the match as a team and live to fight another day.
Newcastle reached similar goals in their match against Stoke. In the match, both teams fought like hell for the win and it was back-and-forth from the tap. Newcastle refused to let up because they obviously don’t want to be known as the biggest club to drop out of the Premier League, and thanks to a splendid Andy Carroll header, were able to salvage a point from the match.
Even if he doesn’t have the managerial experience or knowhow, Alan Shearer has something far more important on his side. The players play for him. He may be a figurehead type boss, at least right now, but Newcastle players will be loyal to him as long as he’s in charge. Andy Carroll, a Jordie at heart, grew up idolizing Shearer. Now Shearer is his gaffer. Don’t expect Carroll to ever let up on a challenge or give away a header. Just not in the cards.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about Mark Hughes at Manchester City. If he isn’t out of that hot seat by or at the end of the season, I’d be very surprised. The players just aren’t responding to him, and their 3-1 home loss to Fulham even caused many fans from the blue side of Manchester to hit out at the Welshman. It’s a shame really, but that’s footy for you.
Pickled Onions
Three more matches, three more impressive results for yours truly. I’m finally starting to get the hang of this, and should end the season with some dignity left.
Firstly, Middlesbrough. I touched on them a bit earlier, but I feel they deserve a round of applause for their effort. So if you’re reading this in your cubicle at work or glancing at it while playing video games on your couch, start a slow clap for “Big Tie” Southgate. I’ve given him enough shtick all season, he deserves a bit of time in the sun. Oh, and I picked Marlon King to score...and he did. Brilliant.
As for Arsenal, they seem to be the safe bet these days. Arsene has them playing well, and scoring tons, which is good if you’re from North London, or Nigeria, or St. Louis, which is to say Arsenal fans seem to be everywhere. Villa boss Martin O’Neill recently gave up hope of the final Champions League place. For a quick diatribe on this type of talk, see the “Not-so-manager of the Week.”
In the final game of the weekend, I had Villa beating Everton. It was a close and exciting match, and they almost did. Ended in a draw, and as we know, that’s a push here at FCS, which in essence helps me save face.
Overall: 18-11
That looks great. Seven games over .500. Couldn’t be happier. I don’t know if I’m getting any better or if the teams are just becoming more predictable as the season winds down. Either works for me, really.
Mushy Peas
For the second week in a row, we have to talk Champions League. Yes, I did chat a bit about it in the opening, but nothing about what I think will happen.
If I’m doing well with my domestic picks, I could certainly use some work with my Champions League forecast. I cast Porto aside as if they were just a stepping stone that Manchester United had to hop over to get to the semis. Coincidentally enough, I think that’s the same mentality United had when the two teams met at Old Trafford last Tuesday.
Estadio do Dragao is certainly not Old Trafford though, and the Red Devils will have their work cut out for them after they surrendered a late game-tying goal in the first leg. 2-2 is a tricky first leg score, and United will have to dominate the match if they want to leave Portugal knowing they’ll be in the semis.
The same goes for Arsenal who need to put in a much better performance against an inferior Villarreal side on Wednesday if they want to go through. They’ll come out guns blazing though, given the news that the Sub’s best midfielder, Marcos Senna won’t play.
As for Tuesday’s matches…I think it’s all settled by this point.
Player of the Week: Clint Dempsey, Fulham
The American put in a class performance for the Cottagers and netted a brace in the process. Fulham have really struggled away from Craven Cottage this season, and whenever they can put in a result like their 3-1 win over Man City on Sunday, they need to be praised. Dempsey was the linchpin for the victory. Not only that, he’s also a really nice guy. Keep it up, Clint.
Honorable Mention: Fernando Torres, Liverpool, Brad Jones, Middlesbrough
Not-so-manager of the Week: Sam Allardyce, Blackburn Rovers
I am one of Big Sam’s biggest fans. He’s a great manager and has done a great deal to help Blackburn avoid the drop. So when I heard his post-match talk with Sky Sports on Saturday, you could understand I was a bit disappointed.
Basically, he said his team was a bit scared coming into the match, and were just overrun. What kind of manager, particularly a top flight boss, allows his team to enter a match scared?
Subsequently, in reference to Martin O’Neill, I never understood how managers concede defeat in races, at least publicly. It’s commonplace in Europe. Never really figured that out.
Goal of the Week: James Milner, Aston Villa
Perhaps Tim Howard should have done better, but it still was a lovely free kick. It had power, direction, curve. The whole lot. Maybe not in the World Cup, but Euro 2012 will be something special if this lad is lining up shots like that for the Three Lions.
Gaffe of the Week: Chelsea
Up 4-0. The match ends 4-3. That should never happen. Guus Hiddink admitted that his team fell asleep late on. Also shouldn’t happen. If they would have lost the match or even drawn (which they nearly did), it would have been a huge blow for the Blues. For now, they’ll have to settle with the three goals lost in the goal differential battle, which is something in itself.
Game of the Week: Aston Villa 3-3 Everton
When these two get together, it’s always exciting. Everton looked sharp, but were undone by a perfectly placed spot kick and a penalty. Villa should be pleased with the fight they exhibited to come back and tie it. In all, quite the match.
Shane Evans is an Associate Editor of Goal.com His column “Fish & Chip Shots” appears weekly. Contact Shane at shane.evans@goal.com with questions, comments or concerns.
Follow English soccer on Goal.com's site section dedicated to everything about it.
The Champions League is great. It really is one of football’s best tournaments, and that’s worldwide. It brings all of Europe’s best teams together to duke it out over who is the continent’s best club.
If I had to have a complaint about it though, it’d be that it takes away from domestic play and if you have read any of my work over the last six months, you know that I’m a bit of a homer. That’s all well and good though.
This topic has often come up in the circle of Goal.com editors, that is, what is more important to teams like Manchester United and Barcelona: the league or Europe. Strong arguments can be made by either side, but when it comes down to it, I think it’s either pride or money. Winning domestically brings pride, while conquering Europe brings boat loads of cash (and a trophy that resonates pride).
Let us focus on the league, as that is the purpose of this column. This weekend brought us some more surprises and some quality matches, but most importantly it brought me a virtually untainted predictions section, for the second week in a row. Hurrah!
We’ll start at the top, as that makes the most sense in my head. Manchester United won again, in a match many people expected them to win. Who was the savior again? Federico Macheda. The guy is becoming the stuff of legend around Old Trafford, which I cannot help but think is bad news for one of my all-time favorites: Carlos Tevez.
Macheda is apparently getting a new five-year deal in the coming days or weeks or what not, and Tevez hasn’t even got a sniff or a new contract. Obviously, the deals between the two players will differ greatly as Tevez is an established goal-scorer and EPL player, but I can’t help but think what is going through his head. He can barely get a match as is, now he has to compete with this 17-year-old nobody for a spot on the pitch? I’d like to see Tevez stay at United, and I think he would too, it just looks a bit unlikely at the moment.
So with United’s win over Sunderland, and Liverpool’s thrashing of Blackburn, the difference between the two sides is still only a point. The Red Devils still have that game in hand, which if I can read a schedule for anything, doesn’t get utilized until mid-May, which is to their advantage I think.
It’ll be a tight run down the stretch, with both teams facing some stiff competition along the way. Arsenal is on both team’s list, as is Spurs. Don’t count out Chelsea either, they have proved what they can do under Guus Hiddink, and as I’ve mentioned before, they’d be at the top if he took over say, before Christmas.
What I prefer is the bottom end of things. The battles are a lot more scrappy and the desire is there in all the players, not just some. Case-in-point: Middlesbrough. It’s not often you openly pick them to win matches, but Gareth Southgate had his men simply chomping at the bit on Saturday, against equal opposition I might add, and they responded with a resounding 3-1 victory.
Without that win, they would have surely joined West Brom as the second team doomed for relegation, but with their backs against the wall they won the match as a team and live to fight another day.
Newcastle reached similar goals in their match against Stoke. In the match, both teams fought like hell for the win and it was back-and-forth from the tap. Newcastle refused to let up because they obviously don’t want to be known as the biggest club to drop out of the Premier League, and thanks to a splendid Andy Carroll header, were able to salvage a point from the match.
Even if he doesn’t have the managerial experience or knowhow, Alan Shearer has something far more important on his side. The players play for him. He may be a figurehead type boss, at least right now, but Newcastle players will be loyal to him as long as he’s in charge. Andy Carroll, a Jordie at heart, grew up idolizing Shearer. Now Shearer is his gaffer. Don’t expect Carroll to ever let up on a challenge or give away a header. Just not in the cards.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about Mark Hughes at Manchester City. If he isn’t out of that hot seat by or at the end of the season, I’d be very surprised. The players just aren’t responding to him, and their 3-1 home loss to Fulham even caused many fans from the blue side of Manchester to hit out at the Welshman. It’s a shame really, but that’s footy for you.
Pickled Onions
Three more matches, three more impressive results for yours truly. I’m finally starting to get the hang of this, and should end the season with some dignity left.
Firstly, Middlesbrough. I touched on them a bit earlier, but I feel they deserve a round of applause for their effort. So if you’re reading this in your cubicle at work or glancing at it while playing video games on your couch, start a slow clap for “Big Tie” Southgate. I’ve given him enough shtick all season, he deserves a bit of time in the sun. Oh, and I picked Marlon King to score...and he did. Brilliant.
As for Arsenal, they seem to be the safe bet these days. Arsene has them playing well, and scoring tons, which is good if you’re from North London, or Nigeria, or St. Louis, which is to say Arsenal fans seem to be everywhere. Villa boss Martin O’Neill recently gave up hope of the final Champions League place. For a quick diatribe on this type of talk, see the “Not-so-manager of the Week.”
In the final game of the weekend, I had Villa beating Everton. It was a close and exciting match, and they almost did. Ended in a draw, and as we know, that’s a push here at FCS, which in essence helps me save face.
Overall: 18-11
That looks great. Seven games over .500. Couldn’t be happier. I don’t know if I’m getting any better or if the teams are just becoming more predictable as the season winds down. Either works for me, really.
Mushy Peas
For the second week in a row, we have to talk Champions League. Yes, I did chat a bit about it in the opening, but nothing about what I think will happen.
If I’m doing well with my domestic picks, I could certainly use some work with my Champions League forecast. I cast Porto aside as if they were just a stepping stone that Manchester United had to hop over to get to the semis. Coincidentally enough, I think that’s the same mentality United had when the two teams met at Old Trafford last Tuesday.
Estadio do Dragao is certainly not Old Trafford though, and the Red Devils will have their work cut out for them after they surrendered a late game-tying goal in the first leg. 2-2 is a tricky first leg score, and United will have to dominate the match if they want to leave Portugal knowing they’ll be in the semis.
The same goes for Arsenal who need to put in a much better performance against an inferior Villarreal side on Wednesday if they want to go through. They’ll come out guns blazing though, given the news that the Sub’s best midfielder, Marcos Senna won’t play.
As for Tuesday’s matches…I think it’s all settled by this point.
Player of the Week: Clint Dempsey, Fulham
The American put in a class performance for the Cottagers and netted a brace in the process. Fulham have really struggled away from Craven Cottage this season, and whenever they can put in a result like their 3-1 win over Man City on Sunday, they need to be praised. Dempsey was the linchpin for the victory. Not only that, he’s also a really nice guy. Keep it up, Clint.
Honorable Mention: Fernando Torres, Liverpool, Brad Jones, Middlesbrough
Not-so-manager of the Week: Sam Allardyce, Blackburn Rovers
I am one of Big Sam’s biggest fans. He’s a great manager and has done a great deal to help Blackburn avoid the drop. So when I heard his post-match talk with Sky Sports on Saturday, you could understand I was a bit disappointed.
Basically, he said his team was a bit scared coming into the match, and were just overrun. What kind of manager, particularly a top flight boss, allows his team to enter a match scared?
Subsequently, in reference to Martin O’Neill, I never understood how managers concede defeat in races, at least publicly. It’s commonplace in Europe. Never really figured that out.
Goal of the Week: James Milner, Aston Villa
Perhaps Tim Howard should have done better, but it still was a lovely free kick. It had power, direction, curve. The whole lot. Maybe not in the World Cup, but Euro 2012 will be something special if this lad is lining up shots like that for the Three Lions.
Gaffe of the Week: Chelsea
Up 4-0. The match ends 4-3. That should never happen. Guus Hiddink admitted that his team fell asleep late on. Also shouldn’t happen. If they would have lost the match or even drawn (which they nearly did), it would have been a huge blow for the Blues. For now, they’ll have to settle with the three goals lost in the goal differential battle, which is something in itself.
Game of the Week: Aston Villa 3-3 Everton
When these two get together, it’s always exciting. Everton looked sharp, but were undone by a perfectly placed spot kick and a penalty. Villa should be pleased with the fight they exhibited to come back and tie it. In all, quite the match.
Shane Evans is an Associate Editor of Goal.com His column “Fish & Chip Shots” appears weekly. Contact Shane at shane.evans@goal.com with questions, comments or concerns.
Follow English soccer on Goal.com's site section dedicated to everything about it.
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