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Fish & Chip Shots: Gunned Down
The race for the English Premier League title got a bit closer this past weekend, so read on as Goal.com’s Shane Evans breaks down the action and what lies ahead.
Mar 24, 2009 12:47:18 PM
By Shane Evans
Let’s start things on a personal note. If we go back to last week’s “The Full English,” you’ll find a version that had more reader commentary than most of others I’ve ever written. Frankly, very little of it was positive...and that’s fine with me.
I would like to clear up some facts from TFE that may have been a bit misconstrued. From reading the comments it seems that many of you who responded are Arsenal fans. I would like to say, though it may seem that way, I am not anti-Arsenal. Quite the opposite really. I have more respect for Arsene Wenger and what he has done in his 12-plus years in charge of the Gunners than many other managers worldwide.
His tactics are creative and exciting, but most of all beautiful, which is exactly what the game is, the beautiful game. He makes it fun to watch, and their little string of goalless games aside, Arsenal are always an exciting team to take in.
As for their enigmatic captain, I’m on the fence. His talent on the field is unparalleled and as an am email from a reader correlated (I encourage you all to email me with your thoughts...I will respond), the 21-year-old has done quite well given the situation he is in. Being the captain of one of the biggest clubs in the world in one of the biggest footballing cities in the world is hardly an easy task, especially at that age.
But the facts speak for themselves. Plus, I have the Arsenal’s chairman on my side (even if he is a bit out-dated). Honestly, I’d rather not talk about a player’s antics off the field, because that is not what they are remembered for. I cannot wait to see Cesc back on the field making things happen in that talented Arsenal midfield. End of story.
I apologize for that little rant, but one of my biggest pet peeves as a writer is being misunderstood. Hopefully that clears some of it up. Uhh...go Gunners?!
Thankfully, Arsenal aren’t the only team in the league and as of right now, the end of the season is shaping up to be one of the best in years. An unbelievable second straight screw up by Manchester United sees their lead at the top diminish to one point. Could we see a repeat of the 1998 season, with Liverpool playing the sneaky side who goes on a strong run down the stretch? That remains to be seen. One thing we do know is that United to get their act together after two frustratingly bad performances.
Liverpool have slowly been building steam over the last few weeks, with their resounding 5-0 shellacking of a hapless Aston Villa side on Sunday being another exclamation point on the “We’re back!!!” sentiment.
It’s really a question of whether Liverpool played that well or if Aston Villa has absolutely no confidence left given their performance in recent matches. Some of the moves the Reds made were fantastic, and they deservedly won by such a margin, but you have to wonder if Villa would have done more to stop them, say a month-and-a-half ago.
Looking into my crystal ball, which is apparently pretty useless, you have to think Villa are all but out of contention for last Champions League spot. It’s a shame really, and again, nothing against your beloved Gooners, but a team with such a strong English influence like Aston Villa would be an interesting commodity in the Champions League. They could have acted as a microcosm for the English National Team. In my head anyway.
So the title will go down to the wire, and we could potentially see the two top teams who are fighting for EPL glory also competing in the final of the Champions League. Just like last season. If that’s the case, it should sufficiently silence the England-haters, at least on a temporary basis.
Somewhat apprehensively, let’s jump into last weeks picks…
Pickled Onions
Wasn’t the best of weeks for me, and that’s fine. I like reading comment after comment about how idiotic my predictions are and how I should quit writing and join the circus. It may not be constructive, but at least you are all reading, which is my ultimate goal. So I win that one.
So I got the Liverpool-Aston Villa match right. Probably the safest of bets right there. Liverpool have just been playing out of this world lately, outscoring Real Madrid, Manchester United and Villa by a combined 13-1. Not too shabby.
As for Chelsea, I don’t quite understand that one. An away fixture for the Blues at Tottenham had caused the traveling fans to call it a trip to “Three Point Lane,” given the fact they normally collect the full amount. Not this time though as their finishing just wasn’t there and Tottenham were playing an unusually determined match. “Three Point Lane,” how could I get that one wrong? I really am terrible…
Which leads us to my final game, Arsenal and Newcastle. Let’s say if it wasn’t for the terrible penalty that Obefami Martins ‘attempted,’ things could have been a lot different. I will give Arsenal credit, as in this game, and many other matches this season, they know how to finish when it matters, and three goals in ten minutes is evidence of that. I picked it as a draw, so it’s a wash.
Overall: 12-11
It’s been a rough few weeks for me, but it’s ok. As much as I’d like to be at some respectable record by the end of the season, it’s not like I’m putting my life savings on these predictions, or any money at all for that matter. Phew, my unborn children can still go to college.
Mushy Peas
There are no league matches this weekend, which is a huge downer. It also means no TFE, so you should all be very upset about that. No column to bash mercilessly. Bygones.
What we do have is a handful of tasty international fixtures. As my heart lies with the Three Lions, we’ll discuss a bit of news regarding them.
The new shirt comes out soon, and donning it for the first time at the senior level will be Everton full back Leighton Baines. The guy is an excellent player on an excellent Toffees back line. His goal on Saturday was probably the icing on the cake for Don Fabio to call him up, and it’s a well-deserved decision. Many think Ashley Cole is still the best left back in the country. I’m not so sure. He’s looked a bit shaky this season, one of his worst in a while. That’ll need to change if he wants to hold off the talented Merseyside-native.
On a bit of a sour note, another strong English defender has had to pull out of the squad after his shock recall. One Ledley King of Tottenham. Given the complications in his knee, that doesn’t allow him to train at all during the week, the hulking center back had to leave the squad. If he was fully healthy for the majority of his career, you have to wonder how good he could have been.
One of the harder things to swallow in the world of sports, the oft-mentioned wasted careers due to injury. Players who potentially could have been so productive, and in King’s case, dominant, but injuries force them to take in the action from the sidelines.
The last bit of news I’ll discuss is that regarding Brad Friedel. The American has an amazing streak of consecutive matches played in the EPL and after his dodgy red card on Sunday, it looks like it was to be snapped. Whispers around the league suggest that his recently filed appeal will be approved and he’ll be set to play against Manchester United on the 5th of April. It may have already gone down by the time you get this far, who knows. What matters is, the red card wasn’t justified and he should be able to keep the streak going.
Somewhat amusing side note: I can’t imagine many Englishmen being happy that an American holds the record for consecutive games played.
Player of the Week: Peter Crouch, Portsmouth
The two goals scored by the towering forward couldn’t have been bigger for Portsmouth and their hopes to stay up. Playing against a usually stingy Everton side, Crouch’s determination to get his head on to lofted balls was the difference in the game. Three points to Portsmouth, but they should go directly to Crouchinho as he changed the game for them.
Honorable Mention: Steven Gerrard, Liverpool, Heurelho Gomes, Tottenham, Mark Schwarzer, Fulham
Not-so-team of the Week: Aston Villa
What happened? That match was hard to watch. Being a Midlands guy, I like to see Villa do well, but that was simply awful. Hopefully the rest of the season can be salvaged, if not for position in the table, but for their pride.
Goal of the Week: Luka Modric, Tottenham
Lovely work on the wing by Aaron Lennon resulted in a low driven cross which Modric approached and banged home at a very acute angle. Lovely all around finish and the impact of the tally was a massive one.
Gaffe of the Week: Martin Atkinson, Referee
He was the referee who gave Brad Friedel the red card in Villa’s match against Liverpool. It was a call that according to the rule books he had to make, even if it was obviously wrong. Thankfully Friedel’s appeal will likely be granted, but it’s just a shame that he had to be sent off in such a way. It was an even bigger shame for Brad Guzan whose first ever action in the EPL was trying to stop a Stevie G spot kick in front of the KOP.
Game of the Week: Fulham 2-0 Manchester United
Who saw this coming. Paul Scholes early dismissal for handling the ball in the area dictated the rest of the game. Even with 10-men, United fought on, but were denied by a brave Fulham side. It was hard to watch as I have a soft spot for United, but Fulham deserved it and Roy Hodgson should be proud of his boys.
Shane Evans is an associate editor of Goal.com. His feature "Fish & Chip Shots" appears weekly.
Let’s start things on a personal note. If we go back to last week’s “The Full English,” you’ll find a version that had more reader commentary than most of others I’ve ever written. Frankly, very little of it was positive...and that’s fine with me.
I would like to clear up some facts from TFE that may have been a bit misconstrued. From reading the comments it seems that many of you who responded are Arsenal fans. I would like to say, though it may seem that way, I am not anti-Arsenal. Quite the opposite really. I have more respect for Arsene Wenger and what he has done in his 12-plus years in charge of the Gunners than many other managers worldwide.
His tactics are creative and exciting, but most of all beautiful, which is exactly what the game is, the beautiful game. He makes it fun to watch, and their little string of goalless games aside, Arsenal are always an exciting team to take in.
As for their enigmatic captain, I’m on the fence. His talent on the field is unparalleled and as an am email from a reader correlated (I encourage you all to email me with your thoughts...I will respond), the 21-year-old has done quite well given the situation he is in. Being the captain of one of the biggest clubs in the world in one of the biggest footballing cities in the world is hardly an easy task, especially at that age.
But the facts speak for themselves. Plus, I have the Arsenal’s chairman on my side (even if he is a bit out-dated). Honestly, I’d rather not talk about a player’s antics off the field, because that is not what they are remembered for. I cannot wait to see Cesc back on the field making things happen in that talented Arsenal midfield. End of story.
I apologize for that little rant, but one of my biggest pet peeves as a writer is being misunderstood. Hopefully that clears some of it up. Uhh...go Gunners?!
Thankfully, Arsenal aren’t the only team in the league and as of right now, the end of the season is shaping up to be one of the best in years. An unbelievable second straight screw up by Manchester United sees their lead at the top diminish to one point. Could we see a repeat of the 1998 season, with Liverpool playing the sneaky side who goes on a strong run down the stretch? That remains to be seen. One thing we do know is that United to get their act together after two frustratingly bad performances.
Liverpool have slowly been building steam over the last few weeks, with their resounding 5-0 shellacking of a hapless Aston Villa side on Sunday being another exclamation point on the “We’re back!!!” sentiment.
It’s really a question of whether Liverpool played that well or if Aston Villa has absolutely no confidence left given their performance in recent matches. Some of the moves the Reds made were fantastic, and they deservedly won by such a margin, but you have to wonder if Villa would have done more to stop them, say a month-and-a-half ago.
Looking into my crystal ball, which is apparently pretty useless, you have to think Villa are all but out of contention for last Champions League spot. It’s a shame really, and again, nothing against your beloved Gooners, but a team with such a strong English influence like Aston Villa would be an interesting commodity in the Champions League. They could have acted as a microcosm for the English National Team. In my head anyway.
So the title will go down to the wire, and we could potentially see the two top teams who are fighting for EPL glory also competing in the final of the Champions League. Just like last season. If that’s the case, it should sufficiently silence the England-haters, at least on a temporary basis.
Somewhat apprehensively, let’s jump into last weeks picks…
Pickled Onions
Wasn’t the best of weeks for me, and that’s fine. I like reading comment after comment about how idiotic my predictions are and how I should quit writing and join the circus. It may not be constructive, but at least you are all reading, which is my ultimate goal. So I win that one.
So I got the Liverpool-Aston Villa match right. Probably the safest of bets right there. Liverpool have just been playing out of this world lately, outscoring Real Madrid, Manchester United and Villa by a combined 13-1. Not too shabby.
As for Chelsea, I don’t quite understand that one. An away fixture for the Blues at Tottenham had caused the traveling fans to call it a trip to “Three Point Lane,” given the fact they normally collect the full amount. Not this time though as their finishing just wasn’t there and Tottenham were playing an unusually determined match. “Three Point Lane,” how could I get that one wrong? I really am terrible…
Which leads us to my final game, Arsenal and Newcastle. Let’s say if it wasn’t for the terrible penalty that Obefami Martins ‘attempted,’ things could have been a lot different. I will give Arsenal credit, as in this game, and many other matches this season, they know how to finish when it matters, and three goals in ten minutes is evidence of that. I picked it as a draw, so it’s a wash.
Overall: 12-11
It’s been a rough few weeks for me, but it’s ok. As much as I’d like to be at some respectable record by the end of the season, it’s not like I’m putting my life savings on these predictions, or any money at all for that matter. Phew, my unborn children can still go to college.
Mushy Peas
There are no league matches this weekend, which is a huge downer. It also means no TFE, so you should all be very upset about that. No column to bash mercilessly. Bygones.
What we do have is a handful of tasty international fixtures. As my heart lies with the Three Lions, we’ll discuss a bit of news regarding them.
The new shirt comes out soon, and donning it for the first time at the senior level will be Everton full back Leighton Baines. The guy is an excellent player on an excellent Toffees back line. His goal on Saturday was probably the icing on the cake for Don Fabio to call him up, and it’s a well-deserved decision. Many think Ashley Cole is still the best left back in the country. I’m not so sure. He’s looked a bit shaky this season, one of his worst in a while. That’ll need to change if he wants to hold off the talented Merseyside-native.
On a bit of a sour note, another strong English defender has had to pull out of the squad after his shock recall. One Ledley King of Tottenham. Given the complications in his knee, that doesn’t allow him to train at all during the week, the hulking center back had to leave the squad. If he was fully healthy for the majority of his career, you have to wonder how good he could have been.
One of the harder things to swallow in the world of sports, the oft-mentioned wasted careers due to injury. Players who potentially could have been so productive, and in King’s case, dominant, but injuries force them to take in the action from the sidelines.
The last bit of news I’ll discuss is that regarding Brad Friedel. The American has an amazing streak of consecutive matches played in the EPL and after his dodgy red card on Sunday, it looks like it was to be snapped. Whispers around the league suggest that his recently filed appeal will be approved and he’ll be set to play against Manchester United on the 5th of April. It may have already gone down by the time you get this far, who knows. What matters is, the red card wasn’t justified and he should be able to keep the streak going.
Somewhat amusing side note: I can’t imagine many Englishmen being happy that an American holds the record for consecutive games played.
Player of the Week: Peter Crouch, Portsmouth
The two goals scored by the towering forward couldn’t have been bigger for Portsmouth and their hopes to stay up. Playing against a usually stingy Everton side, Crouch’s determination to get his head on to lofted balls was the difference in the game. Three points to Portsmouth, but they should go directly to Crouchinho as he changed the game for them.
Honorable Mention: Steven Gerrard, Liverpool, Heurelho Gomes, Tottenham, Mark Schwarzer, Fulham
Not-so-team of the Week: Aston Villa
What happened? That match was hard to watch. Being a Midlands guy, I like to see Villa do well, but that was simply awful. Hopefully the rest of the season can be salvaged, if not for position in the table, but for their pride.
Goal of the Week: Luka Modric, Tottenham
Lovely work on the wing by Aaron Lennon resulted in a low driven cross which Modric approached and banged home at a very acute angle. Lovely all around finish and the impact of the tally was a massive one.
Gaffe of the Week: Martin Atkinson, Referee
He was the referee who gave Brad Friedel the red card in Villa’s match against Liverpool. It was a call that according to the rule books he had to make, even if it was obviously wrong. Thankfully Friedel’s appeal will likely be granted, but it’s just a shame that he had to be sent off in such a way. It was an even bigger shame for Brad Guzan whose first ever action in the EPL was trying to stop a Stevie G spot kick in front of the KOP.
Game of the Week: Fulham 2-0 Manchester United
Who saw this coming. Paul Scholes early dismissal for handling the ball in the area dictated the rest of the game. Even with 10-men, United fought on, but were denied by a brave Fulham side. It was hard to watch as I have a soft spot for United, but Fulham deserved it and Roy Hodgson should be proud of his boys.
Shane Evans is an associate editor of Goal.com. His feature "Fish & Chip Shots" appears weekly.
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