Gunner 44 - 1. Race between Man U and Chelsea will come down to the wire. Arsenal might play the biggest part in deciding who gets to lift that title with that game just before Chelsea faces Man U.
2. Race for Player of the Year will come down to what Drogba and C. Ronaldo do in these last games. Right now Ronaldo has the upper hand.
3. Arsenal better wake up or they will be competing for 4th with The Coldspurs again, who will finish 5 above Bolton.
4. Relegation battle might also come down to the last games also. Charlton have a chance of surviving but I don's see West Ham surviving.
What do you think of these 4 issues?
Bobby –1. It is going to come down to more than Chelsea beating or losing to Arsenal. Although the gap is currently six points United have a much better goal difference which is the equivalent of an extra point. For the Arsenal game to mean something then United has to drop points somewhere.
2. Ronaldo gets my vote at the moment.
3. Arsenal cannot afford to be complacent but I cannot see them finishing lower than fourth. They have Bolton and Spurs coming up on April 14 and 21.
4. I agree, it looks as if West Ham have dug to deep a hole. All they can do is to focus on getting some points and hope somehow that the other results go their way.
Foxcube - I find the BBC (Lineker)/FA row fascinating. Would you add some comments? Plus what do you think of the new deal?
Bobby – 1. As someone wrote – only the FA can take a good story (a record TV deal) and turn it into a bad story. I think the BBC is trying to save face while the FA should have just said nothing. As for the new deal it only applies to the UK so in the short term it won’t affect us on this side of the pond.
oldcoach - Is it just me or do others view England's quest for a second WC as the greatest, longest running soap opera in sports? I know that Scotland must be enjoying it. Fergie defended McClaren but then added he wished they were playing Scotland next. From an objective point of view, do you think McClaren has what it takes? If not, would you run off McClaren now and give it to Venables for the Estonia game?
Should Man U be concerned about Rooney's form?
Bobby – Scotland has nothing to enjoy unfortunately. Not qualifying for the knock out stage of the World Cup in 8 attempts is an atrocious record. The FA will not get rid of McClaren because it would call into question their collective judgment to an even greater degree than it is at the moment. I thought at the time McClaren was a bad choice and that opinion remains. If the FA wanted to appoint Venables they could have done it on a couple of occasions since he resigned in 1996 but his past is still a factor. If United and Rooney were struggling then I think it would be a worry but as it is they are still getting good results and Rooney is bound to come good.
AlexMorph - Who is 1. your pick, 2. who you think will win PFA young player of the year. At first I might have thought Ces was a shoe in, except for a couple things. First, I thought it was a 21- award when infect it's 23-. Second, in yesterday's game it was said that Cesc has 0 goals in 56 goal attempts, a rather poor return for an offensive midfielder. His contribution in assists and overall play is not to be denied, but his competition is greater than it seems.......Martins, Rooney, Doyle, even Kalou for what little he plays, all having pretty big impacts on their teams this year.
Bobby – You have not included Ronaldo as an option. If he doesn’t win the Player of the Year he could still win the Young Player of the Year Award. If he doesn’t win the big one then he will get the Young Player, if he does then Fabregas will likely win.
Henry 14 – Q1 Do you know how many goals Baptista score from open play from his 38 in 50 appearances, l would want to believe 95% were set plays? Q2 - Now that Tevez seems to have settled in the Prem do you change your mind to see one of the big four going for him Q3 - l am a big Lampard fan, l feel for the past three season he has been the outstanding midfielder in the Prem bar none, and still feel this season as no exception how would you solve the Gerrard Lampard conundrum
Q4 - l saw that you are showing UEFA cup why don't you do the same with CL
Q5 - As an Arsenal fan l am worried about Tottenham's form and since we have to go to the lane do you see them nicking fourth place
Bobby – Q1, I can’t say for sure but I don’t remember seeing an inordinate number of his goals for Sevilla coming from free kicks or penalties. Q2 – No. Q3 – If the feeling is that they can’t play together then one of them just has to be dropped. It is pointless simply hoping that they will gel. If you go back to the days of Alf Ramsey then you can find numerous examples of players who were regarded as better players being overlooked in favour of lesser players because the coach believed that it was more important for a player to fit into the team. If it was me I would be playing Gerrard and leaving Lampard on the bench. Q4 – ESPN hold the English language rights in North America. Q5 – I don’t think Arsenal will finish lower than 4th and 3rd is still a very real possibility.
Foxcube - Regarding the booing fans, I don't think there is anything wrong with booing itself since I believe fans are bigger than clubs and teams and players so they are entitled to their actions. Have the England fans not suffered enough?
Bobby – McIlvanney’s piece was not about fans booing it was about obscene behaviour.
RINGO - Do you think the rise of Gretna FC, from the English northern league to the SPL (almost), is the greatest footballing fairytale?
Bobby – It is a great story but you also have to place it into a context. It is doubtful if Gretna would have achieved what they have so far if it was not for the largesse of multi-millionaire philanthropist Brooks Mileson – the "Roman Abramovich of the Borders". Wigan is also a great story but would they have done it without Dave Whelan and his investment? That's why I think Wimbledon takes pride of place. Their run to the FA Cup Final and win over Liverpool should really be made into a movie but I am not sure who would play the part of Vinnie Jones!
atleti_female - I wonder why the English media don't rate Totti. Any ideas anyone?
Bobby – Although Serie A was shown for a number of years in the UK it only attracted a niche viewership. I think it is simply a case that many of his UK critics have never taken the time to watch him. I have mates back home that have hardly see hm play.
Gongatore - How silly is it that people are calling for Wenger's head? Why would he leave Arsenal? IMHO he has done a fantastic job (this year, they have slipped, it happens to the best sides) and arguably one of the architects of why the EPL has become an exciting league.
How do you rate Mexes? Panucci? Taddei?
Bobby – Mexes - the French Rio Ferdinand. Panucci - the Italian Philip Neville. I should probably add that Mexes obviously has a lot of talent but he seems short on application. I can’t really explain my opinion of Panucci.
I like watching Taddei. He has been a great acquisition for Roma over the last couple of seasons.
Bobby,
Let Vinnie play himself. Bullet Tooth Tony back on the pitch!! Just watch out for your Lou Rawls!, and make sure you book him on British Airways as I think he's still barred from Virgin. One of the greatest sports photographs of all time. Gazza!
2 good games unlike yesterday when we had only 1 good game. Man U were outplayed in the whole game and apart from Rio, Rooney and Ronald non of their other players showed up. Roma should have scored at least 1 more. It's going to be a cracking game in Old T.
Valencia really suprised me. They are better than I thought they were. Came and executed there plan to perfection. Come attack get the 1st goal and then try and hold it like that. Chelsea will have trouble beating this team.
I would love to see Roma and Valencia in the final to young coaches who know how to coach, with two very talented teams.
So, Bobby how do you see these 3 other ties going coz the liver sure looks like it's through unless PSV can pull a liverpool on liverpool? They all look like they will be very good games though in my opinion.
My Prediction after today are Roma and Valencia will go through I think the injuries to Man U and Chelsea will end up hurting them here. I still see Milan out doing Bayern and well Liverpool are already through.
l have to say l fancy roma and valencia going throug, but what dissapoints me is that the english expect to be treated better than anyone else.manu nd liverpool have been known through out europe to have hooligans amoung their support base history tells us.a police man died a few weeks ago theirfore police will descend on violence and l do not care if you are from england, africa, brazil you should be punished for violence
These weekend games interest me the most:
Villarreal v Atletico Madrid
Sevilla v Racing Santander
Reading v Liverpool
Speaking of Racing Santander, there has been a lot of buzz about Racing Santander's giant striker Nikola Zigic in Spain. Apparently the Serb is linked with a few top clubs- it's all speculation at this point though. The guy is 6'8''.
You're right, people should be punished for violence. So what to do with the police officers that severely beat the Man U supporters, 18 of whom required hospital treatment. I'm all for a "safe" environment for the spectators, but you have to tread very carefully when looking at this. By all accounts, fans weren't checked for projectiles on their way into the stadium and police overstepped their authority with the beatings. You can't just simply blame the fans. Has nothing been learned since Hillsborough?
To be honest, I wasn't shocked by the police-ManU clash in Roma. The obvious question is when will UEFA actually deal with the mess which is Italian football?
I read recently that Catania's stadium ban has been overturned by a civil court-- the ban that was implemented after the derby riot in Sicily that left one police officer dead. It's sad to say, but from an outsider's view, it seems like corruption is completely embedded in that society.
I find the media coverage of the events in Rome very amusing.
Back in the 80`s I used to follow England everywhere,this type of police over-reaction used to happen at almost every game.Back then it was always the fault of the "english hooligans" or "scum"as the tabloid press would scream from the headlines.
And the BBC would never miss an opportunity to wheel out Bobby Charlton for him to declare "i`m ashamed to be english".
It seems to have changed since then!
Roma and Totti failed to impress. Roma back four are not great.
Chelsea were clearly stronger, they need Essien. Sheva looked good too bad he couldn't find anyone to play with. Droba was out of it, I think he asked to be subbed out. Cech looked confused maybe his head after that first crazy header. One wonder goal really nothing else from Valencia, anybody's to win.
I wouldn't want to face either Bayern or Milan in the next round.
Liverpool looked like a machine. Interesting that Lampard and Gerrard had similar header attempts in the first half. Lampard 15th row, Gerrard top corner.
Sheesh, Spurs supporters clashed with Sevilla supporters and police this evening. Supporters for England sides are building quite a reputation for themselves on the continent, hm?
I still think the police used excessive force in Italy-- but ManU supporters aren't completely without fault.
Atleti:
The ban on the Catania stadium was rightfully overturned. While the death is a tragedy, it didn't happen in the stadium, and out of the control of the club or the stadium security, and it is unclear whether the murderer was even ever at the game. You have every right to claim corruption, but most will disagree with you.
Italian football is doing fine, the authorities have the courage to address problems with transparency and take strong corrective measures, unlike certain other countries (see Lord Stevens' report) where their associations prefer maintain a clean image on the surface.
I like Roma's chances against Man U, they have a very strong defence and may well come away with another victory. Chelsea now have to come up with an epic performance next week, and I really don't think they are up for it. The positive for Milan is that if they play like they did in the first 75 minutes of the first leg, qualification won't be a problem. However Rensing's miracles and Milan's 2 defensive lapses have left them with a very tricky return leg, however Italian teams always seem to get the job done against German opposition, so I am still cautiously optimistic.
Most folks would disagree with me? I'm not so sure about that.
You don't find it at all odd that points deductions and demotions were quickly followed by appeals and incremental adjustments to the point that all clubs accused of match-fixing are now in the top half of the table. The same process will repeat itself again soon enough, I'm sure.
Violence doesn't exist solely in the top division either-- the death of the policeman in Sicily was followed by the death of a referee in a lower level game- not to mention the death of a fan in a lower level game.
Anyway, corruption (match-fixing, iffy accounting, and dubious business practices) and violence is by no means a new phenomenon in the Italian game.
In terms of the dead policeman, the street riot was a spillover of the violence within the stadium during the derby. I suppose one can make excuses.
Spain has to deal with its own problems too, chiefly racism and 'ultras'.
Ringo:
Funny you should say that because Mac has actually yelled that at me several times; obviously it's been a few years now.
Atleti: It's not an excuse, it's the facts. If fans sit in the stands an direct racist abuse at the players, the team and stadium personel can intervene and therefore held responsible. You cannot hold a team responsible for their fans' actions outside of the club/stadium property - you don't have to be a lawyer to figure that one out.
It's also funny how a day after the Rome riot police "overreacted" against the Man Utd fans, police in Seville "overreacted" against Spurs fans. Just a coincidence I'm sure. Also, more people have died in England in football related incidents than in any other country in Europe.
Remember how the Spanish would throw bananas at the blacks, and how Eto'o was thinking of leaving Barcelona because of all the racist abuse. Then was Di Canio fascist salute in his last years with Lazio. Yeah, English football use to be ugly, but at least they've cleaned up they're act.
VVV,
I know you're a Milan fan, but I think they're going to have a tough time. They're going to be away from home, Bayern have two away goals, and the last game ended in a tie. I think Bayern will play conservatively and look to counter attack. I think Valencia will do the same think against Chelsea since they're in the same boat. And, the Man U vs Roma game, Man U have to push for a goal, and Roma will defend and look to counter attack. In the end, whoever strikes first and can defend will move on.
Those are interesting matches. I'm usually at Floyds in Brooklyn to catch the Spurs. I also enjoy watching Valencia when I get the chance. Any pubs in NY where you watch matches? Any good ones to recommend?
To you and everyone else here... are these police officers in some part motivated by their own personal feelings for the host teams (Roma and Sevilla) and take it out on visiting fans because they have the power of batons and helmets?
Roma's fiasco certainly looked like a police riot. I saw people in prone positions repeatedly get clubbed by the cops. But, I did see one cop screaming "Basta! Basta!" to his colleagues.
Some new type of security must be implemented. Perhaps visiting fans become sitting, provocative targets when they are con####uously placed in parts of the stadium.
RINGO:
I just thought that it was ironic to see all these Man Utd and Spurs fans cry foul in two different countries, in the same week, claiming police were unnecessarily heavy handed with them. According to British Home Office statistics these two sets of fans led the league in arrests at domestic football venues in the 2005/6 season: Spurs had 169 and United had 147. (They probably have the largest overall number of fans too) There were almost 3500 arrests at football venues in England during last season. My point is that all major European countries have much work to do to curb hooliganism, and unfortunately Italy and England are still at the top of that list, even though the latter have made great strides over the past decade.
(Note to encierroNYC: I’m quite sure the policeman was shouting “basta!” (enough) to unruly fans, and not his fellow police officers. I’m also quite sure that the police officers in Roma and Seville are not murderous hooligans in disguise.)
In the UCL, Milan have definitely left themselves with a very tricky second leg, but for 75 minutes into the first leg Milan were in complete control and should’ve put the game away, which at least bodes well for the second leg. It’ll be one of three very interesting matches next week, in which anyone can make it through.
Here’s my ranking of UCL quarter finalists in order of likelihood to progress.
1. Liverpool
2. Roma
3. Valencia
4. Milan
5. Bayern
6. Chelsea
7. Man Utd
8. PSV
I haven't been to a pub to watch games, but I've been told by many folks that Nevada Smith's is a great place. http://www.grahamecurtis.com/nevada smiths/main.html One of these days I'll go over there for an afternoon match.
Italian football aside, I do agree with you about the common denominator in both of these incidents, VVV: supporters from English clubs. There weren't any problems with Osasuna supporters at Bayer Leverkusen yesterday or Werder Bremen supporters at AZ.
VVV
Thats not what I meant,but it doesnt matter,I think "minds"have already been made up,despite the facts.
I just hope theres no trouble in Valencia on tuesday,but I fear the worst.
Unfortunately, it appears that behavior deemed acceptable in England must be viewed as threatening and/or provoking on the continent, and along with their reputation of old, English fans traveling abroad find themselves in a very volatile situations. I hope all the talk after Valencia-Chelsea is about the match, but like you, I doubt it.
Aside from all this, we have at least three very good matches to look forward to next week, and if Liverpool comes out flat and PSV adopts a 3-4-3 formation and scores 2 unanswered in the first 15 minutes, we might have 4 great matches!!
Hooliganism used to be called "the English disease," but now looks more like "the continental disease." Not to excuse the few MUFC fans who did act like idiots, but there were NO police on the Roma side of the fence.
VVV- Did you say preventative protection? This is interesting. So the police were pre-emptively attacking ManU fans to protect the ManU fans from themselves, or they pre-emptively attacked them to protect Roma fans? Facts are tricky entities but I am unconvinced from the accounts I have read and the murky footage that anybody was in any real danger, a few plastic bottle projectiles from both sides do not justify one side getting a police beating. From my view this is payback for the years of violence the English houligans especially ManU, did bring to the continent.
-I detect faulty logic here.
Hey guys,
read what VVV said "unfortunately,it appears that behaviour deemed acceptable in England must be viewed as threatening and/or provoking on the continent,and along with the reputation of old,english fans travelling abroad find thamselves in a very volatile situation"
I think he`#### the nail on the head!
Reading all the english press,nobody has put it that well!!
from security footage of the fans at the Roma-Man Utd match.
"At the moment when Roma scored the first goal, 100 or 200 drunken United supporters can be seen rushing towards the see-through barrier that separated the visiting enclosure from the Curva Nord. At that point the intervention of agents (policeman) was necessary to secure the see-through barrier to avoid a clash between the two sets of supporters that would have been impossible to manage. The police were surrounded by around 300 fans with their backs to the barrier. You can see an English fan with his face covered who is inciting the other supporters to attack the police. There are another 20 seconds in which bottles were thrown and 15 seating covers by drunken and angry fans."
In England this behavior is common place and almost acceptable. In a country where a policeman was killed recently in similar situations, I would strongly recommend following police instructions and remain seated until told to stand up. In my next "Survival for Dummies" book I will advise readers while in a foreign country not to charge at policemen carrying batons while intoxicated. Just a thought!
VVV- Good point. I travel with respect and caution, especially in less developed countries.(That joke was probably in poor taste, please don't be offended) However, I think you have a distorted view of England. This is one of the most controlled societies in the world. They have the most intensive security infrastructure. And they have eliminated, to large extent, this problem from their stadia. Italy has not. The responsibility is Italy's logistically, morally and most importantly economically.
Good joke, no offense taken.
My mum is English, born and raised in Northamptonshire, but I have never lived there. There were almost 3500 arrests in England during football matches last season alone, so it's not exactly an ideal situation there either. Italy has big problems with violence at football venues, it has been well documented. Football fans in England get drunk and have fun at games, but Man Utd fans doing that in Rome was stupid, same goes for the Spurs fans in Seville. I would not expect the police force in either situation to back down just because "back in England they let us do this all the time". I'm quite sure that Chelsea fans will now behave very well next week.
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