BobbyMcMahon's Blog
by: BobbyMcMahon
Speakers' Corner #31 Responses
Apr 10, 2007 | 5:59PM | report this

 A lively blog again this week as far as comments and opinions are concerened.


Henry14-1. Who do you think will win the title given that both teams are in Europe and FA Cup & also looking at the runs left for them?
2. l personally fancy Sheffield to stay up because of their matches at home left who do you think will drop?
3. How do you assess Klose this season?
4. It pains me to say this but l really see that Spurs have made big strides in the last two years do you know when they can ever win the title?
5. Lastly l disagree with what you said on the show that Benitez's rotation is paying dividends, l think it is because they were knocked out of domestic cups, so they were no replays because Arsenal played 7 domestic cup games after Liverpool, Man Utd. had 5 and Chelsea had 6 so l think that’s the main reason up to now. 
6 Do you think Fergie regret letting Larsson go?


Bobby–1. I picked Chelsea at the start of the season and I am not jumping ship even though United have the lead and an easier stretch-run.
2. With Rob Hulse out Sheffield United will struggle to score goals and that is their biggest challenge going into the last 6 games.
3. I haven’t seen enough of Klose this season to really comment. He seems to be off his usual goal scoring pace although he is still Bremen’s top scorer.
4. They will some day but I can’t see it in the near future.
5. Fair point but if Liverpool had won the cup games Benitez would have still rotated his squad.
6. Not after today’s display!


LosAngelesChelseaFan - Chelsea are certainly capable of dumping Valencia on Tuesday, since I suspect that stamina rather than skill will dominate the outcome of all competitions. We shall see.
What’s your considered opinion of all this?
What do think is more important for all these teams right now,
(a) heart and will to win?
(b) stamina?
(c) quality and skill?
(d) most recent result?
... and which one has it?


Bobby – All of the above plus momentum and some well-timed slices of luck ?


Flashman - Toronto FC looked competitive in their MLS debut at Chivas. Obviously, any MLS squad has flaws, but TFC didn't look like an expansion team to me. Greg Sutton looks solid in net and they generated some excellent scoring opportunities early on. Still some work to do in defense.
Do you see this team rewarding the Hogtown Massive - sold out at 20,000 for every game this year - by diving in and snagging a big name player? If so, at what position?
Also, as the streets of London's toney Islington district yet again run brown with fear, do you think Arsenal can hang on to a UEFA Cup qualifying position as they free fall this spring down the Prem standings? Who do you see them losing due to their inability to compete financially with bigger clubs in Yorkshi - er, umm, Europe?


Bobby – I would be surprised if Toronto go the “big name” player route this year. I think Mo Johnston has already said that he is not interested and with a sell out almost guaranteed there isn’t a financial incentive to make a move like that. I think they would be better off spreading the wealth around a bit in an attempt to improve the overall quality of the team. I think Sutton is a keeper – in more ways than the positional sense – but I didn’t see anything else that gave me much encouragement. But, there again it is early days, so maybe a fairer assessment can be made after 10 games. The games against Bolton and Spurs will be important over the next two weeks but I think Arsenal will hold on to 4th place.


jeffers77 - Any thoughts on Tottenham and Sevilla? I think Tottenham has a good chance on Thursday, that penalty against Robinson was ridiculous; a 1-1 score would have been a fair result. Do you feel they have a chance at WHL and if they do go on, what do you think their chances are of winning the whole thing?


Bobby – The penalty was an atrocious decision. If Spurs are to go through then I think scoring first is almost mandatory. Perhaps the bigger question is can the Spurs back four keep Sevilla from scoring. 


Henry14 - l wanted to know the requirements of entering the Intertoto cup and if the Gunners qualify.

Bobby – Here is a link to who is eligible. This link gives the reason for the competition – I think it might surprise you.


Ringo - Can someone explain how Portsmouth can beat Man U and then lose to Watford? Unless the Asian betting syndicates were involved!

Bobby – The only logical conclusion is that if Watford were in Serie A then they would be a serious challenge to Inter this season!


Henry14 - Who is a better winger Quaresma or Ribery or rather player because l thought Quaresma had the edge.

Bobby – I woud take Ribery. He seems a bit more robust to me.


Realmadridcffan - 1. Out of all the soccer magazines that are published, which is your favourite and your least favourite? 2. How would you rate the performances of DC United and the Houston Dynamo in the recent CONCACAF Champions Cup semi-final? What do you think it will take for an MLS side to actually win the CONCACAF Champions Cup? 3. Besides the Houston Dynamo and DC United, who do you see as a dark horse(s) for the MLS Championship this year?

Bobby – 1. Favourite(s) – When Saturday Comes, Champions (the UEFA mag) and World Soccer. The least favourite – there are a number of them. The magazines that I have the most trouble with are the ones that just lift pieces and drop them into the magazine – Soccer Italia a prime example – and they are often contradictory stories. Page 3 states Fabio Star Defender wants a transfer to Real Madrid; Page 7 Fabio Star Defender says “I will never leave.” 2. I thought both teams did very well. When Brian Ching scored with only minutes left I thought Houston were going to do it. As far as what is needed - experience obviously helps and I don't think a MLS side winning the CONCACAF Champions Cup again in the next three or four seasons is out of the question. 3. Dark horse - well with a 13 team league it pretty difficult to be a dark horse. However, i can see Chicago Fire challenging DC United in the east and I liked the look of Colorado Rapids on Saturday so they might be the team to watch in the west.


djnima191. Do you think losing Vidic will cost United the title? 2. Is Foster or Kuzscak a better keeper than Edwin for next season? 3. Who would you like to see coming from La Liga to the EPL next season?


Bobby – 1. Not necessarily although he does leave a large hole in the defense – a lot can happen in the next half a dozen games. 2. I don’t think you can consider Foster or Kuzscak better than van der Sar. Kuzscak, for the rather obvious reason that he is currently the back-up. In Foster’s case he has been playing with very little pressure on him so it is a very unfair comparison at the moment. It is not unusual for keepers to look better playing in a poorer team because they get more chances to shine. With better sides I think that keepers need to concentrate more because of the lack of action. Foster is still very young for a keeper and he certainly looks like he has the potential to be a very good goalie.  3. There is always a big gulf between who we would like to see and who is available. Even with Premiership riches you can’t have all the great players. Goalscorers are high on everyone’s list so the likes of David Villa, Fernando Torres and Diego Milito will probably be targets.


LosAngelesChelseaFan - I have a few questions:
1. Can you recommend a theBLEEP who specializes in Depressive Goonophrenia?
2. Do you think asking over and over again if Thierry Henry will leave Arsenal at the end of the season is a symptom of the above condition?
3. Do you think if Arsene Wenger wears the grey suit with the grey tie at next week’s game against Bolton, it will bring him more of the bad luck that caused them to lose the double against Whamo Utd for the first time since 1965?
4. Do you think hell is a place:
a) populated by Arsenal players who pass the ball for endlessly, but who never shoot at the goal or
b) a place where there’s a soccer game in which the referee is being chased by a complaining Wane Rooney for all eternity?


Bobby – 1. Dr. George Graham. 2. No it is a condition caused by the Vieiraitis virus that was limited to Highbury for a period of five years although it was thought to have been eradicated. 3. Only if he wears it with the standard Sam Allardyce earpiece. 4. Hell is what North America was to soccer fans 20 years ago.


Verbal971. Does Dumfermline stand a chance to a) stay up in the SPL and b) to make it to the Scottish Cup Final? If they make the finals and play Celtic, would they get a UEFA Cup spot like in the FA Cup? 1 c. Also, how do you rate Adam Hammill, if you've seen him?
2. Also, do you think Abramovich will fire Mourinho this week WHEN Chelsea lose to Valencia or will he wait for the end of the season?


Bobby – 1a. Stephen Kenny seems to have whipped the Pars into much better shape and they now have at least a fighting chance of survival – four points behind St. Mirren with five to play. 1b. They beat Hibs last weekend in the SPL and they face each other again this Sunday in the Scottish Cup semi final. If they do make it and finish up facing Celtic (who play St. Johnstone on Saturday) then a UEFA spot is guaranteed. 1 c. I haven’t seen him and to be honest no one that I correspond with in Scotland has mentioned him. 2. I guess that now changes to “WHEN Chelsea lose to Liverpool.”

Neophyte 1. What do you think about Riquelme coming to the Prem? or another La Liga team? What ever happened between Villarreal and Riquelme? You can clearly see that without him they're just middle to bottom of the Liga.
2. What do you see SAF doing about the obvious aging midfield at Old Trafford? Does Scholes get the same treatment as Becks and Keane? Is Giggs' time up as well?

 Bobby – 1. I never thought there was much of a chance of Riquelme moving to the Premiership at the end of last season and so I think that there is almost no chance now.  Most likely destination – where he is now, at Boca Juniors. Next – a return to Villarreal. Then – who can guess? It seems that Miguel Pellegrino and Riquelme just fell out – it can’t have been anything that important or we would have already heard all the lurid details. 2. Manchester United have clearly benefited from the incredible seasons that Scholes and Giggs have had. Unless they “misbehave” – and there is no reason to believe that will be the case – Ferguson will be dumping either of them out. Well deserved testimonials for these two – someday.

 

18 Comments | Add a comment   categories: Spurs, Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Rob Hulse, Werder Bremen, Valencia, Toronto FC, Chivas, Greg Sutton, Bolton, Sevilla, Portsmouth, Watford, Ricardo Quaresma, Franck Ribery, Brian Ching, Houston Dynamo, DC United
 
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realmadridcffan
Apr 10, 2007
8:59 PM
Bobby, good choices for soccer magazines. I perfer myself World Soccer, Champions and Soccer Three Sixty. World Soccer has some of the finest soccer writers on the planet.

I myself too thought Houston was going to pull it off and make it to the CONCACAF Champions Cup final. Maybe next time.

Last edited by realmadridcffan on April 10th at 9:00 PM.

RINGO
Apr 11, 2007
3:56 AM
UUuurrhh!!!.........my head hurts.....too much fun last night!
hate to think what its going to feel like on may 24,the morning after we wrap up the quad!

soulshad0w
Apr 11, 2007
5:57 AM
Holy ::bleep::. The STATED purpose of the competition is actually to create a fixture list for betting purposes???? Can't imagine that ever flying in America (even if the March Madness set up is absolutely perfect for that sort of thing).

Mike

verbal97
Apr 11, 2007
6:43 AM
Ok, I'll eat crow for the Chelsea prediction. I can't believe that Valencia would just turn over and die like that. They wanted to sit on their lead and had no idea what to do next after Chelsea levelled. It seemed like they were playing for penalties...at home! My other observation, though not the reason for the outcome, was the absolutely abysmal performance of the referee. Is there a rating system for officials to allow the best to continue in the competition, or is there a chance this buffoon officiates a semi-final or the final?

Anyway, congrats to the Man U and Chelsea fans, but you haven't won anything yet!

RINGO
Apr 11, 2007
6:59 AM
Not a bad little win for Man U last night,but what is the record for biggest ever win on aggregate?
(LA,your not allowed to answer!)

Todays games
Bayern 3-2 Milan
Justice is finally served as Milan are dumped out of a competition they should never have been in,and a 59 year old Maldini calls it quits!

Liverpool 0-4 PSV
"Do you believe in miracles?"
Or probably a 0-0 bore draw.

But it really doesn`t matter,its a Chelsea/Man U final and there`s nothing anyone can do about it.

I think Fulham have got a good man in Lawrie Sanchez,if Al-Fayed loosens the purse strings, watch Fulham take off next season.
I`m surprised he accepted the job though,if he`d waited a few weeks he might have got a bigger offer,Man City,Newcastle?
And don`t be surprised if Coleman ends up at Crystal Palace.

Bobby,54 comments on the last blog,what`s the record?
And poor old Nick Webster only gets 2!

MasMaz
Apr 11, 2007
7:12 AM
Hey Verbal, I am not totally invested, but it seems glaringly obvious that Chelsea are a better team than Valencia at every position. I mean to say EVERY position, heck Essien is better than Valencia at nearly every position. But for how much they cost they ought to be.
-Liverpool-Chelsea what a tie.
-ManU will struggle, I think yesterday had more to do with how awful Roma are, their back four are terrible. I am unconvinced that Chivu is a top 20 defender let alone top 5. Doni is rubbish, he was way out of position often. Hats off to Carrick, those were 2 great goals, I didn't think he had it in him. ManU will struggle against either Milan or Bayern.
Predictions:
Bayern-Milan 2-1
L'pool- PSV 1-2

verbal97
Apr 11, 2007
7:29 AM
Chelsea are of course a better team than Valencia at most if not every position, but that doesn't and shouldn't matter. I think Valencia were absolutely clueless as to what to do with theirselves after Chelsea scored. Anyway, my prediction was based on hope rather than intelligent thought...Crouch would have been indefensible considering Valencia's back four couldn't win any header vs. Drogba and that both CBs would have been suspended for the first leg.

Some other quick thoughts:
-Carrick's first goal was better than his second, in my opinion.
-@Ringo: I'm not sure if it's a record, but as I mentioned yesterday, Lyon beat Werder Bremen 10-2 in the Round of 16 two years ago.
-Bayern will beat Milan tonight (2-1 sounds about right).
-Bobby, thanks for your Dumfermline answers. I should have remembered that they would get a UEFA spot because of Gretna last year. I asked about Hammill because Liverpool fans more in the know than me seem to be buzzing about him and he scored a great goal v. Celtic while on loan up in Scotland. Also, congrats on the seemingly increasing popularity.

RINGO
Apr 11, 2007
7:57 AM
I should have been a bit more specific on the trivia question.
What is the biggest win on aggregate in ANY european comp?

Bobby,you need to be on the FSReport on Wednesday`s also!

Last edited by RINGO on April 11th at 7:59 AM.

Gunner44
Apr 11, 2007
11:27 AM
Congrats to both Man U and Chelsea and I guess Liverpool. I think chelsea won the game coz of Joe cole he came in and brought some energy in the chelsea team. But Essien has to be one of the best if not the best central midfielders in the game at the moment. As for Man U. Roma looked like they didn't show up only De Rossi, Totti and Perrota seemed to be up for it. All Mexes seemed to do was pick fights with Rio while him and his defenders were made to look like a bunch of ametures.
It's funny how different Man U and Chelsea play Man U is all about attacking with flair and technique that reminds me of the Invincible Arsenal of 04 while Chelsea are more about playing the game to win not caring how they do it.

Gunner44
Apr 11, 2007
11:34 AM
Ringo I'm going for your second choice on the Liverpool game that's why I won't bother watching. And I hope you picks for Milan Vs. Bayern don't go as you have predicted. Maldini deserves to go out on top.

Does anyone out there still doubt that the Epl isn't the best league 3 finalist in the last 3 years are from the EPL.

By the way Chelsea funs should pray that Mourinho stays coz that guy is to me your most valuable asset. I hate him with all my hate but God damnit I respect him. Replacing him won't be easy.

Last edited by Gunner44 on April 11th at 11:35 AM.

RINGO
Apr 11, 2007
11:52 AM
Gunner44
Good to hear from you again.
When you say Man U reminds you of Arsenal 04, I thought you where also going to say Chelsea reminds you of the "boring,boring,Arsenal"under George Graham!
BTW-Every night I prey to the footballing gods,and RA,that The Special One stays!

PSV just scored a second,can you believe that!!

gongatore
Apr 11, 2007
12:43 PM
Simone Perrota was suspended yesterday therefore he literally couldn't have shown up. He may been in the stands though. He still could not have saved Roma from such a thorough beating.

Last edited by gongatore on April 11th at 12:45 PM.

gregz
Apr 11, 2007
2:05 PM
So Milan goes through due to their experience and class.They face Man Utd. so all Man U fans can enjoy the 7-1 trouncing of Roma, because now your facing one of the traditional big boys of Europe with the most experience. Happily you will take no further part in this season of the CL. Pity for you guys though this would be the best time to win since Barcelona won't have 2 crappy seasons in a row.

henry14
Apr 11, 2007
2:41 PM
l have always thought mian has the best midfield in europe and if they are all on the top of their game they can beat anyone

RB68
Apr 11, 2007
3:38 PM
I have heard rumors that Jose Mourinho might leave Chelsea at the end of the season if he doesn't bring the UEFA Champions trophy, true?

LosAngelesChelseaFan
Apr 11, 2007
3:52 PM
1. Bobby thanks for the tip. Unfortunately, George Graham is completely booked up with Arsenal fans for the next 2 years.

2. This is unbelievably insane: The FA can’t possibly approve of Graham Poll tipping off Alan Pardew when Alexandre Song was close to being sent-off so he can be subbed off before they went down to 10 men. If they’re going to do that then the Ref for the next Man U game should phone SAF right now and let him know that if Rooney doesn't keep quiet, he’ll be off withinin 10 minutes.

3. I thought that Chelsea last night played in the second half like they did when they beat Liverpool 4-1 at Anfield. Even though Liverpool has improved since then, I don’t think Liverpool can live with Chelsea in that form. It’s Joe Cole’s energy & pace together with Essien that turns all the Chelsea players into a full speed team once again.

4. I’m sure that the Man U travel department just can’t wait for another trip to Italy.

5. Rumor of Jose Mourinho leaving? Yes. Chris Coleman is new manager. Chris had Fulham deliberately lose 49 out of Foolham's last 50 away games in order to get fired and walk down the street to Stamford Bridge. When that didn't work, he spiked the team's pre-match drinks in the Man City game. (See today's Dream Team program on fox for full details.)

Last edited by LosAngelesChelseaFan on April 11th at 3:56 PM.

Venti_vidi_vici
Apr 11, 2007
4:01 PM
Great accomplishment for Milan today - fourth trip to the semis in the past five seasons now, and on to a very difficult tie against Sir Alex's bunch. However Milan are starting to look like their old selves, finding ways to win huge games without really doing anything special. It was great to see Nesta is finding his form, and Seedorf having an excellent game with a good goal, a brilliant assist (probably offside, but then again Gilardino's in the first leg wasn't), and doing a lot of work in midfield.

Liverpool have a slight advantage in that they are the only team who are not really in much of a dogfight on the domestic front, and can afford to rest more players. I'm sure their tie with Chelsea will be nothing short of a full blown soap opera before it's over.

It's nice to see the EPL emulate what three Serie A teams managed to do in 2003 (and La Liga in 2000), however there is still the formality of making it an all EPL final. That year Lazio made it to the UEFA Cup semis; this year Spurs have a bit of work to do first, to add to the EPL dominance. This also means that three years later England will win the World Cup!!

Last edited by Venti_vidi_vici on April 12th at 4:16 AM.

LosAngelesChelseaFan
May 4, 2007
7:38 PM
Read the times article


on that cheating SAF.

Last edited by LosAngelesChelseaFan on May 5th at 7:48 PM.

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ABOUT ME


BobbyMcMahon
I am the soccer analyst for the Fox Soccer Report and appear twice a week - every Monday and Friday at 10:00 EST. I have also been a regular contributor to the Fox Soccer Channel website since the summer of 2004. Over the last twenty years I have contributed to various radio and television programs throughout North America as well writing about the game for newspapers, magazines and websites. Thank you to all who take time to visit this blog and especially to those of you who post your comments and thoughts. PS - If you have questions please post them on the regular Monday blog. I am unable to answer e mails posted to the inbox on this site. And one more thing. If you have questions or complaints or compliments about programming please contact Fox Soccer Channel or Fox Sports World Canada directly. I have no control over what the stations televise.
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