If you are a fan of a team in a top tier European League it is no longer good enough to just keep track of your team’s fortunes but also the Championship races in other countries.
Particularly at this time of year – the reason? Welcome to the wonderful world of UEFA Coefficients. For it is country and club coefficients that will dictate what rounds clubs will be dropped into (country coefficients) and the seeding that the club will attract when the various draws are made – the club coefficients. for the two European competitions next season
So if you are a Celtic fan for example you are checking the results from Germany this week in the hope that Stuttgart can maintain a lead on Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga and eventually take one of the three CL spots to the exclusion of Bayern.
If Bayern usurp Stuttgart them Celtic will be more likely not to be seeded in pot 2 which means when they enter the third round of Champions League they are more likely to face a strong team such as the likes of Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Arsenal or AC Milan. The site that I linked to is maintained by Bert Kassie who does an incredible job of staying on top of the constant changes in the UEFA Coefficients.
Last weekend we saw Celtic, Inter Milan and Lyon wrap up their respective titles and all by the proverbial country mile. The Dutch title will be decided this weekend but the contrast with the title processions in Scotland, Italy and France could not be more marked.
A few weeks ago it looked as if PSV were going to stroll to the title but over the last six games they have stumbled badly with only one win and three draws. Even going into the final few minutes of the game last week against Utrecht it looked as if they would at least enter the last round of play with a two point lead over AZ Alkmaar and Ajax.
But, with four minutes left Utrecht equalized and AZ Alkmaar took over top spot on goal difference with Ajax second and PSV trailing in third. All the teams have 72 points but AZ have a goal difference of 53, Ajax 47 and PSV 46. If AZ take the title it will be only their second all time – that last was in 1981 – and they will be the first time that a side outside of the big three in Holland (PSV, Ajax and Feyenoord) has one the championship in 26 years.
For the second and third place sides a play off for the other Champions League spot. awaits. AZ plays Excelsior who are currently 16th, Ajax plays 15th placed Willem II and for PSV it will be Vitesse who are sitting in 12th spot. AZ and Ajax are both going for the domestic double and will face each other in the Dutch Cup Final.
In France, Italy and Portugal it is a case of the second place team playing the team right behind them in the table.
At stake in both France and Portugal are automatic group spots for the league runners up and in the case of Portugal there remains a faint hope that Porto might still be caught. Lens still leads Bordeaux by a point in France even though a win last week was their first in six matches. Bordeaux are riding a crest at the moment and are unbeaten in their last eight games (four wins and four draws). They have also scored five goals in their last two wins which constitutes an attacking explosion for a side that has only hit the back of the net 35 times in 33 games.
Benfica and Sporting Lisbon could both be considered in-form teams with the Eagles unbeaten in 17 games (12 wins and 5 draws) and Sporting have not tasted defeat in their last 14 games (9 wins and 5 draws). Benfica’s last loss was back on November 18 while Sporting’s last loss was to their great city rivals by a score of 2-0 when they last met. Porto enters the weekend with a four point lead and also face a derby encounter against Boavista who are struggling in a lower mid-table position.
The Rome derby is the match of the weekend in Italy with Lazio looking to complete the double over Roma. After falling one game short of matching a club record on nine straight wins Lazio fans will be concerned that the team is running out of gas with two draws and a loss in their last three games. It could be a more noteable occasion than normal for Roma’s Francesco Totti and Lazio keeper Angelo Peruzzi. If Totti plays he will set a new record of 23 appearances in this derby rivalry while for Angelo Peruzzi it may be his last as he contemplates a season’s end retirement.
In the UK the battle at the top and bottom of the Premiership will demand attention but in the Championship and Scottish League there will be some compelling match ups. In Scotland, Gretna needs to beat bottom of the table Ross County in the last game of the season to secure promotion to the SPL for next season. They currently lead St. Johnstone by a single point and what makes this remarkable is that it will mean that Gretna will have achieved three successive promotions.
In the second tier of English football two of Sunderland, Derby and Birmingham will gain automatic promotion and a massive payday to the Premiership. The side that misses out will have another chance together with three other teams in the play offs. The problem is that is far from clear who the other three teams will be. With two games left only three points separate seven teams. Fans of Preston, West Brom, Wolves, Southampton, Stoke, Colchester and Sheffield Wednesday will be sweating ever moment this weekend.
The FSC MLS Game of the Week is the LA derby with Chivas playing LA Galaxy. You would think that if any team can use the media attention showered on the Galaxy the last few months to their own advantage it would be Chivas. I have yet to see Galaxy this season but have watched Chivas twice. They were well in control of the game against Toronto FC and thought that were unlucky to lose to Houston Dynamo. Maykel Galindo’s seering pace is going to create a lot of chances for him this season and I could see him making a big impact during his first year in the league.
Toronto FC opens their new stadium (BMO) this weekend against the Kansas City Wizards the team that convincingly beat them 3-0 on Wednesday night. The trades that Mo Johnston made to acquire Kevin Goldthwaite and Marvell Wynne looked to have improved the defense although the central pairing of Jim Brennan and Marco Reda didn’t inspire confidence. Centre back is not the position for Brennan who was probably Toronto’s best player over the first two games when he occupied the left side of the defense in a 3-5-2 formation.
Toronto desperately needs a player with presence in the centre of the defense and there is no indication that such a player is presently on the roster. The midfield is struggling to string more than two passes together and rarely get into positions to support the two strikers. Up front Alecko Eskandarian is constantly tearing down blind alleys but at least he is giving honest effort. We will see if home support of 20,000 can help Toronto to their first goal and win.
Morning, Bobby
If no-one else is going to go first,I guess I will!
The game I`m most looking forward to this weekend,apart from the Chelsea and Man U games for obvious reasons,is the AZ Alkmaar game on Setanta(can I say Setanta on a Fox blog?).Shame it`s not live though,and I hope they cut into the other two games efecting the title race.
I can not remember any league ever ending this way before,three teams level on points on the final day.
Bobby, what's your opinion of Rangers and Celtic ever joining the premiership? I think it would be an important move for Scottish football, and it would be cool too. I'd rather watch Celtic or Rangers over the dregs of the EPL any time. And when Gattuso comes back to Rangers in a few years he'll be playing in the premiership. Exciting.
I will apologize in advance, I am sorry, but besides ManU-Chelsea in the Prem and the Champs league next week, the most exciting thing in football, for me, is Real's push for the title. I want so much for Becks to win somfing with Madrid. He played great last weekend, true enough Valencia giving the golden boot 5-10 yards of space on the right was perplexing. But you gotta give the guy credit he's got spirit, a certain dogged determination. He could have easily tucked his tail and whimpered over here to LA. At this point he is pretty much awful at everything but crossing and free kicks but he does it so well, he's like Barry Bonds pinch hitting. What a weapon off the bench, maybe just that something extra for Los Merengues to push through. The love the Madrid faithful show him is humbling to the bumbling bunglers that is Real management and actually gave me goose bumps. And it should be also to the bumbling bunglers that is the FA, someone should force Mcclown to call him.
Once again I apologize and I hope that some of you don't think less of me.
Don`t apologise Mas,your opinions are just as good as those of anyone else.
Having said that...I never did have much time for Beckham,I always thought he was one of the most over-rated players around.At his best,6 or 7 years ago,he was a slightly above average player.But I will probably watch a few Galaxy games when he comes over.
As for The Old Firm,I would love to see them in the EPL.I don`t think they would challenge the big four,but they would certainly be among the best of the rest,and give me a 50,000 full house at Ibrox or a 60,000 full house at Parkhead over a half-empty Ewood Park or JJB any day!
It would give me another team to cheer for,Rangers,and another to cheer against,Celtic!
The SPL would also become something it has never been..Competitive!
Hi Folks .. been away on a trip (but still watching thanks to my lovely Slingbox).
Bobby, (and others) what do you make of Whamo Utd being let off with no point deduction. If they stay up it amounts to an $80m bonus payment).
If west ham stay up at the expense of one of the other bottom feeders, the others should be rightly outraged. Look at the impact this has. As it stands right now there is a scenario for the final game where West Ham somehow might draw with Man U to stay up and Chelsea win the league and Fulham go down. If West ham had a 12 point penalty they'd play with no fire.
I still can't figure out what "third party was involved in the ownership of the two Argentines" actually means so I can judge if what they did was so bad or not. Anyway if the fine had to be so big then why no point deductions? Even by FA standards (very, very low), this stinks.
If Chelsea had done this then the FA would have probably relegated them to division 2 outright.
Bobby, on FSWR, you seemed to be eqally unimpressed. Still doesn't answer my question on what rule did WHam actually infringe and what procedures are in place? I guess we can find the rules and punishments on the FA web site. E.g., if unregistered or improperly registered players played in games, why weren't any points they receieved deducted? Like many, I have a soft spot for West Ham but this seems unfair.
BTW, it makes you wonder what the maximum fine is that the FA can impose? Next time they decide that "Senior Special" complains too much about penalties, they could slap Roman with an $18bn fine and the FA Board could all go live on yachts.
I assume that all this mney goes back to the clubs or something (less a small administrative fee!)
Ringo: Agree that putting the Old Firm into the EPL would be a step up for the teams and the league. But it would truly relegate the SPL to a lower status. Aberdeen, Hearts, Hibs, even Caley Thistle, would all appreciate the chance at silverware every year.
You also challenged me to put a blog together, so I did. Big day for soccer in Toronto, for Canada, and for MLS on Saturday. Here's my thoughts:
http://community.foxsports.com/blog s/flashman
Let me know what you think.
MasMaz: For once, I have to agree with you. Beckham has done nothing but be a complete professional through this whole chapter and it speaks volumes that his teammates were the first to rally to defend him. Now the club are truly, and publicly, regretting not fighting harder to keep him.
Love him or hate him, criticize him for not winning more trophies, he's one of the best salesmen and spokesmen the game has ever had.
Not many players can say they helped create an immortal expression - Bend it like Beckham - but that's one that will live on long past his playing career. I think he's going to do very well in North America and the game everywhere will enjoy the benefits of his time here.
Last edited by flashman on April 27th at 10:53 PM.
Mornin all
Welcome back LACF
Don`t like the line-up again,but at least we are flying with a safety net,hope they stay on the bench and rest up for next week.
I`ll settle for a scrappy 1-0,and hope I will be drinking to the blue scousers this afternoon!
On the FSR last night I stated that Liverpool had brought the issue to light when they submitted paper work on the Mascherano loan deal - this had been reported a few weeks ago. This article states that West Ham offerred up the information.
wow looks like its over. congrats to united fans. they surely deserved the title. props to rooney and phil neville ( i just love the word og). watching the chelsea match on FSC was one of the most exciting matches i've experienced in football.
What an unbelievable morning of football. In Canada, Sportsnet ran the two games on different regional channels. At 2-0 Everton and a corner to United I flipped to the Chelsea game - switched back it is 2-1. Another corner at 2-1 switched again to Stamford Bridge, turned back 2-2.
Thanks for the link, Bobby, pretty amazing stuff. Looks like Tevez is a gonner at the end of the season. Great shame as he's really starting to get the EPL. I guess it's the same for Mascherano unless Liverpool buy him from the slave traders somehow. Speaking of loan agreements, it was a shame that Chelsea didn't come up with a loan agreement for Cuducini to Everton this morning.
Meanwhile ...
Back in the ICU, I'm resting peacefully after a being rushed to hospital with SCSS-BFT (Severe Channel Switching Syndrome combined with Backward-Forward Tivo-itis). I'd definitely advise against the "pause-switch-play-switch-pause" movement while drinking one of Ringo's "Blue Scouse" Cocktails.
All credit to Man U with 4 goals in the last 30 minutes. So much for resting players for Wednesday plus Riccy looks crocked.
Last edited by LosAngelesChelseaFan on April 28th at 8:22 AM.
Now I`m REALLY p****d off!
I watched Chelsea on FSC and kept an eye on the other game on Setanta.At 2-1 up and 0-2 it was all looking great....And then it all went pear-shaped!
But,it`s not over yet....Yes,I know...I`m clutching at straws here,but if Man City can play their game of the season and win next week,we might,just might still do it.
And you just know City would love nothing better than to stop them winning the league!
I've just finished listening to the end of the Ross County vs. Gretna game in the Scottish First Division. With only seconds left St. Johnstone were heading into the SPL as Gretna were being held to draw by Ross County. James Grady scored three minutes into injury time to turn things upside down and Gretna gain their third straight promotion and all as Champions.
Last edited by BobbyMcMahon on April 28th at 9:08 AM.
It looks as if Leeds are heading down to League One as Sky Sports are reporting a full time score of 1-1 with Ipswich. Ipswich equalized with only two minutes left. However, it also being reported by another source that there has been a pitch invasion and the players have been taken off and the game is still to be finished. If the score stands then Leeds can catch Hull on points but have a much poorer goal differeence. Six years - from a spot in the Champions League semi-final to the third tier in England?
Last edited by BobbyMcMahon on April 28th at 9:12 AM.
What did you think of the Toronto FC performance today? They look like they are making progress, but some of the midfield passing seems just terrible. There were more than a few passes straight to opposing players that had me yelling "What are you doing?!?" at my TV. Also, I had to agree with an observation by the play-by-play guy (on CBC) that they really need to improve their ball crossing or get other players that can cross in from the wings.
I kept thinking that the crosses were "soft" and often too close to Hartman for Dicchio to even try to run onto to head.
Overall though, losing 0-1 was a definite improvement from the first three games.
Congrats to Gretna and their supporters- remarkable achievement. Best of luck to them in the SPL.
Meanwhile, another lackluster, uninspiring performance by my boys, 0-0 FT. I suppose the only positive I can take from the game is that Petrov played for most of the second half. That's it though.
Osasuna's fantastic Raul Garcia will soon join Atletico, it seems. Atleti have also renewed their interest in Porto's Queresma, but there will be stiff competition from other clubs, particularly Inter.
There have been some definite improvements over the four games but there is still a long way to go. On the bright side I think that the acquisition of Wynne and Goldthwaite as full backs as been positive even though Goldthwaite was struggling with the pace of the game in the last quater of play. The tackle by Brennan on Johnson was top class. Maurice Adu playing as a holding midfield showed great promise. Although the CBC commentators kept on about Toronto playing a 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1 I thought they actually played 4-1-3-2. The midfield bank of three was an improvement but they have yet to show that they can control a game for an extended period of time. Up front if they can find the right player to team up with Dickio then they might score some goals. However, Dichio's yellow card was fully deserved - he was very late on the challenge - and perhaps lucky to still be on the park come half time. Eskandarian plays with his head down to much and he has a problem bringing other players into the game. The Toronto bench is very thin and although Canazales was described as a youngster he is actually 25 and he hasn't shown that he can play at this level so far and I doubt he will. The crossing by Toronto was very poor - no zip on them at all.
As far as KC is concerned Eddie Johnson should have scored at least one more with the chances that he got. Michael Harrington I thought looked very good again and Jimmy Conrad is the kind of defensive rock that Toronto could do with.
Finally the crowd was fantastic and really into the game.
Last edited by BobbyMcMahon on April 28th at 4:13 PM.
My take on the West Ham fine/penalty!?
They should consider themselves very fortunate that Eggy has a few penny`s to rub together and the FA has a new toy to pay for!
Otherwise they would be looking at a points deduction for playing the "illegals"!
Just ask AFC Wimbledon,Scarbrough,et al!
And for those of you watching in black and white,the brown is behind the yellow!
I don't understand why the Hammers were fined GBP2.5m for executing an illegal trade, and then GBP3.0m for not telling the FA that the signings were illegal. Isn't that the whole point of breaking the law!?
The signings benefit the team on the field, and any financial benefit is as a result of on the field achievements, yet the penalty is financial and any benefit on the field of play is unsanctioned.
Furthermore, how can these signings be deemed illegal yet allowed to stand? How can Teves' player registration be under threat, yet Mascherano's status and transfer to Liverpool not even be investigated?
I think they should have Lord Stevens conduct another full investigation to find that nobody did anything wrong after all, again!!
Last edited by Venti_vidi_vici on April 28th at 6:15 PM.
Mascherano to Liverpool was investigated, which is way Liverpool had to wait weeks before they actually were allowed to use him.
atleti:
There's no way Quaresma will to to Atletico Madrid with all the "big" clubs that are involved in European football that are interested in him. I also highly doubt Xabi Alonso going there, but after his performance yesterday...nah, I'm not going to berate players on my team, unlike others.
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.
