Grand Slam Sunday, Fantastic Four, Judgment Day, whatever you want to call it, December 16th is a four-and-a-half hour period…THAT I WANT BACK!
My heart told me that Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea would play the kind of fantasy football we saw from the likes of AC Milan, Barcelona, Bremen and…Wigan.
My brain told me it would be cagey and short of entertainment.
Guess whom I’m listening to next time especially as the West Coast kick off for the Anfield rascal was 5.30am.
Here is the A – Z critique of the finest that England has to offer.
Arsene Wenger couldn’t beat Jose Mourinho with a big stick and a large bulls-eye attached to the ‘Special One’s’ posterior but show him Avram Grant and Chelsea become a 3 point ATM.
Benitez...you getting sacked in the morning, sacked in the morning, you’re getting sacked in the morning.
Capello…good luck mate, you’ll need it.
Defense…wins matches. If you don’t believe me, ask coaches in the NFL.
Edwin van der Sar…if I spent as much time as you waving at my mum, I’d be out of a job. The same goes for you Petr Cech.
Frank Lampard…you are so overrated.
Gerrard, Steven…you are so overrated.
Highbury, you’re missed but the Emirates packed for a night match is pure theater. You could move this fixture to the West End and it would still snap, crackle and pop.
Ian Wright, you’ve taught your son SWP well, but blimey, the lad couldn’t finish a fish and chip supper. My boy, right, could’ve tucked that 75th minute sitter away.
John Terry, just because you’re the England captain does not give you the right to act like ‘Billy big boots’. I’m certainly not saying you deserved to get crocked but it looked from my standpoint that you had it coming.
Kuyt, the Dirk kind. Endeavor, commitment, hustle are great words if you’re a player trying to impress Steve McClaren but when a match is screaming out for class, you’re well out of your league.
Liverpool…eighteen years, eighteen years, eighteen years, eighteen years, eighteen years, eighteen years, eighteen years, eighteen years, eighteen years, eighteen years, eighteen years, eighteen years, eighteen years, eighteen years, eighteen years, eighteen years, eighteen years, eighteen years…sorry did I say eighteen years...and counting.
Manchester United own Rafa Benitez. In the Barclays Premier League the record is this. Played 7, Won 6, tied 1.
Nemanja Vidic is the most commanding center back in England.
Owen Hargreaves may have cost Sir Alex Ferguson an arm and a leg but for every minute he plays take another ton of the hefty $34 million price tag.
Patrice Evra is the most exciting left back in England.
Questions were answered on Sunday and the grades are in. United and Arsenal get ‘A’s. Chelsea and Liverpool a big fat ‘F’.
Riise, John Arne, you used to be the darling of the Kop but I’ll wager a weeks wages that come January you’ll be surplus to requirements…why…try beating the first defender with a cross for once.
Shevchenko, Andriy. If we want players who can’t finish in the MLS we’ll stick with the lads we’ve got at 1/100th of the price.
Tevez, Carlos…form is fleeting, class is permanent. Have any of you ever seen a forward pairing (Tevez & Rooney) that works as hard as these two do on both sides of the ball.
Ugly…but three points is three points.
Van Persie, the Robin kind. I know you’re a little rusty but c’mon. How many ways do you want to beat a keeper before you score?
William Gallas, you know how to bite the hand that used to feed you however I suggest you find a new barber, you’re current one seems to be blind.
X-factor…just how important will that 5/6 point gap between the top two be at the end of the season.
Y…are we always led to believe that big four clashes will be epic.
Zero chance that either Liverpool or Chelsea will win the Premier League this season.
I’m not really that bitter about Sunday but wouldn’t it be nice, if just for once, the headline on foxsports.com was ‘wow…football’ and not the gridiron kind.
Wow Webster only you could be bored with the most exciting weekend in the Prem this year. Were there any lopsided victories besides Derby.
Not only do we see the top four more closely bunched this late in the season for awhile, but 2-4 lower teams play with style, skill and can compete with the big four.
This season is not over by a mile. Sure Arsenal or Man Utd will likely win the title, but expect both to drop points.
How do you Liverpool and Chelsea get 'F's losing 1-0 and 0-1 to Champs league contenders?
Nick, please don't be seduced into trying to make newsbite comments at the expense of making sense.
It's easy to sit in your living room and say the games were a disappointment. How untrue! We had alot of excellent players who played very hard and sometimes were cancelled out by other excellent players. Where were Ronaldo, Rooney, Torrez, Gerrard, and, yes, Tevez (one touch does not a great game make - unless it's the only touch that crosses the line!)? All were far from effective over the course of the match and failed to dominate. What about Anderson, Hargreaves, Vidic, Hyppia, Mascherano? Excellent performances from all.
In the Arsenal v Chelsea match you saw just how wonderful African players are on both sides - fantastic performances!
Was there a standout performance from ANY English player this weekend in these 2 games (maybe ?
Unfortunately from my point of view, Nick, your comments on ManU players were spot on. They are not as dramatic as Arsenals' but it's a LONG season and these players know how to grind out results week over week. I do not think ManU can or will play the best "game" of the season or have as wild as streak - leave that to Liverpool or Arsenal - but they will win/draw the most.
All top 4 teams have suffered from significant injuries this season, but ManU seemed to have absorbed theirs better and kept producing results. Although I really like Benetiz and Wenger, SAF combines players better than others week in and week out.
1. Eighteeen Years, Eighteen Years, Eighteen Years... etc.
2. I agree, games were not as exciting, but it's because there are unrealistic expectations involved, plus it's always scrappy and angry soccer that is played when they clash. I like that.
3. FSC better start getting more games or I'm done with them all together. Setanta is getting championship games and playing fa cup games and all that goodness. It's not that easy to find a bar that opens at 6 AM to watch Man U play. I am upset that FSC with all its support cannot get more english games. I had to watch highlights of the Man U game. Period. Exclamation point. Backslash. Curse word. If FSC doesn't get its act together next year, I'm not paying for it. I'm almost positive I'm not the only one who feels this way.
Can't disagree with jun's frustration about coverage. Come next summer, I will investigate my options.
I didn't find either match (listened to Liv/MU on radio and caught extended highlights, watched Ars/Che) disappointing. Nor did my wife, a sporadic fan at best. What I saw were two frenetic, exhausting football matches in which no team was allowed to dictate play for more than short stretches at a time. With none of the four truly dominant nor secondary, and so much balance among each team, it's no wonder that little flow developed.
Good call on Vidic and Evra, two of the Prem players most deserving of more plaudits than they get.
it has always been the sports writers like you who hype these games up and when what you all want don't happen you come down on the players. supporters of these teams who watch their teams in and out know when to expect a cracker but obviously you guys don't.
webster, looks like you got your beers in too early mate....the chelsea arsenal game was pulsating and full of drama; a worthy clash that was fun to watch
hey. what do you think the outcome of this coming weekend's premier matches? Which teams do you think will win and which teams do you think will draw? Please reply ASAP. Thanks.
Nick you and Steven are so wrong about Steven Gerrard. Gerrard is the most dominant midfielder in the EPL. I'm an Everton fan and can't stand him personally (getting Hibbert sent off etc.) but I grudgingly concede that if you put Gerrard on the Everton or Spurs team then they're in the top four. He shoots with the power of Bobby Charlton and passes with the accuracy of David Beckham.
Do you like Man United or something now nick? You're saying all this bad stuff about the other teams, and let me say, Tevez is SO MUCH more over rated then Gerrard. Have you seen the way Gerrard can strike the ball?? And the Man U v Derby game, Tevez tried to kick it, misses the ball, the defender slides right passed him, he shoots again, and scores. that is crapy football.
GO GUNNERS!!!
Last edited by DCUtdWSC2 on December 24th at 10:35 AM.
"It's a sad day when a scouser has to compare their greatness to United legends!!"
It's not a sad day, it's all about being a fan of the game as well as my own team (Everton). Bobby Charlton is one of the best players ever. Steven Gerrard and David Beckham are great players.
i do care about some of those matches but anyway #### do u think will make the bst diference in is team blanco or beckham and #### wi;; make the difrence cristiano ronaldo or messi
Who will break into the 'B4' and who will avoid the drop. So many questions will be answered over the next nine months because it's back - the greatest show on earth - The Barclays Premier League.
