May Day: Week 4 in the BPL

photo by SliceofNYC	via PhotoRee

o Chelsea and QPR may have drawn 1-1 this weekend, but the least surprising development of the day was Ranger's left back Fabio limping off the Loftus Road pitch after less than 18 minutes. You didn't think switching teams would somehow make him sturdier, did you?

o We may already have had a soft spot in our heart for Ji-Sung Park, but our respect for QPR's South Korean Captain grew by leaps and bounds when he refused to shake John Terry's hand prior to the game against Chelsea this Saturday. Taking a stand for principled people everywhere, Parky reminded us all of what's important in life: respect, a word the Chelsea Captain likely can't even spell.

o Two goals by Dimitar Berbatov in his first 90 minutes for Fulham, and let's see.....  Maybe someone could tell me what he was doing on the bench for the last year and a half...?!  And just because we can, we're handing Dimitar our Player of the Week honors to pay homage to his brace.

o Arsenal may have cruised to a 6-1 victory over Southampton on Saturday, but for us the most touching part of the entire afternoon was Wojciech Sczcesny's loving tribute to teammate Lukasz Flappyhandski, in which the younger Pole managed singlehandedly to end the Gunners' shutout streak at more than 300 minutes, all in a style all too familiar to Arsenal fans. It's nice to know that while Fabianksi may be gone, he's definitely not forgotten.

o It may only be the fourth game of the season, but all of Manchester United's pre-season signings have found the net as of Saturday -- are you reading this, Olivier Giroud? -- with both Alexander Buttner and Nick Powell adding their names to the scorer's sheet. They've joined Shinji Kagawa and Robin Van Persie, which leaves us with only one question: when will Angelo Henriquez get his first start..?

o By the way, do you think there may have been any celebrating going on in gypsy caravan party camp when Alexander Buttner scored his goal...?  Just askin'....

Revelation: Manchester United 4 - Wigan 0

photo by izarbeltza	via PhotoRee

Q. How much tinkering did Fergie do to Saturday's starting lineup?

A. A fair bit, truth be told, choosing to rest RVP and Shinji Kagawa in front of the mid-week Champions League clash with Galatasaray, and replacing the dynamic duo with Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez, two strikers that have never showed much chemistry between them. Also notable was the Gaffer's decision to stick with Anders Lindegaard in goal, suggesting that the benching of David De Gea may not be a limited move. The home fans also got their first look at left back Alex Buttner, who was filling in for a rested or injured Patrice Evra, depending on who you believe.

Q. With all those changes, who had the biggest impact on the game's opening minutes?

A. Referee Michael Oliver, who missed a clear yellow card on Jean Beausejour before calling a rather soft penalty on Wigan 'keeper Ali Al-Habsi.  Apparently even Chicharito believed the penalty was undeserved, kindly agreeing to offer up a tame roller that never threatened net in the slightest.

Q. Anyone else look lively in the first half?

A. Welbz played like a man possessed, creating chance after chance in front of goal.  The English international played almost as if Fergie had told him his regular starting position could be in danger due to the arrival of a certain flying Dutchman.

Q. Loads of goals as a result?

A. Not quite, at least not before the interval. The first half was another example of United's frustratingly slow-to-develop offense, as the Reds once again played at a speed better suited to the departed Dimitar Berbatov than the starting Chicharito.  The game was fairly narrowly divided after the first 45, with both sides squandering opportunities.

Q.  Was it one of the youngsters who finally broke the deadlock?

A. A youngster only in Fergie's eyes: Paul Scholes scored to celebrate his 700th game for the club.