Getting it Off My Chest

photo by Jake Sutton	via PhotoRee

So, some final thoughts for the final weekend:

• Sir Alex is threatening to stop Twitter for Manchester United players after the latest row, which now apparently involves a warning for Wayne Rooney from the ever-judicious FA.  Probably a good idea, especially for non-first team members.

• I'd like to see Berba win the Golden Boot this year. He's led the League in scoring for so long and fully deserves to win the individual honor.  No kicks from the spot nor any free kicks mar his goal-scoring record, a la a certain Captain Caveman.  He's done it all on his own.  Nor has the Berbinator even played much recently: his last two goals were against Fulham and Bolton, dating back a month ago for the former and more than two months ago for the latter, a vitally important late game winner.  In a season in which the team's leading scorer has found his role usurped by a certain young Mexican, it'd be a nice reward to win this one honor, and I'm hoping his teammates help out.

Whoops

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I can't remember a recent Cup final I was less excited about than Arsenal vs. Birmingham in the League Cup yesterday afternoon, but I found myself enjoying the match despite my initial feelings, especially the final few minutes when Arsenal totally lost their bottle and threw away the game. Regular visitors to this spot will know I find it hard -- almost impossibly so -- to root for Birmingham City (heck, I find it hard to watch Birmingham City), and I certainly wasn't getting too over-heated about Arsenal's attempt to end their silverware drought. It's in that admittedly humdrum spirit that I offer the following thoughts on Arsenal's shocking collapse, and Birmingham's unexpected victory in the Carling Cup:

• First things first: I hope the Arsenal players didn't spend too long debating whether or not Cesc should lift their non-existent trophy.  Although it's hard not to feel a little bit sorry for him in the game's immediate aftermath, Arsenal's goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny displayed either incredible arrogance or naivete (or maybe both) when he tweeted pre-game that he was "gutted" that he had learned that Cesc wouldn't be lifting the Cup if Arsenal won.  Consider this a lesson, Wojciech: Nothing in this life is guaranteed.

• It was a shocking collapse by the Arsenal defense which cost them the Cup. Arsenal are very immature right up the middle of the pitch, and while people -- and the London-based media -- can keep talking about talent and potential, you're going to struggle in tight moments when your most composed player is only 23 years old (and especially when he's not even on the pitch).  One just can't see a veteran 'keeper or center half making the mistake that opened up the goal for Obafemi Martens.  I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Arsenal will not win a trophy without a top notch goalie, or strong central defenders. Just won't happen.

• And just when every Arsenal fan was crowning the 20 year-old Szczesney as the next coming of Edwin Van der Sar....  Fabien Barthez? Maybe. Van der Sar? Not quite.

The Long March

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I find myself missing the regular EPL games on a weekend like this past one. Sure, there were some exciting games to be found, including Manchester United's 2-1 win over Southampton, as well as Birmingham's come from behind 3-2 victory over Coventry City, but all in all I found myself longing for Tuesday and the real action to start once again.

On the one hand, I acknowledge that there are way too many competitions in English football -- EPL, Champions League (for the lucky few), Europa League (for the next lucky few), FA Cup, League Cup, etc. -- so many, in fact, that the games and storylines begin to blend into one another. Is Birmingham City fighting relegation or playing for a Cup final?  Or both?

On the other hand, I love the constancy and rhythm of the English football season. One game after another, week after week, the cruel schedules march on. Only the toughest survive, but if your team doesn't, well hey, there's another competition brewing just around the corner.

Going Down

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Now that the season’s finish line is beginning to hazily appear, as if a mirage still several miles off, it’s time for a semi-famous prediction about how it’s all going to end.  Not for the guys at the top of the table – far too much import in that, and a massive game in hand tomorrow night at Bloomfield Road, which could see United clinging narrowly to a two point lead over the Gunners, or vaulting out to a five point advantage over their nearest rivals.  No, I’m talking about the race for the bottom, for relegation.   It’s just about as interesting, and much more competitive than the race for the title, with arguably as many as ten teams involved.

Let’s start the predictions off with some fireworks: West Ham will not be relegated.   Maybe they deserve to be, and maybe it’s just my latent sympathy for Avram Grant and our farlieonfootie columnist Ian, but I don’t think the Hammers are going down.  And let’s face it: how bold would I really be if I picked the Hammers to fall into the Championship?  If leadership is about having vision, this prediction could look spectacularly good or bad in four month’s time.  In any event, I see the Hammers rallying behind Frederique Piquiounne, Jonathan Spector, and – you guessed it—Scotty Parker to cling, just barely, to their status as a Premier League Club.  This weekend’s draw at Goodison Park was a nice result on the road for West Ham, and their form over their last six matches is actually twelfth best in the league.  Not tops certainly, but not relegation-bound, either.

Top Hat

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If familiarity breeds contempt, this weekend is full of matches between EPL teams that hate each other. All the games on offer today and tomorrow involve teams which played each other less than a month ago, during the week between Christmas and New Year's Day. How in the world did the EPL decide to manage its schedule like this...? Clearly, there wasn't a lot of thought went into putting this portion of the season together.....

In any event, United took on Birmingham again this afternoon, in a rematch of the dull and dreary game at St. Andrews in which Lee Mason cheated the Reds out of a couple points on a late goal. And what a difference four weeks made....

In thrashing the Blues 5-nil, United displayed a cutting edge not seen in weeks, absolutely destroying a under-talented Brum side which was never really in the match. From the opening minutes, as a Giggs corner was flicked on by O'Shea and headed home by Berbatov, the Reds were dominant. United piled continual pressure on their former teammate, Ben Foster -- who ended the game looking shellshocked -- and cut open the Birmingham defense early and often in juimping out to a 3-nil halftime lead.

Ramblin' Man

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farlieonfootie's corporate bad boy Ed is back, and isn't going gentle into that good night:


BLACKPOOL GAMBLES AWAY THE POINT

Blackpool’s loss to Birmingham City on Tuesday hurts, especially due to the fact that Birmingham scored in the last minutes of the game after enduring a barrage of shots and play in their end including a stellar run and shot off the post by Charlie Adam.  That said, it could have been far worse, as the number of chances Birmingham had inside the six yard box of Blackpool was outright frightening. 

Birmingham attacked the advancing outside backs of Blackpool on every counter by pushing the ball up the flanks with their fastest player, striker Cameron Jerome.  Tactically, this was an appropriate response to Ian Holloway’s aggressive style of pushing his outside backs forward and wide, because while both Eardley and Crainey are creative in their passes, neither – especially Earley – have EPL speed. 

The only flaw in Birmingham’s strategy was Jerome.  While he was able to burst past Eardley at will, he was completely incompetent in front of the goal.  Birmingham’s inability to score goals this year is now clear to me.  It appears that Jerome’s problem is in his head;  regardless, he won’t be playing up top for long after efforts like that.

Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down

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December 28 / St. Andrews / Birmingham, England

Lee Mason is shite.  There, I've said it.  The Premier League has the odd combination of the word's best footballers playing alongside the world's worst referees, and Lee Mason is right up there in the pantheon of losers with Mike Dean.  Missing an offside?  Maybe.  Missing a handball?  Possible.  Missing a foul?  Everyone has an off day.  Missing all three on a play in the 89th minute that costs United two points?  I'm sorry sir, but it's three strikes you're out, and straight to the third division for you.

Mason's bottle job cost United a hard earned victory against a dull and dreary Birmingham side that wouldn't have scored if they weren't allowed to whine, moan and cheat.  For much of the game Birmingham's offense consisted solely of falling over anytime a United player drew close by, in a baseless effort to draw opportunities for their free kick specialist, Sebastian Larsen.  I used to like watching the Blues, but this year they seem unispired, insipid, and just flat out boring.  In fact, after the drivel that they produced today in the name of offense, I hope the crowds at St. Andrews are enjoying the best football the Championship has to offer next season.

The affair this evening opened cagily enough, with United looking remarkably fresh despite starting virtually the same side which played a short 48 hours ago (Gibson replacing Park was SAF's only change, qualifying as a miracle in the current days of constant squad tinkering).  Although the Reds had the better of the opening twenty minutes, the Brum squad gradually pulled themselves back into the match as the free kicks began to pile up in their favor.