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| photo by Patrick Hoesly | via PhotoRee |
Tropical Storm Isaac may have glanced South Florida this weekend, but after enduring yet another media-hyped non-event, we're betting that it rained more on Wearside Friday night than it did here on Sunday. Yet unlike Sunderland, at farlieonfootie the show must go on....
o We would have paid good money to hear what West Ham Manager Big Sam Allardyce had to say to Jussi Jaaskelainen and James Collins on Saturday. That is, if you could have heard him over the half time head smacks and whimpering....
o While everyone was focused pre-season on Manchester City's title defense and Manchester United's acquisition of RVP, Chelsea look as dangerous going forward as they have in several seasons, in large part due to the direct play of Eden Hazard and the re-discovery of Fernando Torres' scoring boots. The big question in our mind is whether the Blues can keep up this kind of torrid form for the majority of the season. Chelsea always begin the season sharply, and they continued their hot streak on Saturday with a 2-0 beat down of Newcastle -- it's the middle of the season in which they seem to swoon in recent years.
o It took a little rain to weigh down and stretch out his hair to remind us of exactly who David Luiz looks like: a blue kited Kenny G. Then again, after his 81st minute headwrap job on Saturday afternoon, it's fair to say that Luiz looked a bit more like John McEnroe, circa 1980.
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| Saxophone player or Chelsea defender? You decide. Photo by Sandra Alphonse on Flickr |
o Did Nike copy Manchester United's away kit from last year when they created Arsenal's visiting garb for this season? We can already hear the discussion: "Let's make the stripes just a tiny bit thinner, and add a red strip around the bottom of the sleeves and no one will notice the similarity." Weak.
o Arsenal fans, you were correct: you won't miss Robin Van Persie's goal production. He's injury prone and while he may had a great season last year, he'll never repeat that form, and you've already made him irrelevant with the addition of Santi Cazorla, Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud to your squad. And in totally unrelated news, after Sunday's goalless draw with Stoke City, Arsenal have now gone 180-plus minutes without finding their way into the back of the opponent's net.
o Rumors are rampant that UNICEF is contemplating sponsoring Liverpool this season after witnessing Martin Skrtel's magnanimous act of charity on Sunday that handed Manchester City a 2-all draw. Showcasing the definition of selflessness, Skrtel gave a scar-ridden child from the Argentine ghetto a ball and two points that his side may desperately need later in the season.
o Give credit to former Liverpool assistant Steve Clark for building some positive momentum in the West Brom clubhouse. A lesser club would have folded in self doubt with the chances Albion both missed and were denied by a vintage Brad Friedel performance on Saturday, but when Ben Foster came running to the midfield line after James Morrison's late equalizer it was a brief glimpse into the soul of a team that has a strong sense of collective belief.
o West Brom's Romeu Lukaku gave a Player of the Week performance in his half an hour on the pitch Saturday. The Belgian completely changed the complexion of Albion's match with Spurs, and will find him pushing for a regular starting position if he keeps up his current form.
o Everton's David Moyes has done a masterful job of convincing his boys that the calendar reads March instead of August, and the Toffee's train continued to roll on this weekend after their 3-1 demolition of a dispirited Villa side. The problem will come when the weather turns cold and snowy while the Scotsman tries to convince his charges that it's May.... Of course in England, where you see some Premier League games cancelled even in the month of August, he may have a shot.
This is farlieonfootie for August 27.
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