Remember When: Week 15 in the BPL

photo by *Micky	via PhotoRee

o Chelsea finally showed some signs of life on Saturday, scoring their first goal in three games under new coach Rafa Benitez. Unfortunately for Rafa, West Ham scored three of their own and were deserved winners at Upton Park. The Hammers looked a constant threat during the second half, and after 2 points from a possible 9 for the interim Bossman, here comes the inquest....

o And in reflecting on West Ham's magnificent performance, remember when Venky's decided that Big Sam wasn't the right man to lead Blackburn?  We wonder how that decision's working out for them....

o Marouanne Fellaini's fantastic goal against Manchester City this weekend cements his status as the best player of the season to date. The Afro'd one's drive and determination -- not to mention his physicality -- were all on display as he never gave up on a ball that was whipped in by Leighton Baines to earn his side a draw. Another draw for the Toffees -- this is beginning to get a bit repetitive....

o And add City super sub Edin Dzeko to the growing list of Premier League play actors. Dzeko' dramatic fall may have conned referee Lee Probert -- whose decision may also have been influenced by Fellaini's deserved "who me?" reaction -- but television replays confirmed that the contact in the box was minimal at best, and the resulting City penalty and point can most charitably be described as fortunate rather than earned.

And Speaking Of: Week 11 in the BPL

photo by Medmoiselle T	via PhotoRee

o Could it be that Olivier Giroud is finally coming good?  We're happy to recognize when we need to eat our words, and we didn't think we would ever need to type the following, but the Frenchman has scored a bunch lately, both for club and country. Aberration, or a preview of things to come?

o 4 points for QPR after 11 games?  We've heard of patience, but the Rangers current situation is being ably assisted by borderline irresponsibility from owner Tony Fernandes.

o And speaking of QPR, how excited is everyone for Rangers vs Southampton next week?  We've got some laundry to do, so let us know how it turns out.

o Memo to AVB: The game is 90 minutes long. Not 75. Not 80. Not 85. 90. Please tell your team.

o Super Subs: The City of Manchester is holding a competition to determine the best substitute in world football -- Edin Dzeko or Player of the Week Javier Hernandez.  No matter who wins, their respective teams would be in a world of hurt without them.

o We've said this before on this page, but Ramires is an out and out thug with few redeeming qualities. King of the cheap shot, Chelsea fans need look no further than the Brazilian to figure out that the John Terry blow came from friendly fire, after Ramires intentionally pushed Luis Suarez in the back and straight into Terry's knee.

o Did Chelsea flatter to deceive early in the season, or are they just hitting a bad patch of form?  We think its the former, and the early schedule may have helped the Blues rack up more early points than they deserved.

Week 3 in the BPL: Traveling Down Route One

Photo by Dougtone on Flickr

o We're hoping Sam Allardyce drove along Route One to get to Upton Park on Saturday, because that's the same path that his football team took as they laid waste to Fulham with a comprehensive 3-nil victory on Saturday. Direct and dangerous, the Hammers used newly signed forward and former Liverpool whipping boy Andy Carroll to his best advantage, outleaping and outmuscling a Fulham defense that looked surprisingly sluggish and confused. If he was slumping in his seat last week, Big Sam must have been parading around like a peacock after this one -- even the second half introduction of Dimitar Berbatov did little to sway the course of the contest. It's too early to tell, of course, but if this weekend was a sign of things to come for Fulham, look out below.

o Another game, another draw snatched from the jaws of victory for Andre Villas-Boas and Spurs this weekend. He can change personnel and systems, but AVB can't change the fact he hasn't had a League win in quite some time. There are lots of new names to integrate into the squad, and the feeling around here is that it may take a fair bit of time for this newlook Spurs' squad -- replete with Dembele, Dempsey, Sigurdsson and Lloris -- to find their footing. Let's hope Daniel Levy displays some patience as the new Manager's seat on the sidelines begins to warm up.

o For the first time in a long time, I think Liverpool may be headed in the right direction under new head man Brendan Rodgers, despite their 2-nil loss to Arsenal this weekend. The Scousers looked smooth and flowing in the midfield Sunday, combining lots of movement off the ball with dangerous interplay between the squad's many accomplished midfielders. Once they have adapted fully to Rodger's way of playing, Liverpool will lack only one thing: a true center forward, rather than a racist diving cheat who can't seem to find the net on a regular basis.

o Luis Suarez plays as if he's never seen a clear chance on goal that he didn't think he could easily put well over the bar.

o BTW, can someone please tell me why Pepe Reina is considered a world class goalkeeper?  Talk about double standards.... Reina's Sunday howler gave the Gooners their second goal of the afternoon and all we could think about was this: imagine the reaction in the British tabloids if David De Gea had done that?!

o On a weekend in which we saw plenty of strikers miss open headers -- Olivier Giroud comes to mind -- how is it that Michu needed only the slightest of openings to bury his fourth goal of the season against Sunderland on Safurday?  The Spaniard is proving to be the buy of the season, at least for the early going, and Manager Michael Laudrup can only hope that his midfielder's strong start to the campaign can help the Swans through a tough time now that Neil Taylor is out with a broken ankle and Chico Flores is lost to suspension.

Week 2 in the BPL: In Which Even a Tropical Storm Can't Stop Us

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.



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.