Oh, Cruel Fate: Round 18 in the BPL

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o Fate was more than a bit cruel to Reading on Saturday. At first we were convinced that the Royals had set out their defensive stall much too early  -- Who goes to Eastlands thinking they can play non-stop defense for the entire second half...?  But then we almost, just almost, began to believe that they were actually going to pull it off: the first shutout at Eastlands in quite some time. But up popped the unlikely head of Gareth Barry to seal what could be a vital three points at the end of the season for Manchester City.

o And because of that ultra-late winner, we'll name Gareth Barry our Player of the Week -- will wonders never cease?! -- but only because of the dramatic nature of the midfielder's stoppage time winner on Saturday. His play would be ruled a foul 99.99% of the time, but because newly inserted Reading man Nicky Shorey made no attempt whatsoever to play the ball, the goal appeared justly awarded to our eyes.

o We're not quite certain what Rafa is doing with Chelsea, but you have to like the results. That is, unless you're an Aston Villa fan....

o They may not be turning Japanese, but Chelsea turned up the heat on their Premier League rivals in Manchester with their outlandish victory on Sunday. Outdoing even their 7-1 defeat of the Villans from a couple of season ago, the Blues demolished Aston Villa, making the two point conversion for a remarkable 8-1 final on Sunday, in a game that could have seen 4 or 5 more goals -- and (amazingly so) one in which the Villa 'keeper was the best player on the pitch.  The end result was one of the more comprehensive beatings we've seen in several years:  When the names of Frank Lampard and Fernando Torres are both on the score sheet, you know you're in serious trouble....

Q&A With a Liverpool Fan

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An inteview with Correspondent Scott on the subject of Liverpool:

 

Q. What do you think of Liverpool's season so far?

A. Well, I’d have to say that their standing in the league table is not reflective of the quality of the side. And it seems that every week the team becomes a bit more like the one it will eventually be – competing for trophies. Too many draws at home have put them so far down the table that fourth place seems remote.

Q. So you have given up on a Top Four finish?

A. No way! With 2/3 of the season to go, so much can still happen. Last year, City were way behind United going into the final stretch but Darth Ferguson’s boys stumbled big time and gave the Scot a goal-differential complex. Lots can happen and we still have the January transfer window ahead of us.

Q. Do you think Brendan Rodgers has done a good job?

A. I do. I like the style of play he is trying to instill and I appreciate that he doesn't have the personnel to execute yet. Being: Liverpool has provided an interesting glimpse into how he manages and coaches and I like what I have seen so far. Of course, he knows the camera is there so maybe he acts differently otherwise but, still, he seems engaged, competent and caring.

Q. What changes do you think still need to be made?

A. Well the obvious answer is to bring in another striker with experience. Luis Suarez, polemic as he may be, has been on fire lately but can’t shoulder the burden all by himself. Even if he were to score a goal in every game, you can’t win every game 1-0. It seems, not surprisingly, that Stewart Downing will be sold off (probably for half-off the acquisition price of $20M) to generate funds for January spending. It’s a shame things didn’t work out better for Downing at Liverpool after such a promising stint at Aston Villa.

Q. Who do you think they will bring in?

Yeesh!

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While “yeesh” is not a word recognized by Dictionary.com, it has been a common word around our house of late, along with those words that have letters substituted, in polite company, by a combination of ampersands, asterisks and exclamation points.  Capitulating to Queen’s Park Rangers at Loftus Road last week surely slapped the Champions League hopes out of even the most ardent Liverpool supporter.  But losing to lowly Wigan at Anfield this weekend, after inducing a torrent of the aforementioned password tricksters, produced a general malaise through which I have been unable to navigate and to which I have only been able to say “Yeesh!”

Speaking of appropriate words, “depose” and “abdicate” come to mind when thinking of King Kenny. In fact, I see three possible scenarios: 1) the Reds turn it around and Dalglish retains his crown; 2) they continue to underperform and Dalglish abdicates his throne preemptively, or upon coming to a “mutual agreement” with management, potentially over the summer ,or certainly if they start the next campaign poorly; or 3) not much has improved in Camelot by mid next season and the King is deposed.  Legendary status will buy him extra, but not unlimited, time.  I, for one, am rooting for him.

They have been called the “Gruesome Foursome” signings: Charlie Adam, Stewart Downing, Andy Carroll and Jordan Henderson. In the case of Henderson, I agree with the moniker - he has been wildly inconsistent, even detrimental at times, with his rare flashes of brilliance a bit like catching a glimpse of the aurora borealis at a temperate latitude.  Still, he is young and may develop, vindicating Dalglish.  Although, I have to say that starting him as much as he has seems excessive, given his contributions to date.

As for the other three members of the quartet, they had all enjoyed recent success in the BPL prior to arriving at Anfield. But, criticism can be directed correctly at Dalglish for spending such amounts on three midfielders while putting Raul Meireles out to pasture and benching Maxi Rodriguez.  Meireles and Maxi were two big reasons for Liverpool’s late-season success last year, and now one wears blue and the other rides pine.  Not to mention Dirk Kuyt, who is none too pleased that, despite being one of the most consistent players in the squad, keeps finding himself coming off the bench (and thank goodness he did in the Carling Cup final).  And let’s not forget the spunky Craig Bellamy, whose ability to be impactful during his brief appearances on the pitch would make him a valuable acquisition even if he didn’t arrive on a free transfer.

The Transfer Market Hall of Shame, Class of 2011

farlieonfootie's newest hire has demanded that his wages be paid entirely in craft beer.  Herewith, Columnist Randy:

With a new year comes a new transfer window and the excitement is building. Rumors are flying fast and furiously as fans anxiously wait to see if their favorite team has upgraded their talent or lost what talent they had (stay tuned, Blackburn fans). With all the transfer excitement building, we thought it a good idea to look back on last year's transfers to see which have been the worst so far. While there have been some great ones --  Demba Ba to Newcastle, Juan Mata to Chelsea and, of course, Sergio Aguero to Manchester City spring to mind -- we’re going to look at the five worst transfers of 2011. My criterion, while very subjective, basically takes into account two things: 1) How expensive was the player in question; and 2) have they produced and lived up to expectations. With that said, on to our top, er, bottom 5.

5 – David De Gea  - Manchester United

Transfer - £18 million from Atletico Madrid

De Gea arrived at Old Trafford as the heir apparent to the legendary Edwin Van der Sar . Coming off a successful U-21 European Championship he initially seemed up to the task. Alas, De Gea has been tentative in the box of late, and susceptible to costly mistakes all season long. His play so far has earned him time on the bench, and it appears as if he has been replaced by Anders Lindegaard for now. Since De Gea is only 21 there's still plenty of time for him to turn it around and become United’s goalkeeper for the future.

4 – Stewart Downing – Liverpool

Transfer - £20 million from Aston Villa

After 20 games in the League this season, Stewart Downing has produced absolutely nothing, save an arrest for allegedly punching his ex-girlfriend. He has zero assists and zero goals in Premier League play, but finally managed a point with a goal against Oldham in the FA Cup. Anyone who has watched Liverpool this season has seen Downing has had more than his fair share of opportunities to tuck away goals. At least now he has the same amount of goals as he has arrests.

3 – Samir Nasri – Manchester City

Transfer - £22 million from Arsenal

Nasri has appeared in only 12 league games, while making the starting XI only nine times. In those games, while he has netted two goals and seven assists, he has often seemed lost and out of place. With David Silva and Yaya Toure anchoring the City midfield it has been hard for Nasri to get on the pitch, especially as he has also been outplayed by James Milner. With Yaya Toure off the African Cup of Nations, thoughm Nasri should have a chance to play and show his worth.