There are times when soccer ceases to be as important as those in the game purport it to be and certainly nowhere near as important as Bill Shankly’s quote made it out to be. This weekend’s events at White Hart Lane and Hampden Park are such instances. At Spurs, Bolton Wanderers midfield star Fabrice Muamba collapsed in the FA Cup Fifth Round game and as he fought for his life the game was abandoned. Every fan of the game wishes him the best. Unfortunately, the father of Kilmarnock star, Liam Kelly died shortly after collapsing at the Scottish League Cup Final where he saw his son’s team beat Celtic to win the trophy.
Referees receive a lot of criticism for how they officiate games and Howard Webb has had his fair share in the past year. However, Webb deserves tremendous credit for his handling of the Spurs-Bolton game. As Muamba lay stricken on the ground at White Hart Lane and paramedics fought to save the player, Webb dealt with the situation professionally. He was calmness personified and did the right thing in abandoning the game. Credit must also go to the Spurs fans for their support for Muamba and the round of applause that followed the announcement of the game being called off.
Referees receive a lot of criticism for how they officiate games and Howard Webb has had his fair share in the past year. However, Webb deserves tremendous credit for his handling of the Spurs-Bolton game. As Muamba lay stricken on the ground at White Hart Lane and paramedics fought to save the player, Webb dealt with the situation professionally. He was calmness personified and did the right thing in abandoning the game. Credit must also go to the Spurs fans for their support for Muamba and the round of applause that followed the announcement of the game being called off.
The Rangers FC public relations machine is in overdrive and pushing the agenda that Scottish football cannot live without the financially stricken club. Nonsense! And so it was proved at Hampden Park on Sunday. Kilmarnock deservedly beat Celtic to lift the Scottish Communities League Cup, the first time the club has won the trophy. With a financially restrained Rangers there will be more triumphs like the one Kilmarnock enjoyed for clubs such as Aberdeen, Dundee United, Hearts and Hibs. These four clubs have great support, great tradition, and great histories and will fill the void left by a financially crippled Rangers. The return to success of clubs like these and Killie can only be good for the Scottish game.
David Moyes, Everton’s manager has deservedly received constant praise for the manner in which he has led the club in his 10 years at Goodison Park. The Everton fans are among the most loyal in English football and have rarely questioned their Scottish manager. However, his team selection and subsequent 0-3 defeat at Anfield against Liverpool in the Merseyside derby left many second guessing Moyes. The manager had prioritized the FA Cup game at home to Sunderland, a call that did not go down well with Everton fans especially after being hammered by their rivals in red. Sunderland frustrated the Toffees and earned a reply at the Stadium of Light. If Everton and Moyes do not advance to the semi-final to play coincidentally, Liverpool the decision to field a weakened team in the league game may come back to haunt him.
David Moyes, Everton’s manager has deservedly received constant praise for the manner in which he has led the club in his 10 years at Goodison Park. The Everton fans are among the most loyal in English football and have rarely questioned their Scottish manager. However, his team selection and subsequent 0-3 defeat at Anfield against Liverpool in the Merseyside derby left many second guessing Moyes. The manager had prioritized the FA Cup game at home to Sunderland, a call that did not go down well with Everton fans especially after being hammered by their rivals in red. Sunderland frustrated the Toffees and earned a reply at the Stadium of Light. If Everton and Moyes do not advance to the semi-final to play coincidentally, Liverpool the decision to field a weakened team in the league game may come back to haunt him.
Man United took advantage of their rivals being idle to hammer Wolves 5-0 and extend their lead at the top of the EPL while also improving their goal differential. United’s win increases the pressure on Man City-08 who host Chelsea-03 in a midweek game. On the same night Arsenal face a tricky trip to Everton while Spurs host Stoke City. As the final whistles sound around the three grounds on Wednesday night the title and Champions League races will become more clearly defined. At this point in the season Extra Time predicts the top of the table will look like this at the end of the season: 1-Man United, 2-Man City-03, 3-Arsenal, 4-Spurs, 5-Cheslea, 6-Liverpool and 7-Newcastle United.
Chelsea-03 have had a mini resurgence since firing their manager Andre Villas-Boas. Why the turn around? The simple answer is to blame everything that went before the appointment of Roberto DiMatteo on AVB. It is quite obvious that there was a clash of personalities on the training ground and in the dressing room. Villas-Boas should receive some of the blame, but the majority of it should go to the players who have been cheating for most of the season. They are a disgrace to their profession and if there is such a thing as football karma they will be eliminated by Benfica in the Champions League, Spurs or Bolton in the FA Cup and miss out on a European place for next season by finishing behind Arsenal, Spurs and Newcastle. There would be nothing more galling than to see the smug John Terry walking up the steps at Wembley to lift the FA Cup, or worse still at the Allianz Arena to lift the Champions League trophy.
Chelsea-03 have had a mini resurgence since firing their manager Andre Villas-Boas. Why the turn around? The simple answer is to blame everything that went before the appointment of Roberto DiMatteo on AVB. It is quite obvious that there was a clash of personalities on the training ground and in the dressing room. Villas-Boas should receive some of the blame, but the majority of it should go to the players who have been cheating for most of the season. They are a disgrace to their profession and if there is such a thing as football karma they will be eliminated by Benfica in the Champions League, Spurs or Bolton in the FA Cup and miss out on a European place for next season by finishing behind Arsenal, Spurs and Newcastle. There would be nothing more galling than to see the smug John Terry walking up the steps at Wembley to lift the FA Cup, or worse still at the Allianz Arena to lift the Champions League trophy.
The top two teams in La Liga are Barcelona and Real Madrid and both are in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The top two players in the world are Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo who play for Barcelona and Real respectively. The top two teams in England are Manchester United and Manchester City-08 who were both eliminated by supposed inferior opposition in the Europa Cup. Does Spain now have a case to be considered the superior league?
Why is the UEFA Champions League seeded in qualifying, seeded in the league stage and manipulated in the draw for the last 16, but is not seeded for the quarter-finals and beyond? It makes no sense. UEFA left itself open for Barcelona playing Real Madrid in the draw, but thankfully it did not happen. The competition should be seeded all the way through the final, or not all. Had the draw been seeded according to UEFA’s own coefficient (in brackets) it would have produced a semi-final draw of Barcelona (1) or Apoel (109) versus AC Milan (6) or Bayern Munich (8) and Real Madrid (3) or Marseille (27) versus Chelsea (5) or Benfica (17).
Why is the UEFA Champions League seeded in qualifying, seeded in the league stage and manipulated in the draw for the last 16, but is not seeded for the quarter-finals and beyond? It makes no sense. UEFA left itself open for Barcelona playing Real Madrid in the draw, but thankfully it did not happen. The competition should be seeded all the way through the final, or not all. Had the draw been seeded according to UEFA’s own coefficient (in brackets) it would have produced a semi-final draw of Barcelona (1) or Apoel (109) versus AC Milan (6) or Bayern Munich (8) and Real Madrid (3) or Marseille (27) versus Chelsea (5) or Benfica (17).
The actual draw is Apoel/Real versus Marseille/Bayern and Barca/Milan versus Chelsea/Benfica. Real Madrid were the lucky ones to draw Apoel, the team every other team wanted in the draw. The silence from Jose Mourinho has been deafening. The Special One has in the past said that UEFA have conspired against his Madrid team to the benefit of Barcelona. Not so this time.
Week two of MLS was another good one for the league with some great games, good coverage and excellent attendances and atmospheres to match. The NBC coverage of Philadelphia versus Colorado was top class and created a very favorable impression of the league, the quality of play and the atmosphere in the stadium. The only question for executives is why they used Robbie Earle as an analyst when he has no MLS experience? Does soccer on American television really require an English accent on staff to sell it to the nation? There has to be at least one former MLS player with a media background who can come across as articulate, knowledgeable and would do as good a job as Earle.
Week two of MLS was another good one for the league with some great games, good coverage and excellent attendances and atmospheres to match. The NBC coverage of Philadelphia versus Colorado was top class and created a very favorable impression of the league, the quality of play and the atmosphere in the stadium. The only question for executives is why they used Robbie Earle as an analyst when he has no MLS experience? Does soccer on American television really require an English accent on staff to sell it to the nation? There has to be at least one former MLS player with a media background who can come across as articulate, knowledgeable and would do as good a job as Earle.
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