Saturday, March 14, 2009

Weekend Preview and Saturday Open Thread


That's the Liverpool-Manchester Railway, natch!


Oh, if only Liverpool were still in the title race this weekend might really mean something. And to think it was back in September that Liverpool improbably beat Man U 2-1 and seemed well on their way. Now look how things have changed, Man U is 40 points clear. So, we instead get the Liverpool-Manchester United rivalry game, pride and history and all that, which of course is no small shakes right there.

After the jump check out all the weekend action, and but of course leave your comments galore.


Man U versus Liverpool isn't the only big game in the English Premier League (suck it Barclays!) this weekend. On Sunday there are a couple good ones as well.

EPL: (all times EDT)

8:45 Manchester United v Liverpool
11:00 Arsenal v Blackburn Rovers
11:00 Bolton Wanderers v Fulham
11:00 Hull City v Newcastle United
11:00 Everton v Stoke City (on FSC)
11:00 Middlesbrough v Portsmouth
11:00 Sunderland v Wigan Athletic

On Sunday:
9:00 Chelsea v Manchester City
12:00 Aston Villa v Tottenham Hotspur (on FSC)


And now I hand off this post to the very able The Fan's Attic, who will tell you about the action on the Continent...

La Liga

Saturday
15:00 SS Minnow Valencia v. Recreativo Huelva
17:00 Atletico Bilbao v. Real Madrid

Sunday
12:00 Sevilla v. Malaga
14:00 Atletico Madrid v. Villareal
16:00 Almeria v. Barcelona

Bundesliga

Saturday
10:30 Vfl Bochum v. Bayern Munich
10:30 Eintracht Frankfurt v. The Hoff
10:30 Hertha Berlin v. Bayer Leverkusen

Serie A

Saturday
15:30 Juventus v. Bologna

Sunday
10:00 Siena v. AC Milan
10:00 Sampdoria v. Roma
15:30 Inter v. Fiorentina

114 comments:

Rich Forsyth said...

Just got my Sentanta channel turned on at home. Very happy.

Liverpool 3 - ManU 1

Suck it CRon.

BTW, 1st time poster, so beer on me this morning.

jape said...

Ill be out've the house today but here's the obligatory COME ON ARSENAL!!

Sarah said...

There are few things in this world that I hate more than Man United.

Jacob said...

Beamish for me, Groover.

And, ugh, 1-0.

Sarah said...

Torres!!

Anonymous said...

I think Masch wouldn't hestitate to tackle his own mother from behind...

And here's hoping Lucas' haircut gives him an anti-Sampson effect.

Jacob said...

Dead again. Maybe I'll find a reliable one at HT

Jacob said...

So, for those who can actually see the game, was it a penalty. The 4 FPS I saw suggested not.

Rich Forsyth said...

To be honest, it was a weak card on Rio. The PK was legit, Reina took him out. I agree with the Lucas haircut comment, he hasn't been playing as poorly so far.

Sarah said...

Penalty on Gerrard!

Jacob said...

Convert he did

Jacob said...

Thanks, Evra

Jacob said...

Fun in Scotland: Hearts-Hibs 1-0 at HT with both teams seeing red in stoppage time.

Anonymous said...

101 Great Goals already has the first two goals up...

The NY Kid said...

the card on Rio was very weak, but both PKs were good decisions

Anonymous said...

yay :) we're leading

BackBergtt said...

I just woke up, well at least I didn't miss anything.

BackBergtt said...

Anyone have a good stream?

Anonymous said...

If Arbeloa can walk at all, he's coming in for Hyypia who looks very old out there.

Babel subs for Riera after 60 and gets the third on a late counter.

Reckon we'll see Berba sometime soon and perhaps Scholes for Park.

Great belief from the lads. Come on you Reds!

Anonymous said...

Tough going out there today, Georger. Haven't seen one since before kick-off...

Anonymous said...

http://www.justin.tv/psn4x/

good stream

Sarah said...

The last link on the myp2p page was working really well for the first half. It's a little stuttery now, but still better than the justin ones.

Sarah said...

Okay I lied, now it really sucks.

BackBergtt said...

Livesports is running well, minute behind though.
Only a matter of time before United equalize, I cannot imagine how Liverpool are leading after seeing how they've played this half, terrible.

Magnakai Haaskivi said...

I've had a solid Sopcast feed for the entire game, MG; if you need one, let me know.

BackBergtt said...

Dossena for Riera .. interesting. Don't fuck this up, fatty.

Magnakai Haaskivi said...

"And Dossena appears to be coming on for Liverpool..."

Game. Set. Match. Enjoy the win, ManU fans.

BackBergtt said...

I forgot offside doesn't apply to United players. Sickening.

Magnakai Haaskivi said...

"Just about offsides" was an understatement there.

BackBergtt said...

Holy shit the rare triple sub, I thought only I did that .. in FIFA

BackBergtt said...

BUH BYE

BackBergtt said...

BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE!

Magnakai Haaskivi said...

This should be red.

Magnakai Haaskivi said...

And it is. Vidic likes his cards to match the jerseys in these games.

Sarah said...

Muahahaha I love this.

Anonymous said...

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!111

BackBergtt said...

The best keeper in the world didn't even move. ahahahahah


AHAHAHAHAHAHA

Magnakai Haaskivi said...

Too early to start writing out all the lyrics for "You'll Never Walk Alone" on the Facebook walls of my Man United fan friends?

BackBergtt said...

I'm still terrified, get it to 85 and I'll settle a bit.

Magnakai Haaskivi said...

I think that Ferguson's mad about things other than whether his subs got a chance to make an impact.

Anonymous said...

This win makes Rafa the third fastest to 100 wins, behind Dalglish and Paisley.

BackBergtt said...

Eggs before they hatch, gentlemen.

Anyone wanna guess at how much stoppage time? 6 minimum.

BackBergtt said...

Tyduffy just came all over his Senderos jersey at that Gerrard miss.

Anonymous said...

What a pair of scalps.

My my my.

BackBergtt said...

DOSSENA JUST CAN'T STOP SCORING!

Sarah said...

Ha! This is making me so happy.

Anonymous said...

Van Der Sar enjoyed watching that one as well.

BackBergtt said...

Doubles over United and Chelsea ... and the title is still probably out of reach.

Oh well, I'll enjoy it til it's a mathematical certainty. Choke on it you purple nosed cunt.

Sarah said...

Well that was satisfying. Arsenal win now please.

phil said...

This Just. So. Awesome. Fergie is going to be spluttering wreck in the post-match presser.

Anonymous said...

...and Danny Murphy's ghost can now rest in peace.

BackBergtt said...

I was getting ready to say, that Groovethefish guy is a genius! Feel free to predict every Liverpool game from here on out!

BackBergtt said...

"United haven't suffered a home defeat like that since New Year's Day 1992, when Dennis Bailey bagged a hat-trick and QPR left Old Trafford with three points and a 4-1 victory."

BackBergtt said...

"It was magnificent, we showed great character to come from a goal down. It was quite comfortable in the end, but they did have a man less. We all played like men today. Hopefully that gives teams who play against United belief they can be beaten."

- Gerrard

What a quote.

Anonymous said...

dosenna is the problem to all our striking problems

who needs to sign david villa when we have andrea dosenna

dosenna the super sub

BackBergtt said...

My only regret is Sami didn't get one, would have been the perfect way to cap his career.

Sarah said...

Having issues finding an Arse stream, but apparently Arshavin scored already? Awesome.

BackBergtt said...

Think it's an own goal for Oojer

phil said...

Walcott and Bendtner did the work, but Arshavin got the goal.

I find myself in a terrible quandary: I simply cannot cheer on l'Arse, but badly need them to beat B'Burn to keep us clear of the zone. Gah. The rigors of a relegation scrap.

phil said...

Let the Hullatio begin: Hull go up 1-0 through Geovanni, who has inexplicably been started on the wing.

BackBergtt said...

Nice package shot of Dossena

Bigus Dickus said...

Forest losing at Burnley. Norwich still 0-0. Camon City!!!!!!!!

Bigus Dickus said...

Watford losing at Wednesday. Get in. Now we need a goal!

Adam said...

Of course Geovanni finally scores a goal just a couple of weeks after I decided to stick him on the fantasy bench for good.

Bigus Dickus said...

Burnley score again!!!! Get in.

Anonymous said...

ewww typo ^ ^ ^
you guys knew what i meant :P

phil said...

Wenger had better get Almunia's head back in the match. He's letting Diouf get to him.

Kevin said...

Dogshit strike by Walcott. Should be 2-0.

phil said...

Georger was right. The scoring has been changed, and Arshavin's goal has been changed to an OG for Ooijer

EbullientFatalist said...

That 4-1 Pool victory cleared my hangover quick.

Come on Arsenal!!!!

Bigus Dickus said...

Bigus has invoked the 73 canaries 2games in a row. Its the song!!!!! The magical powers of the 73 Wembley song! Looping. Forest now 4 down.

Get in!!!!!

EbullientFatalist said...

Liverpool: 5-nil on agg v. Real, and a 4-1 thrashing of Man U, all in ten days? This better be reflected in the next UFer Powerpoll.

Bigus Dickus said...

@Andrew. They will deffo be in the top 5 in mine.

phil said...

LMAO. Here's something you don't read every day. From Yahoo's live test of Everton-Stoke:

"Stoke's Liam Lawrence is receiving treatment after Leighton Baines accidentally stood on his head."

EbullientFatalist said...

My feed is terrible, thus I'm not sure exactly what happened, but it seemed like Bendtner had a breakaway, the crowd goes nuts, my stream fails, but picks up enough yo show Bendtner doing his own version of the Peyton Manning face. Someone fill me in?

EbullientFatalist said...

ARSHAVINNNNNNN!!!!! SUPERB!!!!!

EbullientFatalist said...

@Bigus: is the facebook forum going to open up again for our humble input?

The way Pool has been playing over the past three weeks makes me believe that they can overtake Man U.

Bigus Dickus said...

@Andrew. I will suggest so to the other chaps.

EbullientFatalist said...

We're playing some good footie right now, playing how we need to play against shit teams about to be relegated. Enough to make you weep for lost opportunities.

@Kevin: Bendnter suffers from the football equivalent of Tourette's; bursts of brilliance here and there, but mostly shit.

Kevin said...

@Andrew: Completely agree. Bendtner can score on sliding volleys and such but cannot beat the keeper from six yards.

Kevin said...

This is just comical.

EbullientFatalist said...

And just to prove our point, Bendtner screws up another sitter. Fuck him and the Danish horse upon which he rode in.

EbullientFatalist said...

I hearts the Vela.

re: Bendtner. His play is dictated by his confidence. The boy's got talent - loads of talent if you ask me - but his play is predicated on where his head is at.

EbullientFatalist said...

Fuck me, did Eboue just score AGAIN? Two netters in two games? What has happened to Emmanuel?

Kevin said...

@Andrew:

"I just wonder how Bendtner would have missed that."

Classic announcing.

EbullientFatalist said...

EBOUE WITH A PK!!! Holy Mary Mother of God, where has this side of Eboue been all season? Three goals in three games for him, at Emirates.

@Kev: We must remember he's only 20/21 and this season gives him untold experience, but yeah, he's not quite up to par currently.

EbullientFatalist said...

"And Arsenal are back in the Top 4 for the first time in 2009."

Puts this season in perspective.

Bigus Dickus said...

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

WE ARE STAYING UP, WE ARE STAYING UP.

GET IN 9 POINTS FROM LAST 12 AND OUT OF THE ZONE. GET IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Adam said...

Um, did Eboue really score 2 goals, or did someone slip me some magical drugs in my coffee this morning?

phil said...

Well, thanks to Everton, Wigan, and, yes, l'Arse, things have broken very well for Spurs today. Hopefully, we can manage at least a point from Villa.

Kevin said...

@Andrew:

One more comment regarding Bendtner and then I am off to the golf course. It is myt opinion that strikers are basically born with their scoring ability, whereas keepers, defenders and midfielders can all improve their game through experience and training. Players like Torres and Eduardo are born scorers, whereas Bendtner is what he is. I firmly believe that players like him, no matter how hard they train, will not improve to the point that their output matches their "potential."

Precious Roy said...

An Eboue brace almost makes me forget that I want to impale Bendtner on a chopstick.

phil said...

I firmly believe that players like him, no matter how hard they train, will not improve to the point that their output matches their "potential."

I believe this is known as "pulling a Jenas."

Precious Roy said...

Kvein, I kind of agree. But two seasons ago, Adebayor was basically Bendtner. He must have hit the post 30 times that season, then the next (last year) he has, what, 30 goals.

Bendtner's got decent instincts and I'm holding out hope that he can make that last leap in quality to finish more often.

But I'm only about 20% confident he will, so I'd probably be better off impaling him on a chopstick.

Sarah said...

This has been a very satisfying day of footie so far.

Since we won and Bendtner's epic failures haven't caused us lasting damage today, I'm just sort of feeling sorry for him at the moment. I agree he has a major confidence problem, and it every time he misses the fans get more and more on his case, which makes the whole situation worse.

On a different note, Eboue's dancing goal celebrations are kind of amazing.

EbullientFatalist said...

@Sarah: I will soon appropriate Eboue's shimmy for my own purposes. Because awesome.

I did miss this little exchange between the commentators following the Arshavin goal:

"There's Bendtner saying 'Why didn't you pass it to me?' Because you would've missed it, Nicklas." (Both chuckle)

This is how Bendtner is perceived.

Jacob said...

After fighting with my computer for three hours, it's finally decided to be able to access the net.

Yes, Facebook Power Poll voting will open tomorrow.

Jacob said...

Well, the two highest scoring teams in the Prem this week make most of UF very, very happy. Now to check Aberdeen.

Jacob said...

Yes! Screw you, Accies. Plus a Dundee United loss. Very nice.

An update on the cards in the Hibs win over Hearts. Hearts player sent off 45+2', Hibs had one sent off 45+5'. Then there was another yellow at 45+6'. When was the last time anyone saw +6' (or more) in the first half?

Jacob said...

Clutch by Norwich today, too. Up to 20th, safe by 2 points.

EbullientFatalist said...

u75: isn't a 45+6 in the first half the kinda stuff that makes the SPL a second-tier league? Or is it just the play?

Jacob said...

And finally, Epic FAIL in the Scottish Third Division where top place Cowdenbeath lose away to newcomers Annan Athletic. Second placed East Stirling could not make up ground, though, because they lost 4-0 at home to Berwick. Third and fourth place teams lost as well. Ugly stuff.

Jacob said...

Well, I assume they can tell time there (they had clocks at least 20 years ago), so it must be the play. And the fact that every league decision is made for what helps Rangers and Celtic.

Old Firm derby tomorrow, people. Hopefully, it will be one of the scoring ones. Unlike the one they pulled out last time around.

Jacob said...

Crapola. Tomorrow is League Cup final. Not league.

EbullientFatalist said...

@u75: I put MLS and SPL on par with each other; Columbus could step into the league and not miss a beat.

Whatever came of that Atlantic Premier League idea that was kicked around earlier this decade? The best teams from Scotland, Eredivisie, and some other league joining ranks? Anyone else remember that?

Jacob said...

Not gonna happen. Unless, at some point, EU says that all leagues have to be European and open to everybody or somesuch.

Also fun today--Michaeal Bradley with 2 for munchengroobers or whatever.

Spectator said...

What a day.... Man U destroyed, Vidic exposed as a giant clod, title race maybe back on, Arsenal in the top 4 and looking great, Norwich out of the relegation zone and Exeter up to fifth in League Two. Get in!!

EbullientFatalist said...

@Spec: Indeed. A very satisfying day of footie.

machine gooner funk said...

you've only come to see eboue!!!!!

Sarah said...

Recreativo up one nil against Valencia. Surprisingly not from an Albiol own goal, but still not too good. I will be very sad if they end up having to sell David Villa to Man City.

EbullientFatalist said...

@MGF: That could be my new favorite song; its witty and acerbic, like Man City when they used to sing "Just like Brazil, we play just like Brazil . . ."

EbullientFatalist said...

And by "Man City" I obviously meant "Barnsley." Shit.

Unknown said...

Sorry to those at the Kinsale that I ejaculated on after the second, third and fourth goals.

Not sorry if you were in a United shirt. You deserve it, scum.

Sarah said...

Hah! Gabriel Heinze scored a goal for Real Madrid and then about a minute later made up for it by putting the ball in the opposite net.