In a season marred by contentious referring decisions, the rakish move of unibrowed right-back Jose Bosingwa is perhaps the worst, as both Riley and the linesmen decided no action should be taken. In the insane world of the FA, the non-call on the pitch has rendered them impotent and unable to review and properly discipline Bosingwa, despite the fact that they set the rules and could/should probably change that particular clause so they can ban the lad for 10 games or so.
That said, the mercy shown to Bosingwa by Mo Matadar, aka the guy who was inches from the incident and shown on tape waving his flag like a man possessed, was not returned in kind, as the FA have dumped him down to League Two for a while.
Mo will be running the touchline at the Grimsby Town/Exeter match, where he'll no doubt realize the error of his ways and will perhaps learn to assert himself better on the pitch next time.
I do like that the FA punishes its staff for egregious errors on the pitch (still waiting for Riley's rebuke, by the way), but honestly, is this the right way to do it? Now all it means is that some poor, struggling lower league minnow is stuck with incompetence that could possibly ruin their game as well.
To further emphasize this point, the ref in Matadar's game will be Stuart Atwell, the moron who gave a goal even though it hit the side netting in a recent Reading/Watford Colaship clash.
So look out Mariners and Grecians fans, the failed officials are heading to your game.
Prepare rotten fruit/veg accordingly.
(In case you missed it the first time...)
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Mercy for Bosingwa is not bestowed upon the linesman
UF POWER POLL: Now That's Just Wrong.
Dear readers, I hope you enjoyed the introduction to the UF Power Poll which featured yesterday. Bigus had an issue with the voting criteria that allowed a certain, sliding, nonperforming club, to appear in the top ten. I lodged my complaints formally and provided a compelling argument to state my case. In fact Perry Mason would have been proud.
Alas, the UF crowd denied my request to remove the votes for Chelsea based on my research. Instead my blog-eagues implored me to follow up with a post. Follow me after the jump to find out why Chelsea FC's inclusion in the top ten of our Power Poll for European football is just outright ridiculous.
First of all, let's take a look at Chelsea over the last couple of months. They have a manager who clearly cannot communicate with his team, evidenced by some fallouts with key players (see: Drogba, Didier). Scolari is a man with little league experience and none in the top leagues of Europe, a man who often looks confused in front of the press.
They leak goals and futz with new defence routines that the players cannot understand (see: Southend highlights). They are playing an unfamilar formation with players out of position (see: Malouda, Florent and Kalou, Salomon) They have lost their coach (Steve Clarke) whose impact was pivotal to their success. Their defence leaks like a sieve, while Clarke's new team (West Ham) look defensively sound and unbeaten in six.
Meanwhile, their owner and bankrolling fantasy football tzar Mr Abrahmovich, appears to have lost interest. He spends more time worrying about his financial affairs than those at Stamford Bridge, something that's clearly demonstrated by his absence at games and lack of financial support in the transfer window that just closed. Chelsea just loaned a player who appears (to many of my friends) to have failed elsewhere. Quaresma appeared very little for Inter Milan this year and Jose sent him packing. Chelsea have sold in January and spent nothing in return, while European rivals splash the cash and enjoy good form on the pitch. Domestically Aston Villa have strengthened, Arsenal too.
Now let's look at the football. Over the last 2 months they look uninspired, lazy and lack any kind of creativity in the final third. The lack of any width is evident and it has damaged them greatly. The creativity to create chances has gone. Even during games that they have won, it has not been there. They hold plenty of possession but offer nothing in the final third of pitch.
Last weekend they could only offer a paltry 2 shots on the Liverpool goal and were bossed around with 10 men AND with 11. Their previous game, against Boro', was no different. They needed late goals at home to beat a side struggling to stay in the Premiership. They were manhandled at Old Trafford. Slapped around. They just managed to scrape through in the Champions League also, beating CFR Cluj 2-1 at home. This ain't the Chelsea of last year. Not close. This is a team on the skids.
The Blues have also won just 3 of their last 8 Premier League games. West Brom, Stoke (a game in which they needed a late injury time winner from Lampard) and Middlesbrough, three teams that are struggling around the relegation places of the Premier League. They also failed to win at home against Fulham and West Ham.
Two months, 12 points. Terrible form for a team that sits in the UF European Power Poll at number 9, above Arsenal no less. The Gooners may have had a ropey season but they are currently unbeaten in the last 2 months, after losing 4 of their best players to long-term injury to boot.
Dazed and confused: Scolari demostrates how Alex and Terry should stand still at corners
So where should Chelsea really be in the standings of Europe? Well let's look at the form of teams in the top four European leagues, Italy, Spain, Germany and England.
The below is the order of points gained over the last 8 domestic fixtures:
Barcelona WWWWWWWW 24 points
Manchester United DWWWWWWW 22 points
Aston Villa WWDWWWWD 20 points
Real Madrid LLWWWWWW 18 points
Hertha Berlin DWWWWLWW 19 points
Genoa WDWWWDDW 18 points
Roma WLDWWWWD 17 points
A C Milan WLWDWWDW 17 points
Inter Milan WWWDLWWD 17 points
Bayern Munich WWWDWWDL 17 points
Cagliari WLDDWWWW 17 points
Juventus WWWWDWLL 16 points
Hoffenheim WLWWWLDW 16 points
Hamburg LWLWDWWW 16 points
Atlhletic Bilbao LWDWWWLW 16 points
Everton WDWWWDDL 15 points
Fiorentina WWWLLLWW 15 points
Arsenal DDDWWWDD 14 points
Liverpool DDWWDDDW 14 points
Wigan WWWWLLDD 14 points
West Ham DLWWDWWD 14 points
Sevilla WWDDWWLL 14 points
Malaga LWDWWWDL 13 points
CHELSEA DDWDLWWL 12 points
Chelsea are currently the TWENTY-THIRD best team out of the top 4 leagues in Europe based on form. West Ham are better than Chelsea right now. Oh Bigus? What's against the French? They have representatives in the Champions League?
That's what French football fetishist and UF scribbler the NY Kid is going to argue.
Ok Kid. Now let's add France:
Bordeaux DDWWWWWD 18 points
PSG WLWWDLWW 17 points
Lille WDDDWWWD 16 points
Nantes LWWDDWLW 14 points
Toulouse LDDWDWWD 13 points
Rennes DWDDWWLD 13 points
Nancy DWLLWWLW 13 points
Lorient WDWWLDDD 13 points
So out of the top FIVE leagues in Europe...Chelsea are the THIRTY-FIRST best team in Europe... THIRTY-ONE!
I could add the top sides from Portugal, Holland, Czech Rep or any other nation that allows Champions League entry for its elite. But if I did that, Chelsea would likely disappear from the top 40.
But Bigus, that's just two months, what if you make it 10/12 games? Want that instead, Chelsea fans?
I doubt it. I would have to include a home draw with Newcastle and a home defeat by Arsenal, a team who are unbeaten in 11, signing a top player this month (Arshavin) and just 5 points behind Chelsea in the EPL table. So if I add those results along with their win against the mighty West Brom, it is likely that Chelsea will slide further down the European form rankings.
Look, don't get me wrong. Chelsea have been a big side in Europe over the last few years, especially last year. After reaching the Champions League final and challenging for the Premier League title they would have been in the top 4, but now? Really? Top Ten?
My original point here was to prove that currently, through form and circumstances Chelsea FC do not belong in the Power Poll top ten. I was called a fu*ktard by my good friend and UF's very own Chelsea rep, Autoglass. But research prevails, It appears that they should rank way outside of the top ten, let alone be ninth! Who's the fu*ktard now?
Am I nuts to conclude this and ask for a team's current form to be considered as criteria for the top ten? Shouldn't results count for something? Am I crazy to ask for Chelsea's removal from the UF PP? At the expensive of Juventus? Bayern? AND Roma, who have taken 17 points in the last 8 and have won 4 of their last 5? The same Roma that beat Chelsea in the Champions League 3-1 in November?
You decide...Comment below.
-Bigus
By the way I used www.Soccerway.com for my research.
Kiddies + Toxic Waste Dump = Soccer Field?
If these kids grow third hands, I blame the EPA.
Thanks to a binational partnership between the US and Mexico, little tykes in Tijuana now have a brand new soccer field. A field right on top of a giant toxic waste dump.Seems a US owned lead smelter used Mexico as an illegal toxic dump in the 1980s. Shocking, I know, but they made movies about this...movies called Men at Work. The dump was discovered in the early 1990s.
Now, thanks to the wonders of concrete, the waste is now entombed in the hard stuff. And, the playing fields are painted onto the flat surface.
Call me a skeptic, but I don't think soccer was intended to be played on concrete.
Read more on "Kiddies + Toxic Waste Dump = Soccer Field?"...
Ligue 1 Transfer Roundup
Olympique de Marseille make some transfer moves.So the January transfer window has ended for Ligue 1, and there weren't any blockbuster moves. But that's not to say that there isn't a significant difference in lineups (alright, mostly reserves) for several clubs. Will any of these moves make a difference?
In their order in the table, the following moves were made:
1. Olympique Lyonnais - Players in=0; Players out=1 (Anderson); Nothing to see here.
2. FC Girondins de Bordeaux - Players in=0; Players out=2 (Obertan; Marange); Obertan had seen some action for Bordeaux, but as they push to close on Lyon they needed to stay with their more established players so they sent him out on loan to FC Lorient.
3. Paris Saint-Germain - Players in=0; Players out=2 (N'Goyi; Sankhare); Neither had a chance to get any time on the pitch for PSG, and both have been loaned to Ligue 2 clubs for further seasoning, with both loans likely to be made permanent.
4. Olympique de Marseille - Players in=2 (Brandao; Wiltord); Players out=8 (Givet; Grandin; Erbate; Cesar; N'Diaye; Begeorgi; M'Bow; Krstic); Wiltord got the immediate start in his first match with L'OM and played well enough; Givet was sent to Blackburn on loan, where he is likely to partner with Ooijer, Samba and Warnock in the back (he was used as a substitute in the club's last FA Cup match); Apparently, Nenad Krstic divides his time between the Oklahoma City Thunder and L'OM, but now he will have to commute to AC Ajaccio.
5. Stade Rennais - Players in=0; Players out=2 (Wiltord; Sorlin); Wiltord had only played in 6 matches, so Rennes is fine to keep pushing for the top of the table without him.
6. Toulouse FC - Players in=0; Players out=1 (Fort); Meh.
7. LOSC Lille Metropole - Players in=0; Players out=1 (Franquart); Meh.
8. OGC Nice - Players in=2 (Adeilson; Sable); Players out=1 (Gace); Adeilson joins Arsenal's Denilson as Brazilians who do not play like Brazilians; Sable is a good transfer as the veteran midfielder spent several seasons with AS Saint-Etienne and has seen significant football.
9. FC Lorient - Players in=2 (Obertan; Caive); Players out=3 (Buron; Marin; Jacobsen); Obertan should get much more run than he did at Bordeaux (although he had played in 11 matches there) and will look to build on the 2 goals that he scored in the League Cup.
10. AS Nancy-Lorraine - Players in=1 (Gunnarsson); Players out=3 (Calve; Fortune; Camerling); Fortune had made 15 appearances (with only 1 goal) before being loaned out to West Bromwich Albion where he will have to complete with Arsenal loanee Jay Simpson for playing time.
11. AS Monaco FC - Players in=2 (Lolo; Vallaurio); Players out=5 (Bernadi; Kaita; Ligati; Cufre; Joneleit); If things continue as they are, Monaco may rue the fact that Ligati was recalled by AC Milan.
12. FC Nantes - Players in=0; Players out=1 (Gravgaard); Meh.
13. Le Mans - Players in=4 (Makaridze; Goulon; Nkwelle; Dominique); Players out=2 (Keita; El-Bahri); Le Mans bring in Goulon from Middlesbrough, although the transfer has not yet been approved by Ligue 1.
14. Grenoble Foot 38 - Players in=4 (Grandin; Boya; Cesar; Kucukovic); Players out=3 (Kamissoko; Dja Djedje; Alphant); Grenoble bring in Grandin from L'OM to partner with Akrour up top, as he had 2 goals in 8 matches for the southern club; Dja Djedje had been playing well, but he gets shipped out to Ligue 2 club RC Strasbourg.
15. SM Caen - Players in=1 (Quellier); Players out=2 (Svensson; Thiam); Nothing of import to note.
16. AJ Auxerre - Players in=1 (Birsa); Players out=3 (Traore; Huyghebaert; Akakpo); Yet another Traore.
17. AS Saint-Etienne - Players in=0; Players out=1 (Nilsson); Apparently the all-time leader in Ligue 1 titles feels that they can avoid relegation even by doing nothing.
18. FC Sochaux-Montbeliard - Players in=2 (Sverkos; Mikari); Players out=3 (Perisic; Birsa; Mezague); 2 in, 3 out, with only 1 point to make up to emerge from the drop-zone.
19. Valenciennes FC - Players in=1 (Darcheville); Players out=2 (Khiter; Bezzaz); Darcheville (transferred from Rangers) has already paid dividends, as he provided an assist on the match-winner this past weekend.
20. Le Havre AC - Players in=4 (Hantz; Diallo; Franquart; Marange); Players out=3 (Faure; Soumare; Kharbouchi); None of these 4 players will make a bit of difference as Le Havre are 9 points from safety and virtually guaranteed relegation.
Whew. That was exhausting.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Tuesday Backpasses: Adios for now
The Mike Georgers of the world can breathe safe. ESPN did not win any of the UK EPL rights.
Johnny Two Saints still at Spurs because of a bum ankle [Daily Mail]
Philippe Mexes is a lover, not a fighter [Goal]
Interactive map of Americans in Europe [The Best Eleven]
Headline: Why U.S.-Mexico is soccer's greatest rivalry [Goal]
Finally:
DuNord goes on hiatus. Hopefully, it's just a short one [DuNord]
UF Quick Throw: Fattie is free!
Fat Frank's red card has been stricken from the record, and rightly so. He'll be free to play on Saturday, unlike England's Blowhard John Terry, who picked up a yellow for yelling at Riley and now has enough to miss a game or two.
Still, the biggest injustice still remains: Jose Bosingwa's cleat dance on Yossi Benayoun will never be punished, although hopefully karma can still have a say.
[Guardian Sport]
UF POWER POLL - Debut Edition
People love lists and we are people who love football. With this in mind, it is our pleasure to introduce UF's first semi-weekly European Power Poll.
The formula was simple. Each of our intrepid scribes posited his own Top Ten. Then, using an algorithm specially designed by the foremost quantum physician at Nassau Community College, we came up with the following results. Enjoy. Debate.
1) Barcelona - 1.14
Unbeaten in their last 20 league matches. One loss in 21 games total. That, in their first match, aaaall the way back in August. Messi is unstoppable-- two more goals off the bench this weekend. Barca are 12 points up in the table, +33 over second place Real Madrid in goal differential. Lock for Champ League, surely...
2) Manchester United - 1.86
...Oh, but for those devils at Old Trafford. If anyone can suppress the Barcelona attack it must the Death-defying van der Saar and his now famous backline. They also have this guy... this Portuguese jerk.
3) AC Milan - 4.71*
Sorry Lingering, but they are a whole lot better with Beckham in the lineup.
4) Liverpool - 4.71
Rafa is either a demented genius or just demented. Or fat and ordinary. We'll know soon enough.
5) Inter Milan - 5.14
I think the consensus here is that any club managed by that other Portuguese jerk (just kidding, much love for the Jose) is a threat. Along with a pretty safe hold on Serie A, that's enough to earn a place in the Top 5.
6) Real Madrid - 6.28
Damn, these guys have been real good since... yea yea... since Juande took over. That Raul and Robben have scored in almost every game since New Year's doesn't hurt.
7) Aston Villa - 7
Will a bargain move for Emile Heskey put the Villans over the top? We're officially at the point where it'd be a disappointment if they didn't crack the Champs League.
8) TSG Hoffenheim - 8.43
We're hot for the Hoff. Simple as that. (But the Ibisevic thing hurts... a lot.)
9) Chelsea - 10.86
By far our most controversial entry. Bigus's opinion to follow later this afternoon.
10) Arsenal - 14.14
Like toilet paper stuck to your sole (or soul in my case), they've trailed into the room unnoticed and uninvited. To be fair, if Arshavin is half the magic man he seemed in Austria/Switzerland and Cesc can get back on the field, Arsenal become kind of threatening again.
In the mix - AZ Alkmaar, Bordeaux, Juventus, Roma, Bayern, Olympiakos, (Genoa!)
*had 2 Third Place votes to Liverpool's 1.
Who Will Host World Cup 2018? 2022?
Thirteen whole countries decided it was worth their time to submit a letter to FIFA by February 2 expressing interest in hosting the world’s biggest sporting event in either 2018 or 2022. (Belgium and The Netherlands, however, submitted a joint letter of interest. I bet the Belgians made the Dutch write the letter, in 5 languages.)
I can’t imagine the trouble these countries went through to draft the letter.
Dear Herr Blatter,Without further ado, the complete list of countries submitting letters of interest—Australia, Belgium and the Netherlands, England, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Qatar, Russia, Spain and Portugal, and the United States.
We are interested in hosting the 2018 and/or 2022 World Cup.
Sincerely,
The US of A.
Now let’s handicap these potential suitors to the Golden Orb. Since it’s early on, I’m just going to put them into tiers.
Tier 1:
England – The motherland for soccer has to be high on the list for everybody. It would certainly be well attended and much of the infrastructure is already in place to support the event and given the current economic situation, it may be difficult to come up with funds for large infrastructure improvements for other countries. Downside: It’s really expensive in England and people sometimes don’t like fait accompli.
USA – 1994 was a huge success and I think the soccer world still wants to try and develop the soccer market in this country. Plus, the infrastructure is there to have a hugely games at every venue. In 1994, this country was just getting to know soccer. With the advent of the internet and the concomitant increased exposure of soccer in the US, the event will be even bigger. Downside: Hosted the event in 1994. Not a huge soccer country. And, it is America. We are not well liked even with President Obama.
Mexico – North America will likely get one of these bids since, Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America have all hosted since 1994. Also, CONCACAF President and FIFA Vice President Jack Warner wants to bring the World Cup back to North America and will likely play the USA against Mexico to his advantage (read: line his pockets). Mexico is a soccer mad country and hosted in 1986 so it has at least an aging infrastructure for the event, and is currently building 13 stadiums. Downside: It would be really freaking hot down there.
Tier 2:
Australia – FIFA is always trying to increase it’s footprint and Asia is one of the main places it has been focusing its efforts. Now, Australia isn’t technically Asia, but it’s geographically close. It’s also the one inhabited continent that has never hosted a World Cup. Everybody loves Australia and wants to visit. Downside: It’s a long ways away from everything and it would be the third consecutive WC in the Southern hemisphere.
Belgium and Netherlands – Who doesn’t want to go to the Netherlands (or Belgium, I hear it’s nice)? The upside to this bid is that it is in Europe and easily accessible to millions, strong soccer infrastructure, and it’s not one of the big European countries. Downside: Not big European countries and may not have the political pull.
Spain and Portugal – Another European destination with infrastructure and warm climes. Given Spain’s recent soccer success, some may be inclined to bump them up to Tier 1. I thought about it, but I just see this as a three-horse race for the two spots. They could play the spoiler but I don’t see it happening. Downside: Cristiano Ronaldo is from Portugal.
Russia – This is a tough one to place. The corruption in Russia is rampant and seeing how it is going in South Africa, I can’t see FIFA wanting to battle that again. Plus, the economic crisis has severely affected Russia’s wealth at the moment, so getting stuff built might be an issue with corruption and financial problems. On the other hand, FIFA may see this as an opportunity to extract reforms out of Russia. Downside: I have no idea how the Russian soccer infrastructure is currently situated. I don’t know how traveling in Russia would go, it is a very big place. Corruption. Could very well move them to Tier 3.
Tier 3:
Japan – Just co-hosted in 2002. Not a big enough country to host again so soon.
South Korea – Ditto.
Qatar – One of my cohorts thinks Qatar should be higher because they have dumptrucks full of cash to line the pockets of FIFA executives. That cash would also come in handy when building state-of-the-art stadiums. Downsides: While Qatar is safer country than some of the other Middle Eastern countries right now in regards to Islamic extremists, it is still located in the heartland of that activity. I say that is a con. Moreover, it’s a Muslim country so booze and hookers would be seriously limited. Finally, it’s hot as balls there all the time. Do you remember how much trouble the teams seemed to have in the 2006 World Cup when it got “hot”? It was Germany!!! Not as hot as Qatar.
Tier 4:
Indonesia – No way in hell. I’m sure they have no infrastructure. Plus, they have some issues with Islamic extremists. I don’t think that would sit well with some of the FIFA power players.
Read more on "Who Will Host World Cup 2018? 2022?"...
UF Quick Throw: Arshavin move done
It's taken long enough, but Sky Sports News is reporting that Andrei Arshavin's move to Arsenal has been approved by the EPL. How long until he reaches match fitness? I'm guessing March.
[Soccernet]
[Update: Hey look, here's actual visual proof that Arshavin is a Gunner. -Spectator]
And With Freddie Ljungberg's Injury Problems He'll Soon Be Starting
Is everyone in the Seattle area either a coder or a barista (well, everyone whose not a smack addict)?
The Seattle Sounders finished their federally mandated "Sounders Super Search" competition over the weekend—you know, the PR building exercise where the local team gives a spot to an average schmoe. And the winner was a 20-year-old guy who works at an espresso stand.
Even better, he was born in Brazil, which already makes him better than Denilson.
His name is Vinicius Oliveira. From a pool that had been reduced to 10 men, he and Junior Garcia—really, I'm starting to think this whole competition never happened and the information is simply the result of some stereotype Mad Lib—faced off in a 1-on-1 battle royale to the death.
Service for the vanquished will be held Thursday at Memorial Gardens. The family requests instead of flowers that donations be made to... Okay, there was no actual death involved. Garcia even outscored Oliveira 5-3 but apparently there were other criteria involved in the final decision. So Garcia gets to go back to his job at Boeing (I assume).
After winning Oliveira told local television "I'm ready for this." How did he know? "God told me I'm ready for this."
What a coincidence, God told me to blog about it. But he also told me you'll likely spend all season on the bench.
Viva! Sea-Tac (Warning, mp3 link).
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