Will Sven Goran also mark his return to the Premier League?
Finally, after two weeks of mostly shoddy international matches club play returns to ease my case of footie blueballs. Seriously, leagues were just starting to get interesting and then the break came to halt all momentum. ManU was on a two game slump, down to a 1 point lead (with a game in hand), Liverpool was streaking towards the top having outscored opponents 15-1 in March. The top four teams in the Bundesliga are separated by one point total. La Liga and Serie A are not as close but Real Madrid is still making a push. Then, mid-week we have CL quarterfinals.
That's not to say there weren't great moments during the week. Ballack, three times. Jozy, three times as well. Then, Sven Goran Eriksson gets canned. Now it's merely a question of which Premiership squad wants to take a chance on the Swede.
All of this great, but I'm just glad to resume the battles, select games after the jump, and join us in the bootroom, but no booting allowed.
EPL
Saturday
7:45 ET Blackburn Rovers v Tottenham Hotspur
10:00 ET Bolton Wanderers v Middlesbrough
10:00 ET Arsenal v Manchester City
10:00 ET Hull City v Portsmouth Kingston
10:00 ET Newcastle United v Chelsea
10:00 ET West Bromwich Albion v Stoke City
10:00 ET West Ham United v Sunderland
12:30 ET Fulham v Liverpool
Sunday
10:00 ET Everton v Wigan Athletic
11:00 ET Manchester United v Aston Villa
La Liga
Saturday
14:00 ET Recreativo Huelva v Sevilla FC
14:00 ET Athletic Bilbao v Mallorca
14:00 ET Valladolid v Barcelona
14:00 ET Almeria v Villarreal
14:00 ET Real Betis v Numancia
16:00 ET Málaga v Real Madrid
Sunday
11:00 ET Espanyol v Deportivo La Coruña
11:00 ET Atlético Madrid v Osasuna
13:00 ET Valencia v Getafe
15:00 ET Sporting Gijon v Racing Santander
Bundesliga
Saturday
9:30 ET Hertha Berlin v Borussia Dortmund
9:30 ET Hamburg SV v TSG Hoffenheim
9:30 ET VfL Wolfsburg v Bayern Munich
9:30 ET VfL Bochum v VfB Stuttgart
9:30 ET Eintracht Frankfurt v Energie Cottbus
Sunday
11:00 ET Werder Bremen v Hannover 96
11:00 ET Karlsruhe v Borussia Monchengladbach
11:00 ET FC Cologne v Bayer Leverkusen
Serie A
Sunday
7:00 ET Atalanta v Fiorentina
9:00 ET Reggina v Genoa
9:00 ET AS Roma v Bologna
9:00 ET Cagliari v Catania
9:00 ET Juventus v Chievo Verona
9:00 ET Siena v Lazio
9:00 ET Sampdoria v Napoli
9:00 ET Palermo v Torino
13:00 ET Udinese v Internazionale
15:00 ET AC Milan v Lecce
Championship (I have fired TFA, how dare he not include the Colaship)
Saturday
10.00am ET Barnsley v Nottm Forest
10.00am ET Blackpool v Plymouth
12.20pm ET Bristol City v Preston
10.00am ET Coventry v Reading
10.00am ET Derby v Burnley
10.00am ET Doncaster v Watford
10.00am ET Norwich v Sheff Wed
10.00am ET QPR v Crystal Palace
10.00am ET Sheff Utd v Ipswich
10.00am ET Southampton v Charlton
GOOOOOOAAAAALLLLLLL! Get in, Keano!
ReplyDeleteEven if it was pretty controversial.
jjf, I think that was a really harsh penalty on Givet.
Thank you, ref Walton. Can't even figure out when a dead ball isn't on the penalty spot...and you're expected to see fouls when people are active?
ReplyDeleteJermaine Jenas is pants.
ReplyDeleteLovely through-ball by Keano wasted by Modders.
ReplyDeleteWarnock is having a lot of problems with Corluka and Lennon over there. Big Sam would do well to slide some help over.
ReplyDeleteGod, Jenas cannot keep possession, ever.
ReplyDeletejesus christ. we start the game with our only reserve striker starting in central defense? of course we do...
ReplyDeleteis diouf physically incapable of scoring??
BENNIIIIIIIIIII
ReplyDeleteYES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteHoly crap, I did not expect that finish!
ReplyDeleteSamba: striker extraordinaire?
Walton: shite ref all game long.
3 freakin' points: yes!
well done rovers. hahahahahaha spuds. with 3 points blackburn only puts more pressure on nufc and shearer in the relegation battle. plus did i mention HAHAHAHAHAHHAHA spuds
ReplyDeleteBlackburn were so bad today before Palacios sending off that they would have likely been unable to have beateen Scunthorpe. Long ball crap. Could not string 2 passes together. Very lucky today.
ReplyDeleteBD: agreed on all counts. Rovers looked like crap all game long, though improved a little once Palacios was sent off. But I'll take 3 points no matter how ugly they come.
ReplyDeleteNewcastle United are certainly up for it today.
ReplyDeleteI love how Ian Dowie is out of the dugout to tell Shearer what needs to be done, like, every 3 minutes.
ReplyDeleteAnd Gazza looks like an idiot with that 70's style disco collar.
i love watching arsenal when they play like this
ReplyDeleteGazza loves those collars. retard. Chris Day's Stevenage are 2-1 up at HT at Kidderminster. Norwich 0-0, Scum 2 down at Blades.
ReplyDeleteI know no one cares, but--goodbye, Jimmy Calderwood.
ReplyDeletehahaha at Newcastle.
ReplyDeletePoor Jimmy. See, I care
ReplyDeletePaging Newcastle United to the Relegation Courtesy Phone... Newcastle United to the Relegation Courtesy Phone...
ReplyDeleteGoal for Aberdeen! 1-1.
ReplyDeleteMalouda, really? You let Malouda score? No new manager bump here.
No Bigus. Poor Aberdeen.
ReplyDeleteJimmy's a better manager than the club deserves. But his teams are given to lapses during the season which are just baffling. AFC fans are apparently tired of Calderwood and want him out.
Via LFC's Twitter
ReplyDeleteLFCTV: We're hearing Dossena could be on the wing today...
GOOD GOD MAN
Even worse, Lucas is starting in place of Masch.
ReplyDeleteThe Reds XI in full is: Reina, Arbeloa, Insua, Carragher, Skrtel, Lucas, Alonso, Kuyt, Dossena, Torres, Gerrard.
ReplyDeleteSure enough.
Fucking international breaks, when will this country learn, democracy DOESN'T WORK!
That'll teach Reira to score for Spain.
ReplyDelete*sigh*
Aberdeen down to 10 men. Second yellow on Considine.
ReplyDeleteNorwich being raped, a goal disallowed. Outrageous.
ReplyDeletewhy rest Masch? He can't play midweek anyway.
ReplyDelete1-1 road draw for Aberdeen. Keeps them in fourth. I'm alright with that.
ReplyDeleteoh man, Wolfsburg hammered Bayern 5-1.
ReplyDelete@Georger: What are you talking about, International breaks are a perfectly cromulent institution.
ReplyDeleteI've got a terrible feeling about this game.
ReplyDeleteLiam Neeson? haha
ReplyDeleteWhen was the consensus reached that Andy Johnson is the best striker in the world? The FSC announcers seem to know something I do not
ReplyDeleteInsua has some shifty feet.
ReplyDeleteA goal has got to come soon, oh god please let Liverpool score soon
ReplyDeleteXabi looks like he's been up for three nights straight trying to solve a murder.
ReplyDeleteI refuse to believe his name is pronounced 'Hungerland'
ReplyDeleteShut up Georger... you're so bloody negative sometimes! The lads are creating chances, despite all the lineup changes.
ReplyDeleteYou realize I was being sarcastic right.
ReplyDeleteNot about Xabi though, that beard is phenomenal.
Sweet Ray Bans on the guy in the red tshirt in the third row.
ReplyDeleteWhat a volley!
ReplyDeleteDenied by the bar... AGAIN. Fulham don't look very confident. I feel like it's a matter of time until we score. Look so composed moving forward -- quick, sharp, decisive. Loving it.
ReplyDeleteANOTHER post? Jesus, this might be one of those days. I really don't like this. Unrelated, but hey, Little Big League is on! Wow, the Metrodome turf really looks like shit.
ReplyDeleteCROSSBAR AGAIN!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteFulham are playing chase the ball.... come on lads. Loving this thus far. None of the timid uncertainty that doomed us during that run of draws. Every move forward has a cutting edge.
ReplyDeleteAppears my stream is about ninety seconds behind, but at least it's in English. Is it just me or have the announcers gotten the shooter wrong on almost every shot by Liverpool thus far?
ReplyDeleteEven though I picked this game 0-0, I see a lone Liverpool penalty proving the difference in the 2nd half.
ReplyDeleteFulham should retire that crossbar's number...best defender they've ever had.
ReplyDelete@ Georger -
ReplyDeleteThe announcers got confused whether Dossena (bald and lumpy) or Torres (blond and pretty) was the one thumping the crossbar. To be fair, when everybody is hitting the post ...
Yay, for the half-time whistle.
Lots of nice linking up, shocked at how well Dossena is playing, but I guess I shouldn't be. Though I feel like Aurelio could be coming in for him as the first sub because his cross is a bit better.
ReplyDeleteCould be a good game for Babel to get in there and exploit some holes.
i'm gonna hunt down the guy who bribed the crossbar
ReplyDelete@ Mike G
ReplyDeleteAurelio isn't even on the bench!
God I'm a moron.
ReplyDeleteWhy does FSC send Warren Barton home before half-time of this second game? Do they think we are tired of him apologizing for Newcastle and his claims that Shearer will have them in Europe by the end of the season?
ReplyDeleteMost important 45 minutes of the season right here, although that really goes without saying
ReplyDeletelovely cross by Insua. I love this team. We're making chances... normally in these 0-0s, we struggle to create.
ReplyDeleteOUCH that could be a shattered ankle.
ReplyDeleteTime to use that bench Rafa. If Yossi is fit you've gotta get him on.
ReplyDeleteYossi for Lucas for the love of GOD Rafa.
ReplyDeleteCOME ON LADS
ReplyDeleteSo close... COME ON
here comes Super Jew!
ReplyDeleteWhat a microcosm of the season this game is.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't go that far. It's been a good effort and we always knew this would be a colossal test. 2 weeks off and playing at Craven Cottage, a tough tough place to play.
ReplyDeleteOh I agree, a solid effort but the last inch just wasn't there.
ReplyDeleteThree touches in the box and nobody shoots. WHAT THE HELL
ReplyDeleteStill don't get how there isn't a player on this team capable of putting two good corners in a row together.
ReplyDeleteTerrible call. There it is.
ReplyDeleteThe soccer gods giveth with March, and they taketh away with April. Fugggg
ReplyDeleteSix points in seven games. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteAnd will Rafa be left without using all his subs in a draw yet again?
FOUR MINUTES.... COME ON COME ON COME ON COME ON COME ON COME ON
ReplyDeleteFernando Alonso, the ultimate Spanish player.
ReplyDeleteGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL
ReplyDeleteSUPER JEW!
ReplyDeleteTORAH! TORAH! TORAH!
ReplyDeleteSUPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPER JEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
ReplyDeleteSeason is still alive!
OH MAN I HOPE THAT WAS FOR US
ReplyDeletestream still behind
LEGEND
ReplyDeleteThink Rafa will forgive him for playing for Israel with that dodgy hamstring
ReplyDeleteMost deserved three points ever.
Gerrard with the little beauty of a setup, choke on it Duffy.
ReplyDeleteI forgive the slaying of Jesus
ReplyDeleteJews are great. Thank you Yossi. He is a wonderful player. Came on and immediately created chances.
Sorry Fulham. Tough to bear, but shit. We destroyed the woodwork today.
that'll make the rest of the day that much nicer.
ReplyDeleteTime to go on a bar crawl and get shit blasted, I was worried about doing it in a shitty mood, now I'm glowing like I'm told mothers do.
ReplyDeleteAww, crapstacks. Can't say Fulham deserved any better.
ReplyDeleteThe upside is this makes the rest of the season more interesting with all the 'Reds' still in it.
Intertoto anyone ?