Three titles were decided yesterday. Two without the champions even playing. No titles in the major leagues will be decided today. Oh well.
Enjoy the footie because we will be without it for the summer.
After the jump, Sunday's games.
TV Listings.
EPL
Sunday, May 17, 2009
8:30 ET West Bromwich Albion v Liverpool
11:00 ET Chelsea v Blackburn Rovers
Ligue 1
Sunday, May 17, 2009
11:00 ET Nantes v Stade Rennes
11:00 ET Lille v Nice
15:00 ET Marseille v Lyon
Serie A
Sunday, May 17, 2009
9:00 ET Juventus v Atalanta
9:00 ET Reggina v Cagliari
9:00 ET Genoa v Chievo Verona
9:00 ET Palermo v Lazio
9:00 ET Bologna v Lecce
9:00 ET Fiorentina v Sampdoria
9:00 ET Napoli v Torino
14:30 ET Internazionale v Siena
La Liga
Sunday, May 17, 2009
11:00 ET Racing Santander v Valladolid
11:00 ET Real Betis v Almeria
11:00 ET Espanyol v Athletic Bilbao
11:00 ET Numancia v Recreativo Huelva
11:00 ET Sporting Gijon v Málaga
13:00 ET Mallorca v Barcelona
15:00 ET Atlético Madrid v Valencia
I decided to stay up all night playing computer games instead of trying to get up early for the game. I was rewarded with Lucas starting and no reserve players on the bench. Needless to say, I'm gonna need a caffeine and donut run before kickoff.
ReplyDeleteFurther, here's a photo of Guus with a nun.
ReplyDeleteOh come now I cannot be the only one up for this.
ReplyDeleteCmon the Albion
ReplyDelete..to make next week even better. No offense to the Scousers on UF
ReplyDeleteNo way does VDS make that play.
ReplyDelete12 minutes gone and I just cant see Albion keeping this close. Pool have class all over the pitch
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what country I'm pirating this feed from, but the cars being advertised on the scroll are clearly made of wood and whenever there's a foul the lone announcer shouts 'ABOOMBOOMBOOM'
ReplyDeleteDoes Carra get a game next yr for the Scousers? Or will he be strictly cover for Skrtel and Agger
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've seen anyone get as much arch on their crosses as Insua does for this team since Benitez took over.
ReplyDeleteCHHHEEEEEEEEER UP STEVIE GEEEEEEEE
ReplyDeleteWE'VE STILL GOT BARRY; YOU'VE GOT
RAFA BENITEZ AND NO
TRANSFER MONEEEEEE-EEE-EE-EEEEEYYYY
/Seriously I hope you guys get Barry
// Come on you Baggies
YOU'RE GOIN DOWN! YOU'RE GOIN DOWN!
ReplyDeleteCripes WBA play some shit defense. I'm all for the not parking the bus approach, but you have to be at least competent at the back to push forward. Jesus they let Robbie Keane score twice against them, they deserve to go down.
ReplyDeleteWow that's a penalty. Minimum two red cards in this game.
ReplyDeleteSo Setanta's halftime show is done by puppets. I cannot imagine any business model that they are running that could have led to the financial situation they're now in.
ReplyDeleteGo Cambridge United!
ReplyDeleteSo the guy who accuses Alonso of diving, when he ends up being out for a week as a result of the tackle, accuses Mascherano of diving and he ends up coming off injured.
ReplyDeleteSetanta, see you in hell.
C'mon Torquay!!
ReplyDelete/not really
UP THE WIRRAL!
ReplyDeleteNo?
Captain jackass says Torres is miles offside. He's actually a foot onside. Georger's getting angry.
ReplyDeleteI think that I could successfully attack this WBA defense, and I can't play worth shit...is it that hard to find defenders who actually TRY?
ReplyDeleteI'd say WBA look like an MLS side, but their crossing has actually been good.
ReplyDeleteCaptain Jackass: 'good decision' when in actuality two WBA players were a yard offside.
ReplyDeleteAlso, EPIC FAIL there, holy shit. Only thing that's missing is Mike Bassett fighting a bunny mascot on the sideline.
DIRK DIRK DIRK! Rare to see a pure striker's goal from him!
ReplyDeleteAccording to Captain Jackass there's something called being offside in a 'minimal' manner. No. If he's offside, he's offside. Fuck.
ReplyDeleteThis Fortune has missed two easy goals.
Oh well, they'll be right back up next year sure enough.
Wow. Thus ends Alvaro Arbeloa's Liverpool career, Carragher is going to have him shot, stuffed, and then robbed from his own house. GTFO Arbeloa.
ReplyDeleteYou do NOT hit your vice captain.
ReplyDeletehow in the hell did Babel miss that?
ReplyDeleteI honest to God thought it went through the net at first, the announcers thought it was in that's for sure.
ReplyDeletewhat did Arbeloa do?
ReplyDeleteHeh. A ref might've just cost Lecce a chance to stay in the Series for sending off a player for dissent. Either that or the guy must've insulted his sister (That's how they roll in Italy, right?).
ReplyDeleteWell he had some typically shoddy marking in the box, Carragher starts screaming at him, Carragher pushes him in the chest, Arbeloa runs back at him and pushes him back. Quite the bitch fight for sure, but Carragher was completely in the right, Arbeloa blew his coverage badly and Carragher is in charge of the back line.
ReplyDelete*Serie A
ReplyDeleteClassy job by the WBA crowd right now, that really must suck.
ReplyDeleteEvidently Seal plays for West Brom. Carragher arguing with Alonso now on the field after the game, shirtless (shit yeah), Alonso broke up the two earlier.
ReplyDeleteAlright all, I'm off to the bar to watch Rovers get mauled by Spartak, and hear all about how Strachan is a worthless numpty of a coach from a bunch of surly Celtic fans...and this will probably be the high point of my weekend.
ReplyDelete/needs to look into a new life
How would a team bias impact how I view something between two teammates?
ReplyDeleteAre Chelsea wearing their new 'breastplate' jerseys?
ReplyDeleteNice goal from Malouda but his hair is even more ridiculous today.
that was a fine dive by Jose Bosingwa
ReplyDeleteI don't think there's a single team in any league I dislike more than Spartak. Diving, whinging, kicking, grabbing bunch of bastards. The whole lot of them.
ReplyDelete@Phil - Bastos was nominated for POY in Ligue 1
ReplyDeleteWow. Nice. I covet him. Spurs really need a left-footed player of his ilk. Keane showed yesterday that he's too uncomfortable out on the left, it makes Modric far less effective to put him out there, and that shaved ape we call Gareth Bale shows flashes, but is wildly inconsistent. Ignoring for the moment that Spurs will offer their standard 15 mil, what sort of fee will Bastos command?
ReplyDeletephil: Doesn't that almost describe Untied as well?
ReplyDeleteI could see around 9-10 million, but if other clubs are interested (rumours about Chelsea and Newcastle, possibly) his fee might go to 12-13
ReplyDelete@ PR: Less kicking, more whinging at United.
ReplyDelete@ NYK: So the Spurs Standard Transfer Fee (patent pending) should get the job done. I seriously hope Spurs pursue him. Ending August with Bastos, Muntari, and Glen Johnson in the fold would make me very happy.
i'd be very happy with that list, as well.
ReplyDeleteIf I didn't know who Abramovich was, I'd be wondering why FSC keeps showing the special needs adult in the Spartak box.
ReplyDeleteSteve what do you make of the dust-up between Pavs and 'Arry? 'Arry took some shots at him in the postgame presser, and Pavs minced right down the tunnel after he was taken off. Pavs was pants yesterday, and I'm not convinced it's fatigue. He's got loads of skill, but a highly suspect workrate. I wouldn't be surprised to see him go and Bent stay.
ReplyDelete@phil: I caught the second half yesterday, and Pavs was awful. He just kept falling over, and he missed a few sitters. Even my girlfriend, who has never played in her life, asked who the guy who kept falling over was. I don't know if it's his confidence or just a lack of first touch, but I don't see it. I wouldn't be surprised if he moves on, either. The way 'Arry has turned things around for us, I'm taking him at his word over the sulky Pavs. I couldn't believe how mad he was when he came off yesterday (hopefully it was at himself?), because he was pants the entire time he was on the field. So do you think we need someone to replace him? Or do we just stick with Defoe, Bent, and Keane? I think Bent's been productive enough this year to warrant another season.
ReplyDelete@PR: that was a classic shot of Abramovich after Chelsea barely missed that opportunity. errr....
A thought: going forward, how will the past ten seasons of the Prem be remembered? I believe it must be the dominance of money in deciding the final table, with the little guy being pushed to the wayside. I was living in London when Southampton qualified for the UEFA Cup in 02/03; can't see such a thing happening today with a club of similar stature.
ReplyDeleteWay to go, Marseille! Owning the game against Lyon, and now you give up a stupid (and deserved) PK 30 minutes in...
ReplyDelete0-1 Lyon
@EF: I'm the wrong person to answer your question, but I suspect you are generally correct in your statement. I do find as someone new to the sport over the last few years, that there is very little real innovation or creativity in running these teams. I suspect that a really imaginitive person who questions everything might be able to find ways to profit on the margins - probably not enough to build a ManU dynasty, but enough so that you make a decision that "this is the year we splurge", so to speak, and maybe pull of a top-4 or Championship every 5-6 years, cycle back down to mid-table, and repeat...
ReplyDeleteBenzema!! 0-2 Lyon
ReplyDeleteMarseille's back line utterly cratered on that goal - they were chasing ghosts all over the pitch, somehow ignoring every real threat...
ReplyDeleteDammit, Wiltord makes it 1-2 with 10 minutes to go...
ReplyDelete@jjf3: Leeds followed that cycle to a certain degree, except when they tried to repeat, they found themselves in League 1. This is where I'd like to quote eminently quotable Method Man: cash rules everything around me. To combat this mentality, I'd advocate for some creativity both on the pitch and to the mentality of the club. For instance, mid-table squads like Fulham or Spurs (ha!) should experiment with tactics. From my detached perspective, I witness staid tactics that border on institutionalization. Why do teams continue to resort to the fourfourtwo? Why not try something a bit more creative, even if that means A 5-3-2, or a 4-1-2-1-2? Perhaps that will lead to more points, even if it would be difficult to implement. But, of course, its mighty difficult to argue against playing with the same old "hoof the ball and then cross the ball" tactic if it means you land in 13th and reap the Prem-bucks for another season. One of the reasons I wanted the Baggies to make it this season was because I respected what Mowbray was trying to do by playing quick, attacking football and sometimes breaking out of the fourfourtwo meme. Again, WBA is Colaship bound, so maybe that's not the best argument; still, I hope my point is taken.
ReplyDeleteWoah. I just regained consciousness.
@EF - I'm with you on WBA. "This is the way we play, and its the right way to play" as a mantra is very compelling, and if Mowbray could have found any defenders worth a crap, they could have stayed up. Also agreed on the need to look to new tactics and formations - the entire mindset toward the game right now seems very stagnant at many levels, though I think you're also correct that the golden goose of EPL cash is an ossifying factor.
ReplyDeleteI was not aware of that about Leeds - I'll need to look into their history a little more...thanks.
I think the only way around the money problem is to have a very rich owner who both loves football and loves the concept of maximizing efficiency and returns, and having him be able to essentially "afford" to make mistakes along the way to finding the "best" model to use...(ie, let's not hold our breaths waiting...)