EPL's worst refereeing decisions of the season

These days, the English Premier league never goes by without  major talking points, ranging from racial abuse to diving issues. And the Premier league touts itself as being the best league in the world. Media partners like Sky Sports and Super sports  promotes  that EPL as the best, and EPL ex-players who become pundits seem to be on constant mission to get it into every sentence they say. Personally, I don't know if the Premier League is the best league in the world, all I know is that La Liga has the best teams in the world in Real Madrid and Barcelona, and a number of other teams that would do well in the EPL.

However, if the Premier League wants to be taken seriously with regards to their claim of being the best in the world, then surely it will have to cut out these bad headlines at least the issue of Refereeing. They should have the best referees in the world but they don't. Far from it, in fact the standard of refereeing in the Premier League is so bad and it seems to get worse as the season goes on. It's not just the referees, their assistants have been awful on a number of occasions this season, and they should not be overlooked.

Below are 5 examples of terrible officiating in the Premier League this season excluding the highly controversial Chelsea vs. Manchester United game.

1)  Everton vs Newcastle with Mike Jones as the Referee

There are two sides to this, and neither reflects well on the match officials. First and foremost is Victor Anichebe's header. It's hard to place blame on the referee seeing as he wasn't helped by his assistant, but as I said earlier, they are generally poor in the Premier League, as well. If the linesman is in position, he should have seen that the ball had crossed the line and should flag for the goal. Not long after that, the referee then makes a calamitous decision, having allowed play to go on. Hatem Ben Arfa picks up the ball and goes on the run, he gets tackled from Pienaar,a clear foul but advantage is still with Newcastle as he is clean-through on goal and has two team-mates running in support. A goal scoring opportunity until the referee blows his whistle. You could say that Mike Jones did not allow advantage after Pienaar's poor tackle, because he was trying to even out the mistake he made at the other end. That's no excuse, though. It is simply poor refereeing.

2) Stoke vs. Manchester City with Mark Clattenburg as the Referee

Mancini suggested that Crouch should be playing in NBA and that says it all, Crouch handled the ball three times, twice on purpose in the scoring of this goal, and yet the officials failed to see it, which is ridiculous.  It's not like Crouch was even subtle in his actions. His second handball could not have been clearer only if he had caught the ball, put it under his jersey and sidestepped the defender. Mark Clattenburg had a pretty shocking day, as he also failed to spot a blatant elbow from Andy Wilkinson on Mario Balotelli.

3) Liverpool vs Manchester United with Mark Halsey as the Referee

Right From the start of this match, Mark Halsey was not in control, and with the exception of one incident, he got all the big decisions in the game wrong. Daniel Agger was hauled down in the box. A blatant penalty. Nothing given. Jonjo Shelvey hacks down Rafael. No card given. This was a key incident as it was a very poor tackle and deserved a yellow card. If Halsey had given a yellow card, then the next incident probably wouldn’t have happened. Shelvey and Jonny Evans both went for what u could say was 50/50 tackle. Shelvey left the ground with both feet but went in one-footed and ultimately got the ball. His follow-through caught Evans, who then rolled around on the ground. Evans, for his part had jumped into the tackle in a two-footed manner. Shelvey was shown a red card after some delay, while Evans received no punishment. An utterly ridiculous decision that ruined (for Liverpool fans) what had been a great game until that point. Shelvey's tackle was full-blooded, and while it was slightly reckless, the facts are that he went in one-footed and won the ball. Evans went in two-footed in a similar manner to that, which earned Vincent Kompany a red card against Manchester United last season. It’s either a yellow card for both, a red card for both or at least a warning for both. To give one a red card and the other nothing is just terrible refereeing. Halsey didn't improve, and in the second half he continued getting things wrong. He did get the Manchester United penalty decision right. There was contact on Antonio Valencia, and while it was minimal and the player did make the most out of it. However, Luis Suarez was clearly tripped in the penalty area by Jonny Evans, and nothing was given. Robin Van Persie launched himself into a tackle on Suso which was at best one-footed and dangerous, at worst two-footed and reckless and was shown only a yellow card .While I don't think Van Persie's was worthy of a red card,but  based on the decision to send Shelvey off, the same should have been done to Van Persie .These were just some of the decisions that Halsey got wrong on the day, and when Gary Neville comes out after the game and say that Liverpool were robbed, against the club he lives and breaths, you know something was wrong

4) Fulham vs. Manchester City with Mark Halsey as the Referee

Following his very poor performance the week before, when he took charge of Liverpool-United, most observers expected Mark Halsey to find himself refereeing League One matches. Somehow, he was handed control of another Premier League match between Fulham and Manchester City. His performance was actually an improvement from the week before, but still ranged somewhere between poor and dreadful. He gave John Arne Riise a penalty for absolutely nothing, and then denied Manchester City a clear penalty when Sergio Aguero was brought down. If you wanted to stir up conspiracy, you can  point at  certain  events involving Mark Halsey.These begins with him sitting at the same table as Alex Ferguson during a dinner function a couple of days before United took on Liverpool. And then making "poor" decisions against United's biggest title-rivals the following week. *wink*...

5) Newcastle vs. Manchester United with Howard Webb as the Referee

There were three major incidents in this match where Howard Webb had to make key decisions. He got them all wrong, and all three went against Newcastle united. In fairness to Webb, the second one was his linesman's fault. In my opinion, it was a goal. The ball had crossed the line before David De Gea gets his hand to it, and was a goal. It's a tougher decision than the goal in the Everton-Newcastle game, because the ball is just over the line rather than a foot over the line, but it's still a goal. And if the linesman had been in a good position, he would have seen it.Mr Webb failed to award a penalty to the Toon after Papiss Cisse had his shirt blatantly pulled in the penalty area. The incident took place for so long that Cisse stood appealing to Webb while it was taking place, but no action was taken..And then to top up his afternoon's work, Howard Webb claims to have seen this particular incident and deemed it not worthy of further action. Robin Van Persie intentionally elbowed Yohan Cabaye in the head, and has been allowed to stay on the field. It's a disgraceful decision, but one typical of Webb. This isn't the first time a Premier League player has gotten away with a violent elbows from an opposing player. Surely, if referees claim to have seen these incidents and they haven't shown an immediate red card, they shouldn't be involved in the game..

Meanwhile I am sure there are  other poor refereeing incidents which I can't recall that have occurred this season but these ones I mentioned have been the stand outs in my opinion and this is excluding the recent clash between Chelsea Vs Manchester united. So feel free to tell me ur own wonderful refereeing decisions of the EPL season so far?????

The Extra Official...

Good day people,as am sure we are looking forward to the midweek clashes in the capital one cup.I thought i should share with you what most of us saw at the weekend...

More Than goal line Technology

Goal line technology has had the headlines for a couple of years.Many would like to see it implemented in the game to help with controversial moments but with Mikel Arteta and Chicharito both scoring offside winning goals am sure goal line technology will be a one off soon...Besides we cearly need diving technology..a machine(even if its a Dyson)that calculates the impact made from one player on another to determine if its enough to bring the same player falling to the ground. Even with replays,people are still indecisive about whether Torres fell too easily or was brought down by what seemed to be slight contact...Help us please Mr. Dyson!

 
Jack is back!
 
There was a wild roar when Jack  Wilshere had his first touch of the ball at the emirates. The last time he played in the arsenal team,he played alongside Nasri and Fabregas but now he is playing alongside Arteta  and Cazorla. Apart from the offside goal,Wilshere  was the best thing about the game showing that he hasn't lost his ability to make quick runs into the box,the one twos and of course the ability to make the game look easy. The past two games and a stormy AGM meeting has fans scared about the furture of the club...Is Javk back just in time to steady the hearts of the Arsenal faithful or back in time to gain enough fitness to make Man City, Man Utd or Madrid buy him in the summer?

 
Clever moments from Tom
 
I for one have always asked what exactly is Mr. Cleverly's role?he is neither creative nor defensive but I must say that his last two games for united against Braga and Chelsea,he has stepped up from a level of being useless to less useful(a bit harsh I know). So is this the begining of good things to come or he is just having a temporary clever moment?

 
 Cisse breaks his Ba-rrier
 
Finally the geordie faithful have watched a game where Demba  Ba and Cisse  scored a goal each in one game. Even Cisse has no idea how he scored that goal,he will be happy (as his celebration showed) to have finally ended his goal drought. rumours have it that Demba Ba will be heading to liverpool come january as Newcastle may not be able to meet his contract demands but with Cisse scoring with different parts of his body,am sure the strike force will still be lethal

 
All tackles but no red
 
Its no surprise how nobody has even mentioned the activities from the Stoke Sunderland game...maybe because it ended in zeroes but if ever you wanted a definition of no holds barred, that's one game u should watch...the SI unit of the game started from the get go as Danny Rose went through a Stoke player like he was Casper( but this ghost sure wasn't friendly) the tackles continued flying in and players from both teams were in for it,no diving or extra rolling,they stood up and shook hands...that's the way forward..less cards,hand shakes and maybe a few broken legs...Shawcrosse style..

The 12th Man.....

Chelsea v Manchester United...Man of the match wearing Black.

My brother sent me a message just before the game kicked off asking me to predict who would win and I always try to pretend I'm a top pundit whose opinion is being sought by a fellow professional. So I said,United haven't won at the bridge in 10years. Going there, reliant on their strike force,which has Rooney converted into a midfielder(sort of) and a shaky defense against a Chelsea side that has been pretty stable and are unbeaten this season...I said its looking like a Chelsea win. My brother in response sent a smiley which in my opinion meant, keep your opinions to yourself. Well the game has been played and it is a game that shows you must never forget the unpredictability of football. It looked like a Chelsea win but looks can be deceiving especially when you have a game that ended with the referee as the man of the match.

Today, Chelsea have made allegations that the referee made offensive remarks to two of their players, John Mikel Obi and Juan Mata. Mark Clattenburg has stood by his decision in sending off Fernando Torres for what replays have shown wasn't simulation however little contact was made by Johnny Evans.The United winning goal by Javier Hernandez was offside and his celebration so angered the Chelsea fans to the point that a match steward was pinned to the dash boards and twisted his knee,poor guy,probably doesn't even support United.

Chelsea stuck with their formation of 4-3-3 with the trio of Mata, Oscar and Hazard. As effective as they have been this season,the new attacking Chelsea side have lost their ability to be compact as their wide areas are left open,leaving their wing backs exposed. United exploited that weakness,using a 4-4-2 formation that had Ashley Young on the left and Valencia on the right. They took the lead in the 3rd minute when Ashley Young put the ball wide for Rooney who played the ball to Van Persie. Van Persie shot the ball,it hit the side bar,came out and hit David Luiz to give United the lead.Chelsea did not learn as in the 12th minute,down the right hand side again,Rafael to Valencia,ball in the 18 to Van Persie,right foot,united 2-0.

At this point the referee was anonymous and the match showed why the English league remains the most entertaining in the world.United may have started well but conceding goals is becoming a normal trend. As they have only kept two clean sheets in the league this season....Chelsea got their rhythm back and needed a goal before the break to ignite a possible comeback. They got their goal when Rooney brought down Hazard in front of the 18,free-kick to Chelsea ..up steps Mata and he makes it 1-2.with a few minutes left on the clock before half time,De Gea makes a terrible mistake with clearing the ball and it falls for Torres who's squares the ball for Mata,he pokes the ball with his right foot but De Gea redeems himself with a save...as the ball rolls out,Torres brings out the Jackie Chan in him by stamping Cleverly in the chest..and this is when it all begins for Mark Clattenburg...he gives the striker a yellow card..an offense that should clearly have been a red card.In this period where emphasis is always made on diving,credit must be given to Tom Cleverly for not making a meal of the tackle,he stood up and shook Torres hand.

Chelsea started the 2nd half buzzing and quickly found an equalizer,the creation of that goal started with terrible judgement from Johnny Evans,allowing Mata to control the ball in the 18,squaring it across field to Oscar who in return squares it back and Ramires makes it 2-2. You would expect that there should only be one winner as Chelsea had gotten back the upper hand but it was end to end game as both teams were going for the win. Van Persie turns Cahill and puts a through pass for Ashley Young. The winger goes for a one on one chance and his brought down by Ivanovic,it was a no brainer and a simple red card..|The referee get that right and the advantage goes to United.Chelsea showing why they are a top team even with 10 men,take the game to united trying to hit on the counter attack,a rare run from Mikel Obi who,cuts through the midfield and gives Torres the pass.The striker trying to take on the United defense was tackled by Johnny Evans,the defender slid,missed the ball and barely touched Torres.It was a slight touch but enough to bring a man with long hair running with such pace come tumbling down. Clattenburg pulls out a yellow card and shows Torres,a red follows which stuns Torres and his team mates beyond belief. Chelsea down to 9 men,game ruined..advantage United...and with Chicharito scoring an offside goal...United had the 12th man.

Games that have referees as the talking point overshadows what was very good 3 points for The red devils.The referee let slide a lot of other decisions and David Luiz should count himself lucky as he felt he should trade his football boots for kickboxing,swinging his arms and elbows like it was Ufc match.not to mention a stone wall penalty when he blocked Valencias cross with his arm.United fans have no shame celebrating the winning goal as Drogba scored what was regarded as the winning goal to win the premier league some seasons ago,4th april 2010 to be precise,a goal that was offside as well.Wayne Rooney's outburst at the cameras when he used the words 12th man at Stamford bridge when that intense match ended,also 3 season ago.in fact i have made a couple of  pointers for Chelsea fans

1) Couple of weeks back. Torres offside goal allowed against Reading. Chelsea won the match

2) Wigan lost because Chelsea were awarded a goal that has not crossed the line.

3) FA Cup final. Liverpool were disallowed a goal by Andy Carroll that had clearly crossed the line. Chelsea went on to win the match

4) 2010 Chelsea were awarded a goal against Hotspurs when clearly the ball had not crossed the line. Chelsea went on to win the game and right back on the run for a title. Big Match Big Result..

5) Again Hotspurs were the victim here and yes the referee went on to apologize to Harry Rednapp after the match. Chelsea went on to win the match.

So according to what many have been assuming, "Officials makes a decision in favor of a team and hence he is involved in a fix" I guess it would only be fair to say that Phil Dowd, Mike Dean, Atkinson, Andre Marriner, Mike Cairns, Dave Bryan etc are all part of Chelsea's secret squads. But I refrain from making such dubious accusations. Its football things are going to go against you sometimes and if you really are as mature as you claim to be stop blaming clubs for this and that. Its naive and embarrassing.

Bottomline the officials should improve as much as possible. They are the problem and they are the solution but let us not forget that they are just humans too.

Maybe these things even themselves out over the years.(looking around me to hope no Chelsea fan is by me). The controversy killed a good game but Chelsea should wonder if they could be beaten by a less than vintage United side, then they are not as wonderful as they think.United wins with the 12th man but I doubt any of the players or fans lost sleep over it..

In more words to come..Sabi Boi

A shot in the arm

Will the real arsenal please stand up!.....because im not sure who you guys are anymore. There had to a sense of de ja vu for fans and manager alike as the match at the emirates wore on on saturday. It tells a lot about a team when your most inspiring and creative player is a teenager who had been sidelined for about a year and a half through injury, and making his first appearance. Ihe game was eventually won by a scrappy goal; and to be honest it was aided by a moment of unexplainable 'daftness' by a certain ranger (not mentioning names).

 

As mentioned earlier wilshere was recalled to the starting line up slotting into midfield alongside cazorla and arteta (im salivating). Also reintroduced was sagna who replaced carl jenkinson. Arsenal started the better side with wilshere and giroud testing ceaser early in the game.The former, kept things ticking in the middle of the park before being substituted in the 68th minute (didnt know arsene was allowed to make changes before the 70th minute). The worrying thing for arsenal fans would be that the areas of our game we thought were erased from last season are slowly but confidently taking their rightful places. There were uncharacteristic sloppy passes, flat attacking performances all over the pitch, and the ' bould effect' seems to be wearing off. There is a little less team solidity; and if we came against better opposition(no offense), we could have been punished on several occasions during the match.

 

I think arsenal miss the services of kerian gibbs, because andre santos seems to provide more uncomfortable moments for his fellow defenders than they would like. Ramsey was sloppy and held on to the ball at times. We lacked width, and passing speed. To be fair theo 'the athlete' walcott gave us a bit of impetus when he was introduced, and belive it or not, so did andre 'the forgotten man' arshavin. In fact he provided the cross that led to all the scrambling that led to the goal. After that we managed to survive some nervy moments to ensure the win.

ironically, this might just be the kind of result the team needs before another blockbuster clash against man utd(or is it ref utd now?). cazorla seemed a bit subdued with wilshere in the side, and would have to step of for this weekends clash if we hope to get any positive result. so im hoping i can recognize my team after 90 mins at old trafford; because frankly im utterly confused.

till next time...........

Blue or Red..No Racism .Just Football

Chelsea v Manchester United

4:00pm 

Sunday 28th October

I personally think the best thing about this fixture is the fact that John Terry will not be playing...The focus will not be about who will win,It wouldn't be about top two in the league clash ,it will be focused on handshakes before the game  and if two men or in this case 3 men have addressed their differences and bla bla bla but having said all that,there is still the focus on the pre match handshake as people will look to see if Ashley Cole and Rio Ferdinand will shake hands before the game but regardless of all this pre match rituals,it is a mouth watering fixture with Chelsea unbeaten in the league this season against Manchester united whom this season believe in all or nothing,all or nothing being we either win or loose,no draws.....3 points or nothing.

Manchester will welcome back Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra back to the squad after they were rested for their midweek champions league match against Braga. Michael Carrick will be happy to have Rio back as it will hopefully put him in his preferred position.There are still defensive injury problems but United this season have been blessed with an attack and sends shivers to defenders,they are the premier league top scorers with 21 goals in 8 matches and Van Persie has scored 5 in his last 2 visits to Stamford bridge.But how many times can a strike force mask the fact that your defence are leaking goals.They have also conceded first in 8 of their 12 matches in league and cup games this season and this a tough place for United as they have not won at the bridge since April 2002.

Chelsea lost in their midweek game against Shakhter but putting that aside,they are unbeaten in the league and have found a midfield trio in Mata,Oscar and Hazard which provides platforms for different options in attacking the opposition.You might say Fernando Torres is not back to himself but the striker has scored 4 goals in the league this season and 4 goals in his last 7 matches against United and his time as a Liverpool player seems to be switched back on any time he plays United.In his last press conference,Roberto de Matteo said he hoped Rio Ferdinand will shake hands with Ashley Cole and the pair can move on as men and we have a game to look forward too..They might shake hands but both teams know that 3 points will be needed.If Chelsea wins,they go 7 points ahead of United maintaining their 100%  home record  and United wins,they maintain their pressure on the league leaders and opens a tighter race for the title amongst other teams.

This season has started with focus on racism and one way or the other players from both of these teams have been involved.John Terry's racial abuse on Antone Ferdinand (Rios brother), Ashley Cole backing terry and the twitter situation between Rio and Ashley that got Rio fined for his comments...The Ferdinand brothers refusing to wear the kick it out t-shirts,rumours that Rio wanting to form a black players union...its been a roller coaster ride I would say but all we hope for is a good game for 90 minutes (plus extra time),handshakes or not.

The clubs have met 40 times in the premier league : Chelsea lead by 13 wins to United's 12,with both teams scoring 53 times. Chelsea are in the only team in the premier league era  with a positive win/loss record against Sir Alex side.i will definately be watching but for now..am hungry..and none of this guys i have mentioned will feed me so i talk to you guys soon..

In more words to come..Sabi Boi

European English Reflection..

You should see the smiles on peoples faces when they come into work on a Friday the delight of having the next two days off (for some of us),the plans for the evening ,the gossip for those that had a late Thursday night (pre weekend), then of course the ones that moan about how their weekend is going to be.....well let me not spoil it...as for me,i am off work today,still in bed,just had cherrios,this Friday is starting well...not to rub my wonderful day in your face but then again,I thought I should share..

So since I am having a chill out (lazy day), I have had time to reflect on the European football matches specifically the champions league football. I have listened to different opinions, read loads and loads of articles, its so funny and wonderful to understand different views from different people.In conclusion,there are two sides or more to a story....and yeah yeah before am corrected,there are usually 3 sides to a story.

Arsenal..

The defeat to Norwich last weekend has become or is becoming a tradition where the gunners lose to teams you don't expect them to and a lot has been made (suggestions,questions) about their preparation for that game,some even saying their 14 minute flight to Norwich may have left them jet lagged...that feeling didn't seem to wear off as they hosted Schalke at the Emirates on Wednesday .Arsenal were flat and promised nothing in attack.The Brazilian left back,Santos was exposed for his inability to defend as he was being tortured by Farfan. And with Wenger in the stands,a command figure at the touch line was needed.just as it looked like a promising season for the Arsenal,questions are beginning to come from worried fans but wouldn't you to say it is still early?

On the other hand,you could say Arsenal were without 9 first team players...Scezney,Diaby,Gibbs,Sagna.Rosicky,Walcott,Oxlade-Chamberline,Wilshere and Frempong. So there are some positives to take out from the game.When most of these players return,the squad will be good as new.

Chelsea..

Before the game against the Ukrainian champions,the strength of the Ukrainian league was questioned and apart from the distance traveled. Chelsea were expected to come away with the three points.their unbeaten run this season was set to continue and john terry was back in the side to give them the boost.but they were playing a side that haven't lost in 11 months and have a good flare of samba football in them as they have a good number of Brazilians in the squad. Petr Cech kept the score line respectful with brilliant saves and the trio of Mata,Oscar and Hazard were on a break on the day..you cant pick out much from the Chelsea team,it was just a bad day or did they play a better side?

On the other hand you could say with all the controversy with John terry and Ashley Cole,the blues were distracted?John Terry put on an anti-racial captains wrist band (the irony) and it was better,okay not better to loose on that day but seeing as two of their next 3 matches will be at home, they should qualify.will they?

Manchester United..

The victory for United against Braga masked the defensive problems that united have.with Johnny Evans and Rio Ferdinand being the only fit center backs,you would hope none of them get injured.Rio and Evra were rested on the night and stand in center back Michael Carrick was thought a thing or two and will not want to trade his position for a long time to come.united have conceded 8 goals in 12 matches this season and as comebacks are wonderful,how long can they do that especially when it comes to tougher opposition or crunch time of the season.they arguably have the best strike force in Europe but with conceding goals,they will be too much pressure on the strikers to perform.

On the other hand,united were the only English team with 3 points this week and are 1 point from qualifying for the knockout stages of the champions league.and as comebacks go,it was the first time United have comeback from being 2-0 down in the champions league for 13 years...not a vintage united side but the tradition of always fighting remains.

Manchester City..

Going to Madrid and loosing was expected but it was a game they almost won...So there was promise for Manchester city but a draw with the German champions at the Ethihad meant the game against Ajax was a must win.They started well and went in front thanks to a brilliant goal from Samir Nasri but they decided to relax and let ajax back into the game.Simple one two passes and a rejuvenated Ryan Babel was too much for City to handle as Ajax humbled the English champions.The city bench was worth a hundred million pounds and that's more expensive than the Ajax first team and coaching staff.Mancini is a big fan of the 3 man defense formation but with Richards not being in the squad for too long this season and a confused Gael Clichy,they didn't seem to know what they were doing when Lescott was taken off...Too whom much is given.........

On the other hand Mancini  doesn't have a wonderful record in the champions league since being a manager.he was poor with Inter Milan and the same has come with City.They still have a squad any manager will die for..

In more words to come..Sabi Boi

Bragging rights remains with United

Before this game kicked off,two things were established,1,the Portuguese side have a good away record as they had not lost 7 of their last European games. And 2,as a fan of either team,u need to be seated right from kick off to the end.Old Trafford has become a story,the tale of an early goal,and to be honest,a story will be putting it lightly.It has become a soap opera,where u tune in to see the bad guys(the away team) lay their plans and some actor(for example-Jack Bauer) who fights and fights and eventually stops the bad guys from taking over.In other words,the United fans should expect to see their team concede first,then fight and fight till they win,its a sweet story but for how long will the good guys win???

 
The patience of Braga with executing their passes,showing that the shortest distance between two players is the ball began from kick off....they quickly passed around and a long cross from a Hugo Vianna(a player that couldn't break into Newcastle some seasons ago) found the head of Alan who was poorly marked by Buttner,a good header and United are down in the 2nd minute..here we go again...United seemed to go on the attack,had the ball but created little or close to no chances and Braga with their ever patient approach waiting to hit on the counter.Manchester United started with a diamond formation,a formation that allows Kagawa,Rooney,Cleverly and Van Persie to all play together,good on the attack but allows the opposition to also attack.Sir Alex has said having different formation keeps the opposition guessing,Braga guessed well as Michael Carrick was beaten with a JJ Okocha like skill and the ball was squared for Alan to make it 2-0 to Braga.....Jack Bauer was definitely down.
 
The game continued in the same manner with United creating few chances however in the 25minute,Van Persie with sublime skills got past two players,was brought down however the ball fell to Kagawa.The referee played the advantage,the Japanese found Hernandez,who headed the ball in,the keeper did well to follow but couldn't prevent the ball from going in, UTD 1-2 BRA it became ,you would think this would set United off but the ever patient Braga continued their approach and held on tlll half time.
 
United trailing at half time,they turned to their own Portuguese player...Nani,who came in for Kagawa .United stepping up their game after what was probably a half time tongue lashing from Sir Alex,took the game to Braga and pressure started to show. Nani gave United the ability to go wide and after a series of chances,United wins a corner.Corner goes in,Johnny Evans misses his first attempt but luckily the ball falls to his other foot,he rolls it in for the equaliser in the 62nd minute...And Jack Bauer is back again....game on!

 
Chicharito had been having a wonderful game,the Mexican had been troubling the Braga defense all evening..then in the 75th minute,Tom Cleverly did something that made u understand his surname....a superb pass from the right hand corner,finding the Mexican,power header and United are 3-2 up....The problem with most patient teams,they usually never have a plan b and with Braga,the same.They continued in their ever patient way to find an equaliser but it wasn't to be found.Davd De Gea,who had been having a quiet 2nd half almost handed them  an equaliser when he passed the ball straight to the Bragas striker,fortunately for De Gea he could only force a corner.

 
It was a good night for United coming from 2 goals down to win but once again,the usual questions are there to be asked.David De Gea will start against Chelsea on Sunday as Lindergaard is out with a hand injury and the likes of Rio Ferdinand and Evra should be back in the line up... United's  soap opera will continue as the next of their 7 games in all competition,as it stands they have only one game at Old Trafford and that against Arsenal which will inevitably be another test....the soap opera continues and all we are missing is a theme song, suggestions are welcome.

In more words to come..Sabi Boi..

Bragging rights-Champions League-tuesday 7:45 kick off.

Manchester United v Braga

"I sat down on Friday and told all of u at the press conference that my entire team will wear the kick it out t-shirts come Saturday and Rio doesn't,its disappointing and embarrassing and he will be dealt with"...those were the words of Fergie when he was interviewed after Uniteds win against Stoke...The press being the press took that and have tried to overshadow what was a good win for Manchester United.......

This week welcomes back the champions league and United host the 3rd placed team in their group and 3rd place team in the Portuguese league...Braga...Fergie giving his press conference today indicated that Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra will be dropped for the Champions league tie and immediately questions were thrown as to whether it had anything to do with Saturdays incident and Fergies reply was simple.."we are resting those players as we have a big game come Sunday(against Chelsea) and as for Rio Ferdinand there is no rift".

He continued by also saying.....I have listened to the conviction of Rio and I think it is quite compelling.I can understand his stance..My advice to him is that I always think the union is stronger than any individual and it is important he airs his grievances to the right people,through the PFA or the FA.It has been a communication problem rather than anything else.Obviously as the manager of the club when u lay down policy you don't want to see it being ignored and that's where my anger came on Saturday.We have resolved the problem and that is the end of the matter.....

Ending that matter,another question was thrown wondering if he(fergie) is taking the game lightly because of resting certain players.And fergie was quick to point out that Braga have a better away form as they have won in turkey beating Galatasaray although they lost to a supposedly weaker team in their first game against CFC Cluj.. So its definitely a game he is not taking lightly.

United need four more points to qualify for the next stage of the champions league and ease the fans as there are still fears following last seasons performance in this competition.Braga will definitely be a tougher test than stoke and United drew their home and away  games against another Portuguese side last season,Benfica...so there are still nerves despite winning their first 2 games in the champions league this season.These are testing times as United will probably play 2 games a week till the end of the year....squad rotation will be needed and with Ashley Young back in the squad...United should be boosted in the midfield.

Braga were European cup finalists in 2011 where they lost to Fc Porto,they would have acquired good experience in Europe.And they beat Udinese to qualify for this years competition...So for the United fans it will be good to know that there is no dressing room unrest as Rio and Fergie have kissed and made up...We hope to have a good game as no one in this competition is a pushover hence the name, Champions league....united face Braga at home but who will have the bragging rights..... 

In more words to come..Sabi Boi

Answer me....Please..

There is an unofficial theme in football every year and i say unofficial because it pops up and remains on surface when nobody plans or expects whatever the particular theme maybe .This year it is definitely racism from Suarez to John Terry and the recent events that happened in the Serbia U21 v England U21...Its strange that at this point in life and in sports,there are still issues that cloud and stink up football,the likes of a mans color or race....sad sad sad....i think racism will always exist,we can make t-shirts,fine the life out of players,fans and countries but it will always be there but there's no harm in trying right?

So as usual there are always questions to answer so help me answer them if you can...

Kick it out T-shirts?

The kick it out campaign as we know is a campaign against racism and is widely supported by the footballing bodies in the country.This year there have been a lot of  players not willing to wear the T-shirt in support of the campaign.I would think that wearing the t-shirt to show your support will be a good idea right?but a lot of players refused to wear it...players like Jason Roberts,Rio Ferdinand refused to wear it...are they right to do so?

QPR-Manager,players or both?

QPR signed more players than any other team this season,they signed very good players but  they are still chasing their first premier league win.The players they acquired,are they not  playing well together or is Mark Hughes just not the right man for the job?Maybe they miss Joey Barton?

Chelsea-Champions Elect?

There were a lot of questions last season about Chelsea winning the champions league but this season in the league,with 7 wins and a draw from 8 games...there are little questions to be asked as they look like champions to be...convincing win at White hart Lane at the weekend....will Chelsea be champions come May?or is still too early to say?or was Gareth bale missing for Spurs?

Paul Lambert.......

last season with Norwich ..Paul Lambert led that Norwich and made them a little force to be reckoned with.now he is with Aston Villa,a team he said is bigger than Norwich ..so...why is he not doing the same...quality of players?or?

Bayern Munich,Chelsea or Juventus

All 3 teams have started their domestic leagues without loosing a single game...but just for fun...which team will loose first in their domestic leagues?

Target-20 goals...

Sir Alex said,he has told Wayne Rooney and Robin Van persie that his target for them in the premier league is 20 goals each...possible?

Nolan or Mitchu?

They are both goal scoring midfielders and help their teams in creating and scoring goals......who would you rather have in your team?

In more words to come..Sabi Boi

United Didn't sing as Good but played better

Manchester United 4-2 Stoke..

Saturday, i got up early...the day i use to catch up on sleep and just generally be lazy but i got up for a reason as i was heading to the M16 0RA...oh yeah the Theatre of Dreams-Old Trafford..So got up,disturbed my housemate with my wonderful bathroom singing,clothes on,little bag packed,met up with the boys and Manchester here we come.....There was little traffic on the way and a rest stop made us arrive at the car park 5 mins before kick off....and where we park is usually a 10  minute walk from the ground.Luckily got a black cab,got to the ground in about 5 minutes.....got to my seat,3 minutes into the game....and i didn't sit down for too long, that's when Paul Scholes brought down Michael Kightly at the touch line...Charlie Adams takes the free kick and Wayne Rooney scores his first goal of the season,the only problem is his first goal was an own goal.....in the 11th minute.0-1.This was a familiar sight for Man United fans as they have conceded 7 goals their 4 home matches this season.At this point the stoke supporters were singing.."how do you watch this every week"...the game continued with stoke being in full confidence as a goal certainly gives you and Charlie Adam nearly doubled the lead when he fired a shot at the near post that was clawed away by David De Gea and for a good period stoke were on top of the game.

United decided to step up the game with good rhythm and movement and only if Welbeck could add finishing to his bag of tricks,United would have been level but too many rugby moments from the striker,he kept putting the ball wide every time he shot.United continuing in good rhythm and stoke being unable to contain them,in the 27th minute,Van Persie put a dazzling cross for Wayne Rooney to score his first goal of the season( his second depending how you look at it),the striker headed the ball in and 1-1.The game was only going to go one way from here as United were in total control and in the 44th minute Robin Van Persie made it 2-1 putting the ball in the left hand corner after a pass from Valencia...Half time comes and United lead 2-1..

The second half began as it finished with United still going strong,the stoke fans at this point still singing,this time the song being "your fans are not even English...England England England"....then Wayne Rooney becomes provider as he putts a bending cross and Welbeck(yes,him) puts United 3-1 in the 46th minute with a superb diving header,the boy definitely doesn't like things easy...

There are still issues with United in midfield,yes there are good players there but it is obvious they need a defensive midfielder...the most creative player is of course Paul Scholes and his combination with Michael Carrick has been a good force but in the 58th minute,Michael kightly picks the ball up in the midfield....takes a run,Carrick to slow in chasing back, Ferdinand backs off  Kightly and he squeezes a shot that beats David De Gea....3-2.United continued with the same pressure and in the 65th minute after Stoke failed to clear a Van Persie corner,Wayne Rooney made it 4-2 to united.at this point the Stoke fans just sang for entertainment of United Fans as the game was certainly over.It was a routine win for united especially as Stoke haven't won at Old Trafford since 1976...

United face Chelsea next week Sunday and with the problems United show in midfield and defense,that will certainly be a wonderful test.The chelsea fans may not sing as good as the Stoke fans but with their form and recent victory at White Hart Lane..they are probably singing a famous Chris Brown Song-- Dont wake me up......

In More Words to come..Sabi Boi

Thank God its "F"......Friday or Falcao

TGIF.....yes its obvious, today is friday and yes its also the last working day of the week. Its normal for people to be happy because we all get to relax or flex afterwards depending on your choice.....as for me, my weekend started since wednesday which is not normal but It had to because of my good friend's Traditional(african thing) and church weddings...I have enjoyed helping out as tomorrow wedding vows approaches....that aside, I have missed club football so much and I can't wait for this weekend rounds of football matches.....less I forget, earlier on I said TGI...."F"...... but its not the usual Thank God its Friday thing, this time its Thank God its Falcao.....

Why Thank God its Falcao???? Two weeks ago Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi stole our attention with their epic Ballon d'Or duel at the Nou Camp on Sunday night but after that match and three hours later, a new threat to the dominance of spain’s top two players emerged, and he is a striker with his eyes on the Apichichi top-goalscorer trophy and that man is Radamel Falcao, the Colombian striker whose 47 goals since arriving in Spain in the summer of 2011 have made his 35million pounds fee look like a steal. He scored a brace just after the barca vs madrid match and the 26-year-old now boast eight goals in this campaign, the same impressive tally as Messi and Ronaldo. Prior his move to Atletico Madrid, he almost single-handedly won all the trophies available for his former club Porto with an impressive 36goals in the club's treble winning campaign.

So, could Falcao bring the Pichichi to Atletico, just like fellow South American Diego Forlan did in 2008-09???... A tally of 24 goals hasn’t been good enough for the top-scorer accolade for nine years, when the Brazilian Ronaldo fought off competition from Julio Baptista and a young Fernando Torres.

In the spirit of reality checks, Falcao himself has also rubbish the idea that he could become the first player to break Ronaldo and Messi pichichi dominance since Diego Forlan won it in 2007-08. “I scored 24 goals last season and I want to match that, after which I can start thinking about more goals” he said as a means of dismissing the prospect of toppling Spain’s most powerful players.

La Liga is just seven games and Atletico Madrid has an ambition of playing Champions League but the
aspiration may depend on whether Falcao is poached by any of two Italian hunters. Both Roberto Mancini and Roberto Di Matteo have watched Falcao very often fueling press speculation that the £45m striker could imminently trade Madrid for either Manchester or West London. The fact that the Colombian has publicly expressed an interest in playing Premier League football will surely have set alarm bells ringing at the Athelico Madrid...Am sure EPL fans would love to see him play in English.

For today though, Athleico Madrid fan will rather tell u Thank God its Falcao then Thank God its Friday....... However Its official everywhere around the world that civil servants look forward to fridays and am not an exception so I can happily scream......THANK GOD ITS FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!

Match Previews.....

Will there ever be a time we would all sit down and look forward to the international week?i don't know,maybe but am sure we are all glad to have the leagues back in action and in this case the EPL....so i start my Friday evening with a toast(wine in my hand)......welcome back to 3 points being the maximum and no points being least.....welcome back the premier league.....there are mouth watering games to be seen this weekend, there's money to be made if you have a bet on and there's the pride you want to take into the week as a wonderful supporter of the club you follow...so lets see whats happening this weekend..

First match 12:45 kick off..

Tottenham v Chelsea

Forgetting his diving,hes establishing himself as a world class footballer for club and country,Gareth Bale is definitely one to reckon with.He has the support of Dembele and Dempsey in midfield and will be against the trio of Mata,Oscar and Hazard.Tottenham has an in form striker in Defoe where Chelsea have the getting back in his stride(we hope) striker,Torres..close match as usual but will it be the first loss for the European champions Chelsea??and its the reunion of AVB and his former No2 Di Matteo..should be a good one..

Match facts

Head-to-head

Chelsea have failed to win in their last six Premier League visits to White Hart Lane since a 2-0 victory in August 2005 with goals from Asier Del Horno and Damien Duff.
Victory for Tottenham would be their 50th over Chelsea in all competitions. Chelsea have 61 wins.


Tottenham

Tottenham are unbeaten in nine matches in all competitions (W5, D4) since the opening-day defeat at Newcastle. 

They could register five successive league victories for the first time in 2012.
Only in 2009-10 have Spurs had more points (15) after seven games of a Premier League campaign than they have this season.

The north London side have lost just two of their last 22 league matches at White Hart Lane (W15, D5, L2).
They are unbeaten in their last 20 Premier League home matches against fellow London opposition since a 3-1 defeat by Arsenal in September 2007.

Chelsea

Chelsea's tally of 19 points out of a possible 21 represents their best start to a season since 2005-06, when they registered 10 wins and a draw in their opening 11 matches.

Defeat by Tottenham would leave them with an identical record to the same stage last season when managed by Andre Villas-Boas (W6, D1, L1).

Chelsea are the only team in the Premier League yet to concede a goal in the second half.
They have the best defensive record in the division, conceding only four goals so far and keeping four clean sheets.

Fernando Torres has now scored 11 league goals in 53 games for Chelsea - it took him just 19 games to reach that mark for Liverpool.

Manchester v stoke 3pm Kick off

Old Trafford will welcome Michael owen back and not sure he will be called a legend but will always be remembered as a united player as he won the souls with his last minute goal against Man city in the thrilling 4-3 win for United.United like to play stoke at home as they always get the 3 points,always a tough game as stoke leave nothing to chance.Manchester United also welcome back Ashley Young,hopefully he is back with more skills than dives


Match Facts

Head-to-head

Stoke have not beaten Manchester United in the league since December 1984, and have not won at Old Trafford since April 1976.

United have won their last eight home league games against Stoke - those results include two 5-0 victories and a 4-0 win.
Both United's goals in the 2-0 win in this corresponding fixture last season came from the penalty spot.


Manchester United

With 17 goals so far, United are the top scorers in the Premier League. Their last 11 league goals have been scored by 11 different players.

United have already lost twice in their opening seven league games - they only lost once before Christmas in last season's Premier League.

Sir Alex Ferguson's side were losing in five of their opening seven Premier League matches this season - but they fought back to win three of those matches.

United's defeat to Tottenham in their last match at Old Trafford was their first home league defeat of 2012.

Paul Scholes is waiting to make his 400th Premier League start for Manchester United.

Wayne Rooney became England's fifth-highest goalscorer during the international break, but has yet to find the net for Manchester United this season. His international and club team-mate Danny Welbeck, who scored twice against San Marino last week, is also yet to score a goal for United this season.

Stoke

Stoke have drawn nine of their last 13 Premier League matches.

Tony Pulis's side have not won any of their last 13 Premier League away games (D6, L7), scoring just six goals.

The Potters have scored only one second-half goal in this season's top flight.

Stoke's Michael Owen made just six Premier League starts in three seasons at Old Trafford, and 31 league appearances overall. He has scored 149 Premier League goals in total.

According to Opta, Peter Crouch has contested more aerial duels than any other player in Europe's top five leagues this season. Crouch could make his 300th Premier League appearance, while Robert Huth is on 199 Premier League appearances.

The World or Europe??....

Ryan Giggs,i know reading or hearing that name quickly puts a man who recently had some activities with a hot model(given the chance,i would),slept with his brothers wife(wouldn't do that)and bla bla bla but i will try not to leave that image in your head.....even if i just put it there...so lets try again..Ryan Giggs,welsh footballer,born 29th November 1973,plays for Manchester United,made his first senior appearance in the 1991-92 season and even at 38 is still going and playing strong for the United team.In his playing career, Ryan Giggs has won 12 premier league titles,4 fa cups,4 league cups,8 charity shields,2 champions league,1 super cup, 1 intercontinental cup and 1 Fifa world club cup.....even writing that has put a smile on my face.he is the most successful British footballer ever and with a record like that,there are definitely no regrets???

The welsh team have not been successful for a good number of years and even with having brilliant players every other period,the likes of Mark Hughes, Chris Coleman,they have not managed to qualify for a major tournament since they qualified for the world cup in 1958.So players like,Gary speed(Rest In peace),Mark Hughes Craig Bellamy and of-course Ryan Giggs did not get to play the most prestigious competition in world football....any regrets??

Recently Ryan Giggs said he hopes the Great Britain football squad for the Olympics should continue as it gave the likes of him the opportunity to play in a world football tournament.and if Giggs with his achievements could say that...it brings me to the question i have been willing to ask....which competition is better...the world cup or the European champions league??This is a question that has been going on in my head and listening to Talksport yesterday,it was raised again and of course different opinions brought different answers but i am trying to establish an answer that is based on fact,i probably wouldn't but there's no harm in trying.

Point 1

Players always say the greatest honor you get in football is playing for your country,putting on your countries stripes and representing millions of people.I totally agree with that and as i have said,it is the only time that a player(playing for their country) kisses the badge and means it.If playing for your country is the highest honor then i would tend to think that the only competition that involves the entire world has to be the best competition  but then again people will argue that majority of the players that have won world player of the year all played in Europe and in situations like George Weah who won the world best player in 1995 doesn't hail from a country that has enough good players to challenge in the World Cup so if not for his form for his club and champions league,he will not be noticed...true or false?

The last week which has been the international week has raised questions about the quality of football as countries like San Marino play with no chance for them qualifying as they have just one professional footballer in the team.And the champions league usually has teams that are unknown but because it will be a team made up of different nationals that the quality of football will still be high. However people forget that as it is the World cup...everybody has to play whether your Brazil or the Seychelles.

Point 2

Pele and Diego Maradona have often being hailed as the two best footballers ever to have graced the world.And a lot of people usually either agree with Maradona being the best or with Pele being the best.The fact remains that Pele led Brazil to winning 3 World Cups and Maradona to just 1.There is no mention of their club football when it comes to both of them,it is what they did for their countries that is always used,bearing in mind that Pele never played European football. Messi and Ronaldo are now being hailed as the two best footballers but Iniesta was given the award of best player in europe ahead of Messi and Ronaldo because of his contribution in helping Spain win the European Cup.once again,what he did for his country.And even if you say that was for European cup,after Spain won the world cup in 2010 with Iniesta scoring the winning goal against Holland,he was applauded by fans of different clubs Barcelona played against in the la liga

Point 3

There's a unity that sports brings together...there are certain countries with a lot of crisis going on but all that will be put aside when these countries are playing a football match.People come together and for 90 minutes at least,everyone(almost) forgets about whatever problems that might be going on.As a player representing those people in the world cup...there is nothing greater or better...

I may be biased as i have always seen the world cup as a the best football competition so may have missed out points that may show that the champions league is a better competition so if i have,please feel free to state them.the European champions league may boast of the best players but they represent their clubs,the fans and themselves....in the world cup,they represent a nation....and as a player that leads your country to victory(holding a hanky,crying..hahaha)........but if i was a player that has won the world cup and nothing else in my career...regrets??? maybe but definately to few to mention..

In more words to come..Sabi Boi

Is the absence of evidence the evidence of absence in football???

  Just finished playing gruelling 5 aside match which we would have won if only we were given our rightful penalty.. Since my opponents are not here to tell u their side of the story lemme tell u d truth. I had a one on one with the goal keeper and before I shot the ball the goal keeper tripped me without touching the ball. Is that a clear penalty or what!!!!! But it wasn't given

What's my point u might b asking by now? My Simple point is this question 'is the absence of evidence really the evidence of absence???

Think about Tennis with the whole line technology n all. If you think a ball that was called in was out all you have to do is challenge the call and the computerised replay comes on the big screen. That's evidence right there.

Think about Formula 1 with the fast past car chases n all. If a team disputes a call all that has to be done is just reply the race and the governing body (can't remember the name right now) makes an informed decision.

With the advent of technology and all the hype around it isn't it logical that same should apply to best game on the planet. I really think it would bring an end to all the controversial goal-line decisions and diving allegations and all what not.

That's just my opinion.

Till next time Stay TRUE2SOCCER

A picture.....more than a thousand words

The weather has become worse,the coats are out,scarfs round the necks and all the mini skirts have become longer...oh yeah,winter is slowly knocking.Ignore it or not,it will keep knocking.Then with trying to battle with the cold,the international football weekend has been full of dives(Gareth Bale),poor decisions(Scotlands disallowed goal),a nation humbled(Germanys win in Ireland) and the inevitable..(Spain winning again)....But funny enough,the best thing this weekend, wasn't even about football..... Audley Harrison...remember him?...the same guy that went 3 rounds with David Haye and threw just one jab,the boxer(atleast so they say).....well he was in the ring for 82 seconds on Saturday against David Price.....

as they say a picture is worth a thousand words......

i am pretty sure Audley still cant see clearly till now........

Gareth Bale showing us he is not only from wales with his Donkey Kong salute.celebrating his second goal against Scotland.

Theo Walcott giving us an early impression of how Audley Harrison was going to end up after the San Marino goal keeper knocked him out. 

Not a goal celebration...Ivory coast players trying to get to the dressing room after a riot emerged in the match against Senegal...They should settle it with Pro evolution soccer..

I thought i would share the meaningful moments or at least interesting moments i had during the weekend but before i go......i read in the papers this morning that Audley Harrison says he might not retire,his words were...Keep dreaming,always believe and work hard....once again,a picture is worth a thousand words....

keep Believing....In more words to come..Sabi Boi