The Relegation Battle Watch

Starting from the last placed- QPR

Last season they made it through although they lost to City because Bolton dropped points. This season Harry Redknapp’s boys have remained in last place for most of the season. Bringing in Harry really raised the hopes of fans but can they really make it to next seasons premier league??? Looking at the fixtures they have coming up in the next two months I think with a bit of luck and good football it’s possible. With Arsenal, Liverpool and Everton still on the books for QPR it would definitely be tough. Notwithstanding they still have a few winnable matches or atleast ‘drawable’.

I am not very optimistic of QPR’s chances. But after January’s draws with Spurs and City and even a win against Chelsea anything is possible. With a goal threat like Loic Remy and ‘Mr’ Chris Samba in defence it might be possible but will be definitely very close.

Up next is Reading

Reading has been a very interesting side to watch this season. Where do I even start? They were 4-0 up against Arsenal in the league Cup only to eventually lose the game  5-7 after extra time. Like that wasn’t entertainment enough they had this good run in January collecting 10 points from 5 games and won the player of the month award( Adam Le Fondre) and manger of the month (Brian McDermott) only to turn off the switch afterwards. May be somebody should tell them that winning both awards doesn’t guarantee staying up in the premier league. Like that wasn’t enough they sent their Manager of the month packing. A man that brought them to the top of the Championship but with four straight losses I really don’t blame them. Its not looking pretty for them looking forward either. With away matches to Manchester United and Arsenal still to come I really don’t see this ending well for them but hey! Its football anything is possible and that’s one of the reasons I love this beautiful game.

Stand up Wigan Athletic

If there was an award for Relegation Survivors I think it should go the Wigan and may be Roberto Martinez should write a book titled “How to make it in the Rough waters of Relegation”. Two seasons in a row they have made it through and somehow managed to remain in the premier league but this season has a twist and its name is THE FA CUP. Wigan made it to the Semis with that surprise win against Everton. This should be very good news right? Not when you are battling Relegation. Wigan still have away games to City and Arsenal on the books and with fellow relegation team QPR looking forward to welcoming them this would definitely be very trying time for Roberto Martinez. Which would he focus one? Which one gets priority over the other? A chance to win a trophy or a chance to play in the premier league next season which is more important? I would go for the later and I guess that’s what the Manager would be thinking to but either way it’s still very interesting to look forward to

Hello Aston Villa!

Aston Villa has not been relegated from the premier league since its inception in 1992 but like the saying goes ‘There is always a first time for everything’. While it looks likely right now with talents like benteke, Agbonlahor and Weimann that they will stay up anything is possible in football like I said but I guess Aston Villa are pretty safe considering the fixtures coming up. They have more home fixtures than away fixtures I guess that settles it but with the kind of season they have had I wouldn’t totally rule them out of going under just yet.

Tackle Rant..

People often say football isn't a man's game and of course these people either do not watch the game enough or watch too much rugby.Then again,these people also say rugby is a real man's game,that rugby players do not dive,they are bigger and get tackled and hacked to the ground. I guess that makes them real men.I see their point however,it is easier to wrap my arms around your body than to use just my legs to collect the ball and try not to touch your body. Over the years,the injury list from tackles that have come on the football pitch takes real men to suffer those but then again some players will rather have scars on their thighs than noses shaped like a windmill.

The  debate about if Nani's tackle was a sending off has left me stupefied on what the word 'dangerous' means. From my view everything that happens or almost everything that happens on the football pitch is dangerous. Interestingly they go on about 'intent' and 'no intent'...the law about dangerous play was re-visited  after the incident at old Trafford. The law which seemingly showed the ref was right for sending Nani off but then you find yourself asking,for the most universal game in the world,why isn't there consistency. Why should the law govern one section and not the other? At this point you will be told it is at the discretion of the referee ..the man that steals a car and the man that steals fish....what is the difference?don't tell me the one that steals the car has bigger ambitions..

I instantly became a tackle expert just after Nani's incident and just a couple of days after that I watched chelsea 2nd leg europa league match against steaua bucharest and saw how David Luiz face was almost replaced by anothers player's studs,I would describe it more but I am guessing,a picture is worth a thousand words....see for yourself..

 
One of the major talking points this weekend was the tackle in the wigan v Newcastle game....Callum Mcmanaman went hard against the Newcastle left back. He initially made contact with the ball but his follow through was very reckless,leaving his stud marks just above the players knee.If you are looking for a definition of dangerous play,that was it right there. Callum Mcmanaman wasn't sent off,he wasn't even given a yellow card...where was the law then? The referee said he did not see the tackle and the FA have said,the player would not be banned. Now the next question is,did he intend to harm the other player?but that's not important if there's law against dangerous play.Instead he has been hailed as a young brave young lad whose passion for the game cannot be questioned. Bruce lee would have made it as a footballer then

 
Then we go to beloved Africa if you follow African football,particularly the nations cup,you will see how players automatically become lawnmowers,tackles against peoples waist not legs and the beauty is how the referee still says play on....I would ask where is the law of dangerous play but the question when you watch is really whether there is any law?
 
The inconsistency from referees round the continent hasn't made justice to certain football laws. If a law is applied with respect to particular incident,it should be brought in for every other one.The term dangerous play should be re-phrased because once the whistle is blown for the game to start,almost everything becomes dangerous. In Spain players drop like flies at the slightest touch and in England they batter each other and the referee says play on. In Italy,its like fencing with ones legs as the weapon. 
And there is suppose to be one law for all these nations and their football? ....I could go on and on but my leg is twitching,I might tackle myself..
 
Anyways,its international football this weekend so we will probably see some tackles that will be settled by the rule book as it always seems different depending on where you are playing,rant over....cup of tea?

In more words to come..Sabi Boi

Farewell to a true Football Great

The news of his retirement didn’t come as a shock to me I must say. It’s one of those things that you know would eventually happen but you don’t know exactly when. With a long list of injuries preventing him from really being as great as he would have been makes his retirement a bit sad. As a fan there is nothing more exciting than watching a footballer emerge from a young promising talent to a world class star. That’s the same excitement I had watching Michael Owen develop into a world class star.

Michael Owen truly has had a terrific career. Even with the list of inquiries he still managed to make history. Before there were the Messi’s, Ronaldo’s (Cristiano) there was Owen. Owen has the kind of pace that kept defenders up at night, sweating profusely even in the winter with the thought of facing Owen the next day. Owen moved past defenders like they were not there. Like Redknapp said ‘He made bad balls look good’. He would run at defenders all day long.

Coming in fourth in England’s all time scorers behind Bobby Charlton, Gary Lineker and Jimmy Greaves with 40 goals in 89 appearances he definitely has written his name in the history books of the English FA. Owen scored 158 goals in 297 appearances for Liverpool before leaving for Real Madrid. Owen had an excellent career at Liverpool before all the hamstring injuries started creeping in. With each injury there seemed to be a reduction in that blistering pace. Without the pace he had to rely on controlling the ball and having a shot in the box which worked in some instances but it was nothing like that electrifying pace.

With Owen retiring at the end of the season I can’t help but play the ‘what if’game with his career.

What if he wasn’t so injury prone?

What if he had stayed in Liverpool?

Just a couple of questions to ponder over this beautiful Wednesday morning. One thing is for sure anyways Owen had superb talent and did the best he could with it and will certainly be remembered for a very long time to come.

Well, till next time Stay true 2 the Beautiful Game…

Its that time again

This feeling of de ja vu is really getting boring now......i'm sure we are all aware of what i'm talking about(well,if you don't, this is for you)....i'm talking about the usual tottenham/arsenal end of season saga.its becoming an enigma....with reasons and opinions for this consistent occurrence varying over the seasons past. is it that spurs wilt at any sign of pressure?or the gunners just always know how to make it across the line?....for whatever reasons, its really getting tiring(note to readers: i'm not exactly complaining)...its just that we see the same headlines on newspapers every season....and there's always that iota of hope, and then disappointment in their tone when the 'inevitable' happens.

                                                    

About two weeks ago,  the London derby provided what seemed at the time to be a shift in power within north London, from the red side to the Lilly white side, with spurs extending their lead to 7 points ; fast forward to Monday, and arsenal are 4 points behind spurs, with a game in hand. so the question is, what can spurs do to avoid becoming perennial under achievers in comparison to their north London rivals. do they sacrifice their ambitions of winning the Europa league ,for that of qualifying for the champions league(and also above their rivals for the first time under Arsene's reign)?. can Villas-Boas take the risk of overplaying some of his star players(lennon is already a casualty of that)?or is it that arsene wengers experience in qualifying always gives him an edge over spurs
                                                    
I honestly think the inevitable will happen, but if spurs are to have a chance, they would have to prioritize. they would have to sacrifice what i admit is a great chance for their team to win a European trophy, for a chance to play in an even better one next season. i agree its a hard choice to make, but if you consider the financial implications, the prospect of improving the clubs status as one of the elite, and the ability to keep their star players and also attract world class players; then its a no brainer .the club have been seen as also-rans for too long; and if they are ever going to shed that title, they have to do something out of character this time(push to the end).

                                                        
This has been the best spurs team I've seen for a long while.....and if they cant stay on top of their rivals till the end of the season and qualify for footballs premier competition, then it will take a longer while for them to achieve that. so for AVB, its having priorities; an attempt to go for the two might end up costing his team both ways; then once again....they would hear the chuckles from the red side of town just down the road.

Should Be as Consistent as a Monday.....

Happy Monday people,hope your weekend was good?I actually had a twist to my normal football infested weekend. I went for a party,my cousins...wasn't bad other than me not drinking any alcohol and not knowing anybody...so I sat down like I was in the naughty corner...sipping very nice cold water and as wonderful as water is, you usually can't drink more than 2 pints,unlike beer. Usually, I tell you what I saw from different games during the weekend but my focus happens to be on just one player this weekend and that player is none other than Wayne  Rooney.

I have been told I am too harsh on Wayne  Rooney but I'll start by saying,Rooney should be placed on the same pedestal as Messi and Ronaldo not because he is as good but I do believe he is not far behind. With the exceptional talent that Madrid and Barca possess,they still look to Messi and Ronaldo to raise their game,step up to the plate and save them in their time of trouble.Rooney I would say used to possess such ability but with age,he has become inconsistent,not to mention fat and with his off and on performances,I would say Rooney is closer to being called a very good player than a great one.
 
He started his international career in euro 2004,exploding into the world as the next best thing but that has been his best tournament for his country till date. He has made headlines for being sent off more times than he has for  scoring a deciding goal or influencing the game that takes England to the next level. Now he loses the ball too easily now and leaves me wondering if this is the same Wayne Rooney that you couldn't get the ball from even if you were a member of the avengers.Rooney hasn't lost the love for the game, that and a few other reasons has kept him in the frame of being great...simply because we know he can do more than what he does now.

Great players mature with age,adding new ways to their game that makes them stand out.Earlier on in his career,he could take on a player,wasn't scared to shoot and was definitely that player to rise to the occasion and get his team out of any position. Over the years,I am sorry to say,he has become as inconsistent as money(atleast in my bank account). The one thing Rooney hasn't lost is his passion and has shown that by his ability to be happy just being on the pitch regardless of which role he plays.Which raises the question,if he was very effective and wonderful in one position,why move him around?
  
Rooney has the talent a lot of people don't. He is hardworking and one of those players that the skill comes to naturally...the belief he put in everybody was so huge that he was taken injured to Germany 2006 over Defoe,who was fit and ready... so what has changed in his game?what has made the bright and can score from anywhere player dissolve and become so inconsistent?
 
If you haven't gotten my point till now, hear me when I say you can't be very inconsistent and be called great. You can't play well every game but your bad game should still be at a level higher than ordinary....Rooney has helped and raised United a lot of times but not so much to be called a legend yet. He was scoring last season and his form was still questioned.

Anyway, United supporters will always be thankful because so far as he has given his all and put his heart and soul in the game. He will probably be remembered as a legend especially if he leaves this summer with all the rumors going around after he was left out of the Madrid game.  Rooney has more talent  than to be ordinary and inconsistent and that's why watching him fall is frustrating....I don't expect him to score like he did against Manchester City but I expect him to know he possesses the ability to at least try...
 
In more words to come..Sabi Boi