European Soccer Part XIII

[Don King]

Score should've been 1-0.

Take away the cheating...ahem..."penalty" and I've gotta believe that the score would have been 0-0. Arsenal never *really* looked like scoring-- Ferdinand was brilliant except for the awkwardness with Ljungberg. But, at the same time, Arsenal's defense was just as immense-- Rooney and van Nistelrooy weren't even part of the game.

It looked for all the world like 0-0, until Mike Riley got Old Trafford Fever like he always does. ;)

---
Also, let's make sure this is clear: I'm also angry because I paid $20 to ruin my day. :mad:

[Bob Gray]

Don,

out of curiosity, who do you subscribe to that you get the ppv for $20? I have dish network and they were $20 a couple years ago, but were $25 last year and are up to $30 this year. If it had been $20, I probably would have forked it over today, but $30 is just getting to be too much of a gouge for one game (I don't count the 2nd ppv game they give free since it's usually not a marque matchup of any interest).

[Don King]

Don,

out of curiosity, who do you subscribe to that you get the ppv for $20? I have dish network and they were $20 a couple years ago, but were $25 last year and are up to $30 this year. If it had been $20, I probably would have forked it over today, but $30 is just getting to be too much of a gouge for one game (I don't count the 2nd ppv game they give free since it's usually not a marque matchup of any interest).

Cox (digital) Cable. They're one of a multitude of companies who use the inDemand PPV service. FSW offers a couple of PPV games a weekend, one Saturday, one Sunday, and they're usually both $20.

For bigger games, like FA Cup Finals, it's usually $30. For middling midseason games like this, though, still $20 per game.

[Bob Gray]

Nice to see the FA have a little bit of gumption, as they have today charged RvN with serious foul play for his cynical raking of his studs across Ashley Cole's leg.

[Nathan]

Nice to see the FA have a little bit of gumption, as they have today charged RvN with serious foul play for his cynical raking of his studs across Ashley Cole's leg.
Good, it was a total cheap shot.

[Craig P.]

Rio doesn't get redcarded for taking Ljundberg down as the last man in the first halfThe actual call is denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity. Being the last man back is only part of the equation, there's also a question of control, direction of play, and distance from goal. I didn't see the play in question, so I don't know whether they other pieces should have added up to getting sent off or not, but there's enough gray area (particularly as you get further away from the goal) that it may have been justified to only issue a caution.

[Bob Gray]

The actual call is denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity. Being the last man back is only part of the equation, there's also a question of control, direction of play, and distance from goal. I didn't see the play in question, so I don't know whether they other pieces should have added up to getting sent off or not, but there's enough gray area (particularly as you get further away from the goal) that it may have been justified to only issue a caution.
I just recall last season when Graveson was taken down by Campbell (very close to the same spot as Ljundberg was taken down) in similar circumstances that everybody was all over it saying the referee has no choice. They weren't far from the top of the box in the middle of the field. He either has to give the defender a red card or give the player going down a yellow for diving. Even Rio realizes he should have been sent off, as he was quoted as saying that sometimes calls go for you and sometimes they go against you and they even out over the course of a season. And SAF has been very coy in his comments about it as well as the Rooney dive and RvN stomping of Cole.

Bottom line is if any of these calls (and several others) go Arsenal's way, you have a very different game, but they all went the Mancs' way. It still amazes me that Riley has awarded 7 penalties to ManU in the 7 games he's worked at OT. That's pretty equal to all the penalties visiting teams have been awarded at OT since the Premiership began in the early 90s! Statistics can be twisted in many ways, but these are pretty hard to read any other way.

[Bob Gray]

Aparently the FA is calling on Wenger to explain his postgame comments now also. But given all the stuff SAF says in a regular basis, I don't see how they'd take any action against Wenger.

Also, apparently there was a tunnel dust up after the game. SAF supposedly got doused with soup (either pea or tomato according to one report) as well as possibly some pasta and pizza. I'd pay to see a picture of SAF covered with soup or some such thing! Though of course such behavior speaks poorly of whoever did it, regardless of the heat of the moment.

And an Arsenal trainer got a bloody nose. Whey they have teams come up and down the same tunnel, especially in heated games like this, I'll never understand.

[Nathan]

Aparently the FA is calling on Wenger to explain his postgame comments now also. But given all the stuff SAF says in a regular basis, I don't see how they'd take any action against Wenger.

Also, apparently there was a tunnel dust up after the game. SAF supposedly got doused with soup (either pea or tomato according to one report) as well as possibly some pasta and pizza. I'd pay to see a picture of SAF covered with soup or some such thing! Though of course such behavior speaks poorly of whoever did it, regardless of the heat of the moment.

And an Arsenal trainer got a bloody nose. Whey they have teams come up and down the same tunnel, especially in heated games like this, I'll never understand.
What I don't understand is why these two clubs have the dust-ups that none of the other clubs seem to have. It gets to a point where it's just moronic to have them walk up and down the same tunnel, let alone at the same time.

Also, Senile Auld Fart covered with soup and pizza is just hilarious to envison. I love it.

[Bob Gray]

I think the rivalry has just gotten so heated both because they have been the two heavyweights of the EPL for quite a few seasons now and there have been a number of unpleasant incidents between the clubs, even going back to the pre-Premiership days. The "brawl" at OT in '91 (I think) comes to mind. Plus the media just whips the prematch hype into such a frenzy. But it would be very simple to have them take turns walking up and down the walkway at least at halftime and the end of the game.

[Don King]

Also, apparently there was a tunnel dust up after the game. SAF supposedly got doused with soup (either pea or tomato according to one report) as well as possibly some pasta and pizza.


I bet it was either Campbell or Heinze.

Har dee har har har. :D

[Nathan]

I bet it was either Campbell or Heinze.

Har dee har har har. :DGROOOOOOAN!

[Bob Gray]

That joke, in a number of different forms, has been all over the bigsoccer boards today. Not sure how reliable some of these reports are, as I've read that they don't even normally serve soup after the match and there is a report that SAF was spotted shortly after his interview (which he did in sweats) back in his game clothes and no soup or other food to see anywhere. Maybe a bit more attempted SAF gamesmanship? Maybe, maybe not.

[Craig P.]

Speaking of BigSoccer, for the second time in less than a week they've got the "we're too busy" thing up for way too long for it to be accurately describing what's going on. Some kind of update on this would be really nice, when they finally get back up and running.

Edit: Speaking of which, I finally got through. Took long enough. At least I kept trying frequently enough to avoid registering an extra visit and resetting last post, viewed threads, etc.

[Bob Gray]

The bigsoccer board has been fairly bad for awhile now regarding the busy signal. And sometimes I'll get it at really odd times of the day, like late at night in America and before most people would be up in Europe.

[Hobart Higgins]

Brits keeping Real afloat.

Beckham and Owen have scored the winning goal in 5 of 6 RM victories this season. Despite limited action by both.

[Don King]

Results from the 3rd Round of the League Cup are complete... the 16 teams in the draw for the fourth round are:

Cardiff City
Burnley
Manchester United
Nottingham Forest
Liverpool
Portsmouth
Watford
Fulham
Crystal Palace
Chelsea
Arsenal
Middlesbrough
Newcastle
Southampton
Everton
Tottenham

So that's twelve Premiership teams into the fourth round... so much for nobody in the top flight taking this competition seriously.

[Nathan]

Results from the 3rd Round of the League Cup are complete... the 16 teams in the draw for the fourth round are:

Cardiff City
Burnley
Manchester United
Nottingham Forest
Liverpool
Portsmouth
Watford
Fulham
Crystal Palace
Chelsea
Arsenal
Middlesbrough
Newcastle
Southampton
Everton
Tottenham

So that's twelve Premiership teams into the fourth round... so much for nobody in the top flight taking this competition seriously.

Okay, I will call it. Arsenal will draw Newcastle or Soton, because they always draw another Premiership club.

United will draw Burnley or Cardiff City.

[Don King]

Okay, I will call it. Arsenal will draw Newcastle or Soton, because they always draw another Premiership club.

United will draw Burnley or Cardiff City.

You are a wise and intelligent man, Nathan. :D

I still have a hard time believing that Arsenal made it to the semifinals of both cups last year without drawing a single lower-division side in either one. I should go back and figure out what the odds of that were, but I'd imagine they were pretty high.

[Bob Gray]

Bingo. Arsenal get EPL 3rd place squad Everton, at least at Highbury. ManU gets Crystal Palace at OT. Several other good EPL matchups with Liverpool vs. Middlesborough and Chelski vs. Newcastle.