Game of the weekend
Chelsea 0-0 Manchester City
What do you get when the two most expensive line ups in the country go head to head?……………..
You get nothing. Ninety minutes of mind numbingly dull, negative and uninspiring football. The days of big clubs playing out dull goalless affairs was a thing of the past.
However, with the return of one of its founder members in Rafael Benitez, back it came as Chelsea and Manchester City fired blanks at Stamford Bridge. It was just like the old days with Chelsea (under Mourinho) and Liverpool (under Benitez).
The most interesting incidents took place in the crowd as Chelsea fans made their feelings towards this weeks managerial changes, abundantly clear. Rafael Benitez is not a popular man in South-West London but perhaps Chelsea fans should direct their anger not towards Benitez but towards the man who hired him.
Will Chelsea stand up against Roman and his unpopular decisions? The likelihood is no, because this is the price Chelsea fans paid the day they welcomed Romans money with open arms. Chelsea fans no longer have a say, they no longer have a voice. To act outraged when managers gets the chop, only to then bask in the glory of success that Roman has paid for, leaves very little room for sympathy for the ‘unhappy’ voices at Chelsea.
Swansea 0-0 Liverpool
A far more entertaining goalless draw in South-Wales, as Brendan Rodgers’ return to Swansea ended in a stalemate. For Liverpool it was business as usual, a week after a rare victory over Wigan it was back to the drawing board, literally. Liverpool are yet to understand the objective of football is to actually win games.
Same old, same old for Manchester United as they deliberately sent out an unbalanced side against winless QPR. This lead to United deliberately playing poorly. This was followed by United deliberately falling behind, before deliberately bringing on players who should have started and then deliberately turning the game around and winning 3-1.
The big news though, came from the stands, as Harry Redknapp watched his new QPR side for the very first time. Mark Hughes sacked on Friday and not given the opportunity to fail to win yet another Premier League game.
Last week, I may have done Aston Villa a disservice, in fact, the last two weeks. Despite Arsenal being a long way from their best, Aston Villa put up a fantastic effort to take a point from the misfiring Gooners. Not only that but the Villa Park crowd found their voice again and it’s looking like things can get better for Paul Lambert’s side.
Best of the Rest
There are three things certain at the start of every Premier League season. ONE - Stoke City will somehow eclipse the horrendous football they played the previous season. TWO - Arsenal will sell and sign several midfielders and THREE - Jermaine Defoe will score against West Ham. The Hammers arch tormenter was on target twice as Tottenham bounced back from their 5-2 defeat to Arsenal to secure three points against his old club.
Alan Pardew’s eight year deal continues to look good business as Newcastle lost for a third league game in a row, this time to former club Southampton. Wigan won the relegation six pointer with Reading, whilst West Brom’s march continued with a win at Martin O’Neills woeful Sunderland. Everton continued their winless run with a draw at home to Norwich and finally Stoke beat Fulham 1-0 in a game that may or may not have taken place (I’ll get to that later).
Too Good Too Bad
Arsene Wenger Big Massive Coat Watch
Every week Arsene Wenger can be spotted on the touchline in a comical and ridiculously large coat. This week it looked as if Arsene Wenger just went ahead and wore himself a sleeping bag. Sooner rather than later expect Arsene Wenger to completely disappear into his coat, leaving Arsenal with no other option than to appoint Pierce Morgan as their new Manager.
Stoke City Home Game Dejavu
Chelsea 0-0 Manchester City
What do you get when the two most expensive line ups in the country go head to head?……………..
You get nothing. Ninety minutes of mind numbingly dull, negative and uninspiring football. The days of big clubs playing out dull goalless affairs was a thing of the past.
However, with the return of one of its founder members in Rafael Benitez, back it came as Chelsea and Manchester City fired blanks at Stamford Bridge. It was just like the old days with Chelsea (under Mourinho) and Liverpool (under Benitez).
The most interesting incidents took place in the crowd as Chelsea fans made their feelings towards this weeks managerial changes, abundantly clear. Rafael Benitez is not a popular man in South-West London but perhaps Chelsea fans should direct their anger not towards Benitez but towards the man who hired him.
Will Chelsea stand up against Roman and his unpopular decisions? The likelihood is no, because this is the price Chelsea fans paid the day they welcomed Romans money with open arms. Chelsea fans no longer have a say, they no longer have a voice. To act outraged when managers gets the chop, only to then bask in the glory of success that Roman has paid for, leaves very little room for sympathy for the ‘unhappy’ voices at Chelsea.
Swansea 0-0 Liverpool
A far more entertaining goalless draw in South-Wales, as Brendan Rodgers’ return to Swansea ended in a stalemate. For Liverpool it was business as usual, a week after a rare victory over Wigan it was back to the drawing board, literally. Liverpool are yet to understand the objective of football is to actually win games.
Same old, same old for Manchester United as they deliberately sent out an unbalanced side against winless QPR. This lead to United deliberately playing poorly. This was followed by United deliberately falling behind, before deliberately bringing on players who should have started and then deliberately turning the game around and winning 3-1.
The big news though, came from the stands, as Harry Redknapp watched his new QPR side for the very first time. Mark Hughes sacked on Friday and not given the opportunity to fail to win yet another Premier League game.
Last week, I may have done Aston Villa a disservice, in fact, the last two weeks. Despite Arsenal being a long way from their best, Aston Villa put up a fantastic effort to take a point from the misfiring Gooners. Not only that but the Villa Park crowd found their voice again and it’s looking like things can get better for Paul Lambert’s side.
Best of the Rest
There are three things certain at the start of every Premier League season. ONE - Stoke City will somehow eclipse the horrendous football they played the previous season. TWO - Arsenal will sell and sign several midfielders and THREE - Jermaine Defoe will score against West Ham. The Hammers arch tormenter was on target twice as Tottenham bounced back from their 5-2 defeat to Arsenal to secure three points against his old club.
Alan Pardew’s eight year deal continues to look good business as Newcastle lost for a third league game in a row, this time to former club Southampton. Wigan won the relegation six pointer with Reading, whilst West Brom’s march continued with a win at Martin O’Neills woeful Sunderland. Everton continued their winless run with a draw at home to Norwich and finally Stoke beat Fulham 1-0 in a game that may or may not have taken place (I’ll get to that later).
Too Good Too Bad
Arsene Wenger Big Massive Coat Watch
Every week Arsene Wenger can be spotted on the touchline in a comical and ridiculously large coat. This week it looked as if Arsene Wenger just went ahead and wore himself a sleeping bag. Sooner rather than later expect Arsene Wenger to completely disappear into his coat, leaving Arsenal with no other option than to appoint Pierce Morgan as their new Manager.
Stoke City Home Game Dejavu
Ever noticed how every single Stoke City home game ends in a 1-1 draw or 1-0 home win with Stoke scoring the exact same goal each and every time? (you know the goal, a big tall player takes a throw, another big tall player heads it on, then another big tall player drags an opposition player to the ground whilst simultaneously bundling the ball into the net) Well it’s because Stoke City haven’t actually played a home game since August 2010. After the 2009/2010 season, Premier League clubs became so disillusioned by facing Stoke at the Brittania that they all refused to further fulfil the fixture.
Therefore, for the past three seasons Stoke City haven’t actually played any home games, TV cameras have simply replayed fixtures from the 2009/2010 season. This is why every Stoke City home game is exactly the same. To not arouse suspicion, TV cameras occasionally, through CGI, crop in random goals. This explains why Peter Crouch was seen scoring a volley from 30 yards against Manchester City last season. This goal did not actually take place.
Joey Barton French Accent Watch
Following in the footsteps of Schteve McLaren, Scouse bad boy Joey Barton took to a French interview this week….by speaking in a weird Scouse/French accent. As if the Scouse accent isn’t excruciating enough, Saint Joey decided to add some ‘je ne sais quoi’, if you haven’t heard it yet I suggest you go and do so. Next week look out for David Beckham ‘tawking like a hillbilly’.
Therefore, for the past three seasons Stoke City haven’t actually played any home games, TV cameras have simply replayed fixtures from the 2009/2010 season. This is why every Stoke City home game is exactly the same. To not arouse suspicion, TV cameras occasionally, through CGI, crop in random goals. This explains why Peter Crouch was seen scoring a volley from 30 yards against Manchester City last season. This goal did not actually take place.
Joey Barton French Accent Watch
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