wow

Since I’ve been playing them in Football Manager 2010, I’ve gotten a bit attached to Lyon. I’d love nothing more today than to see them knock the crap out of Spain’s version of the Yankees…

… that you don’t have to watch the Stoke/City match. Not pretty.

…but there’s a ManU blog now for SBN.

http://www.thebusbybabe.com/

I thought it said “the busty babe” at first and I was very confused…

but Fabianski needs to be put down Old Yeller style, that was inexcusable.

First and second team in the standings in two straight league matches. Crazy. I missed the first half of the match (stupid EST vs CT listings on ESPN), but Everton really did seem the better team while I was watching.

What is going to be done about Berbatov? Is it SAF’s fault for not building a better scheme for him to work with or Berbatov’s fault for not working hard enough in the system? Either way, it doesn’t seem like the issue is going away any time soon…

for about the last 3 or 4 years, I can honestly say this is the most excited I’ve ever been about Everton other than that run to the FA Cup Final last year. Winning two games against the leagues tope 2 teams (granted they were at home) sandwiched around a win against a good Sporting Lisbon team is huge imo. If Moyes can get this team back into Europe after all they’ve had to go through this year, he should definitely get high consideration for coach of the year.

I just feel lucky that that crappy ref didn’t cost my team any points.

is suddenly back in pretty big trouble. They are basically only a point and a game behind City, who still has the best position, but they are essentially back in 7th now, and they have no more games left against the other 3rd/4th spot contenders and still have to play both Man Utd and Chelsea. I guess their overall schedule is pretty easy, so they just have to focus on their own game. But there is zero margin for error. Only one of the other three has to get hot to knock them out.

City would still look like the favorites to me to get a spot, but they do still have to play the rest of the top seven still, five of their twelve remaining. That’s pretty tough, even with Tevez back. Though Tottenham is kind of the same thing, five of their last eleven are against the top eight (and since Everton is number eight and they play them next, that’s pretty tough). I’ve been dismissing Aston Villa this whole time, but they only have Everton, Chelsea and City remaining with 12 games left.

I’m really looking forward to Chelsea-City next weekend, get to root for City for maybe the only time this season.

Awesome dude. In addition to everything else, he’s been working on topping Tiger Woods’ mistress tally. I count at least six so far.

Chelsea is likely going to have to play Florent Malouda as an emergency backup at LB against Inter. Cole is obviously out for the next few months, but Zhirkov is not in Milan because of a calf injury and Beletti may or may not be able to play because he hasn’t been able to train from a knee problem. Freaking ridiculous.

Arsenal can’t cope with this guy.

Get well soon Ramsey

Wenger:

’’I’m not very happy with the tackle. We know what we are expecting, a battle everywhere, but we have now lost three players on horrendous tackles and I refuse to believe it’s always coincidence.

‘’I don’t believe it when you are hit as many times as we are. I just believe in what I see and when you see a player getting injured like that it’s not acceptable. Commitment is right, but that is not right.

‘’All the questions I get in press conferences about we don’t fancy the physical side of it, that’s the result.’’

Fabregas:

‘’In five years I’ve seen three of them, Abou [Diaby], Eduardo and now Aaron. What can I say. It’s difficult. You could say we are not protected enough. We are sometimes victims. I’m not complaining, football is like that.

‘’There are things that are a little too much but three times in five years is a little bit too much.’’

I would guess that at least a third of the club games I watch intently are Arsenal games, and I have only about five years of really following this league in particular to draw from, so my view is no doubt skewed. But I watch them go out every week and attempt to chop of Fabregas’ legs, and I’m amazed that this hasn’t happened to him yet. Clubs like Stoke, Bolton (under previous management), Fulham disgust me because, at least from my naive perspective, it reminds me of the war or bad HS football movie where the coach is demanding dirty play, and his people are basically forced to try to destroy the opposition in the dirtiest way possible. The expression on Shawcross’ face after that play was obviously one of devastation, but it struck me as that of a guy who was coached to push to the limit, and couldn’t believe what just resulted from it.

I may be off base because I see the way Fabregas, Van Persie, Walcott, etc. on Arsenal are treated more than some other finesse talents on other clubs, but I really think that anyone who thinks that certain teams and players aren’t targeted by certain other teams and players – and that it isn’t cheered on by managers and fans right up to the point that it tips over the edge and everything goes horribly wrong – is kidding himself. And I think that it is the most disgusting thing about developing an interest in this league, having to put up with that culture fostered in England.

That stings a little bit

So Fat Sam says earlier this week that Rafa’s been making too much of Blackburn being a dirty team.

Blackburn today: 4 yellow cards (one of which could have been a red) and oh, yeah, they lead the league in fouls committed.

No, nothing to those allegations at all, Sam. Shut the fuck up and eat another pie.

Awesome.