Daily Archives: November 21, 2010

Liverpool 3 – 0 West Ham United

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“It was hardly a proper test of being able to cope without Steven Gerrard but Liverpool did more than enough to dispose of a woeful West Ham at Anfield. With the captain out for a month with a hamstring tear manager Roy Hodgson called for his players to step up to fill the void and the Barclays Premier League’s bottom side provide the perfect opposition.” (ESPN)

Woeful Hammers provide no test
“Humour, cruelty and piercing honesty can go hand in hand on the terraces. The greater a club’s plight, the more illuminating the insights from the supporters can prove, and the more absurd their flights of fancy can become. If it tends to be worth watching the side at the top of the league, it’s instructive to listen to the fans at the foot of the division.” (ESPN)

Liverpool 3-0 West Ham United – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – EPL
(The 90th Minute)

World Cup Bids and Saving the World

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“While most of the attention around the recent World Cup bidding scandal has rightfully gone to the layers of corruption embedded in FIFA’s current process, that has obscured another interesting angle to the story: the bid bribery was embedded in the nebulous way World Cup bids are supposed to serve development goals. The two officials at the center of the scandal—Nigeria’s Amos Adamu and Tahiti’s Reynald Temarii—were both ostensibly asking for funds to build fields and a ‘sports academy’ to develop the game in their home regions. The absolute certainty with which most of us dismissed those presumably worthwhile goals as a mere front for lining pockets is telling. Most of us want to believe the game can do some good in the world, but many tangible efforts towards that end are immediately treated with skepticism.” (Pitch Invasion)

English Premier League Match Of The Day (MOTD) Video Highlights

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“Below are Match Of The Day highlights for all the EPL matches on November 20, 2010. If there’s not a link available for a match, it will be updated shortly. The full edition of MOTD (which includes all matches) can be viewed here.” (The 90th Minute)

Scottish Cup Match of the Week: Bo’ness United 0-2 Buckie Thistle

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“I’m very jealous of the FA Cup in England. Not all of it – not the purely financial decision to play semi-finals at the National Stadium, not the ongoing domination of the trophy itself by a small number of teams. We have those bits already. It’s the early rounds, the qualifying rounds and preliminary rounds and the excitement it generates by the simple expedient of allowing pretty much anyone to enter.” (twohundredpercent)

A little white lie is OK sometimes, right?

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Earlsmead
“For what I am about to write may the Lord forgive me. Every so often I make bold statements. ‘I will not use my Blackberry after 7pm at night’, ‘I wont use my laptop in bed’, ‘I will have a weekend without watching any football’. What, can you repeat that last one again? I WILL NOT WATCH ANY FOOTBALL FOR A WEEKEND. Yes, in a mad moment some months ago I agreed that I would not go to any games for one weekend in a year.” (The Ball Is Round)

Barca hit eight, Ronaldo keeps Real top

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“Lionel Messi struck a hat-trick and Bojan Krkic bagged a brace as Barcelona strolled to an incredible 8-0 victory at lowly Almeria in the Spanish Primera Division. Pep Guardiola’s side raced into a 5-0 lead before half-time in a hugely one-sided contest. Messi opened the scoring after 17 minutes and Andres Iniesta took advantage of poor defending to score the second just two minutes later.” (ESPN)

Almeria 0-8 FC Barcelona – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – La Liga
(The 90th Minute)

Villarreal 1-1 Valencia: Emery’s three-man defence copes with two strikers, but not three

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“Valencia had a specific plan to stifle Villarreal’s fluid 4-4-2 system – and it almost worked. The home side made one change from last week’s defeat to Barcelona. Mateo Musacchio was dropped in favour of the returning captain Gonzalo Rodriguez, so Carlos Marchena moved across to the left side of the centre-back pairing.’ (Zonal Marking)

Match of the Week: Arsenal 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur

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“It’s a lunchtime kick-off for the North London derby, and there are still a few empty seats on display at The Emirates Stadium. A chance for that one last drink before kick-off. Supporters of both teams could well be forgiven for taking the opportunity to have that drink today. Arsenal will go top of the Premier League table if they win today, but they have been strangely limp at home against Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion already this season. Spurs supporters, meanwhile, have been receiving mixed messages from their team so far this season. For every win against Internazionale, there has been a defeat at Bolton Wanderers. If their Champions League season isn’t to be a one-off, they need to improve their consistency. Which Spurs will we see this afternoon, though?” (twohundredpercent)

Arsenal 2-3 Tottenham: Redknapp proves he is a decent tactician, even if he doesn’t want to be
“An astonishing second half comeback gave Spurs their first win in this fixture since Arsene Wenger became Arsenal manager. Arsenal brought in Laurent Koscielny in place of Johan Djourou at the back, and Denilson came in with Jack Wilshere a slight injury doubt.” (Zonal Marking)

Rafa Benítez struggles to deal with Inter expectations

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” Reports in the Italian media that Inter manager Rafa Benítez has three games to save his job should come as no surprise. With the shadow of José Mourinho still hanging over them Inter sit a modest fifth in Serie A, seven points off their tally at this stage last season. They are six points off top spot, with only two wins and five goals in eight games. To rub salt into the wound a derby defeat to AC Milan on Sunday ended an undefeated run of 46 games at home and saw Milan retain top spot.” (WSC)