Only One We Know

new home...

2006-12-22T15:26:00.000-06:00

if anyone is still around these parts, we've moved...

stephenhawkingsfootballboots.blogspot.com

enjoy the new site!

-DBUD

what 24 hour rule?

2006-11-12T21:05:00.000-06:00

So I guess when your team dominates one of the"big four" you don't have to wait 24 hours to post. A great showing by Arsenal today. They got it done when they needed to. I would've liked to see a little more out of Henry, but a win is a win. I was just begining to questions the fact that Flamini was starting and not say, Walcott, when he popped up and scored the first goal. It was a fantastic move and a great goal. Toure's goal was even better, just because it was Toure running all the way up field and then Gallas' was the icing on the cake. Two games and two goals from set pieces. What is happening? I couldn't believe my eyes.

I think Fabregas was lucky to not get a straight red card for his scissor kick challenge from behind, but then again Carragher was lucky to not receive a second yellow late in the match. I thought the officiating was good. For every call that gets blown and blown up in the press, I think it should only be fair for the press to praise the officals when they get calls right (Van Persie's handball and the two disallowed goals). That's all i got. Good day, Spurs lose and Arsenal win. Liverpool going to win the league , are you having a laugh? is he having a laugh?

DBUD

I think i can, I think I can, I think I can......

2006-11-07T19:45:00.000-06:00

well well well. The first part of the Carling Cup quaterfinals are complete and let me tell you, there were some great matches. Here is the round-up

Wycombe top Notts County

United succumbs to the power of the Shrimpers

The Addicks give Iain Dowie a little more job security

Ditto, Roedder and Newcastle

I don't really have much to say about the matches because I couldn't watch them. I was stuck at work, but I was glued to bbc.com and hitting F5 every 30 seconds to see if there were any updates on the scores. I love Cup football. It is fantastic. It gives the little guys a shot to punch above their weight. I love the NCAA College basketball tourney and the League and FA Cups are just like it. I always find myself rooting for the underdog. I was esstatic that Southend United beat Manchetser United, and not just because I dislike Man U, but because it was such a great upset. Southend United sit bottom of the Colaship, so hopefully this win can get them going. They were promoted twice in two years and have pretty much the same core group of players. If OOWK would post, you might here more about this match because he is watching it on DVR right now, but expect to wait 24 hours so he can clear his head. I was really hoping that Chesterfield would get the result, but it was not meant to be.

Meanwhile, in Scotland, their version of the League Cup was happening and Falkirk over came Celtic on penalties.

I was happy that Stokes got the goal to level the contest. Arsenal really need to hold on to this guy. Granted he is lighting up a 2nd division, but it is better to be lighting up that then the reserve league.

Finally, I came upon this article at the Booyah network's Page 2. The basic jist of it is that David Stern, the NBA Commissioner, decided that there was too much whining and complaining in the NBA so he gave referees a free hand to issue technical fouls. So far there have been 30 technical fouls issued in the first 17 games of the season, which has got to be a record. Anyways, it is a great idea. I think the FA tried something like this, but it never got off the ground. Case in point when Wazza called Poll (i think) a "see you next tuesday" a few times with some other curse words sprinkled in, nothing happened. I'm not singling out Waz (Wayne Rooney for anyone who cares) for this, it was just the example that popped into my head. It would be great to see in football because crowding, whining, and arguing all take away from the joy of watching football. If the players acted mature and like grownups and got on with the game, the game would be a better thing.

DBUD

Please queue for unemployment here.....

2006-11-06T20:16:00.000-06:00

Glenn Roeder is being "backed" by the chairman of Newcastle. Interesting. One has to think tha the is on his way out if Newcastle can not get some results. Yes, they beat Palermo 1-0, in Italy (or Sicily as Doug said at the Globe. I think he thinks that Siciliy is independent). Anyways, Newcastle followed up this huge win, with a loss at home none-the-less to Sheffield United.

So, the Geordies sit second bottom in the table.

that is um, how do you say this, not good. Alan Pardew was the other manager on the hot seat, but he has gotten results the last two times out in the league for West Ham. The win against Arsenal will restore some hope and secure his job for at least a short while.

Meanwhile, Roeder is telling us that he feels the same pain the supporters do. Well, Glenn you can feel the same pain an anguish that a Newcastle supporter feels, but you actually have some say in how the team plays. If you want to keep your job it is time to get your shyte together and get some results. Who knows, if this keeps up we could be watching a Tyneside derby in the Colaship next year.

DBUD

Handbags and Gladrags

2006-11-06T20:07:00.000-06:00

ok, well not really, but if there was no 4th offical who knows what Arsene would've done. My guess would've been a girlish slap or something like that. I can't see him swinging a roundhouse or anything like that.

anyways, onto the match. I was so ready to rip Arsenal apart yesterday, so I followed the 24 hour rule, so my thoughts would be clearer. I would like to thank Dr Lutze of Illinois Wesleyan University for implementing this rule. You see, when you got a paper back from Dr Lutze he would not let you come and talk to him about it for 24 hours. Most of them time the students would talk themselves out of going to see him and making a foul out themselves when they argued about their papers. It worked. and it works here.

so, Arsenal travel to Upton Park and get nothing. They deserved to get nothing. They played horribly and even though they had a valid appeal for a penalty, it didn't matter. A team of Arsenal's caliber should not have to rely on a penalty to score a goal. I thought, along with everyone at The Globe (west ham supporters too), that Kolo Toure had put Arsenal in front, but he missed by a hair. Arsenal had no width in this match. The midfield likes to attack on the middle, so it is up to the fullbacks to provide some width and strength up the sides. Clichy was ok at this, but Hoyte was not. Eboue did a better job when he was subbed on near the end of the match. Which brings me to the subs in general. They were awful. Adebayor for Van Persie? huh? Eboue for Hoyte? (ok, this one was ok) and finally Flamini for Hleb? (wait, are you trying to win this match Arsene?). Adebayor should've come on for Hleb and Van Persie should've moved to the wing.

A lot has been said that Arsenal have no Plan B. and you know what, they really don't. They are one dimensional and have to score the perfect goal. Yes they have been shooting more, but they have not been doing enough to get goals. You can say they were unlucky against CSKA, but unlucky is only so much. They need to get their heads out of their asses for Everton this week and Liverpool this weekend. Yes, they will be back at home, but Liverpool are deadly on set pieces, with Peter Crouch, and Arsenal are weak against set pieces. hmmm, methinks the Red Scousers will score at least one goal from a set piece on sunday. At least the match is on at 10 AM Chicago time so I get to sleep in.

DBUD

It's puts the ball in the goal or else it gets the hose again.....

2006-11-01T19:48:00.000-06:00

good god. I didn't even get to watch the Arsenal match today and thankfully I was stuck at work. I think soccernet's final tally of shots was 25, with about 7 on target. How the F does a team get that many shots and not put one in, especially when at least two of them are WIDE OPEN and you probably have to try hard to have the keeper save them or to miss the shots. I'm kinda dreading watching the highlights, but if I remember to put on FSC tonight I'll try to catch them on the Report.

So Arsenal have made things difficult on themselves for yet another year in the CL. I told OOWK after the loss in Moscow that Arsenal would have to win the home matches and a draw in Portugal would be enough. Well, now that they drew at home, they need to win out in order to settle their own fate and not rely on results in the other matches. While I think a win against Hamburg at home shouldn't be too difficult, a win at Porto could be tough. The team really needs to be up for it. They really needed to have Adebayor or Baptista playing today, but they were both injured. Sounded like the team was a little one dimensional.

of course I didn't see it, but you can't beat analyzing something you haven't watched!

I won't get into the United match right now because OOWK is watching it as we speak on his DVR and I don't want to ruin anything for him on the off hand he checks the site. He' been busy with crap and I'm just lazy, which explains the no posting.

Moving on, Celtic had made things difficult with a stomping at the hands of Benifica. I don't really feel like getting into the other matches too much. Chelsea will go through, they only need 1 point from 2 matches and Liverpool have already secured passage and will now be duking it out with PSV for the right to win the group.

One thing I do want to say is that the Special One celebrated the last gasp equalizer by Drogba like he was William Dafoe in Platoon. He's got the best team money can buy and all he does is bitch a moan about things. He also has a serious case of Wengeritis when it comes to him complaining about Barca diving. I already don't like the man and this really is just making it worse. I don't think there is anything he could do to make me like him, except maybe getting fired for not winning the CL, but he has got one of the easiest jobs in football. The talent he has is second to none and he just has to make up the team sheet.

ok, i'm rambling. more tomorrow. maybe in the morning if I can get my butt out of bed.

Boring Boring Arsenal

2006-10-22T18:04:00.000-05:00

so, the post-a-polooza kinda sputtered out before it even got started. oh well, what can you do. OOWK is trying to lose like 100 pounds in 6 weeks. let's all wish him good luck.

In other news, Arsenal traveled left on the M4 (thank you google maps), past the offices of Wernham-Hogg, and just straight up owned Reading. I was a little worried about this match, based on how well Reading had played against United (a draw) and Chelsea (unlucky really to lose). I'm sure Reading had a great game plan that just went to shyte when TH14 put Arsenal ahead 1-0 after 58 seconds. Reading looked like they were going to get back in the game, with Mad Jens being tested after he messed up clearing a corner. However, before Reading could draw level, the two Eastern Europeans played a nice little 1-2 and Hleb blasted the ball past a hapless Hahnemann.

After the break, RvP put Arsenal up 3-0 after a beautiful piece of football and TH14 rounded out the match with a penalty that hit the right post and went in. I was very happy for RvP to get a goal, because he was all over the place today. His crosses were poor and his shots were all over the place. At one point he should've shot the ball with his left foot, but chose to pass. It was great to see him get a goal.

So Arsenal win, and move up to 4th in the table. Things are seeming right in the world. If OOWK wants to talk about United or anything else he can.

Arsenal face West Bromich Albion this week in a 3rd Round Carling Cup tie. It is going to be interesting to see which youngsters get starts. I'm sure Theo will start and I would like to see O'Cearuill, Traore, and Merida to name a few.

DBUD

CLeague Preview

2006-10-16T19:24:00.000-05:00

It's a CLeague so I figured we'd take a look at a couple of the bigger match-ups coming up over the next two days.

Celtic v. Benfica: A big match up north at Parkhead, and a Celtic win would put a nice little five point cushion over Benfica. If Celtic have hopes of making it to the knockout stage, this is an absolute must-win for the Bhoys,especially considering how hard it will be to get points when Celtic travels to Portugal later on in the season. United did Celtic a massive favor by winning AT Benfica last time out, and Celtic took care of half the equation on the same day against FC Copenhagen, now its up to them to complete the formula, and take that next step they always hope for in Glasgy. Benfica will be up for it, and seeing as it is a Portugese side, we know they'll spend a lot of time writhing in pain, so Celtic will have to stay composed, unlike they did in that Uefa cup final against Porto. I'd like to think Celti get the job done, but I think this one ends in a draw, not an utter dissapointment, but not the ideal result.

Bordeaux v. Liverpool: Coming off a disspointing draw at home to Blackburn, Liverpool make the short trip across the Channel (lovely trip by train by the way) to Wine Country to take on Bordeaux. The wrong result for Liverpool in this one really turns this group on its head, and a win by Galatassary at "The Hell" (not completely inconceivable) could see all four teams knotted at 4 points halfway through the group stage. Not exactly the position Reds supporters thought they would be in, when they saw the groups announced. I look for Bordeaux to sit back and defend, and Liverpool to have trouble breaking them down, both sides leave with a vital point.

THE BIG ONE: Some of the sting will be taken out of this one, as a point still does a job for both sides. It wil be interesting to see how the sides deal with having to play each other twice in a fortnight, and I would guess that by the time the 180 minutes is up, at least one person will be sent off. Chelsea are obviously in a bind in terms of their keeper situation and Barcelona will have a bunch of weapons with which to challenge Hilario with. I believe that Barcelona are without Eto'o for at least one of these matches, but I think they still have enough to get 4 points out of these 2 matches, a point here and 3 the next time out.

Enjoy the footy tomorrow, we'll be back to look at the results tomorrow night.

OOWK

Number 1 with a bullet

2006-10-15T17:52:00.000-05:00

So we're pretty close to being one quarter of the way through the season, and it's time to start looking at which gaffers get the ax first, and what the odds are. So below is my top 4 list of managers who will get sacked/walk away before the first kick of next year's campaign.

4. Starting off the top of the list as a bit of a shocker is none other than the Special One. I have no doubts that they'll probably win the league this year, but I don't think they have the type of squad to win the European Cup, which is clearly Chief He Who Writes The Checks aim. I just have this sneaking suspicion that if he doesn't win the Champion's League, Roman's patience will have been spent (as well as all his money). Odds 20-1.

3. If things continue the way they are, for much longer, Martin Jol, may jump to the top of the list, sooner rather than later. Given the cash that was spent in the summer transfer period, expectations were extremely high this season, and Spurs have been nothing short of atrocious in all facets of the game. He may last through the season but I doubt he makes it past the summer. Odds 12-1.

2. Probably the most talked about departure rumor so far this year, has been the one involving Alan Pardew at West Ham. After the arrival of The Cave Man (seriously look at any picture of Tevez, and the first thing that comes to mind is cro-magnon man) and Mascherano, Hammers' supporters would have though the next stop was a major push for that 4th Champion's League spot, but that hasn't been the case. The side has lacked a chemistry and Pardew has been unable to incorporate his new stars into the line-up successfully, so unsuccessful in fact that even then new Argentina manager has called for the two new boys to leave the club, quick-like. Add this to the fact that the club is involved in several different take-over talks and its a pretty dodgy situation for Pardew. Odds 8-1 (if no take over), 5-1 (if take over occurs).

1. Topping the list is the professorial looking one in charge up north, Glenn Roeder. The only thing saving Glenn so far, is the fact that one Michael Owen is out injured, for god knows how long. Even a healthy Michael Owen however, is not going to be enough to turn this side around before the season come to an end, and their 2-1 loss to Bolton at home today, after going up a goal early, only further heightened the pressure in Geordie Nation. Look for Glenn to get the sack around the 1st of the year. Odds 3-1.
(and yes he made the top of the list, cus we picked them to finish 7th, and he's making us look like twats).

OOWK

Anyone got a Keeper???

2006-10-14T18:09:00.000-05:00

So, it was a rahter interesting start and a rather interesting finish at the Majd..Maedj..Madj..the stadium that starts with an M near Reading. About a minute in Petr Cech was stretchered off, and in injury time replacement keeper Carlo Cudicini was taken off in a neck brace, forcing the English Super Hero known as John Terry to throw on Hilario's keeper shirt and gloves and step between the posts for about a minute, would have loved to see him forced to make a save, but it was not to be. Of course the Special One has something to say about the injuries, but in my semi-neutral opinion I really didn't see much worng with either, particularly the second one, but I've only seen the replay from one angle, so I can't be for certain, but I don't think there was much malice in either especially one minute into a match. In between all of the musical keepers Chelsea had Obi Mikel sent off and Mike Riley evened the stakes 20 minutes later and sent of Bikey for Reading. The interesting thing was the reaction of both players, particularly Obi, who had to be restrained by several teammates multiple times, even though there really couldn't be much complaint about either card, both were pretty obvious. Bikey's second was a little harsh, but as I've said here before referees will always look to even things up if given the opportunity. Back to the player reactions, I wouldn't be surprised if The FA tack on an extra game for the old failure to leave the pitch promptly, particularly in Mikel's case. Oh yeah, I guess I should mention Chelsea held on for a 1-0 win and acted like they won the European Cup, but the win did bring them level on points at the top of the table.

OOWK

That's more like it.

2006-10-14T09:07:00.000-05:00

Its early Saturday, and United have just finished off a come from behind victory over Wigan at the 4,000 short of capacity, JJB Stadium. What a tale of two halfs, after the completion of the 1st half, I had absolutely no faith in United, they looked uninterested, a step slow and lacked any sort of cohesive attacking game, and thus didn't look likely to pull back an equalizer after Leyton Baines' cracker of a free kick in the early moments of the match. Whatever it was that SAF said to the lads in the dressing room sure made a difference, as did the inclusion of Ryan Giggs to start the second half. They came out certainly much more motivated and were able to stretch Wigan out wide and take advantage of the open spaces. United pulled levelform the unlikeliest of places in the form of defender Nemanja Vidic, who scored his first goal in a United shirt from a corner. Wazza then turned provider twice to both Saha and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, as United pulled away in the end and got the 3 points they so despartely needed to maintain their place at the top of the table. A further note on Wazza's performance today, although he didn't end up on the score sheet, this was far and away the best match he's played since opening with 2 goals against Fulham on Match Day 1. His touches were deft and it was his passing that set up the last 2 strikes. I am not yet ready to say that he is out of his little slump, but I think he took a big step out of that hole today. For Wigan, their one really bright spot had to be the play of defender Leyton Baines, who as stated earlier scored a magnificant goal early on. That goal along with the one he scored for the U-21s mid-week only enhances the case for Steve Mclaren to select him for his first full England cap, with Ashley Cole being out with a yellow card suspension for the friendly with Holland.

All in all a pretty good match, I would still like to see United put it together for the full 90 rather than half, but I'll take what I can get.

OOWK

In Kazakhstan............

2006-10-13T19:38:00.000-05:00

So we all know about Paul Robinson's gigantic gaf agianst Croatia, and its been analyzed and talked about to death, and even DBUD and myself have decided that it will follow him throughout his career, just like it did SPunky when he got chipped by Ronaldhino. So I have nothing left to say, I just really wanted a reason to put up this picture. It just seems so poetic, in a life imitating art, imitating life kind of way, (smart people use that expression, it must mean something) and I couldn't stop laughing the first time I saw it today. So I figured I'd share it with our loyal readers, and yes I know I am being generous in using the plural form of "reader".

"I like you, sexy-time explosion"--Borat

OOWK

Weekend Preview

2006-10-13T18:35:00.000-05:00

"Society teaches us that having feelings and crying is bad and wrong. Well, that’s baloney. Because grief isn’t wrong. There’s such a thing as good grief. Just ask Charlie Brown" --Michael Scott

IF you people need anymore reason than the above quote as to why The Office is the greatest show on television, than you my friend need to give me a call, and I will come over and bludgen you to death. Now onto the weekend.....

We'll go in alphabetical order as listed by home team, because that's the way those silly sods at the beeb do it, and you know all of us lowly bloggers aspire to be like the beeb, in every aspect of our lives. So its on to the Arsenal, who host and will pound Watford, even with all their injuries, the Gooners look to be hitting their stride, and as valiant as Watford have scrapped so far this campaign, they still have yet to impress. Easy win (of course that's a relative term this season) for Arsenal.

Aston Villa are the next side who are able to get healthy at the expense of this season's biggest dissapointment, Bill Simmons FC (Spurs). Our fifth place prediction for Spurs looks worse and worse each week, I'll take the blame for that one. Aston Villa nip it in the end, but it'll be close.

Liverpool get Sparky's Rovers at Anfield, and with the rest Stevie G. got due to his yellow against Macedonia, he should be raring to go. Look for Pool to get over on Blackburn, but I wouldn't be surprised if Rovers turn it into a slugfest early, and it becomes a boring nil-nil draw. On a side note I believe the running count is up to 92 games straight in which Rafa Benitez has selected a different side from the previous match. Is he just doing this becasue he has some strange gaffer's form of ADD or does he just really like to give the Scouse Supporters something to talk about while they are out stealing hubcaps.

Manchester City play hosts to the Full Monty FC ( Sheffield United this might be an incorrect reference, but I believe Robert Carlyle wears a Blades' shirt in the early parts of that classic film). I am gonna go out on a limb and say that Warnock gets an away result his side are desperately seeking, and comes away with a point. If this does happen, look for Psycho to spontaneously combust on the touch line.

Boro have Everton coming to The Riverside and the Toffies will continue to make us look like morons and get full points from this one, which will no doubt make the lone female Everton supporter in Chicago very very happy. Andy Johnson scores at least 1 and Boro get shut out.

West Ham and all of their shadyness, speculation and take-over talk travel to Portsmouth to take on the surprise top half of the table side. I think if you would have told me that West Ham would sign Tevez and Mascherano, in addition to all of the talent they kept from last year, and would still go into this match as pretty decent underdogs in the bookies minds, I would have called you crazy, and it would have been yet one more prediction I screwed up in this crazy campaign so far. The Hammers pull out of their mini tail-spin and get a (vital) point on the road.

Reading and their September Manager of the Month Steve Coppell get to take a crack at the Champions Chelsea, and look to repeat the performance they put in agianst Manchester United,jsut a few short weeks ago. Look for Chelsea to finally get things rolling, play well and get max points on the road.

Wigan and "Manager for Life" Paul Jewell get Manchester United at home in the early affair of the day. This is not the best match-up for Wazza to break out of his slump, I look for it to continue and the rest of the side will have to do a job to get the necessary result. This one will be close but I look for United to eek out a 1 goal win, and remain at the top of the table for at least one more week.

On the American Football Day, the M.A.S.H. unit that is Newcastle get a home date with Bung..I mean BIG Sam and his Wanderers. Newcastle jsut can't seem to get all their pieces healthy and working together, and I don't think Glenn Roeder should get too comfy at St James' park. Bolton get a point on the road.

And on Monday Night Football in a match-up no one really cares about, bottom feeders Charlton host soon-to-be bottom feeders Fulham and their soon-to-be unemployed gaffer Chris Coleman.

Oh yeah.... in clearly the biggest match of the century AFC Hornchurch host Welling in FA Cup Qualifying, I know nothing about either of these sides but I am gonna say the Hornchurchians (??) take it. And yes I clearly just mentioned this match to say Hornchurch.

Enjoy your matches and drink one for me, wherever you may be.

OOWK

Greatest Crest Ever

2006-10-12T12:49:00.000-05:00

So we've mentioned our love for the massive club that is Stockport County FC, so I figured I'd share with you one of the reason why.....and that is theabove crest. They are the "Friendly Football Club", what more do you need to know. I think some club should be the "Mean Football Club", I nominate Chelsea, they saymean things, big meanines with their poop, their poop mouth, wait sorry, watching Anchorman must have creeped into my subconcious, or as Mrs. OOWK likes to say "my unconcious".

OOWK

I hope someone checked it for a wire

2006-10-12T12:33:00.000-05:00

So Shirm-Biz sent me these stories the other day, I almost died. You have to kind of read them in chronological order and then come back, for them to make sense. But to give you the reader's digest, here is what happened. First the story was this, then the next day this was the front page story. Seriously, I can't help but laugh at it, Italians are dumb, I can say that cus I am Italian. Bad, bad press for a company trying to break the stangle-hold that Sam Adams has over the city. Thanks to Shirm-Biz for the laughs, and if you're ever in Boston ask him how he tore his ACL.

OOWK

Teacher Says: "Every time England loses, the British blame Sven"

2006-10-12T11:03:00.000-05:00

So once again England lose a match they should have won, and without fail, Sven Goran gets the lion's share of the blame, even though he HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE SIDE anymore. This time the opinion comes from no-less a footy expert as Wigan Chairman Dave Whelan. Who in this story, claims that Rooney's run of poor form (which is leading to poor results for the Lions) can be linked to Sven using him as a lone striker against Portugal in the World Cup. I am not sure I have heard a more silly excuse, since Bill Buckner in the 86 World Series. I don't disagree with anyone who thinks Sven was useless during his reign at the helm, but anyone who still thinks his incompetence has any effect on this current side is a moron. Steve McLaren (not my first choice for gaffer, by the way) is the one who selects the side and he is the one with the awful tactics, and he is the one who cannot make proper adjustments to utilize his player's best abilities. The problem for the FA is that by selecting someone who assisted Sven, that connection will always be easily made by those pundits who are lazy and need a whipping boy. I know DBUD tocuhed on this yesterday, but we've both kind of come to the conclusion that maybe itstime to stopthinking as one of the upper echelon of Footballing nations, maybe the side just isn't as good as we (myself included) all thought. One thing is for sure, and that is the honeymoon period for Steve The Grinner is over, getting one point form matches with Macedonia and Croatia, is the quickest way to fall out of graces with the press and supporters.

OOWK

McClaren v Sven

2006-10-11T22:30:00.000-05:00

ok, so England lost today for the first time under McClaren. He is finally going to catch some flak, and rightly so. However, the players still seem to be immune from criticism in the press. Why is this? Under Sven, everything was blamed on the gaffer. Poor performance? the gaffer played guys out of position, his tactics were wrong, blah blah blah. Why is it that the England players seem to get off easy? They are the ones on the pitch doing the playing. The gaffer might tell them what to do, but the gaffer isn't the one kicking the ball around. Could it be that England's players just aren't as good as everyone says or thinks they are?

DBUD

SICK......ICK

2006-10-11T19:14:00.000-05:00

I know we said we were gonna start going post happy today, but I feel like ripping my organs out and jumping up and down on them, I think I'd feel better if that were the case. In other words, I am sick and putting of Post-a-Palooza until tomorrow.

OOWK

oh where oh where have we been......

2006-10-10T20:30:00.000-05:00

so, OOWK and were talking about how we both have been slacking on the blog, him moreso then me.

anyways, you start slacking when one of your college roommates gets married and then the next weekend you have homecoming and there is an international break, so deal with it.

now, if I could only get my ass out of bed 15 minutes earlier each morning I would post something each morning. It ought to be good since my brain doesn't really start to function until I've been awake for an hour and have made me lucky charms.

we'll be back.

DBUD

We're back.....almost

2006-10-10T18:11:00.000-05:00

So we know that we here at OnlyOneWeKnow have been slacking, and I'll admit its mostly me. We've had a few events come up that have taken us away form our beloved footy for a bit, but no longer. As of tomorrow, we've decided that we will have at least 2, that's right count them 2 posts a day for as long as you people keep reading. So stay tuned and getsome sleep, the madness begins tomorrow.

OOWK

In Boleyn water......

2006-10-01T18:43:00.000-05:00

kudos to those who get the pun in the title. It might be the single funniest thing I have thought off, ever. Kinda sad, but whatever. On to the topic of what the heck has happened at West Ham? I mean seriously. Last season they punched above their weight and after pulling of the biggest transfer coup in recent memory they are floundering. I really want to know what is going on behind the scenes with these takeover rumors. Something has got to be effecting the players to the extent that they aren not playing very well. It is going to be interesting to see if a takeover happens, and if it does where the Argentines end up.

Arsenal beat Charlton 2-1 on a Robin Van Persie brace, the 2nd goal being absolutly insane. He even mis-hit the ball (by using his shin and not his foot) and scorched it into the back of the net. I was unable to watch this one due to a massive hangover and a wedding that I was attending that night, so I had bbc.com's radio coverage on. The commentator almost blew a gasket when the goal was scored. It was a needed 3 points and Arsenal have gotten back into the hunt for a Champions League spot.

United won today. If OOWK wants to talk about it he can. We were both in attendence at said wedding, which was a great time. Lots of Early Times and Coke, phenomenal finger foods, balloon animals for the kids.......It's all deadly.

DBUD

Weekend Wrap Up

2006-09-25T21:30:00.000-05:00

Another monday, another end to a Premiership weekend. At least their are some champions league matches this week to look forward to.

Let's start out with Liverpool's 3-0 victory over Spurs. Liverpool took the opportunities presented, unlike Jenas, and came out big winners. Spurs continue their slide. Who would've thought after last seasons 5th place finish and the moves they made over the summer that Spurs would be stuttering worse then Arsenal right now.

Which brings me to the Gunners. Arsenal finally turned some possession into goals and took 3 points for the first time at the Grove. TH14 was on in the 2nd half after being his pouty self in the first half. Let's hope he can continue scoring goals and get me some more fantasy points!

West Ham got owned by Man City this weekend. It was on one of the TVs at the Globe, but I wasn't paying much attention to it. City won 2-0

Chelsea v Fulham, the west london derby, had the look of a great matchup and I think Fulham will feel hard done. I just want to say that Robben took a commical dive in the box. It was horrible. A Fulham player slid in and got all ball and then after Robben get owned in the tackle he proceed to jump straight up in the throw his head back and throw his feet back. I should metnion that this was all from a complete standstill. A poxy handball in the box handed Chelsea a penalty and Lampard didn't miss and then scored another one. Maybe he will finally get going for Chelsea, the match ended 2-0 to the Blues.

Blackburn got a 1-0 at Boro. Boro continue their Jekyl & Hyde performance. They need to find some consistency.

The Martin O'Neill Experience continues to be gold at Villa, with the Villians securing 3 points over Charlton, who find themselves in the drop zone. I bet Ian Dowie wishes he hadn't taken over at the Valley.

Wigan and Watford played to a 1-1 draw at the JJB. I could care less about these teams.

The sunday match was Everton and Newcastle, with it ending 1-1. I think if a match ends in a draw I don't have to talk about it, unless it was one of the greatest draws ever.

Monday Night Futbol brought use Pompey hosting Bolton, with Pompey looking to go top of the table with a win, however Kevin Nolan (who still lives at home with his parents, seriously, look it up) scored the only goal on a volley from the top of the box. 'Arry's men should've at least had an equalizer with Jaaskelinen being the difference for Bolton in the back. He made a few great saves.

So there is the weekend, finished +40 in IKTS. Not that bad, but OOWK picked up about 15 points on me, so things are getting close.

Did I miss anything? oh, who cares. I'm tired.

Weekend Preview

2006-09-22T18:16:00.000-05:00

(Holds envelope to turban wrapped head)
"Its Friday. You ain't got no job. You ain't got shit to do."
(opens envelope)
"What are the only 3 reasons people read this crap?"

The amazing Carnac has done it again, but since you're here, guess we might as well give you the rundown on the weekend's matches.

We'll start with the Gooners hosting Neil Warnock's Blades, in what, if results had gone my way (for once) might have been a relegation battle. But as things stand, Sheffield has no chance, with or without Henry lining up on the other side against them.

In the midlands Charlton travels to Aston Villa, where no doubt Martin O'Neal is thanking his lucky stars, he does have to deal with the Old Firm Derby kicking off to the north. Aston Villa eeks this one out and the calls for Ian Dowie's shiny head begin to grow louder back at The Valley.

In the CITY (its so important it needs capital letters now, bollocks), Chris Coleman has his Fulham charges, sans Boa Morte, ready to defend their fort against the oncoming barbarians that are Chelsea FC. I hate them with every once of my soul, but it bothers them not, and will no doubt run roughshed over a side that gave up 5 the 1st day of this campaign.

MOTD: The Pool host last year's european also-rans Spurs. Both teams need to take full points if they have any aspirations of mainting a title challenge, and of course when I say title challenge, in Spurs case I mean 5th place challenge, as always. Pool can't be bothered, and they won't be and win cmfortably.

On the wrong side of Manchester, City host West Ham, I hope the new Argentine boys enjoy the North as it is now doubt where they will end up following MSI's take over of West Ham. Oh I forgot, Alan PArdew said he was going to "fight to maintain the club's integrity". Gonna be tough for him to find the time to do that in between spending all that cash they're gonna give him to shut up and do what they say. Tomorrow all he'll have time to do is give a beating to a side that lost to Chesterfield, no that's not a misprint, on Wednesday.

The Riverside sees Boro hosting Blackburn, even though he's gaffer is it still mandatory for Southgate to miss a penalty. I am guessing lots and lots of Yellow and Red in this one, Woody's always been known to get in a scrap, especially if there's a bar involved, and Sparky's boys always top the table in petulance. This one's got 1-1 qritten all over it.

Reading get a nice boost in attendance when the Red Devils come to town. These are the types of matches where United had troubles finishing teams off and that is what eventually lost them the championship, that and losing twice to Blackburn. My guess is the boys will be raring to go after the dissapointment on Sunday. If so Reading don't stand a chance, United in a walk.

Wigan take on Watford in a battle of the end of the alphabet clubs. IF you think either one of them aren't envious of Arsenal and Aston Vill who, at least before anymatches are played top the table, even if only for a moment, while their supporters scan to the bottom of the page, you've got another thing coming. Wigan will win in a walk over Watford, Wow.

On Sunday (only heathens play on Sunday, love it), Newcastle await a visit from David Moyes' Everton side who look to rebound after their poor showing against Wigan last weekend, where they lost a 1 goal lead, twice. Unfortunately for Toffies supporters (all two of them) I fear this weekend is nothing but more dissapointment as Glenn roeder and the boys finally get things going.
(Sidenote: I don't actually think Newcastle will win but we picked them to finish 7th ahead of Everton, so I gotta stick to my guns and pray for a miracle.)

Table toppers Pompey (that still sounds funny) look to keep pace with Chelsea (you're havin a laugh) as they host Bungton, I mean Bolton, on Monday Night Futbol. Harry and the boys finally suffer a setback as Bolton's players rally around their gaffer, if only for a moment and eek out a win away from home.

Enjoy the weekend. Lots of footy and Ryder Cup to watch this weekend, I need two TVs.

OOWK

Something I forgot to mention....

2006-09-21T14:20:00.000-05:00

As we here at Footy Talk have mentioned, we are fully aware of our biases, butwe try our best not to let them affect what we say or how we say it, at least on occasion. The one thing I left out is that you will never hear a unkind word said about the bohemouth that is Stockport County FC. I fell in love with County on a trip to Manchester in 03, and have followed them ever since. I have since gotten DBUD on the bandwagon (sort of) and we will do our best to convince all of you to stop what you are doing on saturday mornings and follow the Hatters to the best of your abilities.

Its been a nice week for me as a County supporter. County did a number on Wrexham on Saturday, putting 5 goals past the visiting keeper. With 4 of those goals coming via the foot of Adam LeFondre (Alfy to his friends). The scond of which was a sick overhead kick, which got the announcers (at Imagine FM, Manchester :) ) a little more than excited. I have to say, I saw the video highlight and I can understand their excitement.

Even if none of you heed my advice and take up the cry of Come On You Hatters!!, I highly recommend you find a League side to follow and throw your support behind. Some of the most entertaining football is played outside the Premiership, and the atmosphere and passion is tough to beat.

OOWK

T.P. for my Bung--Probe!!!

2006-09-19T18:50:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I said I'd post about Sunday's match, but DBUD (and SAF) said pretty much everything that needed to be said. United were crapand the better side took home the points. Not sure I really have anything to add to that, I would have liked to see Carrick playing the full 90, but I understand that he played the full 90 on Wednesday and with the lack of depth in midfield he will be called on to go 90 minutes A LOT this season, so maybe he needed a day off.

Instead of talking about the match, I figured I'd talk about this story. Bungs have reered their ugly heads once again, in English football, and unfortunately it doesn't appear that the story will go away as soon as most at the FA would like. The first problem I have with all of this is why the hell is Pano-freaking-Rama in charge of exposing the seedy side of agent/player/club relations. Shouldn't the FA be the first to know, instead of the last. I mean bravo to The Beeb for being on the ball here, but this isn't how its supposed to work. The FA is supposed to do the leg work here, and The Beeb is just supposed to tell us the results.

The amazing part of the story is that one of the "agents" caught up in the investigation is Big Sam Allardyce's son, IMHO the sons of managers or club execs, should be nowhere near players, at least not in the capacity of an agent. This isn't the first time a gaffer's son has been caught up in one of BBC's investigations, even one of SAF's brood has been caught up in similar proceedings.

In any event, if someone has a copy of this programme please let me know, I'd love to see it.

OOWK

update: apparently if you just go to Panorama's website you can watch pretty much every program that's aired since 2000, I love free stuff.

1 nil to the Arsenal

2006-09-17T20:12:00.000-05:00

right, totally did not expect this result. Anyways, my day started when I rolled out of bed at 9:30 AM, hungover like you would not believe and parked myself on the couch to get ready to watch the big match. Well, I then got the bright idea to get to The Globe, so I put on my TH14 yellow away kit from a few years back and walked to the El. The train was pulling into the station when I arrived and I had to book it up the stairs to get in. Got to The Globe in time for kick off and of course had to have a pint of the dark stuff.

So the match starts and Arsenal don't look that good. However, Adebayor wins a penalty which Gilberto slips up on and it is saved and then a goal line clearence follows. The game is very entertaining and then all of sudden Cesc threads a perfect ball and Adebayor tucks it underneth the charging keeper to make it 1-0 to the Arsenal and sends the small contingent of Gooners into fits of hysteria. It was great.

Now to what I thought of the match. I thought Adebayor played an ok match. If he hadn't scored that goal I would say he played a bad match. He was all over the place, including at halfway, when he is only striker! He was trying to play the ball onto people and there would be no one to play the ball onto. The midfield looked outstanding. Freddie didn't do much, but didn't screw up or anything, so things were good. Cesc, Gilberto, Rosicky, and Hleb all played brilliantly and so did the defense. Djourou looked the shakiest, but even that wasn't that bad.

Lehmann was a beast. His save from OGS was immense. OOWK asked me over/under 25 minutes for when Jens would be "Mad" and I said under and I was right. He was an idiot and got a yellow for picking the ball up outside the box. I don't know what the rule is in relation to the line being part of the penalty area or not, but it was definetly outside the box and only just touching the line.

so, not much gloating from me. Arsenal played the better game and came out winners. It is a huge victory and maybe, just maybe this will break them out of the funk that they have been in for the last few seasons regarding the league. Nothing like exorcising the demons in the place that brought them about in the first place.

DBUD

MUST NOT BREAK THINGS!!!

2006-09-17T12:14:00.000-05:00

So DBUD has already called to gloat on his way home from The Globe, I am so glad I wasn't there to witness that garbage. United didn't dserve anything from this match, with all the poor back passes that were given away, Arsenal easily could have had 2 or 3, before Adebayor pounced. Mad Jens was his usual mad self, and yet made a few tremendous saves to keep Arsenal's 3 points secure. I like to give myself 24 hours to fully soak in everything, before I post some nonsensical rubbish fed by raw emotion, but I just wanted to give my first impressions. United looked as though they thought they could just roll the ball onto the pitch, and it'd be done and dusted. Clearly that was not the case, with Chelsea winning earlier, 3 points would have been so so nice. Fuck it, I'm out, Go Bears.

OOWK

You're having a laugh

2006-09-15T13:03:00.000-05:00

So I ran across this story today, about Sven being considered for the job as the next head of the US National Team. This might be the dumbest idea I have ever heard. Firstly, the US Soccer Federation is notoriously cheap, there is no way in hell that they can meet his wage demands. Secondly, Sven has shown himself to be nothing but a manager of ego's and not exactly a master tactician. Not exactly a perfect fit, for a team without any star power that has to be perfectly prepared, and perfect tactically in order to compete with the more talented European and South American sides they will see in South Africa 2010. Someone like Jurgen Klinnsmann would fit in much better for a team that is no doubt going through a transition period, he proved to be a master motivator, and made a lot of great decisions tactically during his side's run in Germany. Although, as stated before, I am not sure the US Soccer Federation could afford him, nor is it a certainty that Jurgen wants to coach again, he is a private man, who took a ton of heat during the run-up to the World Cup. So it's a possibility he wants to just slip quietly away and spend the rest of his days on the beach, and quite frankly who can blame him.

OOWK

Jesus Hates Me

2006-09-15T12:36:00.000-05:00

He loves the little children, but he certainly hates me, otherwise there is no way he would have told his Old Man to schedule church at the same time as United v. Arsenal this weekend. I know I have DVR so I won't miss a second, but its just not the same. Of course, I get so stressed out and depressed during most of these matches, that at least I cannot fast forward to the inevitable dissapointment that comes whenever the mighty Mancunians have a big match. I am the world's biggest pessimist, I never think we are going to win, its a miserable existence and I don't suggest it for anyone else. But since I am off the rest of the afternoon, (I know I never work, DBUD hates me) I figured we'll take a look at the Sunday match-up. With Giggs leaving injured on Wednesday and Park Ji Sung out for 3 months, United are a little thin on the wings. So here is the line-up I see Sir Alex going with at kick-off.

Van der Sar

Gaz. Neville Rio Wes Brown Useless (i of course am referring to Mikael Silvestre)

Ronaldo Scholes/Fletcher Carrick Richardson

Rooney

Saha

with Ronaldo out through suspension midweek, SAF threw Fletcher outwide on the right, but with Ronaldo available, he no doubt will get the call. If SAF want to attack he'll go with Scholes, next to Carrick and playing offensively. But if United go up a goal, look for Fletcher or O'Shea to come on, to give United more depth on the defensive end. Most of the line-up of course hinges on whether or not Arsenal is at full strength attacking wise. If TH14 and RVP are not fit, then SAF will certainly look to go for the jugular early. Even without TH14, Arsenal could still trouble United's defense. Adebayor's size could cause probems for Rio, if he can manage to finish off chances. Rio was made to look silly against Celtic's beast of a striker Jan Vonegoor of Hesselink, who is of similar size to Arsenal's Togolesse (sp) striker. Assuming all things equal, and everyone is fit for Arsenal, I can see this one ending 1-1, with United scoring first and then bottling it, as they have had a tendency to do (see Watford). Either way it certainly promises to be a hell of a match.

OOWK

Oh and the Cockney Twats, play Scouse Sucm FC also on Sunday, look for things to get ugly.

Manchester Bucaneers v North London Pizza Throwers Preview

2006-09-14T19:16:00.000-05:00

so, a big match on the horizon for Arsenal and United. United will want to continue their hot start, while Arsenal will want to use this match to kick start a lethargic league campaign. I remember a big match at Old Trafford a few years ago, you know the one, that ended the Gunners unbeaten run in the league and pretty much has put the team in a funk. This would be the perfect time to get back at United and get rid of these demons.

OOWK and I were talking via email today about what Arsenal's gameplan is going to be. I'll stick with talking about Arsenal. OOWK can post about United, if he ever puts down his "How to speak Gaelic" book and decides to post again.

I've come up with the idea to play this formation

Mad Jens
Eboue-Toure-Djourou-Flamini
Gallas
Freddie-Gilberto-Cesc-Rosicky
Adebayor

Of course that above formation is assuming that RvP and TH14 are actually both don't play for the match. Lets assume the worse and say they are not going to play. With this formation Gallas pretty much has the job of following Rooney around and making him his bitch. That leaves Toure and Djourou to both deal with Saha. Adebayor is so freaking tall that they should just hoof the ball up to him and see what he can do. He has not been on lately, and I certainly don't rate him as highly as Wenger does, due to his missed opportunities and his overall lack of knowing where to position himself, so maybe this will be his chance to shine. Rosicky should start shooting more from long range. Even if the keeper stops it who knows where the ball will bounce and the forwards need to be ready to prounce.

Arsenal got 3 points in Hamburg, which is huge, but I didn't see the match so I can't really comment on how they played. From bbc.com and soccernet.com it didn't look like they played particularly well and OOWK told me that Hamburg was dominating the first 12 minutes. Without the poxy penalty who knows what would've happened. Hopefully they can take some confidence from that match and use it to get a win on sunday, a win they really really really need.

DBUD

CL Matchday 1

2006-09-12T19:21:00.000-05:00

Whilst sitting at work this afternoon, and not wanting to do any work because who wants to work at work, I tracked the CL matches on bbc.com. Nothing real shocking to report. Chelsea and Barca both got things done against teams they would expect to take 3 points from. Liverpool were held to a draw in PSV (or is it Liverpool held PSV to a draw, I can never understand all that).

Anyways, Arsenal and United both have matches tomorrow. I'm sure I'll get more out of the Arsenal match then I did from any on the matches from today. An interesting storyline to note is Ferguson and Gordo, the two gaffers in tomorrow's "Battle of Britain". I guess they don't like each other.

Fantasyland

2006-09-11T21:35:00.000-05:00

so, we here at the blog currently have three fantasy competitions going on. We figure whoever wins the best of 3 will be considered the greater footballing mind. Currently I am ahead in two of the three competitions. I am winning the premierleague.com fantasy and the I Know the Score (IKTS). Well, at least I think I am winning the IKTS. OOWK claims he was at about +25 before today while I was at +60. I ended at +50 so he still might be 15 ahead of me. Regardless, he is ahead of my by about 90ish points in our Yahoo League, which was also a draft league, so we have different players on each team. stay tuned to see how it all pans out.

On another note, I could just continue to ramble on and on about the dealings of one Ashley Cole, but I am sick of it. The man was pissed about five thousand quid (has he ever heard of negotiations?) and then he goes and gets cozy with a major rival and expects everyone to not care. sweet dude, real cool. Take some accountability for your actions.

The Champions League starts tomorrow with Chelsea and Liverpool playing matches for the Premiership contingent. Thank god I will have something to do at work tomorrow afternoon besides work.

DBUD

The weekend that was......

2006-09-10T18:56:00.000-05:00

so, this will probably make Sara happy, but Everton are for real! They played out of thei skulls and got a deserved 3-0 win in the 204th (i think) Merseyside derby. Andy Johnson, the usual one man penalty machine, scored twice and the final goal was just the nail in Liverpool's coffin. David Moyes has obviously gotten this squad going again with his magic as Everton are now looking to repeat their league campaign from two seasons ago.

In other news, Arsenal sucked, again. Do they know how to score goals first? I don't think they do. I kept yelling for them to shoot the damn ball, but then I realized that they aren't even in good positions to shoot. There is always a defender in front or the angle is too tight to trouble the keeper. TH14 needs to get his head out of his ass and get the team in gear. His penalty was welcome, but it was poorly struck. If the keeper had guessed the right way then it would have been saved easily.

Pompey are still flying high. It is going to be interesting to see how that goes. and well, that is all I want to talk about. I'm tired, the White Sox lost, it's sunday night, blah, blah, blah. I am sitting at +60 in IKTS (losing the banker on Arsenal killed me)with a 1-1 draw predicited for tomorrows match. we'll see how that goes. I am currently 25 points behind OOWK.

DBUD

PBUD's Forever Blowing...................bubbles

2006-09-07T18:49:00.000-05:00

So PBUD, DBUD's older brother has been a footy fan only for a few years, the best we can figure is he got into FIFA on XBOX and it was all downhill from there. The only problem is, no one ever knew who he supported, he bought a Sol Cambell England shirt, circa 1996, but never really had a club. So I always just assumed he had taken after lil' brother and was a Gooner, and like comedian Ron White says, "I was wrong". Apparently last week, PBUD gave us his best Bill Simmons impression and decided to chose a side. I am informed that the final decision came down to just 2 sides, The Red Scouse and Elijah Wood FC. And the winnner is...........West Ham!!! I tell you what, if you are going to start jumping on bandwagons, now is the time to start jumping on the hammers, that is until they are bought out, thier two newly acquired mercenaries are sold to other armys at a mark-up and the rest of the side is made up on the cheap. But for now PBUD will enjoy at least one season of good football and perhaps even a place in EUROPE (capitalization indicating CLeague) at the end of the year. DBUD and are kind of please he chose West Ham over L'Pool, not just because we dislike The Pool, but because we have another friend, who hates footy, but loves Millwall, he likes violence. Where hoping we can get the two of them together for a meet up and a bit of a scrap, stay tuned.

OOWK

There's only one......Lawrie Sanchez?????

2006-09-07T18:32:00.000-05:00

First off Dbud can piss right off with his gaelic comment earlier today, my mastery of the gaelic language is right on schedule. As of this moment there are only 10 or so people in the world that speak it better than I, and they happen to be the only 10 people still alive who speak, and yet the Irish government feels the need to include it on all their signage. We all know its really just for us tourists, but I don't begrudge them that idosyncracy.

Why Lawrie Sanches wants to leave his post as Northern Ireland's gaffer I have no idea. Its like asking why a coach at D3 powerhouse (and those who know me know I don't use that term lightly) Illinois Wesleyan would want to leave to go to some dodgy D2 school in Chicago, sometime things just don't make sense. Apprently Sanchez was upset at some of the criticism directed his way after his side's loss to Iceland on Saturday, and by loss I mean annihilation, 3-0 to any team is bad, 3-0 to a team that literally, not figuritively is made up of one player (THE Icelandic Footballer, Eidur Gudjohnsen). Any manager who is half way decent would love to have that NI job. There are almost zero expectations, just competing earns you a new contract, and if you happen to throw in one shock win, let alone two (England, Spain) then the supporters will treat you like a deity for life. Sounds like a pretty good gig to me. I understand that Sanchez had a recent death in the family, and that may play into his decision a little, but I have seen nowhere who this person is, or what their relationship was to the gaffer. If I'm Sanchez, I run and ask for an extension as quickly as possible, while the supporters are dancing in the streets, and apparently bling to the fact that you just lost to ICELAND, and are still fifth in the group, and aren't anywhere closer to qualifying for a major tournament than you were, when he was hired. Apparently he'd rather spend his time looking for old Smiths records, and original, not re-released, underlined, Frank Zappa albums.

OOWK

Time to hit the reset button

2006-09-06T21:13:00.000-05:00

So, OOWK has some homeowner duties to attend to, so who knows when he will get around to posting again. Someone ask him how him learning to speak Gaelic is going. seriously, just ask.

anyways, there were some Internationals today, but whogaf about those. Today I was thinking about the bloated cash cow the Champions League has become. Remember in the old days when only the teams who actually won their respective leagues made the European Cup? It was a true test of the best teams from each domestic league's previous season. I think UEFA needs to return to this, even though it will never happen. No matter how much they want it to the big clubs of Europe, G14, will never let it happen on their watch. If UEFA were to implement this the G14 clubs would probably form their own league, thus shattering the history and pagentry (wow I sound very Keith Jacksonish) of each domestic league. Hear me out. This kinda goes hand in hand with my post from yesterday and all that jazz. 52 teams representing the 52 counties that make up UEFA. This number is from wikipedia and includes newly independent Montenegro who are in the process of forming their own football association and league structure after voting for independence from Serbia. I am going to be very radical and suggest that this be a two legged random draw structure, however for the sake of being rational with the corporate suits, see $$$$$, I am willing to go with a group structure with seeded pots, etc.

Now I know what you are thinking, less teams in the CL means less money, less money means lower salaries which leads to less big name stars which leads to less fans, yadda yadda yadda. ok, i just yadda yaddaed that. I think that is ok. This isn't sex here people. So back on track. With less teams making the CL cut it will push teams to try for first. Now I am not saying that a squad like Arsenal is happy finishing 4th, but a team like Everton is. I am sure that any Blue Scouser will tell you that if they won the league it would be crazy, but 4th place gets a team Europe and that gets them more money. If a team only has to strive for 4th place, why bother trying to win the whole thing?

While I rant on the CL, lets throw the UEFA Cup into the mix as well. This should return to the European Cup Winners Cup that it was before. The team that wins the domestic cup competition of each UEFA country gets to send that team into this competition. Just think of how much better the League Cup would be. Right now it is a bunch of second stringers trying to impress to get onto the first team. With this new system the League Cup is one of only 3 (count'em 3) ways into Europe.

alright, so now that this is done, it'll never happen. it is just a pipe dream. until next time.

DBUD

The Internationals are coming, the Internationals are coming....

2006-09-05T20:45:00.000-05:00

so, tomorrow is another international day. Didn't the 2006 World Cup just get over? And qualifying for Euro 2008 has already started? geez, give the guys a break. The qualifying for major tournaments has gotten out of control. Andorra, Faroe Islands, Liechenstein? I mean seriously. Nothing against these countries, but they are not what you would call powerhouses. How in the world are teams like Scotland and England forced to play these minnows? Something needs to be redone. OOWK discussed this briefly over email while we were both pretending to work. We came up with the idea that if you make it out of the group stages in the previous tourney (World Cup, Euros, etc.) you do NOT have to qualify. Making it out of the group stage is enough. The rest of the teams have to qualify, with the "minnows" playing in qualifying rounds similar to the early rounds of the CL, UEFA Cup, FA Cup, etc.

Also, in order to make it even better there should be a solid two - three weeks of qualifiers, kinda like the group stages of the World Cup. Get these matches over and done with so players don't keep having to be called back to international duty throughout the season.

Finally, Sir Red Nose has thrown his hat into the "winter break" ring again. This is a great idea, however the suits at the FA won't go for it. It means having less teams in the Premiership and less rounds in the FA Cup. However, playing 38 straight weekends starting in August puts the end of the league campaign at the end of April. Put a 2-3 week break in January which moves the season back a few weeks and throw in a few weekends for Cup ties for the bigger teams and you are at the end of May. I'm sure more people would be willing to travel 500 miles on a saturday night when the weather is nice as opposed to in the middle of January. You don't even have to throw teams out of the Prem. Put in a few more midweek matches and that is that. I know the schedule is a little congested, but having an international break after 3 matches is probably one of the stupidest things ever.

right. that is that. if you don't like it, fine. i'm sticking to it. it'll never happen, but one can dream. Heck, college football decided to change the rules about starting the clock after a change of possession instead of having less commercials, so we all know that money drives everything. This idea is pretty dumb. I mean, a team intercepts the ball or recovers a fumble and the clock starts when the offical signals it and not at the snap? dumb.

DBUD

You Heard it Hear First

2006-09-01T10:46:00.000-05:00

Didn't we say yesterday that MSI would resurface again in takeover discussions with Elijah Wood FC after selling two of its stable of palyers (tevez and Mascherano) to the Londoners, well sure enough that is what looks liek is happening. The beeb is reporting that West HAm are in takeover talks, which West Ham has confirmed, but we do not yet know who they are in talks with. MSI has already said it is not them, and if you believe them, I got a great piece of property in Lebanon to sell you (was that in bad taste? is it too soon?) My guess is we will find out soon who is the potential buyer and I have no doubt it is MSI. If this whole process is all legal, it shouldn't be by the way, than it is a master stroke by MSI, and West Ham's board. If it is illegal, not only does FIFA need to step in quickly and do somehting before its too late, but MSI might have tried the most obvious end run around the rules since the Germans walked around the Maginot line.

OOWK

Quick Takes (transfer day)

2006-08-31T20:49:00.000-05:00

I don't know what Arsenal are doing, they let Cole go for 5 million with Gallas thrown in. Gallas is a great player and he isn't over the hill, yet, but he sure as hell isn't young. Not sure why it took so long to get this done if the numbers were this low, my guess is someone got screwed, and that someone is probably Arsenal. My guess is they asked for more, Chelsea wouldn't budge and Arsenal flinched at the thought of bringing Cole back after the whole book/tapping up saga. Arsene could posture all he wanted, Cole was never going to be welcome back. The Red Arse also made a swap deal, albeit a loan deal, with Real Madrid to acquire the services of the beast, Julio Baptista, and in turn they sent Jose Antonio Reyes, who finally got his wish, sort of, he still isn't completely back in Spain, but its a start.
Steed finally gallops off to Spurs, who could use him after their poor start. A good solution to a stand off between him and Fulhamthat looked like it could have ended very very poorly. Spurs also swooped for Pascal Chimbonda of Wigan in an attempt to shore up a back four that let in 2 to ten men Everton on Saturday.

West Ham = Winners, that is all

2006-08-31T20:36:00.000-05:00

Every year after the transfer window closes pundits like us, sit around and talk about who were the winners, this year there is no need to bother, West Ham won, and the Big Clubs lost, all of them. Today West Ham pulled off the biggest coup since Henry Kissinger convinced Pele to sign with the New York Cosmos, after the Brazilian government had declared him an in-exportable commodity. Some how they signed Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano from Corinthians, even though both had been linked in the past week to Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United. I don't know how they did it, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the investment company that owns the rights to the the two players put in a failed bid for West Ham FC in the past year, I wouldn't be surprised if that bid somehow magically re-appears in the next year or so. West Ham clinched the signings of two Argentine internationals who are still under the age of 23. This is so unbelievable especially when you consider that they were in the Soft Drink League 2 seasons ago. So tip your hats to the Hammers, who proved that it is possible to compete on a level playg field with the Big 4.

OOWK

You've got to pay double for that type of action Cotton

2006-08-31T20:21:00.000-05:00

so, it happened. I didn't think it would. Reyes to Madrid and Baptista to Arsenal on loan for a year with an option to buy and Cole to Chelsea for 5 million quid and Gallas. Gallas is a great addition, I think he is going to be greatly missed at Chelsea. What now for Wayne Bridge? He's not going to be the #1 and if he is then Cashley will probably throw one of his hissy fits and burn bridges with Chelsea. God I can't wait until Cashley comes back to the Grove to play Arsenal. He is going to get so much stick, which is an understatement.

I have said that big name swaps don't happen very often, which is why I was shocked when this happened. Oh well, it's all over now. Wenger is vindicated for not playing Reyes and Cole in any matches and the two guys who didn't want to play at Arsenal are now gone.

on a sadder note, one Pascal Cygan is gone.

edit: i took out the videos because i think they are messing up the template. this better work.

Quick Takes (Aug 25th)

2006-08-25T13:08:00.000-05:00

Friday, off of work, watching Entourage does it get any better???

There is an interesting story developing between Claude Makelele and the French National Team. Apparently the fact that Claude has "retired" from international football does not preclude Raymond Domenench from selecting for the upcoming qualifiers, and if he refueses to show than he can be suspended from club duty for two games under the "failure to show-up for international duty" rule (apparently FIFA thinks of itself as the Israeli army). If for some reason Makelele is suspended it will change the way manager's select sides. You mean to tell me that Sven G.-E. wouldn't have selected Paul Scholes this year for the World Cup, even though he retired a few years back
Juventus' hearing in Civil Court is scheduled for Sept. 1st, and it still remains to be seen if FIFA will follow through on its threat to ban Italian sides, and the National Team from international competitions. It would be an unprecedented step, but one FIFA feels is necessary in order maintain its autonomy and its ability to govern its members as it sees fit. If Juventus is scuceesful in its latest appeal, than FIFA will lose a lot of its power to punish clubs and have those punishments enforced. Any time a club disagrees with a punishment it can just run to the nearest friendly judge.

Weekend is here, enjoy the matches and we'll see you around.

OOWK

Quick Takes (Aug. 24th)

2006-08-24T17:19:00.000-05:00

Another lousy day at the office, I hate work, I love footy, is it bad i countdown the hours Monday morning, until kick-off on the weekend. Anyway its time for quick takes.

Atletico Madrid misunderstood the 15 articles written about Jose Antonio Reyes wanting to go to Madrid, and just assumed they were talking about them, and not their Royal cousins. They were wrong, and I am sure that is why Arsenal turned down the offer for him from them, especially since the numbers are higher than what have been rumored to be on offer from Real, they probably just assumed he'd never agree personal terms, so why bother. Either way, he's never going to turn out for Arsenal again, so just get on with it, get your numbers right and move on.
Great pairing entertainment wise for Manchester United and Celtic, who were drawn in the same group. It'll be nice to see these side going at it for real at Old Traford and Parkhead. It is rather unfortunate to be drawn against Benfica agian this year, a side that gave them all they could handle, and along with Lille were the reasons Unitedfail to progress beyond the group stages. If I am Sir Red Face, I don't even bother to bring Ronaldo with me to Portugal for Benfica away, its not worth the hassle.
Derry city advanced in the Uefa Cup today, they finished 2-2, but after their 5-1 away win the first time around, the result was never really in doubt. Drogheda United were not as fortunate, they lost 11-10 on penalties after being level 1-1 after regular time. That has got to be the worst way to lose ever. I feel gutted for Graham Gartland, who scored the 1st penalty, but then missed when it came around to him the second time.

OOWK

Here we go again!!

2006-08-24T17:10:00.000-05:00

After Jose's comments about seedings for the Champion's League, was there any doubt that they'd end up being drawn against their CLeague rivals, Barcelona. ITs funny how those balls seem to come out in certain orders when it comes to these types of draws. The same funny bounces of the balls has happened in the World Cup over the years, much to the delight of footy conspiracy theorists (of which I am one, no doubt). It of course is not limited to footy, I ahve no doubt the NBA lottery was rigged all those years back so that the Knicks got Patrick Ewing, and that LeBron stayed in his home state of Ohio. At least in footy, unlike the NBA the draws are held in front of the whole world to see and criticize rather than behind closed doors shrouded in secrecy. I guess the bottom line is this, do not anger the footy gods, or they will do awful things to you, especially if you are a prat like the Special One. The important thing to remember, is that as long as Chelsea takes care of business against the sides in their group, the games against Barcelona won't matter, and both sides should move through without a problem.

OOWK

Get Well Soon.....

2006-08-23T19:10:00.000-05:00

Sir Bobby Robson had successful surgery to remove a brain tumor today. We here at onlyoneweknow wish the man nothing but the best, he is a legend, no matter what side you suport.

OOWK

Quick Takes (Aug. 23rd)

2006-08-23T18:30:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately time constraints prohibit us from doing this all day long (but if anyone knows how I can get paid enough to quit my job, and write this drivel all day, please let me know), so I am introducing a new section that is basically quick thoughts on a few stories. Here we go then...

3-0 to United today at The Valley, and while it wasn't the biggest win ever, it was an important, convincing win, especially since they were without the engines that drove them at the weekend, Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes. United's backline looked a little shaky, no doubt exacerbated by the wet soggy night in the City. The story of the night had to be the goal for one Ole Gunner Solskjaer, always good to see him healthy and contributing this late on in the year, still a bargain at 1.2 million back in the day.
Arsenal took care of business against Zagreb, didn't see it but it sounds like they weren't troubled much. Usually these play-ins are formalities, (don't tell that to Liverpool though, they tried all tehy could to miss out on a payday. We'll never know the answer to this question, but who thinks if this game is played in Haifa or Tel aviv, that Liverpool is missing out on a European pay day) but they are soooo important, especially financially, and especially to a club that just opened a bohemouth of a stadium.
Why does Roy Keane want to manage Sunderland? Why does Roy Keane want to manage anyone for that matter? My guess is he wnts to stick it to former Black Cats gaffer Mick McCarthy one last time, but does he really want to deal with assholes like himself for the next 20 years? And remember, Keano(onlyoneweknow) once called out Niall Quinn, the man about to hire him, for not defending him in his bust-up with Captain Fantastic in Japan/South Korea 2002.

OOWK

Dance Now Wherever You May Be, Southgate beat F$%#%^ Chelsea!

2006-08-23T18:21:00.000-05:00

All the talk of Gareth Southgate not having the proper credentials to become a gaffer, now seems pointless. Somehow, he convinced his side, who just lost to Premiership new boys Reading at the weekend, that they were not out after they went down a goal at home today to the champions. Boro grabbed Jose Mourinho's boys, by his pretty little scarf, and gave them a right rude awakening, this early into the season. And yes, it is early, but when Chelsea supporters went through the schedule when it came out, they certainly must have had the full 3 points written down next to this one, at the very worst at least a point. Unfortunately for Blues supporters, Mark Viduka (so he was the one who ate all the pies) turned the early days of this campaign on its ear. For all the money Chelsea spent during this transfer period, this certainy cannot be an acceptable result for Chief He Who Writes the Checks. Anymore of this nonsense out of Chelsea will see lots of rumblings about new gaffer's taking the Special One's place on the sidelines. Nothing less than a European and League title double will be acceptable for Chelsea, and this was not the kind of start they were looking for, especially with the Champions League draw coming out tomorrow. So it was a bad news day for Chelsea, a great news day for Boro, and a good news day for all the rest.

OOWK

F$%# Steven Hawking!!!!

2006-08-22T17:46:00.000-05:00

I am a genius, and modest to boot. It was no more than a week ago that I said on these very pages, the only way for Newcastle to finish 7th was for them to trick someone into taking Jean-Alain Boumsong's contract away from Tyneside AND, AND find someone who can score goals. Well sure enough, today they did both. Somehow they convinced Juventus (man they must bedesperate for bodies) into paying 3.5 million pounds, for the defender, who by all acounts has only amounted a festering pile of crap that other players had to step around when running up and down the pitch at St. James' Park. They also splashed out some dough for Obefemi Martins, the Nigerian striker formerly of Inter Milan. The 2(4)1 year old should look nice in the black and white stripes. Freddy Sheaperd must be reading this, so any time he wants to send out a check that'd be great, just remember that OnlyOneWeKnow is 1 word, 4 syllables.

OOWK

p.s. I don't plan on bragging every time I am right, in fact after the first weekend of play it looks like this may be the only thing I am right about for the next decade.

Sir Knight, Mind your Steed (Malbranque)

2006-08-22T10:32:00.000-05:00

I know this story is a few days old, but I've been behind, sue me. I just haven't been able to wrap my head around it all. From what I gather the story goes like this...Malbranque can leave on a Bosman Free (i don't know why but I love saying Bosman Free, instead of just saying a free), at the end of this season. fulham tried to negotiate an extension and we're unsuccessful, and rather than let him leave for nothing in a year, they tried to ship him off to several sides, and we're successful in negotiating terms with a number of teams. But here is where it gets tricky, Malbranque basically refused to negotiate personal terms with any of the sides, thus negating any and all deals, because for some reason he thinks he'll get more money and wants to choose where he goes at the end of the year. So, Chris Coleman, he of the all time great footy accents/facial expressions told Malbranque that he would never turn out for Fulham FC again, at least not for the first team. He has been relegated to the reserves, and as of this weekend, had net to be given a squad number. This is not some rented mule that we are talking about here, this is a bonified Premiership automatic selection, week-in week-out, and would be for most sides, and yet he has been relegated to playing in front of 1000 people mid-week. The problem with this whole situation is, I have no idea who is right and who is wrong, I think everybody is a little of both. The way the system is set-up Malbranque has every right not to negotiatie personal terms with clubs, thus giving him, and every player for that matter, a de facto no-trade clause. Fulham on the other hand, has every right to want to get something from a quality player who has every intention ofleaving the club when his contract runs out, so essentially both sides are at an impasse and I don't see it coming to an end anytime soon. The question I have to ask is can either side afford for him not to turn out for Fulham for the rest of the year?? Clearly after their debacle at the weekend Fulham could use him in the lineup,a nd if anyone at Fulhma tries to tell you differntly, they are lying to you. On Malbranque's side, if he spends all season in the reserves, he has wasted a whole season in an occupation where careers are short enough, and he is doing nothing but devaluing his worth, and making other clubs wary of singing him. So for all parties involved, kiss and make-up, or don't for that matter, but get back on the pitch and help your cause, whatever cause that may be.

OOWK

Its only one match.

2006-08-21T20:32:00.000-05:00

Mrs. OOWK has been dominating the computer in preperation for a test, not sure what its a a test on, but apparently it means she'll make more money someday, which means I can buy more footy gear, so I can forgive her. Just wanted to get a word in about the weekend, it was like Xmas in the middle of summer, it was great. I love it when the season starts, I watched parts of almost every match, and was as interested as I've ever been, even though I could care less about 95% of those matches. Anyways, I just wanted to weigh in on the fact that, it is just one match, so reagrdless of if your side won or lost, there are a lot of matches left to be played, so know need to be running to the razors just yet, unless you're Fulham, and then no time is soon enough, seriously, they looked rubbish and made United look like a World XI All-Star side. So for all you Chiken Littles out there, the sky is not falling......yet. So glad there are mid-week matches this week, it makes up for the international break labor day week-end, bollocks on Euro qualifiers.

OOWK

Russia SE FC

2006-08-18T19:55:00.000-05:00

so, here is the last and final preview. I've been trying to figure out what I am going to write in this space for a while now. The more I think about it the more I realize there really is nothing to say about Chelsea. so let's just go with this:

05/06 Season - dominated everyone to run away with a second league title on the trot

transfers - brought in Ballack and Sheva. two of the best players in the world. didn't really lose anyone worth mentioning

keys to the season - doing what they have done the last two seasons. same shyte, different day.

season will be decided... - does it really matter? they are going to run away with this thing again as it stands.

verdict - champions once again.

DBUD

Who are ya? Who are ya?

2006-08-18T09:25:00.000-05:00

No seriously, who are you? Are you a side with ambitions of re-taking a title that for a decade was firmly entrenched inside your walls? Or are you a side content with finishing second in the league every year, taking the money that come with an automatic place in the group stages of Europe, make it to the quarterfinals (or worse) and sit on your laurels the rest of the year, and allowing sides that have no business being on the pitch with you get points from you? For the last couple of campaigns, Manchester United have been content with being the latter, rather than the former (i think i did that right, i always get former and latter confused). Will this yeah be any different? Lets take a look see and find out.

05/06 Finished second by one point over the Red Scouse, but could barely see Chelsea sitting in first with binoculars. Started off the season well enough, and even got a 1-0 win over Chelsea, but injuries (no excuse) and sub-par performances against lesser opponents ultimately doomed them in. They were always chasing the Blues and any-time they had a chance to make up some ground and get the point difference down to a more manageable number, they found away to snatch defeat (or a draw) from the mouths of victory. They never quite fired on all cylinders and were never really a threat to win the league. They had decent progression in the FA Cup, before losing to Liverpool (and losing Alan Smith for the rest of the season), and won the Carling Cup, and while it is hard-ware, it certainly is the least desireable piece of silver.

Key Transfer--Michael Carrick, without question (although this could change if Hargreaves is signed from Bayern Munich). We will no doubt discover early on, whether the 18 million pound price tag was money well-spent, or money well-wasted, and whether or not he truly is the replacement for Roy Keane or a pretender to the thrown, because make no mistake about it, that is why he was bought. One need only look at the jersey number given to the boy to see this. Another shrewd investment was the money paid for Tomasz Kuzcak, to be Edwin van der Sar's back-up and possible replacement in the years to come. Van der Sar certainly isn't the oldest keeper by any stretch of the imagination, but by the looks of him, it seems as though he may blow over from the slightest gust of wind off the Irish Sea that comes whipping across the plains of Lancashire. It always helps to have a quality, not just a serviceable replacement, especially as the number of matches rises based on successful progression across the 4 different competitions (League, Europe, League Cup, FA CUP).. The biggest loss had to be Ruud van Nistlerooy's exit to Spanish Giants, Real Madrid, while many critics considered him to be a one trick pony, there are not many ponies that pull off that trick (score goals in bunches).

Key to the Season--Find a replacement for the loss of RVN. Its going to be hard to replace that many goals, but to compete with Chelsea, United must find a someone(s) to pick up the goal scoring slack. Hopefully, a helathy Paul Scholes ("He Scores Goals") can contribute to that goal total, but he can't do it on his own. Louis Saha will have to prove that Sir Alex made the right move dropping RvN last year, and thus hastening his exit out of Manchester. United will also have to get more stout at the back. While United finished second in the league in goals scored they slipped several places to fourth, when it comes to goals conceded, a fact that is clearly not lost on the United boardroom, as evidenced by the signings of defenders Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra last January.

Season will be decided--November 25th and April 14th in battles against Chelsea. Will United get enough points from those 2 encounters to keep things interesting when May rolls around. United may have to win both to even have a chance at regaining a trophy that outside of Chelsea, was held last by them.

Verdict--2nd, still not enough there to overtake the Champions, but I look for them to have a more comfortable cushion over 3rd thatn the nervy one point that seperated themselves and Liverpool last year. Look for United to do well in domestic Cup competitions as it may be there only chance for to add to their trophy case, and expect a better European run than last year (can it get any worse).

OOWK

Ferry 'cross the Mersey

2006-08-16T21:55:00.000-05:00

Liverpool FC. the Scousers. I think Liverpool gets a bad rap as a crime infested cesspool. When I was there I saw nothing but good things and had a great time. Regardless, here is a great Scouser joke:

Latest news reports advise that a cell of 4 terrorists has been operating in Merseyside, Liverpool. Police advised earlier today that 3 of the 4 have been detained. The Merseyside Regional Police Commissioner stated that the terrorists Bin Thievin, Bin Drinkin and Bin Fightin have been arrested on immigration issues.

The Police advise further that they can find no one fitting the description of the fourth cell member, Bin Workin, in the area. Police are confident that anyone who looks like Workin will be very easy to spot in the community.

and onto the preview....

05/06 Season - Liverpool finished one point behind United in 3rd place. They put together some good results and got things together. Most knowledgeable observers knew that Liverpool had the quality due to their Champions League win and they didn't shy away. A disspointing 03/04 League campaign was forgotten. Liverpool also won the FA Cup, which is a huge honor. They played very well in this competition and have a real possibility to repeat.

Transfers - Craig Bellamy is a big signing. He brings a goal scoring threat straight into the first team. He even scored in the CL qualifier. Jermaine Pennant was brought in from Brum for 6.7 million quid. Jermaine Pennant? A convicted felon. that is a lot of money. Arsenal got Rosicky, a proven WC player, for 6. nice work Rafa. I think this is going to be a huge bust, but we'll have to wait and see. Out the door at Anfield were Fernando Morientes, Dietmar Hamann, Djimi Traore, among others. Liverpool lacked the offensive firepower last season to win the league and they hope Bellamy is the solution.

Keys to the Season - Finding another player besides Gerrard to define the team. Yes, he is the captain and yes he is a great motivator and is capable of putting the team on his back. But, when he plays bad the team plays bad. This is a big problem. If Gerrard is having an off night, someone else needs to step up and get the team going. The margin of error for catching Chelsea is very small so every point counts.

Season will be decided... - end of January to early march. This series of matches is bookended by Chelsea and Manchester United. Add to that some FA Cup matches and CL knockout stage matches and you've got a defining part of the season. Liverpool need to make sure they are within striking distance of the top of the table by January 20th if they want to have any chance of lifting the Premiership trophy come the end of the season.

verdict - 3rd. hey, same as last season. a little closer to Arsenal this time around, and a bit farther away from 2nd place.

DBUD

Victoria Concordia Crescit

2006-08-16T21:52:00.000-05:00

And it's Arsenal. Arsenal FC...... The Pride of North London. The famous red and white. The Gunners. The Gooners. The Bank of England.

05/06 Season - Last season saw a lethargic Arsenal limp to 4th place in the league table. They passed Tottenham on the last day of the season and said goodbye to Highbury in style by stomping on Wigan. The cup competitions were all over the map. Arsenal were knocked out of the FA Cup by Bolton, which really does smell like central IL. I was at this match, and about 20 minutes from the ground the offical supporters coaches decided to stop at an Oasis (not sure what they are called on the other side of the pond). I step out of the coach and am greeted by the smell of animal feces. Seriously, it was horrible.

The Carling Cup was better, with Arsenal bowing out at the semis on a wondergoal deep into injury time in extra time by Jason Roberts.

The Champions League was where it was at for Arsenal last season, ending with a loss in the final. It was the first CL final for Arsenal and they gave it there all.

Transfers - anyone. anyone. bueller. bueller. bueller. frye. frye. frye. seriously, when is the Arsenal board ever going to open their check book. I know they don't have a lot of money to spend, but all the crap coming out of the board is that Arsene Wenger will be given transfer funds. So far all he has done is unearth a gem in Tomas Rosicky, who was signed before the World Cup, and then gave the world a preview of what he is going to do at the Arsenal by scoring two goals against a hapless USA. Leaving the team for sure via transfer is Sol Campbell. Sol lost his head last season against West Ham (hey I was at that one!) and wasn't the same afterwords. Ashley Tweedy and Jose Antonio Reyes are pretty much goners. Mr Tweedy is gone because he is a greedy, slimy, coniving little cvnt who doesn't want to admit he is wrong and wants more then 50,000 quid a week. hey, Ash I don't even make that in a freaking year. Meanwhile, Reyes is probably leaving because his family is unsettled in London. I can't blame him for this. He has tried his hardest to get into the Arsenal squad, I just don't think he gels with TH14. That being said, he has been pretty classless with this transfer saga, first being duped by a Spanish Radio DJ and then posing in a Real Madrid kit before the CL match in Spain. pretty dumb moves.

finally, Arsenal have lost Denis Berkgamp, or God, who retired after the last season. His leadership is going to be missed and while he didn't play as much last season as I wanted him to, he still was a big contributor.

Keys to the Season - Taking max points against teams that you should. I don't want to get into all the points that Arsenal lost last season against teams from the bottom half of the table, but it was a lot. They need to get their butts in gear for every match and give it their all. In some matches they looked listless. If Arsenal want to contend with Chelsea for the league instead of with Tottenham for 4th place in the league they need to take maximum points from every team in the lower half of the table. Another big factor for this season is playing well in Lancashire. This place is like kryptonite for Arsenal. It is almost as if Wenger tells the squad, "ok, we are going to drive up to the north, kick the ball around on the field for 90 minutes, and then come back to London. It will be like a practice." These are the listless displays I was talking about.

Season will be decided... - November. Call it the typical November swoon, but you could set your calender to this. Arsenal usually hit a bump around this time and this year it will be tough. West Ham (A), Liverpool (H), Newcastle United (H), Bolton (A), and Fulham (A). If Arsenal only lose one of these matches it will be a sucess. And to top it off December starts with the first North London Derby at the Grove and then a trip to the Bridge.

verdict - 4th place again. but at a more comfortable margin then 05/06. TH14 with the Golden Boot.

DBUD

Hey Bill Simmons, its "Spurs", not "THE Spurs", you numpty.

2006-08-16T10:23:00.000-05:00

You think that the folks in the board room at White Hart Lane are doing back flips now that Bill Simmons chose to support Spurs? Actually I shouldn't be so cynical, I guess it means they'll get a mention every 5th sentence he writes on Page 2 or in print, even if the rest of the article happens to be about the 2 co-ed person sack races at the Booyah Network (ESPN for the uninitiated) company picnic (editor's question: do you think Harold Reynolds was allowed to compete this year??. editor's note about the editor's question: for the full story check out Deadspin, just do a search. editor's note about the editor's note about the editors 1st question: I highly reccomend deadspin becoming one of your "must-reads" on a daily basis, its just no-nonsense cats talking sports, yes they even talk some footy, without having to answer to any suits, DBUD and myself have no affiliation monetary or otherwise, other than the fact that at least one of the writers was in my conference in high school). Good, now that that's cleared up, now for something completely ridiculous, Spurs.

05/06 Recap--Fought valiantly for 4th place until the last weekend, but were derailed by.....food poisoning of all things. Just so everyone is aware, i don't buy that it cost them the season, or that it was some conspiracy theory, but next time Martin Jol (Gunners finish song about his mother here_________). Instead they finished 5th, missed out on the big time cash, and the always entertainng playoff into the group stage, against some side the commentators can't spell or even pronounce, somehwere in Eastern Europe (i hear its nice this time of year, but hey at least its not Newark). Spurs have this glass ceiling, that just does not allow them finish ahead of Arsenal or in the top 4. Even when tehy were absolutely gifted a goal against the Gunners in the Nroth London Derby the last month of the season, they still found a way not to get max points out of the deal, and really put some distance between themselves and the Goon Army.

Key Transfers--Unless you've been living under a rock, you've heard that Spurs tricked Glazer United into over paying for Englishman Michael Carrick (welcome to english football, where englishmen cost more, for no real reason). Carrick is no doubt a superb talent, and no doubt not worth whatever the final figure United pay for him. He is a big loss for Spurs, regardless of what his goal tally was, if you take a look inside some of the numbers he put up, its clear to see that most of the action at White Hart ran through the feet of Carrick. Spurs spent some of the cash haul on striker Dimitar Berbatov (Berba to his mum), and Didier Zokora, who has long been targeted by several clubs in the Premiership. Both players will look to make immediate impact, Berbatov beside the likes of Robbie Keane and/or Jermain Defoe, and Zokora will look real nice playing in the same side as Edgar Davids. Assuming no other blockbuster deals go trhough between now and Aug. 31st, Spurs are definately at the top of the table as far as summer signings go (i don't count Chelsea in this, otherwise where's the fun, sour grapes I know, I don't care).

Key to the season--Believe that they can finish top 4. I truly believe that Spurs can roll out of bed and finish in 5th in the coming season, the seem destined to finish their and always to be knocking at the door of the "Big 4". It just feels like there is this thought process that goes around White Hart Lane, that its been so long and so many things have gone agaisnt them in the past (hotel cooking) that there is some wall keeping them out of the promised land. Even when Arsenal had a tough run of thngs for a bit and Spurs got a little cushion towards the end of the season, I still don't know how many people really believed they were going to finish in 4th come season's end. This season Spurs will have to make believers out of everyone, including themselves, with their actions on the pitch.

Season will be decided....--In April. Spurs will leave it late this year, and they're fate will be decided by a difficult month in spring. April sees Spurs travel to Chelsea, Wigan and Boro, and host Blackburn and Arsenal. My guess is that like last season, this year's North London Derby will once again determine Spurs European fate.

Verdict--5th, while they seem to get better and better every year, this won't be the one where they final break through into the elite level of the Premiership (Spurs fans, don't e-mail in angrily, I still think you lot are top notch side, and would more than hold your own in the C League). I think Liverpool just does enough to earn that 4th place spot, live Spurs supporters, despondent for yet another summer.

OOWK

Bolton?? Nah, I think I'll stay for a bit.

2006-08-16T09:34:00.000-05:00

DBUD suggested I title this one "Bolton, it smells like Central Illinois", but I have not spent any time in Bolton, (I did spend a year in Watford one afternoon) so i chose to go for the bad cheecky joke. One more into the breach good sir, we saunter on to number 6, Bolton Wanderers.

05/06--Bolton means boring in Kazakhstani I think, at least it di last year. Bolton were not the prettiest team in the world during the last campaign. But they were nonetheless effective, just ask Arsenal and their northern neighbors Manchester United, they have given both clubs fits over the last several campaigns. They haven't always gotten max points from each meeting, but they were able to nick some points here and there, when quality wise tehy weren't up to snuff. Bolton 05/06 reminded many pundits of the old days of football, when everything was more direct and physical, before the influence of the Continent had taken shape. Personally I don't know if Bolton's physical, in your face all 90 minutes, style of play is good or bad for the Premier League, but I do know that it got them to europe and got Big Sam Allardyce serious consideration from the talking heads for the Sven-Goran's old job.

Key Transfers--Lost Jay Jay Okocha to Oil Riches FC (Qatar), which is going to be tought to replace. Okocha was getting up their in age, and he didn't always score as much as I thought he was capable, but the man was one of the more underappreciated players in the league on a regular basis. In an effort compensate for the loss of JJO, Bolton has brought in midfielder Quinton Fortun. The South African never quite fit-in to Sir Red Face's plans at Old Trafford, and was oft-injured, but he should get on nicely at Bolton, and a change of venue might be just what he needs to re-invigorate his career. Other than bringing in another defender (Abdoulaye Meite from Marseille), Bolton hasn't really been that active in bringing players in, but as of this a.m. (thank you bbc) Big Sam is looking to sing 3 more un-named players prior to the start of this season.

Key to the season--Find someone who can bag goals from outside of the midfield!!!! Bolton finished in the top ten in goals scored last season, but too high a percentage came from the midfield. They got 9 a piece from Giannakopolous and Kevin Nolan, but not much from anywhere else, those two led the way. To continue to qualify for Europe (and compete) they will need to find that striker who can bag 15-20 on a consistent basis, to take pressure off of the midfielders to score and allow them to create, and hold possession in the middle of the pitch. Bolton thought they had this player when they signed Dioufous from Liverpool but he only managed 20 appearances for the glob last year in the league, and only netted thrice during those appearances.

Season will be decided....----In November, they have 5 matches, 3 are at home, but 2 of those are against Arsenal and Chelsea, which happen to fall in back to back weeks, nothing like a week long stay in london going to the theatre with Big Sam and having that trip book-ended by trips to Emirates (that still looks and sounds funny, but the picture of the joint look great) and Stamford Bridge.

Verdict--I don't see them getting more pleasing on the eye (although Nolan's overhead goal last year was the highlight of all higlights for the campaign) but they will continue to be technically sound and solid formation wise, every time they step on the pitch. Those two facts alone will take them into the UEFA cup and the 6th place spot, but not quite enough to reach that 20 million pound pay day that is the Heineken, Ford Focus, Master Card, Amstel Light, Champion's League (brought to you by Playstation 2, "Live in your world. Play in ours").

OOWK

Newcastle...its not just good beer.

2006-08-15T20:27:00.000-05:00

There was an old joke going around last year about an orphan boy who was abused by his parents and foster parents and the judge appointed Newcastle Football Club as the custodian because they were.......(wait for it) incapable of beating anyone (que rimshot). Luckily (hopefully) for the Magpie faithful that joke applies to someone else this year (see Watford). Today we take a look at our #7 squad, the pride of the North, Newcastle.

05/06 Recap---Bad first month followed by a worse second month saw Newcastle floundering near the drop zone, yet slowly but surely they climber their way out of danger, even though they could never seem to get everyone healthy (the micheal owen addition didn't quite pan out like those in the board had hoped, he did score 7 in the league, but only made 11 appearances), and the Chairman fired gaffer Graeme Souness in February, and replaced him with some sort of combination of Glenn Roeder and Alan Shearer (sort of). Add all that on top of the fact that Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer got into an on-pitch scuffle......with each other, and got sent off against Aston Villa (it was like a real life version of that scene in Slap Shot where the ref throws everyone out and gives the trophy to the naked skater). Newcastle earned their spot in Europe, but I am still not quite sure how they did it, they were the second worst disciplined team in the league, they are becoming the Trail (jail)Blazers of Footy.

Key Transfers--Obviously the biggest out was the retirement of Alan Shearer (finally), but they coupled that loss with sending away of Lee Bowyer, so I guess win some lose some, its addition by subtraction in my world. Their biggest transfer in was the Duffer, a bargain at 5 million if, and that is a giant, giant, Fat Ronaldo size if, he can stay healthy. Newcastle have enough injury worries to start the season what with Michael "Mikey he like's it" Owen being sidelined for "a bit" (they like only Newcastle can do, escaped any further damage when Titus Bramble smacked his car into someone's house). Somehow Jean Alain Boumsong is still on the club's books, not sure how this is so, but if Newcastle want to take a trip back to Europe, they will pay him to go away, and I look for this to happen before the August transfer window shuts, if not I take back everything good I've said about this side.

Key to the season--Stay healthy, and stay on the pitch, stay afloat early on. Their discipline and health have already been well documented here, and if they get off to the start they had last year, they are in for a long season of trying to leap frog less talented teams in front of them, nothing hurts a team's chances more than a poor start, things have a way of snowballing out of control after that, ask Souness. With Shearer gone, Owen will be expected to carry a heavy goal load, which is going to be awfully hard to do from the physio's table. Hopefully Glenn Roeder can get the most out of what he has to work with, and they will be back challenging for one of the top 4 and a place in the Big European Competition.

Season will be decided.......--Early on. Newcastle start the season with a tough run of matches in September, including trips to West Ham, Liverpool and Manchester United. The Toon army will be praying for full points out of any of these matches, just to keep pace with the rest of the league.Verdict--Lucky number 7 and back in Europe, barely, but Europe is Europe and they money is always helpful. Provided Owen gets healthy and Duff stays healthy, the rest of the squad should fall nicely in line, and their should be enough quality to stand out from the rest of the pretenders, and make up for any transgressions that might befall them along the way.

OOWK

4,000 holes

2006-08-15T20:16:00.000-05:00

And now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall. So, lots has happened to DBUD in the past few days. I got a new job which means my commute is about 15 minutes each way and I just picked up some Blublocker sunglasses today. Result. And now it is off to Blackburn Lancashire to look at our next team.

05/06 Season - Blackburn shocked a lot of people last season by qualifying for a spot in Europe. No one picked them for this, and they did make a serious run at 4th place to try for a Champions League spot. They even managed to defeat champions Chelsea 1-0 at the end of the season, which can only boost confidence for the current season.

Transfers - Jason Roberts was brought in from Wigan, and he is a goal scorer. Francis Jeffers was also added. He's not going to help the squad much. Craig Bellemy and Paul Dickov went the other way and left the club. I think these are two big losses because both players helped Blackburn finish in 6th place.

Keys to the Season - Scoring goals. I think Blackburn's defense will be fine, anchored by Lucas Neill, who got valuable experience during the World Cup. Blackburn will need to find their offensive footing early, because if they have to rely on Jeffers to score goals, well, they aren't going to score very many. There are rumors that Neill is out the door, with Tottenham currently with their eyes on him, and he would be a big loss. He has only one year left on his contract, so Blackburn might be forced to sell him in order to get some money.

Season will be decided... - End of October and into November. With matches against West Ham, Villa, United, and Tottenham, Blackburn face three teams that might be fighting for a spot in Europe and a Villa team that could really be anywhere on the map at this point (after Lerner purchased the club, etc.).

verdict - 8th place. just out of European contention. The loss of Bellemy and Dickov will hurt the offensive firepower, and if Neill goes then all bets are off.

My precious, my precious......

2006-08-14T19:57:00.000-05:00

I'm forever blowing bubbles, pretty bubbles in the air, then I'm going to take down some Orcs on my way to Rohan, but first I'm going to travel around the world looking for the perfect set of parents while a huge ass meteor threatens to end all life on planet Earth. oh wait, that's Elijah Wood. my bad.

Instead let's look at West Ham.

05/06 Season - A 9th place finish, saw the Hammers finish in the top half of the table after being very close to reaching the dizzying heights of European football on their own accord, instead they had to settle for the runners up spot in the FA Cup final in order to get them into the UEFA Cup. This is a huge step for West Ham, having played last season as a newly promoted side. Alan Pardew was able to get the most out of his players, including a huge 3-2 at Highbury, which I had the dis-honor to witness live in person. Thanks alot for that one Alan.

Transfers - Lee "I like to punch my own teammates" Bowyer and Carlton Cole are probably the two biggest names that have joined West Ham. They have also secured the talents of one native Illinoisian Jonathan Spector from Manchester United. Not sure how Johnny will be able to handle a full season in the Premiership, after some loan spells last season, but Pardew must see something in the kid. The biggest news about Transfers regarding the Upton Park club is the fact that all their stars have stayed. This means that the team that almost lifted the FA Cup last season is intact and only a few bits and pieces have been added. Nice work Alan.

Keys to the Season - Defending. At the above said match West Ham were lucky to not concede a goal to Arsenal from the start of the second half until the Hammers made it 3-1. Their goal was under siege, but they kept firm and didn't buckle. Only with the score 3-1 was Arsenal able to score in the waning minutes of the match. Last season West Ham had a goal difference of -3, if they can turn this around they will do a lot better then last year in the league (John Madden talking again). Dean Ashton, Harewood, Zamora, and Teddy "I went to Man United and I'm still a cvnt" Sheringham will be able to score bags of goals.

Season will be decided... - The first five matches see West Ham do this: Charlton (H), Watford (A), Liverpool (A), Aston Villa (H), and Newcastle (H). If West Ham can go 4-0-1 in those matches they will set the tone for a successful season. They need to take advantage of the weaker teams because they are able to hang with some of the contenders for the Premiership trophy.

verdict - 9th place. same as last season. West Ham will be deadly in the cup competitions again this season, so watch out. I don't see the defense strengthened enough to push West Ham over the edge and into a European spot (from the league).

I'm a Recovering Addick

2006-08-14T17:28:00.000-05:00

DBUD and myself have been on a role lately, churning these previews out and getting ready for the upcoming season. I have to say I have enjoyed writing them more than I thought, you learn so much about every side, which can only make for more entertaining viewership in the coming months. After that beautiful request and dedication we march on towards number 1, moving up the charts and coming in at number 10 (sweet Kasey Kacem shout out)......Charlton.

05/06 Recap--Seems like this is a re-occuring theme here, but we see ourselves looking at another one of our favorite mid table obscurity sides, that could have finished anywhere from 9th-15th last year, and of course they finished mid table of the mid-table at lucky 13. LAat year Charlton was a team that was just there, they finished right around 10th-13th in pretty much every imaginable category, nothing spectacular, nothing dreadful, if you didn't know to look for them you wouldn't know Charlton actually competed last year(Darren Bent's performance notwithstanding). Curbs last season in charge of the Addicks will go down as being less than memorable in every conceivable way (especially after that 4-0 drubbing by the mighty Red Devils on the last match day, sorry, that was wrong of me).

Key Transfers--As stated above, a huge loss for Charlton was the loss of 'Curbs' who supposedly left to be with his family, but was then immediately linked to the opening at Crystal Palace (didn't end up there). Curbs is the Dusty Baker (when he was with the Giants) of English football. Never won that huge prize, but was always solid, and never really had to fear the dole. The key in for Charlton has to be "Oooooh Jimmy Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink." This guy has to be the biggest pud on the face of the earth, the reason I say that is because teams keep letting him leave, and all he does is score goals (34 for Leeds, 70 for Chelsea and 23 for Boro), I know he is inching closer to the end of his career, but he clearly still has a lot left in the tank, especially if he is some teams #2 striker. (on a sidenote...JFH scores tons of goals, but not when we have him in our fantasy side, neither one of us took him this year, so he's guaranteed to top the league table in goals, skamp). Look for Darren Bent to learn from JFH and continue scoring goals in bundles.

Key to the season---Score, Score, Score, they brought in the firepower so now they have to utilize it, Bent played a lot up top on his own last year (which makes his goal total, all the more amazing), so they became easy to defend. To be successful, they will need to become a more dynamic, less direct squad, utilizing all of their attacking pieces in the right manner. They cannot be dependent on the long ball this year. Charlton will also need to make sure that Bent and JFH can co-exist in the same squad, a task which shouldn't be difficult to accomplish at this point in both of their respective careers.

Season will be decided.....--In late October and early November. Charlton have a favorable schedule in the fall, that sees them attempting to get max points from trips to Sheffield United, Reading and Wigan, and getting to host Watford. this run of games will decide whether they are legtimate contenders for those oh so rich spots in Europe.

Verdict--10th, their goal scoring total will keep them battling to the end for a European place but I just don't see it being enough. They, like so many sides that finish in this position lack an identity to make them become anchored in the top of the table, when May rolls around each year.

OOWK

Harrod's FC

2006-08-13T15:13:00.000-05:00

Still on the stolen broadband, but damnit its fast, watching a little NASCAR, I'll admit, I like it, sue me, and its time to get to our 11th place side....Fulham.

05/06 Recap--Had a rough start to the season, because of some injuries, and for a time before the turn of the year saw themselves in the drop zone. Managed to pull things together in the second half of the year, scraped and clawed and scraped and clawed into that prestigious spot of the table known as.........mid-table obscurity. They eventually settled into 12th place and the verdict is still out on whether gaffer Chris Coleman got his charges to overachieve or underachieve. They scored enough last year but finished 3rd from bottom in goals conceded, no doubt a result of losing 1st choice keeper Edwin van der Sar to Manchester United.

Key Transfers--Didn't lose too many key players, and they managed to hang on to a lot of their core (Boa Morte, Bocanegra, McBride). Were also able to add a few value players which we've discussed here as being the difference between mid-table obscurity and fighting for a place in Europe. They were able to pry Jimmy Bullard away from Wigan, who was instrumental in Wigan's successful season in the Premier League. They were also able to bring in Frank Quedrue who has long bee a fixture at the Riverside. It'll be Chris Coleman's task to integrate his new signings seemlessly into a squad that has been together for a couple of seasons now.

Key to the season--Location, location, location. Fulham has to get better away from Craven Cottage. They were absolutely brutal away from home last season. They only picked up 7, yes that's 7, there isn't supposed to be a 1 in front of it. That total was good for last place in the league in away form. If they had been better away from home, no doubt they would have been right in the thick of things for a European spot.

Season will be decided...--Early. They start with a trip to Old Trafford, then host Bolton and Sheffield United, and then it gets tough, trips to Newcastle and Tottenham are followed by a September 23rd date at home with the Champions Chelsea. By November 1st, Fulham supporters should have a pretty good idea about where their side will finish the year.

Verdict--11th. I have no doubts they'll get better on the road but still won't be consistent enough overall to book a place in Europe. Their side still lacks a litte quality and a lot of depth, not a good formula for sustained success.

OOWK

I love Heath Bars

2006-08-13T11:37:00.000-05:00

Well, OOWK finally has some internet, abliet illegally. eh, I'm sure the people don't mind. It's all about being a part of a community.

So now we are on Everton, the Toffeemen. I love Toffee. Heath bars might be the best candy bars ever invented. And then you have the Heath bar Blizzard and it just gets even better. ok, enough of that. time for the preview.

05/06 Season - Last season saw Everton into the Champions League, and well, they just didn't do so hot. Losing in qualifying 3-2 to Villarreal on a controversial decision. They also crashed out of the UEFA Cup early on. As if that wasn't bad enough, they were bottom of the table for a little bit, but Moyes put it together and they managed to finish mid-table in 11th.

Transfers - The biggest signing was that of Andy Johnson. Penalty kicker extraordinaire. He joined for a club record 8.6 million quid. Everton have also added GK Tom Howard on loan from United, Wolves defender Joleon Lescott, and Delron Buckley from Borussia Dortmund. Some of these players will play big parts in the up coming season.

Keys to the Season - The big question is if David Moyes can get this Everton squad back into contention for a spot in Europe. He's done it once, so I think he can do it again. Of course, on paper anything is possible and once a ball is kicked in anger on Aug 19th all bets are off. Everton have to start the year off strong. Last season they did not and it hurt because once they got everything all figured out it was too late to finish any higher then 11th.

Season will be decided... - As stated above, Everton have to get off to a hot start. They open the league campaign at home to Watford, then travel to Blackburn and Tottenham before returning to Goodison for the Merseyside derby. I think having a derby match this early in the season isn't really a good thing. You know there will be buckets of yellow cards, probably a few reds, and definetly a few injuries because the tackles will be flying in. If Everton can weather the early matches they can put themselves on a course for a spot in Europe (that just sounded like John "Mr Obvious" Madden, good lord)

verdict - mid table. 12th place. a slight dip from last year. There will be some matches to celebrate and some matches to hide from for the Blue half of the Merseyside. I just can't see them cracking the top 10.

Are you City in Disguise????

2006-08-12T20:57:00.000-05:00

Eureka......internet access, love it, call me the wireless bandit for now, missing a couple of cables to put the internet together, so hope the neighbors don't mind us hijacking their connection. So before they encrypt it, lets get to lucky number 13....Manchester City.

05/06 Recap--Got off to adream start to the season, and looked to really by into everything Psycho wanted the side to do. They gave the Red side of the Salford Quays all it could handle (including a 3-1 defeat that ruined my honeymoon). Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on who you support) they could not sustain their run throughout the entire season, as injuries and a run of bad play saw them fall steadily in the table, to finish at 15th.

Key Transfers--Lost keeper David "calamity" james to Portsmouth and signed defender Hatem Trabelsi, an Arsenal target as recently as June, on a free after his contract expired at Ajax. Both of these moves were made in hopes of shoring up a defense that was third from bottom and only saw them keep 6 clean sheets in the league all year. In an effort to get more experience in the middle of the pitch, they also moved for former Liverpool standout Dietmar Hamann.

Key to the season--Will Stuart Pearce be able to get everything he can out of a saide that lacks the talent to finish in the top half of the table on a consistent basis. The only way for City to succeed this year is for them to out work everybody they play. 60-75% of the time they take to the pitch they will be less talented than they side lining up across from them, but that certainly doesn't mean they won't come out on top more than their share of the time. They will aslo need to do better when they travel away from the City Ground (they were 16th in the league last year in away form at 11th at home, thank you actim stats).

Season will be decided....---Last month and a half of the season when they travel to Liverpool and Spurs and host the Manchester derby. Also mix in winnable games at home to Aston Villa and a trip to Watford, and the end of the season will decide whether City are challenging for a place in europe or languisihng in mid-table obscurity.

Verdict--13th, midtable obscurity it is then. City will never be bothered with the relegation talk, but they also won't get mentioned often in the European conversation either. City just don't have enough talent to compete with the big guns match in, match out, but Stuart Pearce will certainly make sure they have the heart to.

OOWK

Reading Season Preview

2006-08-12T10:35:00.000-05:00

so OOWK doesn't have some cord for his computer, so I'm doing both of the previews.

05/06 Season - Last season saw Reading storm to the Colaship crown, stomping all comers in their wake. If they can ride the wave of this they should do ok, but as seen before with Sunderland, a high point total in the Colaship means f*** all in the Premiership.

Transfers - Reading have pretty much kept all the players that got them promoted. They haven't made any significat moves, at least ones that show up on my radar. That and I'm tired as hell right now, so I'm just going to half ass this section. It isn't like they haven't been trying. They had two club record bids for John Mensah of Ghana and Ivory Coast's Emerse Fae rejected.

Keys to the Season - Complacency. Now that Reading are in the top flight for the first time in their history they can not rest on their laurels of having achieved said objective. They need to get everything out of their minds and start fresh this season. Their rep from the Colaship means nothing. This is the big show and they are going to have to step up and perform if they want to stick around for a few years.

Season will be decided... - March. three matches. away to Arsenal. home to Pompey. away to Spurs. Two teams are definetly going to be fighting for a spot in Europe, while Reading might be engaged in a dogfight for the safe zone with Pompey. If that isn't enough Reading start April by hosting Liverpool. This section could make or break their season.

verdict - 14th place. A good showing on the first time in the Premiership. With the money that Reading has and the ambition from the boardroom, I can see Reading sticking around in the top flight for longer then a season or two.

DBUD

Wigan Season Preview

2006-08-11T06:36:00.000-05:00

Wigan. The home of Rugby League.............until last year.

05/06 Season - Last season, the Latics shocked the Premiership and finished in 10th. No one gave them any chance of staying up, and on the first showing Wigan impressed everyone. Paul Jewell was able to get more out of his team then anyone else and Wigan was able to punch above their weight. Wigan put together a brilliant run to the Carling Cup final, but fell to the Mancs. This should give them hope for the new season.

transfers - Wigan have added Emile Heskey to their squad. Only real player of note. As OOWK and I can vouch, Heskey was useless last year. Just look at our fantasy team at the Globe Pub. Some foriegners have been added as well. Don't feel like talking about them. The biggest thing to note here is the transfer saga of one Pascal Chimbonda. He was named to the PFL team of the season, but did turn in a transfer request on the last day of the season. I think this has been recalled, but he had been linked with many other teams in the Premiership and losing him would be a big blow for Wigan.

Keys to the Season - repeating last season. Wigan have to go out and continue what they started last season. simple as that.

Season will be decided.... - December. home to Liverpool. away to West Ham and Boro. home to the Blades and Chelsea. and away to United and Watford. Some big teams in there and it is a crucial point in the season. Sheffield and Watford will be trying to "pull a Wigan" this year and do well in the Prem. Wigan will have to be careful

verdict - the second time around in the Premiership I think more teams will be suited to Wigan's style and won't be surprised. 15th place.

DBUD

Portsmouth Season Preview

2006-08-11T06:35:00.000-05:00

Play up Pompey, pompey play up. One thing about Portsmouth is that their supporters never shut up. Pompey was getting spanked 5-1 by Arsenal a few years back in the FA Cup and they were still singing. They are one of, if not the, most vocal supporters in the Premership. That alone however doesn't take a team out of a relegation fight.

05/06 Season - The return of 'Arry Redknapp to Fratton Park saw Pompey finish in 17th place. This after 'Arry endeared himself forever to Portsmouth by putting their bitter rivals Southhampton into the Colaship. Pompey struggled last year and I don't think this year will be any different.

transfers - Portsmouth have a lot more money now then they used to. They did sign Sol Campbell on a free transfer from Arsenal. This is a big move, because it is not every day you get to bring an international caliber player into your squad at no cost. However, Big Sol had a bit of a mental breakdown and did didly squat for England in the World Cup. Is this Sol Campbell the same one who made almost 200 appearences for the Highbury club? Oh and Sol, when you said you wanted a fresh challenge I didn't know a relegation fight was what you were looking for. Only time will tell. Pompey have also had a big for David "Calamity" James accepted. Another (ex)- England international. Will these big names be able to keep Pompey up?

keys to the season - Playing to potential. Pompey have the quality there to stay in the Premiership, but it remains to be seen what 'Arry can do with it.

season will be decided... - The end of the season sees Pompey host United, Newcastle, Liverpool, and Arsenal. Now, the south coast is by no means a friendly place, but these are all big name teams with dreams of playing in Europe. If Pompey are in a dogfight for a spot in the safe zone points might be hard to come by.

verdict - safe, but only just. 16th place. even with big name signings I can't see much getting done on the south coast.

DBUD

Middlesbrough Season Preview

2006-08-10T12:44:00.000-05:00

ah 17th place. the safe zone.

05/06 recap - Last season Boro were a bit of a Jekyl & Hyde. A huge 7-0 loss to Arsenal was probably the low point of the season. However, they did manage to beat Chelsea towards the end of the season and beat Manchester United at Old Trafford and a draw at the Riverside. figure that out. League dissapointment aside, Boro did put together two great Cup runs, reaching the semi-finals of the FA Cup and the final of the UEFA Cup, but losing in both. Looking back, one can see that the quality was there, they just weren't consistent enough in the league to do anything.

transfers - Frankie Queudrue is out. I'm not sure how big of a loss this is, but he has played a boat load of games for Boro. They have also signed Julio Arca from Sunderland. Now, if Boro think they can strengthen their side with a player from a team that scored the lowest total in the Premeirship ever, then they might not be doing so hot this season. They tried, and failed, and might try again to get Robert Huth on loan from Chelsea. Huth failed a medical, but according to the Beeb the talks are back on. Lord knows Huth isn't going to be getting lots of first team action at Stamford Bridge, so this could be a good move for him.

keys to the season - Consistency. Boro showed last season they have the quality to beat some big name teams and that they have the ability to lose to teams that they have no business losing to. This season, if they can find some consistent form they should be able to secure a spot mid-table. That being said, maybe the UEFA Cup messed with their heads this year, and with just domestic competitions to focus on, this season might be different.

season will be decided - It is hard to say if a bad start really dooms a team to a miserable season, but Boro's first five matches look like they could be a good barometer of the season. Boro's first five matches are as follows: Reading away, Chelsea home, Portsmouth home, Arsenal away, and Bolton away. Not the toughest 1st five, but certainly not the easiest. Premiership newboys Reading will be gunning to start with a win (especially at home), then you have the defending champions. Pompey could be tough, with Big Sol having signed. Then a trip to Ashburton Grove and the Reebok. After 5 games Boro could be looking at a record of 0-3-2 or worse. not the best way to start the season.

verdict - Boro will fail to find form, but not to the point where they will drop from the Premiership. Instead, they will hang on by the skin of their fingers to fight the Premiership fight another day.

DBUD

Sheffield United

2006-08-10T12:39:00.000-05:00

3 Posts in 3 days for OOWK, just like old times. Still working on the internet at home, man i am lazy, and have too much to do. But we'll go ahead with lucky number 18, another newly promoted side Neil Warnock's Sheffield United boys.

05/06 Recap---Had a good year and great point total, that would have looked even better were it not for the unbelievable season long run put forth by Reading, but nevertheless they secured the second automatic promotion spot with a couple of games in hand, and were given a well deserved sending up on the last match day with a 1-0 win at Bramall Lane. The Blades finally earned the promotion that theri fans thought had been coming for a few years now. In the past they have had some heart-breaking losses including one in Cardiff in 03/04 in the Playoff final (a loss now made made famous by the photo of a well proportioned female blades supporter removing her shirt as a camer man snapped away at herself and her sullen parner sitting in the stands after the final whistle had long gone).

Key Transfers--With any newly promoted side you tend to get a lot of turnover within the club, however the Blades have managed to hang on to most of the their players. Not sure if this will work, as the players had the quality to make it to the Prem, but they might not have the quality to stick around. David sommeil is in from City while, Horshfield is out. This might be a big loss as he is 32 and is an experienced player. The Blades have kept, phil jagielka and michale tonge by extending their contracts.

Season will be decided...-- Mark this down. 28 Oct to 18 Nov. Chelsea home, Newcastle away, Bolton home, and Manchester United home. A tough stretch of matches for anyone, let alone a newboy. If the Blades can get any points at all from this stretch they should feel confident going into the rest of the season.

Verdict--18th will be very close between them and boro, will do well at home but struggle on the road, which willl ultimately do them in.

OOWK

Aston Villa Season Preview

2006-08-09T10:30:00.000-05:00

Time for our runner-up in the who's going down contest, and the winners (losers) are Aston Villa, who we see finishing in 19th place in the table, depsite the fact that they have been entranched in the Premiership for some time now.

05/06 Recap---Finished last season in 16th position 8 points clear of the drop. Pretty bad for a team that finished 6th in 03/04 and 10th in 04/05 (do you see a trend developing here??? I do and its trending downward towards the Championship). Its pretty clear the reason they finished as low as the did considering that they were 14th in the league in goals scored and 6th in goals conceded (as in 6th worst, eek). If you give up a lot and don't score many, you aren't going to earn many points (pretty simple game eh???).

Transfers---Forget on the pitch the biggest transfer in Villa park took place on the sideline (and may soon take place in the board room if Chairman Deadly Doug E. Fresh sells his stake in the club to any number of suitors looking to purchase this 80 million pound headache). The resignation/sacking of David O'Leary has paved the way for former Celtic gaffer Martin O'Neill to retrun to football after his lengthy time off taken to be with his ailing wife. O'Neill seen as a savior by the Villa faithful will have his work cut out for him and must make do with a squad that was racked by injuries an in-fighting under O'Leary's tenure.

Keys to the season--Again, off field issues may be the biggest key to the season, can the players and manager see eye to eye and work together to stay up. Will they in turn be looking over their shoulders constantly ever wary of the ax Deadly Doug has wielded so freely during his tyrany, i mean ownership. What will a new owner for the club mean? Will he/they be ambitious in teh transfer market come January and dole out the money needed to buy those few key players available who can help stave off relegation? Or, will new ownership be hog-tied because of the purchase and sit idly by as Aston Villa's fortunes sink deeper and deeper into a Midlands night? Questions that all must be answered before May rolls around.

Season will be decided....--Over the holidays. During the run-in of matches leading up to and following Christmas and the New Year, Villa host Man. United, travel to London for meetings with Spurs and Charlton, come back home for a meeting with Chelsea on the 1st of the year and then travle to Old Trafford for their second meeting with United in less than a month. I fear that Villa supporters will see neither a Merry Christmas nor a Happy New Year.

Verdict--Too much turmoil even for a genius like Martin O'Neill to succeed, Villa fights to the last whistle, but in the end can't avoid the drop. It would be a sad day for a club that is as well supported as Villa, but I fear it is unavoidable.

OOWK

Watford Season Preview

2006-08-09T10:05:00.000-05:00

Sorry I (OOWK) have been gone sports fans, but this house thing has been taking up all of my time, and the internet is still not set-up, that is this weeken'ds project so hopefully we are back on line, come Monday.

But since DBUD has been so kind as to post all of the previews, we can start them as scheduled. We will be going in order of where we think these sides will finish in the table, starting with the club of Sir Elton........Watford ("thank you billy, for that honesty, not something we hear that often at Radio Watford")

05/06 Recap----A solid promotion season for the Hornets, that culmitated in what can best be defined as a semi-shock defeat of Leeds United in Cardiff, in the Coca-Cola, Playoff Final. Watford never looked favorites to become the final representative of the Championship to head to the Prem. Most pundits agree that gaffer Aidy Bothroyd had done the work of a magician, in getting his side to believe they could compete with the best of the old First Division.

Key Transfers--Probably the biggest transfer for Watord, was just announced this morning, that being the signing of former QPR defender Danny Shittu for about 1.5 million pounds. Shittu, who in the past has always made everyone's "best of" League 1 lists, will look to settle in quickly as he makes the 2 league jump in quality. Watford will look for Shittu to bolster the defense, and to help the Hornets scrathc and claw their way to enough points at home to avoid the quick drop back to the Championship. A key loss for Watford, may go unnoticed, the lost of Manchester United's on load midfielder Chris Eagles. Eagles who was vital in bolstering the depth of the squad during the promotion push, has gone back to Old Trafford, although could be available again for a loan deal once the season starts, however it is unlikely he would be loaned out to a side within the Premiership. Watford were able to extend the contracts of about 7 players in the close season, which always helps to keep a certain cohesiveness in the side.

Key to the Season--As stated earlier, the key to every newly promoted side, who has true aspirations of staying up (not sure if Watford is one of those sides, although the signing today helps me decide). Is to get as many points as possible at home, especially wins against other sides fighting in the drop zone, and eeking out any points you can on your travels. Watford will have to be very sound definsively, (hence the Shittu signing) as goals have been hard to come by in recent years for sides making the step up though the Playoffs (ignoring the succes of Wigan and West Ham of course).

Season will be decided....--Just before the New Year. We all know the percentages of teams that go down if they are in the zone over the holidays, so if Watford want to stay up they need to get any points they can from a month that sees them among other ties, travel to Man City, Newcastle, and Liverpool and play host to Arsenal. Not an easy month for any side, let alone for the new kid on the block.

Verdict--A one way ticket to the bottom of the table and back to Soft Drink League. Nothing to be ashamed of however, they went up in a year that sees two pretty ambitious clubs go up with them (Reading, Sheffield United). Not sure they can do enough with the side they have to turn losses into draws and draws into wins. However, provided they can keep most of their squad intact following the drop, its not inconceiveable to think they won't be right back in the Premiership following the 07/08 Season.

OOWK

Be Back Soon :( :(

2006-07-26T18:14:00.000-05:00

Moving day on Friday and I have to go see a man about a couch. Going to be out of town for a few but will return Sunday/Monday, better than ever, just in time to take a look at the lower leagues and review the first weekend of the SPL. I hope its colder where you are then it is here, stay cool and remember......always keep yo pimp hand steady!!!

OOWK

Will he get a different color ankle bracelet to match the new red shirt??

2006-07-25T20:57:00.000-05:00

Ok so I am funnier in my own mind than I probably am in real life, but too bad, I can write what I want, it's my freaking blog. Jermaine Pennant is about to sign with the Red Scouse. If he stays out of trouble, its a great great signing for Liverpool. He answers some problems on the right side for Rafa Benitez, he is going to be able to provide some quality service from the right side to Lurch (which he needs) and will be able to partner well with Stevie G and Harry Kewell. This singing does kind of amaze me on some level. This guy has gotten a ton of chances, after starting his career with the Gunners. He was solid at Birmingham but wasn't necessarily spectacular, but that might have been because he was in a side that was destined to go down. This chance with Liverpool will probably be his last chance with a big club so he better make the most of it, or he'll find himself in the Coca-Cola next time around.

OOWK

A reprieve.....sort of.

2006-07-25T20:38:00.000-05:00

The appeals for the 4 Italian clubs (Juve., AC Milan, Lazio, Fiorentino) came to a conclusion. To be honest, I thought that the judges would keep the staus quo, they wouldn't accept the appeals from the clubs and they wouldn't grant the prosocutors wish and instate even harsher penalties. I was wrong (that's happened a lot this week eh?) The judges presiding over the case reduced the penalties for all clubs, in some way or another. Lazio and Fiorentina each were promoted back up to Serie A, but had a couple of more points tacked on to their reductions. AC had some points taken off of their reduction, as did Juventus, but they still stay down. I want to be the first to say BOOOOOOOOOOOO. This verdict in my eyes was complete rubbish, there was no transparency, no reason given for why the penalties were reduced, they just were, and it now seems as though the first time a round it was all a PR ploy to make people think that the Italian FA were taking a stand. In the end everyone caved to the clubs, and it now looks to the rest of the world like 3 of the 4 clubs got away with murder. As I said last week, you can't get a little pregnant. This whole outcome really pisses me off, I actually thought that things would stay the same and I have no doubts that if Italy hadn't just won the World Cup these penalties would have been harsher.

OOWK

Futbol?? I thought it said Football.

2006-07-24T19:49:00.000-05:00

Apparently Michael Neville has some competition in his plans to takeover Aston Villa from Duuurty Doug Ellis. A fair warning to all you Villa supporters out there, embrace Neville as quickly as you can, offer to work as stewards for free, drive to pick him up from the Midlands airport if necessary. The last thing you want is Randy Lerner running your football team. Randy has overseen a pretty un-remarkable span of years in Cleveland (albeit this is the franchise's second go-round), since taking over after the death of his father, the club's previous owner. I don't see Lerner using Villa as anything more than strictly business venture, and with the club in turmoil, I can see him coming in slashing the payroll and just trying to stay afloat in the Premiership in the upcoming season. A strategy that can't possibly work when you have at least 2 teams coming up from the Championship that have every intention of staying up for the long haul. Having an owner who spends a majority of his time abroad and not in and around the club can't possibly know what is working and what isn't and what needs to be added or subtracted. Ask United supporters, who have grown tired of seeing Malcolm Glazer's sons (minions) in the stands but no signs of the man himself.

OOWK

Get a haircut. Muppet.

2006-07-24T19:30:00.000-05:00

Let me first say that Hernan Crespo needs to get a F%*^ing hair cut. His hair always looks greasy and unwashed, and look at those split ends!!!. Long hair is a good look on NO MAN, period, end of discussion. Secondly, I won't lie to you, I have no idea who Hernan Crespo plays for, I am so confused. First he's with Inter then Chelsea, then with Chelsea but was loaned to AC, then last year he was with Chelsea and now he wants to go back to Italy. Its not the biggest secret in the world, that Crespo loves Italy, and has always been more comfortable there. But in my world (and I know I live in my own little one, where everything makes much more sense to me and all the rest of you are idiots), if you really love it there, why did you sign a long-term contract to play in Ingerland. Crespo still has 2 years left on his deal and the Bridge, which mean by my math he signed at least a 4 year deal. Apparently the money and The City were good enough for him a few years back, it should still be good enough now. Honor your commitment to your club, and in two years you can take that gigantic wad of Pounds, exchange them for Lire and live out your days drinking wine and eating Canolis.

OOWK

I was wrong...this time.

2006-07-24T19:11:00.001-05:00

The other day when I said that Newcastle made a poor acquisition when they spent 10 million on Irish winger Damian Duff, I was wrong. The geordies only spent about 5 million on the Duffer, and in that case 5 million is money well spent. If you get 2-3 healthy years out of him, than you will have gotten your money's worth and then some. It's amazing that even in the day of exorbinant transfer fees, some of the most important players on some of the best teams over the last decade have been bought in that 3-7 million range. Anyone can write a big check for a superstar, the ability of a coach and his staff to scout and evaluate talent is illustrated in some of those periferal signings made by clubs.

I did read some criticism of this trade today, and that was that he was the same left-sided player as Albert Luque, so where was he going to play? My guess is that Mr. Luque had better get used to the bench. Luque has been incredibly dissapointing (although he did score a match winner the other day, albeit against Lillestrom) since coming to Tyneside. 2 goals in 19 appearances isn't exactly a stellar goal scoring record.

OOWK

I was wrong...this time.

2006-07-24T19:11:00.000-05:00

Ruud's transfer mood

2006-07-23T18:35:00.000-05:00

Spain, Germany, Germany, Spain, thank you thank you boys stop the bubble machine, I want to get off. First Ruud was going to Madrid and now we are told that the front office at Bayern Munich is negoating with Ruud on the players' contract. And I don't think that the release of information is a negotiating ploy on any bodies part. Bayern a clearly looking for a goal scorer to replace the quality they lost when midfielder Micahel Ballack left for the Southwest Sixers. If I am Real Madrid, I am upping my offer very very quickly. They are in need of RvN a lot more than Bayern and a lot more than United are in need of selling him on. Real are in a transition period with the retirement of Zidane, Roberto Carlos' possible move to Chelsea and Raul's injury and aging problems. These problems are only further compounded by the injury to Ronaldo which will keep him out for the start of the season if not longer. Real are an aging team suddenly without a real goal scoring threat (I bet they'd love to have a healthy Michael Owen right about now). Real earlier submitted a much lower bid than United were looking for, had it rejected and said that they wouldn't be "held hostage", that's all fine and dandy, but now they also be without a world class striker for a portion of the season. Time to whip out the checkbook boys, you've never had that problem before (14 million for Woodgate, money well spent eh??)

OOWK

Fly with me, come fly come fly away.

2006-07-23T16:26:00.000-05:00

Dennis Bergkamp doesn't want to get into coaching, wow, we are really stretching for "news" this weekend. Is there anyone who is really surprised by this? The man absolutely hates to fly, (I for one understand this, as I am terrified to fly, if you ever monder how much I hate to fly, just know I once drove 24 hours straight from Chicago to Key West to be in a wedding, when I already had a plane ticket for the next morning). Anybody who wouldn't fly to a large portion of away European matches when he was making bundles of cash, certainly isn't going to want to do that for less money. And why would players of his caliber ever want to get into caoching, who needs the headaches. He's had a good long career, made a fair amount of cash, put it in the bank and live out the rest of your days on the golf course. 95% of the players he would end up caoching will always bemuch less talented than he. I can think of nothing more frustrating as a coach, than being able to picture something in your mind, knowing that you could do it, and not being able to get others to follow.

Like I said its a slow news day, and I have been moving boxes, (I don't know where I got all this stuff, none of it is stuff that I use). Supposedlt DBUD was going to write osmething about the Dutch Wizard's testimonial, but he got White Sox tickets today, wanker. We just finalized our schedule for out Premiership Previews, and starting August 9th, we will be posting two previews a day up until the eve of the start of the season. Stay tuned.

OOWK

Duff Man, Yeah!!!

2006-07-22T19:17:00.000-05:00

You know its a slow news day in footy when the headlines involve Damien Duff's move to Newcastle. Probably a good nove for the Duffer, he was always going to have a hard time getting a match in Chelsea, with Joe Cole lurking out there on the left. It just got to be a much too crowded midfield. I have always thought Duff to be a true quality player, jsut wiating to break into the realm of super stardom, but it just never quite happened, his move from Blackburn to Chelsea was marred by injuries, and the acquisitions of players of the same ilk as Duff. I do have to kind of question the move from Newcastle's standpoint. They have spent a lot of money on 3 players (Parker, Owen, Duff) who are all attacking players and who all have had injury concerns throughout their careers. Newcastle's biggest problem, is not their attack, they have plenty of people who are supposed to be able to put the ball in the back of the net, even with (Sheep) Shearer retiring. Their defense has been their achilles heel over the last year, they have never quite found the right combination of players to take over after the sale of Jonathan Woodgate to Real Madrid. I think the 10 million paid for Duff, was a little much especially when the numbers for RvN are similar, and could have been used on perhaps two or three veteran defenders.

OOWK

You don't have to go home, but you got to get the hell out of here.

2006-07-21T17:57:00.000-05:00

Is he staying, is he going? First he was going and now according to Sir Alex that is not a forgone conclusion like everyone thought. So my first question is......who do you think you're fooling?? All of this talk about RvN coming back is simply posturing on behalf of United to try and squeeze every dollar out of either Real Madrid or Bayern. Real were trying to low-ball United and weren't offering a reasonable price in their view, so what better way to make them up the dollar amount than by making it appear that him coming back to Old Trafford wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. While it wouldn't in fact be the WORST thing in the world, there really is no possiblity of him returning, no one who asks to leave and then negotiated with other clubs has ever to my recollection come back to their present club without it being a problem. Once the wheels are set in motion for a transfer, and a player has submitted a formal request, it is pretty much set in stone that he will be somewhere, anywhere else next time he suits up.

OOWK

If I have to tell you one more time......

2006-07-21T17:38:00.000-05:00

Just last week I talked about re-treads and how there are plenty of good managers in the lower leagues that clubs should have no reason to continue to go down the same old beaten path with mediocre, flash in the pan gaffers that have no staying power. Apparently, Wolves United ("Just Wolves") weren't paying attention and went ahead and hired Captain Fantastic himself, Mick McCarthy. Yeah Mick took Sunderland up a few years back, but how did that work out for them, as I recall they were historically bad, even though they actually spent a little cash and had a nice mix of young players and veterans in the side. I think a better illustration of McCarthy's incompetence are his years with the Republic of Ireland. He got in a pissing match with one Roy Keane on the eve of the World Cup that cost them any chance of qualifying, this is not to say that Roy the Rover didn't play some part in this spat but most accounts of the story make Senior Mick out to be a bit of a twat. By all accounts McCarthy is the type of gaffer that when brought in brings an immediate "dead cat bounce" to a side, but in the end his act wears thin and his inability to cope tactically is soon exposed and his teams fail to adjust. I have a sneaking suspicion that McCarthy's reign at Molineaux will end poorly.

OOWK

Zee foul. Where is zee foul??

2006-07-20T20:43:00.000-05:00

so being a Gooner, no doubt I'm responding to my buddies comments. Yes, Arsene Wenger likes to say he doesn't see things in his oh so great French accented English."zee foul, I didn't not szee zee foul." etc.

but I mean seriously. How many gaffers in the history of the world have admited there players have made mistakes and done wrong? I bet, not that many. I just think everyone loves to pick on old Mr Wenger because the man is a freaking genius and knows how to get things done. He's also got the widest range of faces known to man. After reading that Bill Simmons picked Sperz as his squad I was a little miffed, but he did make a good point, Arsenal already have Hornby. I can only hope that Bill takes note of the faces that Wenger makes and includes him in his "Pantheon of Sports Faces". Seriously, it is up there with the Pete Carroll face (which was on display during the Rose Bowl).

But, OOWK does make a good point about the Grove. It is a thing of beauty. Here are some pics of The Grove.

click on the link, if the slideshow doesn't start click on the big picture to start it. Full credit to Lansera from BigSoccer.com for the pictures.

DBUD

Things I wish would happen......soon.

2006-07-20T19:39:00.000-05:00

Time for a second installment of things I wish would happen........soon.

Arsen Wenger gets glasses for the upcoming season--Arsene is no doubt a coaching genius and has been revolutionary in his tactics and scouting at every level he has been at, but the man has the worst eyesight of any human being in the history of the world. The man has never seen a controversial incident involving his team, which is funny, because he had no problem seeing his Gooner on the ground when Spurs (Spunks) scored their controversial goal in the North London derby at the end of last year. Then he had the gaul to call Martin Jol a liar for claiming he didn't see it, that was just comedy of the highest level. Hopefully his side can avoid controversy this year but judgung by their disciplinary record, that's probably not likely, so I abhor you Arse, get to a LensCrafters, quickly.

Terry Henry makes an appearance in the EPL--No not ThIery Henry of Arsenal, his cousin Terry who plays in the Pub League outside of Auxerre, I hear he is 6-4 250 and runs like a gazelle. The man has become a Sunday Legend, and supposedly he is attracting interest from Chelsea who are willing to shell out 50 million euros to sign him from his current side Bourgeoise Bistro FC.

Wembley Opens for business....finally--Seriously, its gone from ridiculous, to comical to now jsut sad (kind of like the history of the Chicago Cubs...wankers). This thing was supposed to open last August, and it still isn't ready for business, supposedly the most recent estimate is September, but I'll believe that when I see it, and even then I'll still be skeptical. This is what happens when you hire Aussies to do the job. Arsenal started construction on Emirates Stadium long after Wembley and they opened it today, (i've seen pictures and it looks fantastic, if you are going to move out of an iconic ground you better replace it with something special, and Arsenal has done just that, class).

That is all.

OOWK

Landy-Cakes

2006-07-20T19:23:00.000-05:00

Why does Alexi Lalas even bother, we all know that even before he became the President and GM of the LA Galaxy he was nothing but a shill for everything MLS, but ever since the US failure in the World Cup, he's completely lost the plot. His most recent transgressions center around comments he made about Landon Donovan dealing with his poor (and that is not a strong enough word) performance in Germany. His defense of Landon's reasons for being in LA are laughable. He (like many others including Landon himself) are of the opinion that he has to be comfortable in order to be at his best, and that is the reason he performs so well for the Galaxy. Of course this comfort is also the reason he has failed internationally, and not just at this World Cup, he failed on his move to Leverkusen becasue he was uncomfortable and he failed to score for the US in the 12 matches leading up to the World Cup. Comfort might be the mos overrated thing ever. Anyone can do well when the conditions are spot on and nothing bad is happening and everything seems familiar. But tell me this, how is being comfortable going to help in 4 years in South Africa, with 60,000 whistling and deriding his every move. Landycakes will be completely unprepared, and will no doubt fail once again, to live up to the hope (hype) created by the US Soccer Federation and Nike's marketing machine.

Who's the VILLAin here?

2006-07-19T18:42:00.000-05:00

David O'Leary left his managerial post with Aston Villa today by "mutual consent". The first point here is that in sports, as well as in relationships, nothing is ever really mutual. Someone initiaed and someone finished, its not like the Seinfeld episode where Jerry and Jeanene Garoffolo both realize at the same moment that they cannot stand each other. This end has been fast approaching ever since a statement appeared addressing the player's unhappiness with owner Doug Ellis' running of the club, and subsequent stories appeared and revealed that several senior members of the team had no knowledge of the letter nor did they agree with its contents. Its not breaking news that Doug Ellis may or may not be the least like owner in England, ask any Villa fan about him and you'll get any number of unrepeatable words bandied about, and its also not news that no one wants to work for an asshole. But I guess the point is that all of these people knew about Ellis long before they signed, I mean god he's been pissing off fans in the Midlands for 20 years. I am not defending Ellis but as an owner, he has a right to run the club anyone he wants, its his money, and as emplyoees of Aston Villa FC, the players and manager have a responsibility to perform their duties to the best of their abilities regardless of their views of who is writing their check. I have no doubt that David O'Leary was asked to leave as he was the one presiding over the mutiny and usually the highest ranking officer get hanged for treason. The irony of this whole situation is that if the players had only bit their tounges a little while longer, they probably would have been playing for another owner as Ellis has been shopping his stake in the club for quite some time.

OOWK

Close-up Shop

2006-07-19T18:22:00.000-05:00

Today's news about Dublin City FC folding is both scary and sad at the same time. Its sad because any time a club that represents the biggest city a country folds, it means attandance was really really really bad, a fanbase was built in already and they couldn't make it work, that to me is sad. The scary part is that this happened in the middle of the season, and not just that, but it happened to a club that was competing in the Eircom Premier League, the top division in Irish (Republic) Football. I was trying to come up with an equivalent to this collapse, and I came up with nothing from a top league, I know of no instance where a club just ceased to operate mid-season, plenty of teams have gone into adminstration and/or been force to sell off assets at a discount. But for a club to cease operations and trading is almost unprecedented, especially midway through a season. The scary part is that there seems to be no oversight from the FAI to ensure something like this did not happen, once the season commenced, and there seems to be no solution from them either, in order to aid DCFC in an attempt to continue. Dublin City's collapse, hurts the entire league, the schedule will be unbalanced, and there is no simple solution as to how to unblalnce that. I would have thought that the FAI would have put the club into receivership and allowed them to continue to operate at a loss, so as to maintain the integrity. I guess I may have to wait a few more decades to get my wish and see an Eircom side make the group stages of the C League!!! This just proves that the league as a whole is still several steps away. Oh, and it is even scarier when you realize that Dublin City were 12 points clear of the bottom of the table.

OOWK

You chose.....poorly.

2006-07-19T17:46:00.000-05:00

Bill Simmons (ESPN Page2 Columnist) was on a mission over the past couple of weeks. Ever since the World Cup ended and he decided he enjoyed Footy, he wanted to find a Premiership side to follow, so as not to lose the momentum, and asked for help from the readers. Obviosuly he got suggestions about who to follow, but got more about who not to follow, needless to say Manchester United led that category. So Simmons goes through all the steps, dimisses some teams out of hand, and narrows it down to 6 that analyzes more thouroughly, and comes up with.....Tottenham Hotspur. An interesting choice, and a very interesting article, especially when you really think about how you or I became a supporter a club. Like Paul (Nick Hornby) in Fever Pitch says "We all have our reasons for loving things the way we do." We all have some story about how we came to be completely mental over a bunch of grown men who get paid to kick a ball into a net. Dbud and I got to discussing this today, and wondered, if we had to do it all over again, if our memory was erased and we had to become a supporter from scratch, would we end up following the clubs we do now? We both came to the conclusion that we probably wouldn't follow the same club, but would both be still as mad, in fact both of us figured that we would end up following clubs that have been mostly rubbish for their entire history, that way we you do experience joy, all of that time toiling in obscurity will be well worth it. I guess the point is, you don't have to justify to anyone who you support or why you support them, as long as you know the reasons, that is all that should matter, regardless of how much stick you get. And another thing, why is it that people on this side of the pond can't understand that it is Spurs and Rangers, not THE Spurs and THE Rangers?? That's always bothered me.

OOWK

Let's Stay Together (Hawk: "I love Al Green")

2006-07-18T20:14:00.000-05:00

Darren Bent re-signed with Charlton today. On the surface this isn't the world's biggest signings, but I think if you look carefully it is bigger than it looks and illustrates an important point. The ability of a team outside of the Big 4 (Chelsea, Arsenal, United, L'pool, sorry Spurs fans, can't include you in there...yet), to keep good young players once they have broken through to the first team and be successful, is the most important factor in determing whether a team is fighting for a spot in Europe or battling it out for mid-table obscurity. A player like Darren Bent is not going to be nearly as important to L'pool as he is to Charlton. Even if the proceeds from the sale are rewarding financially, they can't possibly match what he can do for the club in terms of scoring goals, and being competitive (pairing him with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink won't hurt either). I think this a trend you will start to see a lot of this off-season, we've already seen it happen with Bent, all indications are that Dean Ashton won't be leaving Upton Park, and Spurs are doing their damndest to keep Michael Carrick from the clutches of the Evil Empire. Selling a quality quality young player within your own league is the surest way to be embarrased down the road, just ask Fulham supporters how it feels to see Saha scoring goals for United, was it worth the 8-10 million that it brought you, I think Chris Coleman would loved to have had him last year for those mid season matches when they were fighting in the bottom fourth of the table.

TV Show

2006-07-18T18:14:00.000-05:00

Dbud had a great idea today about producing a television show (Michael Davies if you are reading this, give us a call) about life in the lower leagues of England. The more I think about this, the more I think it is a great idea. I mean if ESPN can have more than one season of Life in the D-League, Sky Sports might be interested in something like this. There are some fascinating stories and people in League 1,2 and the Conference, and if you've ever wanted a little glimpse into that world, take a gander at Garry Nelson's book "Left Foot in the Grave", which chronicles his season as Player-Manager at Torquay, a very honest and easy read. I know this post is short, but again, I have a ton of shit to do. We are edging ever closer to another season kicking off, and I promise we'll have all of our club previews up before the first ball is kicked.

OOWK

All in the family

2006-07-18T17:46:00.000-05:00

Everywhere you look there are more Glazers popping up with the walls of Old Trafford. As of today there are six members of the Glazer clan involved in running the club. While I have never much thought very much about Malcom, the jury is still out on the off-spring. I will give them credit for at least showing up on a fairly regular basis in Manchester. The news last month that 3 more Glazer family members were added to the board didn't really bother me. This story today, on the other hand, did. the amount of debt taken on by Glazer in the original purchase was enough to make anyone blush. The fact that less than two seasons into this plan, they felt the need to refinance in order to "ensure that Sir Alex Ferguson will be provided with SUFFICIENT funds to compete in the transfer market." That word sufficient is an interesting choice of words especially in a league that was won last year by a side that can write a check for any player it wants, without having to worry about servicing debt payments, or checking with the accountants. DBUD and my self always talk about the collapse that would occur at the Bridge if Roman got bored, but we probably should worry about what would happen if United ever fails to make the C League or starts playing to a less than full stadium (of course that'd probably be a dream scenario for a Gooner!!!!).

OOWK

Spirit of St. Louis (you know that's what they'll name the team.

2006-07-17T17:29:00.000-05:00

If too much of a good thing is bad, what does that mean for too much a mediocre thing?? I only ask so I can call the folks at MLS at warn them, as it seems they'll never learn. Apprently MLS wants to expand to St. Louis. Why? Why? Why? Why expand when you can't support the system as it currently stands? You have teams playing in behemoth, non-footy specific stadiums, with thousands upon thousands of empty seats, every match. Even the teams that have moved into intimate, smaller capacity, footy-specific stadiums are still failing to draw close to capacity on a consistent basis. How can you possibly justify expansion from a business standpoint? We taalked yesterday about how pathetic some of the salaries are, and one can only assume that the reason those salaries at the end of the bench are so poor is that those getting paid the money are rubbish, all expansion will do is further diminish the talent pool. Please not that none of this criticism of MLS expansion should reflect upon whether or not I believe St. Louis' as a city is deserving of an MLS club.....they are more than deserving. The fact that they were not one of the founding MLS members when Tamba Bay was only further illustrates the stupidity of those in charge of this fledgling league.. St. Louis is one of the all time great footy towns in U.S. history, to see this, all you need to know is that 5, count 'em 5 members of the 1950 USMNT were from St. Louis (4 of those 5 players came from the same neighborhood, The Hill, a fact well documented in Game of Their Lives, which by the way if you have not yet seen go and rent it, even if you are not a Footy fan, I took my old man to it, who hasn't seen a footy match in its entirety since I played park district and he loved it.) Back to the MLS, the league simply cannot get out of its own way, and never will, and don't even get me started on the percentage of teams that make the playoffs. If you have anymore doubts about MLS, you only need to read Wikipedia entry about them. Talk about a league with problems, that has a problem picking a direction, expand, contract, expand, contract. Its not breathing folks, its footy.

OOWK

Money, money money. Its always money, in a rich man's world.

2006-07-16T17:02:00.000-05:00

I make more money than 73 MLS players!!!!! Now I won't tell you how much I make because its not much (this not-for-profit work is for the birds, just because the company is not-for-profit, that doesn't mean I have to be as well, in fact I love profit.) I read this article and honestly was in awe, I really thought that about $35,000 was the basement for MLS salaries but apparently I was wrong. Not the part in the article where it makes reference to the poverty line!!! Anytime some MLS talking head/fanboy, tries to tell you that MLS is soooo close to being a world class league, show him this article and then tell him to piss off and stop wasting your time.

OOWK

Don't (re)Tread on me...

2006-07-16T16:32:00.000-05:00

Terry Venables want's to return to the England set-up. I plead with the FA to, just like Nancy Reagan, just say no. (editor's note: please not that this suggestion is for the FA only, to everyone else....just say Maybe!) I have absolutely nothing against El Tel, I think he is a fine manager, he's got a ton of experience, he's managed at the club level, home and abroad, at the international level home and abroad (Aussies), and has had some pretty successful sides. So he certainly has the CV for the job, but that doesn't mean he should get it. I am tired of re-treads, not just for England, but for any side, and really any sports. In no place other than sports can people be mediocre, and have a very very long career. If you have a name and pulse someone will always give you another job. There are so many good oyung managers out there, does England really need to have a second go-round with Venables at this stage in his career, I think not.

OOWK

Steve Bruce was.......

2006-07-16T16:19:00.000-05:00

......huge back in the day (see picture right, are those man-boobs??) I was sitting around watching Manchester United-Manchester City from the 1996 F.A. Cup (quarter-final I believe), and I couldn't get over how huge Bruce and Gary Pallister were. But it wasn't just them, everyone was bigger, even Cantona looked fat compared to today's players. This got me thinking about how much the game has changed. Speed has become THE thing, anytime someone evaluates a player, the first 2 things people look at are ball skills and speed. This match was only 10 years ago, but it looked like it was being played in the last century. Back then defenders were expected to be absolutely massive, like a brick wall in the path of a striker, today, not so much. Just look at Ashley Cole, Patrice Evra, even Roberto Carlos, speed speed speed, and they all have the ability to be involved in the attack and put the ball in the back of the net. I long for the days when the defenders were slow and fat but would absolutely scythe you down if you danced on the ball, and attackers ran North-South instead of East-West. Not that I don't love the technical football we see today, but there's something comforting about seeing someone who looks like he should be playing Pub League, wearing the Captain's armband in the Premiership.

OOWK

Here Comes the Bride.....

2006-07-15T18:37:00.000-05:00

Ashley Cole and Cheryl Tweedy got married. To be honest we don't really care but we thought we should mention it so we could sneak in this smoking hot picture of her without looking like prats. Not that we aren't prats normally, but maybe we can save ourselves just this once.

OOWK and DBUD

Don't write checks your but can't Cash(ley)

2006-07-15T18:27:00.000-05:00

"Son your ego's writing checks your but cant cash."--Top Gun

Alright, so it seems like Ashley "I did something illegal and you called me on it" Cole wants to leave Arsenal for a new team. For some reason I don't really care about this. His relationship with the club has been strained since the tapping up incident. He is one of, if not the, best leftback in the world, but I think Arsenal can survive without him. He did something illegal, in getting in touch with Chelsea, and Arsenal didn't cover him from punishment, so he's pissed off about this. Well Ash, who brought this on? oh, that's right. YOU did. If you hadn't gone done what you did, you would not have been fined, and you would not be pissed off at Arsenal right now.
Ash is a great player and he fits very well in the Arsenal system. If he goes obviously Arsenal are going to have to buy someone at left back. Gael Clichy can fill the starting role until he inevitably gets injured, but they will have to buy another player. As shown last season, Arsenal are about 7 or 8 deep in the left back position, but they need quality. They can use some of the 16 million quid (which is the buyout clause in Ash's contract) to purchase another left back on the cheap. I don't really have much else to say. Ash, well done at Arsenal, you whining little SOB. If you do something illegal and get caught it is your own fault. To borrow a line from Top Gun "Don't write checks your butt can't cash"

Dbud

Bucaneers beat the Pirates 4-0

2006-07-15T18:02:00.000-05:00

"But I don't want to be a Pirate!!!"---Jerry Seinfeld

Oh wait......Manchester United beat the Orlando Pirates 4-0, sorry I got confused. And by the way, will the success of the Pirates of the Carribean franchise make dressing like a pirate cool, like Westerns did for Cowboy gear. I swear to god, if I ever go into a Pub and some yahoo asks to "swash my buckle" I will flip the 'eff' out. Johnny Depp is the absolute only freaking man on the face of the planet who can dress like a pirate and not look completely ridiculous. Well, Johnny Depp and Will Smith from that episode of Fresh Prince where he makes fun of Carlton and Uncle Phil gets mad at him. Back to the footy...this win means absolutely nothing, except for the fact that Paul Scholes made an appearance and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored 2 in 45 minutes of action. While both are on the back end of their careers these two lads have always been so important to the success of United. Scholes as someone who can score from distance and be a threat coming straight up the middle of the pitch, and Ole as a Super-Sub who has the ability to put the ball in the back before anyone even notices he took the field. Both will play bigger parts in United's plans this year, especially when RvN and possibly HIM both leave Old Trafford. Other than that, nothing else to say except, never again will I look at paint, I don't care if its a painted on bikini is the Swimsuit Issue, I just won't do it.

OOWK

Things I wish would happen.....soon.

2006-07-14T21:28:00.000-05:00

Title is pretty much self explanatory, but I'll take up some more space on the page, becasue then it looks like I wrote more, and in turn people will think I know what I am talking about. (editor's note: remember when you used to write really really big when you were in middle school so it looked to the teacher like you completed the 2 page assignment as requested by him or her? You (I) weren't (wasn't) fooling anyone. And if you think that you were, stop reading).
So here is a list of things I wish would happen......soon.

All footy is telecast in HD--While ESPN had too many problems to mention when it came to their talking heads in Germany, the one thing they had going for them, and will always have going for them, is how freaking amazing the matches looked in High-Def. I am hoping it is just a matter of time before folks across the pond pick up on HD, or Fox Soccer decided to film the matches themselves, and we are treated to quality quality visuals more than once every four years.

An Eircom club makes it to the group stage of the Champions League-- I am 95% sure this has never happened (I don't want to look it up, I am tired, you'll just have to trust me), but I really would like to see it, we have already seen SPL teams start to make it there on a semi-regular basis, Celtic a few years back and Rangers 2 of the last 3, but Irish football has yet to make that leap, despite all the quality they have been sending across the Irish sea to Soctland and England. I'll admit it's a long shot for at least a couple of more years but nothing would make me happier than seeing Shelbourne, Bohs, or Derry City (who just got a 1-0 win in UEFA Cup qualifier this week) going up against a Celtic or a Liverpool at home in front of the Irish supporters.

ESPN nuts up and shows 50% of the C League from the group stage through the final---2 matches a week, that's all we've gotten the last 2-3 years, and a lot of times the matches are clearly picked on the popularity of 1 of the clubs involved and not on the quality of the match as a whole. This is especially a problem when it comes to the last matchday when they have shown a meaningless match from one group when an all-or nothing match was going on elsewhere. I don't expect anything less from the Booyah suits, but a boy can dream.

Three is enough for now, as I have decided I like this segment and will make it a regular occurance. If you have things that you would like to see happen sent them to mgrandone@yahoo.com and I'll compile them and post them once a week, especailly if what you wish would happen is that I go away.

OOWK

1,000 Apologies in Advance

2006-07-14T20:41:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned earlier, I just bought a house today and have two weeks to make it liveable. And by make it liveable I mean turn the basement into my own Footy Mecca, while the wife paints and paints and paints. So if I am not as quick to post, or post as often betweenn now and the end of the month, I apologize, it is out of my hands beacuse well, I am whipped. Just know that I'd rather be posting. And hopefully DBUD can pick up some of my slack.

OOWK