PKs and Own Goals

A highly entertaining weekend of football, and not just because Newcastle got their first win of the year, though I might not have enjoyed some of the odder results as much had the Magpies not been victorious.

Let's start with Newcastle.  Turned out to be a difficult match to watch in any number of respects.  First, the match was delayed an hour because the new 60 meter TV screen came loose, prompting fears that it might fall on fans.  Second, NBC Extra Time experienced technical difficulties of their own and the connection was lost in the 14th minute.  Other than Coloccini's miss of a virtually wide open net, there hadn't been much action up to that point.  Dennis came to the rescue with an alternative on-line streaming source so I was able to rejoin the match by the start of the second half, at which point the score was, surprise, 0-0.  Pretty much a snoozefest.  Cisse missed a golden opportunity, probably because it wouldn't have leveled the match.  Finally, Gabriel Obertan, in the match's only quality moment, slipped a shot inside the post in the 71st minute.  That is all you need to know of this match.  Three points, yay, but we still sit 18th in the table with upcoming matches vs Tottenham and Liverpool.


Plenty of PKs

Four alone in the MC-Tottenham match.  At least one, and probably two, looked deserved, none more than Fazio's ill-advised grab of Aguero in the box, which earned him a red card.  Hart and Lloris each saved one.  By the time the carnage was finished, Aguero had four goals and the Citizens had a relatively easy 4-1 win.  The PK run continued on Sunday with two more in the first half of Stoke-Swansea.  We were very pleased to see Shawcross get whistled for grabbing Bony in the box before the corner kick had even been taken and hope to see this particular infraction called more frequently.  The call on Rangel against Moses looked a bit softer but there it was.  A late, high quality heading finish from Walters was the difference here as Stoke took all three points.


Own Goals
This is what an own goal looks like.




So is this.


Both are from Sunday's QPR-Liverpool match, in which QPR scored four goals and lost 2-3. The best time for an own goal is basically never.  Among the worst times would be in stoppage time in a match where you have heroically leveled things in the 87th minute and again in the 92nd minute.  This kind of heart-wrenching snatching a loss from the jaws of a draw action cannot be good for the bags under Harry Redknapp's eyes.

But here's the kicker.  QPR did not have the most own goals of the weekend.  That honor belongs to Sunderland, who put the ball into their own net three times against Southampton.  The fact that they also allowed five non-own goals probably took a little of the sting out.  This one, by Vergini, is this week's YouTubeableMoment.  Remember as you watch this that Sunderland, in blue, is defending the goal you see on the the screen; possibly the sweetest strike evah for an own goal.


Overheard While Watching Crystal Palace-Chelsea

Dennis: Do managers really make that much difference in soccer?
Steve: Probably more than in baseball but not as much as in football
Emily: I'm getting the impression that Mourinho is a douche
Dennis and Steve: That's probably right


Lower Table Lament

We love to root for David over Goliath, Crystal Palace over Chelsea, QPR over Liverpool, etc, etc.  But frankly it's not in our best interests.  Both Dennis with Aston Villa and I with Newcastle have our own relegation battles to worry about; we don't need these teams picking up points against the top table sides; it just makes our prospects for staying up more fragile.  This became patently clear while watching the Crystal Palace-Chelsea match.  People might not realize this but that is a London derby and the play was, ahem, spirited.  Nice work by the referee Craig Pawson to keep this from degenerating into full contact kick boxing, he was dead on for both red cards given just three minutes apart.  When CP scored late to close the gap to one goal, the initial instinct to pull for the underdog was quickly squashed by the realization that neither of us wanted CP to get a point out of this match.  Along these lines we would like to voice our displeasure with Arsenal and Man United as they could only manage draws against Hull City and West Brom, respectively.


Aston Villa - Everton

Let's see, how quickly did things go wrong in this match?  From my perspective, before the first whistle.  Due to the aforementioned Extra Time glitch, the playback started me at the 73rd minute and a 2-0 AV deficit.  Undeterred, I diligently performed my duty as a fan and watched from the beginning, which only made things worse.  The team was rather pathetic in a very convincing 3-0 defeat and I can't remember even one bright spot worth mentioning.  The defense is crumbling, the midfield is non-existent again (probably mostly due to the injury to Delph), and the "offense" did, in fact, immediately revert to futile long balls to Benteke.  This match firmly cemented the hot start as an aberration and leaves Aston Villa entrenched in the mid-table battle.  Honestly, I am now hoping that we can just stay there instead of fall any further, even though we are currently closer to 5th place than 18th.  A quick look at goal differential says we should actually be in 18th, pushing Newcastle out of relegation I might add.  The Villans finally get a break from their brutal schedule with QPR on Monday and desperately need to get something from this game.


What If They Held a Match and Nobody Came Was Allowed In?



This was the scene for Tuesday's night Champions League contest between CSKA (Moscow) and Manchester City.  CSKA had been banned from selling tickets and the match was to be played behind closed doors as punishment for racist behavior of fans in an earlier matches.  The club may also need to work on their security, as somehow there was a non-zero number of CSKA fans in attendance.

In a final touch to the surreal conditions, the match was played in 32 degree weather.  Man City was probably thrilled by the whole experience; they coughed up a two goal lead and came away with a draw after the referee awarded a PK in the 86th minute on what looked to my eyes to be a phantom foul.


Who's Next

Seattle and LA will play 3 pm on Saturday (NBC) for the Supporters Shield (best regular season record in the MLS).  By virtue of the tiebreaking rules, Seattle need only a draw while LA must win.  This is also Landon Donovan's final regular season match.  In the Eastern Conference, they'll be playing just for seeding for the playoffs, with the Red Bulls still having a shot at third place and a first round bye.  The Union will be play Columbus for pride and a possible 6th place finish.

Across the pond, the week looks a little boring.  There is the Monday Night Basketball Derby between Tottenham and Newcastle (on Extra Time - not surprising given the form of these two sides to date [update: moved to NBCSN at 9:30 on Sunday, probably in response to outraged callers from NW Philly area]).  Big match of the week looks to be Man United hosting Chelsea, Sunday at noon on NBC; even at Old Trafford, I would see Chelsea as the favorites.  Dennis has to wait until Monday for the Villans match in London vs QPR; would think he fancies a point or three coming out of that match. Man City, assuming they thaw out and are not intimidated playing in front of a live audience, should be able to handle West Ham.  Ditto for Liverpool, who host Hull and Everton, who travel to Burnley.  Arsenal might not duplicate Southampton's eight goal win over Sunderland but will win anyway, if they know what's good for them.

Bob K - Derby County and Sheffield Wednesday look to be heading in opposite directions.  Do you have a buy-out option on that bet? You're having better luck with Sevilla.  Which reminds me, I heard something about El Clasico this weekend; apparently Bale is out but Suarez might be in.   I expect a full report from our La Liga correspondents.