An Unqualified Disaster

That was Dennis's assessment of recent events before Wednesday's action.  As we shall see, it got worse, much worse, from there.  The weekend featured a string of curious results.  Tuesday saw the final match at Upton Park. The Union were in action against the Aging European All Stars the LA Galaxy.  And right now Chester are on cyber vacation so there was no consolation to be had from Football Manager.


An Odious Night for the Magpies

Things started well enough.  Manchester United vanquished (barely) Norwich in the early Saturday game.  At half time in the 10 am matches things were not a total loss.  Newcastle had reverted to their harmlessly competent routine (where's the passion boys?) and were 0-0 with Aston Villa but the Magpies recent second half form gave us hope and Chelsea had scored a sloppy stoppage time goal to go back up on Sunderland.  That was the high point of the day.  Newcastle continued punchless play in the second half and failed to do what Aston Villa's previous 11 opponents had done, specifically 1) score at least one goal and 2) win.  By itself, the 0-0 draw was not the killer.  No, the news from Sunderland was the problem.  A 2-1 Chelsea lead first became a 2-2 draw, then a 2-3 deficit.  Now Sunderland needed only one point from their next two matches while Newcastle would have to beat Tottenham on Sunday.  In other words, Newcastle were hanging by a thread.

Which was properly and quickly severed on Wednesday night when Sunderland took apart a sagging Everton side 3-0.  Sunday's matches no longer matter.  Sunderland are safe while Newcastle and Norwich are joining Aston Villa in relegation.  Secretly I had harbored some fantasies that this fate could still be avoided but I sat on the couch pretty much stone-faced as the results became clear.  Commentator Peter Drury captured the spirit  - an odious night for the Magpies.

I have no idea what it's like to follow a Championship side while living outside of the country.  BeIN Sports carries some of the matches; maybe some are available via live streaming.  Any number of websites offer excellent coverage of the results so I'll be able to track Newcastle's results but clearly this will not be the same.  I'm not going to adopt another EPL side.  I'll be like Will Rogers who said "I belong to no organized political party, I'm a Democrat."  Or in my case, I'm not a fan of an EPL team, I'm a Newcastle supporter.

Also, not planning to take apart the decline.  The obituary will simply say died after a long illness.


Advantage Not Taken

Tottenham had a chance to seal up second place, ahead of Arsenal for the first time since 1995, but couldn't hold a lead at home to Southampton.  Spurs looked like they were missing the suspended Alli and Dembele in the 1-2 loss.  Since Arsenal play Aston Villa, Tottenham will need to beat Newcastle to seal the deal. West Ham had a chance to make a run at Champions League but came up spectacularly short in a 1-4 loss at home to Swansea City.  And, though I'm not saying it was an easy task, Man City had a chance to grab third place with a home match against Arsenal but could only manage a 2-2 draw; for the Gunners it did leave them a shot at second.  Cruelly, Danny Welback reinjured his knee and is out again for six to nine months.  Not good news for Arsenal or England.


I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles

WHU fans give new meaning the phrase "parking the bus"

Just not at Upton Park anymore.  After 112 years and something close to 3,000 matches, Tuesday saw the final game at this ancient ground before West Ham move to Olympic Stadium.  And what an eventful day it was.  The match was delayed 45 minutes because West Ham fans attacked the Man United coach.  Wait, they went after Louis Van Gaal?   Oh, you mean the bus.  When the match finally started, it was a cracker.  Hammers up 1-0, then down 1-2, then two unanswered goals to take away a 3-2 win to move into sixth and possible shot at next year's Europa Cup.  And if they hadn't blown it against Swansea on Saturday, they could have been looking at Champions League qualification.


Whither Leicester

Two interesting facts have emerged about Leicester's season.  First, they had only 27 line up changes throughout the season.  As you can see from this article, that's the second lowest number ever for any EPL winner, with only 1992/1993 Manchester United at 26 being lower.  Typically, the number is between 80 and 120 (hat to Bob K for putting me onto this story).  Second is Leicester's 14-2 record in games decided by one goal.  Man United were 12-7 and West Brom were 10-9.  No other side had more than 10 wins by one goal.

On the first point - few lineup changes - we can ask whether they were lucky to have so few injuries or do they have a better fitness regimen?  Hell if I know but it sounds kind of lucky.  And short on depth.  On the one goal wins, Bill James has shown that winning close games has less to do with inherent clutchness or brilliant managerial skills and more to do with random luck, which luck he also showed to be fleeting as teams with good records in close games one year don't fare so well the next.  This is something I think I can study as the folks at soccerstats.com have a nice historical data base.

I don't mean to take anything away from Leicester's achievement.  It was earned on the pitch.  I am worried about next year as they will have a target on their back and a much more crowded schedule including trips to the continent.  On the other hand, they will have sack full of money to add personnel.  Hope they spend it wisely, unlike a certain side I know that rhymes with bluecastle.


U Got It

Guess I wasn't paying attention; I didn't realize the LA Galaxy had become a kind of seniors tour for EPL and other international players.  Keane, Gerard, Cole, dos Santos.  Whatever.  The Union laid some attractive football on them Wednesday night and came away with a well-deserved 2-2 draw.  Earnie Stewart said he wanted more possession and better midfield play and he got them; boy is it fun to watch.  Got nervous after we let a 1-0 lead become a 1-2 deficit early in the second half, fearing the Union would collapse against the veteran squad.   Didn't happen, probably because we have our own veterans like Barnetta, Carroll (had an excellent match IMHO), Ilsinho, Noguiera, etc .  Our side ramped up the intensity and got the equalizer from early rookie of the year candidate Keegan Rosenberry.  Their response was excellent, unlike a certain side I know that rhymes with ruecastle.  Yeah, I know it's still only a quarter of the way in but there is so much to like about this team.

Red Bulls got a draw with Orlando and are creeping up in the table.


Schedule

I'm not bitter or anything but it's hard to get excited about the final weekend of the EPL with basically a few scraps to fight over.  Yes, Arsenal and Tottenham are fierce rivals but 1) you're both going to finish in the top three 2) you both get automatic Champions League berths, and 3) YOU'LL BE PLAYING IN THE EPL NEXT YEAR REGARDLESS (unlike a certain side I know that rhymes with truehassle).  Okay, that did sound bitter.

Anyway, all the games are Sunday at 10 so check your local listings this handy guide for which NBC affiliate is carrying the game(s) you care about.

Of more interest is the Union traveling to Montreal for a match up between first and second in the Eastern Conference.

And I anxiously await word from the Chester board as to what my transfer budget is going to be this year.  I'm hoping it's over $50m but we'll see.

Euro Champs start 6/10.


Housekeeping

Don't know if it's just coincidence but the number of hits in the weeks I don't send an email is about 25% of the volume in weeks when I send a separate notice.  I have no idea if the automatic notice is the reason but we'll take a closer look.