On Any Given Saturday (or Sunday)

I hope nobody paid attention to my comments that some of last weekend's matches might not be worth watching.  On paper they did look like blow outs with top sides playing lower table teams at home but it didn't quite work out that way.  On balance, a decent set of games, especially for the neutrals.  Swansea City's 3-2 win over Liverpool was the only clear upset but every match involving the top six squads was a decent watch.


This Is Why They Play 'Em

Having slept a little late for the 7:30 start of Swansea-Liverpool, I had expected that with judicious use of fast forwarding I wouldn't be behind for long.  A largely uneventful first half did allow for some catch up but then came the wild second half. Fernando Llorente, possibly the best scorer in the EPL that you haven't heard of, notched two more in the 48th and 52nd minutes to give the Swans a 2-0 lead.  To their credit, Liverpool did not fade into the sunset and Firminho got one back quickly in the 55th minute.  When he scored again in the 69th minute, you had every reason to think the Reds were going to pull this one out.  So it was a bit of shocker when Glyfi Sigurdsson (ex-Chester player!) scored against the run of play in the 74th minute.  This was Swansea's first EPL win ever at Anfield.

For the 10 am match, I went for the potential car crash of Crystal Palace-Everton (1-0 for the Toffees on a 89th minute tally from Coleman) instead of Stoke-Man United.  Thus, I missed Wayne Rooney's historic strike, his 250th goal for Man United taking him past Sir Bobby Charlton as the club's all-time leading scorer. Not only was Rooney's goal - a free kick from the left side - of the highest quality, it came in the 94th minute and snatched a draw from the jaws of defeat for his team.  Clearly, this week's YouTubeAbleMoment.

Given the high expectations for Man City-Tottenham, the first half was almost unwatchable regardless of your colors.  The Citizens dominated but couldn't score, Spurs looked listless and slow and the neutrals were wondering what all the fuss was about.  Frankly, the early part of the second half was worse (unless you are a Man City fan), as the Citizens tallied two goals that were largely the result of Hugo Lloris mistakes, the second a pretty egregious failure to hold onto the ball.  But things starting looking up (again, unless you are a Man City fan) when Kyle Walker put a perfect cross into the box that Dele made sure found the back of the net.  Game on.  When Son leveled things at 77 minutes with the help of Kane (shortly after a key non-call in the box, discussed below), you thought maybe Spurs were going to take all three points.  Things ended 2-2, which was for me a fair result.

Arsenal-Burnley was a tight but sleepy affair for about 65 minutes.  But a series of interesting calls (also discussed below) made for a wild finish that ended in a 2-1 Arsenal win.  Chelsea-Hull was likely the dullest match of the group but even that one was close, with the Blues grinding out a 2-0 win.  Costa was back in the lineup, scored a goal and everything seems, if not hunky dory, at least workable.  Just in time for key matches with Liverpool and Arsenal.


Newcastle Top Of Table For Three Days

Murphy has scored three goals in three games for Newcastle

That queasy feeling I spoke of in the previous post lasted well into the first half in Newcastle's home match against Rotherham.  Not only was the match still 0-0 but the Magpies could have been playing a man down at that point (discussed below).  Then Daryl Murphy played hero again and scored in first half stoppage time.  That seemed to settle everything down as Ritchie (twice) and Perez added second half goals to make it a 4-0 rout in the end.  Newcastle were back on top until Brighton played their extra game on Tuesday, beating Cardiff City.  Reading also cashed in their game in hand with a win over Fulham.  With everybody now on 27 games, Brighton lead by two over Newcastle, who have a nine point edge on Reading and Huddersfield.


What Foul in the Box?

Probably a little more attention on the referees' performances than they would like this weekend.  By my accounting there were at least four PK calls that may have been incorrect.  I did not see the play involving Newcastle keeper Karl Darlow but based on the live accounts I was reading at the time, he likely deserved a PK for DOGSO in the Rotherham match; since it was 0-0 at the time, the PK and requisite sending off might have sent the match in an entirely different direction.

Kyle Walker "not fouling" Sterling

Then we had the no call on Spurs Kyle Walker with Man City nursing a 2-1 lead.  Looked to me a straight push but Sterling, though clearly knocked off stride to the point where all he could manage was a feeble shot, did not go down.  Apparently not enough for Andre Marriner or his assistant to call a PK.  What bothers me about this one is that attackers are going to think, I have to go down or I'm not going to get the call.  This play stuck out like a sore thumb because Tottenham scored on the subsequent counterattack.  Spurs supporters are quick to point out that Sane probably handled the ball on Man City's first goal so let's call it even they say.

Sunday's matches added two more.  With the score 1-1 and well into stoppage time in the wild Arsenal-Burnley affair, Ben Mee appeared to foul Koscielny in the box.   In this case, Jonathon Moss did signal for a PK, probably correctly.  But based on available evidence, there never should have been a PK because Koscielny was likely offside on the the play. Moss was already having a fun day.  He had sent off Granit Xhaka for a serious foul play in the 65th minute, seemingly with the advice of his AR, for a challenge that I thought was at most worthy of an orange card if such a thing existed; Xhaka did come in with speed and did make contact cleat to shin but he had already hit the ground and slid, not flew, into the challenge.  (Given Zhaka's penchant for hard fouls, Moss probably just took it for Granit that this was a red card.)  With the Gunners shorthanded, Moss called a PK in stoppage time that allowed Burnley to level the match at 1-1; though Wenger and Arsenal fans complained, this was a stone cold PK.

And then lastly, we had Marcos Alonso clipping Hernandez with Chelsea holding a 1-0 lead against Hull.  Again, no call.  Chelsea had dominated on the field if not the scoreboard. Hard to believe that the non-call here changed the course or outcome of the match.

Michael B sent along this NY Times article on Mike Dean and EPL refereeing in general.  Recall I made what could be viewed as a disparaging remark about Mr. Dean's willingness to make his presence known. I found a website with data on every referee in EPL history.   Turns out that of the 94 officials who have worked EPL matches, Dean is 9th in yellow cards and penalty kicks per match and 12th in red cards per game.  Among the current crop of 17 who have worked matches in 2016/17, he is 2nd or 3rd in each category.  As an example, the median for all referees is .18 penalty kicks per match while Dean is at .32 PKs per game.  I should add that I'm not saying that he's necessarily a bad referee - although I do frequently disagree with his calls - just that he tends to favor taking action when the majority of other referees might not.  I'm hoping to spend some more time with this data; for example it does appear that number of yellow cards, red cards and PKs per match called by newer referees is significantly higher than the group working in the 90s.

AFCON

Group play is over and two favorites - Algeria and Ivory Coast - are going home having both failed to win a match.  Other favorites - including Senegal, Egypt and Tunisia - are into the quarters.  I have taken in a few more matches but seem to be choosing the less exciting contests.  I see the 0-0 and 1-0 games and miss out on the fun 2-2 or 4-2 matches.  Proceeding to the knockout matches, I'm hoping all will have a little more urgency.


Talking Union

Getting late in the transfer window and not much news.  Former USMNT regular Oguchi Onyewu was in camp for a tryout; he's 34 now but maybe he can help.  Pete M offered a glass is totally full perspective on recent signing Jay Simpson, suggesting he could be the next Bradley Wright-Phillips.  Before asking to share whatever he's drinking, consider that BWP had a disappointing Premier League experience from age 19 to 21, scored 75 goals in 240 Championship/League One matches from age 21 to 28, then came to MLS at age 28.  Simpson had a largely disappointing Premier League experience from age 19 to 21, scored 39 goals in 202 appearances in Championship/League One matches from age 21 to 28 and joins the MLS at 28.  Granted BWP's goals per game in the lower leagues was .31 while Simpson's was .19 and maybe it won't work out.  But it does seem like a decent gamble that could have a huge upside; even adding 10-15 goals season would be great.


The Other Cup

Southampton added to Liverpool's bad week with a 1-0 result at Anfield, completing a 2-0 aggregate win over the Reds in the first semi-final of the League Cup.  Sturridge and Coutinho probably didn't have their best matches but Southampton's heading in the box was resolute.  In the second semi, Hull City made a contest of it but could not overcome the 0-2 deficit from the first leg.  Looks like a decent final set for Sunday February 26 at Wembley.


The Beast Is Back For More

This is another FA Cup weekend so league play waits until midweek.  BFS favorite Adebayo Akinfenwa (left) and his Wycombe Wanderers will be taking on Tottenham at 10 am Saturday (FoxSoccerPlus and FoxSoccer2Go).   Liverpool will try to reverse a string of bad results hosting Wolves (Sat 7:30), Chelsea are home to Brentford (Sat 10 am) and Arsenal travel to face Southampton (Sat 12:30).  All those matches are on FoxSports 1.  Man City travel to London to face Crystal Palace and Newcastle are at Oxford on Saturday as well.  Sunday has Man United taking on Wigan Athletic.

Midweek sees league action on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Marquee match up is Liverpool-Chelsea at Anfield on Tuesday at 3 pm on NBCSN.  Having learned my lesson, I will simply note that other top six matches are Arsenal-Watford, Sunderland-Tottenham, West Ham-Man City and Man United-Hull.  I might be inclined to check out the resurgent Hammers hosting Man City but as we all know, on any given Tuesday or Wednesday, anything can happen so the other matches might be just as good.

In Championship play, Reading get in an extra game on Saturday while other top sides have their FA Cup matches.  Midweek Newcastle are home to QPR while Brighton has a tricky contest with Huddersfield.

It's been a relatively quiet January transfer window but I'll report on major deals next week.  By that time Newcastle may have signed James McCarthy (yes please), Andros Townsend (yes please), or Modou Barrow (if we can't get Townsend, okay).  Or maybe none of the above.

Pyrrhic Victories

pyr·rhic

adjective

1. (of a victory) won at too great a cost to have been worthwhile for the victor.

Some great results for Newcastle and other sides of interest to BFS but they came with significant downsides. League matches, FA Cup replays and the opening contests in the Africa's Cup of Nations provided diverse and interesting stories.

Every Silver Lining Has A Dark Cloud Behind It

Daryl Murphy puts away the game winner for Newcastle

Newcastle's away match with Brentford was a war of attrition and the hard-won 2-1 victory left some scars.  Dwight Gayle got Newcastle ahead early with his 20th goal of the season; he's the first Magpie to do that since Alan Shearer in 2003/2004.  But he (Gayle that is) wasn't around long to enjoy it, leaving with a hamstring injury less than 10 minutes later.  Brentford leveled the match in the 52nd minute and things started to go downhill. Isaac Hayden went down with a groin injury and was substituted out for Vurnon Anita, who sustained an ankle injury not long after entering the match.  Brentford were dominating play so it was a bolt out of the blue as I read the live update on The Chronicle that Daryl Murphy had scored the go-ahead goal in the 79th minute. But this match was far from over and Brentford continued to press.  The situation became even more perilous as Gouffran sustained an injury, though he was able to continue and Newcastle hung on through nine minutes of stoppage time to collect the three points.  With losses by Brighton and Reading, Newcastle are now top of the table by a point over Brighton (who have a game in hand) and seven ahead of Leeds, who moved into third with Reading's defeat.

Gayle's injury will likely keep him out 2-3 weeks while Hayden won't miss any time.  Anita on the other hand is out for 2-3 months with ligament damage to the ankle.  But as bad as the injury news was, the more ominous threat to the good feeling was the possibility that owner Mike Ashley and his partner in crime Graham Carr may be re-inserting themselves into transfer policy.  Apparently Ashley would like to see a return to the policy of "buy young, sell high."  Yeah, how'd that work out for you Mikie?  I mean WTF?  Benitez has done well to keep the club atop the Championship division but promotion is by no means assured and these injuries, combined with the Magpies recent loss of form, suggest some bolstering of the squad with players who can help now is necessary.  Young players with promise won't help.   Does the guy want  to end up a permanent Championship division club? I gotta stop, the more I think about it, the angrier I get.  

Newcastle weren't the only ones to sustain losses while winning.  Tottenham played possibly the most perfect half of football this year and pretty much cruised to a 4-0 win over a decent West Brom side.  But center back Jan Vertonghen rolled on his ankle and had to leave the match.  A few days later, the diagnosis was ligament damage and at least two months on the sidelines.  Judging from Vertonghen's reaction at the time, he didn't need a doctor to tell him this was serious.  So Pochettino will have to decide whether he'll use Michael B's new BBF Kevin Wimmer or Ben Davies to continue with three at the back, a strategy that has made Danny Rose and Kyle Walker so much more dangerous; or, he may have to return to a flat back four.  

Costa Living Adjustment

Even easy wins without injuries didn't come without drama.  Diego Costa had some kind of issue (injury, fight with medical staff, fight with the club about wage demands, all of the above) and didn't even make the trip to Leicester.  He wasn't missed as the Blues handled the Foxes 3-0.  As the week progresses, it looks more and more like this is a fight about wages.  Apparently a Chinese club is offering to pay him about $37.5 million a year.  He makes about $10 million a year now.  Yeah, that would be a nice raise.  But in the middle of a Premier League season in which Chelsea are well-positioned to win the league, is this kind of turmoil helpful?  I also don't get the attraction of being a big fish (albeit a filthy rich one) in a little pond when you're already a big fish (but only sort of rich) in a big pond.   I'm impressed how the club, Conti and the other players have reacted.  But the clubs chasing Chelsea probably won't mind if everybody at Stamford Bridge gets a little distracted.

Alexis Sanchez sat away from his Arsenal team-mates (Picture: NBC)

Not on the same level as Costa's issue, but even Arsenal's easy 4-0 win over Swansea (helped by two own goals) had a little theater.  Soon after scoring in the 79th minute, Alexis Sanchez was subbed out for Danny Welbeck.  He did not handle it well, sitting away from his teammates and hiding under his jacket. I get that he doesn't like to be subbed but now his manager has to answer questions about whether there's a problem.  Again, is this a distraction the Gunners need?  Plus, Wenger has to think about player fitness what with league play, FA Cup matches and Champions League fixtures.  

The two Manchester matches on Sunday were entertaining, though in different ways.  Everton blew open what had started as a tense contest and put a 4-0 hurting on Man City.  Check out this goal from Tom Davies, one of this week's two YouTubeable Moments; the run, the splitting of the defense, he gets back on his feet to be available for the pass and the chip over Bravo - just an awesome effort for his first EPL goal.  The increasingly erratic Man City fall to fifth with this loss.  Meanwhile over at Old Trafford, Liverpool and Man United staged a taut affair that ended, fairly IMHO, as a 1-1 draw.  Liverpool got a PK goal in the first half on a handling call in the box against Pogba; at first I thought the call was harsh but on further review, Michael Oliver got it right.  The hosts were able to snatch a draw after Ibrahimovic put away a beautiful cross from Valencia in the 84th minute. That video replays showed Valencia to be a hair offside doesn't take away from drama or quality of the goal.

So we end the weekend with Chelsea still on top but dealing with Costa.  Tottenham are seven points back but looking for a replacement for Vertonghen.  Liverpool are also seven back and certainly in the hunt.  Arsenal round out the top four, just one back of Tottenham/Liverpool.  Man City are another two back but have lost two of the last five and seem to have big problems in the back.  Man United are sixth but have not lost in 12 league matches.


Stadium of Flight

There were maybe 15 or so people left in the stands by the end of Sunderland's home 1-3 loss to Stoke.  We already addressed Swansea's non-result.  What about Crystal Palace?  I switched over to that contest after Arsenal had gone up 3-0 on Swansea.  The Eagles managed to turn a tight game into a 0-3 loss to West Ham, surrendering goals at 68, 79 and 86 minutes.  One of those, from the Original Bunned One himself, Andy Carroll is this week's second YouTubeableMoment.  Hull City escaped the cellar with a win over Bournemouth but still find themselves, along with Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Swansea, locked in a relegation struggle.


A Fox By Any Other Name

Checked in on a few of the opening matches in the Africa Cup of Nations.  Generally brisk affairs but a little light on moments of real quality scoring wise and big on draws.  Zimbabwe-Algeria was an excellent back and forth contest.  Algeria opened with a goal from Leicester's Riyad Mahrez but found themselves down 1-2 late.  Mahrez struck again in the 82nd minute and Algeria managed to get a point.  Mahrez and Leicester teammate Islam Slimani both feature for the Algerian side.  I can't help but point out that Leicester are known as the Foxes while Algeria's nickname is the Fennecs - which is a North African fox.  Yeah, we can be easily amused here at BFS.


FA Cup Replays - The Kids Are Alright (musical accompaniment from The Who)

Ritchie taps home his second goal Photograph: Richard Lee/BPI/REX/Shutterstock

Jurgen Klopp gambled and took a very young squad to the coast for the replay with Plymouth.  It paid off in that he got a 1-0 win while resting some of his first teamers.  Farther north, Rafa Benitez had to do the same, though less by choice and more due to injuries.  The three kids - Stuart Findlay, Daniel Barlaser, and Yasin Ben El-Mhanni - acquitted themselves nicely in Newcastle's 3-1 win over Birmingham.  That match also featured the return of JonJo Shelvey from a five match ban; he only managed two assists and set up the play that resulted in a PK.  I have seen his creativity but still can't believe the Magpies are so dependent on him.  Given his propensity to get suspended for various misdeeds, they really do need a quality player who can fill his boots during those absences.

Three minnows completed their upsets as fifth tier sides Lincoln City and Sutton United beat Ipswich (2nd division) and AFC Wimbledon (3rd division) respectively.  League Two Blackpool also punched their ticket for the 4th round with a win over Championship division Barnsley.  So the final tally for the 3rd round was 12 upsets out of 32 contests.  The fourth round will include 13 Premier League, 11 Championship, 3 League One, 3 League Two and 2 National League) sides.  The next round matches are the weekend of 1/28.


Asterisk on That TV Ratings Comment

Commenter Jack (college roommate, twice best man and all around good egg) noted that the Edinburgh Cross Country meet outdrew the Man United match for TV ratings.  I'm a big follower of both sports but as I am generally not worried about the future of soccer (it seems to be doing quite well thank you), I am heartened to hear of any sign that track and field/cross country is not dying for lack of interest.  But alas, I must put an asterisk on this result.  The match in question was Man United's FA Cup contest with Reading, not a Premier League clash.  Still, we will take any good news.


Maybe A Rest for the DVR

Save for the Man City-Tottenham contest (Saturday at 12:30 on NBC) this weekend doesn't offer the neutrals much to get excited about.  Of the top six, only Man United face what might be considered a tough fixture on the road to Stoke (10 am Saturday on NBCSN).  Otherwise, Chelsea host Hull City, Liverpool are home to Swansea, Arsenal take on Burnley at home; don't see a lot to choose from there.  If you like watching car crashes, reeling Crystal Palace hosting Everton at Selhurst Park (10 am Saturday on CNBC) might be your thing.

For quality match ups you might do better to follow the Championship Division, where many of the top sides have to face each other.  Unfortunately, with the Africa Cup of Nations, not much TV coverage.  But you can see Brighton (2nd) vs Sheffield Wednesday(6th) Friday at 5 pm on beIN Sports.  Derby County (7th) host Reading (4th), Leeds United (3rd) travel to Barnsley (10th) and Huddersfield Town (5th) take on Ipswich Town (14th) at home.  Newcastle get to host 24th place Rotherham; hopefully Shelvey's return will make this an easy match but why do I still have a queasy feeling?

Minnows With Frickin' Lasers Again

Yeah, I know I used that headline last year but the minnows (lower ranked teams) upgraded their technology and wreaked even more havoc in this year's 3rd round FA Cup action.  The favorites actually lost or drew more than they won (14-9-9) and the Premier League sides that faced opposition from lower divisions went 6-3-3.

Recall that there is no seeding within each round and there was a wide range in the relative strength of the opponents.  At one end of the spectrum, we had 19th place Swansea City taking on 20th place Hull City, a difference of just one; I'm sure everyone was just begging for another match between these two sides.  At the other end, Wycombe Wanderers, sitting 5th in the League Two (4th division) hosted Stourbridge who are currently 11th in the 7th division, a difference of 88 spots in the combined tables.  The Wanderers, with a late goal from BFS fave Adebayo Akinfenwa (above), advanced with a 2-1 win.  Akinfenwa is still listed in the program at 5-11, 189 pounds.

Liverpool (2nd in the EPL) was generously matched against Plymouth (2nd in League Two), a difference of 68 spots; that matched ended in a 0-0 draw so Liverpool just picked up an extra mid-week road match that Jurgen Klopp really didn't need.   Biggest outright upset of the weekend was probably Millwall's (10th in League One) 3-0 thumping of Bournemouth (9th in EPL).

Other than Liverpool, most of the top EPL sides got through.  Both Manchester clubs clobbered their opponents, Tottenham took their time but ground down Aston Villa,  Arsenal spared themselves a replay with a late goal against Preston North End.  Claudio Ranieri needs to figure out some way to fool his squad into thinking EPL matches are some kind of cup competition.  Leicester can't buy a league win but are in the knockout stages of the Champions League and beat an in-form Everton 2-1 on Saturday to advance to the 4th round of the FA Cup.

After making fun of dodgy pitches in lower divisions, I will note that the lowest remaining team to host a 3rd round match - Sutton United - plays in an recently refurbished stadium on some kind of artificial turf.  What?  Apparently artificial surfaces are approved for use below the 4th division (i.e. non-League) and for FA Cup matches. See this article for a discussion on the economic advantages of the ersatz grass that may win out over what it does to the game.


The Other Cup

Action also heated up in England's second favorite cup competition, the League Cup, with the first matches of the two-legged semi-finals this week.  The League Cup, step-child to league play and even the FA Cup, is famous for seeing managers trot out their reserves.  However, when you get to the semi-finals you are pretty close to winning some hardware so the first teamers are usually back on the pitch.  Hull City put up a game effort at Old Trafford but goals by Mata at 56 minutes and Fellaini at 87 minutes put Man United in the driver's seat.  In the other match, Southampton let Liverpool control the match but absorbed the pressure well and nicked a goal on a quick counter to leave St. Mary's Stadium with a 1-0 result.  Great keeping by Karius kept the score from being worse for Liverpool.  This one feels more up for grabs, though Liverpool's failure to score an away goal leaves Southampton with some hope.


Philadelphia - The City of the Lesser Brother

The Phillies are famous for getting the less talented brother on their roster.  Other clubs got Joe and Dom DiMaggio, George Brett, Joe Torre, Greg Maddux, and Jason Giambi.  We got Vince, Ken, Frank, Mike and Jeremy.  With the signing of Giliano Wijnaldum, younger brother of Liverpool's Georginio, the Union may be taking a page from that playbook.  Earnie Stewart thinks Giliano is a potential steal who will provide some depth at left back.  He was playing in the second division of German football.

The Union also signed striker Jay Simpson from fourth tier Leyton Orient.  He's had modest success there, with 33 goals in 87 appearances.  But even the biggest critics of the MLS would likely concede that the league is equivalent to upper third tier/lower second tier of English football so it's not clear how Simpson's scoring record will carry over into the MLS.  On the other hand, some point out that the physicality of lower level English football is not suited to skill and pace players like Simpson and that he could find life easier in MLS.  Ze Roberto points out that having the phrase "released by Hull City" on your resume is not a ringing endorsement.  In sum, certainly not blown away by either signing but I'm willing to give Stewart the benefit of the doubt.

Keegan Rosenberry and Chris Pontius joined Alejandro Bedoya at the USMNT January camp.  Even if they don't see international action, you would think this is good for their development as professionals.


Five Men from USA - 15 Minutes of Fame

We continue to milk the trip for all its worth, as you can see from this article in the Chestnut Hill Local.  The paper's editor, Pete Mazzaccaro, is himself a big fan of the game and you can probably tell from the context he adds to the story.  He was proudly wearing his Liverpool scarf during the interview.


I Like to Sleep Late in the Morning (musical accompaniment courtesy David Bromberg)

But the five hour time difference with England and 7:30 am matches make it difficult.

Newcastle are away to Brentford, who sit 14th in the Championship table.  This should be an easy fixture but off of recent form, who knows.  Primary rivals Brighton and Reading have eminently winnable matches against Preston North End and QPR respectively.

Sunday is definitely the more interesting day for the EPL, with a Manchester double header. The early match has Everton hosting Manchester City while the 11 am fixture is Man United vs Liverpool at Old Trafford, both on NBCSN.  I'm particularly interested in the latter contest, with Man United having pulled themselves into Champions League contention and Liverpool trying to stay with Chelsea.  Saturday's early match with Spurs hosting West Brom (7:30 NBCSN) might be worthwhile; the Baggies have generally beaten the sides they should and played the top teams close but Tottenham are really in form right now and the match is at White Hot Hart Lane.  Swansea-Arsenal is live at 10 on NBCSN but not sure if that will be pretty.  Same for Leicester-Chelsea in the 12:30 contest on NBCSN.




  

On the Ninth Day of Football

NBCSN gave to us a decent match up between Tottenham and Chelsea.  Thus concluded 30 games in 9 days.  Not all were memorable and there were some dogs (see - or better yet, don't see - the Leicester-Middlesbrough 0-0 draw) and outright blowouts (e.g. Spurs 4-1 over Watford or Liverpool 4-1 over Stoke).  But there were also some good ones too.  I enjoyed Leicester's 1-0 win over West Ham, Chelsea 4-2 over Stoke was a great back and forth affair, and the Hull-Everton 2-2 draw was a good watch.  Liverpool 1-0 over Man City on New Year's Eve was pretty good too.   Man United-West Ham was looking to be an exciting affair until Mike Dean inserted himself, as he often does, into the contest with an unnecessary red card to the Hammers' Feghouli in the 15th minute.  That the red card was rescinded upon appeal sort of backs up that opinion.

Giroud reprises his scorpion kick after leveling at Bournemouth

At least we ended with two good ones.  Tuesday saw Arsenal come back from 0-3 against Bournemouth with three goals after the 70th minute, the last with the Cherries down a man.  Olivier Giroud, who had this week's YouTubeable Moment with this incredible scorpion kick for a goal against Crystal Palace, got the equalizer.  He also got crap for his celebration, shown left.  There were still a few minutes left in stoppage time and Arsenal were surging; maybe the time could have been better spent getting the ball out of the net and going for the win.  On the other hand, they had just completed a marvelous recovery from a huge deficit.  Probably better to get on with play.


Not as many goals at White Hart Lane but still a riveting contest.  Tottenham did themselves, and every other contender, a favor with the 2-0 win.  Spurs were the marginally better side in the first half and deserved the 1-0 lead on a header from Dele off a perfect cross from Eriksen.  Chelsea took the upper hand for the first 10 minutes of the second but the second hook up between Eriksen and Dele (right) against the run of play pretty much shut things down.  Chelsea still have a five point cushion but lost out on chance to set the record for most consecutive wins.


Nine Days of Football - The Reckoning

It's time to see how the teams fared over the holidays.  The rating system:

	From Paul McCartney - "Simply having a wonderful Christmastime"
	Santa obviously read your list very carefully
	Nice enough but you didn't get the Red Ryder carbine-action, two hundred shot Range Model air rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time you really wanted
	Ties are a nice gift but how many do you really need?
	You may have been naughtier than you realized

Newcastle -

Once again, if BFS had a graphics department we would have made a half Santa.  What a disaster.  0-1 losses to Sheffield Wednesday and Blackburn and a 3-1 win over 10 man Nottingham Forest.  A schedule that could have easily yielded nine points resulted in just three.  The Magpies are now second to Brighton and Reading are closing in.  Hard to say whether the slump is caused by or merely coincident with JonJo Shelvey's absence due to suspension but one goal against full strength sides in three matches points to problems with the offense.  Teams realize that if you play hard nosed defense you might be able to nick a goal from a set piece or counter attack and walk away with a 1-0 win.  This transfer window is critical and we'll see if Rafa is the genius we believe he is.

Tottenham -

Could not have gone better.  Easy 4-1 wins over Southampton and Watford left them unpressed and ready for the bigger match against Chelsea.  They showed up with stout defending and some moments of quality by Dele and Eriksen (and Walker for that matter).  They get all nine points and sit in third.

Manchester United -

The schedule makers could not have been kinder, serving up Sunderland, Middlesbrough and West Ham for a holiday feast.  Still, as we saw with Newcastle, you have to show up and the Red Devils did, getting all nine points.  Sure, they were helped a little in the West Ham match playing up a man. They have dragged themselves out of the midtable and are now in contention for a top four finish.   Looks like the Becoming Special One Again is going to be around a little while longer.

Arsenal -

The Gunners did just enough to get wins over a tough West Brom side and a flailing Crystal Palace.  On the face of it a 3-3 draw with Bournemouth doesn't sound all that great but Bournemouth are a decent side, it was a road match, and well, they were down 0-3 with 20 minutes to play.  Seven points from three matches isn't bad and though they sit fifth right now, they are in the hunt for a top four finish - again.

Liverpool -

Possibly a little generous given they ended the holidays with a 2-2 draw at Sunderland.  But the win over Man City was pretty important.  With seven points from holiday matches, they sit second in the table, just five back of Chelsea.

Everton -

The Toffees have experienced a bit of a revival.  The 2-2 draw with Hull means this can't be five Santas but coupled with wins over Leicester and Southampton, the seven points have pushed Everton to seventh and the top of the midtable.  Still a ways from contending for a top four spot but they have rebounded nicely from an unconvincing start.

Manchester City -

Wins over Burnley and Hull bracket a tough loss to Liverpool.  Three Santas may be a little harsh but six points is probably the minimum they were expecting from this set of fixtures.  Obviously still in the hunt.

Chelsea -

Harsh?  Two wins and a defeat at White Hart Lane to an in-form Tottenham side.  But like Man City, six points was probably the least they were looking for.  A win, or even a draw over Spurs would have kept some distance from the chase pack.  Key question for me is whether the Tottenham result revealed some weakness in their vaunted back line or whether they were simply undone by some great work that isn't likely to be replicated too often.

Leicester City -

A big win over West Ham and a draw with Middlesbrough puts them six point clear of 18th.  The loss to Everton was not helpful, and a disappointment to watch I might add.  Still a lot of work to do here.

Crystal Palace -

One point and a second straight loss to relegation rival Swansea.  Incredibly, they remain outside the bottom three for now.  Sam Allardyce is going to go through a lot of gum.

Southampton -  no Santas

The Saints were the only side not to earn a point during the holidays.  Schedulers might have been a bit Grinchy with matches against Spurs, West Brom and Everton.  They probably should have at least been able to get a point against the Baggies at home.  Somehow, they only fell to ninth.  But they also face the prospect of losing Virgil van Dijk, their world class center back, in the January transfer window.


By my count, 14 of the 30 matches included top 10 teams in action against bottom 10 sides.  In these 14 matches, the bottom 10 teams managed just two points - draws by Hull (against Everton) and Sunderland (against Liverpool) - meaning the top sides took home 38 points.  This might explain the underwhelming feeling we got from this year's holiday matches - not enough marquee matchups and no captivating upsets.


Catching Up with Chester

Real time passed virtual time what with the trip to England and holiday festivities.  Almost caught up now.  A tough 0-1 loss at home to Tottenham meant that we briefly ceded the top spot to Spurs but with wins over Everton and Sunderland we are back in first.  I was planning a quiet January transfer window but am besieged with offers for my players.  Most I reject as we've done a good job at finding value for the money and the transfer fees simply aren't enough to find equivalent replacements.  One exception is Loic Nestor, a Guadeloupian center back/right fullback.  At $11 million I think I overpaid for him in July but now Man City is offering me $21 million.  On paper he's a good player but in real virtual life he has struggled a bit.  The fans don't like him and the board questions why I added him to the squad.  I've already found a replacement right back for $6 million.  So I'll probably take the $10 million profit and risk being a little thin at center back.  Not seeing a lot of downsides to this but you never know.  Meantime, I'll get back to reading Football Manager Stole My Life, a Christmas present from Emily.


Five Men from USA Bad Luck?

The losing sides in the three matches we saw in England - Birmingham, Hull City and Crystal Palace - have all sacked their managers since we were there.  Coincidence?


Cups and More Cups

So this weekend the big clubs begin their participation in this year's FA Cup, which started back in August with over 700 clubs.  For a competition that's been around since 1871, it sure has trouble getting any respect.  In my own little way, I probably have not helped.  There are many quaint aspects about the FA Cup, some of which are explained in this BFS post from 2014.  But it has to be a pain in the ass to Premier League managers.  It causes some match congestion, you occasionally end up playing in fourth division parks with somewhat dodgy pitches and your a target for lower division sides.  For a while there is excitement as some "minnows" (we would call them Cinderellas) make it to later rounds.  But in the end it's usually two Premier League squads in the final.  I am sympathetic to the idea of giving a Champions League spot to the winner but I could see the top EPL sides balking at that plan.

While this is going on, a second competition looms to add to EPL managers headaches - the Africa Cup of Nations (ACN).  This one involves 16 countries and runs from January 14 to February 5.  It's your standard four groups of four, group play with two advancing out of each group and then knockout play until there's a champion.  I did not find much in the way of predictions and previews but this article provides some idea of what to expect in the competition.  FIFA rankings suggest a competitive tournament with Senegal, Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Egypt and Algeria ranked 33,34,35,36,38 respectively.

The added headache presented by the ACN for EPL managers is that the competition runs concurrently with the English season.  At least the FA Cup is squeezed around the EPL fixtures.  So some clubs will be missing key members for up to three weeks.  Liverpool will be without Sadio Mane but they might be getting Coutinho back from injury.  Arsenal loses Elneny and Crystal Palace's Zaha won't be flopping on English pitches.  But the biggest loser in this scheduling issue is likely Leicester, who lose Mahrez, Slumani and Amartey.  The Foxes will have Vardey back but this is not a deep squad so you have to wonder how they'll fare.


Goin' Down To Laurel (musical accompaniment by Steve Forbert)

Taking a trip to Maryland this weekend so not sure how much of the FA Cup action I'll get to see.  Friday has West Ham - Man City.  Saturday's notable fixtures include Man United-Reading, Preston-Arsenal, Everton-Leicester and Birmingham-Newcastle.  Sunday matches are Tottenham-Aston Villa, Liverpool-Plymouth and Chelsea-Peterborough.  Wow, Leicester cannot buy a break this year.  Check out the Fox Sports channels and foxsoccertogo for coverage.

I haven't seen a match in almost 36 hours, starting to get the shakes.