Whither the Underdogs

Tuesday and Wednesday saw the eight replays of the third round FA Cup draws.  As we noted last week, all the draws involved teams from different divisions.  But first a correction.  Both Wigan (vs Bournemouth) and Mansfield (vs Cardiff) achieved their draws on the road, not at home as I wrote last week.  BFS budget does not include funds for fact checking.

So how did the 'dogs - the sides from the lower divisions - do in the replays? Uh, not so great.  Only Wigan were able to advance, beating Bournemouth (who might have still been hungover from their upset of Arsenal on Sunday) 3-0.  Two others got draws in regulation but Shrewsbury went down in extra time to West Ham and Norwich lost on PKs kicks from the spot to Chelsea.  And the road also ended for Fleetwood, Carlisle, Stevenage, Wolverton and Mansfield.  The Chelsea match featured three BFS's against Chelsea - Pedro, Willian and Morata.  VAR was available in that match and all three calls were upheld.  Frankly I think Morata's could have been a PK but he must not understand physics.  To me it looks like the defender put a hand on his shoulder to hold him back; but instead of jerking back, Morata fell forward, which clearly hurt the argument that he was held.  And in pleading his case, he got a second yellow for dissent.

Referee Martin Atkinson signalled for the use of VAR
 by putting his finger to his ear

VAR was also in use at the Leicester - Fleetwood contest.  The Foxes had a second goal ruled out for offside but "upon further review" the ruling on the field was reversed.  Justice was served in that case as the evidence looked pretty convincing that he was indeed onside.  I didn't find the process too disruptive and was glad to see a case when it added instead of took away a goal.  The downside?  I already hate when players raise their hands to call offside or flash an imaginary yellow card when they feel they've been the victim of a rash challenge.  Now they are making the TV box signal with their hands when they think the VAR should be consulted.  Dudes, that's not even the official signal in FA games at this point - right now the referee puts a finger to his ear (see picture).  That may change because they do that often in the course of a game already so they probably need a more distinctive signal.

Norwich's James Maddison, not named after 4th President of US

Who's Teaching American History in England?

If the English are trying to honor American presidents they are doing a lousy job.  The Chelsea-Norwich match featured a Kenedy and a James Maddison.  Probably just sour grapes about that American Revolution thing.



0-0 Draw Trifecta

Chelsea had an interesting 8 days, completing 0-0 draws in the FA Cup (vs Norwich), the League Cup (vs Arsenal) and regular league play (vs Leicester).  They finally broke that drought when Batshuayi scored in the 55th minute in the replay against Norwich.  There's also plenty of news that Conte is discontent with the situation at Chelsea but there's also a growing sense that it may be mutual.  Wow, not even 12 months after the Blues won the league.


But At Least You're Not Newcastle

Speaking of trifectas, the news Tyneside was bad on three fronts.  First, they could only manage a draw versus Swansea at St. James' Park.  The Magpies did miss some good chances in the 1-1 draw but also should have been penalized for handling in the box and cleared a Swansea shot off the line in stoppage time.  In other words, a reasonably fair result.  Second, it's already the 18th and confusion reigns as to whether Benitez will be able to add to the squad during the January transfer window.   Failure to strengthen the squad would be an incredibly risky gamble that they can avoid relegation with the current roster.

Lastly came the news that owner Mike Ashley has ended talks with Amanda Staveley, saying the attempts to put together a deal have been "exhausting, frustrating and a complete waste of time."  There are a variety of takes on this whole thing.  This one, though not pro-Ashley per se, does say that Staveley could have gotten the deal done if she'd been willing to move on the price.  Really?  Why should she move on the price when Newcastle may not even be a Premier League side by May.  Here's the view from a Newcastle paper, perhaps a little more charitable towards Staveley.  If Newcastle United were a house, you could easily blame the owner for poor upkeep which has resulted in two relegations, dodging a demotion on the last day another time and coming close several other times.  Yes the franchise has enormous potential but the house inspection suggests it's going to take a lot of money to fulfill that potential and this has to be reflected in the purchase price.


Dwight, I Am Your Father (musical accompaniment courtesy the Beach Boys)

Dwight Gayle

Blondie Chaplin

Watching a Brian Wilson tribute I was struck by how much Blondie Chaplin, South African singer and guitarist who played with the Beach Boys and the Rolling Stones, looked like he could be Dwight Gayle's father.  Blondie had his own band called the Flames and was a key part of the Beach Boys when they were shorthanded for a while.  He ended up being the lead singer on the hit "Sail On Sailor."

Not Unbeaten Anymore

Liverpool handed Man City their first loss of the year in a 4-3 goal fest.  A close contest was looking like a blowout  when Liverpool scored three goals between 59 and 68 minutes.  But late goals from the Citizens kept the verdict a little in doubt until the final whistle.  Even with the loss, Man City still have a 12 point lead on Man United and 538 still lists them as 99% likely to win the Premier League.  Chelsea dropped a couple of points in the aforementioned draw to Leicester while Man United capably handled Stoke and Tottenham dismantled Everton.

Life continues to be difficult for Arsenal.  Up 1-0 at Bournemouth they yielded two in five minutes and lost 1-2 to the Cherries.  With their competitors for 2nd through 4th getting points, the Gunners are now five points out of 5th and eight points behind 4th place Chelsea.  What's worse is the Sanchez situation seems to be affecting the team and Ozil is still hurt (and there are questions about whether he's gone after this season).  They need to get their stuff together or they're going to miss Champions League again.

The bottom part of the table is so crowded, a win get bump you up three or four places.  Newcastle saw West Ham, Crystal Palace and Bournemouth slip past them this weekend; the draw with Swansea combined with Brighton's loss got one place back, on goal differential.  We may have to add Watford and possibly Everton to the list of relegation candidates.  Settle in for a bumpy ride.


January Moves

Actual deals have been completed but the rumors are even more fun.  Liverpool strengthened their back line with the Virgil van Dijk but lost Coutinho to Barcelona.    Everton added Theo Walcott but lost Barkley to Chelsea.  Alexis Sanchez may be headed to Man United - or maybe Man City.  Andy Carroll may be moving from West Ham to Chelsea.  Arsenal might replace Sanchez with Mkhitaryan or Martial or maybe even Aubameyang from Dortmund.

Newcastle?  Just watching.


Packing 'em In

Games on the weekend plus Tuesday/Wednesday matches next week.  Newcastle have the honor of playing Man City first after their loss to Liverpool.  At the Etihad.  That should go very well.  Wednesday they are home to Burnley; the Clarets have taken just three points from their last six matches but it's hard to feel optimistic about that fixture.  Burnley have yielded the 4th fewest goals while Newcastle have scored 6th fewest.

The weekend fixtures aren't blowing me away but I will be taking in the London derby between Arsenal and Crystal Palace (Saturday 10 am CNBC) at a fundraiser for Starfinder.  The Eagles have a second derby on Tuesday as they face West Ham (2:45 NBC Gold).   Wednesday features a good battle between Champions League contenders Tottenham and Man United (3 pm NBCSN). 

And just 147 days until the World Cup.

As I re-read the calendar, I see those mid-week matches are next week, not this coming week.  Never mind...