Tuesday, 26 February 2008

Ramos dining with the good silverware

Spurs celebrating their Carling Cup win over Chelsea
Everyone was really excited when Ramos transferred to the Spurs, George Lucas included, because they all knew that finally an articulate tactician would be at the helm of a talented group of footballers and his Jedi mind tricks would help the team overcome their obstacles. Since his arrival, Tottenham have had a resurgence in form and have found their attacking prowess through a range of players... Berba, Keane, Lennon, Malbranque, Jenas etc… plus they’ve been playing some exciting football too. It is believed amongst the Tottenham faithful that the match winning goal, scored by Woodgate, was actually part of Ramos’ use of ‘the Force’ to position the ball in front of him when Cech punched it... how else do you explain it?

Match highlights:

Monday, 25 February 2008

I'm a genius and Vukovic is an idiot

Vukovic angered by my prediction weeks ago
The Newcastle Jets have been crowned as A-League champions for the 2007/08 season and I predicted it before the finals series even started... this makes me a genius and Vukovic an idiot! Not only did he think that Central Coast would win, but he tried to convince Mark Shield of it too!

“Danny trains and plays with his heart on his sleeve, he’s an emotional boy. He’s been fantastic for us for two and a half seasons."

Look Danny, all the A-League refs are on the PTP payroll so do and say what you want, at best you'll be missing the Olyroos trip to Beijing mid year or being couped up with Ben Cousins in some remote boxing facility learning how to turn an arm grab into a wicked right hook!

The Jets celebrating their raid on Central Coast... in Sydney.
The Jets celebrating their raid on Central Coast... in Sydney

Friday, 22 February 2008

Champions League - Matchday 7 Review

Ade-bee about to sting Seedorf
A brilliant Arsenal display couldn't break down the stubborn Itie defence. The Gunners pressured high and didn't allow world player of the year, Kaka, much time on the ball... which almost completely closed down Milan's attacking options. The return leg will be interesting.

Fenerbahce keeper Volkan Demirel eats a 'MacTurf' burger
A kick in the face is better than a punch in the undies... well thats what I'd prefer anyway! Fenerbahce just scrapped through with the win and Sevilla go into their match at home knowing a single goal will get them through.

Benzema on the money!
Benzema was really in the mood to play against United and peppered the goal all day... and even though he missed a load of opportunities, he did manage to squeeze the ball past three defenders and beat one of the best keepers in the world at full horizontal stretch! Kudos to you Karim! Although I still don't think Lyon have what it takes to go to Old Trafford and get the result.

A genius on the run... Thierry Henry
Anyone who can run at a defender with pace and curl the ball around the keeper without breaking his stride from just inside the box gets my vote for goal of round... without a doubt! Once again Barca put on a wonder show against Celtic and dominated large periods of the match... although credit must be given to the Hoops who kept at it and pressured well throughout the match. Tough times await them.

Totti: I pray to thee Lord, please give me balls... for i am a fag in disguise!
I hate Itie teams just as much as anyone else! Maybe it's their arrogance, maybe it's that their defences are as tight as a nun's nasties or maybe it's because Totti and Mancini wear gay neck warmers when they play! It's a football match you bloody ponces... not a damn fashion parade!!

The only player I know from the Schalke team... Kevin Kuranyi
Kuranyi scored a fourth-minute goal to lift Schalke over FC Porto for its first win in its first appearance in the tournament's knockout stage. The Germany forward hit a low show inside the far post after Porto goalkeeper Helton had saved an effort from Rafinha.

Steven 'Cpt. Courageous' Gerrard to the rescue again!
How do you go from 'losing against a Championship League team' to 'beating a team that hadn't lost in 29 matches' in the matter in 4 days?... Easy, just ask Liverpool, possibly the most inconsistent team of the year. I get motion sickness just reading their results.

Ballack shows off his Predator PowerSwerve's to Olympiacos' Cristián Ledesma
An uphill battle awaits Olympiacos at Stamford Bridge for the return leg in a fortnight. It's hard enough to go there without the added pressure of elimination so I think the Greeks are shit out of luck and this is where their run will end.

Thursday, 21 February 2008

Watch: Houston Dynamo v Sydney FC - Live!

Artists rendition: Houston Dynamo v Sydney FC
For those who couldn't make it to Hawaii... and lets face it, it's not the most prestigious tourney in the world, never fear, you'll still be able to watch the tournament from the comfort of your desk chair. The match starts at 5:30pm(AEST) and can be seen here.

Related links:
Watch TV sports online
Houston v Sydney preview

Tuesday, 19 February 2008

Champions League - Matchday 7 Predictions

Chelsea prepare to battle in the blizzard that will be the Olympic Stadium of Athens
Tuesday matches
Schalke 2 v 1 Porto
Liverpool 2 v 2 Internazionale
Olympiacos 1 v 1 Chelsea
Roma 0 v 2 Real Madrid

Wednesday matches
Celtic 0 v 2 Barcelona
Lyon 1 v 3 Man. United
Arsenal 2 V 2 Milan
Fenerbahçe 0 v 1 Sevilla

Monday, 18 February 2008

Big guns prepare to blaze

The most sought after and coveted piece of silverware in European football
So we're down to the business end of the UCL competition and there are some stunning match-ups to look forward to. This is how the draw panned out:

Celtic v Barcelona
Lyon v Manchester United
Schalke v FC Porto
Liverpool v Inter Milan
AS Roma v Real Madrid
Arsenal v AC Milan
Olympiacos v Chelsea
Fenerbahce v Sevilla

Matches to note:
Lyon v Manchester United: Both teams are currently in fine form so regardless of the outcome you know this will be be an intense home and away battle... and so does Sir Ferg.

I think Lyon were one of the stronger options for us. They are a good team but we like playing good teams."

The second leg will be played at Old Trafford and I just don't think that Lyon will have what it takes to beat Man Utd there, so this match will most likely be decided in France.

Liverpool v Inter Milan: Liverpool have been very inconsistent lately, but always step it up in Europe... just ask Marseille. Inter Milan on the other hand have been in winning ways and I think that their winning mentality will carry them through. Plus the second leg will be played at the San Siro which is hard enough to get points at on the best of days.

Arsenal v AC Milan: Without a doubt, this is the fixture I'm looking forward to the most. This will probably be the toughest task that the young Gunners will have to face this year and not only will they come up against a highly organised and highly experienced team, but they'll also be up against a team ready to hit their peak. I feel this is where Arsenals golden run may end, purely because on big occasions the big guns of Milan step up and deliver.

In anticipation of the match:

Saturday, 16 February 2008

Sydney: Going to Hawaii

Beck's and Popa frock up to face some stiff competition in Hawaii
Sydney FC finished fourth in this years A-league and now have a trip to Hawaii to look forward to... thats pretty sweet considering they played like crap for most of last year.

An all-expenses-paid sojourn at a luxury hotel close to Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, two matches at the all-seater, 50,000-capacity Aloha Stadium and no pressure to deliver: it does not get much better than this for any football team... Sydney will take on Major League Soccer champions Houston Dynamo, David Beckham’s Los Angeles Galaxy and Nabisco Cup winners Gamba Osaka for a winner’s cheque of $US75,000 ($83,000).

So not only do they get to link up with their pal's the LA Galaxy again, who they gave an absolute "shellacking" too a few months ago, but they'll also get to frolic on Waikiki Beach with Becks and co. while sipping down cocktails and thinking about how the team that finished third in the A-league got zilch... yep, some teams get to have all the fun.
(just quietly though, the Galaxy are my dark horse for this tournament)

Older news:
A-League: The end is nigh
Beckhamania hits OZ
Becks on the money

Wednesday, 6 February 2008

Destiny in the dollar

PTP's plan get 'naturalized' as a Qatari
If you’ve been wondering where I’ve been lately and why I haven’t been writing any posts, well you might be pleased to know that like so many other “players” from
around the world, I’ve been trying to get “naturalized” as a Qatari so that I can line up against the Socceroos tonight. Did I try to cash in… without a doubt! Turns out Qatar spends billions of dolleros or petrollios or (whatever you call ‘em over there) every year to develop purchase talent, so I see this as a win-win; It would be the perfect inside job... I could sabotage all of big Jorge’s plans by scoring an O.G and help the Socceroos overcome their underestimated opponent, while still making money and hanging out with the wealthy Qatari sheikhs... ah the possibilities are endless.

Related reads:
Money says Qatar's a threat [The Age]
Qatar no easybeats [The World Game]