OTW: Another Good Day Of Football

It was another good day of football Off the Woodwork. Thanks to television, streams, and ESPN360, today I watched part or all of nearly a dozen games. Only a few early matches kicking off 30 minutes apart cut my time back today from a true 24 hours of football. God Bless America.

My day started rather early with two clashes of some interest. RKC Waalwijk hosted Ajax, while Chrome Dome's Zenit St. Petersburg took on Spartak Moscow in a thriller on one of the worst pitches I have seen this season. If you think Wigan is bad, compared to this, the DW looks like Emirates.

In the Ajax encounter, Ajax fought hard and had a beneficial ref call for the 2nd goal by Suarez, leading to a 5-1 drubbing of Waalwijk. In Russia, Moscow's keeper was a rock, blocking everything they threw at him. Zenit dived and flopped all over looking for calls and eventually got a goal near the death. 1-1.

Next I gave my sole attention to Manchester United vs Liverpool. I could go on and on about my feelings there, but will instead just say 2-1 was a fair result.

I then watched some Milan v Napoli and some Fulham vs Man City. I thought Fulham fought hard but City had too much for them early on and that decided it, a just 2-1. With Milan v Napoli, it was basically what I expected, and the 1-1 seemed written before hand. Both teams leave undamaged, which is more important than winning in a way if you are a neutral looking at the scrum between Inter and Milan, and the fight for Champion's League positions for Palermo, Napoli, and Juve. Serie A has some bumps in the road left before this season is settled.

I then sat in shock while trying to watch a horrific encounter between Wolfsburg and Berlin, worst match of the day for me. I also checked out Blackburn and Chelsea. The 1-1 is fair based on Blackburn effort and spirit, but Chelsea should never have dropped points in this game. It may be that there is deep trouble in the changing room going back to JT and his wicked ways. Add that to a meddling owner, aging legs, and a system of play that doesn't utilize your best midfield talent, and the future for Chelsea becomes uncertain and it has to be now or never for these guys. Let's hope for never huh?

I then watched a little of Club America on Univision. You know it is Sunday when America is on Univision. Not the greatest match, but what I saw was worth a look. And the commentators have passion. I can't tell what they are talking about, but they seem to really find it exciting.

Next came PSV vs FC Twente. (It may have been a Saturday game, but I watched it today.) It really was a basic match of MLS caliber, and was a tale of two halves. The first to PSV. The second to Twente.

Finally I watched Sampdoria vs Juventus. A dire encounter to be sure. 0-0 for the bulk of the match, Sampdoria's late winner put Juve under even more pressure. With a squad that needs an overhaul, they will be lucky to make it in the Europa next season. The scandal may be in the past, but Juve still feel it's effects and so much more. Juve needs to clean house from top to bottom. But will they?

I also watched highlights of all of the other action of the day.

All in all, it was a hell of a day to be a football fan.

Until next time, I will see you Off The Woodwork.

OTW: Insane Ramblings And Perhas A Bit Of Genius...

Off The Woodwork: Insane ramblings and perhaps a bit of genius

Perhaps.

I have several subjects covering many aspects of football on my mind, so I figured what better than a blog, to get it all out.

First, something light. I'm sick of hearing people whine about "the fit and proper persons test" every damn time Portsmouth comes up. The fit and proper persons test has nothing to do with money. It has nothing to do with what kind of owner you will be. It has nothing to do with your past business practices. It is to see if you are a "fit and proper" person. Meaning, a killer. If the answer is no, and other convictions (even match-fixing) aren't close to murder, you are fit and proper. That's how it is. It's not meant to be the invasive test everyone thinks it should be. Maybe owners need to take responsibility for who they hand the company over to. Maybe the fans need to ask questions and vote with their asses in/out of seats. Maybe due diligence should be done by the EPL home office beyond if you have killed anyone lately. Maybe they need a different test? But stop bitching. Reality is, the fit and proper persons test has worked. Charles Manson hasn't bought Grimsby yet.

Next, a conspiracy. John Terry getting caught riding the neighborhood bike is the end of Rio Ferdinand.
Rio is captain of England. Dodgy back and all. He is coming to the twilight of his career as it is, with the aforementioned back, but the captaincy sealed his fate. After England lose the World Cup, and they sure as shit won't win it, hey will need a scapegoat. They always do. Will it be wonder boy Rooney, with 1 or 2 World Cups ahead of him? Nope. Will it be Steven Gerrard who shits sunshine to the English press? Nope. Will it be John Terry? Nope. It will be Rio, even if someone else has a Rooney or Beckham moment. Between age and the pressure and scrutiny, Rio will come back for one last lap of honor ala Graham Poll, and like Poll, he will never shut up again. You heard it here first.

On to a movement to fix one of the issues with football. When you look to Italy, Spain, Germany, Holland, Scotland, etc. You see leagues that at the second, third, or fourth level, football becomes regional. In England, you have to go down 6 levels, before football starts becoming truly regional. Think about the pressure this puts on such small clubs. If England trimmed it's leagues down, going regional in their football after League One, every club would save big money over a season on travel. Fans would be able to travel away more often for less. The chance for a derby increases greatly, helping ensure asses in seats. Saving money like this while making money like this, will make it much more of a solid foundation for the lower leagues of football to be built on.

Next, a shout out to the human rock that is Vidic. I think he has dicked United around a bit this season, but one thing is for certain, he is a MAN. Today he took a head to the face. (Flamini, what a shock.) With nose facing his left shoulder he walked off the pitch, and stood there in wide eyed crazy man pain as the trainer took a few attempts to put his nose back where it belonged. Before going back on the pitch, you could read his lips as he asked if it was straight (holding up a finger so the trainer could see) because he didn't want it to be crooked. He then played the rest of the first half, then the next half. Does he know Americans see football as a pussy sport?

And finally, Real Madrid. 260 million Euros gets you the same result as the past 5 years. At least you are selling kits right? Ha ha ha ha ha.

Thanks for reading. Until next time, I will see you Off The Woodwork.