Liverpool- The Truth

Rafa must go. 5 wins in 18 matches is not good. For  a club like Liverpool it is horrifically bad. Man Utd aside, Wolves, Wigan, Everton and Debrecen are not exactly difficult opponents. These are who the 5 wins have came against. Not inspiring to say the least.

Rafa is clutching at straws, "our season starts..." has been thrown around lately. I can understand his thinking, 12 points behind in the league is not an insurmountable gap. With no Champions League, Rafa is thinking he can sneak points when the others are involved in big midweek encounters. But to do that you need a good enough squad, and well, he doesn't have it. Today against Wolves they looked devoid of ideas until the sending off. This led to a swell in confidence, coupled with a rash dive in from Wolves' right back and some typical Gerrard bravery/desire brought the opener.

"Is this the springboard for Liverpools season" I have heard this time and again from media pundits, springboard to what exactly? 7th at Christmas, out of the Champions League, 5 wins in 18. They are where they are for a reason. Which is 2 points infront of Birmingham. Face it, Liverpool are poor.

Also,  Alonso is becoming a better player with every game he does not play for Liverpool, I think he may be in the running for player of the year in England.

Alonso apart, Rafa has shopped pathetically, years of poor buys and a stubborn refusal to admit that, now weigh him down with the poor squad that will be  the end of him. Gerrard and Torres deserve to have a better supporting cast, especially in this, the most open of recent Premier League chases.  Rafa's massive contract is the only thing keeping him in a job, I believe he would have been sacked a few games ago, if they could have afforded to do it. He is living on borrowed time, or maybe until Jose gets kicked out of Italy.

I think it will be very interesting to see who is offered the job when Rafa goes. Any thoughts?

Hughes Sacked, Mancini In

No hanging about for the owners of Man City. No time for tabloids to link, Sven with a Sun-sational return, or Fergie Crosses the City for Cash, or Mourinho...blah blah. No, they clearly were unhappy with Hughes, so what did they do? Well they smiled and reassured him "No Sparky your jobs safe" while they went and found his successor. All very Machiavellian, but well, can you really blame them, I can't.

 I think Hughes did an OK job, but with the cash he spent he was always cutting down his time. It's a cruel irony, 'the more you spend the quicker the axe falls'... if your stumbling. I believe that Hughes was always going to struggle because he is just not 'Sexy' enough. You know that the owners want style and panache, they want Mourinho and Ronaldo in speedos oiled up, doing bicycle kicks in slow motion. Not some hard nosed Welsh bastid who's stare eats peoples souls.

The writing was on the wall when they failed to sign any of the big names they chased. Kaka, Terry et al all saying "erm thanks but no thanks, we'll just use your interest to get more cash from our clubs or new employers, but thanks again.". City might tell you Robinho is a superstar, but then again so was Juan Veron before he landed in Manchester. City could only attract second tier stars. That is the problem. Manchester City are trying to do a Chelsea, good luck to them, but they needed to re-evaluate their plan of action. And they did so, swiftly. They had a second tier manager, and he took them to where he knew, the second tier. Not even a victory could save him, the choice had already been made.

Mancini, all suave scarf and Marty Feldman love child looking, is for me a fantastic appointment. 3 Coppa Italia's with 3 different teams,  throw in 3 Scuddetto's with Inter and 2 Italian Super Cups, Inter's most successful manager for 30 years. Well it's not a poor CV is it?  The reason he left Inter was the failure in the Champions League, that is not a worry for City. His job will be to get them there. He is a top tier manager, who may just be able to attract the caliber of player that ultimately Hughes could not. I'm excited about the Mancini era, yet I'm sad Hughes has gone, I loved him as a player and I like him as a manager. I think it will be interesting what his next move will be, I could see him moving abroad if the right offer came up, Liverpool could do with a new man at the helm. But that's a post for another day.

*In other news

I'm delighted ESPN have finally realized that the commentators they were using were...how to put this...erm, Shite. Martin Tyler has been brought in for the World Cup, I hope they keep former US Captain John Harkes with him, and feed Tommy Smyth to a pack of feral children.

World Cup Draw

FIFA did everything they could to hype up the draw, and for once I agree with them. THIS IS THE WORLD CUP. Nothing on Earth unites people like the World Cup. NOTHING. 3 Billion people are estimated to have watched the last one. No language, no religion, nothing comes close to unifying people like the World Cup.

As for the draw itself, well some of us have to work so there was no tense viewing for me. I looked afterward and received my barrage of information, my eyes and my mind going crazy like a kid who got and Xbox 360, PS3, Scalectrix, AND a new ball for Christmas...where do you start?

I'll give a quick rundown and throw in a few predictions.

Group A

I think that South Africa will go through, swept up in the biggest moment of the players careers, I think it is a draw that suits them. I think France will top the group, if they decide to get their fingers out of their arses and stop being so... erm...French. Mexico will be waiting to pounce should France slip up.  I believe Uruguay are weak, although they will be confident after winning the play off.


Group B

My adopted team NIGERIA (the wifey is a Naija girl) to go through with Diego's Argentina. Greece and Korean Republic to pack their bags early.

Group C

En-gur-land (sorry lads) to top this group with my other adopted team USA to take second. I think that the US could get a draw from the first game. England are coming in with all the pressure and the first game is often difficult to adjust to. I think this is the best chance the US have. Should England pump the US, then US moral could be shot for good and Slovenia may be the biggest benefactors of this (and English Landlords)


Group D

Aptly named D. D for DEATH (dun dun dun) There is always one group that from the outset looks harder than quantum physics with a wine hangover, while taking jabs from Manny Pacquiao.  I'm going for Germany and Serbia to go through. But it will be tighter than a tight thing.


Group E

Holland and Cameroon. Holland to win the group and then I like Cameroon's chances just because I Samuel Eto'o is not Nicklas Bendtner


Group F

Italy may not need to try very hard to get out of this group. The other teams are poor with Slovakia taking runner up.


Group G

Another intriguing group. Brazil to win it, but not as easily as some think. I think if Ronaldo is in top form, not fannying about then Portugal have the chance of doing very well. Ivory Coast will be many people's dark horses. They have a wealth of talent with players playing all over Europe and when it boils down to who wants it most between Portugal and Ivory Coast? I'm taking Drogba and Co.


Group H

Spain at a canter, and then for runner up Chile, although I really really want Honduras to  get it, for the simple reason that my mother adopted them in 1978 and has never stopped talking about them!

Me watching a game on TV

"Ma who do you want to win?"

"Honduras"

"Ma it's the fecking Scottish Cup!!"

So those are my initial thoughts on the World Cup, ONLY 187 days to go. I am buzzing.

Super Barca

It was a build up fraught with nerves. Possible elimination from the competition for the current holders at this stage would have been highly embarrassing, just a few day before 'el clasico' it would have been a disaster. And, with their two mega stars out with injuries, and Barca losing top spot in La Liga, let's just say some Barca fans may have been having a wee 'squeaky bum' moment.

Fast forward two hours, Barca dished out a COMPLETE LESSON in how to play the game, cemented there position as best team in the world, and switched the pressure on to Real for the clasico. All without Messi and Zlatan. Not a bad days work.

Let us not underestimate this performance, they were fantastic, high pressing, sharp crisp passing, creative around the box, movement to die for...the list goes on and on. This was a coach's dream. The team who have arguably the best manager in the world and currently sit 5 points clear in Seria A were outclassed.

Mourinho, king of spin that he is pointed out that his team did well to keep it at 2-0. Well I'm sure Moratti will be delighted with that. "We got to half-time and Barcelona were playing brilliantly but we did not lose control. Some teams would lose three or four because there's such psychological pressure when you are in that position." I bet he thinks they won the second half 0-0.

The Barca fans had a dig at Mourinho by chanting "go to the theatre' but trust me, as a football fan Mourinho couldn't have been more entertained if he had gone to the theatre and, John Cleese was playing Alex Ferguson in a one man play called "Angry Whiskey Nose."

Barca were SUPER, roll on el clasico.

Football In Crisis (*dum dum duuuuuuum)

*That was dramatic drums for those of you not initiated in the world of dramatic drums.

So, Henry is a bigger villain than Darth Vader, Roy Keane comes across as, well, Roy Keane and oh, there is the small matter of the game's biggest match fixing scandal. Interesting times.

Firstly, Hand-ry, Tehandry Henry, Cheating French Arrogant Bastard, whatever you want to call him, he is being treated as if he just ate the baby Jesus live on T.V, while sodomizing an Alter Boy. People need to put things in perspective. And, Oh God I thought I'd never say this, (or the last sentence for that matter) but if your looking for perspective listen to Roy Keane. Keane should have been like every other Irishman, unhappy that his country were cheated out of the chance of going to the World Cup (everyone assumes that Ireland would have got there had the ball gone out of play) Yet Keane as only Keane can, basically told Ireland to stop crying and get on with it. And I agree wholeheartedly with him. Ireland had their chances, not only over the course of the two games but over the ENTIRE qualifying campaign. So as Keane stated they should be looking at their own mistakes and not those of the officials. Harsh but fair, which is how I believe Keane sees himself. but we all know that that view is a little askew.

The match fixing scandal (and probably the answer to Henry's prayers) worries me a great deal more than anything I have read about in football in a long time. I hope that people are caught and prosecuted, and the focus can go back to on field happenings. The negative light surounding football this week has been terrible, the Henry saga, match fixing and now topped off by the Egypt and Algeria saga. (Another post will follow)

Football has always had and always will have certain dubious charecteristics, but correctly at the core of the game, and the majority of fans hearts is the idea of fair play. Yet those who are clambering for justice, or retribution, should understand that football has never, and will never be a game where justice is meted out. Injustice is the fuel that our game runs on.

Light Relief

If you are already sick of the fall out from Henry's handball, here is something to warm your heart. Think of this as the 'happy' story at the end of the news. You know where the budgie dialed 999 and saved the old lady...

...well this maybe the greatest thing I have seen in a long time. Watch it once. Watch it again. Then go back and dissect it. It has the lot, spandex mousers, high kicks...it's like Miami Vice for Aerobics/soft core gay porn.

All I want to know is how do you pitch that idea "Guys, I have an idea, it will involve, leg warmers, spray tan, and possibly the gayest move ever seen on national T.V...who's in?"

WOW

The Main Problem

Henry's next visit to Dublin

I just seen the goal that sent France to South Africa. And I can honestly say

1.  I hope they get pumped
2. Thierry, Thierry, Thierry (shakes head) tsk tsk tsk, I thought you were better than that
3. I would have done the exact same thing

You see, that's the beautiful thing about sport, one man's hero is another man's villain. So as much as Henry is being pencilled in as next target man at rubber bullet testing night at the local I.R.A bar, he with that little instinctive flick of the wrist, has earned himself more free wine for the rest of his life than Dionysus had left overs.

As hard as it is to swallow, it is what makes the game special. Think Diego.