This version is a bit shorter due to an unexpected extension of a business trip to Montenegro. A lot of snow - a lot of trouble. Even regarding writing the blog.
One thing that must be outlined is the derby of the round. Which was won by Manchester United. Wayne Rooney to be more precise. Scored a brace. But most fans were again more impressed by his hair and even eyelashes.
In other matches Peter Odemwingie and his team-mates caused a sack of a popular bloke, called Mick McCarthy, AVB takes another step towards his sacking, Aaron Ramsey is somewhat apocalyptic, Emmanuel Adebyor likes tickling, and more.
Now it's time to explain (again), what this blog is all about. As I wrote the last few times: You won't find any detailed experts' analysis here. You won't find complete scoresheets either. But you'll find a good banter, juicy comments about the game, the clubs, the players, the refs, the goals... Maybe you'll find some useful info/opinion for a football chat in your favourite bar...
Namely, football is a global sport, so is the English Premierleague. It is followed by a huge number of a-round-ball-loving enthusiasts, journos, players and managers themselves... I hear football is also more and more popular in the US of soccer... :)
And for all those reasons it's widely commented on Twitter. It is a very well known "fact" that tweeps possess a lot of football knowledge, common sense, cynicism, humour, love/hate relationships... And, yes, even different kinds of stupidity occur...
So, all the ingredients for the tasty soup of football opinion are there.
This is the "25th edition". Here are some of the bits, which should shed some (different) light on the 25th round of EPL. I thank all the tweeps for contributing...
MANCHESTER UTD - LIVERPOOL 2-1 (0-0)
@ManUtdStuff
Roy Keane: "If I was playing, if Incey was playing, if Sparky was playing: Suarez ends the game wishing he'd shaken hands." #MUFC
@MissEJHarvey
Please have some respect for Wayne Rooney. He is, after all, the worlds only surviving brain donor.
@BernardMannlng
Wayne Rooney turned up for the Grammies last night and was very disappointed. Apparently he misread the invite.
@eddo75
Good weekend for Wayne Rooney. A brace against Liverpool on Saturday and The Granny awards on TV last night
BLACKBURN - QUEENS PARK RANGERS 3-2 (3-0)
@OptaJoe
39% - Yakubu has the best conversion rate of any regular player in the Premier League this season. Attack.
@AnnieEaves
QPR in real trouble. They've bought players not a team. Like when you go to the supermarket, spend a fortune, and realise you've no meals.
BOLTON - WIGAN 1-2 (0-1)
@CptnPyjamaPants
Owen Coyle is 5/1 in the sack race. Tempted.
@SkySportsFraser
Phone rang during Roberto Martinez press conf. Someone shouted "It's the FA!" Roberto said "Tell them I'm not available!"
@OptaJoe
20 – Bolton Wanderers committed the most fouls today, while Wigan have committed the most this season (326). Sinners.
EVERTON - CHELSEA 2-0 (1-0)
@MatthewCSpence1
@jamesaleung Suarez = dickhead! Everton = the boys!! "Neva felt more like singin the blues, when Everton win and Liverpool lose!
@OptaJoe
2 - The last time Everton won two consecutive home league games was May 2011; their wins were against Manchester City & Chelsea. Repeat.
@philmcnulty
Mancini says didn't prepare right & Man City lose at Everton. AVB says more or less same as Chelsea lose. What is it they don't know about?
@tonymunday1
Will AVB be at Chelsea next season? More importantly when will BOSINGWA stop pretending to be a full back?
FULHAM - STOKE CITY 2-1 (2-0)
@OptaJoe
1 - Pavel Pogrebnyak is the first player to score on his Fulham Premier League debut since David Healy in August 2007. Import.
@OptaJoe
20% - Stoke City posted the worst shooting accuracy today and also for the season as a whole (34%). Wayward.
SUNDERLAND - ARSENAL 1-2 (0-0)
@waleedabunada
The last 4 goals Aaron Ramsey scored for Arsenal killed Osama Bin Laden, Muammar Gaddafi, Steve Jobs and Whitney Houston the next day. #afc
@LethalBizzle
Can someone make a Thierry Henry mask & put it on Chamack and send him to NY red bulls? #DENCHENRY
@OptaJoke
503,226 - Number of Arsenal fans who will have unsuitable dreams about Thierry Henry tonight. Va-va-voom.
SWANSEA - NORWICH CITY 2-3 (1-0)
@blowersh
Fantastic to wake up to Swansea 2 The Canaries 3!!! What a terrific season they're having! A good, wholesome blend of Stephen Fry & Delia!!!
@seanreidHSR
Grant Holt and Danny Graham have all scored equal (Holt) and more (Graham) goals then Darren Bent. Guess which one will go to the Euro's?
TOTTENHAM - NEWCASTLE UTD 5-0 (4-0)
@R_o_M
Adebayor is a quality player when he fancies it. Really seems to fancy it at Spurs, doesn't he. 23 games, 10 goals, 11 assists.
@InfostradaLive
Newcastle record their biggest PL defeat since losing 6-0 at Manchester United in January 2008. #spurs #PL
@F365
Spurs players tickling Adebayor after he scored, like he's a playful dog. Lovely. More of this sort of thing please.
WOLVERHAMPTON - WEST BROMWICH ALBION 1-5 (1-1)
@OptaJoe
8 - Roy Hodgson's 8 PL away wins as West Brom gaffer in one year, match his 3-year tally with Liverpool (1) & Fulham (7). Kinetosis.
@empiremagazine
Sorry to hear that Mick McCarthy's been sacked. Liam Neeson is hot favourite to take over, as he has a good track record with Wolves. #BOOM
ASTON VILLA - MANCHESTER CITY 0-1 (0-0)
@StupidFootball
Aston Villa are going to go defensive against Man City. They're starting Emile Heskey.
@MirrorFootball
GOAL! Aston Villa 0-1 Manchester City - Lescott scores against his boyhood club. Robbie Keane not happy
2012-02-05
FUNNY (?) TWITTER RECAP OF THE 24th ROUND OF ENGLISH PREMIERLEAGUE
I remember the times when some Arse's fans demanded Arsene Wenger's ass to be kicked out of their beloved club. Oh, wait, that was just four days ago! So, how come couple of days later he's a genius again, a mastermind again, the best in the world again (you got the point)?
Remarkably, the (new) turning point was Blackburn, a multiple European champion, a power-house in recent years, a team that everyone fears! Well, I may be exaggerating a bit... The Gunners really justified the cannon in their logo, scoring seven (three by RPG... I mean the penetrating RVP), being the superior team, but come on! There were only 10 Venky's chickens to fight with. In the 2nd half, that is. I wonder if that French grasshopper will still be glorified after a next week's fixture.
Arsenal will visit the Stadium of Light. Which is unbelievably bright these days. Some say, the Messiah's been around. The others say, the same Messiah made a pact with the devil. Whatever. The point is, Sunderland are brilliant after the Martin O'Neill's appointment. 22 points of a possible 30. They must be doing something right. And the Arsenal match will be a proper test. For both of them: the Tracksuit and the Sleeping-bag.
I should mention the clash between Chelsea and Manchester UTD. Pure drama! Chelski 3-0 up (Juan Mata scored with a beautiful volley), then two penalties - yes, Howard Webb was the referee - for the Red Devils (Wayne Rooney, who now lost his hair at the sides of his head, converted them brilliantly), Chicharito later scored for 3-3. And that's how it finished.
In other 24th round matches Andrew Surman's messing with the fans' bladders, Swans have a serious English fire-power, Manchester City are missing Hyde, Gabriel Obertan, whose teammate Papiss Cisse scored a cracker, is better as interpreter than as footballer, and much more. Liverpool - Tottenham? It was all about a cat, really.
Now it's time to explain (again), what this blog is all about. As I wrote the last few times: You won't find any detailed experts' analysis here. You won't find complete scoresheets either. But you'll find a good banter, juicy comments about the game, the clubs, the players, the refs, the goals... Maybe you'll find some useful info/opinion for a football chat in your favourite bar...
Namely, football is a global sport, so is the English Premierleague. It is followed by a huge number of a-round-ball-loving enthusiasts, journos, players and managers themselves... I hear football is also more and more popular in the US of soccer... :)
And for all those reasons it's widely commented on Twitter. It is a very well known "fact" that tweeps possess a lot of football knowledge, common sense, cynicism, humour, love/hate relationships... And, yes, even different kinds of stupidity occur...
So, all the ingredients for the tasty soup of football opinion are there.
This is the "24th edition". Here are some of the bits, which should shed some (different) light on the 24th round of EPL. I thank all the tweeps for contributing...
ARSENAL - BLACKBURN 7-1 (3-1)
@ShinobiAFC
Figures, the one decent ref left in the #EPL gets a knock to the head...virtue has no rewards #AFC
@nicogrounds
RVP. When a girl says no... why? He's more penetrative than a Samurai sword #afc
@SamerF89
Bet those people who brought them black bin bags are wearing them over their heads #afc
@Ashfaque_Anees
I'm having chicken biryani for dinner ..venkys chicken biryani slightly black burnt #afc #arsenal
@KWAMMC
I don't respect any team Bendtner can score against. He scored a worldie couple seasons back against....Blackburn. Go figure.
NORWICH CITY - BOLTON 2-0 (0-0)
@CGoreham
I think today was first time I've ever actually touched the match ball at #ncfc when it was booted into stand. A tremendous thrill
@DavidMaidstone
Can't understand the moaners, in 1902 we couldn't even raise 11 shirts and there wasn't a ref. Don't people realise how far we've come #NCFC
@MadMarcT
I swear I wet myself when Andrew Surman scored... That's why the gaffer jumped up so high. I would have drenched him. #NCFC
QUEENS PARK RANGERS - WOLVERHAMPTON 1-2 (1-0)
@FourFourTom
Djibril Cisse has been sent off. Who at QPR thought "yeah, what could possibly go wrong!" when they heard he was available to buy? Hothead.
@OptaJoe
13 - Wolves have now recovered more points from losing positions than any other team in the top flight this season. Grit.
STOKE CITY - SUNDERLAND 0-1 (0-0)
© @NeilTheGeordie
Martin O'Neill has obviously sold his soul to the devil. More Jam than Hartleys. ;) #SAFC #ONeillsOnWheels
@gavalar_5318008
Anyone else think tony pulis is turning into Neil warnock, blaming everything and everything other than himself #delusional #safc #stokecity
@Smudgerjumps
Well done to the lads, 3 good points in very difficult conditions today! Not the snow, Stoke's horrible tactics & playing style #safc
@FourFourTom
22 points from a possible 30 for Martin O'Neill since taking over at Sunderland. Unbelievable record.
@Martin_O_Neill
Marty's fact of the day: Jack Bauer is Seb Larrson's dad."lets hope he gets 24 goals this season then!
@BenVanDerVelde
I've said it before and I'll say it again - if we want out of this recession, appoint Martin O'Neill Chancellor immediately.
WEST BROMWICH ALBION - SWANSEA 1-2 (0-0)
@MirrorFootball
GOAL! West Brom 1-0 Swansea: Baggies enjoy a change in FORTUNE
@MirrorFootball
GOAL West Brom 1-1 Swansea - Sigurdsson. Now that IS a change of fortune!
@swansnews
22 of Swansea's 26 goals have been scored by Englishmen, only Manchester United can better that
WIGAN - EVERTON 1-1 (0-0)
@MirrorFootball
SUB: Everton's new striker has come on. Fans are apparently singing 'Follow the Jelavic Road' #quality
@LittleChimpy
Is Victor Chinedu Anichebe becoming the new Ole Gunnar Solskjær? #impact #20LEGEND
MANCHESTER CITY - FULHAM 3-0 (2-0)
@KaiWayne
Chris Baird has now given away a penalty & scored an own goal. All he needs now is to find out his wife is having a coffee with John Terry.
@IgnorantLuke
Man City need to get a striker called Hyde. So they can have Dzeko and Hyde
NEWCATSLE UTD - ASTON VILLA 2-1 (1-1)
@DavidKifford
Gabriel Obertan acting as interpreter for Cisse. Finally found a regular position for him at #NUFC.
@Balaurderaa
Papiss Cisse who has one funny syllable in his name makes his debut for Newcastle #bpl #nufc #avfc
@ianmurphy89
Forget the goal, how hasn't Warnock been sent off?! That's what happens when you watch Hutton too much in training #avfc #nufc
@soccer_dude91
Maybe if Fernando Torres changes his first name to Demba he'll start scoring goals again #NUFC #CFC
@cristoff19
I'm 28,with no right knee and a few extra lbs,but watching Gabriel Obertan 'play' football keeps my dreams of a football career alive.#NUFC
CHELSEA - MANCHESTER UTD 3-3 (1-0)
@blazerunner
The MUFC defence opens to give Torres a clear sight of goal... but he doesn't fall for it and shoots at the corner flag instead.
@SALMAN_1562
Has anybody else noticed how @waynerooney gone from loosing his hair to having the best haircut on the pitch? #hairwego #MUFC
@Twiccip
Why on Earth did Wayne Rooney bother spending all that money on a hair transplant to have it cut like he has ? #MUFC @SkySports
@JacquiOatley
Sturridge used Evans then like a snooker player uses a cushion. #MUFC #CFC
@Red_or_Dead_Edd
Excellent PR work by Team Terry...planting a black man next to John for him to hug in celebration. ;-) #CFC #MUFC
@Ultra_Fox
The Suarez episode obscures fact that Evra past sell-by episode. At fault for all 3 Chelsea goals today #mufc
LIVERPOOL - TOTTENHAM 0-0
@HonestFrank
Cat on the pitch at Anfield. Must have thought it was the Milk Cup. #lfc #thfc
@ianirv
Not much happened at #LFC 23 mins. A cat came on the pitch and #THFC singing "Harry's dog's a millionaire" just about the highlights so far
@BigRedEgg
Lucky it wasn't a black cat on the Klu Klux Klanfield pitch. Suarez would of abused it. #THFC #LFC #MUFC
@eddaball79
Super Harry Redknapp he wears a magic hat, he couldn't fly to Anfield so turned into a cat! #Yiddo #thfc”
@mr_keets
Every Taxi driver in the UK refused to drive Harry Redkanpp to Anfield tonight. They heard he doesn't pay his taxis. #LFC #THFC
Remarkably, the (new) turning point was Blackburn, a multiple European champion, a power-house in recent years, a team that everyone fears! Well, I may be exaggerating a bit... The Gunners really justified the cannon in their logo, scoring seven (three by RPG... I mean the penetrating RVP), being the superior team, but come on! There were only 10 Venky's chickens to fight with. In the 2nd half, that is. I wonder if that French grasshopper will still be glorified after a next week's fixture.
Arsenal will visit the Stadium of Light. Which is unbelievably bright these days. Some say, the Messiah's been around. The others say, the same Messiah made a pact with the devil. Whatever. The point is, Sunderland are brilliant after the Martin O'Neill's appointment. 22 points of a possible 30. They must be doing something right. And the Arsenal match will be a proper test. For both of them: the Tracksuit and the Sleeping-bag.
I should mention the clash between Chelsea and Manchester UTD. Pure drama! Chelski 3-0 up (Juan Mata scored with a beautiful volley), then two penalties - yes, Howard Webb was the referee - for the Red Devils (Wayne Rooney, who now lost his hair at the sides of his head, converted them brilliantly), Chicharito later scored for 3-3. And that's how it finished.
In other 24th round matches Andrew Surman's messing with the fans' bladders, Swans have a serious English fire-power, Manchester City are missing Hyde, Gabriel Obertan, whose teammate Papiss Cisse scored a cracker, is better as interpreter than as footballer, and much more. Liverpool - Tottenham? It was all about a cat, really.
Now it's time to explain (again), what this blog is all about. As I wrote the last few times: You won't find any detailed experts' analysis here. You won't find complete scoresheets either. But you'll find a good banter, juicy comments about the game, the clubs, the players, the refs, the goals... Maybe you'll find some useful info/opinion for a football chat in your favourite bar...
Namely, football is a global sport, so is the English Premierleague. It is followed by a huge number of a-round-ball-loving enthusiasts, journos, players and managers themselves... I hear football is also more and more popular in the US of soccer... :)
And for all those reasons it's widely commented on Twitter. It is a very well known "fact" that tweeps possess a lot of football knowledge, common sense, cynicism, humour, love/hate relationships... And, yes, even different kinds of stupidity occur...
So, all the ingredients for the tasty soup of football opinion are there.
This is the "24th edition". Here are some of the bits, which should shed some (different) light on the 24th round of EPL. I thank all the tweeps for contributing...
ARSENAL - BLACKBURN 7-1 (3-1)
@ShinobiAFC
Figures, the one decent ref left in the #EPL gets a knock to the head...virtue has no rewards #AFC
@nicogrounds
RVP. When a girl says no... why? He's more penetrative than a Samurai sword #afc
@SamerF89
Bet those people who brought them black bin bags are wearing them over their heads #afc
@Ashfaque_Anees
I'm having chicken biryani for dinner ..venkys chicken biryani slightly black burnt #afc #arsenal
@KWAMMC
I don't respect any team Bendtner can score against. He scored a worldie couple seasons back against....Blackburn. Go figure.
NORWICH CITY - BOLTON 2-0 (0-0)
@CGoreham
I think today was first time I've ever actually touched the match ball at #ncfc when it was booted into stand. A tremendous thrill
@DavidMaidstone
Can't understand the moaners, in 1902 we couldn't even raise 11 shirts and there wasn't a ref. Don't people realise how far we've come #NCFC
@MadMarcT
I swear I wet myself when Andrew Surman scored... That's why the gaffer jumped up so high. I would have drenched him. #NCFC
QUEENS PARK RANGERS - WOLVERHAMPTON 1-2 (1-0)
@FourFourTom
Djibril Cisse has been sent off. Who at QPR thought "yeah, what could possibly go wrong!" when they heard he was available to buy? Hothead.
@OptaJoe
13 - Wolves have now recovered more points from losing positions than any other team in the top flight this season. Grit.
STOKE CITY - SUNDERLAND 0-1 (0-0)
© @NeilTheGeordie
Martin O'Neill has obviously sold his soul to the devil. More Jam than Hartleys. ;) #SAFC #ONeillsOnWheels
@gavalar_5318008
Anyone else think tony pulis is turning into Neil warnock, blaming everything and everything other than himself #delusional #safc #stokecity
@Smudgerjumps
Well done to the lads, 3 good points in very difficult conditions today! Not the snow, Stoke's horrible tactics & playing style #safc
@FourFourTom
22 points from a possible 30 for Martin O'Neill since taking over at Sunderland. Unbelievable record.
@Martin_O_Neill
Marty's fact of the day: Jack Bauer is Seb Larrson's dad."lets hope he gets 24 goals this season then!
@BenVanDerVelde
I've said it before and I'll say it again - if we want out of this recession, appoint Martin O'Neill Chancellor immediately.
WEST BROMWICH ALBION - SWANSEA 1-2 (0-0)
@MirrorFootball
GOAL! West Brom 1-0 Swansea: Baggies enjoy a change in FORTUNE
@MirrorFootball
GOAL West Brom 1-1 Swansea - Sigurdsson. Now that IS a change of fortune!
@swansnews
22 of Swansea's 26 goals have been scored by Englishmen, only Manchester United can better that
WIGAN - EVERTON 1-1 (0-0)
@MirrorFootball
SUB: Everton's new striker has come on. Fans are apparently singing 'Follow the Jelavic Road' #quality
@LittleChimpy
Is Victor Chinedu Anichebe becoming the new Ole Gunnar Solskjær? #impact #20LEGEND
MANCHESTER CITY - FULHAM 3-0 (2-0)
@KaiWayne
Chris Baird has now given away a penalty & scored an own goal. All he needs now is to find out his wife is having a coffee with John Terry.
@IgnorantLuke
Man City need to get a striker called Hyde. So they can have Dzeko and Hyde
NEWCATSLE UTD - ASTON VILLA 2-1 (1-1)
@DavidKifford
Gabriel Obertan acting as interpreter for Cisse. Finally found a regular position for him at #NUFC.
@Balaurderaa
Papiss Cisse who has one funny syllable in his name makes his debut for Newcastle #bpl #nufc #avfc
@ianmurphy89
Forget the goal, how hasn't Warnock been sent off?! That's what happens when you watch Hutton too much in training #avfc #nufc
@soccer_dude91
Maybe if Fernando Torres changes his first name to Demba he'll start scoring goals again #NUFC #CFC
@cristoff19
I'm 28,with no right knee and a few extra lbs,but watching Gabriel Obertan 'play' football keeps my dreams of a football career alive.#NUFC
CHELSEA - MANCHESTER UTD 3-3 (1-0)
@blazerunner
The MUFC defence opens to give Torres a clear sight of goal... but he doesn't fall for it and shoots at the corner flag instead.
@SALMAN_1562
Has anybody else noticed how @waynerooney gone from loosing his hair to having the best haircut on the pitch? #hairwego #MUFC
@Twiccip
Why on Earth did Wayne Rooney bother spending all that money on a hair transplant to have it cut like he has ? #MUFC @SkySports
@JacquiOatley
Sturridge used Evans then like a snooker player uses a cushion. #MUFC #CFC
@Red_or_Dead_Edd
Excellent PR work by Team Terry...planting a black man next to John for him to hug in celebration. ;-) #CFC #MUFC
@Ultra_Fox
The Suarez episode obscures fact that Evra past sell-by episode. At fault for all 3 Chelsea goals today #mufc
LIVERPOOL - TOTTENHAM 0-0
@HonestFrank
Cat on the pitch at Anfield. Must have thought it was the Milk Cup. #lfc #thfc
@ianirv
Not much happened at #LFC 23 mins. A cat came on the pitch and #THFC singing "Harry's dog's a millionaire" just about the highlights so far
@BigRedEgg
Lucky it wasn't a black cat on the Klu Klux Klanfield pitch. Suarez would of abused it. #THFC #LFC #MUFC
@eddaball79
Super Harry Redknapp he wears a magic hat, he couldn't fly to Anfield so turned into a cat! #Yiddo #thfc”
@mr_keets
Every Taxi driver in the UK refused to drive Harry Redkanpp to Anfield tonight. They heard he doesn't pay his taxis. #LFC #THFC
2012-02-02
FUNNY (?) TWITTER RECAP OF THE 23rd ROUND OF ENGLISH PREMIERLEAGUE
Surely you didn't expect that one day Darron Gibson will be fans' favourite. Manchester United's fans that is. But in the 23rd round of EPL THAT happened. Gibson's hasn't been wearing MUFC's shirt for quite a while now... So, how is this possible, you ask.
Well, it's like that. Gibson scored a winner for Everton against Manchester City. Aaah... Here's the catch. Yes, indeed. And by scoring with that thunderous strike of his he made things interesting again. At the top. Both Manchester clubs are now leveled at 54 points.
While City were possibly distracted by a man handcuffing himself to the goal-post, United did their job as expected. Stoke hardly saw the ball, but they could clearly hear the chants glorifying once hated Gibson. Maybe that distracted them... Who would know... David De Gea surely not. He was out as he caught cold or something. How is this possible, you ask. De Gea actually catching something? Strange days, indeed.
Adding to that Andy Carroll scored, and Gabriel Obertan scored, too. Wow, the end is near! In other 23rd matches Swansea turns Chelsea into a bunch of Lee Catermoles, Wigan prefers the league table in alphabetical order, Tchoyi is like schizophrenic racehorse, Leo Messi and Pele were playing in Sunderland, and more.
Now it's time to explain (again), what this blog is all about. As I wrote the last few times: You won't find any detailed experts' analysis here. You won't find complete scoresheets either. But you'll find a good banter, juicy comments about the game, the clubs, the players, the refs, the goals... Maybe you'll find some useful info/opinion for a football chat in your favourite bar...
Namely, football is a global sport, so is the English Premierleague. It is followed by a huge number of a-round-ball-loving enthusiasts, journos, players and managers themselves... I hear football is also more and more popular in the US of soccer... :)
And for all those reasons it's widely commented on Twitter. It is a very well known "fact" that tweeps possess a lot of football knowledge, common sense, cynicism, humour, love/hate relationships... And, yes, even different kinds of stupidity occur...
So, all the ingredients for the tasty soup of football opinion are there.
This is the "23rd edition". Here are some of the bits, which should shed some (different) light on the 23rd round of EPL. I thank all the tweeps for contributing...
SWANSEA - CHELSEA 1-1 (1-0)
@BeyondthePitch
Seriously find joy in watching Swansea turn highly paid players into Lee Catermole replicas as they get frustrated chasing them for the ball
@MirrorFootball
GOAL! Swansea 1-0 Chelsea - Scott Sinclair scores a 'Worldy' according to Merse. Then again, he that's also how he describes Weatherspoons
@Hastick1
Everyone moans about Torres but who supplies the ball? Mata is forced to the left n Malouda he is as helpful as stevie wonder in the dark
TOTTENHAM - WIGAN 3-1 (2-0)
@FourFourTom
Harry Redknapp has confirmed that Tottenham are set to sign Swiss starlet Taxee Vasion. #THFC
@MirrorFootball
GOAL! Spurs 3-1 Wigan - McArthur scores to keep hopes of another 9-1 alive
@Sir_Scribbles
If Roberto's Wigan gets relegated, it'll be among som of d longest failed battles in history like Napoleon's Waterloo & Scholes' tackling...
@Sir_Scribbles
Sumtimes I think Wigan prefer d League table in alphabetical order...
WOLVERHAMPTON - LIVERPOOL 0-3 (0-0)
@OptaJoke
365 - Andy Carroll has scored to celebrate his last-minute January transfer window move 365 days late. Annual.
@MirrorFootball
Shouldn't be surprised - this is the traditionally one day of the year on which Andy Carroll actually moves
@liam_tomkins
If Suarez can't pick the lock, Carroll will bash the door down. And if he can't do that, Bellamy will race around the back and let us in.
EVERTON - MANCHESTER CITY 1-0 (0-0)
@Dave98FM
#MUFC fans chanting, "There's only one Darren Gibson!" in Old Trafford. Best reception he ever got, to be fair.
@saifpr
I heard a rumour that Sheikh Mansour is sending out an elite SAS squad from Abudhabi to Guinea to kidnapp Kolo&Yaya back to MCFC ASAP.#FGS
@MCFC
What's the strangest thing you've seen at a football match? I'm sure tonight's fan handcuffing himself to a goalpost comes pretty close!
@DTguardian
The pitch invader who handcuffed himself to post at Everton was protesting against Ryanair apparently. #EFC #MCFC
MANCHESTER UTD - STOKE CITY 2-0 (1-0)
@JimMunro
Amos in goal for Man United at Stoke. De Gea phoned in sick.. at the thought of facing Stoke's 6ft 4in battering rams at corners? #mufc
@CraigMays
De Gea not starting because he's sick. How's that possible, he can't catch anything? #MUFC
@NickOatley
De Gea went to hand in a transfer request today...but he dropped it! #Banter #MUFC
@Joe_MU
If Sir Alex ever lines up with Amos Rafael Smalling Evans Ferdinand Anderson Carrick Evra Rooney Scholes. It would spell ARSEFACERS. #MUFC
@Gustavospeaks
Look at Berbatov's new haircut: He was once Andy Garcia, now he has turned into a more Robert De Niro look-a-like. #mufc
@BiggyPert
It took Darron Gibson to leave United to make us happy, then to score against #MCFC to become a HERO!!! #MUFC
ASTON VILLA - QUEENS PARK RANGERS 2-2 (1-2)
@McLeishoutnow
Baa baa #avfcsheep back McLeish Baa baa he is great baa baa keep it up 6 wins out of 23 baa baa local press say all is well @ #avfc baa
@OptaJoe
3 - Djibril Cissé has now scored on his Premier League debut for Liverpool, Sunderland & QPR. Impact.
@henrywinter
Djibril Cisse is back with a bang....cracking finish and even better goal celebration. Back-flips, etc, the full Olga Korbut. #avfc 0 #qpr 1
@OptaJoe
100 - Darren Bent has reached 100 Premier League goals in 226 games, the ninth quickest player (of 21) to do so. Reliable.
BLACKBURN - NEWCASTLE UTD 0-2 (0-1)
@OliPalmer88
Going for a 10 day amnesty on Steve kean/BRFC hate/negativity on Facebook & twitter. Going to be hard with who we have coming up though!!
@DanLowth
Obertan scored. Andy Carroll scored. Darron Gibson scored. The apocalypse is nigh.
@Kalou_21
You have to feel sorry for Blackburn fans, they spend hard earned cash to see their team and Obertan manages to score past them #OhDear
BOLTON - ARSENAL 0-0
@E_Dot_Smash
Wilshere injured again, glad wenger didn't do anything stupid like by some1 in january
@piersmorgan
I'm biting my tongue re #Arsenal - dull 0-0 draw, 7th in table, 17pts behind leaders, 12pts behind Spurs. Speaks for itself.
@Chrisdevlingolf
Sorry to say it, but if Walcott played for Utd, Fergie would have sold him to Arsenal by now.
FULHAM - WEST BROMWICH ALBION 1-1 (0-0)
@LongShaneLong
The reason nobody can mark THE TCHOYI is because even he doesn't know what he's gonna do next. It's like marking a schizophrenic racehorse.
@LongShaneLong
Just began a magical chorus of 'The Tchoyi's My Shepherd'. It built to a magical crescendo, with Wingie "bussin some gospel soul". Magic
SUNDERLAND - NORWICH CITY 3-0 (2-0)
@jakeyholyoak
God took messi and pele, mixed the 2 to make 1, and he came out with stephane sessegnonnnnn!
@offthepost
Sessegnon #megs! Barca have turned up at the Stadium of Light tonight.
@sam2212
We have joy we have fun, We have Stephane Sessegnon, Midfield class from Benin,That’s why all the Sunderland sing #safc
Well, it's like that. Gibson scored a winner for Everton against Manchester City. Aaah... Here's the catch. Yes, indeed. And by scoring with that thunderous strike of his he made things interesting again. At the top. Both Manchester clubs are now leveled at 54 points.
While City were possibly distracted by a man handcuffing himself to the goal-post, United did their job as expected. Stoke hardly saw the ball, but they could clearly hear the chants glorifying once hated Gibson. Maybe that distracted them... Who would know... David De Gea surely not. He was out as he caught cold or something. How is this possible, you ask. De Gea actually catching something? Strange days, indeed.
Adding to that Andy Carroll scored, and Gabriel Obertan scored, too. Wow, the end is near! In other 23rd matches Swansea turns Chelsea into a bunch of Lee Catermoles, Wigan prefers the league table in alphabetical order, Tchoyi is like schizophrenic racehorse, Leo Messi and Pele were playing in Sunderland, and more.
Now it's time to explain (again), what this blog is all about. As I wrote the last few times: You won't find any detailed experts' analysis here. You won't find complete scoresheets either. But you'll find a good banter, juicy comments about the game, the clubs, the players, the refs, the goals... Maybe you'll find some useful info/opinion for a football chat in your favourite bar...
Namely, football is a global sport, so is the English Premierleague. It is followed by a huge number of a-round-ball-loving enthusiasts, journos, players and managers themselves... I hear football is also more and more popular in the US of soccer... :)
And for all those reasons it's widely commented on Twitter. It is a very well known "fact" that tweeps possess a lot of football knowledge, common sense, cynicism, humour, love/hate relationships... And, yes, even different kinds of stupidity occur...
So, all the ingredients for the tasty soup of football opinion are there.
This is the "23rd edition". Here are some of the bits, which should shed some (different) light on the 23rd round of EPL. I thank all the tweeps for contributing...
SWANSEA - CHELSEA 1-1 (1-0)
@BeyondthePitch
Seriously find joy in watching Swansea turn highly paid players into Lee Catermole replicas as they get frustrated chasing them for the ball
@MirrorFootball
GOAL! Swansea 1-0 Chelsea - Scott Sinclair scores a 'Worldy' according to Merse. Then again, he that's also how he describes Weatherspoons
@Hastick1
Everyone moans about Torres but who supplies the ball? Mata is forced to the left n Malouda he is as helpful as stevie wonder in the dark
TOTTENHAM - WIGAN 3-1 (2-0)
@FourFourTom
Harry Redknapp has confirmed that Tottenham are set to sign Swiss starlet Taxee Vasion. #THFC
@MirrorFootball
GOAL! Spurs 3-1 Wigan - McArthur scores to keep hopes of another 9-1 alive
@Sir_Scribbles
If Roberto's Wigan gets relegated, it'll be among som of d longest failed battles in history like Napoleon's Waterloo & Scholes' tackling...
@Sir_Scribbles
Sumtimes I think Wigan prefer d League table in alphabetical order...
WOLVERHAMPTON - LIVERPOOL 0-3 (0-0)
@OptaJoke
365 - Andy Carroll has scored to celebrate his last-minute January transfer window move 365 days late. Annual.
@MirrorFootball
Shouldn't be surprised - this is the traditionally one day of the year on which Andy Carroll actually moves
@liam_tomkins
If Suarez can't pick the lock, Carroll will bash the door down. And if he can't do that, Bellamy will race around the back and let us in.
EVERTON - MANCHESTER CITY 1-0 (0-0)
@Dave98FM
#MUFC fans chanting, "There's only one Darren Gibson!" in Old Trafford. Best reception he ever got, to be fair.
@saifpr
I heard a rumour that Sheikh Mansour is sending out an elite SAS squad from Abudhabi to Guinea to kidnapp Kolo&Yaya back to MCFC ASAP.#FGS
@MCFC
What's the strangest thing you've seen at a football match? I'm sure tonight's fan handcuffing himself to a goalpost comes pretty close!
@DTguardian
The pitch invader who handcuffed himself to post at Everton was protesting against Ryanair apparently. #EFC #MCFC
MANCHESTER UTD - STOKE CITY 2-0 (1-0)
@JimMunro
Amos in goal for Man United at Stoke. De Gea phoned in sick.. at the thought of facing Stoke's 6ft 4in battering rams at corners? #mufc
@CraigMays
De Gea not starting because he's sick. How's that possible, he can't catch anything? #MUFC
@NickOatley
De Gea went to hand in a transfer request today...but he dropped it! #Banter #MUFC
@Joe_MU
If Sir Alex ever lines up with Amos Rafael Smalling Evans Ferdinand Anderson Carrick Evra Rooney Scholes. It would spell ARSEFACERS. #MUFC
@Gustavospeaks
Look at Berbatov's new haircut: He was once Andy Garcia, now he has turned into a more Robert De Niro look-a-like. #mufc
@BiggyPert
It took Darron Gibson to leave United to make us happy, then to score against #MCFC to become a HERO!!! #MUFC
ASTON VILLA - QUEENS PARK RANGERS 2-2 (1-2)
@McLeishoutnow
Baa baa #avfcsheep back McLeish Baa baa he is great baa baa keep it up 6 wins out of 23 baa baa local press say all is well @ #avfc baa
@OptaJoe
3 - Djibril Cissé has now scored on his Premier League debut for Liverpool, Sunderland & QPR. Impact.
@henrywinter
Djibril Cisse is back with a bang....cracking finish and even better goal celebration. Back-flips, etc, the full Olga Korbut. #avfc 0 #qpr 1
@OptaJoe
100 - Darren Bent has reached 100 Premier League goals in 226 games, the ninth quickest player (of 21) to do so. Reliable.
BLACKBURN - NEWCASTLE UTD 0-2 (0-1)
@OliPalmer88
Going for a 10 day amnesty on Steve kean/BRFC hate/negativity on Facebook & twitter. Going to be hard with who we have coming up though!!
@DanLowth
Obertan scored. Andy Carroll scored. Darron Gibson scored. The apocalypse is nigh.
@Kalou_21
You have to feel sorry for Blackburn fans, they spend hard earned cash to see their team and Obertan manages to score past them #OhDear
BOLTON - ARSENAL 0-0
@E_Dot_Smash
Wilshere injured again, glad wenger didn't do anything stupid like by some1 in january
@piersmorgan
I'm biting my tongue re #Arsenal - dull 0-0 draw, 7th in table, 17pts behind leaders, 12pts behind Spurs. Speaks for itself.
@Chrisdevlingolf
Sorry to say it, but if Walcott played for Utd, Fergie would have sold him to Arsenal by now.
FULHAM - WEST BROMWICH ALBION 1-1 (0-0)
@LongShaneLong
The reason nobody can mark THE TCHOYI is because even he doesn't know what he's gonna do next. It's like marking a schizophrenic racehorse.
@LongShaneLong
Just began a magical chorus of 'The Tchoyi's My Shepherd'. It built to a magical crescendo, with Wingie "bussin some gospel soul". Magic
SUNDERLAND - NORWICH CITY 3-0 (2-0)
@jakeyholyoak
God took messi and pele, mixed the 2 to make 1, and he came out with stephane sessegnonnnnn!
@offthepost
Sessegnon #megs! Barca have turned up at the Stadium of Light tonight.
@sam2212
We have joy we have fun, We have Stephane Sessegnon, Midfield class from Benin,That’s why all the Sunderland sing #safc
2012-01-22
FUNNY (?) TWITTER RECAP OF THE 22nd ROUND OF ENGLISH PREMIERLEAGUE
You know when you start a day pissed off, everything is gray, lifeless, boring, you're going through an everyday routine... And half a day later you come home properly drunk with a smoking hot bird, who shags like a pro (whatever that means) and leaves shortly after sex, saying "You can have me whenever you want! No obligations!" Shortly put: a beast of a day turns into a beauty!
And all that could be put into a description of the Manchester City - Tottenham match. After a dull 1st half, by which even some fans of both teams were made to watch rugby, the 2nd was a cracker! Five goals, 2-0 City up, Jermain Defoe and Gareth Bale scored for 2-2, couple of big chances for both teams, some red-card-ish incidents, and finally a last minute penalty for Mario Balotelli, who scored for a big (but undeserved perhaps?) win. Why always him?
The other Sunday derby was played in London at the Emirates. It wasn't as fun as a "booze-bird-no-obliagtion-sex" thing. But it was a decent encounter, in which even RVP made a fool of himself. But the man of the match for the Red Devils was Andrey Arshavin, who - instead of knocking him out - just watched penetrating Antonio Valencia, like he was a leper or something. Or was it Arsene Wenger who should take the blame? Namely, why on Earth would someone in a tough fight replace an ox with a meerkat?
Also in 22nd round: Fernando Torres is devilish, Blackburn lift their hopes with a modest&good willy (?), Clint Dempsey makes everyone forget about George Washington, Sunderland fans reminds the Toon Army it's quite late (it's a funny one!), Robbie Keane dedicates his goals to... erm... everyone (?), Liverpool are hit with a big blow (no, it has nothing to do with a loss v Bolton), and more.
Now it's time to explain (again), what this blog is all about. As I wrote the last few times: You won't find any detailed experts' analysis here. You won't find complete scoresheets either. But you'll find a good banter, juicy comments about the game, the clubs, the players, the refs, the goals... Maybe you'll find some useful info/opinion for a football chat in your favourite bar...
Namely, football is a global sport, so is the English Premierleague. It is followed by a huge number of a-round-ball-loving enthusiasts, journos, players and managers themselves... I hear football is also more and more popular in the US of soccer... :)
And for all those reasons it's widely commented on Twitter. It is a very well known "fact" that tweeps possess a lot of football knowledge, common sense, cynicism, humour, love/hate relationships... And, yes, even different kinds of stupidity occur...
So, all the ingredients for the tasty soup of football opinion are there.
This is the "22nd edition". Here are some of the bits, which should shed some (different) light on the 22nd round of EPL. I thank all the tweeps for contributing...
NORWICH - CHELSEA 0-0
OfficialVernonK
CFC please send Torres to the Reebok on loan. You know he'll come back a goal scorer.#Sturridge#Wilshire
ChrisReevo
Credit to #CFC support Vs #NCFC yesterday- "We'd rather have Grant Holt" in response to Torres missing a sitter was class banter.
Tommy__Shaw
The game between #ncfc and #cfc entered PL record books yesterday for not having a single foul recorded in the 1st half! #wearemassive #
mickymaguire
"sweet Caroline" Steve Morison num-ber- five cross the ball and he will score Steve Morison num-ber-five leaves defenders on the floor#ncfc
OptaJoke
666 - Fernando Torres has just missed his 666th attempt on goal for Chelsea. Devilish.
EVERTON - BLACKBURN 1-1 (1-0)
RichardACoyle
No point complaining Kean. Fellaini is like gerraaaard, the rules of the game don't actually apply to him.
BrianSeal
My hope is one day to see Fellaini, Luiz, and Puyol all starting for the same team.
RavWilding
I don't do football, but heard on my tv a player called "Goodwillie" does this mean there is a female tennis player called "nicebottom" ? ..
MikeyDelap
So we've got an upfront partnership of Modeste Goodwillie. That's how good we are... We're humble and boastful all at the same time. #Rovers
FULHAM - NEWCASTLE UTD 5-2 (0-1)
MartinLipton
Jol: 1st 1/2 was Brixton; 2nd a holiday to Barbados. Pardew: No complaints, not good enough #ffc #nufc
gerrypimm
Clint Dempsey - best American ever born. That is all. #ffc
OptaJack
1 - Clint Dempsey has become the first USA player to score a hat-trick in the English Premier League. History.
QUEENS PARK RANGERS - WIGAN 3-1 (2-0)
w12ace
Best moment at#QPR yesterday @Joey7Barton duffing his corner into the side-netting, whilst laughing at his new #hetweetswhathewants song :)
stuartalker
Next weekend is the annual Wigan Athletic winter break. Also known as FA Cup 4th round day! #wafc
STOKE CITY - WEST BROMWICH ALBION 1-2 (0-1)
deankiely40
THE LAST TIME WBA BEAT STOKE WAS 30 YEARS AGO, IT'S NOW 6 HOURS AGO!
rhiwbafc
Hahaha, looking through all my old pictures, and in one folder I have 58 pictures of Graham Dorrans. Du du du, super Graham Dorrans
SUNDERLAND - SWANSEA 2-0 (1-0)
Skyedog01
Oh look it's 5-2 eleven!! #safc
playersspotted
Stephane Sessegnon, clambering out of a manhole with a copy of Will Self’s ‘The Book Of Dave’ clenched between his teeth.
WOLVERHAMPTON - ASTON VILLA 2-3 (2-1)
FourFourTom
Robbie Keane has scored his first goal for his boyhood club Aston Villa. It's just a shame it's against Wolves, his boyhood club.
OptaJoe
7 - Robbie Keane has become only the seventh player to score in the Premier League for six different clubs. Supporter.
OptaJoke
26 - Robbie Keane has dedicated his brace of goals today to his 26 boyhood clubs. Inevitable.
BOLTON - LIVERPOOL 3-1 (2-1)
MikelArteta08
Love this stat: Stewart Downing has more arrests than assists this season. #LFC #YNWA #mufc #efc
IanDoyleSport
Liverpool have now made Blackburn, Bolton and Wigan look good inside a month. That is some going. #lfc #brfc #bwfc #wafc
RedsGoMarchin
gave my brain a good soak in vodka today as a way of diluting/cleansing my memories of the game last night. Feel much better #LFC *hiccup*
FrankLampardUK
Big blow for #LFC. Andy Carroll won't be able to take part in the African Cup of Nations because he isn't African.
kLFCreds
If I'm King Kenny, I'm handing Craig Bellamy a Golf club and locking the team in a room. Whatever happens after that is not my problem.
MANCHESTER CITY - TOTTENHAM 3-2 (0-0)
markbatham
Kaboul looks like a cross between Laurence Fishburne and that chubby old wrestler, Viscera. #mcfc #thfc
Fat_Tony88
#ChrisColeman reminds me of my dad, can't pronounce anyone's name correctly!! #daSilva #Bolocelli #THFC #MCFC
MikelArteta08
Gareth Bale shouldn't leave his banana skins lying about, then he wouldn't slip over! #THFC
Ballsybanter
Goal! Another superb ball from David Silva, and Julian/Jolean/Julie-ann Lescott bundles it home. #mcfc 2, #thfc 0.
Daniel_C_Roy
I wonder if he had his ears pinned back to reduce aerodynamic drag Gareth Bale could actually break the sound barrier. #thfc #MCFC
RorySmithTimes
Well. Bugger me with a fishfork. Balotelli wins and converts last minute penalty. #mcfc 3-2 #thfc
henrywinter
That's brutal on #thfc. Undeserved. Balotelli could have been sent off, could face FA charge tomo, gets/scores winning pen. Why always him?
ARSENAL - MANCHESTER UTD 1-2 (0-1)
plasticpaddyAK
What's all this with handshakes and cuddling? Bring back Keane and Vieria and some big tackles #MUFC #AFC
TheKman84
I suspect Ryan Giggs will play a huge roll today for the Red Devils. Or maybe he'll just bang a bunch of tramps...whatever... #MUFC
PaulMooreEsq
How will Americans ever "get" football if the studio guest expert for the #afc #mufc match is Piers Morgan?
WiMason
How wrong is it that Walcott can now claim to be an 'ankle braker' with his tricks?! #AFC #MUFC
ToomyLav
"Nani"; Portugese for "When he should shoot,he passes.When he should pass,he shoots.When he should cross,he passes to 1st defender" #MUFC
TextualOffender
Johnny Evans made the same mistake as his mother. Kept his legs open. #mufc
NazimTasadiq
Masterstroke by Wenger. 1-1, got #mufc on ropes. Decide2take best threat off &bring on Arshavin who messes up4 Wellbecks goal. Genius. #afc
And all that could be put into a description of the Manchester City - Tottenham match. After a dull 1st half, by which even some fans of both teams were made to watch rugby, the 2nd was a cracker! Five goals, 2-0 City up, Jermain Defoe and Gareth Bale scored for 2-2, couple of big chances for both teams, some red-card-ish incidents, and finally a last minute penalty for Mario Balotelli, who scored for a big (but undeserved perhaps?) win. Why always him?
The other Sunday derby was played in London at the Emirates. It wasn't as fun as a "booze-bird-no-obliagtion-sex" thing. But it was a decent encounter, in which even RVP made a fool of himself. But the man of the match for the Red Devils was Andrey Arshavin, who - instead of knocking him out - just watched penetrating Antonio Valencia, like he was a leper or something. Or was it Arsene Wenger who should take the blame? Namely, why on Earth would someone in a tough fight replace an ox with a meerkat?
Also in 22nd round: Fernando Torres is devilish, Blackburn lift their hopes with a modest&good willy (?), Clint Dempsey makes everyone forget about George Washington, Sunderland fans reminds the Toon Army it's quite late (it's a funny one!), Robbie Keane dedicates his goals to... erm... everyone (?), Liverpool are hit with a big blow (no, it has nothing to do with a loss v Bolton), and more.
Now it's time to explain (again), what this blog is all about. As I wrote the last few times: You won't find any detailed experts' analysis here. You won't find complete scoresheets either. But you'll find a good banter, juicy comments about the game, the clubs, the players, the refs, the goals... Maybe you'll find some useful info/opinion for a football chat in your favourite bar...
Namely, football is a global sport, so is the English Premierleague. It is followed by a huge number of a-round-ball-loving enthusiasts, journos, players and managers themselves... I hear football is also more and more popular in the US of soccer... :)
And for all those reasons it's widely commented on Twitter. It is a very well known "fact" that tweeps possess a lot of football knowledge, common sense, cynicism, humour, love/hate relationships... And, yes, even different kinds of stupidity occur...
So, all the ingredients for the tasty soup of football opinion are there.
This is the "22nd edition". Here are some of the bits, which should shed some (different) light on the 22nd round of EPL. I thank all the tweeps for contributing...
NORWICH - CHELSEA 0-0
OfficialVernonK
CFC please send Torres to the Reebok on loan. You know he'll come back a goal scorer.#Sturridge#Wilshire
ChrisReevo
Credit to #CFC support Vs #NCFC yesterday- "We'd rather have Grant Holt" in response to Torres missing a sitter was class banter.
Tommy__Shaw
The game between #ncfc and #cfc entered PL record books yesterday for not having a single foul recorded in the 1st half! #wearemassive #
mickymaguire
"sweet Caroline" Steve Morison num-ber- five cross the ball and he will score Steve Morison num-ber-five leaves defenders on the floor#ncfc
OptaJoke
666 - Fernando Torres has just missed his 666th attempt on goal for Chelsea. Devilish.
EVERTON - BLACKBURN 1-1 (1-0)
RichardACoyle
No point complaining Kean. Fellaini is like gerraaaard, the rules of the game don't actually apply to him.
BrianSeal
My hope is one day to see Fellaini, Luiz, and Puyol all starting for the same team.
RavWilding
I don't do football, but heard on my tv a player called "Goodwillie" does this mean there is a female tennis player called "nicebottom" ? ..
MikeyDelap
So we've got an upfront partnership of Modeste Goodwillie. That's how good we are... We're humble and boastful all at the same time. #Rovers
FULHAM - NEWCASTLE UTD 5-2 (0-1)
MartinLipton
Jol: 1st 1/2 was Brixton; 2nd a holiday to Barbados. Pardew: No complaints, not good enough #ffc #nufc
gerrypimm
Clint Dempsey - best American ever born. That is all. #ffc
OptaJack
1 - Clint Dempsey has become the first USA player to score a hat-trick in the English Premier League. History.
QUEENS PARK RANGERS - WIGAN 3-1 (2-0)
w12ace
Best moment at#QPR yesterday @Joey7Barton duffing his corner into the side-netting, whilst laughing at his new #hetweetswhathewants song :)
stuartalker
Next weekend is the annual Wigan Athletic winter break. Also known as FA Cup 4th round day! #wafc
STOKE CITY - WEST BROMWICH ALBION 1-2 (0-1)
deankiely40
THE LAST TIME WBA BEAT STOKE WAS 30 YEARS AGO, IT'S NOW 6 HOURS AGO!
rhiwbafc
Hahaha, looking through all my old pictures, and in one folder I have 58 pictures of Graham Dorrans. Du du du, super Graham Dorrans
SUNDERLAND - SWANSEA 2-0 (1-0)
Skyedog01
Oh look it's 5-2 eleven!! #safc
playersspotted
Stephane Sessegnon, clambering out of a manhole with a copy of Will Self’s ‘The Book Of Dave’ clenched between his teeth.
WOLVERHAMPTON - ASTON VILLA 2-3 (2-1)
FourFourTom
Robbie Keane has scored his first goal for his boyhood club Aston Villa. It's just a shame it's against Wolves, his boyhood club.
OptaJoe
7 - Robbie Keane has become only the seventh player to score in the Premier League for six different clubs. Supporter.
OptaJoke
26 - Robbie Keane has dedicated his brace of goals today to his 26 boyhood clubs. Inevitable.
BOLTON - LIVERPOOL 3-1 (2-1)
MikelArteta08
Love this stat: Stewart Downing has more arrests than assists this season. #LFC #YNWA #mufc #efc
IanDoyleSport
Liverpool have now made Blackburn, Bolton and Wigan look good inside a month. That is some going. #lfc #brfc #bwfc #wafc
RedsGoMarchin
gave my brain a good soak in vodka today as a way of diluting/cleansing my memories of the game last night. Feel much better #LFC *hiccup*
FrankLampardUK
Big blow for #LFC. Andy Carroll won't be able to take part in the African Cup of Nations because he isn't African.
kLFCreds
If I'm King Kenny, I'm handing Craig Bellamy a Golf club and locking the team in a room. Whatever happens after that is not my problem.
MANCHESTER CITY - TOTTENHAM 3-2 (0-0)
markbatham
Kaboul looks like a cross between Laurence Fishburne and that chubby old wrestler, Viscera. #mcfc #thfc
Fat_Tony88
#ChrisColeman reminds me of my dad, can't pronounce anyone's name correctly!! #daSilva #Bolocelli #THFC #MCFC
MikelArteta08
Gareth Bale shouldn't leave his banana skins lying about, then he wouldn't slip over! #THFC
Ballsybanter
Goal! Another superb ball from David Silva, and Julian/Jolean/Julie-ann Lescott bundles it home. #mcfc 2, #thfc 0.
Daniel_C_Roy
I wonder if he had his ears pinned back to reduce aerodynamic drag Gareth Bale could actually break the sound barrier. #thfc #MCFC
RorySmithTimes
Well. Bugger me with a fishfork. Balotelli wins and converts last minute penalty. #mcfc 3-2 #thfc
henrywinter
That's brutal on #thfc. Undeserved. Balotelli could have been sent off, could face FA charge tomo, gets/scores winning pen. Why always him?
ARSENAL - MANCHESTER UTD 1-2 (0-1)
plasticpaddyAK
What's all this with handshakes and cuddling? Bring back Keane and Vieria and some big tackles #MUFC #AFC
TheKman84
I suspect Ryan Giggs will play a huge roll today for the Red Devils. Or maybe he'll just bang a bunch of tramps...whatever... #MUFC
PaulMooreEsq
How will Americans ever "get" football if the studio guest expert for the #afc #mufc match is Piers Morgan?
WiMason
How wrong is it that Walcott can now claim to be an 'ankle braker' with his tricks?! #AFC #MUFC
ToomyLav
"Nani"; Portugese for "When he should shoot,he passes.When he should pass,he shoots.When he should cross,he passes to 1st defender" #MUFC
TextualOffender
Johnny Evans made the same mistake as his mother. Kept his legs open. #mufc
NazimTasadiq
Masterstroke by Wenger. 1-1, got #mufc on ropes. Decide2take best threat off &bring on Arshavin who messes up4 Wellbecks goal. Genius. #afc
2012-01-15
FUNNY (?) TWITTER RECAP OF THE 21st ROUND OF ENGLISH PREMIERLEAGUE
The black&white comeback of Metzualems... Or something similar (you can put your suggestions in the comments window below). This should be the title summarizing the latest round of the EPL.
Firstly, I have to mention Paul Scholes. The great (not by height) pale (as if there are properly tanned...) ginger, who was once described as the best by headbuttin' hero Zizou, was one of the heroes for Manchester UTD versus Bolton. It's a good thing he was bored in a so called retirement, because it's always nice to see such players continuing their usual job. Yes, I know, he's as rusty as Albanian submarines once showed in a special edition of Top Gear (I don't fancy cars, it's just that I really like cynicism, English humour, and even Jezza), but he scored!
The other old chap, who deserves to be mentioned (although a Juventus flop - no comments allowed!), is a somewhat complete opposite of Scholes. He's tall, he's, well, slightly darker, and he's French. And he plays for Arsenal as he did before flying across the pond to teach Newyorkers how to play FOOTBALL. And to earn a buck or two, for that matter. Anyway, despite he's been "statued" in London, Thierry Henry started on the bench in Swansea. He came on in 63rd when Arse was - where else - behind (2-1). High hopes everywhere (on Twitter at least). The final result was 3-2 for Swansea. Not the impact the sleeping-bag-loving grasshopper had hoped for.
In the other 21st round matches Martin Jol looks like a not very nice guy, Emile Heskey misses again (this time it's all about computer stuff), Nicklas Bendtner shoots some scenes for a new DVD, Andy Carroll's doing a great job decreasing his value, Harry Redknapp finds himself in a cheeky situation (he lets people penetrate too much), WBA resemble a really crappy funeral (no, not every funeral's crappy), the Toon Army wants Blu-Ray, Katie Price inspires Wigan - City match, and much, much more.
Now it's time to explain (again), what this blog is all about. As I wrote the last few times: You won't find any detailed experts' analysis here. You won't find complete scoresheets either. But you'll find a good banter, juicy comments about the game, the clubs, the players, the refs, the goals... Maybe you'll find some useful info/opinion for a football chat in your favourite bar...
Namely, football is a global sport, so is the English Premierleague. It is followed by a huge number of a-round-ball-loving enthusiasts, journos, players and managers themselves... I hear football is also more and more popular in the US of soccer... :)
And for all those reasons it's widely commented on Twitter. It is a very well known "fact" that tweeps possess a lot of football knowledge, common sense, cynicism, humour, love/hate relationships... And, yes, even different kinds of stupidity occur...
So, all the ingredients for the tasty soup of football opinion are there.
This is the "21st edition". Here are some of the bits, which should shed some (different) light on the 21st round of EPL. I thank all the tweeps for contributing...
ASTON VILLA - EVERTON 1-1 (0-0)
Victor Gooner
Emile Heskey has joined Twitter. He meant to join Facebook but he missed. #avfc
Mat Kendrick
Darren Bent scores against Everton?.. That proves it, he must be a Liverpool fan and is Anfield-bound surely... #sarcasm
Tweetorrr.
The Lost World is trending. Incidentally, I think that's where the footballs end up after Darron Gibson has done shooting practice. #EFC
BLACKBURN - FULHAM 3-1 (1-0)
MirrorFootball
GOAL! Blackburn 1-0 Fulham - Gamst Pedersen bangs in a free kick for 10-men Rovers. Yakubu almots chokes on his chicken drumstick
dave bairdinho
Jol looks like he is about to go on a mass murdering spree
Jack Boyle
When Martin Jol smiles, we all come a little closer to death.
CHELSEA - SUNDERLAND 1-0 (1-0)
Infostrada Sports
Frank Lampard scored in his 100th different #EPL match for #CFC. Only others to achieve this for a single club were Henry and Shearer #PL
Gingers for Limpar
Loaning out your players so that they can take points off your rivals is a cunning ploy. Unless that player's Bendtner.
Sophie Nicolaou
Bendtner adds another piece of content to his "Master of Misses" DVD. Available in stores soon...
LIVERPOOL - STOKE CITY 0-0
Sahil Bendre
Henry back he scores....Scholes back he scores.....we want Voronin back #LFC
Glenn Ashcroft
Liverpool supporters watch Dambusters on ITV4 now, the amount of times they use the N-word in a "friendly" way is amazing #LFC
Kenny Senior
Few days back tesco wiped millions and millions off their value in minutes Andy Carroll played for 32 mins 2day & done pretty much the same
MANCHESTER UTD - BOLTON 3-0 (1-0)
Tanmay chopde
Danny Welbeck lifting Scholes after his goal, two Manchester lads. Try buying that City! #mufc #mcfc
Infostrada Sports
At 37 years and 59 days old, Paul Scholes becomes the oldest English goalscorer for #MUFC in the #EPL, overtaking Bryan Robson (36-216) #PL
Mathias Asplund
Paul Scholes is such a king. You should be allowed to bring two players on when he comes off substituted. #mufc
Darren Thomas
Wayne bridge to Arsenal so his mrs can be closer to john terry #mufc
TOTTENHAM - WOLVERHAMPTON 1-1 (0-1)
sportingintelligence
Tottenham today became the first Premier League team to have conceded 1,000 PL goals, as our statto wrote in Dec.
Jamie Sanderson
Brilliant. Frimpong almost sent off, almost scored, kicked ball in van der Vaart's face then blew kisses to Spurs fans, in 1-1 draw.
Arsene's Eyes
Has to be asked. If Mr Redknapp can't stop Wolves from penetrating him, how will he cope in prison next month? #PickUpTheSoapHarry #AFC
WEST BROMWICH ALBION - NORWICH CITY 1-2 (0-1)
Greg Soanes
Based on money spent, promotions and fantastic results in the prem, Paul Lambert has to be manager of the year #ncfc
AdamL
3 points. Managed to catch my train home. Going in town tonight. Have 55% battery. Playing temple run. Does life get better? #BUZINGG! #Ncfc
Lucas
The only difference between #wba and a funeral today was theirs free food at a funeral.
NEWCASTLE UTD - QUEENS PARK RANGERS 1-0 (1-0)
joseph prenter
Fancy feyenord to beat newcastle 1-0!!good start #nufc
Jamie Gillen
“@GGooner: How many times is Ray Wilkins going to say " Enjoy the ball " #nufc #qpr” Good job he isn't commentating on the snooker then! :-P
Padawan Porky
Blur said modern life was rubbish - what rot! #QPR v #NUFC in one window, @ronnieo147 v Ding in another... What Sundays were made for!
Hamish Duff
I'd like to hold Rays throat till he was Blu-Ray #nufc
Gooner Tom
This commentary is hilarious. Can you play the Benny Hill theme tune at the end of the match, please. #nufc #qpr
Tim Collins
How big is machedas nose? Surprised it hasn't been sponsored #nufc #qpr
SWANSEA - ARSENAL 3-2 (1-1)
Telegraph Sport
Henry may have a statue, but he's only worth a place on the bench as #AFC take on #SCFC.
James Dodd
Just heard someone on radio say that #AFC fans were singing: 'Today is gonna be the day that we're gonna have to play Djourou.' #brilliant
Jamie Dyos
Being dominated by the welsh like a sheep in a farmhouse. #AFC
Henry Walmsley
Walcott or Dyer, I know who i'd take to the euros, and it isnt the 100m sprinter who got lost on his way to athletics trials and went to AFC
Paul Fischer
It sounds like the name of a French kids' book but I think we need Thierry & The Ox #AFC
Dafydd Pritchard
Record crowd of 20,409 at the Liberty to see Mertesacker do a convincing impression of a drunk giraffe. #scfc #afc
WIGAN - MANCHESTER CITY 0-1 (0-1)
Bert's Neck
It's fancy dress here at Wigan. Thousands of Their fans have come dressed as plastic seats. #MCFC #WAFC
Anton Stanley
Dzeko did well to escape from Alcaraz... #mcfc #wafc
Ryan D
Question to any (Are there any??) #WAFC fans! Have you ever filled that Stadium? And George Michael concerts don't count!
Craig Friedrichsen
This game is opening up like Katie Price's legs! #mcfc #wafc
Michael Vaughan
Ronnie Stam need to be more like Jaap Stam... Retired #WAFC
Firstly, I have to mention Paul Scholes. The great (not by height) pale (as if there are properly tanned...) ginger, who was once described as the best by headbuttin' hero Zizou, was one of the heroes for Manchester UTD versus Bolton. It's a good thing he was bored in a so called retirement, because it's always nice to see such players continuing their usual job. Yes, I know, he's as rusty as Albanian submarines once showed in a special edition of Top Gear (I don't fancy cars, it's just that I really like cynicism, English humour, and even Jezza), but he scored!
The other old chap, who deserves to be mentioned (although a Juventus flop - no comments allowed!), is a somewhat complete opposite of Scholes. He's tall, he's, well, slightly darker, and he's French. And he plays for Arsenal as he did before flying across the pond to teach Newyorkers how to play FOOTBALL. And to earn a buck or two, for that matter. Anyway, despite he's been "statued" in London, Thierry Henry started on the bench in Swansea. He came on in 63rd when Arse was - where else - behind (2-1). High hopes everywhere (on Twitter at least). The final result was 3-2 for Swansea. Not the impact the sleeping-bag-loving grasshopper had hoped for.
In the other 21st round matches Martin Jol looks like a not very nice guy, Emile Heskey misses again (this time it's all about computer stuff), Nicklas Bendtner shoots some scenes for a new DVD, Andy Carroll's doing a great job decreasing his value, Harry Redknapp finds himself in a cheeky situation (he lets people penetrate too much), WBA resemble a really crappy funeral (no, not every funeral's crappy), the Toon Army wants Blu-Ray, Katie Price inspires Wigan - City match, and much, much more.
Now it's time to explain (again), what this blog is all about. As I wrote the last few times: You won't find any detailed experts' analysis here. You won't find complete scoresheets either. But you'll find a good banter, juicy comments about the game, the clubs, the players, the refs, the goals... Maybe you'll find some useful info/opinion for a football chat in your favourite bar...
Namely, football is a global sport, so is the English Premierleague. It is followed by a huge number of a-round-ball-loving enthusiasts, journos, players and managers themselves... I hear football is also more and more popular in the US of soccer... :)
And for all those reasons it's widely commented on Twitter. It is a very well known "fact" that tweeps possess a lot of football knowledge, common sense, cynicism, humour, love/hate relationships... And, yes, even different kinds of stupidity occur...
So, all the ingredients for the tasty soup of football opinion are there.
This is the "21st edition". Here are some of the bits, which should shed some (different) light on the 21st round of EPL. I thank all the tweeps for contributing...
ASTON VILLA - EVERTON 1-1 (0-0)
Victor Gooner
Emile Heskey has joined Twitter. He meant to join Facebook but he missed. #avfc
Mat Kendrick
Darren Bent scores against Everton?.. That proves it, he must be a Liverpool fan and is Anfield-bound surely... #sarcasm
Tweetorrr.
The Lost World is trending. Incidentally, I think that's where the footballs end up after Darron Gibson has done shooting practice. #EFC
BLACKBURN - FULHAM 3-1 (1-0)
MirrorFootball
GOAL! Blackburn 1-0 Fulham - Gamst Pedersen bangs in a free kick for 10-men Rovers. Yakubu almots chokes on his chicken drumstick
dave bairdinho
Jol looks like he is about to go on a mass murdering spree
Jack Boyle
When Martin Jol smiles, we all come a little closer to death.
CHELSEA - SUNDERLAND 1-0 (1-0)
Infostrada Sports
Frank Lampard scored in his 100th different #EPL match for #CFC. Only others to achieve this for a single club were Henry and Shearer #PL
Gingers for Limpar
Loaning out your players so that they can take points off your rivals is a cunning ploy. Unless that player's Bendtner.
Sophie Nicolaou
Bendtner adds another piece of content to his "Master of Misses" DVD. Available in stores soon...
LIVERPOOL - STOKE CITY 0-0
Sahil Bendre
Henry back he scores....Scholes back he scores.....we want Voronin back #LFC
Glenn Ashcroft
Liverpool supporters watch Dambusters on ITV4 now, the amount of times they use the N-word in a "friendly" way is amazing #LFC
Kenny Senior
Few days back tesco wiped millions and millions off their value in minutes Andy Carroll played for 32 mins 2day & done pretty much the same
MANCHESTER UTD - BOLTON 3-0 (1-0)
Tanmay chopde
Danny Welbeck lifting Scholes after his goal, two Manchester lads. Try buying that City! #mufc #mcfc
Infostrada Sports
At 37 years and 59 days old, Paul Scholes becomes the oldest English goalscorer for #MUFC in the #EPL, overtaking Bryan Robson (36-216) #PL
Mathias Asplund
Paul Scholes is such a king. You should be allowed to bring two players on when he comes off substituted. #mufc
Darren Thomas
Wayne bridge to Arsenal so his mrs can be closer to john terry #mufc
TOTTENHAM - WOLVERHAMPTON 1-1 (0-1)
sportingintelligence
Tottenham today became the first Premier League team to have conceded 1,000 PL goals, as our statto wrote in Dec.
Jamie Sanderson
Brilliant. Frimpong almost sent off, almost scored, kicked ball in van der Vaart's face then blew kisses to Spurs fans, in 1-1 draw.
Arsene's Eyes
Has to be asked. If Mr Redknapp can't stop Wolves from penetrating him, how will he cope in prison next month? #PickUpTheSoapHarry #AFC
WEST BROMWICH ALBION - NORWICH CITY 1-2 (0-1)
Greg Soanes
Based on money spent, promotions and fantastic results in the prem, Paul Lambert has to be manager of the year #ncfc
AdamL
3 points. Managed to catch my train home. Going in town tonight. Have 55% battery. Playing temple run. Does life get better? #BUZINGG! #Ncfc
Lucas
The only difference between #wba and a funeral today was theirs free food at a funeral.
NEWCASTLE UTD - QUEENS PARK RANGERS 1-0 (1-0)
joseph prenter
Fancy feyenord to beat newcastle 1-0!!good start #nufc
Jamie Gillen
“@GGooner: How many times is Ray Wilkins going to say " Enjoy the ball " #nufc #qpr” Good job he isn't commentating on the snooker then! :-P
Padawan Porky
Blur said modern life was rubbish - what rot! #QPR v #NUFC in one window, @ronnieo147 v Ding in another... What Sundays were made for!
Hamish Duff
I'd like to hold Rays throat till he was Blu-Ray #nufc
Gooner Tom
This commentary is hilarious. Can you play the Benny Hill theme tune at the end of the match, please. #nufc #qpr
Tim Collins
How big is machedas nose? Surprised it hasn't been sponsored #nufc #qpr
SWANSEA - ARSENAL 3-2 (1-1)
Telegraph Sport
Henry may have a statue, but he's only worth a place on the bench as #AFC take on #SCFC.
James Dodd
Just heard someone on radio say that #AFC fans were singing: 'Today is gonna be the day that we're gonna have to play Djourou.' #brilliant
Jamie Dyos
Being dominated by the welsh like a sheep in a farmhouse. #AFC
Henry Walmsley
Walcott or Dyer, I know who i'd take to the euros, and it isnt the 100m sprinter who got lost on his way to athletics trials and went to AFC
Paul Fischer
It sounds like the name of a French kids' book but I think we need Thierry & The Ox #AFC
Dafydd Pritchard
Record crowd of 20,409 at the Liberty to see Mertesacker do a convincing impression of a drunk giraffe. #scfc #afc
WIGAN - MANCHESTER CITY 0-1 (0-1)
Bert's Neck
It's fancy dress here at Wigan. Thousands of Their fans have come dressed as plastic seats. #MCFC #WAFC
Anton Stanley
Dzeko did well to escape from Alcaraz... #mcfc #wafc
Ryan D
Question to any (Are there any??) #WAFC fans! Have you ever filled that Stadium? And George Michael concerts don't count!
Craig Friedrichsen
This game is opening up like Katie Price's legs! #mcfc #wafc
Michael Vaughan
Ronnie Stam need to be more like Jaap Stam... Retired #WAFC
2012-01-14
AFRICAN CUP OF NATIONS 2012 - A NASTY ITCH AND A GIFT FOR EUROPEAN CLUBS
January 21st - the day, when the football world will be richer for another big-stage-tournament. This time it's Africa's turn. African cup of nations 2012. The cup, which pisses off the managers and owners of the richest European clubs, who have to let their African internationals go for a month or so, and entertains all the others with colourful fans, singing and 'vuvuzeling' on the stands, and (still in many ways) naive - but great to watch - football.
Sixteen teams, hopefully (remember Angola 2010, when Togo withdrew from the tournament because of the terrorist attack?), will try to impress fans worldwide. But not only fans. Even the scouts of practically every club in Europe will be watching attentively, like a predator's watching its prey.
Namely, Africa's given a lot of talent to the world of the most popular round ball. Roger Milla, Nwankwo Kanu, Tony Yeboah, Abedi Pele, George Weah, Samuel Eto'o, Didier Drogba, Benni McCarthy... just to name a few. Not to mention Eusebio who was born in (at that time Portuguese) Mozambique.
This time the best footballing teams in the black continent will meet in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. The host cities are Libreville (Stade d'Angondje, capacity 40,000) & Franceville (Stade de Franceville, 35,000) in Gabon and Bata (Estadio de Bata, 35,700) & Malabo (Nuevo Estadio de Malabo, 15,250) in Equatorial Guinea.
Group A consists of Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Senegal and Zambia. The co-hosts will rely on the Brazilian keeper Danilo, Libya's main asset is midfielder Djamal Mahamat of Braga, Mohamed Mounir, who plays for Serbian outfit Jagodina, is waiting for his debut. Senegal, with striking force in the form of Demba Ba, Papiss Demba Cisse & Moussa Sow, and Zambia (they will be missing striker Jacob Mulenga) with Kennedy Mweene, Joseph Musonda, captain Christopher Katongo, Emmanuel Mayuka and teenager Evans Kangwa are the favourites to go through.
In Group B there are Ivory Coast, Sudan, Burkina Faso and Angola. The team of the group? Oh, come on. There is no need for further explanation, when they have the likes of Yaya Toure, Cheikh Tiote, Didi Drogba, Salomon Kalou, Seydou Doumbia, Gervinho etc. in their lineup. Yes, the Elephants. The other three will battle for the 2nd spot, with Sudan (their talents? Mahjoub El Moez, Saif Eldin Ali, Haitham Mustafa, Mudather Eltaib) considered the weakest. Bakary Kone is the one to watch in Burkina Faso shirt, Moumouni Dagano is their best striker. Djalma and Mateus are Angola's attacking threat.
Gabon, Niger, Morocco and Tunisia will be in Group C. Both north-african teams are the favourites for the two top spots: Morocco have a relatively strong squad, which includes Marouane Chamakh, Adel Taarabt and Mehdi Benatia, Tunisia's crown jewels are Karim Haggui and Issam Jemâa. Gabon will try to "surprise" with the attacking pair Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Eric Mouloungui. Daniel Cousin is another option. Gabon's key-player is Seidou Idrissa.
And finally, Group D. There are Ghana, Botswana, Mali and Guinea. Ghana are the clear favourites, Jordan Ayew, Asamoah Gyan, Andre Ayew, Kwadwo Asamoah, Emmanuel Badu, Sulley Muntari, Isaac Vorsah are just a few names that should bring success to The Black Stars. Mali with its captain Seydou Keita and his colleagues will challenge Guinea for the 2nd spot (their top scorer is a winger Pascal Feindouno). Botswana is a clear outsider.
The group stage will be played from 21st January to 1st February. The top two teams from each group progress to the quarterfinal (4th and 5th February). Semi-finals will be played on 8th February, a match for the 3rd place three days later, and a final will take place on 12th February in Libreville.
And my favourites for the title? If you want to bet on it - Ivory Coast, Ghana, Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia, Mali...
The mascot for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations is named Gaguie and is a gorilla sporting the national team colors of Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
The official match ball for the tournament, manufactured by Adidas, is the Comoequa. The name is inspired from the Como River which runs through the host nations, and the Equator.
P. S. Do you miss defending champions from Egypt? Or Togo? Or Nigeria? Or Cameroon? Well, you're right. They won't play in this edition of ACN. Why? It's simple. They didn't qualify.
Where to watch the games? Well, most of us, Europeans, will watch them on Eurosport.
All the ACN winners:
1957 Egypt
1959 Egypt
1962 Ethiopia
1963 Ghana
1965 Ghana
1968 Congo
1970 Sudan
1972 Congo
1974 Zair
1976 Morocco
1978 Ghana
1980 Nigeria
1982 Nigeria
1984 Cameroon
1986 Egypt
1988 Cameroon
1990 Algeria
1992 Ivory Coast
1994 Nigeria
1996 South Africa
1998 Egypt
2000 Cameroon
2002 Cameroon
2004 Tunisia
2006 Egypt
2008 Egypt
2010 Egypt
Sixteen teams, hopefully (remember Angola 2010, when Togo withdrew from the tournament because of the terrorist attack?), will try to impress fans worldwide. But not only fans. Even the scouts of practically every club in Europe will be watching attentively, like a predator's watching its prey.
Namely, Africa's given a lot of talent to the world of the most popular round ball. Roger Milla, Nwankwo Kanu, Tony Yeboah, Abedi Pele, George Weah, Samuel Eto'o, Didier Drogba, Benni McCarthy... just to name a few. Not to mention Eusebio who was born in (at that time Portuguese) Mozambique.
This time the best footballing teams in the black continent will meet in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. The host cities are Libreville (Stade d'Angondje, capacity 40,000) & Franceville (Stade de Franceville, 35,000) in Gabon and Bata (Estadio de Bata, 35,700) & Malabo (Nuevo Estadio de Malabo, 15,250) in Equatorial Guinea.
Group A consists of Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Senegal and Zambia. The co-hosts will rely on the Brazilian keeper Danilo, Libya's main asset is midfielder Djamal Mahamat of Braga, Mohamed Mounir, who plays for Serbian outfit Jagodina, is waiting for his debut. Senegal, with striking force in the form of Demba Ba, Papiss Demba Cisse & Moussa Sow, and Zambia (they will be missing striker Jacob Mulenga) with Kennedy Mweene, Joseph Musonda, captain Christopher Katongo, Emmanuel Mayuka and teenager Evans Kangwa are the favourites to go through.
In Group B there are Ivory Coast, Sudan, Burkina Faso and Angola. The team of the group? Oh, come on. There is no need for further explanation, when they have the likes of Yaya Toure, Cheikh Tiote, Didi Drogba, Salomon Kalou, Seydou Doumbia, Gervinho etc. in their lineup. Yes, the Elephants. The other three will battle for the 2nd spot, with Sudan (their talents? Mahjoub El Moez, Saif Eldin Ali, Haitham Mustafa, Mudather Eltaib) considered the weakest. Bakary Kone is the one to watch in Burkina Faso shirt, Moumouni Dagano is their best striker. Djalma and Mateus are Angola's attacking threat.
Gabon, Niger, Morocco and Tunisia will be in Group C. Both north-african teams are the favourites for the two top spots: Morocco have a relatively strong squad, which includes Marouane Chamakh, Adel Taarabt and Mehdi Benatia, Tunisia's crown jewels are Karim Haggui and Issam Jemâa. Gabon will try to "surprise" with the attacking pair Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Eric Mouloungui. Daniel Cousin is another option. Gabon's key-player is Seidou Idrissa.
And finally, Group D. There are Ghana, Botswana, Mali and Guinea. Ghana are the clear favourites, Jordan Ayew, Asamoah Gyan, Andre Ayew, Kwadwo Asamoah, Emmanuel Badu, Sulley Muntari, Isaac Vorsah are just a few names that should bring success to The Black Stars. Mali with its captain Seydou Keita and his colleagues will challenge Guinea for the 2nd spot (their top scorer is a winger Pascal Feindouno). Botswana is a clear outsider.
The group stage will be played from 21st January to 1st February. The top two teams from each group progress to the quarterfinal (4th and 5th February). Semi-finals will be played on 8th February, a match for the 3rd place three days later, and a final will take place on 12th February in Libreville.
And my favourites for the title? If you want to bet on it - Ivory Coast, Ghana, Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia, Mali...
The mascot for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations is named Gaguie and is a gorilla sporting the national team colors of Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
The official match ball for the tournament, manufactured by Adidas, is the Comoequa. The name is inspired from the Como River which runs through the host nations, and the Equator.
P. S. Do you miss defending champions from Egypt? Or Togo? Or Nigeria? Or Cameroon? Well, you're right. They won't play in this edition of ACN. Why? It's simple. They didn't qualify.
Where to watch the games? Well, most of us, Europeans, will watch them on Eurosport.
All the ACN winners:
1957 Egypt
1959 Egypt
1962 Ethiopia
1963 Ghana
1965 Ghana
1968 Congo
1970 Sudan
1972 Congo
1974 Zair
1976 Morocco
1978 Ghana
1980 Nigeria
1982 Nigeria
1984 Cameroon
1986 Egypt
1988 Cameroon
1990 Algeria
1992 Ivory Coast
1994 Nigeria
1996 South Africa
1998 Egypt
2000 Cameroon
2002 Cameroon
2004 Tunisia
2006 Egypt
2008 Egypt
2010 Egypt
2012-01-03
FUNNY (?) TWITTER RECAP OF THE 20th ROUND OF ENGLISH PREMIERLEAGUE
Nope, it wasn't a good start of the new year for the Arse's fans. Although the Wengaboys played versus Fulham. In fact, later in that game it showed that Dempsey, Zamora, Ruiz are more "likeable" - even to the AFC's supporters - than Walcott, Arshavin, Djourou - not to mention Squillaci. Ooooh, he's so good! For the rivals, that is...
Tuesday was the day of a real derby. The Richie Riches hosted King Kenny and his lot. But his majesty was soon disappointed, especially with a man who should guard the most important part of the battlefield. This time, nickname "Pepe" did suite The Spaniard perfectly. But on the other side, the home supporters were satisfied, especially after they were rewarded - for abusing the Scousers - with Cigarettes&Alcohol (some say they consumed it through the ears... weirdos!).
Wednesday was full of crap for Manchester UTD. Wazza was shitty, Berba was shitty, midfielders were - yes, you guessed - shitty, defenders were - how should I put it - ah, shitty. Lindegaard was beaten three times, but not guilty at all. Magpies deservedly won. Ba, Cabaye, Tiote - brilliant! In fact so brilliant that even Howard Webb couldn't stop them.
In the other 20th round matches Swansea played in the library, Joey Barton likes Sister Act 2, Chelsea's defence is, well, good for making jokes, William Gallas was allegedly injured by Luis Suarez (in the same game Sisqo scored the winning goal), Martin O'Neill is Superman (despite constantly exposing himself to Kryptonite in form of Bendtner), very unlikely scorers at Goodison Park and more.
Now it's time to explain (again), what this blog is all about. As I wrote the last few times: You won't find any detailed experts' analysis here. You won't find complete scoresheets either. But you'll find a good banter, juicy comments about the game, the clubs, the players, the refs, the goals... Maybe you'll find some useful info/opinion for a football chat in your favourite bar...
Namely, football is a global sport, so is the English Premierleague. It is followed by a huge number of a-round-ball-loving enthusiasts, journos, players and managers themselves... I hear football is also more and more popular in the US of soccer... :)
And for all those reasons it's widely commented on Twitter. It is a very well known "fact" that tweeps possess a lot of football knowledge, common sense, cynicism, humour, love/hate relationships... And, yes, even different kinds of stupidity occur...
So, all the ingredients for the tasty soup of football opinion are there.
This is the "20th edition". Here are some of the bits, which should shed some (different) light on the 20th round of EPL. I thank all the tweeps for contributing...
ASTON VILA - SWANSEA 0-2 (0-1)
bradarmstrong_
we had 14 corners, couldnt score from any of them. what do we practice in training? cos it certainly isnt defending either #mcleishout #avfc
adamclarke501
So our European adventure once again comes to a disappointing end. #AVFC
MatKendrick
"This is a library" chant the Swans fans, in response to the slightly subdued atmosphere at VP since the goal
OptaJoe
1 - Wayne Routledge has scored his first ever Premier League goal, in what is his 116th appearance in the competition. Patience.
BLACKBURN - STOKE CITY 1-2 (0-2)
BrisRover
The culture of any business is set by those at the very top Sadly theres more culture in a Munch Bunch yoghurt than Venkys #brfc #venkysout
peteoconn
Probably best that Crouch didn't get his hat trick from that flowing passing move. Rugby teams don't score like that. #scfc #swinglow
QUEENS PARK RANGERS - NORWICH CITY 1-2 (1-1)
OptaJoke
15 - Number of tweets Joey Barton will send from the QPR dressing room during the rest of the game following his red card. Bitter.
StePortercomedy
Very cunning of Joey Barton to get himself sent off just as Sister Act 2 is starting on BBC1. hasn't the man got access to Iplayer?
WOLVERHAMPTON - CHELSEA 1-2 (0-0)
zed_nuthouse
You know what is funny? Our defence. Bwahahahahahahahaha. #CFC
7amkickoff
Has anyone told John Terry that he's in the Black Country? #CFC #Wolves
reefa_k
The only way that Chelsea celebration could have been more staged is if it was kissing Lisa Marie Presley at the VMAs. #cfc
GoonerTom13
Why are Chelsea taking him off; what's the Mata with him? #cfc
gavglicksman
Dear Chelsea, please remember how to build on a 1-0 lead. Here's a handy tip - score a bloody second before you concede #cfc
FULHAM - ARSENAL 2-1 (0-1)
mattpottinger
Theo Walcott's relationship with the final ball is a lot like mine with the G-spot #afc
mattycrouch
*MISSING* Brian Ruiz right foot. If found please contact Martin.Jol@fulham.com Reward offered. #onefootwonder #FFC #AFC #FULHAM
GoonerGossip
If Arsenal deducted £1 from Walcotts wages every time he hit an opposing player when shooting or crossing his wage would be £7 a week. #AFC
minkahunter
Per Mertesacker: White Men Can't Jump. #AFC
MiaAntoniades
Absolute disgrace!Let's see if Henry can turn this around, actually bring back Bergkamp,Pires,Petite,Viera,Keown,Ljunberg and Seaman!! #afc
TOTTENHAM - WEST BROMWICH ALBION 1-0 (0-0)
bobbobbee
I'm not drunk and I have no firearms pointed at my head BUT I really think #THFC could win the Premier League this year @TherealNihal #COYS
georgiebingham
Lord! In an attempt to get Harry's attention for a starting spot Jermain Defoe has bleached his hair Abel Xavier style #thfc
jac2689
No idea why Assou-Ekoto has different coloured boots on both feet. Colourblind or disastrous fashion sense. Possibly both. #THFC
malare42
VdV has runned more than any player in Spurs's 1st half. What's next? Downing to score at Etihad?! #thfc #lfc #mcfc
WayRilkins
William Gallas injured. Luis Suarez the prime suspect. My word. #thfc #lfc
mrcobberto
Didn't realise we had signed Sisqo as a new striker. Still, decent finish #COYS #THFC
WIGAN - SUNDERLAND 1-4 (0-1)
JakSmith_18
Posh Spice is a slapper, a slapper she was born and when she's shagging Beckham, she thinks of Davie Vaughan!!!! #SAFC
simonwinster
Wish Martin O'Neill would do one! Only good thing about him is his uncanny resemblance to Jims Dad #americanpie #safc
Sayer85
what a difference a top class manager makes! Under Bruce 11 points 14 games, under O'neil 13 points from 6 games! unbelievable! #safc
betonsportstips
Sunderland & Martin O'Neill starting to look like marriage made in heaven. 10th place despite Bendtner! O´Neill a true man manager #safc
MANCHESTER CITY - LIVERPOOL 3-0 (2-0)
SportsAbuse
Contrary to what you heard, Suarez IS available for the #mancity game. But he had his Aryan Brotherhood meeting tonight #Liverpool
MaattMills
Gerrard is just a cheap James Milner #happybirthdayMILNER #mancity
jamesgregg7
Watching Mancity vs Liverpl. So far I've seen 22 over-paid prima dona's throwing themselves in the floor, making praying gestures at the ref
Painter01
How can anyone not like Roberto Mancini? A great character that the Premier League needs. He's nearly as cool as Mick McCarthy! #mancity
SportsAbuse
Say what you like about #mancity, at least when they drop crazy money for a player it's not Andy Carroll
EVERTON - BOLTON 1-2 (0-0)
TEAMtalk
HOWARD GOAL (63): Howard's 75-yard punt up field catches wind and bounces over helpless Bogdan. Amazing scenes! #EFC 1 #BWFC 0.
kingkenny_7
Tim Howard is now just 2 goals behind Fernando Torres in the races for this season's Golden Boot. #lfc #efc #cfc
MatthewJRudd
Unlikely, even extraordinary scorer of a goal at Goodison Park tonight - David Ngog. #bwfc #efc
Sniffer_Prandy
Tim howard was 150\1 to score the 1st goal tonight - ngog was 250\1 to score at anytime! #efc #bwfc
EdFitter
Transfer Rumour: Liverpool to sign 'Wind' and T.Howard to replace Downing and Suarez respectively. #LFC #AVFC #EFC
NEWCASTLE UTD - MANCHESTER UTD 3-0 (1-0)
JustinHouareau
Lindegaard looks solid early on, good call by Fergie, that and bringing that Rooney guy back, heard he is handy, just a bad trainer #MUFC
WayRilkins
My word, Rooney has a splendid head of hair. I've been desperate to get a transplant myself but Mrs. Wilkins loves stroking my scalp. #MUFC
AaronDonnelly1
Rooney if that was a bacon sandwich or a prostitute you would of finished that chance! #mufc #nufc
geordiepolyglot
I would transfer Howard Webb into my fantasy team,but I'm already up to my quota of #mufc players #nufc
davidsedgwickNE
Howard Webb earning a contract extension there with #mufc, blatent penalty for a trip on Ba not given.
AlexRenshaw1
Rooney arguing with Howard Webb is the first argument between players on the same team at SJP since Bowyer and Dyer #nufc #mufc
duncanstoddart
Whoever does the medicals at stoke should be handed his p45 for not giving demba ba the green light!! What a finish!! #nufc #MUFC
Scubanova
No hairdryer at HT from Fergie...cos Phil Jones was using it #NUFC v #MUFC
efferal
United look like saying Cabaye-bye to their premier league title #mufc
whitty99
This performance has been as bad as Brosnan's singing in Mama Mia. We don't even look like scoring #mufc
Tuesday was the day of a real derby. The Richie Riches hosted King Kenny and his lot. But his majesty was soon disappointed, especially with a man who should guard the most important part of the battlefield. This time, nickname "Pepe" did suite The Spaniard perfectly. But on the other side, the home supporters were satisfied, especially after they were rewarded - for abusing the Scousers - with Cigarettes&Alcohol (some say they consumed it through the ears... weirdos!).
Wednesday was full of crap for Manchester UTD. Wazza was shitty, Berba was shitty, midfielders were - yes, you guessed - shitty, defenders were - how should I put it - ah, shitty. Lindegaard was beaten three times, but not guilty at all. Magpies deservedly won. Ba, Cabaye, Tiote - brilliant! In fact so brilliant that even Howard Webb couldn't stop them.
In the other 20th round matches Swansea played in the library, Joey Barton likes Sister Act 2, Chelsea's defence is, well, good for making jokes, William Gallas was allegedly injured by Luis Suarez (in the same game Sisqo scored the winning goal), Martin O'Neill is Superman (despite constantly exposing himself to Kryptonite in form of Bendtner), very unlikely scorers at Goodison Park and more.
Now it's time to explain (again), what this blog is all about. As I wrote the last few times: You won't find any detailed experts' analysis here. You won't find complete scoresheets either. But you'll find a good banter, juicy comments about the game, the clubs, the players, the refs, the goals... Maybe you'll find some useful info/opinion for a football chat in your favourite bar...
Namely, football is a global sport, so is the English Premierleague. It is followed by a huge number of a-round-ball-loving enthusiasts, journos, players and managers themselves... I hear football is also more and more popular in the US of soccer... :)
And for all those reasons it's widely commented on Twitter. It is a very well known "fact" that tweeps possess a lot of football knowledge, common sense, cynicism, humour, love/hate relationships... And, yes, even different kinds of stupidity occur...
So, all the ingredients for the tasty soup of football opinion are there.
This is the "20th edition". Here are some of the bits, which should shed some (different) light on the 20th round of EPL. I thank all the tweeps for contributing...
ASTON VILA - SWANSEA 0-2 (0-1)
bradarmstrong_
we had 14 corners, couldnt score from any of them. what do we practice in training? cos it certainly isnt defending either #mcleishout #avfc
adamclarke501
So our European adventure once again comes to a disappointing end. #AVFC
MatKendrick
"This is a library" chant the Swans fans, in response to the slightly subdued atmosphere at VP since the goal
OptaJoe
1 - Wayne Routledge has scored his first ever Premier League goal, in what is his 116th appearance in the competition. Patience.
BLACKBURN - STOKE CITY 1-2 (0-2)
BrisRover
The culture of any business is set by those at the very top Sadly theres more culture in a Munch Bunch yoghurt than Venkys #brfc #venkysout
peteoconn
Probably best that Crouch didn't get his hat trick from that flowing passing move. Rugby teams don't score like that. #scfc #swinglow
QUEENS PARK RANGERS - NORWICH CITY 1-2 (1-1)
OptaJoke
15 - Number of tweets Joey Barton will send from the QPR dressing room during the rest of the game following his red card. Bitter.
StePortercomedy
Very cunning of Joey Barton to get himself sent off just as Sister Act 2 is starting on BBC1. hasn't the man got access to Iplayer?
WOLVERHAMPTON - CHELSEA 1-2 (0-0)
zed_nuthouse
You know what is funny? Our defence. Bwahahahahahahahaha. #CFC
7amkickoff
Has anyone told John Terry that he's in the Black Country? #CFC #Wolves
reefa_k
The only way that Chelsea celebration could have been more staged is if it was kissing Lisa Marie Presley at the VMAs. #cfc
GoonerTom13
Why are Chelsea taking him off; what's the Mata with him? #cfc
gavglicksman
Dear Chelsea, please remember how to build on a 1-0 lead. Here's a handy tip - score a bloody second before you concede #cfc
FULHAM - ARSENAL 2-1 (0-1)
mattpottinger
Theo Walcott's relationship with the final ball is a lot like mine with the G-spot #afc
mattycrouch
*MISSING* Brian Ruiz right foot. If found please contact Martin.Jol@fulham.com Reward offered. #onefootwonder #FFC #AFC #FULHAM
GoonerGossip
If Arsenal deducted £1 from Walcotts wages every time he hit an opposing player when shooting or crossing his wage would be £7 a week. #AFC
minkahunter
Per Mertesacker: White Men Can't Jump. #AFC
MiaAntoniades
Absolute disgrace!Let's see if Henry can turn this around, actually bring back Bergkamp,Pires,Petite,Viera,Keown,Ljunberg and Seaman!! #afc
TOTTENHAM - WEST BROMWICH ALBION 1-0 (0-0)
bobbobbee
I'm not drunk and I have no firearms pointed at my head BUT I really think #THFC could win the Premier League this year @TherealNihal #COYS
georgiebingham
Lord! In an attempt to get Harry's attention for a starting spot Jermain Defoe has bleached his hair Abel Xavier style #thfc
jac2689
No idea why Assou-Ekoto has different coloured boots on both feet. Colourblind or disastrous fashion sense. Possibly both. #THFC
malare42
VdV has runned more than any player in Spurs's 1st half. What's next? Downing to score at Etihad?! #thfc #lfc #mcfc
WayRilkins
William Gallas injured. Luis Suarez the prime suspect. My word. #thfc #lfc
mrcobberto
Didn't realise we had signed Sisqo as a new striker. Still, decent finish #COYS #THFC
WIGAN - SUNDERLAND 1-4 (0-1)
JakSmith_18
Posh Spice is a slapper, a slapper she was born and when she's shagging Beckham, she thinks of Davie Vaughan!!!! #SAFC
simonwinster
Wish Martin O'Neill would do one! Only good thing about him is his uncanny resemblance to Jims Dad #americanpie #safc
Sayer85
what a difference a top class manager makes! Under Bruce 11 points 14 games, under O'neil 13 points from 6 games! unbelievable! #safc
betonsportstips
Sunderland & Martin O'Neill starting to look like marriage made in heaven. 10th place despite Bendtner! O´Neill a true man manager #safc
MANCHESTER CITY - LIVERPOOL 3-0 (2-0)
SportsAbuse
Contrary to what you heard, Suarez IS available for the #mancity game. But he had his Aryan Brotherhood meeting tonight #Liverpool
MaattMills
Gerrard is just a cheap James Milner #happybirthdayMILNER #mancity
jamesgregg7
Watching Mancity vs Liverpl. So far I've seen 22 over-paid prima dona's throwing themselves in the floor, making praying gestures at the ref
Painter01
How can anyone not like Roberto Mancini? A great character that the Premier League needs. He's nearly as cool as Mick McCarthy! #mancity
SportsAbuse
Say what you like about #mancity, at least when they drop crazy money for a player it's not Andy Carroll
EVERTON - BOLTON 1-2 (0-0)
TEAMtalk
HOWARD GOAL (63): Howard's 75-yard punt up field catches wind and bounces over helpless Bogdan. Amazing scenes! #EFC 1 #BWFC 0.
kingkenny_7
Tim Howard is now just 2 goals behind Fernando Torres in the races for this season's Golden Boot. #lfc #efc #cfc
MatthewJRudd
Unlikely, even extraordinary scorer of a goal at Goodison Park tonight - David Ngog. #bwfc #efc
Sniffer_Prandy
Tim howard was 150\1 to score the 1st goal tonight - ngog was 250\1 to score at anytime! #efc #bwfc
EdFitter
Transfer Rumour: Liverpool to sign 'Wind' and T.Howard to replace Downing and Suarez respectively. #LFC #AVFC #EFC
NEWCASTLE UTD - MANCHESTER UTD 3-0 (1-0)
JustinHouareau
Lindegaard looks solid early on, good call by Fergie, that and bringing that Rooney guy back, heard he is handy, just a bad trainer #MUFC
WayRilkins
My word, Rooney has a splendid head of hair. I've been desperate to get a transplant myself but Mrs. Wilkins loves stroking my scalp. #MUFC
AaronDonnelly1
Rooney if that was a bacon sandwich or a prostitute you would of finished that chance! #mufc #nufc
geordiepolyglot
I would transfer Howard Webb into my fantasy team,but I'm already up to my quota of #mufc players #nufc
davidsedgwickNE
Howard Webb earning a contract extension there with #mufc, blatent penalty for a trip on Ba not given.
AlexRenshaw1
Rooney arguing with Howard Webb is the first argument between players on the same team at SJP since Bowyer and Dyer #nufc #mufc
duncanstoddart
Whoever does the medicals at stoke should be handed his p45 for not giving demba ba the green light!! What a finish!! #nufc #MUFC
Scubanova
No hairdryer at HT from Fergie...cos Phil Jones was using it #NUFC v #MUFC
efferal
United look like saying Cabaye-bye to their premier league title #mufc
whitty99
This performance has been as bad as Brosnan's singing in Mama Mia. We don't even look like scoring #mufc
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