Premier League round-up 22nd Nov 2010
An inspirational fight back gave Tottenham the North London bragging rights against Arsenal in Saturday’s early kick-off, while Wayne Rooney returned in Manchester United’s victory over nine-man Wigan.
Defending Premier League champions Chelsea’s problems increased in a defeat at Birmingham, Bolton moved into the top four by impressively defeating Newcastle, while Liverpool piled the pressure on West Ham boss Avram Grant in the evening kick-off.
Wolves’ relegation fears deepened in the wake of a defeat at Blackpool, and a controversial penalty helped Stoke to three points against West Brom at The Hawthorns.
Accusations of inexperience and naivety will again be directed at Arsenal after Arsene Wenger’s young team threw away a two-goal lead and the chance to move to the top of the table in an incredible 3-2 defeat to capital neighbours Tottenham.
First-half goals from Samir Nasri and Marouane Chamakh at Emirates Stadium had exposed a ragged Tottenham, who had not won away against their North London rivals in the league since 1993.
But Spurs produced a miraculous second-half fightback as Gareth Bale, a Rafael van der Vaart penalty and a late Younes Kaboul header left Wenger facing the reality that his side had again failed to meet expectations when it matters.
Manchester United moved level on points with league leaders Chelsea as nine-man Wigan were defeated 2-0 on an afternoon when Wayne Rooney returned to first-team football.
With all attention on Rooney among United’s substitutes, the unlikely source of Patrice Evra opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time with a back-post header from Ji-Sung Park’s perfect cross.
Rooney entered the match to a standing ovation in the 56th minute and three minutes later Wigan’s task became all the more difficult when Antolin Alcaraz was shown a second yellow card for a foolish challenge on Darren Fletcher.
If Alcaraz’s tackle lacked thought, the two-footed lunge of Hugo Rodallega on Rafael da Silva in the 61st minute was brainless to earn a straight red card and leave Wigan with an insurmountable mountain to climb.
Rooney went close to grabbing all the headlines with a header in the 71st minute, but it was fellow substitute Javier Hernandez who made it 2-0 six minutes later when nodding into the back of the net.
Chelsea‘s problems increased as Carlo Ancelotti’s defending champions lost for the third time in four matches following a 1-0 defeat to Birmingham at St Andrews.
A trademark Lee Bowyer goal in the 17th minute gave Alex McLeish’s side the points to move out of the relegation zone, with the veteran midfielder timing his run perfectly to meet Cameron Jerome’s knockdown for a simple finish from close range.
Chelsea, who had centre-back Alex back in their team, threw everything they had at Birmingham, but they found home goalkeeper Ben Foster, fresh from his England start against France, in inspired form.
The future of Avram Grant as West Ham manager was plunged into deeper uncertainty following a horribly lifeless 3-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield.
Glen Johnson, who was under pressure to perform on his return to fitness, a Dirk Kuyt penalty and a Maxi Rodriguez header ensured the game was as good as over by half-time.
The three points also eased the troubles of Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson after last weekend’s defeat at Stoke, but the wider implications focused upon the position of Grant, whose side now sit five points from safety at the foot of the Premier League.
Anfield fans chanted, ‘you’re getting sacked in the morning’ at West Ham’s boss and it remains to be seen whether the patience of co-chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold will remain after a winless run in the league was stretched to eight matches.
Owen Coyle’s Bolton continued their remarkable form as they moved into the top four with a 5-1 win over Newcastle at the Reebok Stadium.
Kevin Davies demonstrated all of his experience to calmly put Bolton in front with an 18th minute penalty after Newcastle’s Kevin Nolan had handled inside the 18-yard area.
And having given away the spot-kick, Chris Hughton’s away side were again their own worst enemies six minutes before half-time when Chung-Yong Lee capitalised on hesitant defending from Danny Simpson to slot past Tim Krul.
Bolton were organised and full of intent, and five minutes after half-time Coyle’s team were three goals in front when in-form Johan Elmander darted around Krul to roll into an empty net after collecting Davies’ clever pass.
Newcastle rescued some hope just two minutes later when man-of-the-moment Carroll, who had taken Davies’ place in the England squad against France, finished with confidence when one-on-one with Jussi Jaaskelainen.
But any hopes of a Newcastle comeback were quashed when Elmander added his eighth goal of the season in the 72nd minute, before Fabricio Coloccini’s vicious elbow on the Swede with just less than a quarter-of-an-hour remaining earned a red card.
Newcastle’s day ended on a dark note as Bolton were handed a second penalty when Jose Enrique was adjudged to have fouled Davies, with replays suggesting the full-back got the ball, and the striker made no mistake from the spot.
Mick McCarthy said before Wolves’ trip to Blackpool that his side were not yet facing ‘must-win’ matches, but a 2-1 defeat at Bloomfield Road will only add to relegation fears among the Midlanders.
Luke Varney brought the game to life in sensational style in the third minute with a wonderful, 30-yard half-volley that Wolves goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann could only watch.
Varney was also influential in the second goal in the 44th minute when his head beat Hahnemann to a corner to allow Marlon Harewood to bundle the ball over the goalline before Wolves’ defence could clear.
Kevin Doyle’s first league goal of the season set up a tense conclusion, but Wolves could not find an equaliser.
After a horribly uneventful first half in an eventual 3-0 win, Stoke controversially took the lead through Matthew Etherington’s 55th minute penalty after Kenwyne Jones had won the award from referee Chris Foy with a somewhat theatrical fall in a challenge with West Brom keeper Scott Carson.
There was less debate about Stoke’s second penalty as Simon Cox’s clumsy challenge on Dean Whitehead in the 85th minute handed substitute Jon Walters the task of converting from the spot.
Walters, who entered the match in the 79th minute, even had time to add his second and his team’s third on the brink of the full-time whistle.
The Wu Massacre album from Meth, Ghost and Raekwon
………..scheduled to hit stores March 30th.
Tracklisting
01. Criminology 2.5 (feat. Raekwon x Ghostface Killah)
02. Mef vs. Chef
03. Ya Moms (Skit)
04. Smooth Sailing (Remix) (feat. Ghostface Killah x Method Man x Solomon Childs)
05. Our Dreams
06. Gunshowers (feat. Method Man x Ghostface Killah x Inspectah Deck x Cappadonna)
07. Dangerous (feat. Raekwon x Method Man x Ghostface Killah)
08. Pimpin’ Chipp
09. How To Pay Rent (Skit) (feat. Tracy Morgan)
10. Miranda
11. Youngtown Heist
12. Break Breaka (It’s That Wu Shit)
13. Made Men (Bonus)
Parker: Wenger should apologise to Shawcross
Reading most of Parkers articles in the last few months, none more that the last one entitled WENGER SHOULD APOLOGISE TO SHAWCROSS as forced me to reach the conclusion his write-ups are baised and really distorted. What parent inspite of their child’s hyper activity will say it’s just kids playing if their kids keep coming home with bruises after playing with the neighours kid.
What is Parkers definition of over reaction? I must say that Stokes game on saturday did not have many bad tackles but then the tackle on Ramsey was a really bad one and Shawcross must be allowed to learn this early in his footballing career how undesirable it his.
For Parker to have suggested it was not wortha send off, shows how little he knows about the rules of football. There is a clear line between committed play and dangerous play.
When Chelsea and Man. United came to the Emirates and won those were committed performances because they knew they could win. For large parts of that game Stoke played what i would call committed football like they always do they are not know to just kick there opponets of the pitch with the aim of achieving a result. The resultant impact and twist led to this horrendous inury that could be career ending where it to be an older player.Untill hist happens to Man. United, someone gets a broken spine or someone is killed people like Parker will continue to encourage dangerous play in the name of committed football. Parker should take a step back and make reasonable and intelligent contributions through his articles.
World Cup 2010 – Paper Round: Cole final straw for Capello
Capello has been infuriated with the antics of Chelsea pair John Terry and Ashley Cole, and will now threaten to axe players over any further scandals when the squad join up for next week’s friendly against Egypt. (The Sun)
Capello will lay down the law to his entire squad, warning that if the England shirt is shamed by further sordid front-page headlines, then the players involved will be dropped immediately. (Daily Express)
Meanwhile, Capello says he will select both Terry and Wayne Bridge at this summer’s World Cup, despite their much-publicised issues – and he expects the pair to settle their problems without fuss. (Daily Mirror)
Jose Mourinho has derided Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti as being part of the establishment “clan” which continues to rail against him and his Internazionale side. (Guardian)
Back On the Grid
Deep In Thought
Sports Money Makes the World go round.
(Part 1)
The New Year has brought many a news and issues that highlight the kind of world we live in.
Bearing this in mind only corporations are the main source and cause of these issues, going as far back as the Roman Empire has greatly fuelled the corruption that has blighted the world we live in today.
The one thing we have all thought was pure and innocent has itself succumbed to thievery, sinful and degenerate behaviour.
Greed has always been the downfall of many a Sports person, gambling, cheating and cooperate espionage have a played a role as the catalyst… But egos, self-righteousness and the need to be relevant in any ever-changing environment where the new and young replace the innovators and the leaders.
Cheating in sports comes in all shapes and seizes, drugs, acquiring a better player to put the sports organisation over the edge illegally, conspiring to affect the outcome of an event or race, consolidating funds from criminal organisations to bring victory to the team which in turn brings in more money, profit and fame.
So its official money is the root of all evil but it also makes the world go round.
But it’s not just the evil side of money that fuels sports, Money provides jobs, opportunities and role models Sports play an important role in society. Many people are involved in the production, playing, delegating, watching, coaching, and selling of sports. Some fans attend/watch games just to see a particular player play, some fans watch games because they love the team. If one player is a star or key player on a sports team, it is easy to understand why they might get paid more than other players. If one player helps the team to victory, which causes the team to sell more tickets, then it is fair to say that the player earns a higher salary than some of the others.
New Reflection Eternal Free Mixtape Download
Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek are back as Reflection Eternal starting of the new Year right with a free mixtape download called ‘The Reunion” with the aid of Statik Selektah. Download it from here.
Tracklist:
1. Intro
2. Revolutions Per Minute
3. In This World ##
4. Hip-Hop (Unreleased)
5. Back Again ##
6. Wishing On A Black Star
7. Just Begun ft. Jay Electronica, J. Cole, & Mos Def
8. Come Around ft. Termanology & Royce da 5′9 (produced by Statik Selektah) Read more ›
Hail to Another Hero Lost
henry w family
As always with many things in life, death is an issue we don’t want to experience, or wish to talk about. I myself have experienced loses, my 2 sisters and a brother and i remember how it felt. Sports has been an outlet for a lot of things negative in life, and due to this we as mere mortals tend to associate greatness with sports players, after all following a career of one of these supermen or women we feel that we know them, that they are a friend or a family member. ..So it definitely affects us when we lose a sports person to a violent death or to natural causes.
For the 8th time in 2 and a half years the NFL has lost another member of its ferternity via violence….Steve Mcnair was killed by a gunshot wound, by a deranged lover leaving behind a wife and 3 young boys,
Richard Collier of the Jacksonville jaguars was the third NFL player to be shot in the past 18 months. Washington Redskins star Sean Taylor was fatally shot during what police said was a botched burglary attempt at his Miami-area home in November. Broncos Darrent Williams was killed when his rented limousine was sprayed with bullets minutes after leaving a New Year’s party at a downtown Denver club in 2007.
Sean Taylor
in 2007 Sean Taylor was lost to a gunshot wound when armed men broke into his home and killed him in the process, his wife and daughter were asleep upstairs when this happened, turns out the criminals had attended a party that summer at his home, which he threw for his younger cousin…..
also in 2007 the NFL lost 3 players in a fishing accident Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper, free-agent NFL defensive lineman Corey Smith, who played for the Detroit Lions last season, and former University of player William Bleakly. The bodies of Cooper, Smith and Bleakley have not been recovered and now more recently Chris Henry died after a domestic dispute with his wife to be as he fell out of a speeding truck. when will this madness end another young man is lost to a senseless death and did not live to see the new year 2010.
Now bearing all this in mind a lot of these players have died due to a lifestyle or being at the wrong place at the wrong time, So how does an NFL safety formally of the Arizona Cardinals who passed up on the NFL millions to join the US Rangers to serve his country feature in this crazy circle, his life style nor past killed him but rather his patriotism did ….and ,ended up getting shot apparently by friendly fire. A noble death but still a waste why do so many young with so much potential never live to fulfill their dreams i ask?
PT as Ranger
…….my brother once said ” they teach us every thing but never about death”
May all their souls rest in peace.