Big signings, bigger pay checks and an array of flashy goals. I admit it, I often fall victim to getting caught up in the title race. Then again I do support the mighty Manchester United, (and just to clarify I have been supporting United since the days of Eric Cantona and when David Beckham wore No. 10) and am thus forced to track every title-chasing detail. However there is more to soccer than the Big Four and their buckets of money. I suggest we all take a step back and stand in awe of the passion and grit of the relegation battle. If a title chasing team loses they might give up some ground or miss out on that bonus that will finance their next sports car, but if a relegation battling team loses it could spell disaster, and not just for the team. You see, a relegation battling team is playing for a whole lot more than three points. They are playing for themselves (nobody wants to put “Relegated to Championship on their resume). They are playing for the fans that have braved the wind and the rain to cheer on the lads as they press for that one last goal. And They are playing for the club because the loss of that Premier League status means the loss of a lot of money that could send the club into a financial tail spin. So next time you get the chance, tune in for one of those relegation battling teams (my guess is that it will be Fulham playing somebody because the American soccer channels enjoy following the U.S. National Team in England) and you will undoubtedly see that determination in the eyes of the players as they try desperately to survive for just one more season. Cheers!
P.S. Just a quick note, if you get the chance to watch one of the Championship playoff games for that coveted third spot in the Premier League spot I fully recommend you capitalize, and I assure you that you will be watching the most passionate and exciting game you have ever seen.
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First and foremost: I like Javier Mascherano.
He is one of those players who scrape and scrap and get under an opponent’s skin. He is tough as nails and never backs down from a challenge. You want him on your team, but you don’t want to play against him.
Needless to say he also got under the skin of referee Steve Bennett when Liverpool and Manchester United faced off over the weekend. Mascherano earned his second yellow card of the match, halfway through the contest, for dissent. The resulting red card to send him to the showers has raised speculation over the decision and its impact on the game.
I’m going to digress from whether or not Mascherano’s presence would have prevented United from having its way with a Liverpool side that can’t find its way out of a paper sack in league play. I want to take time to applaud Bennett for his decision because it was not an easy one.
See, the Football Association is trying to crack down on the hissy fits these millionaire footballers are throwing every time a decision does not go their way. They huff and puff and cause a big stir while in the recent past referees have stood by taking the abuse like one of Michael Vick’s pit bulls.
Now referees have been told to come down harsher on player dissent. It not only sends a message to the cry babies to shut up, but it makes the players and the game look better. Also, it sets a better example for every 10-year-old out there admiring a player of Mascherano’s skill.
Maybe the decision on Mascherano was harsh, but it was needed. After Ashley Cole’s act of petulance for his horror tackle on Tottenham Hotspurs’ Alan Hutton earlier in the week, and resulting argument and tirade when shown a yellow when a red was mightily needed, a message needed to be sent to the players in the Premier League.
Perhaps Mascherano’s red card was the fallout from the buildup of abuse referees have taken, but it was a step in the right direction.
Too many times, I turn on Sky Sports (my ESPN equivalent) and hear some player demanding a new contract and outlandish wages, or possibly that another player spent a bit too much time in a pub and ran his car into a median. There are some however, that play this game, the beautiful game, for their love of the game and the enjoyment they get out of playing it.
Brian McBride is one of those players.
He doesn’t worry about how many goals he has or how big his paycheck is; all he cares about is getting Fulham another win and surviving this relegation battle.
McBride isn’t loud or flashy, but he is the epitome of a leader. He is very often the first at the training grounds and even more often the last to leave. He carries himself with a class and poise that inspires teammates and fans alike.
He is a player who worries more about his teammates than himself, and who always stops to say hello or sign an autograph for a fan.
Most importantly however, he never ever, ever gives up. He keeps on fighting no matter the score line and he keeps scrapping now matter how dismal things are looking.
Fulham’s game against Everton was a prime example of McBride’s leading. He constantly battled in the air and was even more constantly pushed, kicked and elbowed while doing so, but he kept on going. He kept on sending his teammates through, kept pressing his teammates for more for more, and he was finally rewarded when he turned a missed clearance into a goal.
As Tim Howard dug the ball out of the net and McBride’s teammates jogged back for the kick-off, McBride turned and gave the Fulham fans a fist-pump as if to say: “Follow me. I’ll lead us out of this.”
And leave no doubt, McBride will keep the troops fighting and will carry Fulham back to safety.
Cheers!
The draw is over. The teams have been set. There is no looking back now.
With the conclusion of today’s Champions League draw, the path to the Moscow final has begun to take shape.
The yellow brick road looks something like this.
Schalke 04 vs. Barcelona
Fenerbahce vs. Chelsea
Now comes the slightly more complex part.
The winner of Arsenal vs. Liverpool will play the winner of Fenerbahce vs. Chelsea, and the winner of Schalke 04 vs. Barcelona will play the winner of Roma vs. Manchester United.
With this simple draw (and by simple I do mean simple, they basically just reach into a bowl of little plastic balls that look like the Champions League ball and open similarly to an Easter egg) the probable final begins to take shape, and I couldn’t help but do a bit of speculating.
It’s official. March Madness has become a global phenomenon. This weekend in England a team you, and many others, have probably not heard of punched its ticket for the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley Stadium. That team is Barnsley. Oh and Cardiff is going too. And West Brom as well. Portsmouth rounds out the foursome and is the only team remaining that plays in the Premier League. The other three sides are all in the Championship, the league directly under the EPL. Continue reading »
Let me relate this to March Madness in America. Barnsley is a 16 seed and the two teams they have toppled are 1 seeds. You may have heard of them: Liverpool and Chelsea. Barnsley walked into Anfield on February 16 and sent Steven Gerrard and the boys home alone 2-1. Then last weekend, star-studded Chelsea, controversy and all, came into not so famous Oakwell in Yorkshire, England and left 0 for 2 in competitions this year after a 1-0 loss. Barnsley’s new star striker, Kayode Odejayi, scored the goal to send his team into the semi-finals for the first time since 1912, only 96 years ago. At least the Cubs have played in the World Series since then.
He slips past would-be tacklers.
He gets stuck in at every possible moment.
He hypnotizes defences with his dribbling and precision passing.
He is Paul Scholes, the Maestro.
Even though Manchester United line-up featured more fringe-players than the world-class stars one would normally see, Paul Scholes was still able to make everyone around him better.
That’s just the kind of player he is.
On the field he is a chivalrous leader who presses onward no matter the score line, and off the field he has the attitude that all players, young and old should look up to.
His passes are breathtakingly beautiful and you can’t help but wonder how the game must look through his eyes as he always seems to be one step ahead of the other team as he meticulously picks them apart.
And before there was Steven Gerrard, there was Paul Scholes.
If left alone at the top of the box, the keeper would soon be left wondering what had happened to his team-mates in front of him as he digs the ball out of the still rippling net.
To all you young players out there, be you a United fan or not, I encourage you to dig up some Paul Scholes highlights and take a lesson from a man that still sends teams to their knees and fans to their feet.
Cheers!
