Happy Summer Of Sports

Sports - Football - Tennis - Cricket

So, the summer break is nearly over, we’re just a day away from the new Premier League season. Did you miss it? I have to say, for me it was not as much as usual. 

There was plenty of football and other sports to watch, follow, cheer and/or curse. Here’s a little summery of what wows and ohs I filled my time with over the last month(s).

WWC and Euro U21s - YAY

It was the first time I followed the ladies and youngsters football competitions so closely. It obviously helped that all the matches were available to watch (remember something called freeview?!). It was good to see the stadiums full as well. But apart from that, less pace and physicality aside, the games were intense, entertaining and served a lot the others can learn and develop from. The others = the men’s game. Less diving and whining. More playing and competing. And VAR!
Although on the other hand, both the England ladies and youngsters were too nice, as if they were holding something back, which made them unable to reach the top. The United States retained their world title for the ladies, England ending fourth. The youngsters stumbled and tumbled out of the group stage once again, like in 2013 and 2015. The Spaniards ended up on top, beating defending champions Germany. All too familiar in the men's game. Just not (quite) good enough. Harsh but true.

CAF African Cup and Copa America - NAY

All the big names flopped. It was heartbreak for the hosts Egypt and a disappointing final for Senegal against Algeria in the prior. Hosts Brazil ended on top in the latter, whilst Argentina were left whining and reeling once again. I don't have to name and shame the specific individual players in the limelight. You know who I'm on about. These competitions were more disappointing, with more trouble and noise around the games, whilst seeing and feeling less crowd and action in the games and on the pitch. Just not worth it.

French Open and Wimbledon - OMG

Cori Gauff surprised us all in South-West London, the youngster pouncing and impressing with her comebacks, beating Venus Williams and making it all the way to the fourth round. Rafael Nadal ended on top in France, his 82nd career title. Novac Djokovic won Wimbledon beating Roger Federer in the longest final in the tournament's history. The Serb drove me mad with all his complaining, moaning and ranting. He's just unprofessional and immature and should know better with his experience, totaling 75 career titles. Simona Halep beat Serena Williams on the grass, the latter was looking to come back after maternity leave and break more records, but it was just too much. Ashleigh Barty won on the clay after seeing all first-time semi-finalists guaranteeing a new winner. It was good to see Andy Murray was back and impressed in the doubles with Williams. Old newbies or new oldies? Either way, it would have been too good to be true for them to win. The wave of change is noticeable. Williams got so close. But it just seemed too far. Same for Federer. Has-beens? Start of new era? Or am I just being harsh (again)? Exciting times ahead, that's for sure.

CWC and the Ashes - WTF

England showed their best and worst sides during the World Cup, scraping through the group stage, to then smash their way to the final and grab it oh so dramatically late. Australia didn’t impress me at all. After the embarrassing collapse by England in the warm-up test match against Ireland, everyone expected the worst from the Ashes. But I wouldn’t overestimate the opposition. Nor underestimate them. It’s gonna be interesting. Prediction, I said before and still say, god knows! The first Ashes test showed the best and worst of both sides. England's batting and bowling ended in absolute shambles. Injuries never help of course, but fielding decisions and captaincy are more than questionable! The Aussies recovered well after a disappointing start, saved by Steven Smith and Nathan Lyon! All the boos and controversies aside, England cannot and shall not distract from the obvious, they need to get a grip and have the guts to make changes to avoid ended up thrashed on their home turf!!! Otherwise it will end up like the last Ashes, an absolute disappointing downfall down under, read my rant about that thrash here.

The New Season - OH YEAH!!!

As a Liverpool fan, I haven’t been enjoying the pre-season too much. But of course, we’re spoiled, after an unforgettable, record-breaking last season. Click here to read my notes from that night in Madrid, XxXXxX. The Community Shield last weekend was a game of two halves, decided by penalties. Manchester City ended up lifting the trophy, but weren't exactly the shiny winners. After the English champions dominated the first half, the Reds took over after the break and despite losing in the shootout, Jürgen Klopp and his men can be very encouraged by their character, resilience and display, especially after falling behind early on. There's been so many chops and changes in the whole Premier League, on and off the pitch, introductions and updates, I think there will be quite a few surprises next season. Good and bad. And that is even before mentioning VAR, adding more spice to an already very hot dish So, before I start rambling and ranting on even more, let's just say, I am soooooo looking forward to the new season!!! And you can be sure, like last season, I will blog on, week in, week out, no matter what! 

Click here for my previous post.

All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the Wikipedia pages and various articles and reports (see under links).

Word Cup In Russia - So Far So OMFG!!!

Sports - Football - World Cup - OMFG!!!

And breath. The group stage is over and we have a day to recover from a crazy, unpredictable, just different World Cup in Russia. AND ENGLAND ARE THROUGH!!! Germany are not. That’s a first since 1938! My cheeky fiver on Egypt went down the drain very quickly as well (poor Momo)! So, anyway, I just thought to scribble down the main talking points and my thoughts on them - the best form of therapy for such a traumatic and shocking experience. ;-)

VAR

Love it or hate it, it is looooong overdue and definitely makes a difference. Good or bad, in the end it’s always better when you can double-check and it’s up to the ref = still all subjective in the end, so, it is impossible to get everything and everyone 100% and happy. Nearly every other sports have a review system - cricket, rugby, tennis, ... - and it definitely adds to the post-match talking points. But there is still one thing that annoys me most about football and has to change, which brings me to my next point:

Cut the drama!

The players’ attitudes to the game have to change! The way they playact and roll around as if they have been hit by a bullet, or two or three, and in the next breath they jump up and are in the ref’s face - SHOW SOME RESPECT! YOU CALL YOURSELF MEN! STAY UP AND PLAY THE GAME, YOU’RE ON CAMERA FFS!!! And the ref is a (hu)man as well, so, treat him like one and in the end he decides the game, so, like in the other sports - cricket, rugby, tennis, ... - BE PROFESSIONAL ABOUT IT, I mean, come on, the soccer stars get paid enough for it!!! 

The fans

What has entertained and impressed me most is what has been going on off and around the pitch. The fans have been awesome! The costumes, the songs, the unity. It is not often you get Koreans and Mexicans partying together. The Senegalese players dancing. The famous Icelandic shout and clap. Iranian fans partying hard and loud. That's how and why I love football, bringing everyone together! Russia has, so far so good, positively surprised me as the hosts! And their team hasn’t done too bad either! After thrashing Saudi Arabia 5-0 in the opening match, Stanislas Cherchesov's men could not have asked for a better start. It is the first time since 1986 the biggest country in the world has qualified past the group stage, which takes me to the next bit:

The records

The stats kept rolling in, every match, every twist, every turn, records tumbling here, there and everywhere. There have already been 24 penalties and that is (more than) double than in the last three completed world cup tournaments, and we're only just at the end of the group stage! Thanks very much to the VAR for that! 
We watched 38 gripping thrillers with goals galore until France and Denmark shared a comfortable goalless draw, the most matches of all world cups without deadlocks (in the 32-team version = since 2002). 

It was the worst World Cup for Africa in 36 years after Senegal's exit on Thursday, with no side from the continent in the knockout stage for the first time since 1982.
And there have been plenty of blunders, wtfs and late late late drama and goals, including England's Harry Kane's winning header against Tunisia and Cristiano Ronaldo's equaliser to make it 3-3 for Portugal against Spain (who sacked their manager Jule Lopetegui just two days before the tournament kicked off for them), headache but also late saviour for Messi and co, not forgetting Maradona's middle fingers. And of course most recently South Korea's winner(s) against Germany, crashing out Joachim Löw's men. 
I could go on and on, here's a good article I read earlier with more on that, including pics and videos.

Last and least, predictions...

Ha! They went out the window a long time ago and I won’t even try it from here! For the first time there is a general feeling of anything can happen and anyone can win (or lose) it! As much as I’m an England fan and want Gareth Southgate and co to win, I love the idea of a surprise winner, the underdogs, against all odds, the OMG moments! And there have been plenty of those already!!!

Click here for my previous article.

All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the BBC website,this article and match reports, Twitter and beIN sports coverage.

Euro 2012 - Group Stage Summary

Sports - Football - Euro 2012 - Picks of the Group Stage

Top game: Portugal's dramatic 3-2 win against Denmark thanks to Silvestre Varela's last-gasp winner kept their qualifying hopes alive whilst the Danes showed their always up for a fight and everything else but easy to beat. Another five-goal thriller saw Roy Hodgson's side beat Sweden 3-2 and end their hoodoo as England had never beaten the Scandinavians in a competitive match before. The win also showed that England are a scoring force even without their main striker Wayne Rooney thanks to Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck. The opening game of the competition between Poland and Greece was the most competitive and aggressive with two goals and two red cards which saw the game end all level, 1-1 in goals and 10-10 in players.

Top team: The big favourites in form of defending champions Spain and runners up Germany have grinded out the required results so far, the latter being the only side with a 100% record of three out of three wins, but both have failed to impress me so far. They were not their usual self, the usual impressive force nobody can stop, hold back nor defend. I thought Sweden were great when they beat France 2-0 and in a confident and stylish fashion, eventhough they were already out of the competition at that point. At least they gave their fans something to cheer for in the end, something for their money and unconditional support. I think sometimes players and sides forget who they are playing for.

Top player: Two of the most expensive players in Europe took their time to get into gear. Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo and Chelsea's Fernando Torres did not really feature much in the opening game for their sides with the prior's name not on the scoreboard till the last group game and the latter not even starting in the opening game but making up for it the next match with two out of four goals in the 4-0 thrashing of Giovanni Trapattoni's Ireland side. Top scorers so far with three goals each have been Germany's Mario Gomez, Croatia's Mario Mandzukic and Russia's Alan Dzagoev, top providers with three assists each have been England's Steven Gerrard, Russia's Andrei Arshavin and Spain's David Silva. The top goalkeeper with most saves has been Ireland's Shay Given with 17 saves.

Top goal: Zlatan Ibrahimovic's opening goal against France was a stunning strike. I switched over from the England-Ukraine game to check the score and caught a very special goal, the Swedish striker producing an acrobatic right-foot volley which saw Sebastian Larsson's cross from the right bash into the bottom corner of the net, sweet mother of all goals so far in the competition. Welbeck's cheeky flick-in off sub Walcott's cross which saw England beat Sweden 3-2 made Hodgson's changes look genius and his side more than capable to win without their main striker Rooney. The United striker's winning goal against Ukraine was nothing more than a simple tap-in after Gerrard's teasing cross  was spilled by goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov.

Top news: The quarter-finals are as follows: a) Czech Republic v Portugal, b) Germany v Greece, c) Spain v France, d) England v Italy; semi-finals: Winner A v Winner C, Winner B v Winner D; that means Portugal could face Spain and England could meet Germany in the semis if the results follow the match odds. Mouth-wateringly juicy, or what?! According to those odds, Germany are favourites to win the whole competition followed by Spain with hardly anything between the two - does that mean the final and competition is already decided? Or will there be more surprises and shocks? Can't wait to see the answer to that...

Flop game: The England-France game did not quite live up to its rivalry and competitive hype. There was no major controversy or many decision to make for the referee in a match with few incidences. After Joleon Lescott took the lead for England with a header off Gerrard's free kick on the half-hour mark, City team-mate Samir Nasri equalised for France only nine minutes later beating Joe Hart seeing his effort from the edge of the box go into the bottom corner. The rest of the game did not have much to write about, which was very disappointing, from a neutral point of view as well as for England as they left France in control and too comfortable. Russia's 4-1 thrashing of the Czech Republic was a joke! It just seemed surreal how the Czech's let themselves be pushed over so easily and blatantly!

Flop team: As mentioned above, the big favourites Germany and Spain have disappointed so far, not result-wise obviously but they haven't been exactly thrilling or nice to the eye. Ireland had a competition to forget although I felt sorry for Given who gave his all and created superb and stunning saves, all for nothing in the end. I think Netherlands were the biggest surprise ending up bottom of their group on zero points with a strong side and a lot of established. World Cup finalists and second in the world rankings, I am sure the Dutch will be the most disappointed fans and side of this competition, eventhough the hosts Poland and Ukraine obviously won't be happy either not being to take advantage of their home advantage, but I don't think anyone expected more from them.

Flop player: Three players have seen red so far, Ireland's Keith Andrews who has also seen the most bookings with three, Greece's Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, the latter two being sent off in the opening game of the competition. Czech's Milan Baros has committed most fouls with 14. And I still we are expecting and still waiting to see the best of Rooney, Ronaldo, Torres... The usual top picks who haven't really turned up so far. All the top players the Dutch have, from Robin van Persie and Wesley Sneijder to Arjen Robben and Mark van Bommel, amongst others, none of them really turned up nor impressed, showing that top names together doesn't mean top team unless they can gel and perform together, that's why it's called team work and a team sport.

Flop goal: For the first time in my memory there has been a decision that has gone England's way! Usually it is always the Three Lions that concede a goal that never was or cry after a goal that was never given or see their hearts broken on the penalty spot. That may still happen, but as so far concerns when Ukraine saw Marko Devic's come off the cross bar and cleared by John Terry I think everyone knew and saw it was over line apart from the referee and his additional assistant who somehow did not see it standing on the line right next to the goal! It is a joke in the age of video replays, but thanks to the technology we have at least we saw that the ball was over the line but that Devic was offside in the buildup before. So, either way, justice has been done, no thanks to the Fifa clowns though!

Flop news: Fifa boss Sepp Blatter glaims goal-line technology is "no longer an alternative but a necessity" following Ukraine's complaint of being denied a goal against England. Really?! I think you're about a couple of decades behind the general public and nearly every other major sport!!! Clown!

My predictions - Actual results

Group A
Poland 2:1 Greece - 1:1
Russia 2:1 Czech Republic - 4:1
Greece 2:1 Czech Republic - 1:2
Poland 2:1 Russia - 1:1
Czech Republic 1:2 Poland - 1:0
Greece 1:4 Russia - 1:0
Group B
Netherlands 2:1 Denmark - 0:1
Germany 2:1 Portugal - 1:0
Denmark 1:1 Portugal - 2:3
Netherlands 1:2 Germany - 1:2
Portugal 1:1 Netherlands - 2:1
Denmark 1:1 Germany - 1:2
Group C
Spain 2:1 Italy - 1:1
Ireland 2:1 Croatia - 1:3
Italy 1:3 Croatia - 1:1
Spain 2:0 Ireland - 4:0
Croatia 2:2 Spain - 0:1
Italy 1:0 Ireland - 2:0
Group D
France 2:1 England - 1:1
Ukraine 2:1 Sweden - 2:1
Ukraine 0:1 France - 0:2
Sweden 0:1 England - 2:3
England 0:0 Ukraine - 1:0
Sweden 1:1 France - 2:0

Final Group Standings

Team P-W-D-L-F-A-Pts

Group A

Czech Rep  3-2-0-1-4-5-6

Greece        3-1-1-1-3-3-4

Russia         3-1-1-1-5-3-4

Poland         3-0-2-1-2-3-2

Group B

Germany     3-3-0-0-5-2-9

Portugal       3-2-0-1-5-4-6

Denmark      3-1-0-2-4-5-3

Netherlands 3-0-0-3-2-5-0

Group C

Spain           3-2-1-0-6-1-7

Italy              3-1-2-0-4-2-5

Croatia         3-1-1-1-4-3-4

Ireland          3-0-0-3-1-9-0

Group D

England       3-2-1-0-5-3-7

France         3-1-1-1-3-3-4

Sweden       3-1-0-2-5-5-3

Ukraine        3-1-0-2-2-4-3

Week 32-36: Premier League Tops and Flops

Sports - Football - Premier League - Picks of the Month

Ok, it has been a long time since my last blog again, so here is a summary of all the action, stats and facts of the month of April/last five match weeks in the Premier League: Manchester United started the month at the helm, five points ahead of their City rivals. Wolves were at the bottom, six points behind Wigan, Blackburn and QPR. Bolton had come through a difficult phase strong and on top, outside the relegation zone in 16th but only one point seperating them from the doomed bunch. The month of April panned out to be one of the most twisted, unpredictable, action-packed and decisive months in my Premier League memory, building up to May, the big grand finale in the battle for the title and survival:

Top facts of the month of April:

- 137 goals scored = average of 2.74 goals per game.

- 17 different score lines on the board, top 6 of which were 1-1 (6 times), 0:0 (5 times), 1-0 (5 times), 4-0 (5 times), 2-0 (4 times) and 3-0 (4 times).

- There have only been three games without any bookings, Manchester City 4-0 West Brom, Tottenham 2-0 Blackburn and Liverpool 0-1 Fulham.

Top games:

- Wigan 1-0 Manchester United: United deservedly lost at Wigan after the home side were unjustly disallowed a goal, a header by Victor Moses for an apparent push on goalkeeper David De Gea by Gary Caldwell. The Latics were given a controversial corner which their winning goal came from. A wonderful goal, Maloney collecting the set-piece before curling the ball into the back of the net. Jonny Evans should have been given a second yellow for a dangerous tackle on Maloney. On the other hand, United should have had a penalty for an obvious handball by Maynor Figueroa but as Sir Alex Ferguson said himself, these things even themselves out, they certainly did for Wigan on this occasion! Two points dropped meant the gap at the top was reduced from eight to five points with five games to go.

- Arsenal 1-2 Wigan: After beating the league leaders and defending champions the previous week, Wigan were on a high. Arsenal had comfortably beaten Wolves 3-0 in their own back yard, so must have felt comfortable coming back home. The Wolves stunned the Gunners within the first eight minutes with two early goals by Franco Di Santo and Jordi Gomez and pulled off a famous win at the Emirates. Thomas Vermaelen pulled one back with a powerful header but Wigan held through to pull five points clear of the relegation zone.

- Manchester United 4-4 Everton: Old Trafford was stunned to silence after seeing eight goals and plenty more chances pass their eyes. Is this the one where United let the title slip away? Everton started strong and took the lead thanks to Nikica Jelavic's looping header over De Gea. Non-other than Wayne Rooney equalised for United to spare his side from half-time blushes with Ferguson. At 3-1 and even 4-2 it looked all over and three points in the pocket for the home side, but two late goals in the last seven minutes thanks to Jelavic and Steven Pienaar snatched the points and their share of the spoils for the Toffees. City moved within three points of the league leaders, breathing up their necks before the big derby clash the following week.

- Chelsea 6-1 QPR: The result was of no doubt for the Blues after going 4-0 ahead within 25 minutes. QPR were well and truely blown away at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea needed a boost after the last couple of disappointing results with draws at Arsenal and Fulham and a home defeat against Newcastle. What was of most significance, was the name dominating the score board: Fernando Torres. Finally out of his shell, he claimed the match ball with an impressive hat-trick. Will this finally kick-off his Chelsea career or is it too little, too late? With the Champions League finals coming up, the Spaniard still has time and enough chances to impress the big boss and convince him he was worth the wait (and money).

- Manchester City 1-0 Manchester United: With only three points between the two, this derby was explosive even before the buildup with all hopes on the blue side and all nerves and tension on the red side of Manchester. Everyone was waiting for the big bang, the decider. It didn't quite come that way. United were kept under City's spell for most of the match, Vincent Kompany grabbing the crucial winner on the stroke of half-time. Another goal never looked like coming, the last couple of minutes were the most tense as United tried to break late, but failed. City held through and are now level on points but eight goals ahead of United at the top of the table with two games to go. Who would dare and predict the next turn on the way to the Premier League title?

Top teams: After the summaries above, I will let the stats speak for themselves in this category:

- Top form: Manchester City (LWWWW = 12/15 points), Newcastle (WWWLW = 12/15), West Brom (WLWWD = 10/15),  Fulham (WDWLW = 10/15) and Wigan (LWWLW = 9/15); Everton (DWDWD = 9/15) are the only side who are unbeaten in the last 5 games.

- Top scorers: Everton (15 goals scored), Manchester City (13), Manchester United (10), Chelsea/Wigan/Newcastle (9).

- Top defence: Manchester City (2 goals conceded), Arsenal (3), Newcastle/Tottenham/West Brom (4), Chelsea/Wigan/Liverpool (5).

Top players: Stats speak for themselves here again:

- Top scorers: Everton's Jelavic (6 goals), Newcastle's Papiss Cisse (6), his double sank the Swans, the French striker scoring even when he's falling! Man City's Sergio Aguero (5), United's Rooney (4) and Liverpool's Luis Suarez (4).

- Hat-tricks: Suarez for Liverpool at Newcastle, fine comeback away after their defeat at West Brom, and Torres for Chelsea against QPR as mentioned above.

Top goals: I could reel down the list of Cisse, Aguero, Suarez and Torres again, but here are a couple of picks outside the usual: A brilliant distant winner strike by Mikel Arteta for Arsenal against City, an elegant right-footer from outside the box! Was this the final nail hit into Man City's coffin ending their title challenge? The previous four weeks, there had been a ten point swing, City from two points ahead at the top, found themselves in second, eight points behind United with six games remaining! Stats and red card(s) spoke for themselves! But as mentioned above, more swings were and are still up and coming. Smashing opening strike by Chris Herd, his first goal for Villa, a delicious hit that beat Alexander Doni, who replaced suspended Pepe Reina, who missed his first game since 2007!

Top news: Chelsea have made it into the Champions League final beating Barcelona 3-2 on aggregate and against all odds. And Bayern Munich welcome then Blues to their home ground for the final, after they were surprising winners on penalties against Jose Mourinho's La Liga leaders Real Madrid. The Germans will be the odds-on favourites, but Chelsea have broken big odds before and I don't think anyone would dare to wave them off in this one before the final whistle!

Flop facts:

- 140 bookings made = average of 2.8 yellow cards per game.

- 7 red cards shown = average of 0.14 sendings off per game or one player sent off every 7.13 games or 1.2 players sent off every week.

- Game with most bookings, Blackburn 2-3 Liverpool with 9 bookings and one red card, the visitors recording five of the yellows and their replacement goalkeeper Doni sent off, the most cautions by any team in one game.

Flop games:

- Sunderland 0:0 Tottenham: This was dire to watch. The visitors could have moved up to third place and automatic Champions League qualification, but Redknapp's men failed to press and impress anything or anyone at the Stadium of Light and let Sunderland get away with an easy point. Tottenham dominated possession but failed to break down the stubborn Black Cats who were happy to stand back and play deep, counter-attacking football, not nice to the eye but good for their scoreboard adding one more point to their home record.

- Liverpool 1:1 Aston Villa: It was a breathtaking strike by Herd, as mentioned above, and it deservedly grabbed a point for Villa at Anfield. But it was one of those games, miss after miss after miss again, all too familiar to the Reds. this season. They had a penalty shout denied, but it was Suarez, say no more. Dirk Kuyt cleared the cross bar from two yards out! HOW?!?!?! We will never know... Corner cleared, only as far as Steven Gerrard from the edge of the box, Daniel Agger hit the bar, but then Suarez finally got in with nine minutes left on the clock, it was agonising to watch! I have never seen a goal taking such an ordeal to create and SCORE. Then Andy Carroll headed one straight into Shay Given's gloves. Another late chance was somehow scrambled clear. All in all, the home side had three penalty shouts + 21 chances + 11 corners + ball over the line? = still only one goal, one point at home, two points dropped for Liverpool, AGAIN! ARGH!

- Tottenham 1:2 Norwich: Struggling Spurs faced a fighting Norwich at home and the Canaries didn't give Tottenham a moment's peace and got on with the game. Redknapp's side looked clumsy, confused, lazy: Jermain Defoe broke clear and scored his 16th of the season in 20 appearances, a tidy goal after untidy Ledley King had given Grant Holt a pull on the shirt from behind in the opposite box, but the penalty appeal was conveniently ignored by the referee, which left Norwich furious. Norwich were on the ref's case again after Emmanuel Adebayor brought down Aaron Wilbraham in the box and nothing was given again. But Elliott Bennett scored his first for Norwich and put his side ahead again with a beautiful, precise right-foot hit from 20 yards out on the edge of the box, leaving Spurs nowhere and Norwich rewarded for their fight with two goals and three points.

- QPR 1:0 Tottenham: Adel Taarabt was hero and villain in a match which saw Tottenham struggle to create any form of pressure, dominance or chances yet again. The Moroccan midfielder curled a finely controlled free-kick over the Spurs wall and into the bottom corner to take the lead for Mark Hughes's men against his former side and complete a strong comeback from their defeat at West Brom the previous weekend. With just over ten minutes to go, Taarabt received a second yellow for kicking the ball away, setting up a tense finale with the home side battling to grab at least a goal for one point. But they failed to create and achieve anything once again, an all-too familiar theme and tune lately for Redknapp.

- Liverpool 0-1 West Brom: With over 60% possession, over 20 chances and home advantage, you can guess who won this game: yes, the visitors, giving manager Hodgson a win to enjoy against his former side. With 15 minutes to go, Peter Odemwingie was able to run clear and put the ball past Reina after Glen Johnson lost the ball to Youssouf Mulumbu. It was quite unbelievable, against the run of play, chances and dominance, but then again, looking back at Liverpool's season, it has been nothing unusual, more all-too familiar, at the ground that used to be a fortress. The previous nine draws and two defeats at Anfield made this match seem like a refrain, a chorus to an all-too familiar song which has been set on replay this season.


Flop teams:

- Flop form: Wolves (LLDLD = 2/15 points), Blackburn (LLLWL = 3/15), Sunderland (DLDDD = 4/15), Norwich (DWLLL = 4/15) and Swansea (LLWDD = 5/15). Bolton would be bottom in the form league (LLDLL = 1/15) but won their game in hand against Aston Villa!

- Flop scorers: Aston Villa (2 goals scored excluding their game in hand against Bolton), Sunderland (2), Bolton (4 excluding their game in hand against Aston Villa), Blackburn (4), Norwich/West Brom/Stoke/Wolves/QPR (5).

- Flop defence: Norwich (14 goals conceded), Bolton (12 excluding game in hand), Blackburn (11), Wolves (11), Swansea (10).

Flop players: Sent off: Anthony Modeste (Blackburn), Mario Balotelli (City), Shaun Derry (QPR), Doni (Liverpool heartbreak ahead of FA Cup final), Sebastien Bassong (Wolves), Taarabt (QPR as mentioned above, from hero to zero within minutes), Craig Gardner (Sunderland); City's Yaya Toure has been booked the most (3). Balotelli got away with a dangerous leg-break tackle at the Emirates (after handball, diving, whining, etc.). Brilliant Ben Foster double save for WB who ended up winning 3-0 against 10-men Blackburn after Modeste's stupid, pointless late s.o.!

Flop goals: We have seen four own goals this month, but it is the mis-decisions that hurt most! United beat QPR comfortably thanks to referee's double present (offside + penalty), QPR were robbed! Top saves by Wigan's Ali Al Habsi frustrated Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. He was unlucky then though when Branislav Ivanovic's offside goal was given! Refs have been usless again this month! These decisions cost team points and for some it could end up in relegation! Wigan's equaliser through super-sub Mohamed Diame got their hopes up for points against Chelsea, but then they lost the game on a last-minute counter-attack, Torres seeing his volley come off the post for Juan Mata to net it. It looked offside again?! Unlucky drama for Wigan! Wigan were robbed! It hurts to see these decisions cost teams dearly whilst any technological help and advances are kept being postponed season by season!

Flop news: Roy Hodgson has been confirmed as new England manager, ending all speculation around Harry Redknapp, I am sure the latter will be a relieved man as much as the prior is proud! I still expect the worst come Euro 2012, it's England we're on about! All my life it has been an impossible job for any man and after seeing how he fared at Liverpool, I don't think Hodgson has what it takes. No one has! Good luck Hodgson!

My predictions - Useless as always! - Actual results:

Week 32:

Swansea 1:2 Newcastle - 0:2

Sunderland 1:2 Tottenham - 0:0

Bolton 0:0 Fulham - 0:3

Chelsea 3:1 Wigan - 2:1

Liverpool 2:2 Aston Villa - 1:1

Norwich 1:1 Everton - 2:2

West Brom 1:0 Blackburn - 3:0

Stoke 2:1 Wolves - 2:1

Man United 3:1 QPR - 2:0

Arsenal 1:0 Man City - 1:0

Week 33:

Everton 1:0 Sunderland - 4:0

Newcastle 2:0 Bolton - 2:0

Tottenham 4:0 Norwich - 1:2

Aston Villa 1:1 Stoke - 1:1

Fulham 2:1 Chelsea - 1:1

Blackburn 0:0 Liverpool - 2:3

Man City 3:0 West Brom - 4:0

Wigan 0:4 Man United - 1:0

Wolves 0:3 Arsenal - 0:3

QPR 2:2 Swansea - 3:0

Week 34:

Norwich 0:1 Man City - 1:6

Sunderland 3:0 Wolves - 0:0

Swansea 0:0 Blackburn - 3:0

West Brom 3:0 QPR - 1:0

Man United 2:0 Aston Villa - 4:0

Arsenal 3:0 Wigan - 1:2

Liverpool 2:0 Fulham - 0:1*

Stoke 0:1 Everton - 1:1*

Chelsea 2:1 Newcastle - 0:2"

Bolton 2:1 Tottenham - 1:4"

*postponed to 1st May

"postponed to 2nd May

Week 35:

Arsenal 2:1 Chelsea - 0:0

Aston Villa 2:1 Sunderland - 0:0

Blackburn 2:1 Norwich - 2:0

Bolton 2:1 Swansea - 1:1

Fulham 2:1 Wigan - 2:1

Newcastle 2:1 Stoke - 3:0

QPR 2:1 Tottenham - 1:0

Man United 2:1 Everton - 4:4

Liverpool 2:1 West Brom - 0:1

Wolves 2:1 Man City - 0:2

Wolves are relegated

Week 36:

Everton 2:0 Fulham - 4:0

Stoke 1:2 Arsenal - 1:1

Sunderland 2:0 Bolton - 2:2

Swansea 3:0 Wolves - 4:4

West Brom 2:1 Aston Villa - 0:0

Wigan 1:2 Newcastle - 4:0

Norwich 2:2 Liverpool - 0:3

Chelsea 2:0 QPR - 6:1

Tottenham 3:1 Blackburn - 2:0

Man City 0:0 Man United - 1:0

Week 24: Premier League Tops and Flops

Sports - Football - Premier League - Picks of the Weekend

Top game: The first half at Stamford Bridge was relatively uneventful, not much happening, nothing note-worthy anyway, apart from Chelsea taking the lead through a Jonny Evans own goal. Then in the second half it all kicked off! Chelsea took 30 seconds to double their lead, throwing Sir Alex Ferguson's half-time team talk out the window. Four minutes later it was 3-0 and I would have liked to have seen one blue fan not celebrating three points in the bag. But two penalties later and a Javier Hernandez header six minutes from time, the comeback drama was complete! Typical United!

Top team: Never write off Arsenal, or Manchester United. If there is one thing we have learned over the last couple of decades, it is that just when you think they are going to fall they make a comeback, which makes script writing in the title drama(s) impossible! I found it very amusing to hear the commentators criticise Arsenal when Blackburn equalised against the run of play. They were picking out the Gunners' faults, gaps and recklessness and predicting their downfall if they continued like that. If only they had know what was going to follow... I would have liked to have seen the odds on a 7-1 Arsenal win at that point! Martin O'Neill and Sunderland need a mention in this category as they are top of the form table with five wins in the last six.

Top player: Robin van Persie had to make up for last week's goalless display and he more than did so with a hat-trick. On-loan star Thierry Henry poked his nose onto the scoreboard right at the end too, just to remind the Dutchman he has some French competition. But they played well together, 7-1 reflecting that more than clearly. A great contrast to last week's frustrating disappointment, I have to say!

Top goal: Papiss Cisse's debut goal for Newcastle was a stunning left-foot strike! He looks to have hooked up a very promising partnership with his countryman Demba Ba. Credit where credit is due, Alan Pardew has been mastering his job, getting the right players and right results, taking his side within a point of Chelsea and the top four!
Morten Gamst Pedersen's equalising free kick for Blackburn against Arsenal was a breathtaking goal too! Juan Mata's smacker to make it 2-0 for Chelsea against United was a perfect start to the second half!

Top news: Harry Redknapp was cleared on both counts of cheating the public revenue on Wednesday and on the same day, just hours later, he shot up to become the favourite to become the new England manager ahead of Euro 2012. What a difference a day makes, ey? He's doing so well at Spurs, I just don't want to see him ruining his managerial career like so many have done beforehand by taking on an impossible job!

Flop game and team: Everton's draw at Wigan was a scrappy game which did not see much action until the last 15 minutes. Liverpool's goalless draw against Tottenham kept their unbeaten home record intact, taking the run to 15 games. It was a big improvement compared to the 4-1 thrashing Liverpool got the last time these two sides met, however, the Reds will be more frustrated with yet another draw with eight out of twelve home games ending up with just one point in the bag for Liverpool. Spurs deserved the point for their gritty defending, showing backbone, eventhough they missed their manager and key players.

Flop player: Djibril Cisse's red card turned him from hero to zero for QPR. The Frenchman scored a superb debut goal last week. This week, he raised his hand to fight off defender Roger Johnson, a stupid, stupid mistake. In contrast to that, Robert Huth's sending off for Stoke was harsh. He went for the ball, got the ball, but due to the weather conditions and snowy, slippery field, he took Sunderland's David Meyler with him. Referee Martin Arkinson should have considered both those factors in his decision. But he is known for his hard line on such tackles, having sent off Jack Rodwell and Yohan Cabaye for similar tackles in the past.

Flop goal: I don't know how Fernando Torres could miss that! He found the gap, raced into the box and then instead of shooting he just danced an extra couple of steps of tango which in the end wasted the chance and lost possession. Tim Howard's SPILL gifted Wigan a goal against Everton, what a howler! The goalkeeper failed to collect a ball and saw it deflect off his own player Phil Neville. OUCH! This weekend saw a collection own goalss/deflections/dodgy penalty decisions! CRINGE!

Flop news: And England have more than enough excuses to flop in a major competition yet again. Fabio Capello's resignation after the FA's decision to strip John Terry of his England captaincy due to the pending racism case against him is a farce! The whole thing is a farce! Euro 2012 - forget about it!

Forgot my predictions this week, so here are just the results:

Arsenal 7-1 Blackburn

Norwich 2-0 Bolton

QPR 1-2 Wolves

Stoke 0-1 Sunderland

West Brom 1-2 Swansea

Wigan 1-1 Everton

Man City 3-0 Fulham

Newcastle 2-1 Aston Villa

Chelsea 3-3 Man United

Liverpool 0-0 Tottenham