Home
The Premiership Weekend Winners And Losers
Neither ManYoo nor Chelski put on much of a show in the Showdown, but at least the Premiership has a genuine title fight to behold...
Winners
Chelski
The resilience of the champions is remarkable to behold. Undaunted by a raucous Old Trafford, Chelski's comeback was a salient reminder that their awesome physical power is still matched by their mental strength in adversity. The stuff of champions indeed.
Nonetheless, Jose Mourinho must be concerned that second-half domination scarcely yielded a tangible threat. The two superstars were, once again, sluggish and defeat was only avoided by the abandonment of Mourinho's preferred formation.
Against a fellow heavyweight, rather than Premiership ordinariness, brute strength isn't sufficient and both refinement and width are required. The introduction of Arjen Robben was a tacit acknowledgment that a wingless midfield is severely limited.
The half-time rejig turned the match, but Sir Alex arguably missed a trick of his own by failing to switch Wayne Rooney to the left in order to curb the rampaging Michael Essien.
ManYoo
It's tempting to put ManYoo in the losers' section because they squandered a clear opportunity to take a six-point lead over a side that essentially failed to create a clear-cut goalscoring opportunity.
Sir Alex accepted that a draw was a better result for Chelski than ManYoo but only on the basis that "we were the better team". Far from it. The visitors held 58% of possession and recorded twice as many shots on target.
A draw was a fair outcome simply because neither side created enough chances to deserve victory. Even Louis Saha's terrific strike was the only memorable moment in an otherwise messy half-hour.
The solace for Sir Alex is that, with a third of the season elapsed, his side remain league leaders and genuine contenders in a two-horse race. Lest we forget, just twelve months ago Sir Alex was enveloped by the worse crisis of his Old Trafford reign in fifteen years.
And yet. Ricardo Carvalho's brave header fashioned a three-point swing - something that Sir Alex will undoubtedly mourn in the pivotal winter months. Jose's barb that "it is a good result because Manchester United lost a big, big chance to open the gap to six points" will sting because it is irrefutable.
Moreover, the disappointment at an opportunity missed will be tinged by a foreboding that the season will be determined by an uneven battle between ManYoo's ageing team and Chelski's mammoth squad. There can only be one winner when, as on Sunday, Chelski can introduce Joe Cole, Arjen Robben and Paulo Ferreira, whereas ManYoo cannot fill their substitutes' bench with an attacker and have turn to the dismal talents of Darren Fletcher and John O'Shea instead.
Michael Essien
Presumably the only sensible explanation for why Michael Carrick was named Man of the Match by Sky Sports over the indefatigable Essien is that the ManYoo midfielder speaks English fluently and the award happened to be chaired by Steve McClaren.
Howard Webb
We ask our referees to be consistent and, in fairness to Mr Webb, he favoured ManYoo in all of the 50/50 decisions.
Steven Gerrard
Hey presto, back in the centre and scoring his first league goal of the season.
The stats state that Gerrard netted the vast majority of his goals in 2005/06 from the right of midfield but logic dictates that he is a more potent player, and a more likely goalscorer, when he is picked in his preferred position.
Eggert Magnusson
Let's hope first appearances are deceptive. An ostentatious celebration and the manipulation of a West Ham scarf-wearing toddler was the behaviour of a cynical politician rather than a benevolent chairman.
Big Earners
News of Wayne Rooney's bumper £35m six-year-deal is bound to prompt renewed complaints from the Jumper For Goalposts brigade about the state of the game but what of Terence Brown? In becoming the former chairman of West Ham United last week, Brown reaped approximately £34m and a snazzy new title of non-executive director.
An understanding of the stock exchange will provide a direct explanation for why Brown has acquired his windfall but not a justification. The publicity-shy businessman was subject to a longstanding 'Brown out' campaign by disgruntled fans, although critics must tread warily after he successfully sued a supporters' pressure group for alledging finanical incompetence. It's unknown whether the funds garnered directly from Hammers fans in the out-of-court settlement was then donated to the club or not.
By any rational assessment, Rooney's weekly wage of £100,000 is offensive. But at least he produces and entertains. What tangible dividend did Brown produce for West Ham before he sold his shares? After almost ten years of complaints that he failed to put in what his club received from transfer sales, Brown still remains on the board despite, until recently, blocking the Magnusson takeover in favour of courting Kia Joorabchian.
Not that it matters a jot, it seems, to the West Ham faithful. Their heads turned by the promise of instant windfall, the dismal morality of their takeover tale has been shamefully ignored.
Bolton Wanderers
What they do they do very well. Nicolas Anelka took the headlines for his two-goal salvo against his former employers but the best player on the pitch was El-Hadji Diouf. One of the many reasons he is such a loathsome character is because beneath the loathsome façade is a very decent player.
Bolton's Twelfth Defender
Arsenal have hit the woodwork at the Reebok Stadium six times in the past eleven months.
Dimitar Berbatov
Given that the accepted period of acclimatisation to the Premiership is six months, the impressive Bulgarian is way ahead of schedule. Martin Jol rotates his front two as frequently as Rafa Benitez, but it is inconceivable that Berbatov will not figure in next weekend's North London derby.
Andy Reid
However, a professional footballer really shouldn't possess such a vast distance between his hips.
Newcastle United
The Toon's first win in ten games and their best performance of the season. Even Titus Bramble played well.
Yes, you read that right.
Losers
Andriy Shevchenko
Shevchenko's display at Old Trafford was worse than abysmal. One snap-shot sailed fully twenty yards over the bench. In general play, he was heavy-legged and repeatedly out-muscled. Mourinho hauled the Ukrainian off after 75 minutes and must surely be considering omitting the £30m misfit altogether in order to provide his side with the necessary cohesion and cutting edge.
Arsenal and Arsene Wenger
Arsenal were the better side at the Reebok and yet, as Arsene Wenger effectively admitted, they still didn't deserve victory. The apparent contradiction has been the running theme of the Gunners' misfiring season.
For the umpteenth occasion since August, profligacy and soft defending ensured that their superior play went to waste. "I am sad for my team because they gave a lot and played well," said Wenger. "But overall we did not control well the decisive moments in the game, particularly on the first goal. You cannot come to Bolton and give them freedom of movement on corners."
It was a fair reflection, but, as manager, Wenger should also take a measure of responsibility for the lack of defensive nous from set-pieces which included the remarkable sight of Cesc Fabregas stationed at the near post.
Wenger's claim that "offensively we were good," is also questionable given the number of missed chances that, as usual, went begging. Wenger's sympathetic toleration of such profligacy does not inspire confidence that his charges will soon find their shooting boots. A Fergusonesque tirade is surely in order.
Aston Villa
A draw is becoming a costly habit for Villa. Saturday's stalemate with Middlesbrough was their eighth of the season. Despite losing just one match, only a single point separates Aston Villa from Reading who have been defeated on six occasions but drawn just once.
Fulham and Ian Pearce
It is easy to be gracious in victory but Steve Coppell's grievance at the last man rule is justified. The law was introduced to punish cynical attempts to deny a clear goalscoring opportunity. It becomes unjust when a misjudged tackle in the penalty box earns the triple whammy of a penalty, a dismissal and a suspension.
The balance of justice sways too far in the opposite direction if, far from being denied a goalscoring opportunity, the opposition are awarded a match-winning opening instead.
Neither ManYoo nor Chelski put on much of a show in the Showdown, but at least the Premiership has a genuine title fight to behold...
Winners
Chelski
The resilience of the champions is remarkable to behold. Undaunted by a raucous Old Trafford, Chelski's comeback was a salient reminder that their awesome physical power is still matched by their mental strength in adversity. The stuff of champions indeed.
Nonetheless, Jose Mourinho must be concerned that second-half domination scarcely yielded a tangible threat. The two superstars were, once again, sluggish and defeat was only avoided by the abandonment of Mourinho's preferred formation.
Against a fellow heavyweight, rather than Premiership ordinariness, brute strength isn't sufficient and both refinement and width are required. The introduction of Arjen Robben was a tacit acknowledgment that a wingless midfield is severely limited.
The half-time rejig turned the match, but Sir Alex arguably missed a trick of his own by failing to switch Wayne Rooney to the left in order to curb the rampaging Michael Essien.
ManYoo
It's tempting to put ManYoo in the losers' section because they squandered a clear opportunity to take a six-point lead over a side that essentially failed to create a clear-cut goalscoring opportunity.
Sir Alex accepted that a draw was a better result for Chelski than ManYoo but only on the basis that "we were the better team". Far from it. The visitors held 58% of possession and recorded twice as many shots on target.
A draw was a fair outcome simply because neither side created enough chances to deserve victory. Even Louis Saha's terrific strike was the only memorable moment in an otherwise messy half-hour.
The solace for Sir Alex is that, with a third of the season elapsed, his side remain league leaders and genuine contenders in a two-horse race. Lest we forget, just twelve months ago Sir Alex was enveloped by the worse crisis of his Old Trafford reign in fifteen years.
And yet. Ricardo Carvalho's brave header fashioned a three-point swing - something that Sir Alex will undoubtedly mourn in the pivotal winter months. Jose's barb that "it is a good result because Manchester United lost a big, big chance to open the gap to six points" will sting because it is irrefutable.
Moreover, the disappointment at an opportunity missed will be tinged by a foreboding that the season will be determined by an uneven battle between ManYoo's ageing team and Chelski's mammoth squad. There can only be one winner when, as on Sunday, Chelski can introduce Joe Cole, Arjen Robben and Paulo Ferreira, whereas ManYoo cannot fill their substitutes' bench with an attacker and have turn to the dismal talents of Darren Fletcher and John O'Shea instead.
Michael Essien
Presumably the only sensible explanation for why Michael Carrick was named Man of the Match by Sky Sports over the indefatigable Essien is that the ManYoo midfielder speaks English fluently and the award happened to be chaired by Steve McClaren.
Howard Webb
We ask our referees to be consistent and, in fairness to Mr Webb, he favoured ManYoo in all of the 50/50 decisions.
Steven Gerrard
Hey presto, back in the centre and scoring his first league goal of the season.
The stats state that Gerrard netted the vast majority of his goals in 2005/06 from the right of midfield but logic dictates that he is a more potent player, and a more likely goalscorer, when he is picked in his preferred position.
Eggert Magnusson
Let's hope first appearances are deceptive. An ostentatious celebration and the manipulation of a West Ham scarf-wearing toddler was the behaviour of a cynical politician rather than a benevolent chairman.
Big Earners
News of Wayne Rooney's bumper £35m six-year-deal is bound to prompt renewed complaints from the Jumper For Goalposts brigade about the state of the game but what of Terence Brown? In becoming the former chairman of West Ham United last week, Brown reaped approximately £34m and a snazzy new title of non-executive director.
An understanding of the stock exchange will provide a direct explanation for why Brown has acquired his windfall but not a justification. The publicity-shy businessman was subject to a longstanding 'Brown out' campaign by disgruntled fans, although critics must tread warily after he successfully sued a supporters' pressure group for alledging finanical incompetence. It's unknown whether the funds garnered directly from Hammers fans in the out-of-court settlement was then donated to the club or not.
By any rational assessment, Rooney's weekly wage of £100,000 is offensive. But at least he produces and entertains. What tangible dividend did Brown produce for West Ham before he sold his shares? After almost ten years of complaints that he failed to put in what his club received from transfer sales, Brown still remains on the board despite, until recently, blocking the Magnusson takeover in favour of courting Kia Joorabchian.
Not that it matters a jot, it seems, to the West Ham faithful. Their heads turned by the promise of instant windfall, the dismal morality of their takeover tale has been shamefully ignored.
Bolton Wanderers
What they do they do very well. Nicolas Anelka took the headlines for his two-goal salvo against his former employers but the best player on the pitch was El-Hadji Diouf. One of the many reasons he is such a loathsome character is because beneath the loathsome façade is a very decent player.
Bolton's Twelfth Defender
Arsenal have hit the woodwork at the Reebok Stadium six times in the past eleven months.
Dimitar Berbatov
Given that the accepted period of acclimatisation to the Premiership is six months, the impressive Bulgarian is way ahead of schedule. Martin Jol rotates his front two as frequently as Rafa Benitez, but it is inconceivable that Berbatov will not figure in next weekend's North London derby.
Andy Reid
However, a professional footballer really shouldn't possess such a vast distance between his hips.
Newcastle United
The Toon's first win in ten games and their best performance of the season. Even Titus Bramble played well.
Yes, you read that right.
Losers
Andriy Shevchenko
Shevchenko's display at Old Trafford was worse than abysmal. One snap-shot sailed fully twenty yards over the bench. In general play, he was heavy-legged and repeatedly out-muscled. Mourinho hauled the Ukrainian off after 75 minutes and must surely be considering omitting the £30m misfit altogether in order to provide his side with the necessary cohesion and cutting edge.
Arsenal and Arsene Wenger
Arsenal were the better side at the Reebok and yet, as Arsene Wenger effectively admitted, they still didn't deserve victory. The apparent contradiction has been the running theme of the Gunners' misfiring season.
For the umpteenth occasion since August, profligacy and soft defending ensured that their superior play went to waste. "I am sad for my team because they gave a lot and played well," said Wenger. "But overall we did not control well the decisive moments in the game, particularly on the first goal. You cannot come to Bolton and give them freedom of movement on corners."
It was a fair reflection, but, as manager, Wenger should also take a measure of responsibility for the lack of defensive nous from set-pieces which included the remarkable sight of Cesc Fabregas stationed at the near post.
Wenger's claim that "offensively we were good," is also questionable given the number of missed chances that, as usual, went begging. Wenger's sympathetic toleration of such profligacy does not inspire confidence that his charges will soon find their shooting boots. A Fergusonesque tirade is surely in order.
Aston Villa
A draw is becoming a costly habit for Villa. Saturday's stalemate with Middlesbrough was their eighth of the season. Despite losing just one match, only a single point separates Aston Villa from Reading who have been defeated on six occasions but drawn just once.
Fulham and Ian Pearce
It is easy to be gracious in victory but Steve Coppell's grievance at the last man rule is justified. The law was introduced to punish cynical attempts to deny a clear goalscoring opportunity. It becomes unjust when a misjudged tackle in the penalty box earns the triple whammy of a penalty, a dismissal and a suspension.
The balance of justice sways too far in the opposite direction if, far from being denied a goalscoring opportunity, the opposition are awarded a match-winning opening instead.
@Sheva....
wrote: