Autopost 4: Don’t Tread On Me

Incoming!

Sometimes, the week’s stories need a little more rumination, a little more thought. While we try to cover everything with speed and force, occasionally we’ll look to Autoglass to provide a little something extra from his constant cross-country business travel schedule.This is Autopost.

They Were Always Going To Lose This Match.

I will confess to being on a plane and missing the USA-Mexico match.  However, in advance of the match the build-up and hype had convinced me that the US was very unlikely to win at the Azteca.  This is not because the US is unable to win at that stadium.  It’s not because Mexico is better than the US.  And while I think he is the wrong coach for the US and should be fired, it’s not necessarily because of Bob Bradley.  I believe that the US, on its day and even under Bradley, can beat any national side in the world.  I believe that the US, in the right fixture and in the right context, could blow the Mexicans off the Azteca pitch.  But it wasn’t going to happen this past Wednesday.  More after the jump…

Our National Team has given us some impressive, battling performances.  The Egypt and Spain matches at the Confederations Cup.  The Italy match at the last World Cup Final.  The Mexico and Germany matches the Cup before.  At other times, they have been truly awful.  Most recently, as The Likely Lad has pointed out, they have been outscored 9-nil in the second halves of the Confederations Cup Final, the Gold Cup Final and this Mexico qualifier.  How can a team be world beaters one day and awful the next?

It’s about battling.  It’s about being cornered.  It’s about mindset.  The US does not have close to the tactical or technical skill to be able to compete with the best teams in the world straight up.  What we do have is moxie and heart – in abundance – when provoked.  The US is capable of playing great teams onto their heels, but only when virtually no one believes in them.  Before the Egypt and Spain matches, the US had put together such a putrid run that virtually everyone in the soccer community and media had written them off.  Same thing in the Cup Finals.  The Italy match, perhaps the best US effort in my lifetime, came after the US had practically sharded themselves the prior two group matches.

When we write them off – when the blogs are screaming and ESPN dismisses them – the US boys come out roaring.  On those occasions, the battling and heart make up for the tactical and technical gaps … and the sparks can truly fly.

Then, though, that success only brings back the hype.  “The US can win in Mexico!”  “This is the Cup Final where the US breaks through!”  The team believes that they are actually a tactically and technically world class team.  They go in thinking that they are actually good enough to win on their quality.  Missing is the battling spirit that comes from being cornered…  Splat.  Another horrid display.

This past Wednesday, we all thought the US was better than Mexico.  We told the team so.  ESPN hyped the match.  Besides, the US really didn’t need the 3 points anyway, right?  They were just cruising into the Azteca…

They never had a chance.

Where is Chelsea-Hull?!

Fellow bloggers EPLTalk broke a scoop last week that ESPN would be showing the early Saturday and Monday afternoon Premiership matches this season.  EPLTalk wrote that ESPN had “acquired” these rights.  This sent us into a bit of a tizzy at UF.  No one else was reporting this.  ESPN said nothing.  EPLTalk stood by their story.  ESPN had acquired these rights, an announcement was coming.

Then the story changed.  ESPN was negotiating.  Apparently they still are negotiating.  We think that EPLTalk was wrong with their scoop regardless of how this turns out.  We could issue a scoop like, say, “Arsenal will have many injuries this year.” or “Liverpool will not win the League this year.” and then wait for them to invariably come true.  Everyone knew that ESPN was negotiating and that Setanta is in trouble.  Negotiating is not news.  An actual deal?  That would have been a scoop.  There was no deal at the time.  This is irksome to UF.  Irksome, indeed.

However, the bigger issue is…what @#$% channel is Chelsea going to be on tomorrow morning?  They are the early game at issue this week.  Is it possible that they will not be on television at all?  Whaaaa?   But they are facing Jozy Altidore!  This is the season opener!  I must have my Blues, dammit!

Norwich and Double Standards

Norwich Ned (Bigus’ doppleganger) reported yesterday on young Wes Hoolahan’s flipping the bird to a bunch of angry and abusive Norwich supporters after their 7-1 dickstomping at the hands of local rivals Colchester.  Ned thinks everyone should calm down.  Says Wes shouldn’t have flipped the kids off but, hell, everyone was upset at the time. “Everyone relax,” says Ned, “nothing to see here…let’s move it along.”

Hold the phone.  We’ve heard from Ned, and Bigus, that Norwich are a different sort of football club.  Norwich is for the supporters, you see.  They are the power and moral authority of the club.  We know that they pick the manager (see one Mr. Bryan Gunn). Ed. Note: The Gunn has been fired. In Norwich, the squad and the support have a special bond. There is deep respect for the paying public that you just don’t see in modern football clubs.

Apparently, though, that respect only goes so far.  Ned and, it seems, most Norwich supporters are siding with Hoolahan.  You see, Mr. Hoolahan has been, perhaps, Norwich’s best player this season.  The team needs the lad!  We can’t have him suspended.  And a fine?!  Blimey, the lad might get angry and want to leave in January.  We’re in bloody League One, haven’t you noticed!!!  Those supporters who abused Wes?  Punk-ass kids is what they are.  There, there Wes.  We understand.

And thus it is proven.  Norwich supporters and Wes Hoolahan?  Why that’s a lot like the San Francisco Giant fans and Barry Bonds.  They need the player.  They need to win.  They can’t be expected to hold the player accountable for acting like a professional.  Norwich are, at least in this sense, a football club like any other.