Back to Boot Camp
Where have you been? We’ve missed you so much!
Yes, the great Server Meltdown of 2010 is over, and everything now seems to be back in order. You might notice that we don’t exactly do this for money, as evidenced by our lack of ads, and our lack of eye-catching graphic design. Well, if you like us and want to help us get some better web hosting, maybe you could purchase one of them t-shirts we are flogging over there to the right? I know, I know. Begging is so very uncool. But hey, just saying, you get what you pay for!
Speaking of which… there is some brilliant armchair analysis, fixtures, and your comments after the hop.
Right, so on to the football. Probably today’s most intriguing match is Stoke at home versus Spurs. Stoke have been very solid at the Brittania Stadium this season, where they have conceded all of 9 goals. Spurs, on the other hand, will be trying to hold on to fourth place, and they’ll have to do it without Jermain Defoe, who is out with the dreaded six-week hamstring injury. Today also marks Ryan Shawcross’s return from suspension after that incident against Arsenal. The less said about that the better, but trust me, it will be an ad naseum talking point. Unfortunately, this match is on Fox Soccer Plus, which I believe is currently available to all of 3 people in Guam. Oh well.
Elsewhere, Aston Villa hosts Wolves in the early EPL match, as Arsenal hosts Wet Spam. Both winnable home games for two teams hoping to remain in contention for fourth place and the EPL title race respectively. Hull makes their Phil Brown-less debut against Pompey today, which is certainly as good a game as any for Sloth Dowie to take the reins. In Serie A, Roma and Inter each have fixtures after their high and low of midweek European action. It’ll be interesting to see how the teams respond, especially given Inter’s poor run in the Italian league of late. And then in the Championship, Newcastle are away to Bristol City, who like Hull will be looking to the proverbial new manager effect. Newcastle, however, have a real chance to solidify their lead in the Fizzy Pop league and look to be a good bet for an eventual return to the EPL.
Oh and tonight marks the grand opening of the Red Bulls Arena, where yours truly and Ned will be there to watch Robinho Juan Pablo Angel a bunch of players we have never heard of at a beautiful new soccer-specific stadium, which will soon be sitting unused due to the MLS strike.
Without further ado, today’s selected fixtures….
EPL
—–
8:30 Aston Villa vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (ESPN2)
11:00 Stoke City vs Tottenham Hotspur (Fox Soccer Plus)
11:00 Everton vs Bolton (FSC)
11:00 Portsmouth vs Hull City
11:00 Sunderland vs Birmingham
11:00 Wigan vs Burnley
1:30 Arsenal vs West Ham (FSC)
Rest of the World
—–
10:30 Eintracht Frankfurt vs Bayern München (ESPN360.com, ESPN Deportes)
11:00 Middlesbrough vs Reading
11:00 Swindon vs Norwich City (Ned’s House)
11:00 Wycombe vs Exeter City (Spectator’s House)
11:00 Aberdeen vs Dundee United (u75′s House)
1:00 Deportivo La Coruña vs Real Valladolid (ESPN360.com, ESPN Deportes)
1:00 Fiorentina vs Genoa (ESPN360.com, Fox Soccer Plus)
1:20 Bristol City vs Newcastle United
1:30 Borussia Dortmund vs Bayer Leverkusen (Gol)
2:45 PSV vs Twente (ESPN360.com)
3:00 Real Madrid vs Sporting Gijón (ESPN360.com, ESPN Deportes)
3:45 Palermo vs Inter Milan (FSC)
3:45 AS Roma vs Udinese (ESPN360.com)
4:00 Palmeiras vs Ponte Preta (Gol)
5:00 Espanyol vs Sevilla (ESPN360.com, ESPN Deportes
6:30 New York Red Bulls vs Santos FC (FSC)
Morning all!
Where is Keith? I’m so disappointed in him… it’s 8.30am and he’s not here with Aston Villa team news!
What gives, Keith?
Guess I’ll have to do his job…
Aston Villa: Friedel, Cuellar, Collins, Dunne, Warnock, Ashley Young, Milner, Petrov, Downing, Carew, Heskey.
Subs: Guzan, Luke Young, Sidwell, Albrighton, Delfouneso, Beye, Clark.
Wolverhampton: Hahnemann, Zubar, Craddock, Berra, Ward, Foley, Guedioura, Henry, David Jones, Jarvis, Doyle.
Subs: Hennessey, Elokobi, Ebanks-Blake, Keogh, Iwelumo, Milijas, Mancienne.
Referee: Mark Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear)
tommy smyth’s suit/shirt/tie combo is out of control
Everything about Tommy Smyth is out of control. His opinions, his mental capacity, his catchphrasing.
Of course, Tommy! The match-up you’re most looking forward to is the convoluted one! The only two Irish guys on the pitch, Doyle v. Dunne! Yes! Definitely a key struggle there. And has nothing to do with the Irishness you fake weekly, Mr. Smyth.
Morning gents, nice that the early game is an hour later eh?
Oh! What a chance that was
Desperate defense by Wolves and, dare I say, good refereeing
@orr – agreed; I didn’t think either of those were deserving of a PK
NORVEGE!
Offsides but still, 3 orange shirts around him
Must say the commentator called Young beating Zubar with Wolves leaving him on an island
Annnnd we’re in sixth. F**k.
Yeah! Game on!
well alrighty then, Wolves!
Jody Craddock for the Money Square!
Morning, Georger. Solid post on ATD, mate.
AND DAVID JONES MAKES IT 2-1 WANDERERS!!!
Ha, Milner own goal!
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
lves
Thanks pookie.
Milner with a hand in two of three today.
Nice, Liverpool’s quest for 4th has had me rooting for some odd team lately
Georger: you got it wrong.
Ives would say… “Wolves are beating Aston Villa. What do you think about this? Share your thoughts below.”
teams, plural
Downing FTL
No way in hell is this finishing 11 v 11, granted Petrov should be off already.
How is this a**hole still out there?
Doyle’s pass just outsmarted everyone…
This is Keystone Cops-like
I picked a Villa win in my betting pool, but I should know better; never bet on fierce local derbies! Wolves, desperate as they may be, will always find some way to give Villa trouble.
AND WHERE IS KEITH FOR THIS BLOODSHED?!?!
Did Cuellar start as striker, or am I missing something? He’s practically built a home inside the Wolves box.
Hopefully drinking heavily somewhere
MON is gonna have to choke a bitch….
Woooooo McCarthy!
Fancy that: the EPL’s lowest scorers (Wolves) have scored twice against the EPL’s stingiest defense (Villa). I love derby days
Mexican Burt Reynolds is killing me with this commercial.
Whoa, ESPN2. Advertising DirecTV Mas? What the heck is that?
Georger: ha! Was just wondering the same. He’s so jovial about his Spanish satellites.
Oh, first time seeing the Villa goal, I think that’s onside.
Yeah whenever I see that commercial I think I’m watching Deportes.
A pig’s ear?
fwiw, I think Hahnemann would have stopped Downing there anyway, he got over well.
Tommy Smyth should forever cease talking after that Downing pun…..
CAMON WOLVES!!!!
Tommy Smyth IS Don Johnson!
Seriously how are the ESPN wardrobe people so bad at their job?
The sad thing is, I’m totally going to buy that ESPN the Magazine.
Ryan: you should. I worked on it. shhhh
U2 song aside, that Martin Tyler commercial is great.
Georger: You respect that song! I did in showchoir in high school!!!!
Or don’t, your choice
Full Disclosure: I f**king hate U2
That’s probably the closest “respect” and “showchoir” have ever been to each other.
Thankyou. U2 are terrible.
I just figured it out: from that wide angle, Tommy Smyth looks like Paul Schaffer
Touche sir
Agreed, Georger. I don’t get how “Beautiful Day” became the de facto sports highlight package song
“This big, stout, Cameroonian unit”
Erm. Uncomfortable.
“Young and Dunne” = Seals and Crofts for the 21st century
morning all.
what world is this where wolves are playing well on the road?
Jesus Christ…. someone tell Cuellar to stop being so eager. He’s a right-back trying to float in crosses on his left foot. You’re not Ashley Young. Recognize that.
Morning Omar. To answer your question: they’re playing Villa. ‘Nuff said.
Nice dribble, Dunne.
Also, commentator: how does a Wolf wilt? You note that Wolves haven’t wilted, and yet I didn’t think that was possible.
lol @ dunne calling off young and then dribbling out of bounds
Whoa, a little nonchalant there from Hahnemann.
is heskey alive?
Does anyone else ever wonder if the moving/animated sideline ads ever distract a player?
If this were baseball the players would be complaining about it. Because they’re massive fairies.
No more than folks moving in the crowd I would think
mancienne could not look more disinterested as he is coming on. i find that a little disturbing
This has the feel of Villa’s 2-1 lead over United last year.
i f**king hate that game Georger.
Morning all. Long week and presumed Villa walk-over led to me missing the 1st half. Usual good planning on my part…
What a scramble there
What game? The Villa United game, or Hollywood Squares?
me too, TFA and Georger. I hate Villa for that. Hold United to a point, and we win the league maybe. I’ll ignore the fact that we allowed Arshavin to single-handedly wreck us…
Villa – United in 2009.
Villa are all over them but man are they getting all the calls (or lack thereof) here.
There’s still so much time in this match and Villa has been piling on the pressure all half. Cautious hopefulness is about all I can muster for this match. I can’t even say I’m optimistic.
for all the talk about how much deeper villa are this year steve sidwell is not really striking fear in anyones heart
In other news, MLS labor Armageddon appears to have been avoided.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/soccer/6922397.html
That’s because he has no soul, Omar
Of course.
john carew with an ugly ugly equalizer
Dammit. I think that’s onside.
Damnit!
NORVEGE AGAIN!
They’re playing like Bolton……only with good wingers
@NYK I prefer NORGE.
So both goals are borderline offsides calls and Petrov should have had three yellows already. It really IS like a United game!
The equalizer was inevitable. Just let’s all hope Wolves don’t sit back and try to absorb 8 minutes of pressure
dammit, see what happens when mix footy and March Madness?
I thought that Mario Balotelli had quit as Oregon AD to work in TV.
Villa are playing such an efficient English game right…..a la old school Watford
Mandatory Iwelumo video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQJtViqs1Bo
the announcer calling the wolves sub an uncomplicated battering ram is a compliment, right?
Offsides aside, we must give Marcus Hahnemann props for being the only terrible Yank goalie in England. He f**king dove over the ball, ferchrissakes
@Ryan, When he came on, I was just mentioning that to my gf, well that, and the fact that he was the star ST on my Brighton save
Lol @ Sidwell trying to haul Kevin Doyle to his feet
We will surely take that!
Why would you do that?
Alright, I’ll take it
Two points dropped.
I’ll take it. Plus, I had Carew on my fantasy team this week.
It’s still dropped points! With Spurs sure to draw at Stoke and Citeh (who the heck knows)… I like this. Sets the stage for another Vidic red card and Torres brace tomorrow morning.
Nice point for Wolves.
Iain Dowie has not included Jozy Altidore in the 18 today, so I guess I’ll watch Peter Crouch for two hours.