It is what it is, because it can't be what it ain't
It’s all about that northern town today, folks, as the twin terrors of Sir Alex “Drunk and Gum-chewing” Ferguson and Roberto “Beleaguered Fashionista” Mancini do battle.
Their teams, Manchesters United and City, love nothing more than to scrap and tussle amid tense circumstances, and this game’s no different. United are finding form, albeit really really quietly, while City’s over-publicized player drama and lack of trophy-lifting consistency might have Sheikh Mansour rattled.
Wayne Rooney’s dining and training in Portland, which apparently has lots of strip clubs according to the browbeating coverage by the Daily Mail, while Carlos Tevez is mentally asunder after a recent bout of homesickness.
Both teams need their lynchpins to thrive, but both have learned how to cope in their absence. Carlito’s closer to a return than the potato-headed frontman across town, but if the early press is to be believed, he’s sitting this one out after failing to recover from his thigh strain. Mario Balotelli’s out via suspension, so it’s up to the lesser strikers, Dimitar Berbatov and Emmanuel Adebayor, to get the job done.
I’m sure it’ll be a draw.
Elsewhere, Liverpool look to ride the WINtrain back into the top 6 or 7 should they win at Wigan (prognosis: grim), Chelsea look to rebound with victory at home to Fulham, and Arsenal take their horrendous disciplinary record to Wolves, where I’m sure Mick McCarthy and Karl Henry have laid out the blood-red welcome mats.
A full slate in Serie A also awaits, along with Copa Del Rey in Spain.
Fixtures after the jump. Play nice in the comments, and limit your mockery of Paul Scholes or Nigel de Jong to one remark every 5 minutes or so. Salud!
ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE (ko: 2.45p ET unless noted)
Aston Villa v. Blackpool
Chelsea v. Fulham
Newcastle U v. Blackburn R
West Ham U v. West Bromwich A
Wigan A v. Liverpool
Wolverhampton W v. Arsenal
Everton v. Bolton W (ko: 3p ET)
Manchester C v. Manchester U (ko: 3p ET)
nPOWERSHIP
Leicester C v. Sheffield U (ko: 2.45p ET)
Swansea C v. Bristol C (ko: 2.45p ET)
Reading v. Cardiff C (ko: 3p ET)
SPL (ko: 2.45p ET unless noted)
Hearts v. Celtic (ko: 2.30p ET)
Dundee United v. St. Mirren
Kilmarnock v. Hamilton
Motherwell v. St. Johnstone
Rangers v. Hibernian
SERIE A (ko: 2.45p ET)
AC Milan v. Palermo
Brescia v. Juventus
AS Roma v. Fiorentina
Cagliari v. Napoli
Catania v. Udinese
Cesena v. Lazio
Chievo v. Bari
Genoa v. Bologna
Lecce v. Inter Milan
COPA DEL REY (ko: 3p ET unless noted)
Real Madrid v. Real Murcia (ko: 2p ET)
Real Zaragoza v. Real Betic (ko: 2p ET)
Almeria v. Real Sociedad
Atletico Madrid v. Universidad LP
Deportivo La Coruna v. Osasuna
Levante v. Xerez
Sevilla v. Real Union
Villarreal v. Poli Ejido
Athletic Bilbao v. Alcorcon (ko: 4p ET)
Barcelona v. Ceuta (ko: 4p ET)
so spurs fans….what was it like getting completely outclassed by SF Bolton?
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Isn’t that what you mean?
Poop.
That is what I thought of the Manchester game as well.
Also, at some point, Everton will start winning these games…gah…
Milan go top!
Meh, I guess it’s not an awful result, 1 point more than we took from the fixture last year. Still in decent shape table-wise as well.
Why yes, I did spend my entire 4 o clock class talking myself into that rationalization, thank you very much.
Hey, Jozy scored today in the Copa del Rey.
Blackpool play some entertaining soccerball.
Just imagine a team stocked with the talent of, oh, I dunno, Citeh, playing with the verve Blackpool do. Woof.
Yes, imagine that.
@Ryan: You must have one of your function keys programmed to take you to that story.
Welcome to my bandwagon , Marc Stein. Still plenty of room!
Villa would really have been in trouble in this match if Harewood were a decent striker.
This Phillips kid for Blackpool has got some skillz.
So, JT, where do you stand on the team Blackpool put out today?
Jebus, Harewood missed like 5 open chances in the first 50 minutes.
@Pupsters: Trust me, Harewood is the broken clock of EPL strikers
Also, Villa could have put in 5 in that match.
@Keith: That they could’ve. But no one Villa player managed to bungle the fuck out of striking in quite the same way as Harewood, which is why he drew my, um, admiration.
You can see why Blackpool goes balls-to-the-wall in the attack, though. They couldn’t defend a walnut-sized goal.
Heh, and Villar should’ve had a penalty in the 61stish minute.
Legitimate commentator funny: “You always have to expect the unexpected with Ian Holloway and Blackpool.” “What’s he going to do, try to make 4 changes?” Lulz.
(The first statement was uttered while the camera was showing Blackpool’s bench preparing for subs.)
also, Pupsters, what do you make of wee Barry Bannan?
Did he start?
I disagree that they should have had a penalty. Could’ve sworn he was outside the box. Or am the only one who saw it that way?
Nice neckbeard on Stevie by the way.
yeah; he’s the smallest guy on the pitch- in central mid.
@Ryan: Well, then it should at least have been a FK. That was a deffo foul, inside or outside the box.
@Keith: Ah. Didn’t notice him, I’m afraid (but then, I wasn’t looking for him, either). Your Youngs and Warnocks and Albrightons and Delfounesos looked quite handy, though.
you might not see him if he’s behind Ciaran Clark in any shots
@Anonsters: Certainly. Delfouneso’s goal should have stood as well.
Although Phillips just made Warnock look silly.
@Ryan: Agweed.
@Pup: yeah, Luke Young’s been like a new signing since MON left, that was Ashley’s best performance in quite some time, Albrighton has been good all year, and young Nathan has some skill.
Also, due to injuries/selling Milner/Stevie Ireland not tracking back, we’re playing a winger/second striker (Bannan, who was actually a loanee to Blackpool last year) and central defender (Clark) in central midfield.
Oh dear. Just came to Villa’s third. Terrible from Blackpool.
The two Youngs in particular were impressive in this game. Villa played some attractive soccerball from time to time. Was MON = Mancini in his, er, “ideas”?
@Keith: How does the Villa version of “The city is ours” song go?
Lovely 2nd goal for Blackpool (you highlight-watching cheater, you, Ryan).
Hahaha, look at the wankers leaving early after Blackpool’s 2nd goal. Suxx0rz.
Hey, it’s not my fault I had the sense to start the ESPN3 stream at the 55th minute.
@Ryan: there’s two- “the city is ours! (2X) Fuck off Small Heath; the city is ours!”
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or the winter wonderland tuned: “Birminghaaaaaaam are ya listenin’ to the sooooooongwe are singing? We’re walking along, singin this song. . . .shittin’ on the City as we goooooooooo-oh!
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@Pup: MON actually devolved into a more defensive manager. First year was “smash and grab (with Gavin fucking McCann in midfield),” second and third were lay deep and counter, and fourth was just “clean sheets mean you don’t lose.” We definitely didn’t pass the ball the way we’ve been doing under Houllier.
Woof, that was terrible defensing by Blackpool on the third goal. (BTW: biggest annoyance of having a beard: toothpaste in it).
I like how the guy who should be on the post isn’t on the post when the ball goes directly at the spot where the guy on the post would’ve been had the guy who should be on the post had been on the post.
@Ryan: You really should watch Villa sometime now; they actually play football, with only *GASP* ONE defensive midfielder!
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/IKNOOOOW,right?
@Keith: But then how do they manage to waste their cornucopia of attacking talent and bore the fuck out of neutrals?
@Pupsters: it’s simple, we just wait for injuries to decimate our attacking talent. Or we play Emile Heskey.
@Keith: Sounds like an unnatural way to waste talent to me. Particularly the latter course. Roberto Mancini knows what he’s doing, sir.
btw, that second song is especially fun when you’re singing it outside a pub with 300 Geordies and a handful of Villa support.
@Pupsters: Well, it’s either that or we buy Peter Crouch back.
@Keith: Oh, it’s the first the version I was asking about then. Both City and Everton have similar songs I think, but people are told to f off “back to London”, which is why I asked because the Villa song sounded different in that part.
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Also, funny joke about only having one DM. Roberto told me that wasn’t allowed.
@Keith: Please? Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease.
@Ryan: Hey, Ryan, Marc Stein has been a Man City fan for years and years. Seriously. Since I was working in newspapers. He’s always been a Citeh fan. No bandwagon there, dude.
No, I know that. I’m talking about the Free Adam Johnson bandwagon. Hop on!
Although if that hashtag has the same amount of success as the Fire Mark McGhee one, AJ may be unfree for a while.
Anyway, since when could being a Citeh fan ever be called a bandwagon? :P
It will be a sad day when Spurs have to sell the wheels off their bandwagon just to pay to clean up the mess ‘Arry left.
/unfounded
Finally watching the NUFC match…We had loads of possession, just didnt play nearly as hard as last Saturday. Tiote played like a 24 year old, our defense was far too casual with the ball, Begbie went back to being Begbie.
Disappointing, hope Hughton punishes Barton on his own…