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Zaczynamy od zaplecza, potem płynnie przechodzimy do nareszcie czysto polskiej reprezentacji piłkarskiej. Wstrząsający wywiad z nadtrenerem. Przewrócona ósemka równa się nieskończoności. Perfekcyjna obrona piłki autowej. Czesi nie wiedzieli, że mamy grać z kontry. 10 000 000 Lewandowskich. Polczak jedzie po zdjęcie z Dudkiem. Jak kominek wygrywa z sumieniem. Złotousty Lewandowski. Czekamy na mecz towarzyski z Wietnamem. Vive znowu górą. Rengifo – zawodnik młodej ekstraklasy. Martin “trzy karne” Palermo pracuje na zmianę przydomka. Szacunek dla Szczęsnego. Kogo zabraknie na Mistrzostwach Świata. Troszkę o Cristiano Ronaldo. Radwańska gra z Kuzniecową. Kubot wygrywa z Roddickiem. Relacja z Polonii Białogon. Recenzujemy film “Arbitrzy” i wracamy do sędziego Webba. Serialu komediowego Adamek – Gołota odsłona następna.

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Łódź jak Stambuł, w Katowicach komplet, przed telewizorami pusto – czyli o EuroBaskecie. Hiszpania potęgą w sportach zespołowych. Kibicowski bojkot i trener kadry, którego nie chce nikt prócz Piechniczka. Kto z polskiej ekipy pojedzie na mundial? Trzysetny klient wrocławskiej prokuratury. Polski marazm ligowy. Derby Manchesteru. Webb myii się po raz kolejny. Barcelona kontra Atletico. Real strzela po pięć bramek. Van Gaal kontra litrowy kufel. Diego traci biżuterię. Sztukmistrz Briatore. Żużel, transparenty, historia i językoznawcy. Vuelta a España i ciężko pracujący Szmyd. Sukces Maji Włoszczowskiej. Federer przegrywa z Del Potro. Polscy tenisiści za karę płacą za jabłka. Mayweather walczy z Marquezem.

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Marcin wrócił z Ringu. O malarzach flamandzkich i hokeju na lodzie. Podwójna radość w Pittsburghu. O zawiłościach przepisów w koszykówce. Pamiątkowe zdjęcie z prezydentem. Barcelona zdobywa kolejne mistrzostwo. Casus sędziego bez włosów. W jakim kierunku kłaniają się piłkarze Egiptu? Dyplomacja a la Grzegorz Lato. Nieustający kącik lingwistyczny. Kibicowanie w RPA. Perez się nie uczy. Valdes z nowym kontraktem, czyli zmiany w Barcelonie. Transfery i Ribéry. Miasto Warszawa i Polonia. Baraże odwołane. Obiecanki pana Kuchara. Aspiracje Tarasiewicza. Oresta Lenczyka w Zagłębiu przypadki. Kariera Błażeja Augustyna. Sprzedajemy Rogera. Polska gromi Czarnogórę. Paweł Abramow uczy się po polsku. Warszawa – Odessa. Belgrad i Final Six. Formuła nie wiadomo która, czyli o niewidzialnej ręce rynku. Przed Wimbledonem. Komórki PZPN walka o polonusów. Podolski w Kolonii. O Copa Libertadores rozmawiać nie będziemy.

Egypt’s favourite referee this week. Howard Webb made a bit of a boo boo in the Confederations Cup game between Brazil and Egypt last week. Late in the game Webb gave Brazil a corner before changing his mind to a penalty having consulted his linesman looked at a replay on a TV monitor (it was a handball to be fair). Kaka converted it for Brazil to win 4-3 leaving Egypt not very happy. Another team/manager he’s managed to annoy joining Harry Redknapp, Poland and Fergie.

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Another big game, another poor mistake. Howard always does it his way...

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The rest can be found here, including a rather similar idea to mine (which has usurped it it seems)…

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T.

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Older stuff here.

The Guardian reports that after Howard Webb’s controversial decision to award Brazil a penalty, after he first awarded a corner. He did this based on what he was told by the fourth official, and while it was the right move, FIFA forbid the use of video technology in matches.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter has said – ‘There is no more video use in front of the fourth official on the side of the field,” Blatter said. “So now no one can say there is interference in any decisions on the basis of video.”

You can check out the full article here.

Well, well, well. Yesterdays games really didn’t disappoint. After the opening delievered a bore 0-0 draw, and Spain’s 5-0 annihilation of  New Zealand, yesterdays games delieved just about everything you could think of. Goals galore, red cards, penalties, and a controversy surrounding Howard Webb (nothing new there though ).

First up was Brazil vs Egypt, Brazil are the current champions, having won the competition when it was held last in 2005. But they only looked a shadow of their former self yesterday, as the game went right down to the wire. At half-time it looked all but over for Egypt, as Brazil were 3-1 up, through goals from Kaka, Luis Fabiano, and Juan, while Zidan scored for Egypt.

It was the 55th minute when the game hit a turning point, as two goals in quick succession from Egypt, by Zidan and Shawky, drew the match up at 3-3, suddenly Egypt looked like they were going to win this, and if not they were sure to get a point. But thats when controversy stuck. In the 89th minute, Premier League referee, Howard Webb, awarded Brazil a penalty, but only after consulation of the fourth-official via his earpiece. However the decision was correct, as Ahmed Al Muhamadi had clearly handled the ball, subsequently he was sent off.

The controversy that is surrounding the game is, Webb appeared to give a corner at first to Brazil but later changed his mind. Referees are allowed to consult with their assistants but the use of television replays is not sanctioned by FIFA, even in this case if it was the right decision.

This was certainly Brazil’s get out of jail card, as Kaka converted the penalty, sealing a 4-3 win for Brazil.

In our evening game, the USA took on the current World Champions Italy. Italy, making their Confederations Cup debut, began without injured skipper Fabio Cannavaro. It was the Americans who looked the best side in the first half, but had midfielder Ricardo Clark sent-off after a late challenge on Gattuso. To me it was no surprise that the USA took the lead five minutes before half-time after they got a penalty, which was converted by Donovan, a well deserved lead for the USA.

Italian coach Marcello Lippi had a secret weapon up his sleeve however, as he brought former Manchester United striker Giuseppe Rossi, who scored a minute after coming on, and drew the game up at 1-1.  The USA’s disadvantage of only having 10 men was clear to see, so it was no shock when the took the lead from a fantastic goal by De Rossi. The Americans did have their chances, and one could argue that on another day they may have scored more. It was game over on the 90th minute when Rossi struck again. Giving the Italians a 3-1 win.

When you look at how Italy played overall, they didn’t deserve to win. But the goals they scored were simply fantastic.

Today we have a rest day in South Africa, before it all kicks off again tomorrow – with Spain vs Iraq and South Africa vs New Zealand.

El Daily Telegraph demuestra que el francés batió a Petr Cech a los 24’, aunque el acta oficializa el tanto a los 25

La final de la FA Cup disputada ayer y que significó el quinto título en la historia del Chelsea, será recordada por el gol inicial de Louis Saha a los 25 segundos de partido, el más rápido en la historia de las finales.

Pese a que el colegiado del partido, Howard Webb, anotó en el acta que el tanto del galo llegó a los 25’ -marca oficial que quedará en los registros históricos-, la edición digital del periódico Daily Telegraph demuestra hoy que el esférico entró en la portería de Petr Cech a los 24’.

El gol de Saha no significó el fin de la sequía de títulos del Everton que no levanta un trofeo desde la FA Cup de 1995, ya que Didier Drogba (21’) y Frank Lampard (72’) lograron darle la vuelta al marcador y llevar la quinta Copa de Inglaterra a las vitrinas de Stamford Bridge.

Sin embargo, el ex del United superó un record centenario que estableció el jugador del Aston Villa Bob Chatt en 1895, que anotó a los 30 segundos en la final que el conjunto de Birmingham ganó al West Bromwich (1-0).

Endnu et fremragende resultat for The Cottagers denne lørdag, da turen til Newcastles St. James Park gav tre point yderligere i kampen for europæisk fodbold i næste sæson.

Det kunne dog være gået meget anderledes, hvis dommer Howard Webb havde anerkendt Mark Vidukas udlignende mål i starten af anden halvleg, men det vender jeg tilbage til.

Newcastle sad på det meste i første halvleg, men kunne, udover Obafemi Martins stolpeskud i det 15. minut, ikke notere mange forsøg mod Mark Schwarzers mål.

Fulham sluttede dog halvlegen bedst af og efter Erik Nevland havde brændt en stor chance seks minutter før tid, gjorde han skaden god igen, da nordmanden serverede et indlæg i fødderne på Diomansy Kamara, der køligt kunne sætte den op i nettaget til en 1-0 føring!

Den senegalesiske hitman er simpelthen on fire lige i tiden og man spekulerer (og håber) på, om ikke Bobby Zamora nu er fjerdevalg til angrebet efter både Kamara og Nevland har vist fantastisk form.

Newcastle startede også anden halvleg bedst og kunne med lidt held havde bragt sig foran, men Martins’ helflugter fløj forbi kassen efter et godt oplæg af Danny Guthrie.

Og efter fem minutter kom hændelsen, som alle bagefter talte om!

Viduka så ud til at have passeret Schwarzer ganske legitimt, men dommer Webb gav frispark til gæsterne, da han var af den mening, at Kevin Nolan havde begået frispark mod den australske ankermand.

Selv med farvede øjne lignede det en tynd beslutning, men jeg kan mindes flere hændelser, hvor Webb tidligere har bortdømt Fulham (Bl.a. ved et Solano-mål i sidste sæson for Villa, hvor peruvianeren sparkede Niemi i hovedet!), så hey; I don’t really give a flying fuck…

Og efter en time fik Sebastian Bassong korrekt rødt kort som sidste mand for at stoppe Kamara, hvilket fuldendte hjemmeholdets elendighed…

Resten af kampen havde Newcastle bolden mest, men heldigvis for Fulham forblev det 0-1 på tavlen…

Alan Shearer var efter kampen, ganske retfærdigt, pissed off (Hvilket formodentlig forklarer de irrationelle kommentarer om Taylor):

“Probably what has happened is the goal on Monday night from Steven Taylor has been highlighted that much this week that one or two people have thought, ‘We might try to clamp down on that this weekend’.

“You are allowed to put someone in front of the goalkeeper – I am not aware that you are meant to get out of the way of him.

“I thought their player was blocking him more than Kevin Nolan was, so I am disappointed with that.”

Selvom det ser meget sort ud for Newcastle, håber jeg da, de klarer den, da Premier League ikke ville være det samme uden galehuset fra nordøst..

Desuden ser jeg gerne oldingene fra Hull og crazy man Phil Brown ryge retur til Championship! Toon tager turen til Birmingham for at møde formsvage Aston Villa i sidste runde, mens Hull tager imod mestrene fra Manchester United, der hævede trofæet i denne weekend (Og tillykke til dem…)!

Men for at vende tilbage til Fulham, skal der helst tre point på kontoen i sidste runde mod Everton, hvis den europæiske plads skal i hus.. Spurs, der er den eneste trussel til syvendepladsen, skal dog på en svær opgave på Anfield. Så eventuelt betyder et nederlag ikke det store til The Toffees. Vi håber dog selvfølgelig på en hjemmesejr for at slutte af med manér!

Kamp stats:

Newcastle: Harper, Beye, Steven Taylor, Bassong, Duff, Guthrie (Ryan Taylor 62), Butt, Nolan, Gutierrez (Lovenkrands 76), Martins, Viduka (Carroll 80).
Bænk: Krul, Coloccini, Smith, Ameobi.

Udvisning: Bassong (60).

Fulham: Schwarzer, Pantsil, Hughes, Hangeland, Konchesky, Dempsey, Etuhu, Murphy, Gera, Nevland (Johnson 75), Kamara.
Bænk: Zuberbuhler, Zamora, Dacourt, Gray, Kallio, Baird.

Kort: Murphy(31,f), Nevland (48,f), Dempsey (56,hb).

Mål: Kamara 41.

Tilskuertal: 52,114

Dommer: Howard Webb

Deemed too Norwegian to know better.

A special place is reserved for people like Tom Henning Ovrebo. Just like Anders Frisk, Graham Poll, Robert Mugabe, and Osama Bin Laden before him, Tom has achieved household name status and established himself on Interpol’s top ten most wanted overnight.

The witch hunt began to take shape in the Sky Sports studio on Wednesday night. Drogba set the precedent kicking and screaming and foaming at the mouth and the pundits continued in such vain. On the performance of the Norwegian, the ever impartial Jamie Redknapp (son of Harry Redknapp – brother-in-law of Frank Lampard Snr – daddy of Jnr – consequently making Jamie Lamp’s cousin and an obstinate Frank fanatic and Chelsea convert – still following?) had a lot to say. He launched into his tirade: “Why can’t we have the best Italian or Spanish… Hold on, we can’t have a Spanish one…” Did I mention how Jamie likes to give the audience the impression he has no clue what he’s saying?

Then you might have noticed him calling Andy Gray Andrew Gay…woops! Was that a little Freudian slip? Revealing some genuine insight amongst Jamie’s typically fumbling post match assertions? Surprised that there were hints of homoeroticism involving Jamie’s adopted paternal role model? Me neither.

If you can sift through all that, then well done! The point is: there’s some blatant elitist referee selection creeping into the Champions League. In this scenario of English v Spanish clash, only an Italian official would have been deemed to have sufficient capabilities, match experience and big game temperament to cope with the feisty semi final encounter.

Poor Tom Ovrebo’s abilities, eyesight, allegiances and all round personal character have been called into question by every quarter since his interesting take on officiating that night. The biggest question marks over his selection have focused on his lack of experience cultivated in the Norwegian league. Albeit, the Tippeligaen, catchy isn’t it, can hardly lay claim to presenting the biggest of big game clashes for ref’s to oversee – what when the Viking’s are taking on Odd Grenland and all the team’s just sound like fruity European beers – but his credentials should be enough to earn him a place amongst the refereeing elite.

The quality of football in Scandinavia should not detract from the role of the ref. They are still relied on to bound about with whistle in hand, cards at the ready, to keep players in check, administer deserving punishments and occasionally, at least last time I checked, award penalties. Then again, Ovrebo’s reluctance to point to the spot at the Bridge does notably discredit such an assumption.

So why was he selected? At the age of 41 the psychologist by trade has proven a shrewd professional. He has overseen semis in the Uefa Cup over the last two years and several big quarters in the Champs Lge such as Inter v Liverpool and Man United v Roma (he gave a pen to the Italians in that one). Earning the right to ref at European championships and even to be preselected for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa show he must be doing something right. Perhaps it is his fleeting similarities in appearance to the referee colossus Pierluigi Collina that earned him this honour. That is the only reason I can fathom in the sudden elevation of fellow slap’ed Howard Webb to top official in England. Bald is back for the men in black.

It appears that Ovrebo’s previous 15 years of refereeing was building up to that crucial semi final second leg and rightly so. Ok, so he had a shocker but he deserved to be the man in the middle on the basis of his experience. One thing we could be more worried about is the increasing trend of English teams getting to the sharp end of this tournament will mean that no English refs will be allowed to oversee the biggest games and our standard of officiating will never get the opportunity to impress. Then again, last time our top man, Mr Poll, was put in the international limelight in the Euro championships for that Croatia v Australia game he forgot how to count so maybe that’s just a blessing in disguise.

Before we find ourselves in a position where no ref is good enough or Italian enough to ref these big games we should embrace the possibility for officials from the third world of league football to earn the right to oversee the games on the biggest stage. Until we have video technology, the rest is up to them and they will have to deal with any consequences…or be gagged and go into hiding until it all blows over.

But let’s be honest, Chelsea should have sealed the tie long before Ovrebo lost his bottle and forgot what a penalty was, so perhaps they’ve only got themselves to blame. And next time, Abramovich should dig deeper into his gold lined pockets and offer a bribe more attractive to the Norwegian.

Howard Webb has admitted his decision to give Man Utd a penalty on Sunday was a mistake. How noble of him…

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/8022476.stm

Just noticed this.

Jermaine Jenas could face disciplinary action over his comments about referee Howard Webb following Tottenham’s 5-2 defeat at Manchester United.

The Spurs and England midfielder accused Webb of “crumbling under pressure” after the hosts were awarded a controversial penalty while 2-0 down.

An Football Association spokesman said: “We have written to Jermaine to ask for an explanation for his remarks.”

He has seven days to respond before the FA decides whether to take any action.

Following Saturday’s match, Jenas stated: “I think it was a case of a referee crumbling under the pressure at Old Trafford really.

“The atmosphere, the occasion, the importance of the match, a lot of factors take their toll when making decisions.”

He was also quoted as saying: “One thing which struck me about it was that he [Webb] didn’t even think [about the penalty decision].

“It was like he’d already made his mind up when he came out for the second half that he was going to give something.”

I’m not usually in to the whole “over-reacting thing” over individual refereeing decisions as keeping track of what goes in your favour and against you in the course of a season is a subjective and impossible task. 

But when you’re winning 2-0 at the Champions ground where you haven’t won since the time the Berlin Wall came down – and deserving it – having an awful penalty decision go against you is a bitter pill to swallow.  Clearly it was difficult for the team too who then collapsed in a 5-2 defeat – but that’s a whole other blog. 

As the FA look for an explanation from Jenas for his remarks perhaps they should also start looking at Howard Webb who, as of yet, has not had the spine to come out and state that he still believes he was right – or apologise for his mistake.

There will always be some people who will claim that black is white but I can’t believe anyone could look at the clip linked above and claim with a straight face that the goalkeeper doesn’t get the ball.

I was happy to see United win the league over that prick Benitez but now, with Liverpool playing some fab football and United getting their usual refereeing dig-out, I’m switching sides.  I hope Chelsea win it.

Update: Webb “demoted” to Championship 

Update 2: Hours after this blog post, Webb admits to mistake.

Carrick's on the ground, and Gomes is touching the ball. Still think it's a penalty?

Everyone thinks I hate Howard Webb.  Not true, not true at all.

The fact that he’s been demoted to the Championship this weekend for totally botching the penalty call at Old Trafford last weekend doesn’t make me smile or laugh at all.

What does make me laugh is the utter hypocrisy shown by the FA in charging Jermaine Jenas of Spurs for saying that Webb “cracked under pressure”.  Why have they demoted him if they didn’t feel he was in the wrong?  Why is Jenas being charged?  (I know WHY he’s being charged, but seriously.)

As I said before, beware Chelsea and Everton supporters.  He’s got the FA Cup final.

The final word on the weekend’s action…

1. Portsmouth got the point this evening that keeps them up I think. They remain seven points clear of the relegation zone but now with just four games remaining. They would have to lose all four remaining fixtures to be in danger of going down and even then Newcastle or Boro would have to go on a monster run of form (especially given their remaining fixtures). Newcastle were very flat and you wonder whether the defining moment of their season will be the great one on one chance Owen missed in the second half. 

Strewth, that was a tiring 10m sprint.

2. After Blackburn got an important win over Wigan, in my eyes the relegation battle focuses solely on the northeast. West Brom are down, and it leaves two spots to be filled by Sunderland, Hull, Newcastle or Middlesbrough. Four points separate them and they each have four games left. All face a top four team, which in theory leaves three games each to gain points from. The former two have a head start but Newcastle have a better goal difference, which will be worth a point should they ever catch up. Right now, I reckon Hull and the losers of the Newcastle vs Middlesbrough match go down.

3. Has Everton’s chance of winning the FA Cup gone with the injury to Phil Jagielka? Maybe not, but he is certainly their best defender and his calmness will be missed in the end of season showpiece. In a funny way I reckon his replacement Yobo is actually better equipped to individually deal with Drogba, but as a four the Everton defence is certainly more solid with the ex Sheffield Utd man in it. His presence will missed. 

There goes the cup.

4. Was it a penalty for Man Utd on Saturday? No, probably not. Carrick did get to the ball first, but then Gomes took the ball not the man. Howard Webb is quickly turning into Fergie’s favourite ref, given how many decisions he gives in Man Utd’s favour. He is one of the better refs around but in recent high profile games seems to be forgetting that the best game a referee can have is one where he isn’t noticed. I don’t really know why Spurs are moaning so much though. After C-Ron converted they were still 2-1 up – they only have themselves to blame for conceding another four goals. I only caught highlights after the game but was surprised to see that Ledley King played. When I first saw the score I thought he couldn’t be playing, but evidently he can’t defend Rooney, Ronaldo, Tevez and Berbatov all on his own. A thought on that fearsome foursome too. I know it isn’t particularly balanced when you play all four of those guys, but boy can they be effective going forward.

Carrick falls in three, two, one...

5. Considering Middlesbrough are a team fighting relegation and fast running out of games where they can feasibly pick up points, the lack of fight and commitment against Arsenal was quite worrying. They only need to leapfrog one side, yet there seemed a real air of resignation about them. Perhaps they felt they were never getting anything from Arsenal away, but given their good recent record against them it was odd they didn’t go for it more. we’ve speculated before on whether Southgate is someone that could fire you up, and judging by recent performance it seems not. This coupled with Boro’s strikers spells doom. 

6. The biggest problem the teams at the bottom have is the fear factor. The second half this evening saw Newcastle team that had frozen, so paralysed were they by the fear of losing. Getting teams to play without fear and pressure is perhaps asking too much given the gravity of their situations, but managers will do will to remind their players that three points will go a lot further at this stage than one. Going for broke and winning one of two games while losing the other leaves you in a better position than drawing both. It’s got to stage where you need to gamble and no team will want to leave it to the last day needing a win. Why? Just look at the final day opponents for the team in trouble…

Sunderland v Chelsea

Hull v Manchester United

West Ham v Middlesbrough

Aston Villa v Newcastle 

T.

Slightly bathetic now? Yes the melodramatic title links to the reaction I had watching the match. Excited that the title chase just got interesting, Howard Webb-the-best-referee-in-England gave a blatant non-penalty. As anti-Man-Utd as I am, I could see from where I was sitting on the couch, how Gomes got the ball first even before the replays. The way Gomes moved and how Carrick was then brought down looked somehow as if the ball had been touched first and it had. Moyes-turned-Ferguson-referee-tactic worked. Webb bottled it and really, you cannot apologize your way out of it.

- A brief point on technology in football though. I loved tennis tantrums over disputed points before. I didn’t want technology to taint football. Somehow the injustice makes you cry and braver at the same time. But gradually that point of view has been changing. Cricket uses technology now. Tennis does it brilliantly. So does American football. The responses are so quick that I don’t believe the flow of the match will be disrupted at all. All you need is another assistant referee at the screen. The moment foul occurs, the referee decides if he needs advice, he calls the the a.referee who checks the incident and gives his verdict. Maximum 30-45 seconds. During which time of course players can argue making things dramatic and interesting and the crowd can jee things up. Sounds good to me really. I am a traditionalist but if technology can be so seamlessly integrated, why not?

Anyways, all credit to United for capitalization on their good fortune though. Gomes fell apart as United dismantled them thereafter. So disgusted was I that I switched the tele off at 2-2. Of course 5-2!!!?? C’mon. The highlights were excuciating I tell you.

Even though United could still lose to Man City and Arsenal, one gets the feeling, it is pretty much over. Arsenal has got the Champions League spot so that is gone too.

The only matter remains that of the relegation  strugglers. Of which Middlesbrough looks pretty dead at the moment (along with West Brom who despite winning don’t have much of a chance, really). Middlesbrough fixtures are really shitty so their situation looks pretty dire. It doesn’t look so good for Newcastle United however, they do have 3 very winnable games. The question is will they? Hull City and Sunderland are the other candidates. Somehow I don’t see Sunderland going down. They shouldn’t. They have very good forwards (so do Newcastle but hey now that is a dysfunctional club) so really, they, i think just might squeeze into safety. Hull, I must admit, I did not see them getting dragged into this shit. They have become atrocious, making their win at the Emirates all the more disgusting for me to bear. They are real candidates.

Blackburn have won crucial games and Big Sam is shrewd enough to keep them in. Portsmouth I am surprised have done so well but for that the credit must go to Hart and Kidd. They have done a brilliant job keeping, not an awesome side in the Premiership (Methinks they are mostly safe). While Bolton has actually been not as bad as people make them out to be. Even last year, they looked okay. It must be hate for Megson, methinks. Who, to be honest, I havent seen do SOO badly.

So I am going to be brave and pick relegated sides people. Strap up. My answeres are based on a bit of educated guess (watching matches and all), lots of regular guesswork AND loads of prejudices against sides I don’t particularly like. Hence:

West Brom, Middlesbrough, Hull City

Should be allowed to put Stoke in that line-up. Sigh. I can’t though

Harry Redknapps body language in his post game press conference at Old Trafford on Saturday evening told the whole story. The Spurs manager was totally dejected after watching his side torn apart in the second half  but he was also disguted with the controversial penalty awarded to Man Utd. Redknapps disgust and disappointment was totally warranted as the man who gave the initiative to Manchester United on the day was not one of his players or one of Utds, it was referee Howard Webb.

Webb gifted Alex Fergusons men a penalty early in the second half after fifty seven minutes where they never looked like scoring. The penalty was the spark that Utd needed to get them going but it was another case of a referee buckling under the pressure when a big desicion needed to be made. Not only was it the beginning of the end for Spurs on the day but it could also have a major impact on the destination of the title.

Spurs began the second half 2-0 up through goals from Darren Bent and Luka Modric and were in control of the game, that was until Wayne Rooney put Michael Carrick through on goal with a defence splitting pass that took three Spurs defenders out of the game. Carrick went down very easily under the challenge of Spurs goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes who clearly swept the ball away from Carricks feet and in a totally different direction. Howard Webb at this point succumed to the heat in the Old Trafford pressure cooker and gave in to the masses who were screaming for a penalty.

Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up and smashed home the penalty and it signalled an implosion on Tottenhams part. Utd ran riot from here on in as they put five past Spurs in the last thirty five minutes. The Spurs players disappeared and looked more like mice than men as they completely fell apart and allowed Utd to rip them to shreds.

Ronaldo and Rooney combined to score three goals in three minutes between the 68th and 71st to catapult Utd into the lead and that was pretty much the end of it. Dimitar Berbatov added the fifth on 79 but the game already appeared to be done and dusted at that point.

Utd fans will argue that it was memerising football and shear determination that drove them on to win but Howard Webbs gift of a penalty was surely the catalyst for the onslaught that followed. Once again a referee has gotten it wrong on the big stage in the heat of battle and at this end of the season it is just unforgivable.

Ściągnij sześćdziesiąty drugi odcinek

Marcin w stylu trenera Fornalaka. Skąd wiedzieliśmy, że Chelsea wygra z Liverpoolem? Alves podaje nie patrząc, w tym czasie Ronaldo nie istnieje. Fabiański wchodzi na boisko. Rensing się cieszy, że siedział na ławce, czyli Barcelona pierze Bayern. Ukochany sędzia wszystkich Polaków. Do której szatni chciał pobiec Ribery? Czy pieniądze grają w piłkę – o pucharze UEFA… Reforma Platiniego. Frankowski odmienia Jagiellonię. Budzi się ŁKS. Wesołe zabawy Czechów po przegranym meczu. Wracamy do blamażu w Irlandii i gwałtu na listonoszach z San Marino. Mamy pomysł na biznes. Argentyńczycy słabo biegają w La Paz. Gdzie gra Piechna? Boruc i Mucha. Obraniak i gwiazdy. Winiarski i Żygadło zdobywają Puchar Europy. Kubica nie może dojechać do mety. 10 najładniejszych bramek Erica Cantony. Melancholijnie o NBA.

In what turned out to be a closely contested match in dreary conditions, Everton managed to pull level with 3 minutes left in regulation earning a well deserved point against (former)league leaders and cross town rivals Liverpool. The goal came thanks to a Mikel Arteta/Tim Cahill combination from a free kick on the left side of the box.

Stark contrast to the “Clattenburg Derby” of last season, all the playing today was done by the players on the field with ref Howard Webb being a not terribly busy bystander. The boys in blue held their form nicely and were very composed the entire match even after Steven Gerrard 67th min opening goal from 25 yards out. Both sides had appeals for penalties but in the end a draw was a fair result in a match that featured what looked to be two very evenly matched sides. More coverage here.

Next up, Everton return to Anfield on Sunday for a rematch of todays derby versus Liverpool, this time the winner will be progressing to the 5th round of the F.A. Cup.

Edit – Adjusting some phrasing

Manchester United are the latest team to make Chelsea look ordinary after a 3-0 win at Old Trafford yesterday.

However, the major talking point of the game was the decision by the officials in charge to deny United a Cristiano Ronaldo header. Wayne Rooney had rolled the ball in and out of the corner kick area before walking away. Ryan Giggs collected the ball and created an angle for himself to cross the ball in for Ronaldo to glance it past the Chelsea ‘keeper Cech. The assistant referee immediately flagged as Giggs began to advance with the ball, and referee Howard Webb had blown his whistle long before Ronaldo had leapt.

The argument that I have heard from many so-called ‘pundits’ and former officials is that what Manchester United did may have been ‘against the spirit of the game’. This view is absolutely void. Nowadays, so much of football is paradoxially against the spirit of football. Time wasting would be the first thing that comes into my head, yet it is a vital part of winning matches in the modern era. Even Rory Delap’s long throws could contradict the spirit of the ‘beautiful game’, as Stoke City load the 6-yard area with their lumpy players.

Set pieces are a major part of the game of football. Many teams base their whole team around the strengths of their set piece threats. Similarly, innovation and creativity are the aspects of football that make it so exciting and unpredictable. It is absolutely imperative that the footballing powers that be do not allow the evolution of set pieces to stagnate.

Jest 25.12, dzien narodzenia Mitry. Cztery dni temu miało miejsce przesilenie zimowe, wyczekiwane przez takich jak ja niekiedy bardziej, niż wakacje letnie w podstawówce. Na razie jeszcze tego nie zauważamy, zajęci świętowaniem – obżarstwem, opilstwem i udawaniem, że z częścią krewnych łączy nas coś więcej, niż przyzwyczajenie. Tymczasem on triumfuje i tylko czeka, aż wróci na należne miejsce – z każdą dobą, dzień staje się coraz dłuższy. Wraca energia, trzeźwość umysłu, spada poziom agresji i cynizmu; po prostu udręczony brakiem światła organizm zaczyna prowadzić normalną gospodarkę hormonalną.

Niemal równo przed rokiem zmusiłem się do napisania listy zamierzeń na 2008. Wpis mocno zaniżył poziom, ale nie przeszkadza mi to rozliczyć się z własnymi oczekiwaniami sprzed roku .

„zdobędziemy medal na Euro 2008 (a tak!)” – kahem. Przynajmniej fajnie oglądało się mecz z Austrią u Karola, nawet pomimo wyczynu sędziego Webba, który w ostatecznym rozrachunku i tak nie miał znaczenia dla naszego występu na imprezie. Miał za to niebagatelny wpływ na tzw. styl odpadnięcia i samopoczucie kibiców.

„już za około dwa miesiące ilość światła słonecznego wróci do akceptowanego przez normalnego człowieka poziomu” – notabene, muszę sobie kupić mocniejsze żarówki do pokoju.

„Jagiellonia utrzyma się w OE” – utrzymała. A od wiosny wraca Tomek Frankowski, którego zawsze chciałem zobaczyć na Słonecznej. Parę lat temu, wprost nie do pomyślenia.

„po raz pierwszy za mojego życia, rząd, na który głosowałem uchwali własną ustawę budżetową. ” – dobry nastrój skutecznie psuje w tym względzie urzędujący Pan Prezydent. Zmiana Konstytucji i klarowny podział władzy wydaje się nieodzowny, aby państwo polskie mogło skutecznie funkcjonować.

„parę ciekawych inwestycji w moim mieście w końcu będzie ukończonych” – remonty ulic są na ukończeniu, co jednak wciąż oznacza konieczność stania w korkach. Galerie handlowe na najbliższych kilka(naście) miesięcy wstrzymały ofensywę, Rynek Kościuszki wciąż czeka na ukończenie – oby do lata. Pozostaje odliczać dni do powstania Stadionu Miejskiego i budowy Galerii Jagiellońskiej.

„już niedługo z głowy będziemy mieć killer-sesję” – no i mamy. Za pasem czai się kolejna, której boję się nawet trochę bardziej.

„…to zachowam dla siebie.” – . Jest dobrze.

„A ja? 01.01.2009 nie będę zaczynał w ten sam sposób. Bo zacznę wreszcie doprowadzać do końca to, za co sie wezmę. A potem przyjdą wódka, dziwki i cygara :].”

Przyszła wygrana w teleturnieju, staż w Radiu, miejsce w Samorządzie wydziałowym i działalność w NZS Białystok. Do tego parę zajebistych wyjazdów (Poznań, Łódź – w szczególności), rozwój mojego dziecka, z którego jestem groteskowo dumny, jak ktoś mi niedawno powiedział, zaniedbanie gry na gitarze, wywalone w kosmos praktyki studenckie, parę pomysłów na życie, poukładanie kilku spraw i zaczęcie nowych rozdziałów… myślę, że całkiem nieźle. Nie miałem dotąd lepszej końcówki roku. Nawet pomimo wielu pobudek, przy których zmęczony natłokiem spraw byłem w stanie wymruczeć co najwyżej rozkoszne „ja pie**olę…”.

***

18 grudnia 2008. Jesteśmy w Gwincie na cojesiennym koncercie Kultu. Kazik daje z siebie wszystko, publika ochoczo wpada w trans, ale tym razem nie jestem z nią. Stoję z boku. Mdli mnie zapach człowieka stojącego za mną, wkurza tłok, obrzydza pot kapiący z sufitu. Nagłośnienie w końcu zostało tak uregulowane, aby możliwe było rozróżnienie słów piosenek. Gwint po remoncie zmienił kolory – to wciąż ten sam klub, ale nie taki sam. Zwłaszcza, że mam w końcu rozeznanie, co się dzieje w pomieszczeniach za ścianą. Publika taka sama, ale nie ta sama.

Starzejemy się, niestety coraz szybciej – świadomość tego jest bardzo dokuczliwa.