December 2007 Archives
Party Pooper Craig Gordon
Posted by Luke on December 5, 2007 5:42 PM
There has been a plenty of reason to be optimistic for Sunderland's players this week following the victory over Derby County last weekend - unless you happen to be Craig Gordon.
There has been a rare night on the town for the players to celebrate a victory, Roy Keane will have been in a surprisingly good mood on the training ground all week, Christmas is just round the corner and the club have just told the first team squad there will be party poppers at the Christmas party (possibly!)
Gordon, though, will be forgiven, if he is more interested in being the party pooper than the party popper following his omission from the side which secured the club its first Premier League victory since September.
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What A Refreshing Change
Posted by Luke on December 6, 2007 6:49 PM
There wasn't a can of Woodpecker in sight - not unless Mike Ashley had some spares stuffed up his cashmere coat - but what a refreshing change for Newcastle United against Arsenal.
Whether you nodded your head in agreement or turned a funny shade of crimson when you read them, Joey Barton's criticism of the atmosphere at St James's Park appears to have had the desired effect.
It's all well and good going on about how passionate and loyal you are as supporters - and I'm not saying you're not before anyone thinks about sending anthrax to me in the post - but you also have to prove it every now and again.
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No Ordinary Joe
Posted by Luke on December 10, 2007 10:23 AM
So how many of you stayed up until silly 'o' clock on Sunday morning to watch Ricky Hatton take on Floyd Mayweather, grinned stupidly when you heard a bunch of drunken Brits boo the American national anthem and then spent the next hour or so feeling slightly ashamed you had ever thought Hatton had a chance of beating the cocky Yank?
And so the long tradition of Great British sporting anti-climaxes continues.....
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Hard Yakka For Harmy
Posted by Luke on December 12, 2007 12:34 PM
Given the England cricket team is still perilously close to a series defeat against Sri Lanka and considering the fact his three wickets came at a cost of 111 runs, it might seem strange to talk about the salvation of Steve Harmison.
It is no secret that Harmison has always received more support from his native North-East than he has from the rest of the country, because, put simply, people in the North-East like to see one of their own doing well on the national and international stage.
But it is also no secret that some factions of the cricket fraternity have always been, and are perhaps increasingly, keen to write off the Ashington Express as a fragile, inconsistent northern upstart who would be better off staying with Durham while more media-friendly, southern-based bowlers get the chance to play for their country.
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Ciao! Buen giorno Fabio Capello
Posted by Luke on December 13, 2007 1:08 PM
So it looks like Fabio Capello will be the next manager of England - a coach who could make Sam Allardyce look like a football adrenaline junkie.
Capello is, and always will be, a coach who puts substance over style. He is not interested in gung-ho football, he is not even interested in open, attacking football. He is interested in winning football. Nine league titles and one Champions League success in 16 years. Not bad, not bad at all Mr Capello. Please sign here.
Yet, while the Italian is to Kevin Keegan what chalk is to cheese, you don’t hear many complaints about his impending appointment do you?
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Drunk On The Glory Of A Clean Sheet
Posted by Luke on December 17, 2007 10:00 AM
In my Journal match report I said it was about as attractive as Pat Butcher in fishnet stockings, but perhaps I should have thrown Dot Cotten in a G-string in there for good measure.
Newcastle's win against Fulham certainly wasn't pretty. It was one of those dire games which makes a mockery of those who bleat on about how the Premier League is the best league in the world, but, ultimately, who cares?
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A New Tired Old Excuse
Posted by Luke on December 20, 2007 3:45 PM
It was a shockingly meek, limp and cowardly surrender - and that was just captain Michael Vaughan’s refusal to face the music from the media after England’s dismal effort against Sri Lanka.
There was a time when the England cricket team were so bad, so often humiliated and so often beaten, that it became the staple diet of the stand up comedian’s routine.
We thought those dark days had disappeared along with the armed conflict in Northern Ireland and the introduction of the Euro - maybe we should not have been so optimistic.
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Bah Humbug
Posted by Luke on December 24, 2007 11:19 AM
Newcastle United really know how to wish their supporters a Merry Christmas don’t they. Gee, thanks Sam, I’ve always wanted a home draw against Derby County, so beautifully wrapped in “we deserved to win the game” wrapping paper as well. You shouldn’t have...no really you shouldn’t have.
I had argued long and hard last week that the 1-0 win at Fulham should have been celebrated and that Sam and his players deserved credit for the victory, even if the performance was poor and the standard of football ugly.
Perhaps I was wrong because the performance and standard of football was almost just as bad against Derby and this time there wasn’t even a victory to console anyone with.
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Sick Note
Posted by Luke on December 31, 2007 12:09 PM
I must apologise for my lack of activity on this blog over the Christmas period but I have been struggling with the flu since Christmas Eve and have had a pretty miserable Festive period surrounded by all sorts of drugs (legal) and snotty bits of tissue.
However, I am slowly getting back on my feet now and will be rounding up all the action from the hectic Christmas period on January 2nd. I'd do it now, but I'm driving down to Manchester this afternoon for my best friend's 30th birthday and I'll be hungover on New Year's Day, as well as full of cold.
In the meantime, I'd just like to say that the decision to allow Chelsea's second goal to stand last Saturday was the worst decision I've seen this season since Leyton Orient were denied a win at Leeds in October, even though Adam Boyd's shot was a foot over the line.
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