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Fergie’s Ref Rap Hides Worrying Conclusion…

Published by Ian John on April 6, 2010

What a weekend of football we’ve just had in the EPL and here are some of the things I’ve noticed from the games that took place over the weekend…

1. SIR ALEX FERGUSON’S… assistant referee rant was entirely justified. How the official could miss Drogba being a yard offside beggars belief somewhat and in the whole scheme of things, that one moment could define how this season turns out for both Chelsea and Manchester United. While Sir Alex was right to have a pop at the myopic linesman, his teams performance in recent weeks has highlighted one thing. That United are far too reliant on Wayne Rooney. The frailties shown in the game with Bayern Munich were also evident against Chelsea and the inescapable conclusion is that United, currently, at the very highest level, are just a player or two short of being the very best. Namely a midfielder that can change the game and a right back that can prove every bit as effective down the right as Evra does down the left. This is why the game on Wednesday is not a formality and why United are still, like Chelsea and Arsenal, some way short of the standards currently being set by Barcelona.

2. RAFA BENITEZ…continues to baffle almost every Liverpool fan. I’m growing as tired of his baffling managerial decisions as I am the tenacious defence of them by Liverpool fans who feel that anything less than 100% support for the Spaniard is not in the best interests of Liverpool Football Club and is somehow disloyal. His decision to withdraw Torres for Ngog after barely an hour of the game at St Andrews was equally as baffling to me as it was Steven Gerrard and Torres himself. That Torres replacement, Ngog, then missed three glorious chances (any of which would have won Liverpool the game and any of which Torres would surely have taken) was not the Frenchman’s fault, but what irked me even more was Benitez defending the decision as a “good one” because Torres looked “tired”. I wonder if I am the only Liverpool fan who is bored of seeing the team picked for the “next game”. Torres has been out injured for a long period this season, he will not be tired. The decision was taken because Benitez wanted to rest Torres ahead of the Benfica game, probably because the Spaniard knows that if Liverpool lose that game, he may well be out of a job sooner rather than later. It was a decision by Benitez for the best interests of Rafa Benitez, NOT for Liverpool football club. It was scandalous and no amount of blinded Red’s fans can persuade me otherwise I’m afraid.

3. CHELSEA HOLD THE ADVANTAGE…but it isn’t over yet. Not by a long way. They still face a couple of very difficult fixtures, not least a trip to Anfield. United equally have some tough games, next weekend against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park for one and the Manchester derby at Eastlands, but they are not Champions yet and I still think there may well be a few twists and turns along the way.

4. I’M PLEASED FOR GIANFRANCO ZOLA… I don’t think the Italian deserves the amount of flak he’s received this season. He took over a club that was debt ridden, had some odd Italian based management system in place where Zola was bought players without being consulted and a list of long term injury prone players that make Arsenal look like a picture of health. In addition the club was penniless and losing money each week. They then get new owners who, in a fit of grand self-publicity, decide to name and shame several players for their pay packets and criticise the team personally following a bad run of defeats, all under the new moniker of “just being a fan as well as an owner”. That combined with Hull, Burnley and Portsmouth being the three worst Premier League teams I’ve seen in a while mean I don’t think Zola or West Ham deserve to go down, so that point at Everton at the weekend may well, along with their decent goal difference, just be a turning point.

5. NEWCASTLE ARE BACK… Yes the Magpies stay in the Championship lasted just one season. Their win over Sheffield United combined with Nottingham Forest’s inability to beat Cardiff at the City Ground mean that Mike Ashley’s Toon Army are back in the big time next season. West Brom will surely join them shortly as they are so far ahead and all in all, it is shaping up to be an even tougher and more even league next season.

6. BURNLEY… The worst Premier League team ever? Maybe not on points won, but did you see them against Manchester City? It was frightening how bad they were. I can understand prudence financially but appointing Brian Laws as manager was as good as admitting relegation was a certainty. Laws is a decent League One level manager and had done nothing to warrant a chance at the big time. Burnley fans have had their moment in the big time and I hope they get another chance soon, but from the moment Coyle left and Laws signed on, they were doomed in my view.

Image Courtesy of ***205gti306gti*** on Flickr.com

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