BPL Gameweek 4 Round-up

Here's last weeks results:

Ah, 60 percent. Okay, granted, none of my predictions were against popular expectations, but I did predict two draws accurately. Better than BBC's Mark Lawrensoon, Football Expert.

This week sees Chelsea pip ManCity for top honors, while United get their first victory of the season against Tottenham. Not much else to say, except maybe how poor decisions by the ref cost Fulham another point at least, bringing their tally up to -2 (see coverage of last week's action).

So how's the table shaping up? Well, let's have a look:

The big surprises remain Manchester City and Wigan who stay in the top 4. While big disappointments Tottenham and Manchester United are stuck in the bottom half.

BPL Gameweek 4 predictions

Alright, here we go...with four games, we can start to see who is for real. Here are my predictions:

Nothing too striking...the big four all win, and I like several draws this week. Just guesses, but a lot of matchups seem ot be between equal sides. Barring some craftiness from Portsmouth, Chelsea shoult hit the top of the table after this weekend where they are likely to stay indefinitely, considering ManU's slump and Arsenal/Liverpool's games in hand.

The Case for Instant Replay

Okay, so we Americans are quite used to the idea of giving referees video replay. In the NFL, each team has a certain number of challenges, in NCAA football most games have an extra official which automatically reviews every play and signals the officials on the field if a play needs to be checked, and in Basketball the referees often review things like clock issues and three point shots, etc, etc.


But what about instant replay in soccer er-football? Present the idea to a EPL fan over 50 and you're likely to get a sour look. That said, I have a proposal which I think would not harm the sport.

1. Each team has a fixed number of combined substitutions and challenges. I suggest 4 total from which the manager can use how he likes (i.e. 3 subs, 1 challenge; 2 subs, 2 challenges; etc.).
   
2. Only calls that are made can be challenged.


3. Off-pitch official(s) review the call and relay the information to the ref on the pitch.
   

Often, this is the response I get "But instant replay will slow the game down, and add interruptions to the match!"

Firstly, I don't know what game these guys are watching, but the game is already interrupted quite frequently. To illustrate this, I beg you to actually count and time the number of stoppages in a very competitive match. I did this for the first 30 minutes of the 2007 Argentina v. Brazil Copa America final. There were approximately 39 stoppages (free kicks, goal kicks, injuries, throw-ins, etc.) in the first 30 minutes for a total of over 12 minutes where the ball was "dead."

Secondly, if challenging a call takes away a substitute from the manager, he will reserve his challenges for the most important of calls (goals, penalties, red cards) and therefore rarely interrupt the game.

Thirdly, having the call reviewed by an extra official will keep the referee from having to run off the pitch and check the video, and therefore save time as well as spread some of the responsibility around.

Fourthly, since only calls that have been made the ref can be challenged, there will be no interruptions where there wasn't already an interruption. This might require the refs to err on the side of making the call and let the challenge sort it out.

Are they going to get it right every time? Of course not, but it would certainly help and I don't think it would change the game in a negative way. I think ti would help in a few key areas:

Diving
Take this common example. Offensive player A collides with defensive player B in the penalty box, the referee awards a penalty to player A. The ref is practically assaulted by the other teams player and it takes an additional 1-2 minutes to book the dissenting players. Under the instant replay outlined above, if Player B's manager challenged the penalty call, an official could relay that it was a clean tackle, or a good penalty, or a dive by the offensive player. If it was a dive, the referee could then give the offensive player an appropriate card and play could resume relatively quickly.

Offsides
This is a little less straight forward, but the above proposal would definitely help with goals that result form a player in an offsides position. If Player A scores and the opposition manger feels that he was in an offsides position the goal could be challenged and if correct, a free kick awarded.

Berating of the Referee
This is one issue that drives me crazy. In many American sports, any physical or verbal abuse of the referee is grounds for dismissal at the referees discretion. But, if the players feel an incorrect call can be rectified by their manager's challenge they should be less inclined to pressure the referee.

BPL Gameweek 3 Round-up

Five out of ten (%50 for you math majors)...I'll take that, I suppose. A couple of things I've taken from this weekends games.

1. In a season where any team can drop points to any other team, the referees may play a bigger role than anyone would like. Of particular note, in the Liverpool v. Chelsea match, Rob Styles awarded a penalty to Chelsea that even the Chelsea players where surprised to see. In the replay, Malouda was clearly just trying to jump over and "dummy" the ball so it could roll through to Drogba. In the process, he collided with the Liverpool defender and went down. To exacerbate his problems, Styles later seemed to award Chelsea's Michael Essien with a second yellow card, but failed to send him off. The latest reports claim that after his performance, Mr. Styles will be dropped from the next match. Then there was the Fulham v. Middlesboro debacle where a shot from Healy seemingly carried the goalkeeper and ball over the line, but was no ruled a goal by the linesman and referee. These are two clear cut examples of points lost due to referee blunders, so lets make note: Liverpool -2, Fulham -1 and see how this affects things late in the season.



2. Manchester United continues their run of bad luck. New signings Tevez and Nani where relied upon up-front, but failed to capitalize on numerous opportunities. Meanwhile, Manchester City took one of their few chances and with the help of a slight deflection, continued their run of 3 consecutive wins. City fans have defender Micah Richards to thank for many of their league leading 9 points as he put on another brilliant performance.
   


3. Tottenham relieve some pressure off of manager Martin Jol by putting 4 past Derby County, while Sammy Lee and Bolton continue to struggle--failing to capture a single point in their first three matches.
   


4. Goal Keepers seem to be a little off their game. Particularly, Arsenal's Jens Lehman and Fulham's Tony Warner. In two league games, Lehman has managed to gift two goals to the opposition and cost his team 2 points. Meanwhile Warner after a brilliant performance against Arsenal in Fulham's first game has equalled Jens' tally at 2 points.

Hat's off to Manchester City and Wigan for their great starts this season, meanwhile traditional powers Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool are lurking just off in the distance. Here is a look at the table after gameweek 3:

BPL Gameweek Three Predictions

Portsmouth v. Bolton
Bolton desperately need a win, but Portsmouth look strong at home. I think they'll manage this one.

B'ham v. West Ham
Maybe the Hammers were just rusty last weekend, but Birmingham were particularly good at home last season, so this is not going to be the game to shake off the rust...Hammers remain at the bottom of the table after this one.

Fulham v. Middlesbro
One team has confidence and is playing at home, while the other has faltered at the gate. I'd never bet money on Fulham to win, but I'd give them a slight edge at home.

Reading v. Everton
I've been touting Everton lately, and clearly they are worthy of it. But, Reading is due to capture a victory and I think their persistence will take the points at home.

Tottenham v. Derby
Tottenham's home ground, White Hart Lane, is known by many to as "Three Point Lane." But, as bad as the Spur's defense has been, I think they have enough to deal with Derby.

Wigan v. Sunderland
Roy Keane's Sunderland continues it's form and captures a key 3 points at Wigan.

Newcastle v. Villa
Newcasle look solid and Villa look a little shaky. Word is that 'toon (Newcastle) striker, Owen will get a start. The Martins-Owen strike force should provide for at least a pair of goals, while Fat Sam's defense should have little problem with the Villians.

Man City v. Man United
Co-Game of the Week. No Wayne Rooney, no Ronaldo to help a slow starting United face off with the rejuvenized Man City at the City of Manchester Stadium. I'm expect United's veterans to take over this one--Scholes and Giggs will lead newbies, Nani and Tevez to victory. Won't be easy, but the market is due a little correction.

Blackburn v. Arsenal
Blackburn should be well prepared for Arsenal, and I expect this one to be a very physical match as Rovers look to disrupt the Gunners' free-flowing football. I wouldn't be surprised to see a red-card in this one, or at least 5-6 yellows. Both teams settle for a point and move on.

Liverpool v. Chelsea
Co-Game of the Week. Chelsea have some injuries to key players, but have shown their resilience and patience in the last two games. Liverpool have a lot of quality as well and I expect this one to be a slug fest.


This week I'm skewed toward the home sides--let's see how that works.

BPL Mid-Week Two Round-up

Okay, so here are the mid-week (gameweek 2) results:

Four out of seven isn't too bad--57 percent. It's an improvement over last gameweek's %40 anyway. Just a few things to take away from the mid-week action:

• Tottenham lost (again).
  


• Manchester United's "earned" a second consecutive draw as they are held by a sturdy Portsmouth side. A couple of friends from work and I went to a bar to watch the four games simultaneously (Arsenal and Liverpool were playing Champion's League qualifiers). It was amazing the amount of celebration as Portsmouth, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool fans joined in to celebrate United's struggling.
  


• Martin Jol (Tottenham), Gareth Southgate (Middlesborough), and Sammy Lee (Bolton) have all failed to capture a single point from their first two games and are under immense pressure to get a win in the next game. Sammy Lee is my pick to win the "sack race" (first to get fired), but I wouldn't push him out the door just yet.
  


• Two of my relegation teams (Fulham and Wigan) captured vital points at home.
  


• Liverpool and Arsenal both won the away legs of their Champions League qualifiers, leaving them and their scheduled opponents out of the mid-week action.
  


• Hail to the "Special One," Jose Mourinho for his brilliant tactical changes at half-time to help Chelsea comeback for an away win against a very solid Reading. He definitely has a knack for this. Last season he made some brilliant moves to capture some key points when his club was struggling.

Here's a look at the table after gameweek 2:

BPL er-EPL mid-second week predictions

Tottenham v. Everton
Should be a very good game. Everton look strong, but Spurs will be feeling the pressure as they return home to White hart lane after a dissapointing defeat at Sunderland last weekend. I think the Toffees (Everton) will pull this one out, but it should be hard-fought.

Birmingham v. Sunderland
Battle of the newly promoted teams. Both looked pretty good in their openers but I suspect the hype to calm a bit. Sunderland go up early and Birmingham catch them on a counter late in the game.

Fulham v. Bolton
Relegation-bound-Fulham v. Save-the-manager's-job-Bolton! The pressure is on both these managers to at least pick up a point, but my guess is Bolton nicks it on a set-piece.

Man City v. Derby
Derby proved me wrong last week, let's hope they don't do it again. City should take this at home.

Portsmouth v. Man United
Injuries and all, I can't see United dropping points in two games to start the season. I doubt they'll see the disciplined defense that Reading threw at them last weedend, so I look for them to move on with their title run even w/o Rooney. Tevez should get the start and it will be interesting how he integrates with the rest of the squad.

Reading v. Chelsea
Reading probably wore themselves out chasing United around last weekend. I think Reading will come out for attack this game, but Chelsea should be up for it.

Wigan v. Middlesboro
Boro manager, Gareth Southgate's job is on the line this season. Even on the road at Wigan, 'boro are my favorite in this one.

Well, can I beat my %40 showing in the first week? Doubtful, most of the favorites are on the road and the only home team I have winning at home is Man City. I know all these can't be right, so I'd be happy with %40 again.