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.

BPL Week One Round-Up

40 Percent? Not very good, especially since 3 of the four were strong favorites. Let's take a closer look.

Sunderland v. Tottenham As much as it pains me to predict a Spuds (Arsenal supporter's nick name for Tottenham) victory--bet with your brain, not your heart. This is Sunderland's first game since promotion to the BPL, and I just don't see them taking a point off a talented (if inconsistent) Tottenham.

Okay, maybe this was a hedge--predict the enemy to win and be delighted when they lose. Congrats to the Black Cats--well done to steal it at the end. Maybe Spurs combe back down to earth and stop dreaming of the top-four.

Bolton v. Newcastle This one has draw written all over it. Both managers will be looking to not lose, rather than win in their first game at the helm of their respective clubs.

To my surprise, Fat Sam had his Newcastle side ready. They were disciplined and in what seemed like mid-season form. If the barcodes (Newcastle) can hold onto Oberfemi Martins, they will definitely challenge for a European spot--or at least a strong showing in the FA and Carling cups. Good win and Martins first goal was spectacular.

Derby v. Portsmouth Derby sucks. Portsmouth does not suck. I don't see Derby getting a goal off of a good Portsmouth defense.

Yum! Crow is not so bad. Derby proved me wrong. To top it off, I have Derby goal scorer, Matthew Oakley in my fantasy team--albeit on the bench, argh!

Everton v. Wigan Wigan have not done anything to improve in the transfer season, and Everton remain a decent well-coached team. I don't see Wigan coming to Goodison and getting anything out of this one.

Finally, I got one right. Wigan were simply outclassed, and I see them going down this season unless they break the bank and buy some players.

Middlesboro v. Blackburn Although Blackburn are the favored team, I just have a feeling about this one--albeit not a confident one.

I don't feel so bad about this one. Middlesboro had plenty of chances, but the better team won. Mark Hughes made two key substitutions at the end which produced both goals complete a nice come from behind victory on the road. Look out for this club--can you say dark horse?

West Ham v. Man City These two clubs have had a significant amount of turnover this season, and this one won't be pretty. I probably would give a slight edge to the Hammers, but not enough to change my prediction.

Wrong again. Wow, my "I know the score" entry isn't getting off to a good start. Sven (City's new manager), however, was able to get his new signings integrated in time to get off to a good start. Well done. West Ham didn't look too bad either, I think they just need a little more time.

Villa v. Liverpool Villa are worthy opponents, but 'Pool have a solid core and I think they will keep a clean sheet in this one.

Wasn't too hard of a prediction, but Villa almost cost Liverpool 2 points, as Carragher was penalized for a very slight "hand-ball" in the box. But, Gerrard was the scouser's savior once again as he popped an absolutely beautiful free-kick into the top right corner to seal the victory. Liverpool's new signings Torres and Babel looked pretty good in their first Premiership match.

Arsenal v. Fulham Will Arsenal repeat performances of last season at home by going down a goal? Well, that's my bet--they pull through in the end though. P.S., betting on van Persie to score would be worth a few bucks as well.

Well, I nailed this one--didn't think they'd give up a goal in the first minute of play though. Lawrie Sanchez must have thought it was Christmas in August when Jens (Arsenal keeper) misplayed a touch directly to Fulham's Healy, who had no trouble finishing. Not that Fulham didn't have their chances, but like last season, Arsenal wasted most of their chances until Carlos Bocanegra was penalized in the 83rd for impeding Kolo Toure inside the box. Robin van Persie left nothing to chance as he blasted the penalty into the roof of the net after sending the otherwise perfect Fulham keeper (Warner) the wrong way. Arsenal completed their comback when Hleb took a pass down off his chest and pulled his shot just far enough from the Fulham keeper.

Chelsea v. Birmingham Hmm, Chelsea have tons of injuries, but even their reserves are better than Birmingham's starters. Look for Chelsea to spread things out up front with Drogba's absence and attack the Birmingham defense from the flanks with speed.

Malouda, Wright-Phillips, and Kalou looked good going foward and Essien's goal was marvelous. However, in John Terry's absence, Chelsea looked a little weak on defense and have two tough games agains Reading and Liverpool this week. Could prove an interesting start to their league campaign. Newly promoted Birmingham put up a strong fight, even though the ball spent most of the day in their half of the pitch.

Manchester United v. Reading Both these teams play attacking football, but I have to give the edge to ManU. They go up early and Reading drop a couple more trying to find the equalizer. This might be the most entertaining match of the weekend as well.

What a match this was. Reading had a couple of chances, but the ball rarely left their side of the pitch. United was relentless in their attack, but Reading were equal to the challenge--with a flawless performace from their keeper, Marcus Hanneman. Well done boys, way to earn a point.

What a way to start things, off--didn't expect to see the table look like this after the first game, but hey, it is the first game after all. We'll see how it goes, but I'm looking forward to many competetive matches this season.Here's a look at the current table:

EPL er-BPL First Week Predictions

Finally, it's here. Saturday marks the start of the 2007/2008 Barclay's Premeir League season and here is my prediction of this weekends action:


Yeah, yeah, I know...no surprises.

Sunderland v. Tottenham
As much as it pains me to predict a Spuds (Arsenal supporter's nick name for Tottenham) victory--bet with your brain, not your heart. This is Sunderland's first game since promotion to the BPL, and I just don't see them taking a point off a talented (if inconsistent) Tottenham.

Bolton v. Newcastle
This one has draw written all over it. Both managers will be looking to not lose, rather than win in their first game at the helm of their respective clubs.

Derby v. Portsmouth
Derby sucks. Portsmouth does not suck. I don't see Derby getting a goal off of a good Portsmouth defense.

Everton v. Wigan
Wigan have not done anything to improve in the transfer season, and Everton remain a decent well-coached team. I don't see Wigan coming to Goodison and getting anything out of this one.

Middlesboro v. Blackburn
Although Blackburn are the favored team, I just have a feeling about this one--albeit not a confident one.

West Ham v. Man City
These two clubs have had a significant amount of turnover this season, and this one won't be pretty. I probably would give a slight edge to the Hammers, but not enough to change my prediction.

Villa v. Liverpool
Villa are worthy opponents, but 'Pool have a solid core and I think they will keep a clean sheet in this one.

Arsenal v. Fulham
Will Arsenal repeat performances of last season at home by going down a goal? Well, that's my bet--they pull through in the end though. P.S., betting on van Persie to score would be worth a few bucks as well.

Chelsea v. Birmingham
Hmm, Chelsea have tons of injuries, but even their reserves are better than Birmingham's starters. Look for Chelsea to spread things out up front with Drogba's absence and attack the Birmingham defense from the flanks with speed.

Manchester United v. Reading
Both these teams play attacking football, but I have to give the edge to ManU. They go up early and Reading drop a couple more trying to find the equalizer. This might be the most entertaining match of the weekend as well.

Okay, so how's the season going to end? Well--here's my league table.


1) I think Chelsea will struggle a bit to start with all their injuries to get behind 'pool and ManU. Couple that with losing Drogba, Essien, etc. for the African Cup of Nations (ACN) and I don't think they will make it up.

2)I don't think Tottenham will be as good as people are speculating--they gave up too many goals last season, and with the rest of the league improving offensively, I don't see them breaking into the top four this season.

3)Arsenal will not be as bad as people think. As long as Robben van Persie and William Gallas do not miss long spells like last season, look for the Gunners to stay in the top four.

4) Fulham and Wigan will go down. They were awfull to end last season, and I don't think they've done enough to stop their decline.

5) All-in-all, I think this season will be very tight at the top and bottom with only Derby being a lock for relegation.