Monday and for once I don't have the blues at all!!! But i guess the Blues supporters are the one feeling Monday blues the worst. It was a bad weekend for London teams in the Barclay's Premier League, Lakers became Flakers, Manny continued to show why he is the best pound for pound boxer ( YES, better than Mayweather), the Djoker struck again while Vettel was unstoppable in Istanbul...Lethario's Take
WHAT more can I say...UNITED is THE BEST
It is a myth that Ferguson stated his aim to knock Liverpool off their perch on arrival in Manchester in 1986. He made that statement much later, when United's superiority was acknowledged, saying that removing Liverpool from the lofty heights was his supreme achievement. But looking at what the great man has achieved since he joined United it is clear he has not just knocked Anfield from its perch but let a great big tabby cat loose in the cage, too, scattering feathers and pieces of carcass everywhere.
Title number 19, the one that will traumatize the Scousers the most, is 1 point away mathematically but technically already in the bag after the tantalizing destruction of Chelsea on Sunday at the Theater of Dreams, Old Trafford. The game may have been billed as a title decider and "Final" but within 36 seconds the combination of Giggs, Park and Chicharito had Chelsea, Ancelotti and their fans silenced before most people had barley gotten into their seats as the Red Devils hit the ground running hard and fast. United were luxuriant and lethal once again as in the previous encounters with Chelsea when they knocked them out of the Champions League.
I bet you 50 million pounds can't buy you a goal this fast?
United were on a level of their own and cleary out to smother any faint title aspirations Chelsea still had as well as ease the nerves of many fans ( yours truly included) who had been having sleepless nights prior to the Super Sunday match. Squeak-bum time is what Sir Alex calls it!! The Red Devils once again showed that teamwork yields better results than throwing large sums of money around as everyone from van der Sar to Chicharito played their part in a well conducted orchestra to produce the sweetest melody and symphony to the ears of the Manchester United faithful. They dug deep to show hunger and desire to achieve greatness and unforgettable history as the team that got the 19th title. To single out anyone is impossible, Park was all over the midfield, Giggs was at his vintage best, Rooney was breathtaking, Rio was a rock....honestly. I will stop there.
We ALL watched the match and there is nothing much that can be said now that has not been said. I know just hope Ancelotti will get sacked does not get the sack as CONTINUITY is the key to success rather than a merry go round of managers!! They may need to inject some new blood into the aging squad but I would advise the youth plus experience policy which is reaping rewards at United and at Liverpool to of late as seen by their Lazarus like resurrection from potential relegation battlers to fighting for the European places.
London was not a happy town this weekend. Everyone's resident clown goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes saved a penalty before giving another away as Spurs saw their Champion's League dream fade into mist as well as suffering the loss of influential winger, Gareth Bale. The home draw with Blackpool ended their dream of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League once again whilst re-igniting Blackpool's battle to beat the 1 season "Promotion to Relegation" curse of the Premier League. I respect Redknap but for him to then go talk little of the Europa League even if it is BORING and NOBODY watches is it is a bit of sour grapes. Playing 1 season of UEFA Champions league does not give ANYONE the right to question or lessen the importance of such a USELESS prestigious tournament. It may be the poor man's Champions League, well actually it is the nobody's Champions League but it still is a European tournament which can help build the team towards great success. Jose Mourniho and Sir Alex earliest achievements were winning such tournaments and look where they are now. SHAME ON YOU HARRY.
Stoke City failed to managed not to break any Arsenal players but they did break their spirits as they humbled the Kings of comedy club to end all INSANE misguided hopes Wenger still had of being in the title race. Same old bottle throwing dramatics are becoming a routine now. I do not know how much more of this the Gunners fans can take but something has got to give. I am not saying fire the man, but someone must be held accountable for the fizzling out of a team that had such great potential to win the league given the quality and youth of their squad. This was the perfect warm up for Stoke as they face the noisy neighbors in the FA Cup Final next Saturday. Manchester City felt the heat losing 2-1 to Everton courtesy of a header-oriented comeback after Yaya Toure had opened for the visitors following a slip up in the normally resilient Everton defence.
Wolves clawed out of the drop zone with a scintillating display as they beat West Brom 3-1 to keep their survival hopes alive with 2 games remaining in the season. Wins for Sunderland and Newcastle all but ensured their safety while Wigan drew 1-1 with Aston Villa leaving Wigan back in the battle to avoid the drop. The result was the same for West Ham and Blackburn although for Blackburn, the point means easy breathing for the time being. Over in the Championship, champions Queens Park Rangers confirmed their automatic promotion along with Norwich after their FA hearing punishment did not results in points being docked. Congrats lads...welcome to the BIG BOYS' LEAGUE...hope you are not JUST VISITING!!!
CHAMPIONS
Most of the other leagues in Europe have been rapped up, AC Milan are Italian Champions ending Inter Milan's stranglehold on the Scudetto after having last tasted victory in 2004 whilst Borrusia Dortmund secured the Bundesliga with 2 games to go last weekend. Barcelona, like Manchester United are now waiting to formalize the La Liga but it is a done deal that they are Champions once again. Congrats also in order for the Portuguese league as it has two teams competing in the Europa League Final. Porto and Braga overcame Villarreal and Benfica respectively to set up an all-Portuguese final. I would like to highlight that Porto coach Andre Villas-Boas is the second coming of Jose Mourinho. He learned his trade under the Special One and managed to win the Portuguese league with Porto UNBEATEN. He shares the swagger, charisma and skills of the Special One and is a manager on the rise. You heard about him here, don't forget that.
The racism row in French Football is disgusting to say the least. Senior FFF members were said to have secretly approved limiting the number of black and Arab players to 30% from the age of 12-13. The French Football Federation's (FFF) national technical director Francois Blaquart Blaquart proposed to enforce racial quotas to limit the number of players of black or Arab origin in youth academies with France coach Laurent Blanc, Blaquart, under-21 coach Erick Mombaerts and under-20 coach Francis Smerecki, among others, being cited as saying they are "very much in favour" of a quotas. All I can say is I welcome Blaquarts suspension and how the investigation can stop such segregation behavior.
For those who follow the Zimbabwe Castle Premier League, the selected weekend results are as follows : Highlanders 3-0 Black Mambas, Monomotapa 0-1 Dynamos, Motor Action 2-0 CAPS United and Chicken Inn 1-0 Zimbabwe Saints. Bad weekend for my beloved CAPS United leaving them lying 5th on the Table on 13 points. Motor Action now lead the pack with 16 points and a better goal difference than Chicken Inn while Platinum lied in 3rd. Click here The Full Results and Table
LakersLockerRoomPlaylist : Fergie - BIG GIRLS don't cry!!!!
For The NBA followers the weekend provided one of the most humiliating series whitewash for the Los Angeles Lakers who are out of the Playoffs following a 4-0 RAPING thrashing by the Dallas Mavericks. With the top seeded Spurs already having been knocked out, it seems the season form has nothing to with the post season. Right from game 1 it was billed as a Dirk versus Kobe match as both 32 year old former MVPs led their respective teams in quest of the Western Championship final. Nowitzki's combination of height, shooting ability, perimeter skills and versatility had a much easier time delivering baskets than Kobe's SELFISH traditional, shooting guard game during the series.
The Lakers NEVER looked like they showed up at all and most fans have been question their commitment and lack of abilty to dig deep when the hard times came calling. Th whitewash was a humiliating way for legendary coach Phil Jackson to go if rumors of his imminent retirement are true. Jackson will retire with a 1,155-455 record, 11 NBA titles, a Coach of the Year award and two other conference championships. He achieved 3 different championship trifectas, two with the Chicago Bulls and one with the Lakers, and came two rounds short of adding another. He'll be remembered as one of the best coaches in American pro sports if he actually does retire given that he's already retired for good once in his career.
The Boston Celtics were expected to give in and go down 3-0 in the series after their performance in the first two games of the series, as Celtics looked as beaten and washed up. But unlike the Lakers the Boston Celtics gave a championship effort to avoid the dreaded 3-0 series drought from which no NBA team has every returned. Rajon Rondo was the epitome of this FIGHTING SPIRIT after the point guard dislocated his elbow while trying to brace himself from a fall before amazingly returning to the floor to play the entire fourth quarter, albeit one-armed and on sheer adrenaline. West and Shaq also battled through injury and pain to keep the Celtics alive in the series. Well done lads, that is what I call digging deep!!
Red Bull gives you WINS!!!
Over in Istanbul the BEAST that is Sebastian Vettel dominated the Turkish Grand Prix to seal a third win of 2011 in the first European race of the Formula 1 season. The Red Bull stronghold continued with Webber in second whilst Ferrari's Alonso managed third to complete the podium in a fiercely contested race. Without going into lies about thing I know nothing about, all I can say is Red Bull are still the team to beat and Vettel seems to be getting stronger with each race as well as a growing composure which will make him favorite to retain his title in my eyes. The current standings have Vettel leading the World Championship with 93 points while Hamilton, Webber, Button and Alonso follow behind in that order at 59, 55, 46 and 41 points respectively.
In Spain Novak Djokovic inflicted the first clay-court defeat on Rafael Nadal in nearly two years and maintained his own unbeaten start to 2011 as he won the Madrid Open final in straight sets. Well done to the Djoker and hard luck to Nadal. The Serbian extended his record in 2011 to 32 consecutive victories which is the second best start to a season behind John McEnroe's 42 in 1984 and after ending Nadal's run of 37 straight wins on clay, stretching back to the 2009 French Open, McEnroe's record no longer looks so out of reach.
SIMPLY THE BEST!!
FINALLY Manny Pacquiao dominated from the first to the last as he scored a unanimous (119-108, 120-108, 120-107) points decision over Shane Mosley and retain his WBO welterweight title. The best pound for pound fighter had 39-year-old Mosley down in the third round and came close to being the first boxer to stop the American. "Manny is an exceptional fighter. He truly is the pound-for-pound king. He has speed and power that I have never felt before", Mosley said. Pacquiao was quick to highlight his satisfaction with his own career and achievements when question about the Mayweather fight came up. I just hope Mayweather can MAN UP and fight Pacquiao rather than keep fearing for his undefeated record whilst robbing the world of a bout that could have us all hyped up like how the world was shook by the Rumble in the Jungle.
Long Take for ya...Long weekend of sports. have a great week.
GLORY GLORY MAN UNITED!!!
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