The Pinetar Rag

March 22, 2009

Priorities…

Filed under: Canned Heat, EPL, Football, Footy, Liverpool, Liverpool Football — mcgonnigle @ 2:07 pm

priorities

Hard to describe how little time there is for really, just about anything.  You know it’s not forever, but it’s relentless of course.  I watched a bit of the 5-0 drubbing that Liverpool put on a very good Villa side.  My attention was diverted but I enjoyed it, nevertheless–going hand in hand with Chelsea’s and United’s losses yesterday.  It’s a title race again, and man o man, would I like the refs to answer for that early season 2-pt robbery on the early goal callback.  Those 2 points, which were rightfully Liverpool’s would have the race at 2 points even considering United winning the game in hand.  Oh well.  At least they seem to be getting some calls now.  I think the refs are only human and that they too, are tired of ManU every year, whereas in previous years, I thought there was anti-Liverpool backlash tendencies from the 1970s and 80s.

Rafa signing his 5-year deal–well deserved.  Still, the Yanks, Hicks and Gillette will be pilloried on Merseyside.

The Champs’ league is alive.  The League still looks alive, albeit a long shot and the team is playing better than it has in a generation–2005 Champs’ Lg included.

Gerrard is back healthy and the charges were dropped in dust-up.  Torres is healthy.  United is stumbling and Berbatov is nicked up now.  You’ll Never Walk Alone!  –Fog

March 11, 2009

Liverpool’s big night

Filed under: Canned Heat, EPL, Football, Footy, Liverpool, Liverpool Football — mcgonnigle @ 7:45 pm

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Click here to read the full piece from soccernet in a new window

Steven Gerrard scored twice in his 100th European game for the club with Fernando Torres and Andrea Dossena completing the crushing victory.

And Benitez was able to hit back at the critics who have branded him a defensive coach, particularly in his Spanish homeland.

He said: “Yes, I know people in Spain think that my teams do not attack, but look at this result and look at the 119 goals we scored last season. That says something different.

“We are ranked the number one club in Europe by UEFA over the last five years and a result like this against a great club like Real Madrid is very pleasing.”

And following Liverpool’s victory the Spanish newspapers were quick to heap praise on Rafa’s Reds. A typical reaction came from Jose Samano in El Pais, who wrote: “Liverpool had everything that Real lacked: energy, purpose, aplomb, speed, shape and flair.

“They were facing a team reduced to rag dolls. It was an exercise in demolition, with an imperious Torres and Gerrard and (Xabi) Alonso and (Javier) Mascherano running the show.”

Pictures of a tearful-looking Iker Casillas contrasted with shots of his jubilant international colleague Torres, and the Spanish champions were variously dismissed as “pathetic”, “lamentable” and “provincial”.

The English press were equally gushing in praise of Liverpool’s win with The Times declaring it “a result that will resonate through Europe and go down in the modern history of both clubs”.

The Daily Mail said Liverpool simply “pulverised” Real. “There is no other word for it,” wrote columnist Martin Samuel.

“Fittingly for a team nick-named The Meringues, Real Madrid were splattered and dispersed over a wide area of Anfield in the manner of an airy fairy dessert.

“One that has been run over by a steamroller. Then another one then. Then a herd of rampaging elephants. Driving more steamrollers.”

The Independent added: “This was Liverpool playing like European royalty, delivering a four-goal cuffing to Real Madrid, their biggest defeat in the Champions League.

“This was European football’s most successful club humiliated, eliminated, eviscerated. A rout.”

March 10, 2009

I feel sorry for anyone who doesn’t get this

Filed under: Canned Heat, Football, Footy, Liverpool, Liverpool Football — mcgonnigle @ 3:47 pm

February 7, 2009

Get Well Steven Gerrard

Filed under: Football, Footy, Liverpool, Liverpool Football — mcgonnigle @ 10:38 am

ggerrard

My nephew and I would like to wish Steven Gerrard a quick recovery.  We will be watching the game with Portsmouth today (from the New York City area) and pulling for the Reds.  With the Champion’s League coming up, we are hoping to see him fit and playing hopefully before the 3 weeks that Rafa said it would take, although, with the words “tear” and “hamstring” in the same sentence, I can’t imagine how he will do it.  Still, he is Stevie G and he has stunned and amazed us before–so we’re hoping he has one more trick up his sleeve.  YNWA.

December 28, 2008

Reds Destroy ToonPies

Filed under: Football, Footy, Liverpool, Liverpool Football, Soccer — mcgonnigle @ 11:03 am

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redsnew

5-1.  No other words needed.  Top of the table as Chosee leads 2-1 late.  SCRATCH THAT!  Fulham drew Chosee with an 89′ goal! Woo Hooo!~  Top of the table!  The Mancs have 2 games in hand so they may be theoretical 2nd now…woo hooO!

***

Is it me or is Fox Soccer Channel showing very few Liverpool games for a table topping team, you’d expect to see more, no?  But I see they are showing the Monday FA Cup game of Liverpool vs Preston North End.  My great grandmother on my mother’s father’s side was from Preston, which is not really that far from Liverpool itself.

Preston is mid-table in League so they may give them a game and with all the fixtures, LFC may not field a super-strong side.

The FA Cup is the oldest professional tournament in the world (1869 or something like that) and it is one of the most brilliant concepts.  All the teams in the UK are eligible to play and play until they lose (single elimination format) and theoretically, your Sunday church team of kickers could end up at Wembley playing Liverpool for the cup, to be presented by a member of the royal family.

The FA Cup final, with the exception of the European Cup final, is the last game of the season.  It’s usually the first or second week of May and the league is all wrapped up by then.  It’s the British “Super Bowl”, or maybe the Super Bowl is the American FA Cup Final.  Everyone watches it.

The thing that makes the FA Cup format brilliant is that the little teams can continue until they lose.  Every year, sample size being what it is, one or two small teams go waaaay beyond where they “should” by all rights, and they become “giant killers”, teams that are talked about up and down Britain.

Last year, Liverpool was knocked out with a last minute goal AT ANFIELD, by a team that I honestly can’t name right now.  And that goal will be remembered and talked about for 50 years.  You get those kind of moments ONLY in the FA Cup, because it’s the only tourny formatted such that these pitifully small clubs get to play way over their heads!  It’s fantastic.

Add to that, the the single elimination format just lends such finality to everything.  The NCAA guys have figured that out.  But sadly, other sports haven’t.

I think baseball would do well to invite some AAA teams to play up with the big teams in a single elimination tournament that is woven throughout the season.  What would you pay to see the Toledo Mud Hens go into Yankee $tadium and open up a can of Whoop-***?  Statistically, it’s not that far fetched: It will happen, it just won’t happen often.

I’ve always felt that the NHL should reform it’s season structure.  So many teams make their “playoffs” that they should just dispense with the season and invite all the teams to the Stanley Cup playoffs.  If you’re the best team, then you ought to be able to win your way to the cup.  The season should be put on hold right around Christmas and the tournament should run from Dec 26th to the start of baseball (and March madness) in late March.  That’s the deadband on the sports calendar and the NHL could absolutely RULE that time, but instead, they choose to do what they did last year, which is, play boring, regular season games that end up meaning little because all of the teams make the playoffs.
How’s it working out for you, NHL?  You have a big TV contract?  You would if you listened to me!

Go ahead and start your season in Oct.  Play boring, regular season games where the guys fight alot and don’t really run up and down the ice.  Cut that out at Christmas. Crown a champion of the Fall season.

Play your exciting, show-piece, single-elimination by series, tournament, that ends with the presentation of the Stanley Cup in late March.

Take a week off.

Play the Spring season from there to the end of the season in June.  Crown a champ of the Spring season if you like.  Break for Summer and do it again.

Watch the money roll in.

–Fog

December 20, 2008

11 on 11 Foosball Table

Filed under: Canned Heat, Football, Footy, Soccer — mcgonnigle @ 9:59 am

foos11on11

Hey you gotta love this: a full, eleven-on-eleven foosball table.  I love it when people don’t just dream the nutty things–they build them.  And, I suppose, you could play it just 2-handed, but that would include a lot of running.

In college, when the frathouse needed a washer and dryer, the guys voted to buy first a beer-miester system (I still don’t know what that is) and then a top-of-the-line, foosball table.  The foosball table was supposed to elevate us to super-cool, I think some thought.  It was just the height of things-you-gotta-have-down-at-the-frathouse.

What happened?  Well, a few guys did little else besides play the thing so you couldn’t get any time to USE the table.  If you were dumb enough to play them, the game lasted 12 seconds during which time, you wouldn’t even SEE the ball, as it went into your goal again and again and again.  You lose.  Next.

So you never really used it, but you paid for it.  And I’m sure those guys who mononopolized the table are now all veeps at Merrill Lynch (one is, actually) or something.

Looking at the crazy concept games here reminds me of one of my greatest ideas ever. A surefire way to get Americans to like Soccer.  Use 2 balls at the same time.  That’s it.  Simple.  No other changes needed, except a second referee.  A blue and a red ball, and a blue and a red ref.  One follows each ball.   Game begins with silumtaneous goal kicks from each end and no offsides–just do away with it, it stinks anyway.  If the offense wants to goal-hang: let them!  Just post a defender back there to deal with it.

With two balls, you’d not only have more action, but the thrill of players not always knowing WHICH threat to deal with.  Defensive logistics would become very entertaining; communication?  Paramount.

Can’t happen you say?  They’re already planning a demo game at the Red Bulls’ new stadium in NJ next season.  Ha!

December 19, 2008

Kid-dom 101: Vibratory Football

Filed under: Canned Heat, Football, Footy, Games, Random, Super Bowl, Superbowl, TV, Toys, Uncategorized — mcgonnigle @ 7:24 pm

December 6, 2008

Not too Xabi…

Filed under: Canned Heat, EPL, Football, Footy, Liverpool, Liverpool Football, Soccer, Uncategorized — mcgonnigle @ 11:45 am

yoss

4,000 holes in Blackburn, Lancashire…

and though the holes were rather small…

(more…)

October 18, 2008

Kuyt: Wig Out vs Wigan at Anfield

Down 2-1 most of the game, Dirk Kuyt scored a late winner after his shanked volley squeezed over Wigan’s goal-line to hand the Reds a dramatic 3-2 victory at Anfield.

If you can shank them like that, then by all means, shank em all…shank em on down… Woo Hoo!

September 27, 2008

His Armband Said He Was A Red, Torres, Torres…

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