Tuesday 15 May 2007

Season Review

Hi,
Mark here.

Best Football - Man Utd, run close by the Arse but when you don't score goals, you don't win awards. Wenger blames the new stadium but they are unbeaten at home this season - it's their away form that has been poor this season.

Best player - Michael Essien, a world class midfielder, who does quite a turn at centre- and right-back.

Most improved player - Ronaldo, the tricks and flicks remain but they generally lead to an assist or goal now. Has cut out the majority of diving, but there have been a few dubious penalties.

Runner up - Drogba, a different, more effective player this season, 32 goals at the time of writing means Chelsea finished second rather than fourth.

Best match - Tottenham 2 Chelsea 1, beautiful goal from Makelele set up a great match, Lennon rifled in a top class winner, Terry sent off at the end. A match full of drama and excitement.

Runner up - West Ham 3 Tottenham 4, would have won if it wasn't remarkably cruel on the Hammers.

Most surprising things this season:
1 Ferdinand looks like a proper defender, next to new best bud Nemanja
2 O'Shea is an effective goalscorer and big game player
3 Makelele's top level career looks to be over
4 Only 1 dirty incident of revenge against Ronaldo - Ball's studs last week
5 Charlton have 4 managers in a year

Least surprising things this season
1 Lampard shanks in a lot of goals but still seems to add nothing to the team
2 Watford were relegated
3 Stuart Pearce is not a good manager
4 England are crap under McClaren

Best young players - Fabregas, Agger, Ronaldo, Noble
Worst football - Watford, Middlebrough
Worst Players - Ooijer, Richard Wright, Kirkland, Zenden

Best Pundit - Leonardo, as I could only understand him 10% of the time
Worst Pundit - Mark Lawrenson, too camp, gets everything wrong, loves the Pool

Most injury hit player - take your pick from Saha, Kewell, G Neville, Upson, Owen

We'll have an end of season extarvaganza on the podcast coming up soon, similar to last Christmas (though we should be more sober).

And on this weeks podcast, out on Thursday - The wrap up of the Premiership, Pub Talk featuring the managerial changes, FA Cup final preview, Champions League Final, UEFA Cup final opinion, the Legend that is Romario and some (ok, a lot of) lame jokes we overheard...for which we beg your mercy and understanding.

(Notes for next seasons podcasts- Dave Navarro isn't funny, don't repeat jokes you've been emailled or texted, as the whole world has already heard them)

Mark,
http://www.okeydokefootball.com

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Some good stuff there boss – Spurs involved in both games of the season eh, can’t be a coincidence, Kevin McCarra seems to think they’ll be a team to watch out for next year… though then again I think everyone was saying that at the start of this season.

Amazingly, I’m delighted for O’Shea. If he can see his way to actually using half of his natural talent it’ll be great for Ireland and he seems a likeable enough fella for a Scumchester man.

Rio will be found out though. Scoopy Scoppy Dog Dog is just glad Fergie risked the real man Vidic against Milan instead of him; would have been 5-0.

Anonymous said...

I'd listen to your or my predictions before mcCarra, though he's a lot better than some (f365 I'm looking at you..)

Anonymous said...

Correction - Arsenal were not unbeaten at home this season, the Irons undeservedly defeated them 0-1 a few weeks ago. Speaking of which, you two seem to have a bit of a bee in your bonnets about the fact that they didn't get a points deduction which I don't really understand.

As far as I'm aware there has never previously been a case of breaching Premier League rules regarding disclosure of a third party agreement. It's worth pointing out that there was never a problem with Tevez's registration as has been suggested in some media reports. If there had previously been a similar case which was punished with a points deduction then fair enough, but as far as I'm unaware it's an unprecendented case, so why are you so convinced that a points deduction is the only fair punishment?

All of which brings me to Dave Whelan, to whom I say "mind your own fucking business, you cunt". I can't believe this guy has nothing better to do with his time and money than fight what is now essentially Sheffield United's battle. Of course, it's totally understandable that the Blades should explore every option available to them in order to avoid relegation, but what's it got to do with Wigan now?

I expect that he feels he has to pursue the line he took before Wigan were safe otherwise he'd just look hypocritical, but I don't believe he has any real interest in "justice", but rather is taking advantage of an opportunity to paint himself and Wigan by extension as the gatekeeper of the Premier League. Give me a break.

More (biased) comment about this available here

Unknown said...

To be honest, the Premier League bumf about registration being okay and there never having been a case like this before sounds like a whitewash. They’re stalling so that Wigan, Fulham and Boro lose interest; in the latter’s case they have every right to be pissed off having lost three points despite a gentleman’s agreement with Blackburn to call off a game a few years back – three points that helped towards relegation that season.

When things cool off, Sheffield United will look like they’re flogging a dead horse despite still having a good case. I know it’s an old theme but West Ham lied to the FA, the rest of the Premier League and anyone else who cared to listen. Tevez and Monster Mash were offered to half the Premiership but the gobshites who formerly ran West Ham took the bait when no one else would – Fergie the Untouchable included.

The fact that the new regime has no problem with a £5.5 million fine should speak volumes. If they did little wrong then why have they a fine that dwarfs any other previous punishment by over £5 million? They might have plenty of cash but that’s still a big hole in their finances considering the minimal profits (if any) that most clubs post each year. They know they got off lightly and won’t touch the case again.

It’s a boring subject at this stage and one that will soon fade away (except for the lawsuits towards the previous board that Magnusson has threatened - which will, in all likelihood, turn out to be more empty bollocks for the press). They will stay up and Sheffield United will be stuck playing someone like Cardiff or Coventry on the first day of next season.

I prefer watching West Ham to Sheffield United. The Innocent Hammers though? Nah, they’re more bent than Lee Bowyer’s face.

Mal said...

Agree that Lawro is crap but disagree that he like the Pool too much. Don't understand how he still manages to get work as all he does is repeat whatever has been in the headlines that day. He has no insight of his own and his jokes are pathetic. "Even you would've scored that one Gary". A shit fool as Trapattoni might say.

Anonymous said...

donal - you're right, my mistake about the arse unbeaten. a typical arsenal performance and very funny.
arsenal's record: won 12 draw 6 lost 1 at home. won 7 draw 5 lost 7 away. The away form still did it...

regarding the points deduction, yea i'm pretty much for it, sure those specific rules were not broken before, and the premier league does have precedent in 1. points deductions and 2. doing away with points deductions on appeal. I'm angry at the premier league for affecting the intergrity of the game, and for never being consistant. Terry Brown also seemed to try pull a fast one...

Anonymous said...

"I'm angry at the premier league for affecting the intergrity of the game"

Hang on a minute.....have I typed in the wrong URL? If ODF has a message (and it's detractors would say it's just 2 pissheads talking shite in front of a computer), then surely it's that the premiership has no integrity.

The reason I like ODF as opposed to say, Football Focus, is because you're willing to deride (while downing a few cans) the premiership and it's "stars" for the morally bankrupt imbeciles that they are .

If the Premier League are interested in the integrity of the game, or more specifically, the transfer market, then surely there are much bigger catches than Tevez. What ever happened about that Panorama doucmentary in which Allardyce & co. were exposed as out-and-out bungmeisters. I'd always wondered how Mrs. Allardyce affords all the food her boys are eating....

Unknown said...

I think in fairness to Mark that's anger at the generally idiotic way in which these matters are handled by the FA and Premier League for the last decade or so. And that they dominate too many column inches with their shite.

In regards to our approach I think in fairness it's a pretty dry subject matter to begin with and would prefer to never ever speak about it again (as we allude to in this week's podcast).

It's come up, we've dealt with it but all told I'd rather be hating John Terry over a few cans of super strength eastern european beer.

Who wouldn't?