Man Utd 1-2 Man City
Well, there was a shock result. United have stuttered twice now in the league (first scraping a last gasp draw against Spurs) and Arsenal could move 5 points clear with a win at Blackburn tonight. Suddenly United don't look so comfortable. Old man Scholes has received some blame but Ronaldo's poor performances, being missing Rooney and Tevez's inconsistency show some critical weaknesses in United's team since they stumbled over the league winners line last season. A temporary blip no doubt but in an increasing difficult league where every slip-up is magnified, Arsenal could have a crucial lead by 10 tonight.
Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool
A game that proved how poor the Premier League can be at times, but credit must be given to the 'Pool for tightening up the defence and getting a tough away point after their recent poor performances. The FA Cup next weekend will provide a welcome league break for Rafa and his merry men and Rafa will hope that Burnley can be hammered at home to give some confidence back to his team. Hell, maybe Kuyt might even score, in between bouts of tears for his father.
Chelsea wasted a chance to move closer to United, but play both United and Arsenal at home in the coming months.
Ireland set to Hire Trapattoni
Giovanni Trapattoni, the legendary Italian manager has amazingly agreed to become Ireland manager. To those idiots who said "but who will we get to replace Staunton?" when the buffoon was sacked, I now say "A man who has won 10 league titles in 4 countries, and 3 European Cups".
The only blot on his record is his stint as manager of Italy but you could quite easily claim they were robbed by South Korea in the Second Round (indeed, if the fat headed Christian Vieri could score from 6 yards they would have won). Luck didn't go their way in that World Cup, as this will show.
True, they were terrible at Euro 2004 but you can't be great all the time.
Ireland need his brand of cautious football, to tighten things at the back and try to win 1-0 again. I don't give a damn if it is defensive, boring football. As anyone who has watched Ireland these past 20 or 30 years will attest, it has never been thrilling.
So good luck Trap, and don't let the bastards grind you down
Monday, 11 February 2008
Friday, 8 February 2008
ODF 07 Feb Podcast Online
Hi All,
our latest podcast is online now.
We discuss:
****************************************************
We've been nominated for 'Best Football Podcast' at Soccerlens (yes, we were surprised too). If you like what we're doing and want to help us get some publicity, please visit the following link to vote.
http://soccerlens.com/the-best-football-podcast-soccerlens-2007-awards/5630/
Cheers,
Mark & JJ
Email: comments@okeydokefootball.com
Website: http://www.okeydokefootball.com
our latest podcast is online now.
We discuss:
- Results & Fixtures - Premier League and Internationals
- Pub Talk - the offbeat news of the week in a handy 12 minutes
- Featured Section - the Legend of Franco Baresi
- Comments from the blog
****************************************************
We've been nominated for 'Best Football Podcast' at Soccerlens (yes, we were surprised too). If you like what we're doing and want to help us get some publicity, please visit the following link to vote.
http://soccerlens.com/the-best-football-podcast-soccerlens-2007-awards/5630/
Cheers,
Mark & JJ
Email: comments@okeydokefootball.com
Website: http://www.okeydokefootball.com
Thursday, 7 February 2008
Positive Thursday
Okay, after a week of slagging off Stan and frankly hilarious Man United obsessives, I’m going to be utterly positive today. This all comes on the back of last night’s win for Brazil in Dublin, which, in no particular order, had the following things going for it…
- Robinho: Sid Lowe at The Guardian has talked about how the little Brazilian has finally found his feet at Real Madrid this year and he looked full of beans last night, jinking across the forward line and putting away a neat finish. Great to see quality like that in person.
- Killer Kilbane: Stay with me on this one. After several years of being shouted at by Irish fans for prodigiously finding blind alleys to run into, the mood towards ‘Zinedine’ last night was oddly positive. He could make a solid left back and can still swing in a decent cross when needs be (what in the name of sweet jesus was Lee Carsley doing taking the free kicks by the way). Killer’s enormous run of consecutive competitive games for Ireland will amazingly continue when the new manager comes in. Give it ten years and the Irish crowd might even warm to John O’Shea in similar fashion.
- Robbie Keane: Not many will agree, but I think he made a lot of decent runs and to be honest those around me in the crowd felt he was let down by a lack of support from Doyle. The Wexford man looked lost up front, but Keane showed some glimpses of his Premier League form. Though, then again this was a game that meant little, Keane must do well for Ireland in the World Cup qualifiers to win over a lot of suspicious Irish fans.
- Duff and McGeady: Double header this one, both enjoyed their time on the ball whenever they got it and while McGeady over-runs it far too much he could still turn out to be a match-winner in the years ahead. Duffer is still finding his feet after injury and showed one or two moves reminiscent of Korea in 2002.
The whole situation with the manager is still ridiculous but looks to be drawing to a close. Here’s hoping for a decent autumn with a decent guy in charge, though the names ‘Davies’ and ‘Venables’ are still mentioned far too often in relation to the whole affair. The FAI has apparently signalled to Ray Houghton, Don Givens and Don Howe that they want Trapattoni to take charge.
At this stage, appointing Venables would be a huge anti-climax and would make the Association look like a pack of fools who couldn’t organise a piss up in brewery full of stag nights. Predict nothing though, only today I got a ridiculous email saying that Joe Kinnear (remember him?) would be appointed in the coming days and is available at 250-1. Trust no one.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We’re podcasting tonight and you can hear us talking about the Premier League, the internationals, Romario’s protective mam, the legend of Franco Baresi and more.
Later, JJ
Okey Doke Football Podcast is available every Friday morning, subscribe here: http://feeds.feedburner.com/OkeyDokeFootball
Wednesday, 6 February 2008
People who may well deserve to have their home vandalised
What with all the internationals this week we're a bit starved for news so I thought I'd bring up this story... pure tragedy alright. I like the way Metro point out that the real Beckhams are in the inset, not the main picture, so as to avoid confusion. Thanks. For. That. Full story here.
I'm off to the Brazil game tonight and have stuck a tenner on Ireland at 7-2. Brazil are set to field a side with very few caps between them so you never know. Well, yes I do know my €10 is gone, but just won't admit it yet.
Later, JJ
Tuesday, 5 February 2008
England's Heroes
As a counter point to JJ's post yesterday, I'm gonna have a crack at the England national team.
Reports have emerged that - shock! - that Capello fella is a bit of a disciplinarian. Never would have guessed that from his high profile fallouts with Cassano, Beckham, Baggio, et al.
The days of Wazza, JT and Stevie G are over, Stevie Macker's (that's McClaren to you and me) laughable attempts at being one of the lads was consigned to the dustbin upon his sacking. Capello insists on calling all his charges by surname only, and too right it is. While we're at it, how about some more public school behaviour - heads down toilets, public thrashings and humiliations all with an undercurrent of latent homosexuality.
Despite all the arse-licking over the past few months by the likes of Ferdinand, Gerrard and Rooney, Capello has refused to name a permanent captain until the autumn qualifiers, which I hope is in the belief that the gigantic egos will somehow find themselves out of the squad later this year. Certainly teh candidates mentioned are hardly the ideal choice but it also doesn't say much about the rest of the squad. Would you have Joe Cole, Ashley Cole, or Wright Philips as captain? How about A.N. Other in goal? Or the permanently crocked duo Owen and Terry?
The millionaire footballers also managed to turn up on time for this morning's breakfast, a notable achievement for some members of the squad. Not only did Rio Ferdinand remember it was on, he turned up too and had this to say of training - "We went out there and worked hard." Well, I don't know about you, but it is soundbites like this that confirm everything I've known about English football over the past 20-odd years - everything is newsworthy.
So, England host Switzerland tomorrow night in what should be a routine home win, despite England once again being hit by injuries, meaning we won't get a good indication of his future line-up.
So, we're in for an interesting few years with Capello at the helm,
the football won't entertaining but at least the fallout will.
Mark,
Okey Doke Football
Reports have emerged that - shock! - that Capello fella is a bit of a disciplinarian. Never would have guessed that from his high profile fallouts with Cassano, Beckham, Baggio, et al.
The days of Wazza, JT and Stevie G are over, Stevie Macker's (that's McClaren to you and me) laughable attempts at being one of the lads was consigned to the dustbin upon his sacking. Capello insists on calling all his charges by surname only, and too right it is. While we're at it, how about some more public school behaviour - heads down toilets, public thrashings and humiliations all with an undercurrent of latent homosexuality.
Despite all the arse-licking over the past few months by the likes of Ferdinand, Gerrard and Rooney, Capello has refused to name a permanent captain until the autumn qualifiers, which I hope is in the belief that the gigantic egos will somehow find themselves out of the squad later this year. Certainly teh candidates mentioned are hardly the ideal choice but it also doesn't say much about the rest of the squad. Would you have Joe Cole, Ashley Cole, or Wright Philips as captain? How about A.N. Other in goal? Or the permanently crocked duo Owen and Terry?
The millionaire footballers also managed to turn up on time for this morning's breakfast, a notable achievement for some members of the squad. Not only did Rio Ferdinand remember it was on, he turned up too and had this to say of training - "We went out there and worked hard." Well, I don't know about you, but it is soundbites like this that confirm everything I've known about English football over the past 20-odd years - everything is newsworthy.
So, England host Switzerland tomorrow night in what should be a routine home win, despite England once again being hit by injuries, meaning we won't get a good indication of his future line-up.
So, we're in for an interesting few years with Capello at the helm,
the football won't entertaining but at least the fallout will.
Mark,
Okey Doke Football
Monday, 4 February 2008
Stantastic Logic at Work
"I'm the boss, I'm the gaffer and at the end of the day what I say goes." Steve Staunton. Fool of a gaffer.
Well I hope y’all have underfloor heating cos it looks like hell just froze over. Does that even make sense? To be honest, I don’t care, because in a world where Steve Staunton can find a new job nothing makes sense. Leeds United fans if you thought the club had seen lows before – relegation, fish tank controversies, Brian Deane, Dennis ‘OompaLoompaLumpityDoo’ Wise – today truly proves that if there is a god then he hates you. He really hates you. He hates you so much that Stan is your new assistant manager. A horrible fate indeed.
Stan has made himself very busy today; fresh from getting his first job in club management that stretched beyond lining up cones and giving out bibs, he’s started to slag off possible new Irish manager Giovanni Trapattoni. Plenty of news outlets have centered on the differences in both men’s management records (Trapattoni’s fantastic; Stan ‘did the double’ over San Marino) but to me the greatest piece of tosh in amongst the former Irish gaffer’s quotes came with the idea that ‘we Irish are something a little bit different’ as a reason why Traps couldn’t manage us.
How are we different Stan? Are we unique in that Irish players only understand a high-tempo long ball game? Because that’s all you thought of them in the away games against Slovakia and the Czech Republic anyway. Back when Shay Given was repeatedly asked to hit Kevin Kilbane on the head for someone to run on to. When it didn’t work the first ten times Stan, what were your instructions? ‘Well sure, they’ll hardly expect us to do it again the second half will they?’ Genius. Stone cold genius.
Do the Irish understand how to outfox a Welsh central midfield containing a Championship player and some dude from the MLS? Apparently not, that’s why you played two holding midfielders against Wales at Croke Park. A mighty intellect this man, mighty.
What about the myths off the field? That we like a pint? Certainly we do, but Robbie Keane scored 31 goals in the last calendar year while treading a fine dietary line at Spurs. He scored four goals in the entire qualification series for Euro 2008; three against San Marino at home and one in the pointless group finale against Wales where Don Givens brazenly used only one holding midfielder. The cheek of it Stan; but sure at least Keane and everyone else could have a pint when you were manager.
Whatever Stan ‘understands’ about the Irish players led to shambolic training sessions with him huffing and puffing in practice games. It led to tactical incoherence and column writers stumped at finding words for each new low for Irish football. That Trapattoni might make the players understand there’s a better way of doing things might just be beneficial you’d have to think. Can’t see a defence that he sends out conceding six to Cyprus over two games.
Staunton also slagged off the Italian’s knowledge of our players and their talents, or "what they're all about" as he puts it. Is this the Steve Staunton who played Andy Keogh – a striker – at right wing; Steve Finnan – a right back – at left back; John O’Shea every bloody where; Joey O’Brien – a full back – as the midfield anchor; not to mention Kevin Kilbane as a centre forward when San Marino were level with us in injury time?
It really is hard to sum up my lack of respect for Stan when it comes to management; how could anyone have an ounce of it for him after Ireland’s glib showings in the last qualifying tournament? His tetchiness and frankly irritating assumption that the crowd was on his side rather than that of the press was also disgraceful. It wasn’t about sides; we all knew you were doing a terrible job Stan. The press anxiety in every column was due to Staunton’s ineptitude, not some paranoid agenda. Let’s face it, all the press had to report was his feeble mumblings and idiotic decision making. That was damning enough without any window dressing.
Stan has made himself very busy today; fresh from getting his first job in club management that stretched beyond lining up cones and giving out bibs, he’s started to slag off possible new Irish manager Giovanni Trapattoni. Plenty of news outlets have centered on the differences in both men’s management records (Trapattoni’s fantastic; Stan ‘did the double’ over San Marino) but to me the greatest piece of tosh in amongst the former Irish gaffer’s quotes came with the idea that ‘we Irish are something a little bit different’ as a reason why Traps couldn’t manage us.
How are we different Stan? Are we unique in that Irish players only understand a high-tempo long ball game? Because that’s all you thought of them in the away games against Slovakia and the Czech Republic anyway. Back when Shay Given was repeatedly asked to hit Kevin Kilbane on the head for someone to run on to. When it didn’t work the first ten times Stan, what were your instructions? ‘Well sure, they’ll hardly expect us to do it again the second half will they?’ Genius. Stone cold genius.
Do the Irish understand how to outfox a Welsh central midfield containing a Championship player and some dude from the MLS? Apparently not, that’s why you played two holding midfielders against Wales at Croke Park. A mighty intellect this man, mighty.
What about the myths off the field? That we like a pint? Certainly we do, but Robbie Keane scored 31 goals in the last calendar year while treading a fine dietary line at Spurs. He scored four goals in the entire qualification series for Euro 2008; three against San Marino at home and one in the pointless group finale against Wales where Don Givens brazenly used only one holding midfielder. The cheek of it Stan; but sure at least Keane and everyone else could have a pint when you were manager.
Whatever Stan ‘understands’ about the Irish players led to shambolic training sessions with him huffing and puffing in practice games. It led to tactical incoherence and column writers stumped at finding words for each new low for Irish football. That Trapattoni might make the players understand there’s a better way of doing things might just be beneficial you’d have to think. Can’t see a defence that he sends out conceding six to Cyprus over two games.
Staunton also slagged off the Italian’s knowledge of our players and their talents, or "what they're all about" as he puts it. Is this the Steve Staunton who played Andy Keogh – a striker – at right wing; Steve Finnan – a right back – at left back; John O’Shea every bloody where; Joey O’Brien – a full back – as the midfield anchor; not to mention Kevin Kilbane as a centre forward when San Marino were level with us in injury time?
It really is hard to sum up my lack of respect for Stan when it comes to management; how could anyone have an ounce of it for him after Ireland’s glib showings in the last qualifying tournament? His tetchiness and frankly irritating assumption that the crowd was on his side rather than that of the press was also disgraceful. It wasn’t about sides; we all knew you were doing a terrible job Stan. The press anxiety in every column was due to Staunton’s ineptitude, not some paranoid agenda. Let’s face it, all the press had to report was his feeble mumblings and idiotic decision making. That was damning enough without any window dressing.
Stan is a small man. A small petty man. Bloody hell, thinking about it, he might just fit Leeds like a glove. But now, alas, as I write, it seems Trapattoni will stay in Austria and Billy Davies is one of the favourites for the Ireland job. Dark times all round, particularly for Irish Leeds fans.
Later folks, JJ
Okey Doke Football Podcast is available every Friday morning, subscribe here: http://feeds.feedburner.com/OkeyDokeFootball
Friday, 1 February 2008
ODF 31 Jan Podcast Online
Hi All,
Our latest podcast is online now.
We discuss:
Results & Fixtures - FA Cup, Premier league and International Friendlies
Pub Talk - All the latest transfer news, Jermain Defoe & Ashley Cole's odd behaviour, Maradona, Rafa, Fortuna Dusseldorf, and the Clericus Cup
Featured Section - Jailbird footballers and should they have been locked up forever
We hope you enjoy the show,
Mark & JJ
Download it or subscribe to the RSS feed
Our latest podcast is online now.
We discuss:
Results & Fixtures - FA Cup, Premier league and International Friendlies
Pub Talk - All the latest transfer news, Jermain Defoe & Ashley Cole's odd behaviour, Maradona, Rafa, Fortuna Dusseldorf, and the Clericus Cup
Featured Section - Jailbird footballers and should they have been locked up forever
We hope you enjoy the show,
Mark & JJ
Download it or subscribe to the RSS feed
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