Premier League Kits Weekly – Round 13

Arsenal managed to go scoreless for the first time this season in a 1-0 loss against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. The Black Cats looked like they always do at home for the big win. Arsenal did some mix and match, as their usual away blue shorts and socks would’ve clashed with the blacks of Sunderland. So the Gunners wore their blue shirts with white shorts and white socks, especially designed as alternates in case of color clashes.

Aston Villa squeaked out a draw against Burnley at Turf Moor on Emile Heskey’s late goal. Because of similarities in color scheme, Villa actually donned their designated change kits. Burnley looked fantastic as always in their home kits.

At St. Andrews, Birmingham City earned a rare win by knocking off Fulham 1-0. Both sides wore their standard kits without changes.

Hull City and West Ham United played a wild game involving six goals, five in the first half, and a Hull red card. In the end the score finished 3-3, a bad lack of three points for both sides. On the other side of the coin, but sides looked pretty good in their usual kits.

With three goals in the first twenty-two minutes, Chelsea blew Wolverhampton Wanderers out of Stamford Bridge. The final score ended up 4-0 to the Blues, but the real story was in the kit choice of Wolves. For the first time this season, to the best of my knowledge, Wolves wore their white change kits. The only difference from their listed away kit was the inclusion of red socks, so as not to have twenty-two players on the field with white socks.

Manchester City drew their sixth consecutive game with a 2-2 stalemate against Liverpool at Anfield Road. Both teams wore their standard kits.

Saturday’s late game saw Manchester United rout Everton at Old Trafford, 3-0. United donned their home kits while Everton added blue shorts and socks to their normal blue tops.

On Sunday, Tottenham completely overwhelmed Wigan to a degree not usually possible in a league like the Premier League. The 9-1 beating was severe enough to suggest that perhaps Spurs were so offended by Wigan’s dreadful, 1978-themed, orange disaster change kits that only nine goals (and five from Jermain Defoe!) would do. Tottenham wore their usual home attire for the outrageous match.

Color coordination was an issue at the Reebok where Blackburn Rovers defeated Bolton Wanderers 2-0. Blackburn wore last season’s change kits (and this season’s third alternates) instead of their usual white-topped change kits. Bolton’s standard home kits were the reason for the changes.

Finally, Stoke City knocked off DFL Portsmouth at the Britannia Stadium 1-0. Stoke watched Portsmouth miss a penalty in their standard home fare. Pompey did of course look nice in their usual kits, but looks alone are not enough to win games in the Premier League.

Tottenham 9 – Wigan 1

Tottenham Hotspur scored by far the most goals in the Premier League this season by knocking in an incredible nine goals, eight of which came after half-time. 9-1 was the final scoreline against Wigan at White Hart Lane to the delight of each and every yid on hand. Jermain Defoe (pictured) poured in five goals while Peter Crouch, Aaron Lennon, David Bentley and Niko Kranjčar added goals against the hapless Latics. The most comprehensive three points of the season keep Spurs in fourth place but only on differential now (though they are seven goals shy of Arsenal on that front). Wigan slink back to fifteenth place, continuing their bizarre season.

Blackburn Rovers left Bolton Wanderers in the wilderness that is the relegation zone with a 2-0 victory at the Reebok. David Dunn scored for Rovers and a Samuel Ricketts own-goal late in the match doomed Bolton. Blackburn jump out of the muck at the bottom of the table and into eleventh place. Bolton are in eighteenth.

Ricardo Fuller scored in the 74th minute to send Stoke City to a 1-0 win over visiting Portsmouth at the Britannia Stadium. The Potters continue their nice run into the top ten of the table by reaching ninth place with the victory over last place Pompey. Portsmouth, after an encouraging spell several weeks ago, once again look to be the worst club in the league and are drifting now to three points short of even nineteenth place.

Bent Takes Down Another Giant

Darren Bent (pictured) scored for Sunderland, leading the Black Cats to another 1-0 victory over a major club at the Stadium of Light. The 71st minute goal gave Sunderland an important victory over Arsenal, coming just weeks after the bizarre 1-0 victory over Liverpool. Bent has now scored at least one goal against each of the traditional top-four clubs and Sunderland moved up to eighth place. Arsenal drop now from second to third in failing to pick up any points in the northeast.

Four goals in the final forty minutes saw Liverpool and Manchester City draw 2-2 at Anfield Road. Martin Škrtel and Yossi Benayoun scored for the Reds while Emmanuel Adebayor and Stephen Ireland scored for City. The draw was the sixth consecutive for City, though not an unimportant one being away to Liverpool. For the Reds, failing to earn three points again leaves them thirteen points behind the leaders and still two points shy of a Champions League position. Liverpool are currently in seventh place with City in sixth, just a point clear.

At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea jumped out to an early, insurmountable lead over Wolverhampton Wanderers and cruised to a 4-0 thrashing of last seasons Championship winners. Florent Malouda scored just five minutes in and a Michael Essien brace before the 23rd minute sent the Blues to an easy 3-0 lead. Joe Cole scored in the second half to complete the rout of clearly overmatched Wolves. Chelsea keep to the top of the table, now five points clear of Manchester United. Wolves have just ten points from thirteen matches and are in the relegation zone in nineteenth place.

Lee Bowyer’s 16th minute goal was just enough for Birmingham City to earn a home victory over Fulham, 1-0 at St. Andrews. The three points send Brum all the way up to twelfth place, equalling the point total of the Cottagers, though falling short on goal differential.

A wild game at the KC Stadium saw two clubs badly in need of three points fail to earn them in a 3-3 draw between Hull City and West Ham United. Five goals came in the first half but the game was decided in the second. Bernard Mendy was sent off for Hull in the 54th minute, leaving West Ham with a man advantage. Manuel da Costa made Hull pay by scoring in the 69th minute and giving both teams a solitary point. Both sides remain dangerously close to the relegation zone with West Ham coming in at seventeenth and Hull in sixteenth place.

Stephen Caldwell’s ninth minute header looked to be enough for Burnley to earn three home points against another top four club. But Emile Hesky found the net in the 86th minute for Aston Villa, leaving the score 1-1 and giving shared points. Villa remain in fourth place and Burnley have to be satisfied with ninth.

Finally, Manchester United outplayed and eventually outscored Everton at Old Trafford, 3-0. Darren Fletcher’s absolute cracker in the first half stirred the crowd into a frenzy and provided United with a well-deserved goal. Michael Carrick and Antonio Valencia scored in the second half to complete the dismantling of the Toffees in Manchester. United move back into second place with Arsenal’s loss, but are five points short of front-running Chelsea. Everton continue to struggle and remain in thirteenth place.

Premiership Predictions – Round 13

With international week behind and all of the World Cup positions now determined, the Premier League is free to return from it’s one-week sabbatical. A full slate of matches await and two make-up games on Wednesday will bring almost every club onto level terms in the games-played category.

The best match of the weekend could very well be the first one with Manchester City traveling to Liverpool for Saturday’s early game. This match would have been considered a top draw before the season started but at this point it’s two underachieving clubs who are desperately trying to keep up with the top four. A loss by either side is a massive blow to any hopes of a Champions League position come season’s end.

Elsewhere, Chelsea should have no trouble staying atop the league with a home fixture with Wolves. Arsenal have a tough draw at the Stadium of Light against Sunderland and Manchester United will host Everton.

Saturday:
Manchester City @ Liverpool – Liverpool
Wolverhampton @ Chelsea – Chelsea
Arsenal @ Sunderland – Draw
Fulham @ Birmingham City – Birmingham
West Ham @ Hull City – Hull
Everton @ Manchester United – United

Sunday:
Blackburn @ Bolton – Draw
Wigan @ Tottenham – Spurs
Portsmouth @ Stoke City – Stoke

Wednesday:
Everton @ Hull City – Hull
Blackburn @ Fulham – Draw

mao’s Challenge Table:
mao – 209
Jereme – 203
Trey – 195
Mark – 193

mao’s Results Thus Far:
Round 1 – 15 points
Round 2 – 9 points
Round 3 – 24 points
Round 4 – 24 points
Round 5 – 21 points
Round 6 – 19 points
Round 7 – 18 points
Round 8 – 14 points
Round 9 – 20 points
Round 10 – 12 points
Round 11 – 21 points
Round 12 – 12 points

Ireland Call for a Replay

FAI (Football Association of Ireland), Ireland’s football governing body, are calling on FIFA to replay the second leg match between France and Ireland after video replays showed a most blatant handball by Thierry Henry on France’s winning goal. Citing a 2005 World Cup qualifying replay between Uzbekistan and Bahrain due to an incorrect referee’s decision, FAI are demanding that the injustice admitted by Henry himself, as well as officials from FIFA and the even the match officials, should be righted by a replay.

There is very little chance of this happening, though at least the Irish are citing precedence. In addition to handling the ball (twice actually), two French players were offside on Florent Malouda’s 95th minute free kick in Paris. Those are not necessarily grounds for a replay, but with the handling of the ball being so obvious, and potentially purposeful, hopefully FIFA will at least consider this outcome marred by the events that transpired at le Stade de France.

Update: FIFA have denied Ireland’s request for a replay saying that it would “cause chaos in football.” Not exactly sure how that’s true, but at this point it no longer matters. France are through to South Africa and Ireland are not.

Heartbreak for Ireland

France were taken to overtime after Robbie Keane’s 33rd minute goal leveled terms at 1-1 on aggregate. But a strange and controversial goal gave the French a 1-1 draw and a 2-1 victory over Ireland to advance to the 2010 World Cup. Both Keane and Damien Duff (pictured) missed certain goals during regular time, leaving Irish fans even more depressed than they might otherwise be. France’s goal came from a clearly offside Thierry Henry who handled the ball which led directly to William Gallas’ qualification-earning goal in the 95th minute. It will be nice to have the star power of France back in the World Cup, whoever difficult it was for them to get there. But it is a great tragedy that Ireland have been sent home.

Elsewhere, Slovenia stunned the football world with their 1-0 victory over Russia at the Arena Petrol Stadium, giving the Slovenes a 2-2 aggregate and advancement based on away goals. It turns out that Nejc Pečnik’s 88th minute goal in the first game was the savior for Slovenia when Zlatko Dedič scored in the 44th minute, leveling the aggregate score. Russia have to be completely shocked to have gone up 2-0 in their first playoff match and still not advanced against such a small country as Slovenia. Of course, having a player sent off (Aleksandr Kerzhakov) in the 66th minute and another (Yuri Zhirkov) in the game’s final moments, did not help the Russians score what would have been the goal needed to advance.

Raul Meireles’ 51st minute goal gave Portugal all the space it would need at the Asim Ferhatović Hase Stadium in Sarajevo, pushing the Portuguese back into the World Cup over Bosnia-Herzegovina. The home side’s chances were effectively over when Meireles scored but a red card given to Sejad Salihović in the 76th minute completely doomed the Bosnians. Portugal will have the services of Cristiano Ronaldo again next summer, barring another injury, and must feel good about advancing, especially after such a dismal start to this qualifying campaign.

Finally, Uruguay earned the last spot in the 2010 World Cup by drawing 1-1 with Costa Rica in Montevideo, giving the home side a 2-1 aggregate victory. Sebastián Abreu’s goal gave Uruguay a 2-0 aggregate lead, just enough to defeat pesky Costa Rica, who did pull one back from Walter Centeno later in the match. After missing out on Germany 2006, Uruguay will give South America five representatives in South Africa next summer. That means North America is left with just three entrants.

Greece and Algeria Are In – Four More to Go

Algeria and Greece both eked their way into the 2010 World Cup with dramatic 1-0 victories today. Algeria defeated Egypt in a playoff in Omdurman, Sudan while Greece managed a win at the Dnipro Stadium Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine. Due to away goals, Greece only needed to draw 1-1 in order to advance, but instead took the most direct way into the World Cup by winning outright. Algeria had just lost to Egypt over the weekend, 2-0 in Cairo, so today’s victory was perhaps even more impressive.

Now just four World Cup spots remain in the balance as three more European matches take place and Costa Rica-Uruguay’s second leg will be played later this afternoon from Montevideo. More updates to come as available.

Leaked USA World Cup Kits

Not entirely sure that these are real yet, I think we’re all supposed to find that out soon (maybe even in today’s Denmark friendly?). But as you can see, these images purport to show the USA Soccer kits for the 2010 World Cup, apparently inspired by the famous 1950 World Cup side that defeated England in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Clint Dempsey has been found posing in the white version, so perhaps they are real. An update will come as soon as humanly possible.

The Conclusion of World Cup Qualifying

Tomorrow’s four matches in Europe, the return leg of Costa Rica-Uruguay and the replay of Algeria-Egypt will determine the final six positions for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

A quick breakdown:

Ireland @ France – The Irish played well but missed out on their few chances while France made the most of theirs when Nic Anelka scored from a deflection in the 72nd minute at Croke Park. Ireland will need to win 1-0 in order to force over-time while a 2-0 or 3-1 victory would send them through straightaway. Unfortunately for Ireland, they are historically not a side that wins important away matches. It’s true that the notoriously fickle French fans could turn on their side and their enigmatic manager Raymond Domenech, but Ireland still have to have the offensive wherewithal to force a result.

Portugal @ Bosnia – Portugal slipped through their home match behind Bruno Alves’ header in Lisbon. Bosnia rattled off the post three times in the match, saving face for Portugal and giving the visitors an uphill climb for an already unlikely qualification. But with Ronaldo still out, Portugal can be susceptible in away matches. Bosnia will certainly have the fight in them to turn this score around, though they should be wary of any away goals from the Portuguese.

Russia @ Slovenia – Clearly the superior side going into this match-up was Russia, and they proved it with two goals from Diniyar Bilyaletdinov in Moscow on the weekend. But just before full-time the Russians allowed Nejc Pečnik to pull back an important away goal for Slovenia. So now the return leg will be played in Maribor with only a 1-0 result necessary for the Slovenes to pull off the massive shocker and reach the World Cup.

Greece @ Ukraine – A goalless draw near Athens saw the advantage go squarely to Ukraine, if they can win in their own home match. A 1-1 draw would give Greece a spot in South Africa but any victory by the home side would see Andriy Shevchenko and company back into the World Cup.

Costa Rica @ Uruguay – Costa Rica were defeated at home in the first leg, 1-0 behind Diego Lugano’s goal for visiting Uruguay. The return leg is in Montevideo where the Uruguayans will certainly have the major advantage. It is certainly possible for Costa Rica to advance, but their best chances were lost when Jonathan Bornstein scored for the United States in the waning minutes of their final CONCACAF qualifier.

Algeria v. Egypt @ Omdurman, Sudan – The final African position will be determined by a replay between hated rivals Algeria and Egypt in Sudan. The Hate Match, as their encounters are known, was a brutal one in Cairo on the weekend with Egypt winning 2-0 behind goals from Amr Zaki and Emad Moteab. Hopefully, with the match at a neutral site, the rival fans will not be able to attack each others’ teams before the games, as happened in Egypt last week.

George Burley Gets the Sack

It Just Never Quite Worked For Burley

Scotland manager George Burley got the sack today after a disastrous reign as national team manager. Burley’s tenure has surely made Scots even long for the days of Berti Vogts. Scotland lost over the weekend in a pathetic 3-0 capitulation to an undermanned Wales side in a friendly, spelling the end of the Burley era. Scotland have won just three out of the fourteen matches since Burley took over and of course famously failed to even reach the playoff round in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup.

The most likely replacement for Burley is Walter Smith, former Scotland manager (2004-2007) and current boss at Rangers. The Scots do not have a national team match scheduled until a friendly with the Czech Republic in March and qualifying for Euro 2012 does not begin until late next year, so there is plenty of time to find and work in a new manager.

Update: The Scottish FA have declared their intent to fill this position no later than February. That takes Walter Smith out of the running and instead installs Dundee United manager Craig Levein as the early frontrunner. Kilmarnock boss Jim Jeffries and former Hibernian manager and Scotland international John Collins will likely also be considered.

Ireland Up Against It

The Irish played hard and well but it was not enough to defeat France at Croke Park in Dublin, losing 1-0. Nicolas Anelka’s second half goal was enough for the French, greatly increasing their chances of advancement with a home match in Paris coming on Wednesday. Some would argue that Ireland never belonged on the same pitch as a side like France but the home team did play valiantly, creating several very strong chances. But in the end it was the French who made the most of their opportunities while Ireland never could connect.

In Portugal, the home side acquired the advantage going into the second leg on Bruno Alves’ goal in the first half at the Estadio Nacional. Portugal held on for a 1-0 victory over Bosnia, despite the continued injury absence of Cristiano Ronaldo. The Bosnians have a tough task ahead in order to qualify, though that is the expected result.

Finally, Greece and Ukraine played to a nil-nil draw at the Olympic Stadium in Athens. Neither side was particularly enthralling nor deserving of victory. The advantage now clearly goes to the Ukrainians who will get the return leg on their home soil in four days time.

Russia Win Their First Leg

With a home game at the Lokomotiv Stadion in Moscow, against an inferior opponent in Slovenia, Russia had to win the first leg of their playoff tie. And win they did behind a Diniyar Bilyaletdinov (pictured) brace, 2-1. The Everton man scored on either side of half-time with 40th and 51st minute goals to give the Russians the advantage going into Wednesday’s second leg. But perhaps more important than Bilyaletdinov’s two goals was the one scored by Slovenia’s Nejc Pečnik, just two minutes from full-time. Pulling one back away from home could prove to be a massive development, particularly if the Slovenes can get going early at the Arena Petrol on Wednesday.

Kool Shen – Lame

Olympique Lyonnais further convoluted it’s 2009/10 kit experience by running an advert for a French rapper (and a fan of PSG no less) on their shirts in their rousing 5-5 draw with Olympique de Marseille last weekend. Lisandro can be seen above with the Kool Shen name and album information on the front of the kit. The connection is that Kool Shen is a big poker player and Lyon’s kit sponsors, BetClic, support all kinds of different gambling on their website. Clearly this is a low point in kit sponsorships.

World Cup Kits Page

Previously I have implored readers of this space to check follow along with all of the current kits worn in the Premier League this season. There is a page dedicated to this cause as well as a weekly round-up of the kits worn in each round of the Premiership schedule.

With the World Cup just months away and with the final World Cup qualifying games taking place this weekend and next week, I’ve created a World Cup Kits Page. As the 2010 kits are released, and as certain sides qualify, kits will be added to the list. Feel free to take a look and leave your thoughts in the comments section.

International Week

Most higher level domestic leagues will be taking this weekend off as another round of international matches take the stage. There are several reasons why this particular week is exciting for this space: First, the qualification processes for nations vying for the 2010 World Cup will be sorted out. The playoffs in Europe, between Oceania/Asia and North America/South America and the end of African qualifying matches will round out the remaining open positions for berths in South Africa 2010. Second, an interesting slate of international friendlies will take place between powerful teams, many of whom have already qualified for the World Cup. And third, several countries will be debuting their new kits that will be on display at the World Cup next year.

Qualifiers:

UEFA Playoffs:
November 14:
France @ Ireland
Bosnia @ Portugal
Ukraine @ Greece
Slovenia @ Russia

November 18:
Ireland @ France
Portugal @ Bosnia
Greece @ Ukraine
Russia @ Slovenia

In Africa, qualifying is taking place for the World Cup and African Cup of Nations concurrently. There are many different possible scenarios but the leading candidates for World Cup qualification are:
Algeria (Group C)
Tunisia (Group B)
Cameroon (Group A)

Playoffs between Oceania’s winner and Asia’s fifth place side continue between Bahrain and New Zealand. They drew nil-nil in their first leg and will have their second tie on November 14.

North America’s fourth place side and South America’s fifth place side will begin on November 14 between Costa Rica and Uruguay. The second leg will take place on November 18.

Friendlies:
Games among nations qualified for the World Cup:
November 14:
Japan @ South Africa
USA @ Slovakia
Korea @ Denmark
Argentina @ Spain
Holland @ Italy
England v. Brazil (in Qatar)

November 17:
Chile @ Slovakia

November 18:
Serbia @ Korea
USA @ Denmark
Paraguay @ Holland

Germany’s friendly with Chile has been cancelled due to the death of German goalkeeper Robert Enke yesterday.

Finally, several new World Cup kits will debut over the weekend. Germany was to wear their new threads against Chile, but that debut will have to be postponed. South Africa will wear their newly released kits against Japan on November 14. The Japanese will also be wearing new uniforms for that game. Greece will debut a new look while trying to qualify against Ukraine on November 14. Russia will debut it’s new home kit against Slovenia also on November 14.