Monday, April 30, 2007

Drogballs' Weekend Roundup

Wheel Of Fortune

And ironically, the man who turned the race for the Premiership title is aptly named as Iain Turner. Despite leading by 2 goals to nil, Everton struggled to hold on and the goalkeeper fumbled an easy corner kick into the path of John O'Shea.

The rest as said, was history.

The picture to the left does paint two totally different stories in two parts of England which started out very indifferently.

With Chelsea being the favourites compared to ManYoo, they went into the game so full of confidence that Jose Mourinho dropped Lampard, Makalele and Drogba onto the bench.

How it backfired.

With ManYoo falling behind to an Alan Stubb's freekick, Chelsea once again failed to capitalise. Only last week, they failed to take advantage of United slipping up against 'Boro and only managed a disappointing goal-less draw with Newcastle.

They fell behind.

But Chelsea came back strongly through Saloman Kalou, who was at fault for Bolton's goal. He redeemed himself with two good goals that perhaps, saved Mourinho's blushes and gave the supporters something to cheer about as the scoreboard still shows 'ManU 0-1 Everton'.

Things only got worst over at Goodison Park after a brilliant Manuel Fernandes goal puts Everton two goals ahead. The crowd at Stamford Bridge was seen cheering after the score was displayed on the screen and gave Chelsea the little edge.

But surprisingly, Chelsea gave away a cheap goal through a set piece yet again with Kevin Davies heading home, unmarked. The look of horror on so many Chelsea fan's face at the moment but with United still trailing, they believe they might still be in for a shout.

How wrong were they, though.

One thing in football is constant and that's the unpredictability of it. Who would've given ManYoo a chance when they're 2-0 down at Goodison?

They themselves did and also with the help of Everton goalkeeper, Turner. John O'Shea was once again on hand to tuck in the goal that turned the game around. Even though treated like a utility player, O'Shea certainly did come up with the goods at the right place and right time.

That got United going and before you know it, it's 2, it's 3 and it's 4.

Conspiracy theorists might question Phil Neville's integrity as the former United player scored the equalising own goal but it still takes a whole lot of character and determination to overturn the game.

Just like so many other games this season when United looked like they're being held back, a moment of brilliance changes everything and how many times must we use the term 'championship form' on them?

On the flip side, maybe Chelsea just doesn't deserve anything this time round as they didn't impress with their style of play and their constant grinding out 1-0 wins are making football fans tired.

I loath the Red Devils but they're a breathe of fresh air at the moment with enterprising football and entertainment guaranteed all games. The flair of Ronaldo, guile of Rooney and the return of Scholes & Giggs will always be better than the nitty gritty millionaire team that only come up with the goods, only just.

Fair play.


Turn Of Events Down Below

Another thing to look forward to in the next 2 weeks would be the ever exciting relegation battle at the foot of the table. It might not be as intriguing as the one we've seen two years ago but with things happening so fast, it's still hard to predict as to who will stay up and who won't survive the drop.

It's just a case of proving everyone wrong at the moment.

We've been banging on about how Charlton and West Ham will most definitely go down few months back. Then a change of event saw Charlton picking up some vital points and going on a run while West Ham revived themselves after that 4-3 defeat to Spurs.

Then with Fulham and Wigan being so absolutely abysmal this season, they were pulled into the dogfight together and still might have a chance to relegate, with both teams having tough games ahead. Their survival might not even be in their hands and they need the other two teams to profligate and stumble before they can be ensured safety, even.

Wigan and West Ham met and the Londoners thrashed the sorry Latics 3-0 in front of the JJB stadium which was evacuated and emptied of all Wigan fans after the 80th minute icing on cake.They have overachieved last season and too much have been expected of them this season. Failed spectacularly.

Fulham's survival is always banking on home wins and that is extremely dangerous. Just look at last season, only one away win all season. Pathetic. Any improvement this season? Nope. Chance of going down? Pretty high but still a little safer than Wigan although they're to face Liverpool next week.

Stay tune for even more exciting showdowns in the coming weeks!

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