In at 5..
Super Bowl Beat Down
The best defence beats up the best offense. Staying up late beats getting up early. Seattle Seahawks crushed and squeezed Peyton Manning and his Denver Broncos. As Super Bowls go, this was men against boys. The greatest show on Earth should have been stopped by the umpire after Bruno Mars’ half time show. The contest was well and truly over with Percy Harvin’s kickoff-return to begin the second half. Congratulations to the Seattle Seahawks!
4. Southampton key to England world cup hopes
Adam Lallana. Jay Rodriguez. Ricky Lambert. Luke Shaw. Jack Cork (maybe), will any other team send as many players to the World Cup for England? And will these players make the difference between getting through the group stages and being knocked out at the quarter final? (come on, we do this all the time!). These Saints are young so have a better chance to deal with the humidity. They are technical. They are not inhibited by previous World Cup failures. And most importanly, they are good! Maybe with Rooney in top form…Could we maybe make a semi-final?
3. If you go to war with KP take a left arm spinner
Andy Flower gave an ultimatum to the ECB which boiled down to this - It’s me or it’s Kevin Pietersen. This week Andy Flower handed in his resignation. Before Andy Flower was head coach we had Peter Moores filling the position, and yes, Pietersen fell out with him too. The question now is who will fill the role? Ashley Giles, current coach of the one day England team, is strong favourite and it would be a great time to take the job. Unlike following in the footsteps of success (see: Moyes following Ferguson) he will be following in failure. He will be given time by the board, and the fans, but will he by Pietersen?
2. In Arsene we trust...
I met Arsene Wenger once*. We were waiting in line at a delightful French bakery in Hampstead. After an initial sequence of hello’s I asked him what he was looking to order. He told he me was very hungry, famished in fact. I told him the pain au chocolat is to die for and of course you can never have too many macaroons!
Arsene took two steps forward to the counter.
"Could I order a bag of your finest flour and some organic eggs."He said.
As he left with goods in hand, a large grin on his face and a bounce in his step I asked him, "I thought you were hungry?"
He smiled. "I am, but I can make it at home from scratch and it will taste so much better."
Is it any surprise Arsene purchased an injured player as cover for his current injured players? With victory secured against Palace, much tougher tests await in February. Bayern, Liverpool and Manchester United. Could it be a Valentine’s massacre?
(*I never really met Arsene Wenger)
1. Band aids don’t fix dodgy hearts
Juan, the saviour. Mata, the missing link. The final part of the second holy trinity (first one being Law, Charlton & Best)…Then along came Stoke to shatter those dreams and highlight the seriousness of the patient’s health. Band aids are fine to fix cuts and bruises but Man Utd, the patient, is in need of open heart surgery. The prognosis is this: A central midfield lacking energy, drive and quality and a centre back pairing with aged legs and wary bodies.
There is no doubt Juan Mata is a great addition to the squad but Manchester United fans may find themselves waiting nervously in the doctors surgery a lot longer. I’d recommend something to read to kill time. Perhaps Alex Ferguson’s first autobiography: Managing My Life. The one where he explains the struggles he encountered in first taking the United job.
