The Soccer Thread (IV)

Final: Chelsea 7 (seven), Sunderland 2.

And how about this from League One: Remember the opening-day result, Norwich 1-7 Colchester? The return fixture was today ... Colchester 0-5 Norwich.

Meanwhile, the mighty Hawks slumped to their poorest defeat of the season, 4-0 away to Dover. I got back out to a match for the first time in two weeks and was rewarded with 9 goals, all to the home team.

 

HT: Everton 2-0 Man City.

 

BBC gamecast praises Donovan's home debut. Anyone get a chance to see the game, and if so what impression did you get?

 

Very busy, industrious outing -- lots of chasing and harrying, much like his teammates. Served up some solid set pieces (and some less so), kept City's left back from making any inroads and generally linked up well with Phil Neville and Louis Saha. Had a nice chip toward goal that didn't come off, and a great scoring chance was called back by the dopey Andre Marriner refusing to play the advantage. Received a hearty round of applause from the home fans when he was subbed out near the end.

A lot like the Arsenal outing, basically, without the assist but with a win. He'd be well-served to start scoring, I think, lest this European adventure end like his Bayern Munich spell (where he actually played pretty well but got aced out by Klinsmann's sacking).

 

Of what I saw (bits and pieces of the first and most of the second), he was decent, but he tired after about 60 minutes. His tracking back was OK, but not great. I thought his movement off of the ball was lacking in the last 30, but he was very good on the ball. His corners were also praiseworthy.

I'm not sure he has the strength to play in the EPL. He was pushed off the ball with ease a few times.

 

I dropped it last week. I just haven't had time to watch much soccer (certainly not two channels-worth) this season. I'm saving my "Babe, I can't do that/go there/leave the house because of this match" cards for the World Cup.

I hope DirecTV will offer Fox Soccer Plus. And that's included in my current Sports Pack.

 

Not sure why it's being picked up on now, but it is, and it's entertaining: Apparently in 2000, Steve Bruce, then managing Huddersfield, had a £750,000 bid accepted by Chelsea for a young defender who declined to make the move. Some guy named John Terry.

 

Not if you like goalkeeping -- an absolute clinic by Hull's Boaz Myhill.

 

Speaking of Hull, can someone explain to me while Altidore goes from starting one game to not being part of the matchday roster the next to being a starter again the next game to being late match sub a week later to being a reserve the next game to being a starter again?

 

Some coaches rotate their squads a lot, especially using good performance in training as a carrot for younger players. You train well, you play. You don't train well, or someone trains better, they play.

Others prefer different pieces for different gameplans. Who Altidore starts against probably says less about how he's playing, and more about who Hull is playing that day, and how their manager Phil Brown wants to attack them.

Manchester United on the road, going to look for a more experienced line-up, can't be giving away possession cheaply in midfield.

Bolton at home, better opportunity to employ a more attacking line-up, see if you can get Jozy in behind them to open the game up.

 

On MOTD, the commentator said he was rested on 'compassionate grounds,' because he has family in Haiti.

And yeah, they were away to Spurs, so they were going to be defensively minded.

 

Possible cruciate ligament damage for Clint Dempsey in Fulham's 2-0 loss to Blackburn.