World Cup and European leagues

[ScotsFan]

Are any of the big BPL games broacast live in this country?? ESPNPL does the replays.  I would love to at least PPV these games    I guess time difference is the problem.

ECSU,

ESPN2 usually has a match on Saturday mornings.  Last week was the Merseyside Derby.  They aren't airing any matches this weekend because it is an FA Cup weekend.

Fox Soccer Channel also carries a lot of matches.  Tomorrow at 2:30 the match between ManU and Villa will be on.  FSC also usually airs 2 EPL games on Saturday mornings as well as one on Sunday morning.  FSC will be airing 2 Cup matches on Saturday and one on Sunday although it doesn't list what matches those will be on their website.

[ECSUalum]

Are any of the big BPL games broacast live in this country?? ESPNPL does the replays.  I would love to at least PPV these games    I guess time difference is the problem.

ECSU,

ESPN2 usually has a match on Saturday mornings.  Last week was the Merseyside Derby.  They aren't airing any matches this weekend because it is an FA Cup weekend.

Fox Soccer Channel also carries a lot of matches.  Tomorrow at 2:30 the match between ManU and Villa will be on.  FSC also usually airs 2 EPL games on Saturday mornings as well as one on Sunday morning.  FSC will be airing 2 Cup matches on Saturday and one on Sunday although it doesn't list what matches those will be on their website.

Thank You Sir, much!!! appreciated

[Hoosier Titan]

As for Arsenal.  To say they are fading would be an understatement.  They were within sniffing distance of the top of the tables just 2 weeks ago.  And now, after back to back thumpings at the hands of United and Chelsea, they find themselves 9 points adrift of Chelsea and 7 behind United.  Heck, the Gunners are now closer to dropping out of the top 4 than they are to the top of the table. 

This Liverpool fan is hoping that poor form continues tonight for Arsenal, with the Reds finding some form and confidence again. 

And as for live matches, well, we can get a midweek radio broadcast and then a midweek Match of the Day with highlights.  A lot of pubs have Sky Sports (satellite), and there are certainly more Liverpool supporters up here in the north than fans of any of the London sides.  That old North-South divide in England is still real.

[ScotsFan]

Thank You Sir, much!!! appreciated

Anything to help out a fellow ManU supporter! 

This Liverpool fan is hoping that poor form continues tonight for Arsenal, with the Reds finding some form and confidence again. 

I figured as much.   

Liverpool has been looking pretty good once again.  It's as if Rafa waits until the heat is almost unbearable and then he gets his boys to start playing again.  Rafa also always seems to find a way to win the BIG matches like on Saturday which is why it wouldn't surprise me to see Liverpool continue their run of good form and also to continue Arsenal's run of bad form.

[ECSUalum]

Barclays Premier League

10 Feb 2010

Blackburn Rovers 1 - 0 Hull City  -  
16min Myhill og
   

Everton 2 - 1 Chelsea  -  
33min Saha
75min Saha
                     17min Malouda
 
Arsenal 1 - 0 Liverpool  -  
72min Diaby
   
Aston Villa 1 - 1 Manchester United  -  
19min Cuellar
                        23min Collins og
                        29min Nani sent off
 
West Ham United 2 - 0 Birmingham City  -  
45min Diamanti
67min Cole
   
Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 - 0 Tottenham Hotspur  -  
27min Jones
   

AS SOON AS I MENTION CHELSEA RUNNING AWAY WITH BPL TITLE, THEY LOSE AND ARSENAL WINS

ALL WITH 26 GAMES PLAYED
POINTS:

CHELSEA............ 58
MAN U ...............57
ARSENAL............ 52

[ScotsFan]

Too bad ManU couldn't have gotten the 3 points yesterday at Villa Park! 

That Nani Red Card was questionable at best.  I thought he deserved to get booked, but red was the wrong choice IMO.

And even with ManU being down to 10 men, it was really hard to tell the Devils were down a man the way they still controlled the match.  I really feel if they could have stayed at full strength, they would have won that match.

Oh well.  I'll take an away shorthanded draw.  One point is better than no points like Chelsea's match with Everton resulted in. 

[Hoosier Titan]

The Liverpool loss to Arsenal was disappointing and it probably means third place is out of the question.  However, the Reds played well and have nothing to be ashamed of.  Howard Webb's refusal to call the obvious handball on Fabregas in the game's waning moments--he was standing, motionless, in the wall and raised the arm--was infuriating.  Oh well.

Well done to Everton!  Landon Donovan is really playing well for them.  And John Terry?  Well, he needs to get his head in the game.  Twice he jumped way early trying to intercept an incoming pass--I hadn't timing that bad since some the JV games my daughter played in (and no, it wasn't her).

[ECSUalum]

Chelsea have announced that defender Ashley Cole will be out of action for approximately three months after fracturing his left ankle in Wednesday's match against Everton.

Ryan Giggs will be out of action for four weeks after fracturing his right arm in Manchester United's game at Aston Villa on Wednesday night. 

[ScotsFan]

Ryan Giggs will be out of action for four weeks after fracturing his right arm in Manchester United's game at Aston Villa on Wednesday night. 

Doh!!! 

I should have knocked on wood when I mentioned how healthy United were getting... 

And what makes things worse is that Giggsy has been in great form ALL season.  This is a big loss. 

[ECSUalum]

Ryan Giggs will be out of action for four weeks after fracturing his right arm in Manchester United's game at Aston Villa on Wednesday night. 

Doh!!! 

I should have knocked on wood when I mentioned how healthy United were getting... 

And what makes things worse is that Giggsy has been in great form ALL season.  This is a big loss. 

Yeah Scots,

Just goes to show in soccer or any sport, injuries can raise their ugly head at anytime.  What a killer!!!!

[ScotsFan]

Big Champions League showdown between ManU and AC Milan at the San Siro is being broadcast on Fox Sports Net today.  Pregame  at 2 pm with the match starting at 2:30 pm.

Busy afternoon of sports as team USA Hockey hits the Ice for the first time in Vancouver to take on the Swiss this afternoon as well.

[ECSUalum]

From RTE Sports:

A Wayne Rooney brace inspired Manchester United to a crucial Champions League last-16 first leg win at the San Siro.

Milan had earlier taken the lead after three minutes through a deflected Ronaldinho shot before a fluffed Paul Scholes effort on 36 minutes trickled across the line.

However a brace of second-half Rooney headers put United in the driving seat before a Clarence Seedorf backheel in the dying minutes kept the tie alive heading to Old Trafford.

[ScotsFan]

Yeah!  ManU put on quite a perfomance yesterday vs. the rossoneri!

Given the fact that the Red Devils had never even scored a goal at the San Siro in four previous matches, that goal from Rhonaldino in the 3rd minute of the game didn't exactly give me too much hope... 

And who would have thought that United's first away goal vs. AC Milan would be a dribbler of a Paul Scholes' whiff that ricochted off his schin and dribbled in just inside the far post. 

Rooney's two goals just added to what has been by far his best season as a Red Devil.  You think Wayne misses Ronaldo too much now?

And those goals were set up by a player that seems to be getting better and better and that is Antonio Valencia.  Not to say that Nani hasn't been playing well of late for the reds, but he just didn't have it yesterday.  Some of his crosses were downright awful and Rooney was visibly annoyed by it.  Enter Valencia in the 64th minute and it took all of 2 minutes for him to find Rooney with a perfect cross as he headed home the go ahead goal for United. 

Fletcher's red card was questionable at best and probably contributed to Milan scoring their 2nd goal late keeping their hopes alive as the tie now heads to Old Trafford. 

Yesterday's other result was Lyon surprising Real Madrid 1-0.

Arsenal takes on Porto today and Chelsea gets their round of 16 tie with Inter next Wed.

[Hoosier Titan]

The Porto-Arsenal Champions League match was a wild affair last night.  Arsenal backup keeper Lukasz Fabianski had a horrific night.  First he mishandled a shot for an own goal, but was promptly rescued by Sol Campbell's (!) header off a corner to get back to 1-1.  In the second half, one of the strangest plays I have ever seen ensued.  Campbell, standing less than 10 meters in front of Fabianski with a striker bearing down on him, back-kicked to Fabianski...who PICKED THE BALL UP!  Free kick for Porto, right in front of goal.  Fabianski gave the ball to the ref, who immediately gave it to a Porto player, and Porto immediately shot as Fabianski was walking back toward the goal.  Game over, 2-1 Porto.  To be fair, Campbell's back-kick was ill-advised; there was little time or space for Fabianski to do anything useful with the ball.  Still, kicking it out to the side was an option.

Here's the BBC match report.  There's a separate one of Arsene Wenger criticizing the referee, although everyone else (including referee Graham Poll in his column today in the Daily Mail and Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas) agrees that the ref was correct.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/8516193.stm

I was going to say it was like seeing a triple play in baseball--you're not sure what's happening as it unfolds in front of you because it happens so fast.  But I've seen several triple plays, so it's rarer than that.  The Hidden Ball Trick, maybe.  Interesting, anyway.

Liverpool play Romanian side Unirea Urziceni tonight at Anfield in the first round of the Europa League (formerly the UEFA Cup; still the football equivalent of the NIT).  Jamie Carragher is back; Yossi Benayoun trained with the team yesterday but may not play.

[ECSUalum]

I watched a replay of the Campbell/Fabianski disaster play!! Bizarre