How Nike helped Manuel Almunia become a better goalkeeper
[Off The Post]
The top 15 curtain hairstyles in the history of the Premier League
[Pies]
Could the flawed Lord Griffiths ruling that forced West Ham to pay compensation to Sheffield United now be used against the Blades?
[Knees Up Mother Brown]
Sadly there’s no room for player of the year Ryan Giggs here…
It’s another end of season list, but with a twist. To stop a roundup of the 08/09 Premier League team of the season descending into a top 4 love-in, we’ve tried to limit ourselves to only one player from each club. Sticklers for punishment that we are, we’re also rigidly sticking to a classic 4-4-2. It all ended up being a lot harder than we gave it credit for:
GK - Manuel Almunia (Arsenal)
Pulled off some super saves, stopped an inordinate amount of penalties, and has been good enough to have this ridiculous nonsense about him playing for England rise to the surface again. The Spanish keeper has come a long way from Jens Lehmann’s assessment he was to rubbish to play for Arsenal.
DR - Rory Delap (Stoke)
Rory Delap made a healthy contribution to securing Stoke’s top flight status, earning priceless league (and mental) victories against the big boys at a time when Stoke were looking the unfashionable new kids while Hull cakewalked it. He spent most of the season in midfield but his position is almost irrelevent for what he brings to the team.
DL - Luke Young (Aston Villa)
Playing completely out of position, covering for a crocked Wilfred Bouma and an absolutely dreadful Nicky Shorey, isn’t an ideal way to start your first season a new club, but Young has done the job manfully, without complaint and more often than not, impressively.
DC - Phil Jagielka (Everton)
One of the most reliable performers of the season until that heartbreaking injury, Jags has had a superb campaign, reaping benefits in the form of England
With the 2008/09 campaign finally over, The Spoiler continues to take a look back (part 1 is over here in case you missed it) at the season’s finest goals and our nominations for the ten greatest efforts. Surprisingly, only two strikers make the list…
#10: Fernando Torres - Liverpool 4-0 Blackburn, 11/04/09
Would Liverpool’s season have ended in league glory had Fernando Torres managed to avoid injury? We’ll never know - but surely fans would’ve been treated to more gems like this. Nonchalantly foregoing the traditional practice of actually checking where the net is before hitting the ball, the number 9 scores a spectacular striker’s goal.
John O’Shea nets the only goal of the semis so far
Manchester Utd 1/ Arsenal 0
The first round of Champions League semi-finals weren’t quite the goalfests we were all hoping for. At Old Trafford last night, Manu Adebayor was far too overwhelmed up front on his own to make a difference, and Manuel Almunia thwarted countless Utd efforts. Professor Wenger will be pretty pleased with the result, which is sure to make next week’s return leg at The Emirates more interesting. Please God, let it be more interesting.
Arsenal/Villarreal, Champions Lge QF L2, 7.45pm, Sky Sports 3
Arsenal’s biggest worry tonight is how their defence will cope without Manuel Almunia, Gael Clichy, William Gallas and Johan Djourou. It is with that in mind that we have decided to stick with the 4-2-3-1 formation from the first leg, ensuring that the patched-up back four are adequately supported:
Emmanuel Adebayor was isolated at times in Spain but with Villarreal needing to commit bodies forward, there should be more space for Samir Nasri, Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott to exploit, while Robin van Persie and Nicklas Bendtner will be ready to do damage off the bench if the visitors score.
Do you agree with our formation or do you think Arsenal should start with two strikers? Let us know who you would pick with a comment below.
Big Sam gives us the chance to throw stones at his glass house
Morten Gamst Pedersen was guilty of one of the most laughably bad dives the Premier League has ever seen last weekend at the Emirates. But while Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce admits that his winger’s stumble was worthy of a booking, he claims players are forced to dive because of referees’ reluctance to punish foulers:
“But what about players who are dishing out fouls all the time? I would like to see them being punished, not least because it would mean those on the receiving end would not need to resort to diving.”
A huge irony about Allardyce’s stance is that the same lack of punishment allowed El-Hadji Diouf to escape with just a yellow for a horrendous lunge on Manuel Almunia in the very same game. It’s also worth noting that innocent victim Gamst Pedersen was sent off himself earlier this month against Hull, receiving a second yellow for a late challenge on Kamil Zayatte.
It is also perhaps a little odd for Allardyce to slam the level of fouling in the Premier League when Blackburn are bottom of the disciplinary table for the fifth season running, while Kevin Davies committed more fouls than any other player in each of Allardyce’s last three seasons at Bolton.
He may have kept a clean sheet against Roma on Tuesday night, but Arsenal shot stopper Manuel Almunia is clearly in a bad mood. Yesterday, he decided to take his frustration out on his dog (one of those little yappy Terriers), which he paraded around north London on a pink lead and with a pink neon jacket. Only Paris Hilton’s dog has been subjected to humiliation worse than this.
We would have provided a picture of this flagrant animal cruelty, but stealing pictures from tabloid newspapers seems to make their lawyers unhappy for some reason. To see Almunia’s fierce mutt for yourself, click here.
UPDATE: Mad props to our girls at Kickette, who have provided a picture of Almunia’s canine artrocity
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