So apparently I decided to write the following lines in my previous post: "Broncos don't stand a chance in their game, even though they are at home. Sorry Tim and co. Steelers will dominate from start to finish. Tebow won't be ready for the playoffs mentally, and even if he does mount a 4th quarter comeback for a change, Steelers will be too far ahead by then."
I apologise for this. Tebow and the Broncos proved me wrong. They were brilliant throughout, and that final play was just the icing on the proverbial cake (Did anyone else start Tebowing after it happened?)
On a stats note, Tebow completed 10 of 21 passes for 316 yards. 31.6 yards per completion. And Demaryius Thomas had 4 receptions for 204 yards, 51 yards per reception. Incredible.
I promise I won't rule out Tebow for a win ever again. Ever.
Monday, 9 January 2012
Saturday, 7 January 2012
Win or go home
After 17 weeks of the regular season, the post-season has finally dawned on us. Of the 12 teams who qualified, probably only 3 from NFC could do it and maybe 3 from AFC could go all the way and win Superbowl XLVI (46). From NFC, I would say Packers, Saints or Giants could do it, and from NFC Patriots, maybe Ravens or Steelers could win. So I reckon, anyway.
Patriots, Ravens, Packers and 49ers all have bye weeks to prepare for the Divisional playoffs, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.
In the AFC, we've got Texans (3) vs Bengals (6) and Broncos (4) vs Steelers (5).
Texans should win based on their superior record, but also they have probably the best Running Back in the league in Arian Foster. Despite their QB issues, they should still do it.
Broncos don't stand a chance in their game, even though they are at home. Sorry Tim and co. Steelers will dominate from start to finish. Tebow won't be ready for the playoffs mentally, and even if he does mount a 4th quarter comeback for a change, Steelers will be too far ahead by then.
These winners would present Patriots (1) vs Steelers (5) and Ravens (2) vs Texans (3) in the divisional playoffs
As for the NFC, there's Saints (3) vs Lions (6) and Giants (4) vs Falcons (5).
Saints should win as they are 8-0 at home this season, and Brees is playing insanely well, as illustrated by the new passing record he set (5,476 yards this season).
The other game could go either way. I would suggest Giants have the upper hand based on home advantage, but Falcons did finish with a better W-L record. I'm going to say Giants, but it'll be close.
If this happened, we'd have Packers (1) vs Giants (4) and 49ers (2) vs Saints (3)
Next NFL post will come before the Superbowl, hopefully. Then one after.
Patriots, Ravens, Packers and 49ers all have bye weeks to prepare for the Divisional playoffs, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.
In the AFC, we've got Texans (3) vs Bengals (6) and Broncos (4) vs Steelers (5).
Texans should win based on their superior record, but also they have probably the best Running Back in the league in Arian Foster. Despite their QB issues, they should still do it.
Broncos don't stand a chance in their game, even though they are at home. Sorry Tim and co. Steelers will dominate from start to finish. Tebow won't be ready for the playoffs mentally, and even if he does mount a 4th quarter comeback for a change, Steelers will be too far ahead by then.
These winners would present Patriots (1) vs Steelers (5) and Ravens (2) vs Texans (3) in the divisional playoffs
As for the NFC, there's Saints (3) vs Lions (6) and Giants (4) vs Falcons (5).
Saints should win as they are 8-0 at home this season, and Brees is playing insanely well, as illustrated by the new passing record he set (5,476 yards this season).
The other game could go either way. I would suggest Giants have the upper hand based on home advantage, but Falcons did finish with a better W-L record. I'm going to say Giants, but it'll be close.
If this happened, we'd have Packers (1) vs Giants (4) and 49ers (2) vs Saints (3)
Next NFL post will come before the Superbowl, hopefully. Then one after.
Wednesday, 14 December 2011
What time is it?
It's 1:53pm in the UK. 8:53am in New York. 5:53am in Los Angeles. 2:53pm in Madrid. The time in Denver? Tebow Time.
Tim Tebow has swept the nation with his outstanding clutch performances as Denver Broncos quarterback, leading his performances to be dubbed "Tebow Time". Denver started the season 1-4 without him, and since he was selected as starting QB over Kyle Orton, they haven't lost a game. He has lead Denver to 6 wins in 7 games, with the majority of the wins coming in the final quarter or in OT.
His success has also led people to start "Tebowing", where people kneel down and hold a fist to their heads. Epic stuff.
Imagine if Denver went all the way. That would be epic. However he will start getting real tests against the top teams like New England this weekend, and if they get to the playoffs, which is likely. There they could play teams like Pittsburgh and Baltimore, who will provide a better test than Oakland and Miami
Tim Tebow has swept the nation with his outstanding clutch performances as Denver Broncos quarterback, leading his performances to be dubbed "Tebow Time". Denver started the season 1-4 without him, and since he was selected as starting QB over Kyle Orton, they haven't lost a game. He has lead Denver to 6 wins in 7 games, with the majority of the wins coming in the final quarter or in OT.
His success has also led people to start "Tebowing", where people kneel down and hold a fist to their heads. Epic stuff.
Imagine if Denver went all the way. That would be epic. However he will start getting real tests against the top teams like New England this weekend, and if they get to the playoffs, which is likely. There they could play teams like Pittsburgh and Baltimore, who will provide a better test than Oakland and Miami
Tuesday, 15 November 2011
Swansea City
They may seem like a bizarre team to do a post about, but it's worth a shot.
Swansea came up through the playoffs last season, and were expected to go straight back down (which could easily still happen, despite their league position). They have some good players in Danny Graham, Leroy Lita, Scott Sinclair, Ashley Williams and Michel Vorm, and they have shown that they are worthy of a place in England's top league.
Their season didn't start very well; a 4-0 hammering away to Man City, and then a 0-0 draw at home to lowly Wigan. They then lost to Shrewsbury Town, of League 2, 3-1 in the League Cup, and another 0-0 draw at home, this time against Sunderland, meant they still hadn't won.
Their next game was a 1-0 loss away to a reformed Arsenal squad, who were about to start their charge back to the top half, and in Swansea's next game they finally scored in a comfortable 3-0 home win against West Brom. Despite Torres being sent-off in the first half when they played Chelsea away, they couldn't take advantage of the extra man and lost 4-1. However another victory soon followed, a 2-0 home victory against Stoke. It was during this match that new signing Danny Graham scored his first competitive Swansea goal.
Graham also scored in the next game at fellow promotees Norwich City, but The Swans fell 3-1. Graham bagged his 3rd in a row against Wolves the week after, and Swansea were cruising to a 2-0 victory but Wolves scored twice in 2 minutes late on to rescue a point.
Another home victory followed, this time a 3-1 triumph against Bolton. Graham scored for the 4th match on the bounce, but also scored an own goal, which ultimately did not matter. They then faced Liverpool at Anfield, where they impressively came away with a 0-0 draw in a match that The Reds should have walked. But walk they did not, meaning Swansea secured their 13th point of the season.
Swansea are currently 4 points above the relegation zone in 10th places, and are one of only 4 teams yet to lose at home (Man City, Newcastle and Liverpool are the others). They have also conceded the least goals at home in the league, having kept 4 clean sheets and conceding just the 1. Their away form needs somewhat improving, having scored just 4 goals in 6 games and claimed just 2 away points, but the draw against Liverpool could pave the way for a good run away from Wales.
They could quite easily still go down, being just 4 points away from the relegation zone, but they will probably finish lower-mid table, around 13th position. I don't think they'll keep up this outstanding home form when the big boys come to visit, but they'll gain enough points to finish in a respectable position. They won't finish higher than 9th, and even then they will need to vastly improve their away form.
Swansea came up through the playoffs last season, and were expected to go straight back down (which could easily still happen, despite their league position). They have some good players in Danny Graham, Leroy Lita, Scott Sinclair, Ashley Williams and Michel Vorm, and they have shown that they are worthy of a place in England's top league.
Their season didn't start very well; a 4-0 hammering away to Man City, and then a 0-0 draw at home to lowly Wigan. They then lost to Shrewsbury Town, of League 2, 3-1 in the League Cup, and another 0-0 draw at home, this time against Sunderland, meant they still hadn't won.
Their next game was a 1-0 loss away to a reformed Arsenal squad, who were about to start their charge back to the top half, and in Swansea's next game they finally scored in a comfortable 3-0 home win against West Brom. Despite Torres being sent-off in the first half when they played Chelsea away, they couldn't take advantage of the extra man and lost 4-1. However another victory soon followed, a 2-0 home victory against Stoke. It was during this match that new signing Danny Graham scored his first competitive Swansea goal.
Graham also scored in the next game at fellow promotees Norwich City, but The Swans fell 3-1. Graham bagged his 3rd in a row against Wolves the week after, and Swansea were cruising to a 2-0 victory but Wolves scored twice in 2 minutes late on to rescue a point.
Another home victory followed, this time a 3-1 triumph against Bolton. Graham scored for the 4th match on the bounce, but also scored an own goal, which ultimately did not matter. They then faced Liverpool at Anfield, where they impressively came away with a 0-0 draw in a match that The Reds should have walked. But walk they did not, meaning Swansea secured their 13th point of the season.
Swansea are currently 4 points above the relegation zone in 10th places, and are one of only 4 teams yet to lose at home (Man City, Newcastle and Liverpool are the others). They have also conceded the least goals at home in the league, having kept 4 clean sheets and conceding just the 1. Their away form needs somewhat improving, having scored just 4 goals in 6 games and claimed just 2 away points, but the draw against Liverpool could pave the way for a good run away from Wales.
They could quite easily still go down, being just 4 points away from the relegation zone, but they will probably finish lower-mid table, around 13th position. I don't think they'll keep up this outstanding home form when the big boys come to visit, but they'll gain enough points to finish in a respectable position. They won't finish higher than 9th, and even then they will need to vastly improve their away form.
Monday, 14 November 2011
Newcastle United
Newcastle United are one of the Premier League's 2 unbeaten clubs. Somehow.
They don't have the 3rd best squad in the league on paper; The 4 clubs directly below them in the league (Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Spurs) maybe 5 including Aston Villa, have superior squads. But paper never won a football match.
After they sold Andy Carroll in January and Jose Enrique in the Summer, both to Liverpool, fans and neutrals alike thought they would struggle massively. After all, Carroll had been their main source of goals for the past 3 seasons (or however long) and Enrique was probably their best defender and has since matured into one of the top left backs in the league, with only Ashley Cole and Patrice Evra considered better than Enrique. They also sold Kevin Nolan, who also scored plenty of goals.
But Newcastle have clearly spent their money wisely. They brought in Demba Ba from West Ham, Yoann Cabaye from Lille and Davide Santon from Inter, but these players were never really expected to take the Toon Army back to the big time.
The season opened with a 0-0 draw at home to Arsenal, which they followed up with a 1-0 win away to rivals Sunderland. They then beat Scunthorpe 2-1 in the League Cup in Extra Time, and a Leon Best brace secured a 2-1 victory for them at home to Fulham. A couple of draws away to new-look QPR and Aston Villa kept the team unbeaten, and then they went on to beat Nott'm Forest 4-3 in the League Cup in their 3rd away game in 8 days.
Enter Demba Ba. The Senegalese international had not scored so far this season, which could be put down to a lack of form coupled with him celebrating the Muslim festival of Ramadan, which meant he was fasting during daylight hours in August.
Ba scored his first Newcastle goal 27 minutes into the game vs Blackburn, and 27 minutes later he had 3. Ba scored again the week after in the Toon's 2-1 win away to Wolves, and then scored against Spurs in a 2-2 home draw the week after that. Yoann Cabaye scored the only goal in their 1-0 victory over Wigan in their next game, and he also scored again the week after as Newcastle slumped to their first loss of the season, losing 4-3 away in the League Cup vs Premier League strugglers Blackburn Rovers.
Ba was soon back in the goals when he hit his second hat trick of the season away to Stoke as NUFC won 3-1, and then they won the week after, beating Everton 2-1 at home.
So despite not having the greatest squad in the Permier League, they've still beaten the odds and currently lie in the 3rd after 11 games. The only thing that could take a gloss off of their fantastic start is that they have only played 2 'big' teams. They faced Arsenal on opening day, when they were playing poor football and on the verge of selling Fabregas and Nasri, and they have also played Spurs, against whom they did very well to claim a draw.
Their next 3 games are away to Man City and then Man United, and then they host Chelsea in the first game at their newly-named Sports Direct Arena. It'll be very impressive if they stay unbeaten and/or claim more than 3 points during these 3 games, and only then will I consider them to be real contenders for the Champions League and maybe the title.
They don't have the 3rd best squad in the league on paper; The 4 clubs directly below them in the league (Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Spurs) maybe 5 including Aston Villa, have superior squads. But paper never won a football match.
After they sold Andy Carroll in January and Jose Enrique in the Summer, both to Liverpool, fans and neutrals alike thought they would struggle massively. After all, Carroll had been their main source of goals for the past 3 seasons (or however long) and Enrique was probably their best defender and has since matured into one of the top left backs in the league, with only Ashley Cole and Patrice Evra considered better than Enrique. They also sold Kevin Nolan, who also scored plenty of goals.
But Newcastle have clearly spent their money wisely. They brought in Demba Ba from West Ham, Yoann Cabaye from Lille and Davide Santon from Inter, but these players were never really expected to take the Toon Army back to the big time.
The season opened with a 0-0 draw at home to Arsenal, which they followed up with a 1-0 win away to rivals Sunderland. They then beat Scunthorpe 2-1 in the League Cup in Extra Time, and a Leon Best brace secured a 2-1 victory for them at home to Fulham. A couple of draws away to new-look QPR and Aston Villa kept the team unbeaten, and then they went on to beat Nott'm Forest 4-3 in the League Cup in their 3rd away game in 8 days.
Enter Demba Ba. The Senegalese international had not scored so far this season, which could be put down to a lack of form coupled with him celebrating the Muslim festival of Ramadan, which meant he was fasting during daylight hours in August.
Ba scored his first Newcastle goal 27 minutes into the game vs Blackburn, and 27 minutes later he had 3. Ba scored again the week after in the Toon's 2-1 win away to Wolves, and then scored against Spurs in a 2-2 home draw the week after that. Yoann Cabaye scored the only goal in their 1-0 victory over Wigan in their next game, and he also scored again the week after as Newcastle slumped to their first loss of the season, losing 4-3 away in the League Cup vs Premier League strugglers Blackburn Rovers.
Ba was soon back in the goals when he hit his second hat trick of the season away to Stoke as NUFC won 3-1, and then they won the week after, beating Everton 2-1 at home.
So despite not having the greatest squad in the Permier League, they've still beaten the odds and currently lie in the 3rd after 11 games. The only thing that could take a gloss off of their fantastic start is that they have only played 2 'big' teams. They faced Arsenal on opening day, when they were playing poor football and on the verge of selling Fabregas and Nasri, and they have also played Spurs, against whom they did very well to claim a draw.
Their next 3 games are away to Man City and then Man United, and then they host Chelsea in the first game at their newly-named Sports Direct Arena. It'll be very impressive if they stay unbeaten and/or claim more than 3 points during these 3 games, and only then will I consider them to be real contenders for the Champions League and maybe the title.
Tuesday, 18 October 2011
More NBA Lockout stuff
My main beef with the NBA lockout is the promotion of the sport, or lack of it.
Last year, the NBA agreed to play 2 regular season games outside of North America, the first time this had ever happened. I was lucky enough to get tickets to the 2nd game, in which New Jersey Nets beat Toronto Raptors 137-136 in a triple-overtime thriller. The game happened at the O2 Arena in front of a full house.
These 2 games were a fantastic advert for the sport, and it attracted people from far and wide. It got many people interested in the game and the whole thing was a real success.
Sure the NBA gains publicity from the lockout, but nowhere near as much as it did from these 2 games. If the lockout isn't resolved quickly enough to save some of the season, many people who started following the sport would stop following it. They would quickly lose interest and give up on 'American Sports' as a whole. The only way to maintain this interest is to resolve the lockout, and hopefully schedule another couple of games in England.
There are 2 Team USA warm-up games being played in England next July, one involving the male team and one involving the female team, but people won't know about these games and won't watch them if there has been no season. Also there is a pre-season game being held in Manchester in 2013, but that is 2 years away nearly.
The sport is obviously huge in countries like Spain, Turkey and Lithuania, but it can become big in the UK IF the lockout ends. More and more people are getting interested in the sport, and it can gain the same interest levels in the UK as such sports as Rugby and Tennis.
Just let them play #StandUnited
Last year, the NBA agreed to play 2 regular season games outside of North America, the first time this had ever happened. I was lucky enough to get tickets to the 2nd game, in which New Jersey Nets beat Toronto Raptors 137-136 in a triple-overtime thriller. The game happened at the O2 Arena in front of a full house.
These 2 games were a fantastic advert for the sport, and it attracted people from far and wide. It got many people interested in the game and the whole thing was a real success.
Sure the NBA gains publicity from the lockout, but nowhere near as much as it did from these 2 games. If the lockout isn't resolved quickly enough to save some of the season, many people who started following the sport would stop following it. They would quickly lose interest and give up on 'American Sports' as a whole. The only way to maintain this interest is to resolve the lockout, and hopefully schedule another couple of games in England.
There are 2 Team USA warm-up games being played in England next July, one involving the male team and one involving the female team, but people won't know about these games and won't watch them if there has been no season. Also there is a pre-season game being held in Manchester in 2013, but that is 2 years away nearly.
The sport is obviously huge in countries like Spain, Turkey and Lithuania, but it can become big in the UK IF the lockout ends. More and more people are getting interested in the sport, and it can gain the same interest levels in the UK as such sports as Rugby and Tennis.
Just let them play #StandUnited
Monday, 17 October 2011
Thierry Henry and MLS Playoffs
Why Thierry? Why? At such an important time in the season, for New York and for the MLS, he goes and does that. If you have no idea what I'm on about, go to Thierry Henry's red card vs Sporting Kansas City. It's not like the card was even debatable. He kicked a player whilst he was down, straight under the ref's nose; he had to go.
Massive game vs Sporting Kansas City. If Sporting win, they qualify for the playoffs. If Red Bulls win, they as good as qualify. They may even qualify. A draw puts both teams in a relatively good position.
27 minutes gone. Henry gets tackled, but Red Bulls win the ball back and the guy who tackled Henry gets floored (legally). Henry is p*ssed at the guy who tackled him, so he kicks him. With the ref standing 1/2 a yard away. Straight off, no arguments. Losing their best striker pretty much condemned New York to a loss, because he provided the pace and skill upfront.
It also means that Henry misses the season finale next week vs Philadelphia.
Kansas took full advantage and ran out 2-0 winners. This means they are qualified, and Red Bulls are occupying the final play-off spot, but are fighting with 3 other teams for the 4th and final playoff spot.
The playoff table currently stands at (just the 4 teams who can qualify)
Team Played Points GD
New York 33 43 +5
Portland 32 40 -8
Chicago 33 40 0
DC United 32 38 -2
Teams are separated by Head-to-Head record, not Goal Difference, for some bizarre reason.
Fixtures remaining:
DC United vs Portland Timbers, Wednesday October 19th
New York Red Bulls vs Philadelphia Union, Thursday October 20th
DC United vs Sporting Kansas City, Saturday October 22nd
Chicago Fire vs Colombus Crew, Saturday October 22nd
Real Salt Lake vs Portland Timbers, Saturday October 22nd
The first fixture is massive. If DC win, it puts all the teams in the hunt and anyone could still qualify. If DC fail to win, it puts them out. A draw will help Portland, who have to avoid defeat to stay in. A Timbers victory would put out DC and Chicago.
If Red Bulls avoid defeat AND DC avoid defeat vs Portland, New York go through. They also go through if they win. Red Bulls have the clear advantage of a +5 Goal Difference, but also have superior H2H records vs DC United and Portland, and they drew both games to Chicago.
This gives Chicago an extremely hard route. They have to beat Columbus Crew AND DC United have to avoid defeat vs Portland AND Red Bulls have to lose AND there has to be a 5 goal turnaround. Tough stuff.
DC have to win both their remaining games AND Red Bulls lose vs Philly AND Chicago don't win vs Columbus AND Portland don't win vs Real Salt Lake. That sounds harder than it is. They have a real chance of beating Portland, and being at home to Kansas could result in a victory. Philly are 2nd in East so they're obviously going to be tough to beat, and Columbus and Salt Lake are also qualified so they're all pretty good.
Portland have to get a minimum of 4 points in their games AND Red Bulls have to lose vs Philly.
Likelihood of qualifying:
NY Red Bulls - Should probably do it (60% chance)
DC United - Depends on Wednesday (20% chance)
Portland Timbers - Depends on Wednesday (15% chance)
Chicago Fire - Extremely unlikely (5% chance)
Massive game vs Sporting Kansas City. If Sporting win, they qualify for the playoffs. If Red Bulls win, they as good as qualify. They may even qualify. A draw puts both teams in a relatively good position.
27 minutes gone. Henry gets tackled, but Red Bulls win the ball back and the guy who tackled Henry gets floored (legally). Henry is p*ssed at the guy who tackled him, so he kicks him. With the ref standing 1/2 a yard away. Straight off, no arguments. Losing their best striker pretty much condemned New York to a loss, because he provided the pace and skill upfront.
It also means that Henry misses the season finale next week vs Philadelphia.
Kansas took full advantage and ran out 2-0 winners. This means they are qualified, and Red Bulls are occupying the final play-off spot, but are fighting with 3 other teams for the 4th and final playoff spot.
The playoff table currently stands at (just the 4 teams who can qualify)
Team Played Points GD
New York 33 43 +5
Portland 32 40 -8
Chicago 33 40 0
DC United 32 38 -2
Teams are separated by Head-to-Head record, not Goal Difference, for some bizarre reason.
Fixtures remaining:
DC United vs Portland Timbers, Wednesday October 19th
New York Red Bulls vs Philadelphia Union, Thursday October 20th
DC United vs Sporting Kansas City, Saturday October 22nd
Chicago Fire vs Colombus Crew, Saturday October 22nd
Real Salt Lake vs Portland Timbers, Saturday October 22nd
The first fixture is massive. If DC win, it puts all the teams in the hunt and anyone could still qualify. If DC fail to win, it puts them out. A draw will help Portland, who have to avoid defeat to stay in. A Timbers victory would put out DC and Chicago.
If Red Bulls avoid defeat AND DC avoid defeat vs Portland, New York go through. They also go through if they win. Red Bulls have the clear advantage of a +5 Goal Difference, but also have superior H2H records vs DC United and Portland, and they drew both games to Chicago.
This gives Chicago an extremely hard route. They have to beat Columbus Crew AND DC United have to avoid defeat vs Portland AND Red Bulls have to lose AND there has to be a 5 goal turnaround. Tough stuff.
DC have to win both their remaining games AND Red Bulls lose vs Philly AND Chicago don't win vs Columbus AND Portland don't win vs Real Salt Lake. That sounds harder than it is. They have a real chance of beating Portland, and being at home to Kansas could result in a victory. Philly are 2nd in East so they're obviously going to be tough to beat, and Columbus and Salt Lake are also qualified so they're all pretty good.
Portland have to get a minimum of 4 points in their games AND Red Bulls have to lose vs Philly.
Likelihood of qualifying:
NY Red Bulls - Should probably do it (60% chance)
DC United - Depends on Wednesday (20% chance)
Portland Timbers - Depends on Wednesday (15% chance)
Chicago Fire - Extremely unlikely (5% chance)
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