Round 12 EPL Blogs - Catherine Rooney`s

EPL Round Twelve Weekend Games
Cardiff City vs. Manchester United
This week at the Cardiff City Stadium, Man U comes to town coming off their impressive performance
against Arsenal. With that result they have moved to only 5 points behind the Premier League
leaders. Wayne Rooney was quoted as saying he expected United to make up that ground by end of
the calendar year. If they are to do that, they must get 3 points this week against a weaker Cardiff
City side. Cardiff has only 2 goals and 1 point in their last 5 league fixtures and no goals in their last
3.
United must show their dominance the way they have the last two fixtures if they are to have a
chance to back up Rooney's claim. It is also an important game because the teams in front of them
all have tough matches, the biggest one being Arsenal vs. Southampton, which means United are
guaranteed a chance to make up ground on one if not both of those sides.
United appear to have found a sense of chemistry in recent weeks and they need to maintain their
momentum. Kagawa seems to have establisheds himself as a regular start if not an automatic start
and there may be room this week for Januzuj. The potential for Phil Jones to miss the match is high
and Vidic suffered that concussion against Arsenal, but with Evans, Smalling and Ferdinand all fit,
Moyes still has options.
Hopefully the offensive threats put goals in early to take the pressure off the defense. Predicting
United 3-0.
Old Trafford Disciple
Accrington Stanley vs Torquay United
Two towns, One on the South Coast, the other in the Northwest wedged between Blackburn and
Burnley. Both buried at the bottom end of the fourth division of the English Football League, they face
one another Saturday at the same time as their Premier league counterparts park their bling in the
dressing room and show up on the pitch for another excessive payday.
Accrington Stanley was originally one of the twelve founding members of the Football League before
disappearing in turmoil at the end of the last century –
only to return lately.
View of the ground from a Zeppelin
i©webbaviation.co.uk
This season, yet again, they’re hanging on. With a recent run of good results under manager James
Beattie (Blackburn, Everton, Southampton, England, then a journeyman), Stanley are looking up and
hope to haul themselves out of trouble.
Torquay United in beautiful Devon by the sea are struggling more, if that’s possible, and a miserable
winter could await their fans.
In a match that’s difficult to predict (since I know absolutely nothing about these teams or their
supporters) I’ll go for 2-1 Stanley.
True North Strong and Free
The Arsenal vs. Sarf’ampton
The season’s two surprise packages square off in a battle of red and white at the Emirates Stadium
(see photo above). Are both beginning to feel the headiness of their positions in the league, 3rd and
1st respectively? Is the air too rarified for sustained effort?
Certainly Arsenal, following their chastening at Old Trafford before the interlull, are back to earth, but
they do have many players returning from international duty. Hopefully Laurent Koscieny is also back
to earth after exorcizing his demons in the first leg of France vs. Ukraine when he cost his team a
penalty and himself a red card not long after. I now firmly believe he does this from time to time to
keep Gooners on the edges of their seats.
Southampton are really enjoying playing the game under their magical manger, Mauricio Pochettino.
They have little to loose but enjoy their moment, hang on, and bleed points from top table rivals to
play the role of Premier League kingmaker. And then finish by grabbing a European spot.
Thus we’re set for an entertaining game, which I anticipate Arsenal will win 2-1 with teeth marks
around the edges of 60,000 seats.
1966
Commentary on the Merseyside Derby
Everton vs. Liverpool
The Red View
Roberto Martinez has been gushing all week about how excited he is in anticipation of his first
Merseyside Derby. He is rightfully confident. Everton is undefeated at home and sitting just 3 points
behind the Reds.
Brendan Rodgers, on the other hand, has a few questions to answer regarding who will be lining up
for him at Goodison Park Saturday afternoon. Daniel Sturridge played a full 90 for England v
Germany this week just days before he was tending to a leg injury and sent home from training ahead
of their friendly with Chile last week. Fitness could be an issue for him. Relative fitness could be an
issue for the other half of the dynamic scoring duo, Luis Suarez. He will be traveling back from
Uruguay Thursday night, which only gives him one full day to recover. Cheers to Mr. Henry's jet!!!!
This match is a really tough one to predict at this point. I say look for Coutinho to be pushed up and
in as a true #10, with Victor Moses added to provide some strength in the midfield. I also feel there may be some scoring from unlikely sources with the Reds besting the Blues 3-2.
Warrior
Calling All Blues
…Johnny, we hardly knew ya!
It was a gorgeous midsummer evening a couple of years ago, when EVERTON came to Philadelphia
(technically, Chester) for a much-anticipated friendly against our Philly Union. A near full capacity crowd
packed the PPL Park to see our hometown hero Tim Howard (a native of New Brunswick, NJ, practically a
suburb of Philadelphia). However, Timmy had some other plans and skipped the Union friendly to spend more
time with his beloved biological family.
The poor reserve goalie Mucha (Poland’s #3 GK) was greeted with boo's by the disappointed Howard fans, as
well as with normal massive chants "You suck, @$$#ole!" by the Son's of Ben (S.O.B., the biggest Union
supporters’ club, which is it rumored, was conceived at Catherine Rooney’s pub) every time the Blues’ GK
punted or kicked the ball. All other Toffee big names were there and played their hearts out. The scoreless 85
minutes passed in a flash in the 90°F haze of nearby oil refineries, and most of the bored spectators were half
asleep, when Union management opted for some ridiculously young substitutes from its Academy feeder
system.
A minute later a 17-year-old Christian Hernandez scored a gorgeous bullet of a goal, assisted by his 16-yearold Academy teammate Jimmy McLaughlin. The stadium erupted from its slumber, while the countless blue
shirted visitors’ supporters in section 133 looked in complete disbelief. Three minutes later, almost at the 90minute mark, the awful heat and humidity, combined with the embarrassment of losing to a no-name team,
were ultimately too much for the Blues’ best defender Johnny Heitinga. The hero of the previous year’s World
Cup Final wound up and punched a tiny 16-year-old Union middy Zack Pfeffer in the face.
The usual uninspiring melee of handbags followed, after which Johnny Heitinga was promptly red-carded.
The incident was also colored by a heated almost theatrical discussion between the ref and his assistant,
when the latter demanded (assist, not insist!) that Zack should have been tossed as well, because while
airborne and falling on his sorry behind after being punched, he had swung back at the 6 ft. tall Heitinga.
The ref kept pointing the assistant back to his line, while the assistant kept barking back. I've never seen
anything like this in my whole life for two officials to disagree so publically! So much for the teamwork! Only in
America, as Yakof Smirnoff used to say! In addition, a few minutes later, David Moyes approached the ref in the
tunnel on the way to the locker rooms, and asked him "Why did you have to F#(k Johnny up so much?!?!"
Way to stick with your boys, David! Wishing you well at Old Trafford!
Enjoy the derby, everyone! And, GO TOFFEES!
White Collar and White Cuffs
Tim Howard hugging his other family.