Tickets were like hen's teeth here, and not having Sky Sports, listened on Radio Merseyshite.

I'll check it all out on match of the day later.

Meanwhile it was Spurs 0-0 Aston Villa and Mank City lost, which consolidate LFC in fourth place.

PS:  Which MankU player scored a hat-trick today?

Answer:  Own goal.   The luck they have defies belief.

I don't know any of the results from what is still "today" in Alaska, but I have some matches recorded.  Problem is, there is one team missing!! 

They certainly did!

The fixtures are a right mess.  There used to be a ruling about playing them all simultaneously until the big TV boys butted in.

In the last round of the Europa Cup, Liverpool and Everton were both at home on the same day. So they shifted Everton's fixture from 8pm Thursday to 6 pm Tuesday.  It was quite short notice, and pissed off the Everton fans, but it did give the dedicated local fans the chance to go to both.

Lille v Liverpool on Thursday KO (6pm UK time), in northern France, so expect good support from the visitors!

I can't figure out TV channels either; must be my age.  Wigan v LFC is live on ESPN tomorrow night, but that's scrambled on my digibox!

Lille v Liverpool may be on Channel Five - http://www3.five.tv/footballonfive/highlights-unirea-urziceni-v-liverp ool

Thank gawd...

Way to Go REDS!!

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/latest-news/nando-seals-last-eight-plac e

It was tough to cheer for Chelsea, but I did.  They deserved the win.  The center ref did very well except for missing the pen that should have been awarded when Alelka got knocked over, but that made up for Drogba being offside on the winning goal he scored.  MankU had 20 minutes of intense 2nd half pressure, otherwise it was all Chelsea.

A few lads were round tonight to watch the manks on the telly.

Bayern dump Man Utd out of Europe

3-0 up and they lost the tie!!  WE LOVED IT!  Rafael was sent off for pulling back Ribéry!   Sloppy defending of the highest order allowed Olic to easily beat the useless Carrick and pass the ball into the far corner past the flailing Van der Saar, and then Robben scored the goal of the night - a cracking power vollley which zoomed into the net which the Manks could only watch!!  Boy, did we cheer!

Then fergy gave his post match interview and said things about Germans which he could well regret.

So it's Bayern v Lyon and Barcelona v Inter Milan in the semis.

After Messi's and Barca's bewildering display last light, they're clear favourites.  Barca v Bayern in the Final?

Anyway, we're off to Anfield tomorrow night for LFC v Benfica. And The Grand National on Saturday - the weather forecast looks good.

Sweet!!!!!!!

They did not broadcast the match here in the States, but I followed it via Live Text!

On top of MankU's demise in the CL, this result was wonderful.  Now for some wins in the Prem to move up the table!

Well John, looks like you AND LFC choose today to set things right!  Get well soon.

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/chairman

Almost…

Thursday, 29 April 2010

Europa League

I have to cheer for Bayern Munich Saturday.  No choice.

Disappointing final, I thought.  Bayern had one player (Robben) that looked dangerous, and several who simply disappeared, like Badstuber and Schweinsteiger.  Bayern made one overlapping run the entire game!  They were static and seemed resigned to losing, despite the possession that they had.  I think Badstuber tried to get himself or the ball forward one time out of all his touches.  Back pass after back pass.

I read that England were lucky to have the lead vs. Mexico at the break yesterday.   The game wasn't shown here.  I'm hoping that England finds its good form on June 13th!  We're having a big breakfast party for England-USA on the 12th.

I see Rio Ferdinand is crocked again and on his way home.  So much for Capello saying he'd only pick fit players, who'd played regularly and were in form.

But the Good news is StevieG is now numero uno and CAPTAIN!

Will he collect the trophy, add another winners medal to his already impressive collection and set a unique record of scoring in every final he played in - League Cup, FA Cup, UEFA Cup and European Cup? 

Putting aside my prejudices of MancU, Ferdinand is no longer the player he was 8 years in the 2002 World Cup.   Last season (08-09) he began to slow down, was less decisive and adventurous and could no longer cover the shortcomings and rash behaviours of Vidic.This season he dardly played and by Capello's own rules should not have been selected as he'd not been playing regularly and was injured right up until the last minute. So his loss is not that great, and so-called second team Dawson or King are both solid, not forgetting the old warhorse himself, 23 Carra Gold!  A back line of Johnson, King/Dawson/JC, Terry and Cole looks pretty good to me!

What might be more worrying for the USA is StevieG. If he's on song, he now has licence as Herr Capitan to really motivate the team, by example and by urging them on like he's renown for doing at Liverpool.

However, England and the US of A should both progress to the knock-out stages. http://world-cup.betting-directory.com/group-c-betting.php

Useless fact

 

Of the 941 names in the preliminary squads for the tournament which starts on 11th June, 130 are from the Premier League.

 

Italy, Japan, North Korea and Uruguay are the only countries not to have named a current player from England's top division.  Germany now do not have a Premier League representative after skipper Michael Ballack withdrew with a bad ankle injury picked up in the FA Cup final against Portsmouth.

The Scots, Irish and Welsh could well be supportng the US of A too!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup-2010/7822857/Explo ring-the-Anyone-But-England-phenomenon.html

Meanwhile, here's my World Cup Fantasy Team - it looks kind of familiar!

On the Subs' bench are: Ramos, Messi, Kaka and James (goalie).

I'm loking forward to tonight, watching in High Definition!  (apart from that incessant droning from the vuvuzela).

Donavon v Ashley Cole is going to be good battle, and Howard is always difficult to beat in goal.  Let's hope Rooney and Crouchy get their act together.

And who's this Torres who's wearing the USA number 16 shirt?  It can't be????

Is that it? No overtime? No Shootout? No Satisfaction?

1-1 is the new Nil-Nil?

How .

One for JK…  A mind-blowing four way tie!

Meanwhile, did you see Maicon's goal? http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2010/matches/match_ 14

Reminiscent of one by Roberto Carlos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNs4w2k6qNo

Spain are playing later today - and could well go all the way. Watch out for Casillas, Puyol, Villa, Xavi, Fabregas, Iniesta, Ramos, Alonso and the rest.  'Nando Torres will probably be on the bench as he's not fully recovered, with Reina and Arbeloa