Odds and Sods

Arsenal 3 - Tottenham 1

The Cesc Fabregas for Player of the Year campaign starts now.  His goal, a stunner, was sandwiched between an Adebayor Brace.  It was his 5th already this season from midfield, for a player who, unlike C. Ronaldo, takes neither penalties nor free kicks in range.  Despite the great result, the Gilberto in Central Defense experiment was woeful, and only saved by a magnificent performance from Toure.  A team less wasteful than Tottenham, could have easily taken advantage.

Chelsea 0 - Blackburn 0

Joe Cole proved that he is still an elite player deserving to be in the Starting XI, and Sheva proved that he is still a lazy waste of space and 30m GBP.  Chelsea were notably less scary around goal, sans the finishing ability of Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard.  Either of those two players missing a significant amount of time will cripple their title chances.

Sunderland 2 - Reading 1

Keano has got the boys back on track, with 6m GBP striker Kenwyne Jones looking a more savvy buy than initially expected.  Reading, the darlings of last season, appear to be pulling a Wigan.  They were successful last season by going after teams and shooting for the three points rather than trying to settle for draws, and that is the approach they will need to take to stay up.  If neither Doyle nor Lita can replicate last season’s excellent form, Reading could be in trouble.

Wigan 1 - Fulham 1

The Deuce is still loose.  Clint Dempsey scored once again for Fulham, his third Premier League goal this season.  Given a consistent run of games in the absence of Brian McBride, he is showing the potential that many in American soccer believed that he had.  If he can develop into a decent and consistent 10-15 goal scorer in the Premier League, it would be a huge step forward for American soccer.

Manchester City 1 - Aston Villa 0

City moved into 2nd place in the table with this win over another solid squad.  Sven is working his magic and the boys in Sky Blue look like a solid contender for a European place, a shocking development after the state the squad was in just a few months ago.  They are solid in defense and dangerous in the midfield with the creative ability of Elano.  However, their lack of quality up front will keep them from pushing over the hump into serious contention in the top four.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was kicked by a man in Euston station. The Ferg had traveled to London by train to attend a function, and was repeatedly kicked in the shins by a 40 year old man. Sir Alex pointed the man out to British Transport Police who arrested him. He has been charged with assault, actual bodily harm, and a public order offense. The Ferg was unharmed and attended the aforementioned event as scheduled.

Not that Odds and Sods would ever promote wanton acts of public violence, but would the thought not at least cross your mind if you saw him in public?

(Photo:BBC)

The editorial staff would like to apologize for the delay in the Premier League Sods, as we are currently in transit to our spacious new offices in Boston.

Tottenham 3 - Fulham 3

Martin Jol, though not necessarily his own fault, doesn’t look to be employed in North London much longer.  Like last season, Spurs showed flashes of brilliance often combined with flashes of complete incompetence.  A disturbing trend of letting games slip away has continued from last season.  Taking Keane off for Defoe was a questionable move.  Paul Robinson is awful.

On the plus side, Clint Dempsey appears to be proving himself for Fulham.  He’s not a great player, but, like a few of his American brethren, may prove a bit of a bargain.  Many are tipping him as the best American in the Premier League (not wearing gloves), and we may be inclined to agree.

If you were an Arsenal supporter who happened to have Bale and Berbatov on your fantasy team, it was a wonderful day.

Liverpool 6 - Derby 0

That result says enough on its own really.  Liverpool are in excellent form.  Derby may beat out Mick McCarthy’s Sunderland side.  It is an impressive result for the Pool, particularly without Carragher and Gerrard.  They look to be the best side in Europe at the moment.

Manchester United 1 - Sunderland 0

The Red Devils got one late goal on a set piece and still looked impotent up front.  A true test will be to see how they play with the return of Cristiano Ronaldo.  Sunderland didn’t get a result, but claimed a moral victory with a fairly good performance.  Keano may not be finished quite yet.

Arsenal 3 - Portsmouth 1

If Fabregas was one of the top five players last season, how high will he be rated when he scores 15-20 goals this year?  His brilliance has masked some of the other deficiencies in the squad.  Senderos picked right up where he left off last season.  His case isn’t helped by the fact that he looks like he should be in a Monty Python skit hitting himself in the head with a brick.

Though he got left out to dry by his defenders, why exactly is David James ahead of Scott Carson in the pecking order?  Does anyone have a sane rationale for this?

Aston Villa 2 - Chelsea 0

Chelsea are tied top of the table, though they have not looked impressive this season.  With Abramovich pulling the club in one direction toward fanciful attacking football, and Mourinho pulling it the other direction toward a more cynical and physically dominant style, one has to wonder how long it can continue before the team rips apart.  Normally fit and confident, Mourinho looks haggard, paunchy, and stressed.  Not all of that can be due to the trauma over his dog.

Last August 31st was a day of frantic activity. Chelsea and Arsenal burned the midnight oil to compile a mega partial-transfer deal for want-away stars Ashley Cole and William Gallas, which would largely prove inconsequential for both clubs. West Ham shockingly, as well as suspiciously, signed two highly rated young Argentineans, in a deal, which would bizarrely drop them into the relegation battle but pull them out again. Regardless of whether the deals ended up being significant, there were big names, there was buzz, there was chatter, and for a few clubs a genuine amount of excitement and optimism for the season to come.

This season, not so much. There were some sexy names bandied about, Dani Alves and Ronaldinho. There were also the distinctly less sexy ones, Peter Crouch. However, like the fifty-five year old man picking up chicks in a Ferrari, it was a whole lot of bluster without the performance to back it up. Here are some of the earth-shattering signings that did go through on the last day of the transfer window.

Arsenal got just what the squad had been lacking going into the season, a young undersized central midfielder of French-African descent. Lassana Diarra, once hailed as the “New Makelele” by the Chelsea brass after impressive performances for Le Havre and the France U-21s, had largely failed to penetrate the log-jam in the Chelsea Central Midfield. As is the Arsenal way, Diarra will be arriving for an undisclosed fee and an indeterminate length of time.

Big Sam bolstered his squad by bringing in two players. The first, Abdoulaye Faye will traverse the North of England from Allardyce’s old club Bolton. The second, Habib Beye will arrive from Champions League qualifier Marseille. He had been captain and firm fan favorite at l’OM but had recently been maligned after the club’s terribly poor start to the season in Ligue Un.

Alan Curbishley continued his quest to bring in every mediocre player in the Premier League, in the hope that it will make West Ham passably mediocre, by bringing in Newcastle midfielder Nobby “Nolberto” Solano. The knee-knack over-under should be set at 1.5 matches.

He also curbed the enthusiasm of his supporters by bringing in Henri “the rat” Camara on a season-long loan from Wigan, because, after their blistering start, Wigan now have enough depth and quality to their first-team squad that they can afford to send reasonably talented players out on loan.

Birmingham brought in Spain international defensive midfielder Borja Oubina from relegated Spanish side Celta Vigo on loan. Oubina had been a rumored Arsenal target, given their player development deal with the club. Though, as manager of the Arsenal U-21 squad, Steve Bruce has a fairly cozy relationship as well, which could mean that Oubina is being blooded before a potential move to the Emirates.

And finally, in the who cares but we should probably mention it anyway category. Sven sent excess garbage Paul Dickov and Bernado Corradi out on loan deals to Crystal Palace and Parma respectively. Pompey and Fulham exchanged junk with Papa Bouba Diop and Dejan Stefanovic crossing paths on the A3. Glen Johnson will once again be terrorizing Hampshire hardware stores as he moves to Pompey on a permanent deal. And one of Zidane’s many dopplegangers, 19 year-old Damien Plessi, has signed for Rafa the Gaffer.

Arsene Wenger admitted today that he rejected the opportunity to take maligned Brazilian striker Adriano on a one-year loan from Inter Milan.   Adriano was once thought to be well on his way to becoming the best player in the world, scoring a combined 40 goals in all competitions in 2004-5.  However, his poor form the last two seasons, along with questions about his work ethic and mental state, have left the 25 year-old dropped from the Brazilian national squad, as well as the starting XI at Inter.

Wenger stated, “I was offered Adriano, but he is not needed…it would mean losing a player (Tomas Rosicky?) and then get one in who we were not desperately wanting.”

Most Arsenal supporters will give the boss a pass on this one.  Though a potentially exciting talent, Adriano was a risky proposition at best.  If he was coming for merely a portion of his wages, he may have been worth the chance, but having to give up a player which could potentially disrupt the squad was not worth the risk.

However, many supporters will take issue with Wenger’s statement that there is “no movement in or out” and that it was unlikely Arsenal would bring another player in before the Aug. 31st deadline.

Arsene, perhaps more than any other manager in the world, has made his reputation through superior scouting and development of, often unheralded, young talent.  Unproven signings like Henry and Vieira left Arsenal as international superstars.  But, the backbone of his successful squads has always been the veterans.  He always had a Tony Adams or a Dennis Bergkamp to help blood the young players while maintaining continuity in the club.

But, a mere three seasons after the “Invincibles” of 2003-4, Gilberto is the only remaining key player in that important squad.  With Ljungberg and Henry on the way out over the summer, Wenger has completely turned the club over to the next generation.

As talented as Wenger’s kids are, however.  They still lack the consistency of a true title contender.  For every huge win at Anfield last season, there was a shocking 1-0 defeat to Sheffield United or a 1-1 draw at home, the precious point plucked in the fading moments after falling behind early.   Wenger will feel vindicated this season, with his squad picking up 7 pts from 3 matches and a combined 5-0 win in their Champions League qualifier.  However, in truth, they have yet to look convincing in the league this season.

Despite the array of talent, Arsenal have holes in the squad.  They lack a natural winger on either side, relying upon fullbacks, strikers, and center midfielders to provide a makeshift solution.  They have only one proven Premier League striker in Van Persie.  The others have the potential but have yet to prove themselves.  They also have a shortage of central defenders with Djourou out on loan and Gallas and Senderos injured.

Players like Flamini have shown a remarkable amount of versatility at filling in in a number of positions, but sometimes the best player to fill in at right back is (gasp!) a right back.  The Gunners do not need the young reincarnations of Bergkamp, Vieira, and Henry to come strolling through the door, but some solid veteran squad players could help solidify a side that could well be in danger of losing its Champions’ League place with a few key injuries.

Though it may be philosophically gratifying to limit spending, the league does not award silverware for a club being the most cost-effective.  The squad may not “need” that extra defender, but there is nothing wrong with having one as a contingency plan.  Wenger’s kids may be the title favorites in 2010, but a third year in a row without trophies would not go down well with the Arsenal fanbase.  Investment is possible without mortgaging the future, and one would hope the boss realizes that.