Got it,Skully...
This one's pretty good too..
Series: Five things we learned this weekend
Kenny Dalglish is not out of his depth
Sunday at Stamford Bridge was about two talented forwards, one on the pitch who yet again failed to live up to the hype and one on the sideline who is increasingly making the doubters eat their words. Who needs Fernando Torres, Liverpool supporters will say, when you have Kenny Dalglish?
It is now four successive wins for "King Kenny" since he replaced Roy Hodgson as manager at Anfield, with his team's triumph yesterday the most impressive of the lot. Liverpool not only beat Chelsea on their own patch; they did it with a performance so tactically sound the hosts could have carried on playing until Friday and still not have scored.
A back three of Daniel Agger, Jamie Carragher and Martin Skrtel gave Chelsea's trio of strikers, including Torres, little space to play in while Martin Kelly and Glen Johnson not only provided cover in wide positions but also stretched the champions whenever Liverpool found the space to attack. Chelsea's midfield was also smothered by their counterparts in red who, as has become common under Dalglish, poured forward when the opportunity arose.
This balance between defence and attack is the brainchild of a man who apparently could not cope in a league that has progressed without him for more than a decade now. Dalglish, the naysayers claimed, had been away for too long to be a success while the cynics pointed to his most recent spells as manager, at Newcastle United and Celtic, as proof that he lost the magic some time ago. Few of them are crowing now, however.
Dalglish is proof that truly great managers never lose their ability to inspire. Two decades may have passed but the 59-year-old continues to inhabit the qualities that made him the last man to lead Liverpool to a league championship. They remain some way off repeating that feat but on a day when the club were meant to feel the loss of their star striker they instead benefited from the wisdom of their greatest ever player. His appointment as full-time manager is surely now not too far away.
Arsenal's tomorrow may never come
At the end of a weekend filled with shock results and crazy scorelines it is perhaps no surprise that Arsenal could give away a four-goal lead at Newcastle and still find themselves one point closer to the top of the Premier League. But given events at St James' Park on Saturday we are now surely entering Monkees territory as far as their title credentials are concerned, existing as they do in the hearts of daydream believers.
It would be pleasing to see a team as fluid and creative as Arsène Wenger's crowned champions but their persistent mental brittleness means that is almost certainly not going to happen. These traits were on full show on Tyneside as the visitors stormed to a commanding lead and then, having lost Abou Diaby to a red card, capitulated in memorable fashion. Barcelona, who face Wenger's men in the Champions League this month, must be licking collective lips.
That Arsenal's draw at Newcastle should come immediately after the close of yet another quiet transfer window for the club was telling, for even Wenger's most ardent backers would express puzzlement at the Frenchman's continuing refusal to add hardened experience and nous to a team that clearly require such characteristics. As Harry Pearson wonderfully put it in a column for the Guardian in December, this is a manager who appears to have become "so focused on the future he seems to have forgotten the present altogether". Well, such a stance looks as if it has cost Arsenal another chance to win the title for the first time since 2004. They will go close but true success again looks set to remain a day away.
Manchester United are beatable after all
It always felt unlikely that a team containing an underperforming Wayne Rooney and a typically mundane Michael Carrick would stay undefeated for the entire season and that Manchester United's fall should come in the Midlands was perhaps appropriate. After all, United really should have lost at Aston Villa in November having gone 2-0 down to Gérard Houllier's quick-witted and quick-footed team only to be allowed a route back into the contest which eventually led to them securing a 2-2 draw. Since then Sir Alex Ferguson's men have also looked vulnerable at West Bromwich Albion, Tottenham Hotspur and Blackpool, where they again recovered from 2-0 down but this time went on to win.
Such resilience is to be admired but while in previous years it characterised a United team that was as strong in will as it was in talent, this time around it felt altogether more precarious, akin to a teenager who kept passing his exams despite a lack of revision. Eventually he was going to fail, as did United to a spirited Wolves side. Their unbeaten run ends at 29 matches but, given the inconsistencies of those around them, a 19th league title still appears likely.
A mouthy manager can camouflage his team's failings
Think Blackpool and it is likely the first image that will spring to mind is that of Ian Holloway sitting behind a desk, taking the bait of a Sky Sports News reporter and allowing a stream of psychobabble to escape from his lips. Press your eyes shut and you will no doubt hear Holloway moan about how a fellow manager or club has disrespected him seconds before he then disrespects them. It would be funny had it not become so tiresome.
But perhaps "Olly" is cleverer than all of us put together, for his weekly performances have had the effect of distracting a wider audience from the alarming plight of his team – Blackpool find themselves in 15th place and two points above the relegation zone following a run of seven defeats in their last eight fixtures, the most recent of which was the enthralling 5-3 loss at Everton on Saturday. Yet again the visitors displayed attacking intent and a hardened work ethic, but increasingly that appears as if it may not be enough to stop them sliding back into the Championship. Time, then, for Holloway to stop the preaching and shore up a defence that has not kept a clean sheet since 28 December and is now the most porous in the Premier League.
Surprise sackings are not at an end
Chris Hughton, Sam Allardyce, Roy Hodgson and now Roberto Di Matteo; it appears this is officially the season for eyebrow-raising departures in the Premier League. West Bromwich Albion have become the latest team to panic, giving Di Matteo the boot following Saturday's 3-0 defeat at Manchester City, their seventh loss in nine fixtures. "If this run continues much longer, achieving our goal of retaining our Premier League status will become increasingly difficult," read a club statement. "That is why we felt compelled to act now."
Maybe, but what the powers-that-be at The Hawthorns appear to have forgotten is that it was Di Matteo who got West Bromwich promoted from the Championship in the first place and has since overseen impressive wins at Arsenal and Everton, as well as a deserved draw at Manchester United. Under the Italian the team also remain outside the bottom three and in this most open of campaigns could gain enough points to stay out of there.
That, however, is now the task facing Di Matteo's replacement, with Allardyce among the candidates linked with the job. Failure to keep West Bromwich up could see him become the first man to be sacked by two Premier League clubs in one season
This one's pretty good too..
Series: Five things we learned this weekend
Kenny Dalglish is not out of his depth
Sunday at Stamford Bridge was about two talented forwards, one on the pitch who yet again failed to live up to the hype and one on the sideline who is increasingly making the doubters eat their words. Who needs Fernando Torres, Liverpool supporters will say, when you have Kenny Dalglish?
It is now four successive wins for "King Kenny" since he replaced Roy Hodgson as manager at Anfield, with his team's triumph yesterday the most impressive of the lot. Liverpool not only beat Chelsea on their own patch; they did it with a performance so tactically sound the hosts could have carried on playing until Friday and still not have scored.
A back three of Daniel Agger, Jamie Carragher and Martin Skrtel gave Chelsea's trio of strikers, including Torres, little space to play in while Martin Kelly and Glen Johnson not only provided cover in wide positions but also stretched the champions whenever Liverpool found the space to attack. Chelsea's midfield was also smothered by their counterparts in red who, as has become common under Dalglish, poured forward when the opportunity arose.
This balance between defence and attack is the brainchild of a man who apparently could not cope in a league that has progressed without him for more than a decade now. Dalglish, the naysayers claimed, had been away for too long to be a success while the cynics pointed to his most recent spells as manager, at Newcastle United and Celtic, as proof that he lost the magic some time ago. Few of them are crowing now, however.
Dalglish is proof that truly great managers never lose their ability to inspire. Two decades may have passed but the 59-year-old continues to inhabit the qualities that made him the last man to lead Liverpool to a league championship. They remain some way off repeating that feat but on a day when the club were meant to feel the loss of their star striker they instead benefited from the wisdom of their greatest ever player. His appointment as full-time manager is surely now not too far away.
Arsenal's tomorrow may never come
At the end of a weekend filled with shock results and crazy scorelines it is perhaps no surprise that Arsenal could give away a four-goal lead at Newcastle and still find themselves one point closer to the top of the Premier League. But given events at St James' Park on Saturday we are now surely entering Monkees territory as far as their title credentials are concerned, existing as they do in the hearts of daydream believers.
It would be pleasing to see a team as fluid and creative as Arsène Wenger's crowned champions but their persistent mental brittleness means that is almost certainly not going to happen. These traits were on full show on Tyneside as the visitors stormed to a commanding lead and then, having lost Abou Diaby to a red card, capitulated in memorable fashion. Barcelona, who face Wenger's men in the Champions League this month, must be licking collective lips.
That Arsenal's draw at Newcastle should come immediately after the close of yet another quiet transfer window for the club was telling, for even Wenger's most ardent backers would express puzzlement at the Frenchman's continuing refusal to add hardened experience and nous to a team that clearly require such characteristics. As Harry Pearson wonderfully put it in a column for the Guardian in December, this is a manager who appears to have become "so focused on the future he seems to have forgotten the present altogether". Well, such a stance looks as if it has cost Arsenal another chance to win the title for the first time since 2004. They will go close but true success again looks set to remain a day away.
Manchester United are beatable after all
It always felt unlikely that a team containing an underperforming Wayne Rooney and a typically mundane Michael Carrick would stay undefeated for the entire season and that Manchester United's fall should come in the Midlands was perhaps appropriate. After all, United really should have lost at Aston Villa in November having gone 2-0 down to Gérard Houllier's quick-witted and quick-footed team only to be allowed a route back into the contest which eventually led to them securing a 2-2 draw. Since then Sir Alex Ferguson's men have also looked vulnerable at West Bromwich Albion, Tottenham Hotspur and Blackpool, where they again recovered from 2-0 down but this time went on to win.
Such resilience is to be admired but while in previous years it characterised a United team that was as strong in will as it was in talent, this time around it felt altogether more precarious, akin to a teenager who kept passing his exams despite a lack of revision. Eventually he was going to fail, as did United to a spirited Wolves side. Their unbeaten run ends at 29 matches but, given the inconsistencies of those around them, a 19th league title still appears likely.
A mouthy manager can camouflage his team's failings
Think Blackpool and it is likely the first image that will spring to mind is that of Ian Holloway sitting behind a desk, taking the bait of a Sky Sports News reporter and allowing a stream of psychobabble to escape from his lips. Press your eyes shut and you will no doubt hear Holloway moan about how a fellow manager or club has disrespected him seconds before he then disrespects them. It would be funny had it not become so tiresome.
But perhaps "Olly" is cleverer than all of us put together, for his weekly performances have had the effect of distracting a wider audience from the alarming plight of his team – Blackpool find themselves in 15th place and two points above the relegation zone following a run of seven defeats in their last eight fixtures, the most recent of which was the enthralling 5-3 loss at Everton on Saturday. Yet again the visitors displayed attacking intent and a hardened work ethic, but increasingly that appears as if it may not be enough to stop them sliding back into the Championship. Time, then, for Holloway to stop the preaching and shore up a defence that has not kept a clean sheet since 28 December and is now the most porous in the Premier League.
Surprise sackings are not at an end
Chris Hughton, Sam Allardyce, Roy Hodgson and now Roberto Di Matteo; it appears this is officially the season for eyebrow-raising departures in the Premier League. West Bromwich Albion have become the latest team to panic, giving Di Matteo the boot following Saturday's 3-0 defeat at Manchester City, their seventh loss in nine fixtures. "If this run continues much longer, achieving our goal of retaining our Premier League status will become increasingly difficult," read a club statement. "That is why we felt compelled to act now."
Maybe, but what the powers-that-be at The Hawthorns appear to have forgotten is that it was Di Matteo who got West Bromwich promoted from the Championship in the first place and has since overseen impressive wins at Arsenal and Everton, as well as a deserved draw at Manchester United. Under the Italian the team also remain outside the bottom three and in this most open of campaigns could gain enough points to stay out of there.
That, however, is now the task facing Di Matteo's replacement, with Allardyce among the candidates linked with the job. Failure to keep West Bromwich up could see him become the first man to be sacked by two Premier League clubs in one season
