Weekend Rewind

Been a little behind on the blog in the past week with a busy time at the office as well as a couple of other projects that I am currently working. But time to get the Tractor in gear and take a look back at a busy weekend. Not a bad past few days on the sporting front. Plenty of action on both sides of the pond, unless you happened to be watching the Premier League games on Fox Soccer Channel stateside, but that aside the rewind this week will try to touch most of the highlights.

Starting with the teams of the TractorHawk faithful (ie me):

A little extra rewind is in order this week as before the domestic matches there was an appointment on the International friendly calendar as Fab took the Lions off for a nice little kick-around in Berlin with Germany. I don’t care if it was a friendly we beat Germany. John Terry knocked in the winner atoning for an earlier howler that had allowed German striker Patrick Helmes to cancel out Matthew Upson’s opener for Fab’s lads. I didn’t realize that Germany have never defeated England in Berlin in 7 games played there between the nations. Very surprising, considering they have beaten us everywhere else. England close out their 2008 calendar with a 2-1 win over an arch rival and with optimism looking forward into 2009. Was it just a few months ago that this same team were fumbling around under the guidance (or lack thereof) of Steve McFool?

ITFC returned to Portman Road, where their home form has been as consistently inconsistent as their away form. Last season’s Premier whipping boys, Derby County were the visitors this week. After a slow start adjusting to life back at the lower level, Derby have been improving recently, climbing the table in the process. By all accounts a good performance from the men in blue this week as the Tractorboys ran out 2-0 winners behind goals from Pablo Counago and Jon Walters. That should be enough to see them both on the bench for the next match. Town back up to 8th, sort of knocking on the play-off door. Next up is a mid-week trip to second placed Birmingham who, along with their midland mates Wolves, look a good bet for automatic promotion. Jim is relishing the challenge….not so sure the same can be said for most Town fans.


So two for two on the football front. Then Sunday came…again. The hallowed Jim Zorn returns with the Washington Redskins, leading his team back into his old stomping ground in the Pacific Northwest. Flag goes up, 12th Man jersey goes on, ‘Hawks play close game, ‘Hawks lose fourth in a row when Matt H. throws the exact same bloody pass to the exact same spot that he threw at the exact same time in the previous week against Arizona, which also cost us a chance to win it at the death. And, of course the exact same thing happened – interception, game over. Flag comes down…shirt goes off…you get the picture. The ‘Hawks have a short week before they head off to Dallas for most likely a Thanksgiving Day stuffing. I’m not sure I can bear to watch but I probably will.

Weekend TractorHawk Grade: B

England beat Germany, Town won, and at least the Seahawks game was close. With nothing left at stake for the 'Hawks, expectations have to be set realistically. So a solid B is appropriate this week.


Tractor Driver of the Week:

Each week I select a sporting nominee to receive the prestigious keys to the Blue Tractor. This week we're going back in time to call out former Ipswich and England stalwart centre back Terry Butcher. Why Butcher? As the latest patron saint of Scotland, Maradona returned to the scene, Tel-Boy had no intention of being caught up in the politically correct hoopla and media frenzy sourronding the return of the little twat, and made the point that he still bore the grudge from '86. I'm not sure if Butcher did shake hands at the end of the game but good on you mate for not bowing to the little prick. So while Diego may have had reporters eating out of his cheating hands once again, Terry stood firm by his own beliefs and those still shared by many England fans. As for Maradona, his latest trip to the limelight is over...we'll see you in 2010 sunshine.

Note-a-balls:

I made a reference to the sleepers from the Fox Soccer Channel this weekend. An early morning start had us US viewers tuning into a dreadful affair at the Bridge as Newcastle paid a visit. The FSC resident “expert” for the season, Warren Barton described this as a magnificent performance from the Geordies. Eh??? Chelsea had 33 attempts at goal...Newcastle 2. Magnificent – are you sure your’e not setting the bar just a little bit low for your ex-mates, Warren? Any point in the capitol city is a great result for Newcastle but lets leave it at that.

With the Chelse faltering, Man U had a chance to make up some ground. So cue the next FSC offering from Villa park. Better game but same result. So the day starts with 3 hours of footie on the box and not a single bloody goal. Elsewhere Liverpool drew at home to Fulham, thus ending my 5 week run of successful banker bets on the EPL prediction league, I Know the Score. The “Big Four” shutout was complete when the Gallasless Arse capitulated in the Sky Blue side of Manchester 3-0, with Robinho notching a sublime goal.

FSC did offer a tape delayed match later in the afternoon so they at least had a chance at some redemption. But it was from the Brittania as Stoke edged West Brom 1-0 in a game labeled as “absolute dross” by Bags manager, Tony Mowbray, so nevermind. On Sunday, West Ham won for the first time in 8 as they defeated Sunderland 1-0 at the Stadium of Light. Not much to be said for this game either. Sunderland were poor with Cisse guilty of a few glaring misses as well as a well dodgy haricut which is now dyed bright red. And will someone please buy West Ham a new kit so they can get rid of those ridiculous patches on the front of their shirts.

So none of the teams in the top 10 of the Premier League were able to register a victory and there was a goal drought. Maybe it was jut one of those weekends crunched in between International friendlies and upcoming European action. End result is that the league is tighter still after 14 rounds.


On the US Front there were no problems with scoring in the NFL as points were aplenty in the league this week. 8 teams managed to score at least 35 with the Buffalo Bills leading the way as they dropped 54 on a hapless Kansas City. New Orleans followed in a close second on the Monday Night spectacle as they romped past Green Bay 51-29. There are no remaining unbeaten teams in the league this year as the Tennessee Titans fell to the Brett Favre led NY Jets at home, 13-34. The Titans may not have the swagger of the 2007 Patriots, and thankfully not the attitude, but with a record of 10-1 they are still in a great position to secure the top spot in the AFC. Good luck to them and their coach as they look to bounce back on Thursday at winless Detroit.

It’s interesting to note that two of the top quarterbacks in the league this year are ageless veterans Brett Favre of the Jets and Kurt Warner of the Arizona Cardinals. As they approach the big Four-Oh, neither one is showing signs of slowing down and they have their clubs poised for a serious run at the playoffs. Warner is aided by having the best receiving corps in football with his standout WRs Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin but it would not surprise me to see Favre and Warner mentioned at voting time for MVP. There, that ought to jinx both of them.

Onto college, dear oh dear. We really are going to have to take some time and get that essay published about this variation of gridiron football. Where to begin? I suppose at the top as Texas Tech, the number 2 ranked team, visited Oklahoma in a highly touted and way over-hyped Saturday night match. As we are told each week this game will have “profound implications….blah blah blah” – Oklahoma won 65-21 and it wasn’t even that close. So Tech fall down the rankings to around seventh or something, and won’t play in the championship match. Alabama didn’t play so they retain the top spot. The Texas Longhorns move to number 2 and OK are now ranked 3 in the BCS. What does all that mean? Who knows really.


As I look at the standings there are currently 4 unbeaten squads: Alabama, Utah, Boise State, and Ball State. Seems like a simple equation. If it stays the same 4 unbeaten teams in a semi-final and onto the Championship. But no, of course that cannot happen because those ‘other’ teams don’t play as hard a schedule and there are no divisions in the college sport that are based on competitiveness. So a whole load of people vote, then 6 super computers that would make a NASA scientist green determine some kind of average, then we mix it all together in some secret code that the CIA couldn’t crack, and we end up determining who will eventually play for the title. Can anyone think of an easier method?

And something else, we need more blue fields in football...

On a side note, locally, in the Pacific Northwest two of the worst college teams in the country squared off in Pullman, Wa. I believe that UW and WSU are ranked somewhere in the bottom 120 or so, if it goes that far. The Cougars won and retained the Apple Cup.

Hope your sporting week was a dandy one…..Cheers!

Weekend Rewind

Time to catch up on the past weekend and as usual I'll start with my two football teams. Maybe I should keep this brief because it doesn't take much of a summary or an anlysis to come up with bloody miserable!

The Tractorboys have been in gear in recent weeks putting together a nice little run that has seen the Town go unbeaten in 7 games and only 1 defeat in the previous 11. In the always tight Championship standings this allowed the boys in blue to climb quickly to their highest position of the season at 8th, going into this week's matchup at bottom club Doncaster. The team from the Keepmoat Stadium (that's got to have a nomination for best named ground in football) have struggled to adjust to life in the Championship and found themselves propping up the table. With the marked improvement in Ipswich's away form this term another 3 points seemed likely to potentially move the club into the play-off places. But, yet again Jim could not motivate his team to deliver a performance worthy of victory and the Town slumped to a very disappointing 1-0 defeat. I'm not taking anything away from the Rovers but if Ipswich are to be considered serious promotion contenders, these games have to be considered guaranteed wins. Anything less is not good enough.

And so Sunday came and it was time to raise the 12th man flag once again as the NFC West Champions elect Arizona Cardinals came calling. Going into the game at 2-7, with Big Mike's farewell tour in Seattle wrecked by injuries, the season was already a lost cause. The Cardinals with a relentless passing attack and the two best receivers in football in Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, looked to put a stanglehold on the division title; their potential first since 1975. Hawk's fans demanded at least one final stand before we relinquished our 4 year reign as the best in the NFC West. Even with the retrun of quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and oft-injured receiver Deion Branch, this was going to be a tall order. As expected, Kurt "38 years young" Warner, with his 2 massive receiving weapons shredded the Seattle secondary. But somehow the 'Hawks stayed alive. The defence tightened up when needed, heeding the call to keep Seattle in the game. The offence obliged by converting 3 Arizona turnovers into 20 points, but in the end with the game on the line and 2 minutes to go, a rusty looking Hasselbeck threw his 3rd interception of the match, and Arizona departed with a 26-20 victory, their first in Seattle in 6 years.

Each week I grade my 2 football teams - if you have a pairing you would like to add please feel free to comment below.

Weekend TractorHawk Grade: D-

Football defeats on both battle fronts with the Town losing to the bottom club. Grade help up ever so slightly by the almost comeback by the 'Hawks on Sunday against a very talented Arizona outfit. The game was exciting and we had a shot at the end.

Weekend Tractor Driver:

Not many candidates on my teams worth mentioning as both clubs ended up with disappointing defeats. So I'm going with the 12th Man - the fans of the Seattle Seahawks. Renowned for their undying devotion to the cause, I am proud to be among them. We fill the stadium each week, rain or shine and that's not just talking about the weather. The noise is deafening regardless of the 'Hawks record and they almost rallied the lads to a victory.

Note-a-Balls:

Premier Football:

With the exception of the magic of Harry, in recent weeks much of the footballing attention has been at the Emirates where Arsenal continued their rollercoaster of a season looking to build on their victory over Manchester United. This week Villa came calling, a team who themselves, have been on a bit of a dodgy run just recently. Smart money was probably on the Arse to fully dispel any notion that their membership as part of the "big four" may be under threat. So when Clichy headed into his own goal on 70 mins in a tight affair and Agbonlahor sealed the deal 10 minutes later, a sorry looking Arsene headed back to the dressing room with his squad trailing the leading pack by an already insurmountable looking 8 points. Villa moved level with the Gooners on 23 points with the 2-0 win.

Elsewhere in the top flight it was for the most part a routine state of affairs. United hammered Stoke 5-0 at Old Trafford with the little winker claiming a pair and putting in a good days work. Chelsea strolled at West Brom with Anelka knocking in 2 more to extend his lead at the top of the EPL scoring chart. Drogba made a brief sub appearence as he prepares to sit out a few games for his missile attack against Barnsley in the Carling Cup a few days earlier. A couple decent games at St James' and the KC saw Newcastle and Hull split entertaining 2-2 decisions with Wigan and Man City respectively. City still cannot seem to garner the form that their payroll would suggest and relied on 2 goals from Steven Ireland to earn their point at the weekend, and by the way send my EPL fantasy team to victory with his midfield goalscoring exploits. Also a good selection of matches on Fox Soccer Channel this weekend for us that have to rely on the American feeds. Maybe WBA and Chelsea wasn't that great but Arse-Villa, Newcastle-Wigan, and Hull-M.City all made for pretty good entertainment.

More on the US football wrap in my next post.

Cheers!

New Jersey Nets to Help Fans Find Jobs

Heard this story on the radio during the commute today. Apparently the NBA's New Jersey Nets are to begin a promotion aimed at helping their fans find employment. Basically, they will hand out 1,500 game tickets free to unemployed fans if the fans submit their resumes (CVs) to the organization. The club, subsequently, then plans to distribute the resumes amongst their corporate sponsorship partners and owner organizations. In the current economic situation and the hardships facing many families, this is an outstanding move of sheer brilliance on the part of the Nets and one that surely could be duplicated by all teams of all sports around the world. I'm not particularly a big NBA fan and certainly not a Nets fan, but this has to be called out as a rare example of a professional sports franchise truly returning something to it's fanbase.

Without a doubt worthy of a Golden Tractor nominee.

Weekend Rewind

The sporting weekend started with a nice November trip to the seaside for the boys in the blue tractors on their latest Championship assignment. A tricky visit to the stadium with 2 stands was negotiated successfully as the Town came away with a hard fought 1-0 victory at Blackpool. It seems like Jim and the lads may be putting something together finally as the boys from Suffolk are now undefeated in 6 games. David Norris provided the only goal just before half-time and, maybe even more surprising than back-to-back wins for the Town for the first time in 9 months, Ipswich fielded an unchanged starting lineup. Also intriguing, is the record this year – absolutely identical home and away form right down to goals scored and conceded. No movement in the table for the lads but consolidation at least.

Sunday came and found the Seahawks once again traversing time zones as they made the longest trip in the NFL to visit an ever-improving Miami Dolphin squad and their half-full stadium. A typical meltdown saw the ‘Hawks fall behind quickly 14-0 and early on this looked like it would be just another rout. But the defense, lead by an inspired Julian Peterson, fought their way back into the game and cut the deficit in half on a Jordan Babineaux 35 yard interception call to the house in the second quarter. The ‘Hawks continued to plug away and despite trick plays and multiple formations, Seattle’s defense managed to hold. On offense, stand-in QB Seneca Wallace had one of his best outings in a Seahawks shirt and his performance was far better than his stats indicated. Ultimately, though, the 'Hawks again found a way to undo their efforts. Koren Robinson dropped an easy ball for a certain 6 in the third quarter and, Keary Colbert, subsequently released from the team, later contributed by fluffing a catch on a key 3rd and 15 play in the 3rd quarter which killed the momentum Seattle had built. A false start penalty with the 'Hawks trailing 19-21 forced the 2 point attempt back 5 yards and Seattle couldn’t convert. Despite a late drive with no timeouts the 'Hawks couldn’t move to within field goal range and the Fish held on for the victory. Overall, a good performance was ruined by 7 dropped passes and the 4 time defending NFC West champions fell to 2-7, on the wrong end of a 19-21 decision.

Weekend TractorHawk Grade: B
Town undefeated in 6 games and a decent Seahawks performance holds up the grade. With injuries dismantling the Seahawks season even a split for my teams can score high with a good enough effort, even in defeat.

Weekend Tractor Driver:
Tough call this week but I’m going with Julian Peterson, outside linebacker for the Seahawks. Kept driving the Hawkhead defense with an inspired leadership performance. Plus he signed my hat this year when he visited my workplace. Cheers mate and keep plowing away even though the season is all but over.

Note-a-balls:

Premier Football:

Match of the weekend was in North London as Sir Alex and the red machine of the north came calling with every intention of piling on more misery to Arsene and the Gooner Army. After a bright start to the season recent performances have sent Arsenal reeling to the point that the unthinkable has been quietly mentioned at the Emirates. After losing to Fulham, Hull, and Stoke, being held by Spurs and Sunderland, and pushed around by Fenerbache in mid-week, the Arse subsequently downed Fergie’s lads 2-1. A double from Nasri and an inspired performance should, at least for now, silence the aforementioned unmentionables regarding Wenger’s future.

After a bit of a late night Friday, I was a bit dreary tuning into the early EPL offering in the US on Fox Soccer Channel. Luckily it was Sunderland-Portsmouth so I figured I probably wouldn’t have a problem getting back to sleep. This match provided an intriguing twist following on from the Arsenal-Man U affair with ex rival captains Roy Keane and Tony Adams squaring off from the manager dug-out. It was actually a pretty decent game and Keano’s men should have wrapped up the 3 points in the first 25 minutes. But although Cisse and his well dodgy haircut opened the scoring, a combination of the woodwork and a decent performance from England’s maybe number one kept it close. Portsmouth equalized with a screamer from Belhadj right after the break and Roy went off in a right foul mood when Defoe drilled in the winner from the spot in injury time. Pompey and their band of twenty-odd fans set off on the long trip south celebrating a first Premier win for the former architect of the infamous Arsenal offside trap, Tony Adams.

Fox Soccer Channel treated us to a routine Anfield hammering for West Brom in the second of the US Saturday morning doubleheader. Keano the player, scored his first and second EPL goals of the season as Pool strolled 3-0 and WBA extended their run of failing to score against the Reds to 23 years. Everyone’s favourite underdog stumbled to their 3rd straight defeat being downed 1-0 at home to Bolton. Losing their previous matches to Chelsea and Man U was not surprising but at home to Bolton could indicate that the bubble may be deflating. I hope not – I intend to write about the biggest surprise package the Premier has seen since the 2001 Tractorboys plowed the Premier fields, so hold on for a couple more weeks lads. The not-so-happy anymore Hammers looked to have halted their slide in a tense affair against Everton as they held a 1-0 advantage late into the game. 3 goals for the blue men from the land of scouse in the last 6 minutes saw West Ham capitulate and they are a team on the slide, while Everton head the other direction, establishing some momentum finally under their contract extended manager, David Moyes.

Chelsea bounced back from a Champions League embarrassment, turning Blackburn over 2-0 behind an Anelka double,and the magic of ‘Arry continued with Darren Bent once again displaying his inspired form as Spurs dumped the Sky Blues at the Middle-Eastlands. If former tractor favorite DB can keep it up he might get a call from Fab’s office sometime soon.

Elsewhere, on US Shores there was an election or something going on last week in case we hadn’t heard, but despite the excitement and uproar surrounding the President-elect the games must go on. First though a quick shout-out and congratulations to Mr Obama is in order and hopefully he can drive the American tractor to better pastures. Also, to John McCain and his efforts and service to the country. Both are top class gents that ran highly competitive and grueling campaigns. But this is not a political site, so lets get back to the sporting world. But if he has one I reckon Barack drives a blue tractor.

In the NFL, there were some great games and the divisions are starting to take shape. The Titans of Tennessee maintained their run as the only unbeaten team with an impressive 21-14 victory in the Windy City, despite a ground attack that garnered just 20 yards. The Giants and Eagles played out a thrilling 36-31 match up with the Eli and the lads getting the edge. Some experts are calling out the Giants as the best in the NFL, but until the Titans fall, the G-Men remain a solid number 2 in my opinion. Stealing a line from ESPN analyst Chris Berman, the wagons are being circled in Buffalo as once again they fell to a divisional opponent, this time being doubled up by New England 20-10 . After an impressive start the Bills are quickly reverting to also-rans. San Francisco played Arizona in a close game on the Monday night spectacle in the desert but the NFC West Champions-elect held on for the 29-24 win. Expect a brief hiccup for the Cards next week when they travel to the land of the Hawks who owe the 12th Man a decent home performance before we relinquish the division title.

Final callout of the rewind goes to Jerry Sloan for winning his 1,000th game with the NBA’s Utah Jazz. 1000 wins for the longest tenured and one the most respected coaches in professional basketball history deserves a mention on any sports commentary. Though his great teams led by John Stockton and Karl Malone were denied the title by the Jordon inspired Chicago Bulls in the mid-Nineties, Jerry has continued to rebuild and lead a perennial competitive team, becoming an NBA icon and cetain hall-of-famer in the process.

And how was your sporting weekend? Cheers!!

Beckham gets a loan

The financial crisis credit crunch appears to have finally caught up with Hollywood’s leading sports star and the first lady of football on the US shores, Posh. What’s a girl to do when you’ve shopped out London, LA, Madrid, Manchester (huh?), and the old man is no longer mates with Tommy Cruise anymore?? Get a loan and move to Milan, of course! So, while the head Spice Girl eyes up a European assault on the boutiques and spas of Italia, Becksie gets ready to pack up the kids in the station wagon and lace it up for a 3-month loan spell with Italian Serie A giants, AC Milan.

After getting permission from his ‘owners’ the LA Galaxy of Major League Soccer and Victoria, David secured a deal to play a few months in the Italian top flight. Maybe he needed to top up the coffers a bit or save up for another handbag for Posh (Christmas coming and all) but most likely, he fancied a decent game of football.

Let’s face it, since he arrived in LA to a fanfare that would rival a Pope on a farewell tour, his footy career hasn’t exactly sky-rocketed has it? After all, from playing on some of the greatest stages that football can offer; Old Trafford, Wembley, and The Bernabeu (and those are just his previous 'home' team venues), you would forgive the lad for thinking that Real Salt Lake away is just a bit of a Sunday “kick-about” at a different type of temple. The Galaxy versus the Houston 'something or others' hardly has the passion of a Man U trip to Anfield, or a visit to the Nou Camp while leading the hated Galáctico of Real Madrid. In case anyone was wondering that’s the real ‘Real’, not the Utah variety who call themselves ‘Real’ but play in Barcelona colors – you think they might have Googled it before coming up with that bright idea, or maybe that’s the point… But I digress.

Beckham has continued to add to his caps for England becoming the third most capped player in the history of the national team with 107 appearances. He is also a true ambassador for the game. The work that he performs for youth and community establishments is extensive and he has developed into a truly recognized global role model – a bloody rich one mind, but still a role model nonetheless.

I was devastated when the writhing acting antics of another cheating Argentinean, Simeone got him his marching orders at the 1998 World Cup and, arguably, cost us a place in the quarter-finals as we battled Argentina undermanned, for most of the match plus extra-time, before finally succumbing during the penalty shoot-out. The reaction he received in England on his return was undoubtedly the low point of his career, and in many ways, his treatment by so-called fans driven by the gutter press was nothing short of despicable.

But, ultimately Beckham came back and has since won every accolade possible in the club game and attained his ultimate footballing honor in captaining the England national team on 59 occasions. He is one of only five players to have represented England in 100 games and the only Englishman to score in three World Cup final tournaments.

England Players with 100 Appearences

Peter Shilton - 125
Bobby Moore - 108
David Beckham - 107
Bobby Charlton - 106

Billy Wright - 105

Although his role at the national level is now diminishing, I wish him the best. He’ll be back in the US next season for his summer job and if he visits the Pacific Northwest to play against the newly founded Seattle Sounders, I hope to be there in person to see one of the best playmakers that ever graced the English game, have a bit of a “kick-about.”

In the meantime, count your pennies mate ‘cos you might need them when the missus hits those Italian shops…

FIFA 09

A quick time-out for an observation on the lighter side….

I’m not sure if the same commercial airs in other parts of the world but in the USA, EA Sports have been mercilessly bombarding us with a commercial promoting the latest version of their all-world football game for the Playstation, X-Box 360, etc.

This ad provokes a couple of thoughts …

1. Please stop it – it is driving me nuts. I have the ’08 version of the game and it is good. But at the age of 39, I just don’t have the video game skills embedded in my DNA to keep up. Stop taunting me with a game that takes me a year to figure out just so I can maybe play on the second-to-easiest level. Mind you, I did get the Tractorboys to the Promised Land at the first attempt (on the ‘you don’t have a clue how to play this game, do you?’ level). Maybe my 4 year old can bring me up to speed.

2. Who the hell is the fat bloke that is sort of superimposed on the game play screens, yelling ‘goooooaaaaalllllll’ over and over again while trying to interact with the shots and action that is being displayed behind him?

I really can’t be bothered to look up who this fellow is, but in advertising this product you’d think they could at least find someone that might have some half-way believable soccer skills. As opposed to a pie man who looks like he’s been training for one of those food eating championships…you know the one where the little Japanese bloke eats a hundred hot dogs in 20 seconds.

Now I’m off to stuff Man U eight-nil…Cheers!

Weekend Rewind

A split on the football front for me this weekend and, with the inconsistent form of Ipswich combined with the plight of the injury decimated Seahawks, that’s about the best I can realistically hope for on any given week.

Starting on the brighter side, the Tractorboys made it 7 points out of a possible 9 in their past 3 games with a solid 2-0 win at home against QPR. One of the biggest problems for the Town this year has been the lack of consistency at Portman Road, with far too many indifferent performances seeing the team mired in mid-table. However, the silver lining of playing in the Championship is that it is always tight. Just 10 points separate the 6th placed team from the relegation zone. In the latest turn of the ever-rotating starting lineup, Jonathan Stead was the hero, coming off the bench to score twice in 4 minutes and secure the 3 points. With upcoming games against Blackpool and Doncaster, maybe the team can put together a run and give us some hope, for at least a shot at a play-off spot. Though, the constant rotation of Magilton’s starting lineup is puzzling at best. It’s one thing for Rafa Benitez, Sir Alex, and the Arsene to mix up the lineup, but they have squads that could field 2 teams in the Premier and survive. This is Ipswich – Jim pick a team already. But there is hope.



Moving to the dark side, 3 hours of Sunday afternoon was spent watching a Seahakws performance drearier than the Seattle November day that it was. The clocks moved back but darkness was enveloping Qwest Field shortly after the first quarter. When Seneca Wallace hit Koren Robinson for a franchise record long 90 yard TD play on our first possession, hope seemed eternal. A win would keep us within 2 games of the division lead. Hasselbeck might convince his doctor he can walk sometime soon. McNabb was confused either by the defense or by the noise of the 12th Man. The ‘Hawks were in control. Can we call it early and all go home happy before it starts pissing down again?!! Then the second period began. McNabb went on to complete 20 of his next 22 passes, moving his team at will through the depleted ‘Hawks defense. On offence, bad habits returned with receivers dropping key passes that killed any decent drive Seattle could muster. Seneca Wallace deputizing at QB, as Hasselbeck missed his 4th straight start, did ok but Philly wasn’t about to be fooled again and reeled off 26 straight points for an emphatic victory. Seattle punted the rest of the game. At 2-6, this season has come and gone, and it’s time to level our expectations. In Big Mike’s farewell season he deserves better, and despite the injuries some of these players just aren’t performing.

Weekend TractorHawk Grade: C
Held up by the Town this week as we move into 8th place in the Championship (tied on points with 5 other teams mind you)

Weekend Tractor Driver:

Jonathan Stead, 2 goals in 3 minutes from the bench in his latest role as super-sub.

Note-a-balls:

The happy ‘Arry revival continued at the Lane as last placed Tottenham welcomed, got outplayed for most of the game, and then defeated league leading Liverpool. Dirk Kuyt got the scousers started and it looked to be business as usual for the ‘Pool looking to grind out another close win. But when Reds defender Jamie Carragher headed into his goal, Spurs were sparked into action, and just as they had shocked the Gooners a few days earlier, they struck again in injury time as Pavlyuchenko knocked in the winner. Spurs moved off the bottom for a couple days until Bolton beat the now seriously under-achieving Arabians of Manchester and Newcastle scored an unlikely 2-0 win over the previously impressive Aston Villa. So much for me stating Villa being a potential top four squad. Spurs back to bottom but 7 points in a week has them believing again – in what exactly I’m not sure but you get the point.

Talking about the shocking Gooners, a 2-1 defeat at Stoke, combined with Van Persie seeing red, and Adeboyor and England wonderkid, Theo Walcott off hurt has seen Arsene’s lads spiral. Dropped points this season already to Fulham, Hull, Sunderland, Tottenham, and now Stoke has got the Arse looking more like UEFA cup hopefuls than title contenders.

Chelsea take over top spot on goal difference after a 5-0 win over a pathetic Sunderland performance at the Bridge – see my previous article on Big Phil and his lads.

Hull decided to play attacking football at Old Trafford in a 7 goal affair. You’d be forgiven in many circles for thinking that if Hull were daft enough to attack United on the road they could be in for a 7 goal drubbing. United edged it 4-3 and again HCFC has everyone rooting for the underdogs in brown and gold. With 20 points they are half-way to safety which, at the beginning of the season, not many gave them a snowball’s chance of achieving.

In the land of the pigskin, America prepares to elect the new president. But first there was a typical busy fall weekend to get through. The pre-season unfancied Tennessee Titans remained the only unbeaten team in the league with a close 19-16 overtime victory over the Cheeseheads. I respect the Titans – they are a team that get very little media attention but this year they have overcome a bit of adversity at the QB position, and at least for now, continue to prove themselves as the best team in the NFL. You can’t argue with an 8-0 record and hats off to their unassuming and professional Head Coach Jeff Fisher.

In the NFC, the marquee game saw Eli Manning and the Giants welcome the Romo-less and suddenly dysfunctional Dallas Cowboys. While Jessica nurses her boy’s thumb back to health, the Cowboys tried 2 different quarterbacks to no avail, as the Giants romped 35-14 to take control of the very competitive Eastern division.

The college front needs a dedicated article, or thesis for that matter, and there will be one coming in a few weeks as the season progresses. Once again the sort of voted champions-elect-number one team went down as Texas Tech downed Texas with an incredible touchdown with 1 second to play (just as well they don't let the refs decide on injury time in US sports). There is no doubt that on any given week college football can produce some amazing games. But until they figure out a way to objectively and competitively rank these teams, I still struggle to find the point. Errr make them play each other….maybe….just a thought mind.

And how was your sporting weekend?

Cheers!

Big Phil Scolari is not Gene Hackman...probably

Just a quick excerpt this morning as I tuned into the first of the EPL doubleheader on Fox Soccer Channel this morning to watch Chelsea annihilate a poor Sunderland team. The damage was done during a 5 goal outburst in about 26 minutes either side of the half in a match played in torrential rain. Contest and game over as the Blues strolled to a 5-0 victory. But it got me to thinking that Chelsea have a heck of a coach in Phil Scolari.

Chelsea have been an elite team for a few years now and their membership in the “big four” has been confirmed since Roman Abromovich started pumping his billions into the playing staff and payroll. They had success with Jose Mourinho at the helm and although, at the time, he came across as pure arrogance, I actually miss him a bit since he left the English football scene early last season. Some of the press conferences were priceless.

The football offered by Chelsea under the guidance of big Phil is in a different class. They play an attacking, open style, and have the capability to beat anyone in the Premier League or Europe on any given day. They have had the talent for a long while but Scolari has got this squad motoring towards a serious challenge for some silverware on all fronts.

Though, I’m well pleased with what Fabio Capello is getting done with the England team, big Phil would have been a top candidate, had the timing been right.

And something else, he sure reminds me of Gene Hackman – has anyone ever seen them in the same place at the same time…thought not?!!