Man United Win FIFA World Club Cup – Anyone Care?

There was not quite a full slate of English Premier League fixtures this past weekend as Fergie and the lads headed to the Land of the Rising Sun to participate in a wintertime festival known as the FIFA World Club Cup. Depending on your viewpoint this could be considered the football definition of a complete and utter waste of time.

I side with the “waste of time” argument on this debate. This tournament is a showpiece put on by FIFA to supposedly determine the club champions of the world each year. The qualifications to enter this tournament can be described elsewhere but basically each continental club champion is represented - usually. The European representative is the winner of the Champions League from the previous season, thus Man U headed on the long trek east as the rest of the EPL contenders stayed at home to continue the domestic battle.

A few of these games were covered in the US, including the final which was televised live at 2:30 am Pacific on Sunday December 21st. Just for the record, I actually caught some of this game by pure chance. I hadn’t exactly set the alarm but had been battling my asp hosting service as I tried to publish some web design work until the wee hours, and when I finally called it a night to settle down, the final had just started. The stadium may have been full but this game had about as much atmosphere as a Sunday afternoon kick-around in the park behind the pub; more of a pre-season exhibition feel to it than the boldly proclaimed World Club Cup Final right down to being able to hear the players on the field.

There is no doubt, there were some talented players and squads involved but for the most part, I had not heard of any of them. That does not necessarily detract from the tournament but I would challenge most fans to name the teams involved. OK, so go and Google or Wiki the thing and tell me I’m full of it but please, I could really care less if Man U show their prowess and flex their muscles against the likes of Gamba Osaka and LDU Quito. I would wager most Man U fans could care less either. How many Liverpool followers remember their one-nil defeat in 2005? Did you stay up to watch it? Did you go to the game? If you really care that much about being an expert on all football teams from all leagues, please share your experiences and thoughts.

For the record the following teams were included in the showcase this year.

1 Adelaide United - Australia
2 Al-Ahly - Egypt
3 Gamba Osaka - Japan
4 LDU Quito - Ecuador
5 Manchester United - England
6 Pachuca - Mexico
7 Waitakere United – New Zealand

So how many of this lot do you think would make it through the group stage of the Euro Champions League...or for that matter the group stage of the UEFA Cup.

Adelaide defeated Watakere 2-1 in a “play-in” type game because the Japanese host team had already qualified or something.

United won the final by defeating LDU Quito of Ecuador, 1-0 thanks to a Wayne Rooney strike and were crowned FIFA World Club Champions. Great, now can we get back to regular football programming please? By the way Vidic got sent off in this game so I'm not sure how they handle that suspension. Do you think the United squad will be riding an open-aired bus through the Manchester streets upon their return? I’m sure the pubs and bars were partying all day and night celebrating this win. The teams most pleased with this affair would be the clubs and fans of the other EPL contenders as Man U now have 2 more games to squeeze into their fixture list. Funny how United face Stoke on Boxing Day after returning from the Orient. Shame the schedule makers didn’t pair them with a trip to Anfield, the Bridge, or Villa Park for their Christmas fare.

Hands-up if you're all off to Stoke

About the only item I find interesting in this global affair was the lack of bleating by Sir Alex about the fixture pileup. Every time there is an International Tournament qualifier or a round of International Friendlies, Fergie is one of the loudest protesters of “meaningless matches.” This week, hardly a whimper. Also for both of their tournament games, United fielded a very strong team complete with Rooney, Ronaldo, Ferdinand, Vidic, Tevez et al. When the national teams come calling if those players have so much as a bad hair day then they are staying at home. You’ve got to believe the FIFA brass had to have some serious influence to persuade United to field their top players - along with a big pot of gold.

There is an issue with the amount of matches for top players on top clubs. If you throw in a full domestic season, continuous international qualifying games, continental cup tournaments, and a major international tournament every other summer; it is feasible that eventually player fatigue will become an issue, and the subsequent complaints from managers and players become justified. But the next time Fergie starts it up with his fixtures piling up bollocks I, for one, won't pay the slightest attention.

With that in mind, FIFA insist that this tournament has value and merit in the global football scheme. It is nothing but another attempt to make more money by fabricating a mid-winter tournament that is a total waste of time. Still congrats to the new World Champions...I suppose.

Do you think otherwise? Hit the comment button below…Cheers!

Catching up with the Sporting World

It’s been a busy week and a half, and much of it has been spent shoveling snow from the drive and trying to keep the supplies stocked as we have been hit by a constant barrage of snow storms in the Seattle area. So over the next few evenings, we’ll get caught up on a few highlights and get the ball rolling again. With the heart of the festive football fixtures upon us and the NFL regular season heading for a furious finale, I’ll break the reviews into a few articles and try to keep it all organized.

First up is some unfinished business from the previous week as the inclement weather put a hold on the weekly keys to the Blue Tractor award. With Ipswich having a mostly forgettable few days last week’s award went to Seattle Seahawks backup quarterback Seneca Wallace. In a rare victory for the 2008 ‘Hawks, Wallace played with poise and confidence as he guided Seattle to just their 3rd victory of the season over the St.Louis Rams. The division rival Rams have been through some very lean times in recent history and the bi-seasonal match-ups between these squads have certainly lost the vigor that they once provided.

In a way it was sad to see the Edward Jones Dome barely half-full as the ‘Hawks showed up with both teams playing for nothing but pride, battling to avoid last place in an NFC West Division that has been owned by Seattle for four straight years and by their St Louis adversaries for four years prior. The game, as expected, was certainly not a classic but it required a spirited comeback for the Seahawks to come away with some respect in a 23-20 victory.

Wallace started again, deputizing for Matt Hasselbeck whose recurring back injury looks to have him on the sidelines for the rest of the season. Seneca’s performances have improved steadily as he has assumed the starting role and despite an early 7-17 deficit, Wallace remained calm and played mistake free football which culminated in a superb game winning drive late in the fourth quarter that included an amazing 45 yard strike to Deion Branch that setup an Olindo Mare chip-shot field goal with 2 seconds left on the clock.

The grade for the week ending around December 14th: C-

A dismal home performance by the Town at the hands of in-form Cardiff City was somewhat reprieved by a great fightback by the Seahawks on the road, albeit against a very poor St Louis Rams squad.

Tractor Driver of the Week: Seneca Wallace

Six years in the Seattle system under Mike Holmgren is paying dividends and although for reasons he cannot control, Seneca is one of the few surprising bright spots in a mostly miserable season for the 12th Man.

Weekend Rewind - Tractorboys

Winter kicked into full drive in the Pacific Northwest as snow and frigid temps hit our area. So, after an afternoon building snowmen and freezing the football(s), it’s time to sit in front of the fire with the laptop and look back over the past few days.

Little optimism remained in Ipswich, after the disastrous performance at Carrow Road, for the Wednesday night visit of Bristol City. Even the most patient of Town fans, including this author, have reached their levels of tolerance for the ongoing inept performances, and surely by now Magilton is feeling the heat.

Bristol City took the lead after just 5 minutes from a Stern John header and it looked business as usual as the Town laboured through the first half. But, whatever Jim said at half-time he needs to say more often because the lads came out fired up, producing a 3 goal outburst in 11 minutes courtesy of Walters, Counago, and a speculative own goal by City defender, Fontaine. With a 3-1 advantage the Tractorboys were finally playing the kind of football the fans have been craving all season. The blistering second half performance though was over-shadowed when Alex Bruce saw red after a two-footed tackle. Town sat back and despite some inevitable pressure held on comfortably for the home win over the Robins.

Onto Saturday and another home date, this time with in-form Cardiff who had not tasted victory at Portman Road in 62 years. With the Town sitting just 3 points behind the Bluebirds who occupied 6th place entering the weekend festivities, hopes were high that Ipswich could make a surge towards the play-off spots. As usual, those hopes were unfounded as Cardiff took an early 2 goal lead behind strikes from Jay Bothroyd and Gabor Gyepes. Although, Jon Stead pulled one back before the break, Town by all accounts were completely outplayed, and when Ben Thatcher received his marching orders after 68 minutes, another disappointing defeat was all but confirmed. The only surprise was that it has taken this long into the season for Thatcher to get sent off. Back to the middle of the pack and going nowhere fast once again for the men from Suffolk.

So in the space of the week, 2 defeats and 1 win. 2 red cards and a loss to our hated enemy – not just a loss but a pathetic effort. Mid-table mediocrity beckons but there appear to be no changes in sight. At least right now there are no transfer rumors circulating around Portman Road and this is a good thing because on no account should Jim be let loose with the cheque book right now. He has enough talent – by his own claims he has never made a bad signing.

Right you are then Jim, so if none of these blokes is bad then why the bloody hell can you not get them to play and put a few results together? The next three games see the Town host second placed Birmingham on Boxing Day, sandwiched between tricky road trips to Coventry and Derby. I hope I am wrong but there’s 2 points max from that calendar.

We’ll pick up the NFL action and hand out the weekly keys to the Blue Tractor in the next installment. No need for any wild guesses that this week’s winner doesn’t wear a Town shirt.

‘Till then….stay warm and Cheers All

Tired of TO

On the NFL side of the football world, this bloke just can't keep his name and face out of the media. If a week or two goes by without reporters clamoring for his attention he just has to go do something stupid yet again to get onto the front page.

Owens undoubtedly is one of the most talented receivers ever to play in the NFL, so let’s get that out up front so I don't get flamed for ignoring his footballing skills and athleticism. He has blinding pace and throughout his career has consistently terrorized defenses around the league. This season, again he has been a productive and integral part of a mostly successful Dallas Cowboys team that is approaching their final push to secure a play-off spot.

You would think most players would be happy playing their career on perennial play-off and championship contending squads. But not this misfit. He tore up the 49ers franchise that delivered him to the NFL, to the point that they were forced to let him go to Philadelphia for practically nothing. A couple more decent seasons and a Superbowl appearance with the Eagles followed, but Owens incited a very public row with the team’s veteran quarterback and leader, Donovan McNabb - one of the most respected players in the game.

Phase 3 of his career finds him in Dallas and once again fortunate to be surrounded by a talented team that was regarded as one of the pre-season Superbowl favorites. However, after a relatively harmonious couple of seasons, TO once again feels threatened that maybe the entire franchise does not revolve around him; and as usual it is everyone else’s fault.

This past week he was reported as being upset because his quarterback, Tony Romo, who just a few months ago he was shedding tears for after a playoff defeat, seems to favor Tight-End, Jason Whitten in the passing offense. Apparently he went as far as claiming that they draw up plays together that don't involve him, bless - what they have their own ball and won't let him play anymore? Give me a break. On Friday as the Cowboys prepared to take on the conference leading and division rival NY Giants, Owens and Whitten had a heated exchange during which they had to be pulled apart. So TO's at it again and it's just a matter of time before he breaks up yet another championship potential locker room with his antics.

It is just yet another example of pathetic jealously that is usually refined to the schoolyard. Every team needs to have options in the passing game but he's only happy if they throw to him 15-20 times a game so he can be "unleashed" per his own words from a few weeks ago. For the record, while Whitten does have a key role in the Dallas offense (as does any talented TE on any team), his numbers thus far this season are comparable to Owens:

Owens - 58 RECS 886 YDS 9 TDs

Whitten - 69 RECS 815 YDS 3 TDs

So just what exactly is TO complaining about? He gets far more of the share of touchdowns which allows him to engage in his favorite pastime of showboating himself in front of the camera.

All About "81"

Mind you, he is not all to blame. The media thrive on this circus like vultures on a rotten desert carcus, bombarding us with images, interviews, analysis, and speculation revolving around the Dallas receiver.
HELLO people - this is just what he craves. During his spat with McNabb which resulted in him being kicked out of the Eagles practice facility for a week or two, TO decided to continue his own conditioning and work-outs at his home. In the front yard of course and with all members of the media invited. ESPN and the other sports network cameras couldn't get the trucks there quick enough, just so we could watch this idiot doing sit-ups in front of his mansion. Even with this latest incident supposedly behind them after Dallas defeated the Giants on Sunday night, the NFL network had the TO highlight available on it's website immediately after the game - for the record he caught 3 balls for 38 yards, but in the carnival world of TO, that is apparently worthy of a highlight reel.

I guess it is just another example in sport that is all too familiar. Superstar athletes that act like a spoiled brats that can't have all the toys but are given the spotlight regardless of their attitude or behavior. Pick your sport or game and you'll be able to come up with several examples. Heck, you could probably devote your own sports blog to the subject.

I just don't understand the ego and arrogance behind individuals like TO. His talent is undeniable. At the age of 35 he is still one of the best receivers in the league in terms of talent. But if you want the best at that position take a look at Cardinals wideouts, Fitzgerald and Boldin. As much, if not more, talent minus the garbage that comes with the TO package. Regardless of how bad my team are (and they are bad this year), as a die-hard Seahawks fan I would cringe if he ever pulled on the number 81 in Seattle.

So 2 requests: TO just please for once shut up and play football. And to the media please quit glorifying this egomaniac and concentrate on covering the games and, maybe just once in a while, give us some insightful analysis of players and teams that deserve some attention as we approach the finale to the NFL regular season.

If you have a rant or want to nominate an ‘Owens-esq’ candidate; if you’re a Cowboys fan and have an opinion on the forthcoming implosion in the locker room; if you love TO and everything he does and everything he stands for, hit the comment button below....Cheers!

Weekly Summary - English Premier League

Last week I made a couple predictions. One that the Fox Soccer Channel games would produce some goals after a 4 game hiatus of the ball hitting the back of the net; two that Sunderland manager Roy Keane was headed for the “by mutual consent" path.

Before the weekend even started Keano decided to call it a day at Sunderland. Guess he didn’t fancy the probable mauling that he was in for as he faced the trip to Old Trafford for a kick-about at his old stomping ground. Maybe it wasn’t quite by mutual consent but Keane decided he could take the team no further and just became another stat on the EPL managerial casualty list. To be honest it did not surprise me at all. His team have been nothing short of appalling this year and, from the Sunderland games that I’ve seen this season, it was clear his players were no longer responding. By the way it should be noted, that would be the same players he spent about 80 million quid on in building this current squad of relegation contenders. He may be back in football one day, but right now his 27 month tenure is just another case for the argument that great players don’t make great managers – especially when they get a big transfer budget (Jim Magilton please take note).

Fox Soccer Channel delivered Arsenal’s home match against Wigan followed by Sunderland’s trip to Manchester. Should have been goals aplenty, but although there was a goal in each match, neither game was exactly what one might call a “barn-burner.” The recovery of the Goon Army sort of continued as they almost nervously ran out 1-0 winners over Wigan at the Emirates, courtesy of an Emmanuel Adebayor first-half strike - haven't heard from him in a while, but it was enough to end a 5 match unbeaten streak for Steve Bruce's men. The second game appeared certain to offer a few goals as Fergies boys looked to add to the pain of the Blackcats. But, although Sunderland rarely crossed the half-way line, it took United until injury time to break the deadlock and secure a drab 1-0 victory courtesy of a Vidic tap-in on 91 minutes.

Elsewhere, at the top Chelsea and Liverpool both secured victories by a two goal margin; the Blues winning comfortably 2-0 at Bolton and Liverpool racing past a poor Blackburn side at Ewood Park, 3-1 to stay top of the league. Talking of ex-players not making great managers, the old Gov'nor of Man U and England looks like he might be on a bit of a short lease as Blackburn continue to dwell in the relegation zone and play in front of a stadium filled well short of capacity. I'll give him another 2 or 3 weeks.

So, for the first time this season the top four spots in the EPL are filled by the usual candidates, known as the "Big Four." Aston Villa, however, stayed within striking distance at a point behind the Arse as they won the match of the week at Goodison 3-2, with Ashley Young scoring the winner in injury time, seconds after the Toffeemen had equalized. Hull came from behind to defeat Middlesbrough 2-1 at the KC to hold onto 6th place.

The general poor form of the bottom clubs continued as WBA managed a draw at home to Pompey while, as previously mentioned, Blackburn and Sunderland both lost. Despite a brace from Michael Owen that gave the Geordies a comfortable 2-0 lead at home, they couldn't withstand a furious comeback by Stoke and shared the spoils in an entertaining 2-2 draw. That result leaves Newcastle 4th bottom, 2 points behind Man City, Spurs, and West Ham. That is a whole lot of transfer notes tied up in 4 very under-achieving teams.

As the next round is almost upon us, we'll keep it brief this week, and although the top 4 look like business as usual, the EPL this year is still shaping up to be one of the most intriguing and tightly contested leagues that we have seen in a long while. 'Till next time...Cheers!

Weekly Rewind - Tractorboys and Seahawks

To condense the weekly reviews a bit and make searching a bit easier, I’m going to experiment with breaking the summary into sections. First up will be a look at the plight of Ipswich Town and the Seattle Seahawks.

The weekend rewind is so far behind this week that we’ll call it the weekly rewind and get cracking to quickly review the major, and mostly forgettable, events of the past week, on the footballing battlegrounds of the TractorHawks.

Beginning in the land of the Blue Tractors, maybe we should just hit the fast-forward button and forget it all, writing it off as a bad dream. More like a bloody nightmare that I doubt the likes of Stephen King could concoct. Last weekend saw the first match in the 2008-09 of the second-most fierce local rivalry in England, according to the Football Rivalries Report 2008 study. The Ipswich-Norwich matches are circled on the calendar by fans the day the fixtures are released. With the Town being mostly inconsistent this year but playing much better on the road than last season, most Tractor boys and girls were quietly confident as we headed north into the hated lands of Norfolk to face the struggling Naarwich, looking to improve on our winning record against our rivals.

But, yet again the lads were not motivated and sank to a pathetic 2-0 defeat leaving Town fans to contemplate the inevitable ridicule and general taking the piss that was sure to follow. I arose eagerly on Sunday to check-in on the match and like the rest of the Tractor Nation was horrified as the game progressed. I’ve held off on being too harsh on Magilton this season, as I truly want him to succeed but enough already. Jim complained that the team produced their most inept performance of the season in front of the cameras in one of the biggest games of the season.

So, whose fault is that Jim? Yes, the players have to be accountable but if Magilton can’t motivate the team to step up for a match that means so much; a rivalry that he should be more than familiar with from his playing days, then I seriously doubt he can mould a promotion contending team out of this lot. The team that took the field are not fit to wear the shirt producing crap like this and it starts at the top Jim. A year and about 12 million quid later and we are no closer to the Promised Land of the Premier League than when we started. It makes you wonder what his predecessor, big fat Joe, might have been able to do with a transfer budget. Regardless, this consistently inconsistent rubbish is not cutting it at Portman Road, and while Magilton may claim to have the full support of the owner, he surely must be on very thin ice.

And so with Sunday off to the worst start possible, I had some serious second thoughts about tuning into the Seahawks match-up as the New England Patriots came calling, scrapping for their playoff lives. Heading into the game at 2-10, the ‘Hawks season is the proverbial exclamation point on a miserable sporting year in the Pacific Northwest (more of that in another post), and it looked to be a routine hammering as four more Seahawks offensive players were hit by the injury plague, that wrecked this season before it began.

Matt Hasselbeck’s back was aching again after the Thanksgiving Day pounding he took at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys, so for the 6th game this year Seneca Wallace was called into action to run the ‘Hawks offense, starting under center. Almost reluctantly, I switched to the game in time for kick-off. I guess I can’t turn away ‘Hawks, regardless of how bad the season has been - no bandwagon or fair weather fans in this house.

So the flag was raised and the 12th Man jersey pulled on per the normal tradition during the NFL season. And, surprisingly, it turned out to be a bloody good game. Although the Seahawks once again came agonizingly short of pulling out the victory, the practically reserve offense gave the Pats all they could handle. Seattle led from the off, carrying an 8 point advantage into the final quarter, as Seneca put in a great performance tossing a career high 3 TDs on 20-28 passing for 208 yards and running for another 47. Ex-Patriot Deion Branch exhibited some of the form that garnered him a Superbowl MVP award as he tore up his former team mates, but it was not enough.

Once again the defense crumpled like wet cardboard in the Seattle rain. A third quarter 11 point advantage evaporated and, the Patriots in desperate need of a victory to stay in the running in a tightly contested AFC East, took a 3 point lead with just over 2 minutes remaining. Still there was hope, particularly with the performance that Seattle’s deputy quarterback had already put in. But, with the field goal that would tie the game within striking distance, New England stacked the box on an all-out blitz that incredulously the ‘Hawks O-line did not recognize. The rush wasn’t picked up, Wallace was flattened and fumbled the ball and subsequently the game away in the process. Another close one that we watched slip in the dying minutes. At least the effort was there for the packed home stadium of the loyal Seahawks faithful to witness – especially on the offensive side of the trenches. The second-stringers played their hearts out and, although once again the boys in Seahawk blue grabbed defeat from the jaws of victory, the ‘Hawks fans, for the most part, have to be pleased with the effort. Big Mike Holmgren is taking a year off from the NFL after this season – maybe he could pay a visit to Portman Road and show that lot what heart and pride is all about.

Weekend TractorHawk Grade: F

Despite a good performance by the 'Hawks, the lack of effort from the Town as they succombed to a miserable defeat in the Anglian derby guarantess a second straight F on the report card.

Tractor Driver of the Week:

Actually a close call between 2 standout Seahawks offensive players, Seneca Wallace at quarterback and Deion Branch at wide reeiver. I'm giving the Tractor keys this week to Deion - though he might lend a drive to Seneca if he fancies it! Injuries have seriously limited Deion's contributions since leaving the Superbowl Champion Patriots to join big Mike's Blue and Green army in Seattle, and he has come under considerable fire from fans expecting more from the player that cost the team a first round draft pick. But credit where it's due as he had an outstanding performance last Sunday against his old mates, lighting up Qwest field. He finished with just under 100 yards receiving but hauled in 2 TDs; the second one a spectacular effort in the corner of the end-zone that capped an incredible 63 yard catch and run reception.

Great job Deion - I hope we get to see more next year.

Fox Soccer or Sleeper Channel

Our mates over at Fox have had a bit of bad luck recently on the programming front – to put it mildly. The Fox Soccer Channel, while vastly devoid of any decent analysts or experts, is the savior for us fans of the English game that live in the USA. Most weekends three games are screened live from the Premier league and there is also a review show thrown in on Sunday mornings. A sort of a Match-of-the-Day in the morning, but with three or four blokes that nobody has ever heard of.

I have no idea how programming is determined or who gets to pick the games. I’m sure there are some contractual obligations with the Premier League and the team at Fox certainly have no say in the Premier fixture list. However, if there is someone in charge of selecting at least a few of the matches that are broadcast live, they might be updating their resume/CV soon.

Now I am not blaming FSC at all – just more bad luck than anything. Of course I realize that nobody has a crystal ball when selecting these matches and a couple (alright one) of the matches looked decent from a pre-game perspective.

Here’s the lineup from the past couple weeks:

Nov. 22 Chelsea 0-0 Newcastle
Nov. 22 Aston Villa 0-0 Man Unt
Nov. 29 Middlesboro 0-0 Newcastle
Nov. 29 Bournemouth 0-0 Blyth

This past Saturday, there was not an additional live Premier game available due to the second round of the FA Cup. Now, I’m all for the magic of the Cup and all that so I tuned in, but 10 minutes of watching this lot hoofing it up and down the field was all I could take. I hope they don’t decide to show the replay. But I always wondered what happened to Darren “sicknote” Anderton (well not really).

That was a run of 360 consecutive minutes of live English footie and not a Saturday goal in sight and I sat through about 300 of said minutes. I’m not sure if there was even one ruled out for offside. Six hours of a goalless drought…this is hardly helping much in promoting the beautiful game stateside.

On the bright side, it can only get better. And those of us waking up early for the 7:00 am Pacific Time Saturday morning kick-offs will surely see some relief soon. Eventually the luck has to change and someone must score on one these Saturday’s. Coming up this weekend is Arsenal Vs Wigan followed by Man U Vs Sunderland. There’s got to be 10-15 goals there alone, how about 4-4 followed by 6-0. That ought to cheer up our friends at FSC.

However, if you are a fan of the thrilling, or not so thrilling, nil-nil draw hit the button below and let me know…Cheers!

Weekend Rewind

The rewind is so far behind this week that we’re almost into the preview stage of the upcoming weekend. Despite having big plans for a long Thanksgiving weekend, a bout of cold/flu put paid to my writing and most of my sports reviewing efforts. Still, at least I got almost better just in time to go back to work on Monday.

Anyway, moving on quickly to the business at hand, we’ll run a quick rewind this week just to be consistent. And, we’ll keep it brief, because in the land of the TractorHawk, my teams performed about as well as I was feeling.

Starting as usual with the Blue Boys from Ipswich. Once again, Jim M had the Town teasing the Portman Road faithful with hopes of a surge into the playoff positions in the Championship table. The fixtures began with a mid-week trip to St Andrews for a match up with Birmingham City, one of the pace setters of the league, as they look to return to the Premier at the first attempt. I mentioned last week that Jim was relishing the challenge of facing the second placed team, a feeling most likely not shared by the majority of Town fans. And, so it proved true as Ipswich were defeated 1-2. The game really was not as close as the score line suggests – from most accounts that I read anyway. Alex Bruce gave his old man something to think about with 5 minutes to go but for the most part Birmingham controlled the match, and two early goals from Liam Ridgewell and veteran striker Kevin Phillips saw City bag the win with relative ease. If this was a measuring stick of how close the Town truly are to being a promotion contender, then we have a long way to go. Play-offs at best but don’t hold your breath.

A chance for redemption was up next as the lads returned to Portman Road to face Sheffield United with an opportunity to redeem themselves from their previous engagement. But again the Town failed to capitalize and shared the points in 1-1 draw as each team scored from the spot, both from handball decisions. Tommy Milley scored for Town and the Blades equalizer came a minute from normal time, courtesy of James Beattie, who always seems to score against Ipswich; and another 2 points in the promotion playoff account went begging. Next up is a Sunday trip north to face the hated Naarwich in a match where form (like either team has any right now) usually goes out of the window, for the first installment of 2008-09 East Anglian derby. Nil-Nil is my early prediction, but this week more than normal…..COME ON YOU BLUES!

Just to wet the whistle a bit here's a link for those on the Blue side of Anglia reliving Town Destroying Norwich ten years ago. I have to admit though those kits were a bit dodgy.

Switching to the NFL side of the house and on Thanksgiving Day the ‘Hawks truly played about as well as I felt, in other words like absolute crap. Luckily I had taken some of that “don’t operate any heavy machinery” medicine so I got to doze through most of the Thanksgiving stuffing that the Seahawks received at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys. Much more of this and the Seahawk faithful will need that medicine every week. An absolute embarrassment as Dallas prevailed 34-9. It’s one thing that the ‘Hawks season has been wrecked by offensive injuries but what excuse does the defense have? I’ll always stand by my teams and thus far have done my best to avoid being too harsh on the Seahawks. But this was pathetic. Tony Romo sat back the entire first half playing pitch and catch with his receivers as the Cowboys routinely marched down the field at will - hell he could have been calling Jessica on his cell with as much time as he had in the pocket. The ‘Hawks D could muster no pressure and failed to cover a receiver all day. At one point as I sort of awoke from my Nyquil haze I thought I saw Julian Petersen actually trying to cover TO on a play – I figured it was the "over the counter" stuff until I checked the replay later. A medicinally induced haze is actually a good metaphor for the ‘Hawks season this year. The defense was ranked 29th in the league going into this game and they looked every bit as bad as one of the worst units in the NFL. With the heir apparent head coach, Jim Mora Jr, coaching the secondary, I actually hope that he is allowed to go coach the Washington Huskies college team, because if this is an indication of how the defense will look next season, we are in for a couple more grim years on the football front in the Pacific Northwest.

Weekend TractorHawk Grade: F

Can't even put lipstick on the preverbial pig this week. 1 point for the Town and more humiliation for the 'Hawks. Where did I put that cough syrup....

Tractor Driver of the Week:

Usually this is a player or a group associated with my teams that has stood out in the previous week. Given the week we've had the prestigous sought after keys to the Blue Tractor go to my wonderful wife, Paula - bet she's well pleased! While I was of no use to the world, she had to take care of the our 4 year old, listen to me whinge all weekend, and still brought me up a plate of Thanksgiving dinner while I was laid in bed watching old James Bond movies and complaining about my miserable bloody sports teams, and anything else I could think of...love you honey...and thanks!!

Note-a-balls:

Back in the land of the beautiful game (sorta), the EPL produced a few surprises last week, and yet again there does not appear to be a team that is about to step up and take charge of the league. I’m sure, with all the recent commotion, the last thing Arsene needed was a trip to the Bridge to face league-leading Chelsea. In arguably the shock result of the weekend, the Goon army recovered from an early own goal to record a highly unlikely 2-1 win, behind two Van-Persie second-half strikes in 3 minutes. Though, I have to say he looked well offside for the equalizer it was a blinder regardless. Chelsea went unbeaten at home in the league for about 3 ½ years and now they have lost twice and were held by Newcastle at Stamford Bridge in just over a month. So far it is just one those years in the English top flight but it is very tight in the top and bottom halves of the division, which in itself is refreshing.

With the Chels faltering, step up Liverpool, though we had to wait until Monday when West Ham made the road trip to Anfield. A three point advantage at the top of the table was at stake for Rafa’s men as they prepare for the typical holiday fixture pileup. With Zola’s Hammers hardly lighting up the league, recording 1 win in 8 games, 0-0 was not what most people expected. But like Stoke and Fulham before them at Anfield, West Ham headed back to East London with a valuable point. The miserable run for West Brom continued and they are starting to become stranded at the bottom with just 1 point from the last 24.

Elsewhere, Ronny provided the video highlight of the week and a few laughs (unless you happen to go by “Sir Alex”) in the Manchester derby, as he got himself ordered off for attempting to catch the ball while going up for a corner – at the Man City end….a second bookable and he was gone. I’ve heard a couple reasons proffered: The ball was going to hit him and he was just protecting his face, bless him, then head the bloody thing; Out of almost 50 thousand people at the game he heard a rogue whistle from the crowd, so since when did top flight players stop playing when the whistle blows - especially when they’re up for a header on a corner??; He was pushed in the back and that caused the errant handling, yeah right this is the best of the lot – if a City player had as much grazed his shirt, Christiano would have been writhing on the turf in agony.

But City could not take advantage and the Roonsters 100th league goal was enough to give the Red Devils the points. They now lurk in striking distance of the top spot, in third place on 28 points. Elsewhere Villa once again could not confirm their credentials as an infiltrator of the big four domination as they were held at home to Fulham. The worst performance of the weekend goes to Sunderland as they were humiliated at home to Bolton 1-4. We’ve been “treated” to a few Sunderland performances in the US this year on the Fox Soccer Channel, and I’m not sure Roy can put up with much more of this rubbish. He’s usually pissed off at the best of times and it wouldn’t surprise me if he took the “by mutual consent” route in the near future. At least this week he has trip back to Old Trafford to visit his old mates which should cheer him up a bundle.

That’s it for the wrap this week as the next weekend is almost upon us but as my fitness slowly returns we’ll get back more often.

As always, comments more than welcome and you know what to do…..Cheers!