The great Arsenal comebacks

First things first, Congratulations to Arsenal fans. You have now managed to stay alive to see another day. Y'all deserve it. Your team did great. But let's not get carried away guys... And girls. It is the comeback that was great, not you guys. And no... You do not have to tweet in reply to every Man United fan's tweets. Live your own lives. On to the post...

Giroud and Walcott single handedly changed your game. Walcott has got to get the contract he WANTS, and not the one the club wants to give him. He totally staked his claim. I thought it was crazy for him to play in corners but turns out the boy does actually have a footballing brain... Despite prior suspicions of having none af all. But he did well with his chipped goal and corner.

And Giroud... Ninja had over 5 chances in ten minutes after coming on. And had converted one of those. Premier league goals

Koscielny is also a proven goal-scorer. He scores spectaculars... In his own goal. Near post finishes have now become his thing. I dont even know why Arsenal is in short supply of goals anyway... If only they'd push him higher up the field. Hehe. That said, even Koscielny did well. One would've thought after the own goal he was finished. Nothing in his tank... Shock!

And to crown the night for these Arsenal ninjas... Chamakh scored! I know... Ridiculous. Some said it was the first time he shot anything goalwards for Arsenal... And he scored. A look on my twitter TL and it was clear even the Arsenal fans were appalled. Some actually started believing that the Mayans were actually right in their predictions. I wouldn't blame them either.

Others... Well. We get it. You guys were happy. I actually think Arsenal guys should be in the military. They are well qualified... What with the ability to survive all the torture that is support of their Arsenal. And they still come out happy.

There were tweets like "if you bring a gun, we bring an Arsenal". See, thats what am talking about. Arsenal fans would make good patriots if they channelled all that love into the country.

Another one said that instead of calling in sick, you call in well. We get it, Arsenal fans. We do. Congratulations. That was the first step towards getting any trophy. Winning matches. We hope you don't run out of gas midway though.

Brace yourselves for Manchester United versus Chelsea tonight. It could be a comedy like Arsenal's line up last night... If the managers decide to recruit people from other careers to play soccer, and also if Sunday's top of the table clash between these two is anything to go by. I expect Chelsea to come out guns blazing.

Just one question though... At 4-0 down, Arsenal fans said they were saying their team was 'reserving' goals to beat United this coming weekend... And they scored 7. Is it likely that they scored all their goals now and against United they wont score? No? Only the weekend will bear the results.

The post was about Arsenal... But we also spoke about other greater teams. Am sorry Arsenal fans. This was meant to be about you. Enjoy the glory that lasts till the weekend. Congratulations again. We haven't had a team score 7 recently in English football.

A week of awesome soccer action

The past week has borne some of the most exciting football action we have seen all season. Where do I even start? Kenyan Premier, English, Champions league...

KENYAN PREMIER LEAGUE:
On Friday night, I was having a chat with sports anchor, Mike Okinyi before I left work for the day, and he was talking of Gor Mahia leading the Tusker Kenyan Premier League and I thought... "These Gor guys are just too optimistic". I actually told him that. I hate to admit it, but it looks like Mike was right, even though that was a cheap goal(if it was in fact a goal). It probably wasn't but credit to Gor Mahia. You do not get such a goal if you do not create that chance. Credit also to Sserunkuma too The UG player has totally transformed Gor's season. Gor face Muhoroni. I think that will be an easy game for them with the talent they flaunt.

AFC Leopards are starting to realize that they might lose the title now, after some crazy weeks of poor form. It could be too late. Only time will tell though. It's two games to the end and anything can happen in football. Remember Arsenal lost to Birmingham in an FA Cup final, and Man United were thrashed 6-1 at home by the bitter rivals. Ingwe next face Mathare United. That will be a tough fixture. A must-win, and a tough fixture.

Tusker FC... they're still my most preferred title winners. Its sad they conceded that silly 'goal' against Gor Mahia. We demand goal-line technology in Kenya. Tusker play Western Stima this weekend. Very tough team, considering they hammered Ingwe earlier this season.

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE:
We always like to come down hard on Liverpool fans because of their team's performances of late, but I can honestly say that this week, Liverpool played some great football. against Anzhi, they were composed and kept them out comfortably. Against Everton... they played even better football, created the scoring opportunities they haven't been getting lately, but they still lack one thing... LUCK.

Arsenal... they look to be taking Liverpool's place as the laughing stock of the premier league. Thing is they lost at home in the Champions league and played shit against QPR. And whats worse... they meet Manchester United next. At least they won their three points against QPR, so they won't feel bad if United beat them.

Manchester United.... faced by a worthy opponent, this team crumbles. But they are also extremely lucky. These are the kind to enter Safaricom's 'Bonyeza ushinde' and actually win the prize and use it to bribe the staff to pick them again in future. Am a United fan by the way...
We won our CL game against a stubborn Braga. They deserved to lose though. Nobody comes to OT and brandishes a City shirt just cause... That was only punishable by a painful winner. Against Chelsea... well, both red cards were deserved. We are in agreement, eh? Moving on...

Chelsea.... They were just a sad sacrifice in this war against Man United. They played some good football and exposed United on several occasions until their indiscipline side kicked in.... Hehe. These guys do not play like worthy champions of Europe. So unconvincing. By the way am inviting any opposing arguments on that issue. Only in the premier league do they play like prospective champions.

Let us just sit and wait for the weekend's fixtures for now. Especially the big match, Man United vs Arsenal. This fixture was always a big deal. Be it on a Sunday evening or Monday night fixture.... this fixture used to be watched as if the next day was a public holiday... people not caring whether they're working the next day.

Great Players Part 1

In a week where a lot has happened in soccer, racism, goals, Liverpool getting their first league win, Arsenal going back to losing ways, etc, it is hard to come up with something that interests people. Anyway, here I go....
Do you have that one player who you believe that no matter how hard the game is, no matter how pressured they are, no matter how shitty the team plays, they always come out on top? Hmm? There's that one player who you would clear your whole day's schedule for... Or just to watch the team, at least. These are the players who influence games so much, you would not miss the game. They make the game so beautiful you would tell your girlfriend you're staying at work late, just so you can hang out with the boys watching it, or lie to your boss the following day that you're feeling ill, just 'cause you stayed up late enjoying the game and catching pints. I can't pull that stunt though. That's just.... not right. I have a few players I enjoy watching play though. I will mention them.

We start with the usual suspects. CR7 and Leo. They are La Liga. ONE DOES NOT SIMPLY mention Spanish football and not mention how great (or whatever superlative you wish to insert) they are. They set the record... in the last two seasons, in the number of goals scored in a single La Liga season. For more stats about these two, see http://messivsronaldo.net/

It is the fans that are 'enemies' not the players

Messi: Incredible player, living legend. 188 goals, 70 assists for Barcelona in his last 180 games . 71 goals and 22 assists in 54 games in 2012 so far with3 months left. 268 goals for Barcelona in total including 21 hat tricks. Legend, eh? This guy creates goals out of nothing. Forget the fact that he is in an already great team... he always comes up shining brighter when things look gloomy for Barca. Case in point... his third goal in the 5-4 win against Deportivo.

CR7: Also made from the same stuff that creates legends. Not really the team player but you cannot blame him as he always delivers the goals. He wins matches, brightens up the atmosphere with his flair, and basically makes opposing players look very lazy. Ronaldo scored 46 last season. 12 appearances this season, 15 goals, no assists. Messi has bettered him by 5. Goal.com say at worst, he is the second best player in the world. His selfishness and ambition are what make him who he is. He recently has developed a certain understanding with Marcelo and most of his teams attacks come from the two. His stats and Messi's speak for themselves though so we cannot expound anymore

Zalatan Ibrahimovic. He was nicknamed Ibracadabra by his Inter Milan team mates. He rose into the limelight from playing in Italy. Won the Eredivisie twice(Dutch PL), Serie A 6 times(3 with Inter, 2 with Juve and 1 with AC Milan) and 1 La liga. Not to mention the Cup victories and personal awards. This is a player who has managed to shine, consistently at that, in some of the world's toughest leagues. He played for Ajax and starred, his performances leading him to be sold to Juventus, where he also starred. And when the team was relegated in 2006, he left for Inter Milan. He was, as expected, the star there too. He played the hitman, him and Adriano(remember him?). He was nicknamed Cereal Killer. Ninja grew too fat and unfit and eventually left Inter. But he's not Zlatan. So, after Inter, Zlatan was traded for Eto'o and went to Barca. he didn't have his usual season but he scored some good goals while there and then went back to Italy and played for AC Milan. he was again, their star man, overtaking the Brazilian duo of Robinho and Pato in the pecking order.

I read a blog somewhere that he is always that arrogant in real life. And that he is funny. I think Zlatan is a great player, no doubt. he is just at the wrong club, at the wrong time. You simply cannot overshadow Messi and Ronaldo. No way. He scores sublime goals, as demonstrated in the Euros, has some nice skills on the ball, and his power is just amazing. No matter how poor his team plays, national or club team, he always plays his game a notch higher and better than his team mates. You can read some of the Zlatan's quotes here http://www.ja606.co.uk/articles/viewArticle/160084. He's a funny guy

For the sake of not lengthening this post too much, and also because today is a Champion's league night, I will stop there. I will mention the others in future posts on the same topic. I look forward to watching Wanyama go against Song/Busquets or whoever plays at the centre of midfield.

The internationals rounded up + Harambee Stars analysis

Kenya: Our internationals can only be friendlies. Yes, We condemned ourselves to that fate. And number 128 is our FIFA ranking. That does not include the latest loss to South Africa. But we have been calling for changes in the management of Kenyan soccer for a long time and they were delivered. So, what is our problem really?

Okay before we go bashing on Henri Michel, that's his name BTW, the Kenyan coach, I think for his first game, he didn't fail us. He just needs to watch the players a little more and maybe he will make a more informed decision about player selection. Some players may need second chances to prove themselves when they're more comfortable with the players around themselves. Others... Well. They should just be given the chance to concentrate on their club football. Like Oliech. Or maybe we are just not playing him in his best position.. Like the bench maybe. I'll stop now. Let us just analyse some football for now.

Defense: Our Right Back. He needs to go. He made Wekesa look bad. That own goal, and SA's second, wouldn't have gone in if the right back had done his job to track the striker. So, in an attempt to save the already beaten keeper's blunder, Wekesa headed into an empty net.
Wekesa... He wasn't all that of a threat going forward. But he didn't let us down defensively either. So, i would suggest, if it were up to me, that he plays at Centre Back. He seems more comfortable there anyway and has the build for a CB. Besides... We need a competent left winger, and not an overlapping left back who fails us up there when you expect him to deliver

Midfield: Wanyama did good. I admit, it was the first time I actually paid full attention to him play for the Stars. His crossfield passes, his physicality. Great job. I liked how he helped the shaky defense too. Now we just need to have people who can run around him, and take the ball with them. That's important. Not just running around.
Patrick Osiako was good too. He just needs more playing time with the group and he'll be good. I wonder how Mariga will complement the team when he comes back.
That said... We still don't have the personell to get the ball into the attacking areas. Wait... We couldn't even get the ball out of our own half in the first period. We didn't make 5 continuous passes. I actually counted the number of times we made five passes. Not many

Attack: I heard that in the days before the match, the Frenchman said that Kenya doesn't have any recognized strikers. Am guessing that is why we didn't see Allan Wanga or Rama Salim in the squad then? Or perhaps am just speculating. I have seen our No. 9, Kahata, play before, back in my hood. Ok, in his hood. I do not live in Githurai. I live in Zimma. We used to go with our home team to play theirs. He used to be a tough nut for defenders. Oliech... Well at least he made that one good pass, that Kemboi almost converted and forced the keeper to save. Oh, and he scored the equalizing penalty too(pelanty, if you're on twirra). That was good for him... And for the team too. I remember at some point during the match, I was asking myself "when was the last time we scored?" and boom. Pelanty. Well dispatched by Oliech and Kenya is level with Bafana. Oh well. Then came the own goal.
Someone on twirra said "The way Harambee Stars is beaten around, you'd think we're MRC".

Elsewhere abroad, The Spanish and the French had a showdown to see who was more romantic. Bad soap opera that one. Good job by Ribery again. He was the only bright spark in that dull French display. It's no surprise that Giroud's assist came from him. Spain on the other hand dominated as usual. We are not going to start discussing them again. If you do not know them... Go sit at a corner and think carefully about important things... I cannot point them out though. Importance is relative.
England look to have regained their flair again(won 5-0 and drew1-1), and RVP his scoring touch(scored in his team's 4-1 win over some team). Japan kicked France's behind at the last. And Ivory Coast kicked Senegal's butt out of the AFCON. Cameroun amd Kenya have a thing... Or two in common. They are no-shows at the AFCON tourney. This and the last. Hehe.

We wait and see if we can build on coach Henri Michel's first performance. Lots of debuts, something we haven't been seeing with other managers, which is technically what we wanted. So, hopefully what we want is what is good for us.

The EPL resumes this weekend. I thought the international break would be a boring one. Time to pick those fantasy teams yet again. I have three guys injured and no free transfers. Trouble.
Peace

'

WE REMIND OURSELVES

First of all I salute you all in the name of the beautiful game and all that makes it so. Ronaldo, Messi, Scholes, Xavi.... OK, let me stop. I might mention all of the Barca players. I am no Barca fan. Neither am I a hater, don't get me wrong. Today... WE REMIND OURSELVES.

Remember the days when AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia were relegation battle material? NO? Me neither. Kenyan football was only for the players then. Even Kenyan media didn't cover it. They still dont. But look at the attention they have gotten since they changed managements. Now every mashemeji derby is like a publlic holiday. Cops are extra, fans even more. Lets now wait and see if either of them will win the title and then we shall have something to reminisce. In the meantime, Tusker FC are giving them a run for their money. I remember when they were fifth, and AFC looked to have a solid grip on the lead. I thought they'd never make it. Turns out Coach Matano is really just what they needed.

EL CLASSICO: Remember the post about Ronaldo that I wrote? Here it is: great players win, good players affect games I cannot go into the details again you can read it for yourself. I can only say a few words about the Classico. Heated affair. Barca and their flair play were all over the pitch running things, AS USUAL. And boy were they passing the thing all around. Let me tell you, if Real Madrid can change their formation when they play Barcelona(and mind you they are only one of the few teams who can beat the latter), then that just places Barca at the top of the food chain. 
One thing is a fact though; Real Madrid have one of, if not the best defenses, and attack force(ask City), in the world. Not many teams can keep Barca at bay like that, and still reserve the attacking threat that they had. They rode their luck although you could see they tried at least. 
That said, the fluidity of Barca last night night.... You cannot be a hater, honestly. Although Cristiano, aka CR7, and Messi(insert your favorite nickname here)stole the show from the others, as usual. Whomever you pledge your loyalties to, CR7 or Messi, you are in a lucky generation. One that got to watch two great players do battle. Remind yourself of that fact. You will tell your kids

THE MILAN DERBY: This used to be a great contest. The days of Ronaldo(Brazilian), then later Ibrahimovic, Adriano, Dejan Stankovic, Ronaldinho, Gatusso, Inzaghi, Zanetti, Maldini(remember him?) and the likes. I personally focused on it more during the days of Maldini(AC Milan) and Adriano(Inter). I made Inter my team henceforth on Play Station(am a PES guy btw) and yes, I was also a force to reckon with, on 'loser-pays'. People feared me. Until Manchester City rose to glory. Thats beside the point. The Milan derby was played on the same day as the Classico(7th October 2012) just in case you've forgotten yesterday's date). That went unspoken of. Anyway, Walter Samuel scored the only goal, as Inter were red carded but held on for the three points. These guys in Italy just love to play it rough. Remember those days? When football was football? And no referees 'protected' the players? Yes, we all do.

Moving on to the the juicier stuff. Giroud broke his Prem duck. yaaay! Hooray for Arsenal guys. Remember when Tottenham had gone winless against Manchester United at OT? Well, gone are those days. My friend told me to make sure I blogged it. Damn, that was a... different game. Tottenham really wifed us in the first half. 62% possession, 2 goals up. That was a tough reality. 
And Chelsea are having a great season. They are now not dependent on wingers, they have play-makers all over their mid(Mata, Oscar, Hazard) and engines in the names of Mikel and Ramires. But they have always been strong in midfield. And QPR... Remember the days they had a team, now they have a new full team and subs... and they're still rooted at the bottom of the EPL table. I think what they need now is a new manager. All in favour of having Mark Hughes sacked say AYE!!... sorry i forgot this is not Parliament and am not the Speaker. 

Do you remember the days when the Prem was graced by players like Dirk Kuyt, Fabrice Muamba, Ole Gunaar Solskaer and the likes? Kuyt, leave alone Gerrard, carried Liverpool on his back. Look where they are now without the man. Mwamba... he helped his team a lot. Sad he wasnt around to help them survive. Neither will he be there to help them back up into the Prem. Manchester United still remains the team to beat on the other hand. They've had no shortage of attackers. Though they will need a powerful man to take up the role of Scholes. Just like Barca will struggle to  replace Xavi, another great player.


DID YOU KNOW:
Sir Alex Ferguson took up the management of Manchester United at a time when they were in the relegation zone? 
Well, now you know. 



Our 'Know KPL Teams' blog just took a step closer. My friend @MikeOkinyi, yes, THE one and only Mike Okinyi, Citizen TV sports anchor, has agreed to do a guest post for us. Thanks in advance Mike, that'll be awesome. 

Also, our new website will be online hopefully.... next week. Its about time, eh?  We would want that 'Know KPL teams and their managers'
Lets talk football another time, good people.

Footie wrap: KPL, La liga, EPL

I will soon run out of catchy headers for my posts one of these fine days. I can see it coming. It shall be a very sad eventuality but that's not why we are here. And yes... I know. The website is still not up yet. We ran into slight problems but rest assured, its coming. We will be putting up the link very soon. Lets talk football then.

I start with the Tusker Kenyan Premier League.  In the last few days we have seen huge transformations on the league table. AFC were leading the pack on friday. By Saturday evening, bitter rivals and victors in the Mashemeji Derby, Gor Mahia were at the helm. Come Monday evening, Coach Matano's charges... Tusker FC, took the lead. They now sit 2 points ahead of 2nd placed Gor, and 3 points ahead of recently-dethroned AFC. i was arguing with a friend the other day. He kept telling me Tusker would eventually lead, but I just couldn't see them doing it. Well, if that was a money bet, I would have lost. I hope y'all have been following the happenings.

Moving on... new Harambee Stars head coach Henri Michel has started with a very attention-calling move. refusing to enter the Stars in the CECAFA tournament, saying that it is a useless cup. I would love to agree with him BUT there's the slight issue of the Harambee Stars being weaklings in other tournaments. so, the organizers of CECAFA have told Michel to show what he can do. I would like for him to do that too... considering his high salary. Apparently the ninja earns 750k, gets house and transport allowance etc. Living like an MP

EPL... Explosive Premier League weekend that was, eh? Arsenal managed a point against our noisy neighbours (no, I do NOT live in Manchester). Manchester United claimed a rare win at Anfield, after being 'married' by the Kopites for a while, and Chelsea beat Stoke... after recovering from a loss against Atletico. Just goes to show that thay they are more accustomed to playing shitty opponents like themselves, and not fancy playing opponents like Atletico... and Arsenal(wacheni niwabambe juu tu mlicheza poa). Great weekend that was.... I didnt watch any of the games. Am still looking for a good excuse for that.
My fantasy team. Cech, Ivanovic and Fellaini played well. But I just dont understand why Yaya wont earn good points. Also... I pick Rangel and Dyer, and then Rangel doesn't even play and Dyer gets red carded. Ain't that a female dog

La Liga.... Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi keep running things. Even on boring occasions when Real are held to draws Cristiano shows he still is a force to reckon with. Case in pot... the champion's league game where he scored the decider minutes to time. It was hard to see Manchester City losing 2 consecutive games though. So I guess that's why Arsenal struggled to get that point. I know you're gonna ask why am talking about Manchester City in the La Liga paragraph... well, am sure you also asked how vectors in high school maths would eventually help you in life, but did that make your teacher stop teaching Mole Concept? Say it with me... NO, IT DIDN'T!

France... Ibrahimovic scores freely, and Oliech leads Ligue 2 in the assists chart. Also... M'vila is out of form. Aren't glad you didn't buy the nigga, Arsenal guys?  Hmm?

THE Football Ground up

Ground up, you ask why. Because we are doing an all round, from the grassroots(Kenya) to the cream of the crop(E.P.L) analysis.... or so I like to think of all the footballing action around us.Also, it shall be in no particular order.

The return of the prem. So recently European leagues took a break for the International fixtures for two weeks. Excruciatingly boring two weeks if you ask me. Premier league action resumed though, and boy was it everything we expected it to be! From Arsenal's demolition of premier league newboys Southampton, to Manchester's Wrath on Wigan, I think we all agree that it was way better than the international break. Even Chelsea and Liverpool fans with their draws will agree to it. Arsenal have rediscovered their form. Chelsea haven't recovered from the beating they received from Atletico. Liverpool... *whispers a prayer for them* I hope they don't get relegated. Manchester City... champions have to be respected even when they falter. Period

Further, apart from being the first weekend the EPL resumed, it was also a milestone in some way here and there. Lets just focus on United this once. 500 HOME games under Fergie. 700, 600 and 400 for Scholes, Giggs and Rio respectively. Narrow it down a little and we focus on Scholes. Ginger genius. Midfield Maestro. Genius. Call him what you may, but we all agree he is good. I dug up a little on him. turns out he always marks that hundred mark in a special way. On his 200th game, he scored an own goal. Must have been hard on him. But he has mostly positives in his career that am sure he doesnt even remember that one.

Scored two on his debut and one in every other hundredth game, apart from his 600th appearance. But he doesn't score too often so his goalscoring is clearly just a plus. His passing is what makes this tiny man a big gap when he lacks from the United line-up. And for that he has won everything there is to win with Manchester United. It is sad that he ended his England career so soon though. Here are a few words, by BBC Sports, in praise of this passmaster who we will all miss when eventually he does call time on his career.

Scholes was at the heart of United's revival, pulling the strings with his laser-guided passing and well-oiled repertoire of feints and flicks.
Perhaps we should have expected it, given he had found the net on his debut and his 100th game, then - after an own goal on his 200th - strikes on his 300th, 400th and 500th appearances for the club.
This was a landmark day for United. Scholes was making his 700th appearance in a United shirt and Rio Ferdinand his 400th, while Ryan Giggs took to the field for his 600th Premier League match. It was also Ferguson's 500th home league match - he had won 355 of the previous 499 (drawing 95 and losing 49). Ferguson is harnessing the past to shape the future. Tom Cleverley and others are being given the chance to learn from a man Zinedine Zidane, no less, described as "undoubtedly the greatest midfielder of his generation"

That's that. I dont think anything I would add would say it better than the facts presented above.But I can remind you of greater footballing action that is coming back... in the name of UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE!!!

Lets talk Tusker Premier League. That's the new tag on our Kenyan Premier League. An achievement on the part of Kenyan football. I always thought the entry of Supersport and Goal.com into Kenyan football would help this game. And with those, am sure Kenyan football will continue to make noticeable steps in progress. Hopefully all that money will be put to good use though. Otherwise we will remain where we are... under-achieving football nation. I was drinking with some friends who were former AFC Leopards players(didn't know until the other day) the other day, and according to them, no matter how good your season was as a player, if you didn't give the national team coach at the time a kickback, then you dont get to play for the Kenya team. 

Away from the grim news that is our reality, Gor Mahia look like worthy contenders for the KPL title. They have the Mourinho mentality(If we can't win, we can't lose either). Must be their new coach, Mr Logarusic. Credit to him. They weren't exactly relegation material but were not title winning material either. Was watching Supersport 9(kwa wenyewe of course, juu me bado sufferer) the other day, they had KPL coverage... Am talking comprehensive coverage, like the one they do before a premier league match. Good stuff really. Point is, that man Logarusic has really turned Gor Mahia's football for sure; from the training drills, discipline issues down to the football itself. You never really know what could happen in football but I think Gor are looking like likely champions this season. Lets wait and see if the others... Tusker FC under Coach Matano(very strict man by the way), AFC Leopards and Ulinzi will step their games up. If they do so, then ladies and gentlemen, we will have a contest the magnitude almost of the EPL last season.

I think we need a 'Know Kenyan football' article. So that we all can at least know teams in the KPL and their managers at least, if not the players. But, I think Supersport 9 is a good start. 

Also, we(@kevin_seth and @arthurnyoiks) have set up an account on twirra, @TweepsFC since we are also planning to launch our own website twitterfc.com to do basically what we are doing here. So, we look forward to gaining your support. Peace