Winter Break for the World Cup !

 A few months ago, on the eve of the Premier league season, I predicted each position. 

1) LIVERPOOL - Erm. Way off here, currently sitting in 6th place, a mile off the pace [15 points] and don't look the same team, perhaps playing every possible game last season has got to them a little bit but even with Klopp at the wheel, you wouldn't expect this much of a drop off. 


2) Manchester City. Currently sitting in 2nd. I got one right! Signed a cheat code in the off season and he's been every bit as good as people thought he would be. 

3) Tottenham . They're sitting just a point under 3rd place with 29 points in 4th, and it's what i thought with Spurs. Despite the talks that Conte isn't in it long term, he's still there as I type this, and could just kick on a bit after the break.

4) Arsenal. Currently top of the table at the break. I don't think anyone saw them playing this well, but how will they handle the break? Credit to Arteta, whom is a manager i openly said this about "He's not up to the job, and he's just a pretender" Then he managed Aubameyang out of the door. 


5) Chelsea . They are actually sitting in 8th, and having appointed a new manager, seeing off Thomas Tuchel [i called it] ! So im claiming that as another point, 

6) Leicester . Oh dear. Languishing down in 13th after an absolutely rotten start to the campaign. and want away players, have steadied the ship somewhat in the last few weeks. Big winter ahead, and an even bigger transfer window, can they reinvest the Fofana money ?

7) Manchester United. Actually sitting in 5th as we read this [November 19th] and ETH has a massive problem called Ronaldo. Famously stormed off when they played Spurs, and has been talking to his new best friend, Piers Morgan lately. No idea if they can sustain their start, but if they can then ETH naysayers may be quiet. 

8) Aston Villa. Next! Ok, Sitting 12th, feels like a European place, given where they could have been lying, and Gerrard ball didn't work, and in came Emery Ball. It feels different now, the team feel like they have an identity, and hopefully with a few solid addidtions in January, perhaps the 2nd half of the season leaves them closer to this position. 

9) Newcastle. Next! Ok. Actually in 3rd. That's a ridiculous statement to make, but Eddie Howe's army have really showed up for the Gallogate. Can they keep it up? 

10) Wolverhampton Wanderers. Oh Dear. Bottom, without a manager, until recently, another former La Liga manager has taken the reigns, a mere 6 years after the Wolves hierarchy first wanted him. Hope hes been worth the wait. 

11) Crystal Palace. Currently sitting in 11th! Yes! Another point! Can i hold on to it, and can Palace carry on being the fortress its become? 

12) Brighton and Hove Albion. Nope. Their actually 7th, but after Graham Potter went to go and play FM at Chelsea performances have been pretty good, and not always getting the results they deserved. 

13) West Ham United. Some thought this harsh, but their current position is... 16th. They've overachieved of late, and this season is bringing them back down to earth a little bit, but they still have a European conference trophy to win. 

14) Southampton. Currently in the relegation places, and are another club, that have parted ways with their manager, Incoming Nathan Jones [his first game against Liverpool wasn't aa fair reflection on the job he's done at Luton, but if he fails again, he might well end up in the rubbish for everyone but one club, Still, i think he'll be ok for a couple of seasons at least. 

15) Everton. Almost! A point and a couple of goals in it, so im looking ok , but is Frank Lampard looking ok? Will he keep his job, and will he be able to mould the team in his will going forwards? 

16) Brentford. Sat 5 points above this position, in 10th, but is a very tight mid pack as predicted. Thomas Frank looks like hes up for the fight, but too often his team have been found wanting, 

17) Nottingham Forest. An absolutely shocking start, that had them on pace to being the worst premier league team ever [Derby] but some incredible results of late have given them a new life, and perhaps the 222222 new signings are finally jelling, and have harmony. 

18) Leeds United. Currently 15th. They could stay there, i see a much-improved side, but they [like brighton] haven't always gotten the results they perhaps deserved, but this should be a highlight every weekend on MOTD. 

19) Bournemouth. Technically, don't have a manager as we sit, just an interim, and they are sat in 14th, but just 3 points above the drop zone. 

20 ) Fulham. Finally, having beaten Villa 3-1, and costing Gerrard his job, Fulham sit in the top half. This is such a mental season, and anything can happen after the World cup. Kudos to Marco Silva, who seems to have figured out the Premier league, in his 3rd go at it. 

So, there we have it, as the premier league sits heading into the World Cup which begins tomorrow, and I'm not looking forward to it. I have no passion for it and I have no real interest in it. 

Premier League predictions 2022/23 Season.

 So, football finally came home , [THANKYOU LIONESSES] and with that, it's now time for a brand new season in the Premier League which will be played across two halves, with a world cup in the middle of it. Strange. 

So, without further delay, here is how I think the Premier League table will look, come the end of game-week 38. 

1) LIVERPOOL - Recruited well, although how big a loss Mane to Munich will prove, remains to be seen but in the door they've bought well, and look to have a couple of star players, in the near future, and beyond in Darwin Nunez and Fabio Carvalho. Couple this, with emerging players already there, such as Diego Jota and the left and right backs [Robertson, Alexander-Arnold] There doesn't seem to be any weak links here, although how far in the cups, and champions league, may also play a factor. 

2) Manchester City. Should be a closely fought battle, which will likely go to the final game of the season again [jolly good] ! Now, in getting Haaland, it is possibly the greatest transfer in the history of the premier league, but the issue that still plagues them is defensively. They've also lost some depth off the bench in Jesus and Zinchenko [both to Arsenal], and perhaps the only quirk is many defenders can play multiple positions, but if any of them go down, and City will be already starting the season without their best CB [Laporte] it could be a difficult start, which may prove to be too hard to overcome in the end.

3) Tottenham . Bare with me here, I can see those eyebrows are raised. In the door have come Richarlison, Perisic, and Bissouma, three players which definitely add an extra dimension, and more options in game management, and with Richarlison, Spurs can stop relying on Harry Kane so much, and perhaps, have different ways to win. Joining these plays, on loan is Lenglet from Barcelona, and while he's not the frightening centre back he was projected to be in his early career, he's still going to add a bit of steel to the back line. They've also spent big on bringing on Djed Spence. I don't think they have the squad to handle the league, plus European adventures, but they are much better off, and this is the best they can hope for this campaign. They aren't far off though ! 

4) Arsenal. There were times last season that they were really going to kick on and start to challenge for honours, but of course, there were also times which looked like their world was collapsing. With the additions [mentioned previously from Manchester City] they've added a little more grit, determination and quality that has so often been found wanting especially in front of goal. Not only is it more quality, its two very good players, who have the mentality of winning things, which is desperate for the Club. No premier league this season, but they have gotten closer, and will be in the champions league again in 2023. 

5) Chelsea . A strange call you may think, but Thomas Tuchel isn't the manager Chelsea thinks he is. I can see a world, where he's finished by Christmas, but let's assume that he isn't. Instead of playing games in the transfer market, with other premier league clubs, focus on what you need, and they have done that to an extent, adding quality options in Raheem Sterling[ Manchester City] and Carney Chukwumeka [from Aston Villa]. At time of writing, left back, which has been an issue, talks are progressing to the signing of Marc Cucurella, and if they can also get the deal for Wesley Fofana over the line too, this could edge arsenal back out of the top 4. As it is, this is what will be a key season for the brand new owners of the club, and if they see enough to keep the faith. 

6) Leicester . There or there abouts since they shockingly won the league, will always be a threat on any given weekend, but sadly for them, not enough throughout the cause of the season. If they lose Tielemans, and/or Fofana at any point then there top 6 chances drastically reduce, and having just lost Goalkeeper, Kasper Schmeichel, some might say, they might have already seen there best days. What will never change, is they have an owner, that cares about the club, community and doing things the right way, and this can never be forgotten, especially after the tragedy of their former chairman losing his life, after a game in 2018, he has built an amazing legacy. 

7) Manchester United. Yes, you've read this correctly. Ten Hag, isn't going to immediately fix whatever's been wrong at Old Trafford, since Sir Alex Ferguson hung up his managerial suit. Seemingly, the first thing he has to do, is try to move the media circus on from CR7. He's bought really well however, but there are still some questions as to who can put the ball in the net, if CR7 doesn't fancy playing, and there will of course be issues at defence, until Harry Maguire remembers how to defend again. 

The mid table places will be very hard fought, and the next entries could well finish in any order within a few points, or goals of each other.


8) Aston Villa. Yep, the club ive followed and supported since before I could talk, will have an astronomically amazing season, but fall just short of the European football the fanbase craves so much, by a couple of points, by carelessly throwing away a win at Old Trafford, in late April. Amazing signings, and some more to come, and some terrific sales, the club, for the first full season under Gerrard ball, the sky is the limit for this club once again. UP THE VILLA ! 

9) Newcastle. Will be a tussle between Newcastle and Aston Villa for a rise up the ranks, and with a key fixture between the two in Mid April, the winner of that will probably just hold the advantage. Linked with a fair few players, and bought really well, the key will be keeping their wing backs healthy, and if they do that all season, they could well finish higher than 9th ! 

10) Wolverhampton Wanderers. Slow but steady progress under Nuno's successor, and same again really this time out. Finished 12th last season, and are well placed for a slight improvement and consistency grows, but with the pre season injury to talismanic striker Raul Jimenez, could prove an early hurdle to this, as well as trying to coax more consistency out of livewire Adama Traore too. 

11) Crystal Palace . If you thought last season was tight in the mid table, then get ready for an even tighter one this season. Solid squad building from Patrick Viera, and it could be key that the most important player to leave was on loan Connor Gallagher who at times was simply unplayable, and lit up the highlight reels. With the early game against Arsenal tonight, it will be key to see how they approach the threats and how they plan to play. 

12) Brighton and Hove Albion. Not much to say about Brighton, perhaps they'd fare worse if they didn't team up with Hove to form a club, but all kidding aside Graham Potter is performing minor miracles with this team, although [at time if writing] one of their star players last season has been linked with a move all summer, first to Manchester city, and most recently to Chelsea. Should that finalise before the first game kicks off [although there's a few weeks left in the window] it's going to be no easy task to replicate last campaign, and there will be some drop off and only a few less points, will see a few positions lost on last season. Nothing to worry about ,[yet] for the Seagulls. 

13) West Ham United. Yes. Not a chance they repeat what they did last time out, and their heroics in the Europa league will catch up with them, although David Moyes has a very coherent squad at his disposal, and they play a certain way. It's always a case of what next for this team, and trying to put Dimitri Payet in the rear view mirror, there's a strong case of de ja vu about this team. They'll continue to make life difficult for whoever they play every week, but they'll lose a few that last season they narrowly won, or drew at worse. 

14) Southampton. This is possibly the riskiest placement, and they aren't really doing much in the transfer window, and have a very young squad, is it too young? Perhaps not, but the enthusiasm they will play with at times, will often leave the team short if they aren't careful, but they shouldn't be any danger of being in a relegation battle either. 

Teams here, and below will be in a relegation battle for all/ most of the season. 

15) Everton. Same issues plaguing Frank Lampard as for portions of last season, especially under his predecessor Rafa Benitez. Injuries. Everton will be starting the season without DCL , and that could be key especially as they are trying to recruit more in the attacking areas. The Everton fans, are going to need to dig deep to carry their team through. Slight increase in results from last season but will never be lacking in performance.

16) Brentford. Thomas Frank's side aren't fooling me. Before Christian Eriksen rocked up, Brentford were suffering, and second season syndrome is a real thing that they will experience, but Ivan Toney, if fit, will have enough about himself to hold their head above water, but the loss of Eriksen on a free is a massive blow, which dampens the creativity of a tense game that Eriksen gave them. Will do enough as a squad, but need serious investment, and transfers either later this season, or in areas in January to players that may have got frozen out at their current clubs. 

17) Nottingham Forest. Cutting it close, but a successful campaign to avoid relegation and some very shrewd business in the transfer market, and after a 23 year absence from football's top flight, Forest are simply raring to go, and it will be good to hear the fans of Premier League Nottingham Forest once again. Likely aren't finished in the market, but Jesse Lingard now calls Nottingham his home. Mad ! 

18) Leeds United. Jesse Marsch was able to steer Leeds towards safety last season, after Marcelo ball came to an untimely? end, but with a full season ahead, I'm not sure they can avoid relegation back to the 2nd tier. I think the best thing about the season ahead is Leeds new away shirt. Key players have left in Kalvin Phillips and Raphina and have yet to be adequately replaced, could be a long struggle, and perhaps a few managers through the door. Will spend 2023/24 in the Championship.

19) Bournemouth . Marcus Tavernier has arrived on the south coast, for a fairly modest fee, and aside from a couple of fringe players at other clubs, still needs a few players and can be considered on the light side. Fans will have fond memories of their previous tenure in the Premier league, and Eddie Howe[ now at Newcastle] showed a brand of exciting football but Scott Parker, although a promising manager, might not have enough Premier League experience to steer them to safety this time. 

20 ) Fulham. Would be tempting to just say, see you in two seasons, but had Carvalho not left for Liverpool, it might be an interesting call as to who will go down instead, but i think without that threat that he can deliver, Fulham will be valiant in their efforts but will come up short. Bright side, Mitrovic will be allowed to do what he does and net double digits in goals, but will all be too late to make a difference in the end. 

So, that's my first predictions column in the books, let me know what you think, and ill be back in May to revisit these and see how accurate I was. Thankyou so much for reading feel free to leave yours below. 

Wild Card Weekend !

Well, a whole regular season has gone by since the last O2W column and I figured now was as good a time as any to make the next entry. This past regular season has been one of the most unpredictable in recent history, and there have been no shortage of coaching casualties [none of the teams that made coaching changes, made the playoffs] and a new face in the playoff race emerged over in Oakland, and the usual suspects filled out the rest of the slots. Although who saw Rookie Dak Prescott guiding the Cowboys to an 11 game win streak which started in week two, or that last year’s SuperBowl competitors would fail to gain a playoff berth.

Game 1 – Oakland Raiders vs Houston Texans
Well, this is one way to make your playoff debut, but ill-timed injuries to both Starting and back up QB leave the team with the possibility to be one and done.  That said Houston gave up more points in the season than they managed to score so it won’t exactly be a cakewalk for them either [playoff games never are].
These two teams locked horns back in Mid-November, which saw the Raiders walk away with the victory on that occasion, as Derek Carr had a game winning 4^th quarter as he rallied for two unanswered TDs. It should be noted however that the game was played in Mexico City which might have affected the effectiveness of some players with the altitude effects. Shortly, I’ll take a look at the 3 players from each side that could hold the keys to victory for their team but first its’ time to compare the two teams and how they ranked across the league.
Oakland managed to have the 6^th best combined offence, they struggled on defence coming in at 26^th, while their passing game was 13^th and rushing game graced the top 10 at 6^th. Houston, meanwhile struggled all year on offense coming in at 29^th, but locked down other teams with the 1^st ranked defensive line, their passing was a weak link on O at 29^th and rushing kept them in contention at 8^th overall.
For Oakland, Latavius Murray, Amari Cooper and Khalil Mack could be the difference for Oakland winning this game.
Latavius Murray RB managed to gain nearly 800 yards from just shy of 200 attempts averaging 4.0 yards per carry and scoring 12 TDs on the ground. Murray also managed 33 pass receptions for 264 yards averaging 8.0 yards per completion although he failed to score a TD from a pass. Murray isn’t the best running back in the league, but he is very useful to Oakland’s scheme and can be effective against the Texans as they gave up close to 100 yards per game on the ground.
Amari Cooper WR was a favourite of QB Derek Carr [Broken Leg] and managed 83 receptions for 1153 yards at an average of nearly 14.0 yards per catch and he crossed the plain 5 times. Houston gave up 202 yards per game through the air and with such yardage available; Cooper will be able to gain separation to turn a down into a huge gain. Cooper also scored the Raiders’ lone score in their regular season finale defeat to outgoing champions Denver.
Khalil Mack DE is in his 3^rd season now and was arguably the defensive leader on the field as he managed 73 combined tackles [19 assisted] for 11 sacks, 3 passes defended, and one pick six [week 12 vs Carolina].

For Houston, Lamar Miller, Nick Novak and Whitney Merciless could hold the teams hope to a W this weekend.
Lamar Miller RB carried 268 times resulting in 1073 total yards [4.0 yards per carry] scoring five times. Miller isn’t dynamic, but he keeps pressing forwards which always gives the rest of his offensive line to get the rest of the first down distance required, and with Oakland surrendering 118 yards per game to the rush, there could be plenty of holes for Miller to plug and keep the legs moving and plenty of first downs will be found.
Nick Novak K is pretty solid when it comes to Field Goals and this game has the potential to have a lot of 3^rd down stops, ensuring extra chances for the kickers on both teams, but I feel Novak is more likely to clinch the game from midfield than Janikowski [Oakland] who might have that much gas left in the 38 year old legs.
Whitney Merciless, OLB has been quite without mercy on opposing QBs as he set a career 2^nd best with 7.5 sacks from 53 combines tackles [17 assisted]. Merciless also swatted a ball down and forced a fumble. With JJ Watt unavailable for much of the season, Merciless stepped up his game to be trouble for opposing teams, and with Oakland’s starting, and back up QBs side-lined for this game, he could already be thinking of how many times he can rush the QB which should yield positive results.  

Over in the NFC sees The Giants travel to Lambeau to battle with the Packers on Sunday night.
The teams compare like this, as the Giants had the 25^th offense, 10^th defense, 17^th passing game and their rush game ranked at 29^th. The Packers managed the 8^th overall offense, 22^nd ranked defense, 7^th ranked passing and their rushing was 20^th.



The keys for the Giants to win lie with Victor Cruz, Rashad Jennings and Dominique Rogers-Cromartie.
Victor Cruz WR could extra benefit this weekend as the Pack allow just under 270 yards per game through the air, and although not the best Receiver on the staff, most certainly can find the biggest gains when the team needs them the most, as evidenced by his 15 yards per reception and he tallied 39 catches for 586 yards and scoring once. Cruz’ longest reception on the season was 48 yards . Cruz also was hyping up his team’s chances and stated that ‘The Patriots don’t want to face us’ which could only be possible in the SuperBowl. Could the stars be aligning for Giants-Patriots 3? Stay tuned over the next few weeks to find out.
Rashad Jennings RB , With the Packers shedding just 95 yards per game to the rush, there won’t be many opportunities for Jennings to really open the jets, but he will still be solid enough to keep the Pack guessing, which in turn should open more holes in and around scrimmage. Jennings carried for 593 yards from 181 carries at an average of 3.3 yards per carry, which doesn’t sound a lot, but eventually defences get tired with these kinds of play. Jennings also scored three times.
Dominque Rogers-Cromartie CB is just part of a dynamic defensive unit which could be stronger if Jason Pierre Paul is able to suit up, but DRC made 49 combined tackles [8 assisted] registering 1.0 sack, 21 pass defences, six INTs and forcing a fumble. 

For the Packers, look to Jordy Nelson, Ha-Ha Clinton Dix and Cristine Michael.
Jordy Nelson WR caught 97 passes for 1257 yards at an average of 13 ypc scoring 14 TDs. Nelson has been consistent the past few years, and has gone over 1200 yards in each of the previous 3 campaigns. If you give Nelson an inch, he’ll turn on the jets and make a huge gain. With the Giants giving up 250 passing yards per game, Nelson will need no second invitation to make charges downfield.
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix FS It feels like he’s been around for a long time, but is only in his 3^rd season. Dix managed 80 combined tackles [18 assisted] half a sack, 7 pass defences [batted balls] (career high) five INTs [career high] at an average of 15 yards per interception [75 yards]. When the gets to Eli Manning [i.e. offensive line, not the situation], Dix could have a huge afternoon in which he can grab stray passes, or makes plays to break up the pass attempts.
Christine Michael RB isn’t being targeted for his rushing attempts; he could have a huge role to play on special teams. Michael is a good change of pace kick returner, who averaged over 20 yards per return when he got to Green Bay carving out a potential new role for him, as well as occasional rushing plays. Michael could carve out a decent starting position after the Giants have scored to get them a good chance to score right back.

Also this weekend the Lions travel to Seattle, who are a much different team at home and in the other game of the weekend, the Dolphins tackle the Steelers in a highly anticipated battle and a much needed return to the playoffs for Miami, while the Lions perhaps hit form at the right time and have more momentum on their side, despite their failure to clinch the divisional crown.

The EU Referendum is Approaching...

I feel I can write this with every confidence that I'm not forcing my views upon you, as you chose to come here and read it. If you have come hear to be told to vote one way or the other , then I'm going to disappoint, I won't force my opinions on anyone, but I feel it is important to at least mention something that could impact everybody reading this.

Sadly, its' time to talk about something I'd much rather not, but the world depends on it, and that thing is Elections , more specifically , the whole In/Out Campaign.

One thing I won't do is tell people how I will be voting, but I will try to look at it subjectively and I'm certainly not being paid to do this by any party. There's a lot of thought gone into how they [and by they I mean the people that would rather not care that you vote for them, but get annoyed if you don't] I also mean political parties. It doesn't matter to me HOW you vote, it just matters to me that you DO vote .

But, I hear you cry "The system is broken, why should I bother" Well, I reply, to fix it? Is that a good enough answer. No? Well, how about that if you don't vote, you don't get a say about anything that happens. So the Tories [example, not real] vote for policy A, you disagree with, and get angry about it. Your fault, more so than people that voted them in, you chose not to vote against them.

The simple fact is, no political party really cares about your vote, they just don't want you voting for other parties, which is fair enough I guess. It's just, why wouldn't you, at least acknowledge people for helping you get to where they all want to be, Actors [by which I mean the collective term] always thank people for supporting them if they win an award, I find it weird, that if an actor would say I did this all on my own, people would probably give them a wide berth from then on, but if a politician does it, people love them for it.

It's especially important to get out and actually vote come June 23rd 2016 because there is no undoing this decision in 5,10 etc years as this is permanent [unlike the Scottish referendum for independence, which continually gets talked about that they'll try again sometime soon]. A one and done situation where the country decides whether or not its better off IN or Out of the EU, [which should be less complicated than that, things definitely have to change].

On May 5th people went out in force to huddle around the tables with the pencils strapped to them, and putting an X in boxes, and the coverage of it afterwards came down to three things. Labour are reeling [apparently]  (Despite the fact Labour performed better than the previous general election), We worship Nicola Sturgeon [and the fact they win less control than in the previous election, is a positive] and you must fear UKIP. No, I'll tell you what I'll do, I'll continue ignoring your Media Bias and carry on listening to what is said to make my own decisions, and completely disregard the scaremongering and underhand tactics used, by candidates, and the BBC themselves.

Its at this point I want to point out that its' coming across that we're Damned if we #VoteStay and damned if we #VoteLeave . This might be one of those referendums where the country can't win, no matter what the people want. While I understand its' nice to have a choice, it shouldn't just essentially be in or out, hopefully there's more work to do later, if the country votes to remain in, hopefully that could mean reshuffling things, priorities etc.

However, hopefully, with the fact that all votes will count towards the total, that could persuade some fence sitters to participate. For instance, if 36 people showed up to the polling stations country wide, and voted like this : 19 Leave , 17 Stay , the UK would be leaving the EU effective immediately, though effects will take up to 2 years to manifest themselves. It's uncertain what happens next in either outcome but perhaps it will become so in time.

To stay where we are, means a lot of the same things we[ as a public. and country] seem to be unhappy with, where-as leaving, apparently better, is not guaranteed, as services [and flights] across/ within Europe will hike, but it will potentially free up more of the international market , but I'm not an expert in these things. It would certainly, upon voting to leave have an impact about free movement within Europe both for us and individuals within those countries coming here .

From what I've gathered, and I'm certainly not alone here, the debates about staying / leaving can be summed up like this: he says this, she said that, he disagrees with her, she disagrees with his disagreement, she says this, while trying to make a joke related to him, everyone misses it, she gets disagreed with again, but then suddenly its' five minutes into the 'debate' and it feels like five hours. Essentially, both sides of the argument states that the other is trying to scare monger to get people to vote their way.

If anybody has links to any politicians, or are one themselves, I beg of you to stop using the NHS as a tug o' war between election manifestos, and an argument to leave/ remain as part of the EU. Its' broken because neither side, or party can leave it alone to do that job it was set up to do. While I agree its' important, there are far more important issues and causes that could use the spotlights of electoral debates etc which are casually mentioned as part of answers about something else ,

To close, it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things how we all vote, as we live in Great Britain, and we will make it work, whatever the outcome, I just hope in doing so people take a look at the bigger picture, and not just because person A,D want us to remain, we think that they're a massive tool so we vote the other way just because.  Vice versa, Person B,C want us to leave, and we also think they're a tool too. I think its' very shortsighted to blame the problems with our country on the EU, and its' also not fair to blame the EU for all of the problems either.  There's a lot of bureaucracy, that I don't really understand, not being in politics, but also with not being in politics, lets me look at things subjectively and both sides of the argument have been floored from the beginning. No side has bothered to take a proper look, and interpreted figures to suit their narratives. I think the EU will get better with time, but I also think we need to look after our country first. Again, I won't be urging people to vote either way, but please just go and vote and let your voice be heard. I know what box I'll be ticking next week, and I hope you all do too. One thing I have noticed, the whole EU Referendum debates haven't convinced anyone to change their minds, unless you happen to be on the vote leave side in which an MP actually thought the Leave side was full of lies, which can be viewed in full here . In another separate article touching on if the UK remains, the Tory party want to go again with another one [this again], that the Leave campaign is "truth Free" linked here . Its funny to me that we want our politicians to tell the truth, but in this instance, we [as a public] seem to be encouraging the outrageous deceit. All I hope is that the common sense of people prevail and we all vote in the end, and as I said before whatever the outcome, we'll make it work, because we are Great Britain . Thank you for reading, and I hope as a general population we are happy with the choice we all make next Week.

Fantasy Baseball 2016 Musings ...

This is likely the first of many entries, as I have a problem saying No and have more teams than I initially wanted but considerably less than I did this time last year anyway.

In no particular order the:
Birmingham Groundouts [back for their 8th push for respectability [not necessarily under the same name], 12 team 5x5 Roto. My longest tenured team, and the one I REALLY want to win. Curently Leading by 1.5 points
Birmingham GFY's - Debut , with defensive stats that can add or take away points. H2H, Currently in 7th overall place [3rd in division].
Riff Raff Assortment [Avatar of Riff Raff from Rocky Horror, Hell yes] My Debut, Taking over someone else's team, 7x7 H2H. Currently 2nd place overall in the standings,
CM Punk Rock - Again, a Not so Hostile takeover, 12 team 8x8 Roto currently in 4th place, 2.5 points behind leaders.
Colorado Rockies - Formally the Kansas City Royals , Dynasty league with minor league rosters , 6x6 H2H. 16 teams. Currently 6th place , 14-8-2 overall.
Hackensack Bulls - 12 team 7x7 Roto. My love for John Candy should be clear enough with this one. Currently leading by 2.5 points.

Exciting start with a couple of early leads and hopefully I don't fritter them away like I have in years past in different formats [mostly through questionable trades]. I'm confident I can win, but my overall goal was to at least finish in the top six in H2H formats [usually good enough to qualify for the playoffs, and then the hunt for a trophy begins], and top three for roto, because I want the trophies !

I want this to be an interactive experience for you as well, so if you would like to find out rosters or further details about any of the teams listed above, feel free to write in the comments below and I'll do my best to answer them, even if your question is why do you play this game? Over to you.

Nowhere to go.....

But down.

It's not the most optimistic beginning I'll ever do, but such is the state of the place in B6, you might be forgiven for expecting there to be rubble, mess and perilous surroundings, which might actually help all in all.

No, the appointment of Remy Garde wasn't thought about at all, and while results weren't ideal under Mr Sherwood, I don;t think performances were as bad as people make out, and they surely wouldn't be going down with a whimper, although they might still have gone down,[I doubt it though] it would have gone to the final game or two to decide who actually went down, although I'm still convinced results would have started coming as I saw improvement every week, there would not have been ANY 6-0 losses at Home, nor would they have lost the majority of games, [whether home or away] in the process. Now of course I'm not saying that Villa wouldn't have lost any at all [although playing with the same players on my leading manufacture of Football games, prove it is possible] but that's a different story for another time.

The real issues here, are up at board room level, insisting on a broken system which is designed to undermine the ACTUAL managers and make it impossible for them to do their jobs properly, which make it easier for the potatoes in charge to dispense of person A when they feel like it, or maybe I'm just bitter and hold the fact that Tim Sherwood guided us to a final and some great performances along the way to get there [not least beating West Brom twice in one week, once in the league, once in the 1/4 finals of the FA Cup]. f course, it might have been the case that Villa not winning enough by Christmas, might have changed some thinking, but with the season then, about 7 games in, that's not nearly enough time.

Tim Sherwood was absolutely the right man for the job, and has been very harshly treated within the football world, and I hope he has another management job soon, with football people in charge so he can prove what we all know he is capable of. Good luck to you Mr Sherwood, if you ever see this ! While they weren't winning every week, they were also on the cusp of victory with narrow defeats, but they nearly always scored.

Back to the problems on the pitch , and there are many. I'm not an expert, this is how I see it.

Jordan Amavi - Didn't really have time to make an impact before his brutal injury, but the defence has struggled since then, and I hope he makes a full recovery soon.
Jolean Lescott - I'm not sure the fans wanted to see him come from across the Midlands, but I recall earlier in his career, he would have been welcomed, same for:
Micah Richards - Was a promising young player, who is now a shell of his former ability and in the cusp of the near glory days under Martin O'Neill, would have been very welcome.
Aly Cissokho - Liability on the left. Bye .
Charles N'Zogbia . Paid too much for him to begin with, he still earns way to much to do absolutely nothing of use , to be fair some of it isn't his fault, with the Achilles injury a couple of years ago, having an effect, he's lost some pace which helps defenders get the ball from him.
Gabby Agbonlahor - Missing for large portions of seasons' gone by, has scored once in 17 appearances. It hasn't always been bad with him, he is a derby hero and will undoubtedly have an impact on derby games, but the rest of the season is seeing him a passenger of late.
Rudy Gestede - This isn't on him, he's been played out of position at times [as was Jordan Ayew] neither of them are bad strikers, but playing them on the wings, and with no actual wingers to cross for Gestede to head the ball, opportunities have been scare, in terms of appearances, and goals. Rudy still appears to know where the goal is though and is joint top scorer.
There are other players not getting enough game time to make an accurate assessment, but will likely see a future at the club with the impending relegation getting finalised.

I don't think any Villa fan expect to be world beaters, or winning every week, but winning occasionally wouldn't hurt ! I think that we just expect to leave every ounce of energy and passion on the pitch and the fans can take defeat easier, rather than the team looking beaten in the tunnel every week.

Again, I'm seeing a various short list of who will be the next manager and its quite interesting. All I will say at this point is NO to Steve Bruce, although I'm sure he could do a good job, we don't want another Alex McLeish situation. I'm prepared to give almost anyone a chance but I have a couple I'd rather see . Mick McCarthy has always been a realistic sort of person, and has a way with the media that will probably make the Villa Park journalist room more relaxed which will rub off onto the players. Weirdly, Gary Neville has also been mentioned and I don't know how the fan base would react to such an appointment, but I feel he has a lot to prove, will have learned a lot from also being England's assistant, and maybe was a victim of circumstance in Valencia, in not knowing how to speak Spanish, he won;t have a language barrier [or shouldn't] unless he can learn Brummy and French very quickly. I think he's a more capable manager than he showed in Spain though. Garry Monk , several people feel was harshly exited from Swansea, and showed he was more than capable after being thrust into the hot-seat after Michael Laudrup departed the Welsh outfit, and current Wales National team, Chris Coleman has premier league experience but not being sure what anybody on "their imaginations'" short-list, or even the "official" one can offer a team doomed to Championship encounters starting in August on weekends, and rainy midweek nights its' not a guarantee they don;t fall through that division either at this point, so the next move[s] made will be very important, although the question remains, who would want the job ?

[I do, but I know I'm not qualified sadly], though I'm working on it !

Sunk without trace .

Such is the fall from stability that has befallen Aston Villa FC in the past few years, it might be the case that looking back on the 2015/16 premier league season, it will be referred to as the race for first to be safe from relegation. Trouble is, only those in the top 14 as of writing apparently got the memo, and with a quite thrilling title race brewing, and a surprising couple of pushes for Europe, usually at some point, stragglers fall off the cliff with no hope of survival, and unfortunately for me, and may fans, Aston Villa are that club. There are worse tales out there, such as the fall of Leeds United, and maybe Bolton too, perhaps Blackpool or Portsmouth also make that cut, but none of them as inept as the club of my desires, Aston Villa. While the underlying theme is similar, in that all clubs have had issues with their owners, only Villa's has been so unforgiving that they just couldn't remain competitive, or at least in a fair fight, such is the way that TV Money is dominating the game.
While Leeds and Portsmouth were at one point challenging for honours, they just couldn't recoup the large fees paid on wages, players etc and Portsmouth almost went out of business not so long ago,  [story here]. While Leeds' plight can  be read about in various places, an excellent summing up can be found here.

While the bottom club in league two [Dagenham and Redbridge] has 5 Wins [9 draws] , they've scored 33 and conceded 58 goals for a goal difference of -25 for 24 points, leaving them 7 points off safety, and 2 behind the next team with 7 games to go.
The bottom club in league one [Colchester] has six wins, nine draws, scored 42 goals and conceded 81 with a goal difference of -39, leaving them 10 points off safety, three behind the next placed team with 7 games to go.
The bottom club in the Championship [Bolton Wanderers] has four wins 13 draws, scoring 33 goals, conceding 58 for a goal difference of -25 gaining 25 points so far, 10 from safety with seven games to go.
And the bottom club of the Premiership [Aston Villa] has three wins seven draws scoring 22 goals [somehow] while conceding 55 for a goal difference of -33 and earning 16 points leaving them nine points from safety, and 8 points off the next placed team. This leaves them as pretty much the worst team in the country, possibly the world in professional league football.

Villa, out of their last six defeats, scored three goals while conceding 20, with a 6-0 HOME defeat to Liverpool along the way doing some of the damage.

The writing has been pretty much on the wall for a number of years, and with a structure of management that is broken, rotten and wrong from the top down, this club, and it pains to write, could be on a free-fall through the league system, unless things change.

A word about the man in a suit on the sidelines, I'm still of the opinion, that although things might not have been any better with Sherwood still at the helm,[though they probably would have been, there was progress each week despite the lack of points] I'm convinced they wouldn't be losing heavily every other week and so would still have a lot to play for. This article here, seems to agree Now, all thats left is to try to go down with dignity, and with home games to come against Tottenham,Chelsea,Bournemouth,Southampton and Newcastle, and with road trips to come against Swansea,Manchester United, Watford and Arsenal to end the season there could be points to be found from at least four of the games, which could be enough to squeeze to safety, but that alone isn't enough, it depends on the teams above also losing, but with Swansea and Newcastle in relegation battles themselves, to win both of those games would at least put them with a fighting chance of survival, but with defeats already in the books against Swansea earlier in the season, and a draw against Newcastle, its still hard to be optimistic, given the situation the club is in, but stranger things have happened.

The Dombrowski effect.

This entry will be focusing on the winter off season for the Boston Red Sox. The story was familiar [not least because I wrote twice about in the heat of the summer dog days] and seemingly everywhere I looked on Social Media was outcries and disappointment regarding those Red Sox of Boston, Massachusetts.  The team that ended the season, was very different to the team that started it, and hopefully, will be different still to those that open Spring Training in February.

End of 2015 Roster: [The players that started the final game of the season, By Position, not batting order]
C - Blake Swihart
1B - Travis Shaw
2B - Dustin Pedroia
3B - Deven Mererro
SS - Xander Bogaerts
LF - Rusney Castillo
CF - Mookie Betts
RF - Jackie Bradley Jr
DH - David Ortiz.
SP - Rick Porcello [L]


Beginning of 2015 Roster [Ranked by position once again]
C- Ryan Hanigan
1B - Mike Napoli
2B - Dustin Pedroia
3B - Pablo Sandoval
SS - Xander Bogaerts
LF - Hanley Ramirez
CF - Mookie Betts
RF - Shane Victorino
DH - David Ortiz [Although their first series was in an NL city [Phillies] so was unavailable to play DH.

There's a stark comparison to the beginning and end of the season here, and those outside of Boston might feel it's a coincidence that things happened and the team got better towards the end of the season [it wasn't], by playing so well a play-off place wasn't entirely out of the picture, but the horrible start really was too much to do in the second half, even when key players that in many peoples' eyes were a reason why they team was scuffling, were replaced in the line-up their replacements just delayed the inevitable, and others got traded [Napoli, Victorino], some got injured and shut down for the season with nothing to play for. [Buchholz,Sandoval,Hanley, and at one point Pedroia was on the DL]

At some point in the season the old regime left, when Ben Cherrington was thankfully replaced by former Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski. In a short time there, the feel good factor has increased, even with him just being there [or was that just me] ? I know I was more excited for him arriving, then I ever got for Christmas as a young 'un.

Anyway, back to the point here and this past week, Boston have signed two new players one being back up Outfielder, last played for the New York Yankees, Chris Young, and finally an ace, in 7 year, $215M man, David Price [with an opt out]. I've never understood the point of opt out agreements , but I guess they make sense from a business point of view. The rotation is finally looking like it could last and as of this morning, it looks like this:

David Price,Clay Buchholz,Rick Porcello, Wade Miley/Joe Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez. Henry Owens and knuckleballer Steven Wright will also be in contention for a rotation spot, if management think one or both of Miley / Kelly are better suited to the pen.

Before this, the Red Sox pulled off a monster trade with their previous reluctance to trade prospects not Dombrowski's preferred action, particularly in this instance where the players dealt were blocked at their primary positions in acquiring a new Closer Craig Kimbrel. Kimbrel will replace the previous closer Koji Uehara, who will probably pitch in the 8th inning going forward now.

The Bullpen now looks like this as of writing :
Junichi Tazawa, Robbie Ross JR, Tommy Layne, Craig Kimbrel, Koji Uehara, Heath Hembree, Jonathan Aro. Much healthier overall ! There are other names who could potentially be in the mix, but right now, I think they'll probably open up on Triple A.

 


The team need to move on from Hanley/Sandoval,and, as of now, the plan is for Hanley[Right Picture] to play 1B, but there are several players available via FA who already know how to play 1B that I'd sooner see in Fenway, who arguably would be a better fit, and the most prestigious of those is Chris Davis, who declined Baltimore's arbitration offer, although there are a few other interesting options who would provide more versatility at 1B than Davis, such as Mark Reynolds, or potentially a player like Justin Morneau. Another position that proved problematic is 3B, although there aren't many intriguing FA options there, with Juan Uribe heading the pack followed by David Freese, former Red Sock Will Middlebrooks, and recently released Alberto Callaspo.  I doubt 3B changes unless a trade occurs involving Sandoval.
Pictured above [left], Sandoval on being announced as a Boston player, which was arguably, his finest appearance, it just seemed to get worse from there. The Ramirez era was different, with Hanley being one of the few hitters that seemed to start the season off on the right foot, but now his short term future in Boston seems to be a little cloudier with Hanley probably having more trade value [although salary might have to get eaten] to move him, He's not really an Outfielder any more, and some would say never was, especially with the emergence of Castillo and JBJ finally starting to figure things out, and the fact he wasn't going to displace future superstar Bogaerts and at this point, he doesn't have a position to play regularly, unless he's the one to replace Ortiz after he retires at the end of 2016, as Ramirez's bat still appears to have plenty in it and could extend his career a few seasons' in the long term.

Middle infield in general doesn't appear to have any issues, although one worry would be keeping an ageing Pedroia [pictured] on the field, and could perhaps limit him to four starts per week in order to keep him healthy and fresher. It could be argued, given the positional flexibility Brock Holt has, he could give all defensive players a breather once a week and be more than a Monday/Thursday guy in the process, but not quite an every day player either. That's certainly an option, but I'm not a back-room staff member so the approach they go with will probably have been discussed already, this is just how I'd play it if I were approached on things*.

It's not just on the field that the Sox are making moves, with the 2016 season being a new beginning for the Red Sox [NESN] announcers as long time game caller Don Orsillo got bumped out of the booth, despite the protests from fans, and Orsillo remained as professional as they come, and already has a new job out west doing first radio, than eventually becoming the Padres television commentator. I know the Padres will love him , and the Red Sox will continue to feature Jerry Remy and former radio play by play guy Dave O Brien. Best of luck to Dave, but a huge part of why Don was so beloved in the NESN booth was with his relationship with Remy, and it just won't be the same without his infectious enthusiasm for baseball greeting us every night.

Finally, its a good thing that John Farrell will once again be in control of the Sox, after undergoing cancer treatment in the 2015 season. A great announcement late last season that his cancer was in remission, and a well handled announcement that he'd be back in the dugout. The Red Sox are certainly trending upwards, and long may that continue in the reign of Dombrowski.

No time left .....

This morning, Tim Sherwood, has been sacked as manager of Aston Villa FC.

It's not the right move at this point of the season, and I don;t think this would ever be the right move. A manger needs time to gel with his new signings. and to get them playing the way they're designed to do so. I remember a time about when Gordon Strachan moved clubs, and it didn't work out, and he replied that he was trying to rush the style, instead of letting it happen naturally and I think this was the case here, there were signs of turning a corner and , maybe could have gone on a run, all they needed was a result somehow, and I'm certain a run would have been the next step, and everyone will have forgotten about the start, it's often the case that it's not how you star,t it's how you finish, and they would have finished a lot better.

There's been rumours of late that David Moyes ,or Brendan Rodgers could be in the frame to take over, and I hope the owners, where-ever they are are reading this because I don't want either. If the board feel that either is the answer though, I'll learn to cope with David Moyes who , in all credit to him, does have experience of managing at a shoestring budget.

I'm not even angry , I'm going to take people back a few years, to the summer of 2010 when Martin O'Neill was forced into resignation over a dispute about transfer budgets. Sure, his vision wasn't shared by the chairman, but the chairman could have tried to compromise, but from what I remember this wasn't the case. Ever since that day, the purse strings have been tightened so much that a club the size and stature of Aston Villa, can never compete in the real world any-more. Money has ruined this game, and I was glad to see a small demonstration in effect from travelling fans to say as much and the Bayern Munich fans had a banner with them when they played a champions league game:


While any game I've been to hasn't been that high, football is no longer a game for everyone to enjoy, you have to almost be a millionaire to do so, and even then, they're not happy!

You can only fault certain people for so long, but others have to take accountability, and the fault on this past five years of uncertainly lies squarely at the door of Randolph D. Lerner, wherever the hell that door is. I know that he's tried to sell the club, but I don;t think he ever went all out to ensure it's survival long term in the top 20 in the country. If you're having trouble, give the club to me, I'll run it while you find a proper buyer instead of the mickey mouse offers you've been getting lately, and I'm not even sure any of the "proposed due diligence " that you had been doing were real, and just told to the press in order to drum up attention, but the real attention comes from on the field, in which has been heavily stifled. Things have to change, and now.

I can no longer give my all in trying to make plans to go watch the team I've loved since childhood, and to continue to try to do so wouldn't be worth my money [not that I have much]. The sooner Lerner is out the [seemingly none existent] door the better for all associated with the Mighty Lions [which by now might be seen as cubs]. The thing to do now would be bring someone in that gives half a damn [Tim apparently did, I could see it in his body language]. This is going to happen time and time again with unrealistic expectations from fans, and probably owners alike and I'm tired of it.

If I was somebody with influence in the world, no doubt the club would be sending me free stuff, here is the link to the story I'm talking about:

Sorry, but that isn't right either as the fans that care every week that pay for their season tickets, and their club merch should really take priortiy, over someone, who probably never went to Villa Park.

If anybody that goes to VP every game are reading this, I still love you, the club and the players that try their hardest, but I can't take this anymore and the muppet in control is killing this club from inside out.

I'm off to apply for the job now, hopefully I get it as I don;t trust anybody else right now.

It's Premier League Soccer Season once more !

I've always stated this in the past, I'm excited for the turn of the new Premier League season, but I have genuine excitement to follow the plights of Aston Villa once again, not "excitement" of going to the games and hoping for a result. This is genuine excitement to a club I've been frustrated by time and time again, I genuinely believe this season is our season to accomplish something positive. Tim Sherwood has a feel good factor about himself, and that has so far rubbed off on the players, [most of which, weren't in his mould] last season Now he's had the chance to buy players in his mould, I fancy the team to turn a few heads, surprise a lot of people and not be fighting relegation for much of the season [if at all].

I don't expect the team to suddenly click, gel and play well from the off, I don't think anybody does, but I do expect a sense of pride, which disappeared for most of the past three seasons [although I don't blame any one individual] but wholesale changes, and clear outs had to happen before it got late early again. There's no shame in a team going out there and playing well and just coming up short, there is no honour in not trying at all.

Tim has been very active in the transfer market, bringing in 9 new faces [well 8, plus one conversion of a loan deal] and they have been [in no particular order]:

Jordan Amavi, Jordan Ayew, Jose Angel Crespo , Micah Richards , Idrissa Gueye, Mark Bunn, Scott Sinclair [Loan Conversion], Rudy Gestede, Jordan Veretout.
There have also been outgoings[In no particular order]:
Andi Weimann, Darren Bent, Fabian Delph, Christian Benteke, Callum Robinsion [Loan], Ron Vlaar, Tom Cleverley,Aly Cissokho[Loan],Shay Given, Matt Lowton, Enda Stevens, Yacouba Sylla,

Plenty of new faces for the team to get used to over the coming months,and hopefully Tim Sherwood will be able to keep the good times rolling in starting with victory today on the road to newly promoted [playing their first ever home game in the top flight] Eddie Howe's Bournemouth. It definitely won't be an easy encounter, as newly promoted sides tend to start with a bang and a win.I do think Sherwood has all the pieces in place to prevent this though, and although it couldn't be earlier in the  campaign, these kinds of games tend to linger in the sub concious in a tough to take defeat stays aroubnd longer than a draw or a hard fought victory. There may be just under 12,000 capacity at Bournmenouths ground, but it will feel like about 50,000 .

I believe in Sherwood. and I expect come the end of the season, everyone else will too !

Up the Villa !

Re-Tooling the Boston Red Sox. [Another look at a disappointing campaign so far]

As I started to write this, merely hours after a slightly humiliating 11-1 loss in game one, and a slightly less embarrassing game two [DH] Loss, it has become more apparent to me [ and others of the Fenway faithful, and the Red Sox of the UK, and probably other countries too] that things have to change. I will look at the players I would look to move on to try to salvage a respectable second half to the 2015 season.

The rotation is an absolute sham at best, and it's clear that it's never going to change, despite the better performances, its still way off where we [I] would ideally like to see it.

Clay Buchholz still frustrates the hell out of many people, and is still equally able to perform heroics to shut the opposing team out, which helps us believe he's back, then next time out get rocked through 3 innings giving up 5 or more runs. He could command a lesser named quality arm though so I'd see what I could get for him and if it helps improve the team, deal.

Eduardo Rodriguez - Good addition to the rotation, but he needs to stop tipping his pitches , this could mean altering his mechanics slightly, or perhaps change his role slightly, to work through the issues. I don't think we've seen enough of him to know what he's really like, but chances are, he's young and this is just standard growing pains each pitcher has once in their career. Chances are good he's a better pitcher than he's performing right now, and he could get a good return also, despite only being traded for last year, he's still pitched well enough to over see the bad outings, unlike....

Rick Porcello - Ugh. Enough already. I don't think he's going to work out as a Sox pitcher. Offer him for cash or draft picks, I don't think he has any value left right now, but it would probably cost too much to outright release him.

Who-ever the hell isn't on the DL. This needs to be addressed. More depth is needed.

Now, offensively, why do the Sox have players down in the minors that are better defensively [JBJ] [and aren't bad offensively [Castillo, maybe soon] ] than Hanley who is fighting every out to make 'routine' plays. Hanley is essentially, a Short stop by nature and he's playing each ball as if he still was, and that's costing a few runs here or there, but then so is Panda. I can't count on my body [fingers and toes] Errors the 3BMan has produced though in all fairness, Sandoval is trying to make up for them with the bat.

I'm not trying to claim I know what's best for the team, but people States side might be able to know that little bit more,

Cindy, a Sox fan in Mass stated
"We are all pretty discouraged. The season is over, they have some bad contracts. They always get us excited over prospects [Moncada] but they never seem to pan out [Lavarnway]. Personally my biggest complaint is that they will let their own guys go (Ellsbury, Lester) but give big money to Free Agents who are never worth the money, or just can't play in Boston [Crawford]. Not sure about their scouting department either, they never seem to make it work with trades"

Given, we're currently approaching the trading deadline [non waivers] it'll be worth keeping a close eye on to see what happens this time around.

Erica, in Massachusetts had the following to say
" I think this team needs an overhaul from top to bottom. Since 2010 [when John Henry bought Liverpool FC] the team has finished 3rd,5th,1st and 5th in the AL East and could be looking at 5th again. Cherringtons' tenure is a WS victory, and three last place finishes, he needs to go and so do the clubhouse cancers, Big Papi needs to realise he can't do whatever he wants because of the past. Sandoval needs to go, where he can instagram during a game for someone else. Bring back the Dirt Dogs. Hanley also has to go. You know why they won it all in 2013? They won because of the bombings during the Boston Marathon, and the city needed them, leaned on them, and the team got their priorities straight. Players these days just want the celeb status, which is easy to get in a big market team like Boston".

It certainly does feel like there's no passion, pride or excitement to play for the Red Sox looking in, but perhaps those on the inside see things we don't for three hours a day, although those three hours [sometimes more] are the most important in a day and we aren't impressed from what we can see.

A different take is seen from International fan [where baseball is an international game] Andre in the Netherlands who had the following to say:
"It looked well in the pre season where Hanley Ramirez came back from the Dodgers, which added so more power, but when his gun stopped shooting, the runs dried up and the pitchers aren't the best in the game, [it made it difficult to win] , although Clay Buchholz and Uehara bring the level which is suited to them. It does seem that Panda [Sandoval] can only really produce in the playoffs, like he has the past two times with the Giants. Bogaerts is the teams MVP this year and is the only player with a BA above .300. For next year, they need to stay healthy, invest in the rotation and then we can all enjoy Sweet Caroline more than ever" !

As of July 25th, The Red Sox have had 3 walk off hits, 2 of them coming from the bat of potential team MVP Xander Bogaerts although it seems, Sandoval and Hanley are a running theme [amongst complaints], although these two aren't the cause of [all] trouble with this years team. Take...

Mike Napoli - This hurts to write, but the team would be best off either moving on from Napoli, or changing his role, to occasional Monday/Thursday guy. Sadly he cannot contine to be the teams primary first baseman any more, despite his solid glove work, his average is woeful, sitting just above the Mendoza line at .206 as of Saturday 25th July [aided with his .421 8/19 efforts over the past 7 games]. It could be enough to secure a trade partner, but trading Napoli might not be well received from the faithful. We'll have to wait and see on that front but his season line sits at .207 with 32 Runs scored, 11 Home Runs, 33 Runs Batted In and 3 Stolen Bases.

A player that might garner interest on the trading front is Young Out Fielder, Mookie Betts. The Sox will be unlikely to want to move him, but he has had a good season so far and his numbers look like this: A .264 Average with 51 Runs, 10 Home Runs, 45 Runs Batted In and 13 Steals. He is on pace to scrape a 20/20 season, which is quite valuable for the fantasy circles, although it's nice to see in real terms, it's not going to help win any more or less than the Sox currently manage.

The full line-ups numbers( In no particular order) [excluding Napoli and Betts]

Dustin Pedroia - Hitting at .287 with with 35 Runs Scored, Nine Home Runs 34 Runs Batted In and One Stolen Base. Placed on the DL this weekend, it's unlikely he can contribute much more to the cause as he's scheduled to be activated mid - late August, so will likely get a handful of games before rosters expand to 40 for September, where he might lose ABs to prospects, or other players.
David Ortiz - Hitting at .234 with 35 Runs Scored, 17 Home Runs, 47 Runs Batted In and 0 Stolen Bases.
Hanley Ramirez - Hitting at .263 with 50 Runs Scored, 19 Home Runs 46 Runs Batted in and four Steals
Pablo Sandoval - Hitting at .257 with 29 Runs scored, Seven Home Runs 30 Runs Batted in and 0 Stolen Bases.
Xander Bogaets - Hitting at .310 with 40 Runs scored, Three Home Runs 47 Runs Batted in and 4 Stolen Bases
Brock Holt - Hitting at .284 with 31 Runs scored, Two Home Runs, 23 Runs Batted in and five Stolen Basis .
Ryan Hanigan - Hitting at .221 with 16 Runs scored, One Home Run Nine Runs Batted in and 0 Stolen Basis

Other guys that start on occasion
Alejandro De Aza - Acquired on June 3rd, De Aza has a line of:.258, 31 Runs Scored, Six Home Runs 26 Runs Batted in, Five Stolen Basis
Shane Victorino [Injury has disrupted his season] - .247 Average, 10 Runs Scored, One Home Run, Four Runs Batted in and Five Stolen Bases
Rusney Castillo - .230 Average, Six Runs Scored, One Home Run, Six Runs Batted In and One Stolen Base.
Blake Swihart - .237 Average, 18 Runs Scored, One Home Run . 11 Runs Batted in, and One Stolen Base
Jackie Bradley Jr - .133 Average, 2 Runs Scored, One Home Run , Two Runs Batted in 0 Stolen Bases, although a great defensive player, benefits from every day ABs and hasn't been able to translate this into the big leagues [yet]. He is highly cherished in the Sox, but it might be in the teams' best interest to move him on in a deal involving pitching.

It seems like a good time to take another look at the rotation [or what's left of it]...

Clay Buchholz - Currently on the DL but has pitched 113.1 Innings, while giving up 41 Earned Runs Walking 23 while striking out 107 batters resulting in an ERA of 3.26 with a WHIP of 1.21. Perhaps I've been a little hard on Clay this year as his numbers are better than most people might realise.
Justin Masterson - Recently returned from the DL but results haven't been great overall giving up 33 Earned Runs in 50.2 Innings pitched while striking out 40 batters, walking 22 to the tune of a 5.86 ERA and a WHIP of 1.60. Appeared in relief in a loss to the Tigers on the 25th July so his role seems to be middle relief right now.
Eduardo Rodriguez - A rookie who has had mostly good outings with some horrendous showings [take Tuesday's 2.1 7 ER allowed] to an overall tune of 54.1 innings pitched, 28 Earned Runs, 46 Strike Outs resulting in a 4.64 ERA and a WHIP of 1.27 and is scheduled to take the hill for Sunday Night Baseball.
Rick Porcello - 112.2 Innings Pitched, 69 Earned Runs allowed with 90 Strikeouts, 26 Walks and an ERA of 5.51 accompanied by a 1.37 WHIP .
Wade Miley - Has started the second half hot giving up one Earned run in 13 Innings but has failed to be awarded with a Win. Overall he's posted 114.1 Innings Pitched giving up 55 Earned Runs while striking out 83 batters, walking 44 with an ERA of 4.33 and a WHIP of 1.37.
Joe Kelly - A struggle since the opening weeks, Kelly recently got demoted to the minor leagues to work on location and it remains to be seen how much it will pay off as Kelly has pitched a total of 80.0 Innings Pitched while surrendering 51 Earned Runs while striking out 66, walking 32 to an ERA of 5.74 and a WHIP of 1.49.
Steven Wright - The Knuckle-baller has been up and down from Pawtucket and has stuck around long enough to register 48.1 innings, giving up 26 earned runs while striking out 27 walking 16 and registering a 4.84 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP.

I won't speculate here who I think the Sox will move for, but like most fans, I know of which players that could be available, which ones I'd like to see don a Sox jersey, and which ones currently doing so I'd be happy to see the back of. Fact is, it's more probable than not the Sox are going to be selling come the trade deadline on Friday. although if Hanley, Sandoval and perhaps Ortiz move on this week, Red Sox fans' worldwide will have something to cheer for, but complete change is probably needed in order to properly move on, a Fresh start could erase some painful recent memories, while respecting the traditional traditions of a Red Sox Team, although one are I wouldn't change is the manager, he's good for the team, and delivered a World Series his first year in charge, and he can only do so much where upper management fails him. Believe in Farrell, he will make us rise again.

The Highs and Lows in Sport....

We've all been there, in various forms of sport, whether its a rags to riches tale, a home-grown success story [ie Andy Murray at Wimbledon], Record breakers [Schumacher in Formula 1, Sir Chris Hoy in successive Olympic Games, Sampras Grand Slam record from Tennis], or whether it be a pitcher throwing a perfect game in baseball, to be watching / associated with it is pretty special. It might only be bettered by being the one that is actually doing it.

Some selective Sports Highs for me

1994
Football League Cup - Aston Villa took on Manchester United at Wembley stadium and performed  out of their skin to win by a 3 goals to 1 margin, and as a 7 year old I was extremely happy watching it on the television. Little would I know that be the last thing they'd ever win since I was born [I'm not counting 1996 here as I don't remember anything about it, but it did happen].  While it was great to see things are very different now and what could have been with a couple of different decisions, who knows ? [I'll get to that at another time though].

2007,2013 Boston Red Sox winning World Series' and being best in the world [ as far as they can be]. 2013 was more recent, and I can recall watching their entire run unfolding thinking, no matter how far down this team get, they never seemed to be out of any game [Post season Grand slams proved this to be one reason why]. [Of Course, they had pitching back then] so this wasn't difficult ! Their most recent triumph in franchise history, might never be bettered on an emotional level for me [except maybe if I was there], as when they sealed the 27th and final out against St Louis, in Game 6 - Fenway Park, Boston Massachusetts - I was sitting in a couch in New Jersey USA [in a Phillies household] and a baseball novice. We will always have that together, thanks for being part of it guys, you made it extra special !

2014/15 - New England Patriots Super Bowl campaign. With many lows in the early part of the season, The Patriots looked devoid of talent, they looked finished and many were questioning whether it was time to give up, move on and introduce Jimmy Garoppolo. There have been many Tom Brady backups over the year [most famous of all, Matt Cassell] but it's crazy how Jimmy has as many Superbowl Rings as Peyton Manning. Anyhow, but for a bit of begging to switch defensive match ups, and some rookie pluck from Malcolm Butler, this might never have happened where as time was running down, the ball on the half yard line, instead of unleashing Beast Mode, the Seahawks elected to pass, and Butler intercepted it in the goal line. What followed was an offsides penalty, moving the ball 5 yards, than a 15 yard penalty [with an ejection] and from the grimmest and most perilous of positions, the Patriots supporters' suddenly had another victory to celebrate and one which they will never forget.

2015
FA Cup Semi Final - Aston Villa faced Liverpool in an encounter the Claret and Blue were probably expected to lose given what each club has spent over the past few years in recruitment of new players, however, Tim got them playing well, playing with freedom, and it appeared a bit of pride and they held out in a 2-1 victory to get to the FA Cup Final ! Euphoria [well for Villa fans it was]. At that moment, life couldn't get much better [as we shortly found out] but us Villains had something to talk about other than #LambertOut.

Unfortunately, here are the lows.

2004,2007 New England Patriots number is called by the Giants of New York, and in 2007, a perfect season was denied via the helmet catch [which one could argue was a trap, but that's not for me to say]. Anyway, having lost to a 'fail mary' on the dying seconds, the same situation occurred again with the Patriots down by 3 with seconds remaining. This game could also be remembered for the sitting down Touchdown. Either way the end result was the same, and the Giants knocked over the Patriots for the second straight game, and coming off the back off recent Red Sox success, this game hurt Patriots nation the globe over and in one way, reminded us in life, we shouldn't expect to win all the time, and in sports, it is occasionally OK to cry.

2014 Fifa World Cup - England crashing out at the group stage. I wasn't all that bothered that England went out of the cup,[although I cared a bit ] it was more the manner in which they went out of it. Tired, boring, one dimensional football which saw defeats to Italy [although a pretty good performance] and Uruguay meant not even a win over Costa Rica could see them advance, but they couldn't even manage to do that. 1 point, 2 goals scored, 4 conceded. Need a new direction? We'll see. I think maybe a manager that is a great motivator, and isn't afraid to drop players, perhaps we can tempt Mourinho when a change is made ? The shocking campaign, made me simulate and take charge of an England team in the world cup using proper tactics, and players being played where they were meant to be played, and not taking those played out of position in the real thing. I got them to win it, then win the following European Championships [coming up in 2016 in reality] although I couldn't replicate 3 in a row [done by Spain in the 2000s] and if you're reading, Head of the FA, I'm available should you need a new manager !

And finally:

2015 Fifa Womens' World Cup - A sensational tournament [at least by previous years] in which I was captivated by every match, and I can tell that the women's' game isn't all about the money, unlike the mens, in which players move clubs for over £40m, I'm pretty sure it would be nice to have that cash available in the women's' game, much less be able to throw it away on one player. It was all about the game and the players, which is great to see, and the Lionesses should be proud of themselves for achieving history and making their first semi final ! To lose in the way they did wasn't deserved [to anyone] much less the better team throughout much of the semi final, and to see Laura Bassett [arguably player of the tournament] put through her own goal, on a defensive instinct, 99 times out of 100 would go harmlessly out for a corner kick, she must feel so terrible, while in other sports there is a saying. Hopefully next year, with a world cup, it hurts more because next year doesn't exist being a 4 year cycle, and to all the lionesses, I thank them for playing with pride, playing with good energy, playing with commitment and fighting spirit. I'm so proud of them all, and I hope to go one step further [maybe 2 by winning] in 2019, but I will also look forward to the 2017 European Championships with a renewed sense of pride. [Should any of them ever see this] #ThankyouLionesses ! It's been an emotional ride, but one for the better !

Fantasy Baseball - Roto League Tales...

This week I will review my roster, and season so far in an ESPN hosted league, entitled Beer and Whiskey Baseball. [How could you not like it]?

As of the morning of June 24th 2015 I sit in 5th place with an overall score of 69 points. There are 12 teams in this league, and each category has a scale of 12-1 and your ranking in each category gives an overall score. 12 for being the best in that category, and 1 point for being the worst. To have a chance at winning the league, you would need to be top 3 in most [if not all] categories. We are allowed to keep any 8 players every year, and only allowed to keep a player for three years [whether traded or not] per cycle. An example - A Player drafted in 2012 would be eligible to be a keeper up until and including the 2015 draft, but they wouldn't be allowed to be kept in 2016. Any keepers are subjected to salary- and each year kept inflates total cost, for example: a Player drafted in 2014 for $26 will be over $30 for his final year of keeper eligibility, before being returned into the draft system,

The categories used for hitting are R,HR,RBI,SB,AVG and for pitching W,SV,K,ERA,WHIP.

My seasonal line so far 11,8,8,10,3 7,7,8,5,1 . I will reveal the actual numbers later but the roster I have now is as follows:

Catcher - Derek Norris [I also used Wilson Ramos for a while at U].
1st Base - Yonder Alonso - Recently got the starting gig on my team as I demoted someone to the bench, but you'll find out who later!
2nd Base - Joe Panik [Steal alert for a keeper next season at only $1]!
3rd Base - Chris Davis- in his final year of keeper eligibility.
SS - Andrelton Simmons - Drafted for $3 this year, an early possibility for a keeper for 2016.
2b/SS [in some leagues this slot is named MI] - Kolten Wong. I kept him for $1 going into this year so is keeper eligible for 2016.
1B/3B [In some leagues this slot is named CI] - Justin Turner. Recently acquired via FA when dropping Ryan Zimmerman to Waivers. Zimmerman was drafted by me for $11 [had multi position eligibility, but cleared Waivers so would be $1 potentially to keep.
OF - Jason Heyward - I was able to keep him [for the first time] this year and I paid a little higher than I would had he remained in Atlanta, because I felt at the time, his move to Bucsh would be an advantage. $22. It remains to be seen what I'll do with him for 2016 but I'm enjoying his recent hot streak !
OF - Mookie Betts - Dynamo in Centre, originally a middle infielder, adjusted well and was kept at $1. Plenty of value in the long term and I won't be giving him up easily !
OF - Josh Reddick - Picked up from FA in Early April, Reddick has often been one of my top hitters over the last 7 days although has cooled off slightly of late.
OF - Steven Souza Jr - Drafted in 2015 for $4 and will likely be kept for the same price come 2016. Helping to contribute in four out of five categories.
OF - Gerardo Parra - Plucked off the FA market as an injury replacement on June 10th, has been consistent, but nothing special and is not on the radar for 2016.
UTIL - Jace Peterson - A good addition to my roster, added June 11th as cover for Simmons and Wong. Will likely be in and out of the team the rest of the way or until promotions [or people return from the DL].

SP - Jon Lester - $12 keeper for this season and is performing better and better as the season goes on and more often than not goes at least 6 innings.
SP - James Shields - Drafted for $22 and has provided nice W-L totals and contributed in most categories eligible.
SP - Jordan Zimmermann - Drafted for $25 and hasn't really performed at the levels I know he can perform at, and when on form, he's arguably, one of the best at preventing runners from scoring. He's coming off three straight losses, although his last performance was tolerable.
P - Kenley Jansen - Drafted for $15 and has been worth every cent since he returned from foot surgery. No brainer.
P - Jacob DeGrom - Drafted for $15 and has a sparkling 2.34 ERA on the season and rarely gives up more than 3 ER a start. Might be a nice trade piece later in the season, but as of now, I'm looking to consolidate my mid table finish to try to turn it into a trophy next year.
P - Jason Grilli - Picked up the Day the Braves traded Craig Kimbrel and has delivered 20 Saves for an ERA of 2.73. Not really sure what my long term plans are for Grilli but I'm enjoying the Saves for now !
P - Craig Kimbrel - Originally selected as a keeper for $25 , I traded away Gio Gonzalez and Cody Allen on June 9th. Elite as you get, if you ignore the base runners allowed !
P - Matt Shoemaker - a P o D guy going off matchups via the 411 advice.
P - Brett Anderson - Another P O D guy, but was a good bet for his last start in a 6 inning W.

My bench is devised of both Hitters and Pitchers.
BN - 1B Mike Napoli - Looked amazing in Spring Training but hasn't looked the same hitter since. This could be two things , one, the pitchers didn't have the arm strength behind them yet or two - he's pressing, and trying too hard to replicate what we all know he's capable of. Perhaps Option C is in play and he's slowly becoming a Monday - Thursday guy . Either way, I paid $5 for him on draft day so could be a very cheap keeper, if he can turn the ship around.
BN OF - Michael Taylor - Nothing against players with their first name Mike, Taylor has fantastic short term value here with Jayson Werth on the shelf until the latter half of the season, and should contribute where Speed is scarce [at least for me].
BN SP - Steve Matz - Next in line for promotion for the Mets and is coming soon, should be shortly before the ASB.
BN SP Matt Moore - Returning from the DL in, maybe the next couple of weeks, Often a slightly rough time of it after returning from TJS [the three most feared letters in fantasy baseball] Moore has a high ceiling and I'll be hoping for an amount of wins in the second half with an ERA in the low 3.00's perhaps with a view to locking him up for 2016.
BN - SS Corey Seager - Stuck behind Jimmy Rollins in the pecking order, Seager might otherwise have been up already had he been in another organisation. When he does arrive, it should be for good and I'll be looking for a good average, speed and some power to show what he can do and should be a useful player upon his activation. Could he help provide the difference in Runs scored, RBIs and HR to bridge the gap remains to be seen, but he should at least contribute to at least two categories.

My Totals

Runs - 470 [need 4 more to have a share of first] Home Runs - 109 [Need 6 more for a top three berth] Runs Batted In - 423 [Need 15 more to have a share of third place] Stolen Bases - 75 [Already in the top three in this category, and have a lead of 3 over fourth place]. AVG - .2558 - Need to add at least .200 points to be competitive in this category, currently sit in 10th.

K's - 644 [Need 45 for a look inside the top 3] Wins - 43 [Need 5 more to re-enter the top 3, and have been in and out of it all season]. Saves - 50. [Need 12 to enter the top 3, but have had a run of saves over the last fortnight sending my team up to 6th and have a comfortable cushion of 12 over the team below]. ERA - 3.918 - Having fought with an ERA above 4 for much of the season, recent movement has seen it dip below that number for a stretch and I'm hoping it continues to fall and I'll need it to be around 3.450 to get a top three spot perhaps] Finally, WHIP - 1.330 [ The top three sits around 1.181 and lower so I'll need my pitchers to stop issuing as many base runners to really see it come down.

All in all, its pretty promising beginning to the season, in one I was projected [after the draft to finish 3rd] I still reckon I have a chance of accomplishing this, and I'm excited for every pitch to see where I inevitably end up.

I should also mention I have 2 players on the DL, Jacoby Ellsbury [whom I drafted for $29 is still my leading Base Stealer, despite being sidelined for over a month] and Matt Holliday who appears to be transitioning into a line drive hitter for good average rather than that of a power guy with middling average who I selected as my final keeper for $25. He was hitting over .300 before being placed on the DL.

Swing Betters, Swing [unless you're facing my pitchers] .