Hleb Club for Men, Reading crashes the party, and another season is off!
Another EPL season and a fine start for the Gunners, picking up 3 points at the Emirates with a 2-1 win over Fulham Sunday, thanks to goals from Van Persie and Alex Hleb. A few weeks ago, Alex Hleb said he wanted to score 10 goals this season – a right lofty goal for someone who has only scored a half dozen in the past 2. But if Sunday was any indication, Hleb might just be able to do it. He scored a beauty in stoppage and nullified the worst keeper mistake I’ve seen Lehmann make in a long time. Seriously, I could have handled that ball better than he did. It was shocking considering the experience he has. Opening day jitters? I sure hope so or else it is going to be a loooong season with plenty of breath holding whenever I see the ball being shuffled back towards him.
I was only able to catch the highlights from the game, so I can’t give a lengthy analysis, but according to Arseblog, it sounds like this seasons Gunners have picked up from last season with lots of chances, but no finish. Hope that is only a temporary thing.
The game I did get to watch was Reading pulling off the unthinkable and emerge from Old Trafford with a point against the mighty ManU. Despite playing the last 15 a man down, Reading held United off the sheet. I can’t remember the last time ManU didn’t score a goal at home. And they have lost Rooney for 2 months with yet another broken metatarsal. The kid has got to get better shoes. Oh, and check out this photo on the BBC site. It would make a great poster for Rooney fans on your Christmas list. I count 7 Reading players to one Wayne Rooney.
Other notes from opening weekend. Chelsea gave up 2 (another really rare thing), but still managed to beat Birmingham 3-2, Liverpool got off on a winning foot beating Aston Villa 2-1 thanks to a real cracker of a goal by Steven Gerrard.
Speaking of cracking goals, how about Obafemi Martins strike for Newcastle against Bolton? A classic backwards over the head number that will be on many highlight reels at the end of the season. As much as I hated Bolton for the past number of years, I have to admit Big Sam is a fantastic manager and I expect this season will be one of the more positive in recent years for the Magpies. A 3-1 win at the Reebok against his former club has to be pretty much the perfect start of the season for Big Sam.
2 other managers that had great weekends were Sven Goran-Erickson and future ManU…I mean, current Sunderland manager Roy Keane. Sven has made some big changes at Man City and it showed as they beat West Ham 2-0. And a last gasp strike by Michael Chopra gave Roy Keane his first Prem victory as Sunderland beat Spurs 1-0.
On the TV coverage front. Despite having fewer games to choose from on the sports channels this year, I was still quite pleased to see how much EPL coverage I was able to get over the weekend, particularly on The Score. Seemed like everytime I tuned in there were EPL highlights running. And, of course, the Sunday ManU Reading game. But those damn CRTC requirements that they have to run the ticker during the game and have those annoying updates every 15 minutes really got to me. I know there is nothing The Score can do about them, but it was still annoying as hell.
Glad you were moderatley appeased by the EPL coverage on the weekend, but I can't let it go.
On the positive side, or the increasingly confusing side Sportsnet seems to bought the rights for the 10AM Saturday game and the mystery channel is broadcasting the rest for free through September. Promising 6 to 10 games a week.
But and it is a big BUT! After the free period it will be $14.99 a month with a 4 month commitment. That is outrageous.
I would like to suggest nobody picks it up. Suffer through two games a week until they lower the price or give up all together.
Still pissed in Ottawa.