Saturday, April 29, 2006

The most exciting year in British football?

Is it possible this has been the most exciting year in British football? Around October, the press were complaining about the stale quality of the matches, remarking the numerous 'bore draws', i.e. 0-0 results that didn't really produce any real incidents, including Roy Keane's last match for Man. Utd. against Liverpool.
It has become strangely unpredictable since then however.
Even before that, the European competitions were throwing up all sorts of upsets. Who would have ever predicted a Welsh English derby in the Champions League, with TNS Solutions playing Liverpool? Everton's heroics last year to earn them a place in the Champions League, was cruelly rewarded with a tough draw against Villareal, and then more tough opposition in the UEFA cup qualifiers. Celtic's early exit from the Champion's League to the unheard of Artsmedia Bratislava, (who many quipped sounded more like an advertising company, or university course than a football team), probably spurned Rangers on to being the first Scottish team to emerge from the group stage of the competition, again twarted by Villareal. In the actual competition Liverpool and Chelsea were drawn together in the same group, and both qualified, much to the envy of Man Utd, who were the second British victims of Villareal, when they finished last in their group, thus not even having the consolation of the UEFA cup.
Domestically, in England, Chelsea looked set to run away with the Premiership by Christmas, but in the end up, they only won it with two games to spare.
Wigan, who five years ago, were in the third league, have maintained a top-half position throughout the season, and put on a spirited performance in the League Cup Final.
The F.A. Cup has also gone the way of the romantics, with West Ham making it to the Final, and Liverpool's defeat of Chelsea put the thoughts of a double to the dumpyard.
In the Scottish Cup, Celtic were knocked out of the third round by Clyde, and their Old Firm rivals Rangers didn't even get to the quarter finals. The two big Edinburgh battled it out for the place in the final, and their opponents are Second Division Gretna.
Despite Hearts disgraceful record of employment with their managers this season, they are still clinging on to the second Champion's League spot.
Middlesbrough having twice scored the four goals that they needed have got through to the UEFA Cup final, and Arsenal's team of youngster's have pushed aside a who's who of Europeaen football to make the Champion's League final, setting a record of clean sheets in the competition while they're at it.
So, potentially, should the two English sides win the European cups, every cup that's available to British clubs, with the exception of the Scottish League Cup, will be going to a different team.
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Of course, I failed to mention the Championship, which was won by Top-Flight virgins Reading, who have broken a series of records by winning it. The earliest team to ever secure promotion to the Premiership, and this weekend set a new points record of 106, after defeating Q.P.R. on the last day of the season.

1 comment:

James said...

The international tournaments are never a true indication of world football. The Prima Donna players don't bother showing up, leaving it to the passionate smaller nations to cause upsets.
Brazil are the exception to this rule because of the sheer depth of their pool of players. If any of the big names don't perform, they know that there is three more players who coud fill their role.