Monthly Archives: January 2012

The View From Row Z: Our Cups Runneth Over

beer

That's a tasty mess.

As if keeping up with the transfer deadline day insanity wasn’t enough already, there’s a huge glut of matches scheduled simultaneously this afternoon. You’re gonna need Picture in Picture in Picture in Picture (pat. pend.) to watch them all, or get your ass to a really good footie pub. Easier said than done on a Tuesday, right?

Anyway, I won’t comment much about the games themselves, but you’ll notice from the TV schedule we got from the internet that Chelsea and Swansea are apparently playing a doubleheader, with the second match to be played in Spanish. That should prove quite entertaining.

Keep this post handy as we’ll probably just leave it up for tomorrow’s action as well. Schedule below the jump.
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Manchester City Get Desperate

Tevez craigslist

This could work!

So it seems no one is interested in signing Carlitos Tevez. Inter and PSG backed off, and Milan went and signed Maxi Lopez out of frustration. With the prospect of the unhappy Argie returning to City’s training ground to claim his massive weekly wage bill for another six months, the sheikhs are trying a different approach.

Liverpool FC overestimates the market for drunken Geordies

For one of the best strikers in the world, this man could be yours.

Liverpool FC is special club. As one of the most successful teams in English history and home to one of the most passionate fan bases in the world, they think differently than most of their competition. That is how they have won 18 League Titles and 5 European Cups.

So when confronted by the trouble posed by an overpaid and underperforming striker like Andy Carroll, it is not a surprise that their approach is different than what you would typically expect.

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RIP, WPS. BRB?

Y u no care about performance on the field!?!?!

The word is circulating around the internets that the Women’s Professional Soccer league is suspending the 2012 season. No official announcement has been made by the league yet, but they’re expected to make a statement later this afternoon. The WPS owners sent out a league-wide email explaining the situation:

“Everyone has been trying so hard to keep things going – considering settlement options, discussing union legal action to intervene in the lawsuit, etc.,” reads the email, “but we just couldn’t manage to make things work.”

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The Rare “Two For the Price of One” Slide Tackle

This lulzy incident comes from yesterday’s rainy La Liga goalfest between Real Sociedad and Sporting Gijón. Sociedad thumped Sporting 5-1, but Sporting’s Alex Gálvez earned a measure of revenge by taking out Sociedad’s Carlos “The Hyena” Vela (remember him, Gooners?) and the linesman with a single tackle. I’m not sure Alex received a yellow card for this play, but he did finish the match with a yellow, regardless.

As diehard USA fans, we approve of Mexican players being slide-tackled into linesman whenever possible, but we’re glad this linesman survived the incident without injury.

The Halftime Pint: Belhaven Scottish Lager

One of the greater things about watching football in America is that most matches, especially those of the EPL, are early in the morning American time, giving people an excuse to daydrink.  This is the first post in a series that discusses exactly what to drink when you’re at the pub, presented by our resident homebrewer, Keith.

The beer:Belhaven Scottish Lager, Belhaven Brewery- Dunbar, Scotland, United Kingdom

credit: Belhaven Brewery, http://www.belhaven.co.uk

The pub: The Queen Vic, in Northeast DC (this is my “home pub” for most Villa matches, so you’ll see them here a lot)

What you need to know:  For most Americans, “lager” is exactly the kind of beer you grew up on, and lager is indeed the quintessential “cold one”- it’s fermented at 40 degrees rather than 65, and it’s meant to be super clear and crisp.

Lager is also the “entry beer” for most people who take the step up from American Light Lager (your Buds, your Rolling Rocks, your Rocky Mountain Runoff), as both the Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams) and Brooklyn Brewery (Brooklyn Lager) have become the standard “upgrade beer” at most sports bars.

Beyond those entry points, lager is a very diverse style, which Belhaven bear out in their approach to this beer. Continue reading →

A Twitter Account of ‘Arry’s Trial

Good ole ‘Arry is up to his tricks again. Rather than enlightening us with some unusual tactics, he is in court to stand trial for taxSomebody's been a bad boy evasion. While manager of Portsmouth, He has been accused of intentionally avoiding taxes on payments he received as rewards

for his service. Here at Four Five Two we pride our selves on sending journalists to the far reaches of the earth in search of stories, even if that means we have to sit in a courtroom with Harry Redknapp. We are pleased to provide you with a Twitter account of the previous weeks activities in court.

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Updated: Includes Sunday Shenanigans ! A View From Row Z: FA Cup Edition

Everton and Spurs have already advanced to the 5th round of the FA Cup with victories on Friday, now it is time for the rest of the matches. The big one this morning is of course Manchester United against Liverpool. Not that I’m biased or anything, but I’m rooting for United. We also have some hot Serie A action as well as Stoke playing “football”, or at least what they claim is football.

Update: For Sunday we have Arsenal against Aston Villa, Gooners try not to soil yourselves today

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Orr’s Serie A Weekend Preview

I don't know who this is, nor do I care.

While England is still putzing around with cup football, this weekend is all about the league in Italy.

The Coppa Italia semifinals were set midweek and when the tournament recommences February 8 we will be treated to two legs between top Serie A clubs Juventus and Milan and an intriguing battle between always entertaining Napoli and a real dark horse in newly promoted Siena.

And I’d be careful about penciling the Partenopei into the final just yet, as Siena proved they could hang by securing a 1-1 league draw last weekend. Pandev proved a shrewd loan signing again with the late equalizer for Napoli.

But with that competition out of the way, the focus turns swiftly back to a race for the Scudetto.

Last week saw a number of high-scoring matches, with Roma and Palermo each netting five and the current top 4 all taking care of business.

Fewer matches jump off the fixture list this round, but all that means is there will be plenty more chances for a shock or two. Continue reading →

FourFiveTwo Transfer Rumor Fun Time Explosion!

LADY MARY TO CHELSEA?! Well, I never...

Its the end of January, which means there’s more money and rumors flying around world football than an episode of Downton Abbey.
With more imaginary websites leaking bad ideas than an early 2000s Superbowl commercial, its hard to know where to turn. Well fret not friends. Like Robbie Fowler at a Wall Street Cocktail Hour, your long search is over. FourFiveTwo has all the imaginary transfer rumors you need and all the nonsense you can trust.

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