Last season I said that Matchday 4 was often a bit weird , so I didn’t like to bet on it.
I’m sure Arsenal will beat Fenerbahce because, as I’ve said already here, I think Fenerbahce are rubbish this season. But I won’t bet on it because I don’t know how Arsenal are going to defend or what their team will be.
Fabianski will play in goal and do well and keep his place for the rest of the season. Even if Arsenal lose the game, Fabianski must keep his place. He has the equipment to be a top keeper. Almunia hasn’t.
Have to agree with Wenger’s comments about the deliberate fouls on Adebayor and Walcott by Stoke players. Having seen replays, both challenges were malicious rather than clumsy.
Last night produced shock results like Barcelona 1 Basel 1.
Roma beat Chelsea 3-1 with two fantastic goals by Vucinic, a centre forward who last night looked like the second most artistic striker in Europe, after Berbatov. His first goal was a quality shot. His second came when Mikel gave him the ball and he raced away, beat Mikel again, and buried it for 3-0 in 58 minutes. When Vucinic is good he is very good. But if Carvalho had been playing, Panucci would not have scored that first goal.
Anelka worked harder than I’ve ever seen him work in any game. Silly Spanish ref Medina sent Deco off for taking a quick free-kick. Medina is a prat, always has been. John Terry got a late consolation.
At Anfield, Maxi Rodriguez fired in a superb early goal and Stevie G equalised with a late penalty in 95.
He went for a 50-50 ball in the air in the box, just got there first, the defender collided with him, and the linesman gave the softest penalty of the season so far.
Kenny Dalglish was on the Sky panel with Trevor Francis and Jamie Redknapp and it was marvellous to see him again. He knows football. Before the games started, Kenny said that he didn’t rate Inter, as they had no pace. Inter drew 3-3 in Nicosia against Anorthis Famagusta, after disgraceful defending .
When I worked as the London football writer for The Scotsman, Kenny baffled English reporters with his Glaswegian accent and his dour humour. Many journalists were scared of him. But I understood what he was saying (and not saying) and he often made me smile. He is still hard to impress. I used to have long late-night phone conversations with my first sports editor in Edinburgh, who said Kenny was a troglodyte. I laughed and said, “You’re right, he’s a caveman in a £1,000 suit.”
Kenny Dalglish was the finest British footballer to come along since George Best. Amazingly, in his autobiography he says he lacked confidence.He went through a sensational playing career thinking he wasn’t good enough.
On Monday my brother told me that Jeb Bush had said, “Vote early and vote often. Remember, this is Florida. “
I’m not 100% sure that Jeb said that. But I wouldn’t be surprised, given what goes on in US Elections. Barack Obama is a smart Chicago lawyer who’s made a lot of deals to get where he is today. If he becomes president, he has to pay people back. The world needs a decent US President and he might be one. He will face really huge challenges.
At half-past midnight GMT, my bedtime, we don’t know how it will go. The power elite are ruthless cheats and greedheads. And the people who own the USA don’t appear on TV. However, we in the UK can’t believe that Americans will elect dysfunctional robot John McCain and his ridiculous running mate from Alaska. A vote for McCain is a vote for torture and rich people and pre-emptive strikes and the military-industrial complex.
But my advice to ANR readers would be : Don’t expect too much from any American lawyer.