BLUE ORDER
While the preparation and energy that Everton fans put into protesting perceived corruption in the Premier League over the weekend was commendable, some people are finding it difficult to understand exactly what they are so unhappy about. Everton is a founding member of the Premier League. Everton broke Premier League rules. Everton admitted breaching Premier League rules. Everton were penalized for breaching Premier League rules. While Everton and their fans have a right to be angry about what they see as an overly punitive sanction, it does seem a little strange that they have decided that the organization that imposed it is “corrupt”. If anything, one could argue that the decision to hand one of its most established members a 10-point deduction is proof that the Premier League is demonstrably balanced and fair. Football Daily is reserving judgment for now until we see what happens if Manchester City are found guilty of any or all of the 115 charges of breaching the rules currently leveled against them.
Older, more jaded readers will recall that City claims to have irrefutable evidence proving her innocence, but is strangely reluctant to make it public for reasons known only to herself and her lawyers. On Saturday and Sunday, Sky Sports showed similar restraint, doing everything it could to avoid broadcasting images of Everton fan protest banners above the Etihad or in the stands at Goodison Park. They even went so far as to reduce and temporarily replace the angry crowd noise at Goodison Park to spare TV viewers the trauma of hearing dissatisfied fans shouting rude words. Fan anger is all well and good, it seems, unless it risks damaging the carefully cultivated Premier League brand.
Few Premier League spectators seethe with anger like Everton, and with everyone clearly out to get them, it was to be expected that their simmering discontent would spill over to the players who represent them on the pitch. Many had predicted an Everton win as Manchester United were in top form but out of form. What exactly no one had predicted was a potential goal from Alejandro Garnacho’s season candidate, whose astonishing acrobatic overhead howitzer three minutes after kick-off caused veritable scenes of delirium on the pitch and in the away game, as well as, as expected, boring comparisons with similar performances from other players of the ilk Buzzkills who apparently don’t appreciate a beautiful thing unless it’s obviously better than all the other beautiful things that have come before. “I honestly can’t believe it,” Garnacho said. “I didn’t see myself scoring, I just turned around and said ‘Oh my God’. But yeah, for me it’s obviously one of the best goals I’ve ever scored and I’m very happy.”
Despite this early setback, Everton recovered and should have equalized or even taken the lead when Ashley Young took the game beyond his own team by swinging a lazy leg in front of Anthony Martial in his own penalty area, bringing down the Frenchman. “The way the game is going is bizarre to me,” Sean Dyche growled in his long post-match groan about the entirely legitimate penalty awarded for a blatant foul by one of his team’s players. If club managers are happy to air such misguided and illegitimate complaints, is it any wonder that fans are willing to do the same?
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RIP TERRY VENABLES
Football mourned the death of Terry Venables this weekend, but across the country fans, pundits and players celebrated his life. Paul Hayward credits El Tel with saving English football from isolation, while Jonathan Liew remembers him as a football romantic who made every player feel like a star. His obituary for Richard Williams describes Venables as one of the brightest minds of his generation, while this wonderful photo gallery and video obituary offer an insight into the player, manager and personality who captured the hearts of the nation. And the Football Weekly podcast pays tribute to Venables here. RIP Terry, we will miss you.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“It always hurts to lose, but even more so when it happens like this and an unfortunate action limits the team’s options. Football is not forgiving, but it offers new possibilities. Our Wednesday is…let’s go!” – Sergio Ramos looks to quickly put his 29th career red card behind him by focusing on Sevilla’s upcoming Big Cup game against PSV. He’s so good at getting red cards that he’s actually been sent off twice. Something like that. His two yellow cards, which led to a first red card, were replaced by a straight red after a VAR intervention. He really is the master of taking an early bath. Take a look back at all of his shows here. Great stuff, Sergio!
For some reason I heard the subheading in this Big Website article in the voice of Alan Partridge. Anyway, for putting up the Christmas tree, for 96 euros, for being an expert and laughing and joking with Des at the cup final, for winning La Liga with Barcelona despite losing them in the last Having won only once in 24 seasons, for sticking to football heritage and being the last Spurs manager to win the FA Cup when the year ended with an A, and for managing Gazza, as far as anyone can do, Thanks for the reminder. RIP Terry Venables” – Noble Francis.
Pep Guardiola might do well to fear a trip to Sincil Bank (Friday’s News, Bits and Bobs) considering City have lost in their last two games that knock in 1997. To make matters worse, we also won the second leg at Maine Road. Ah, happy days. But if you try to tell that to young people these days, they won’t believe you” – Dr. Peter Stork.
I saw this on Big Website’s TV program (sounds like a good idea, maybe FD could do a football program!). If I don’t see Jonathan Wilson wall to wall I will be very disappointed” – Mark Bennett.
Send all letters to [email protected]. Today’s Letter of the Day winner is… Noble Francis, who gets his hands on a copy of Woman Up, by Carrie Dunn. We have more to give away, so start typing.
