To show their appreciation for winning the 2008 European Championship, a beer company in Spain rewarded each member of La Selección, as the Spanish team is called, his weight in beer. So I figured here on the clipboard, we could give out our own football rewards, a pint at a time. Hold on – if anyone has done something that merits a reprimand, we’ll have to card ‘em. Know someone in the soccer world who’s been admirable? Then show some love in the comments and buy ‘em a pint! Grab a stool and don’t forget to tip the clipboard bartender.
A pint for Chelsea manager Luis Scolari. In Chelsea’s 1-1 tie against Manchester United in round 4 of the Prem, he refused to blame referees even though they did not allow Chelsea one last free kick from just outside the box in stoppage time. He called them “the boss” and pointed to the masterful play of both sides. I loved the way he avoided the lure from the media. I can see why Chelsea is delighted to have him at Stamford Bridge.
A red card for Newcastle United’s Danny Guthrie. He took a frustrated swipe at Hull City’s Craig Fagan and broke his leg. The replay showed no 
intention to play the ball. This was truly a reprehensible display by Guthrie. View the video of the vicious kick here, with the actual play coming in at eleven seconds and the replay at thirty seconds.
A red card for the English FA who gave Guthrie a meager three game ban. This is despicable concerning the severity of the injury. FA should have grown a pair and suspended Guthrie for as long as it takes Fagan to recover and return to play. Shame on you, England FA!
A pint for Hull City and its fans. Hull City has pulled off the improbable North London sweep, beating Arsenal 2-1 and Tottenham 1-0. This is the first time in their 104-year history that Hull is competing in top-flight football. From the games I’ve watched, their fans are as passionate as any other and are enjoying the ride. They have played in all levels of English football in the past five years and now are taking on and defeating England’s best clubs. They currently hold third in the league table which means they’d qualify for the Champions League next season. And I picked them to finish in dead last.
A red card for Japan’s National Team. They have taken the authority to call up midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura for a friendly against the United Arab Emirates and a World Cup qualifying match against fellow Asian group member Uzbekistan. This may pull the magical midfielder away from his Scottish club, Celtic, as they set to take on defending champion Manchester United in the Champions League just six days after Japan’s match with Uzbekistan. Japan already holds onto second in their group and probably do not need Nakamura to beat lowly Uzbekistan who has yet to score a goal in qualifying.
A pint for Inter Milan manager Jose Mourinho. He was criticized for giving his assistant media duties after a game. The native Portuguese lashed back stating his respect comes from the fact that he is trying to learn Italian so that he may better suit the Italian media. The assistant he hired is someone with a good past with the club and also fluent in Italian. I like this move and I like that he addressed it. He’s making a concerted effort to learn a new language while managing one of the best clubs in the world – lay off the guy and be patient.
A red card for Jose Mourinho. In the same interview, he said that the AC Milan and Inter Milan derby was just “a normal game.” Ugh… give me my pint back, Jose.
A pint for Dave’s Football Blog. I’ve made this blog a regular stop. It covers everything football, from our American version to many, many versions found in the UK and Australia. This site is the Left Field of soccer for me; I learn something new every time. His analysis and writing is both entertaining and informative. His current article, “Fiscal Responsiblity,” examines the financial state of the English Premier League. Truly great stuff on this site, no matter your football preference.
A red card for Bayern Munich manager Jürgen Klinsmann. The former German striker has Germany’s most dominant and successful club (over forty German trophies) sitting in eleventh place. I can’t say that I follow Bundesliga very closely, so I don’t know if it is his blame or not. I’m red carding him regardless because he chose to take the toughest job in Germany. He stepped down as the German National coach after a third place finish in the 2006 World Cup. Now he’s trying to lead his former club but is off to a rocky start. Be careful, Jürgen; don’t tarnish your legacy because you can’t maintain the same success as a coach.
Pints all around for the Zimbabwe National Team, The Warriors. They were recently eliminated from World Cup contention. I wrote about their hopes in possibly hosting some games and also examined the impact soccer may potentially have on a politically corrupt country. Here’s to the brave team members for playing on and continuing hope during a time of turmoil.
A red card for the Senegalese fans. After Senegal was eliminated from World Cup contention, fans stormed the FA headquarters and vandalized the building, even setting fire to a bus. They were restrained with tear gas; however, many important documents were stolen and damaged.
Pints all around for the U.S. National Team! They’re doing it with defense in World Cup qualifying, giving up their first goal in four matches against Cuba this past Saturday night. The younger players are looking primed and ready to step into the spotlight, especially (Glasgow) Rangers product DeMarcus Beasely, who scored twice against Cuba (U.S. won the match 6-1). So cheers to the American squad and godspeed in the final qualifying round and finding success in South Africa come 2010! Wait a minute – bartender? Just a Pepsi for Freddy Adu, please.
Rey
Thanks for yet another link to the world of the beautiful game. I enjoyed what I saw of the the US vs Cuba, and now that we have clinched a berth in the final qualifying round I see that Coach Bradley is calling in a larger number of MLS players and releasing many of his Europe-based players back to their clubs. This is where the early road victories during qualifying will really pay off in allowing these younger US-based players to gain some much-needed big game experience (while WE may not need to gain a result in these forthcoming games, our opponents certainly will, still making them big games).
Dang – I’m thirsty!
Muels – How confident are you in US goalkeeper Tim Howard? If you’ve seen him play, I’m assuming it’s in these qualifying games and international play. I’ve been watching him with Everton as well. He seems really off sometimes, and by off I guess I mean two things: off his line and off his game. He’ll make some really great saves and bail out his defense, then he’ll give up a goal that just seems like he should have had a better position on.
Thanks for pointing out the roster changes Bradley made. I haven’t seen much from Maurice Edu, formerly of Toronto FC I think but now with Rangers, and he’s on the roster. Both he and Freddy Adu should get some much needed time.
I am giving Everton a red card because they certainly don’t deserve a pint.
Somehow the Toffees have forgotten a match is 90:00 – plus stoppage time. They either – !. Give up early goals then roll over and play dead. 2. Give up early goals and make a frantic comeback that either comes up short or ends in a tie. 3. OR they score early only to allow the opposition back in the contest.
8 points in 7 matches? I am glad they didn’t qualify for the Champions League; that could have been embarrassing.
Rey- I am sorry to hear that Tim Howard is returning to his ways that got him sent to Everton from Man U in the first place. I am guessing that he has been focusing too much on his National Team duties and taking his club time for granted. I don’t know the current state of the Toffee roster, but if Tim is this busy it must be a bit weaker than the recent past. Maybe a break from the MNT will clear Howard’s head…
I agree with you on Everton, Casey. But we need to buy a pint for David Moyes. He just signed a five year extension today. He said he’s “determined to go forward” with the Everton. The guy has every reason to gripe and complain, but really hasn’t. Everton spent no money this summer when Moyes was calling for upgrades on defense.
I just don’t understand why they have these breakdowns. You have two defensive guys in Jolean Lescott and Josef Yobo who have recently had international CAPS. England called up Lescott and Yobo is a key player for Nigeria. Is it the middle of the defense? That seems to be where most of the goals have come. But I do give Moyes a ton of credit for not leaving. He has plenty of offers across the premier league.
I am giving a red card to the former ownership group of the Rochester Rhinos. Once upon a time Rochester was the crown jewel of the A-League and ascension into MLS appeared a foregone conclusion. The Rhinos consistently drew larger crowds to their games than some of the MLS teams. The Rhinos beat three MLS teams in winning the US Open Cup. Since then an ‘entertaining style of play’ has taken the place of a winning style. Attendance has dropped, and yesterday the MLS announced the names of seven cities bidding for two spots in the league – Vancouver, Montreal, Atlanta, Miami, Ottawa, St. Louis, and Portland, Oregon.
Good red card Casey. I’ll second that. I’ve read on another blog site that Nike is investing in USL division teams, but not into MLS. Seems strange.
Of those teams vying for an MLS franchise, you can eliminate Atlanta and Miami. There have already been two franchises in FLA that didn’t last in MLS. There is ZERO demand for soccer in the south.
I’ll revisit an old theory. PAETEC park was doomed from the beginning. How much do you blame on the placement of that stadium? I remember there being an argument for building in Greece. Why wouldn’t that have worked? Philly will be joining the MLS in 2010. Their team will be playing in nearby Chester, PA. Much more demand for soccer in the suburbs. Go where the youth programs flourish.