Premier League Review - Week 4 : 2008 / 2009 Season

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There was some fantastic football played this weekend in the Premier League, some surprise results and more than a little controversy and nastiness afoot as well.

Unfortunately I feel I have to deal with the contentious stuff first.

For me, the whole weekend's Premiership fixtures were overshadowed by three sendings off, and their aftermaths.

This is a little harsh on the likes of Hull, Arsenal & Chelsea because I should really be waffling on about their fine away performances in securing wins at Newcastle, Blackburn & Man City respectively.
More about the actual football later.

A tale of three sendings off...
First sending off of the day came at Anfield, where Nemanja Vidic was given his marching orders for two very definitely bookable offences.

No real complaints were given, and justice was done. Certainly to the impartial viewer.

Vidic will serve a deserved ban that prevents him facing Chelsea in Man Utd's next Premier League game.
No doubt Mr Ferguson will be voicing his displeasure to the player.

The second sending off came at St James's Park where Newcastle slipped deeper into turmoil with a defeat at the hands of visiting minnows Hull City.

Like I said before, we should really be talking about the football, but I feel more compelled to vent my spleen about the horrendous challenge by Newcastle's Danny Guthrie on Hull City forward Craig Fagan.

Fagan sits in plaster with a broken leg, possibly facing months out of his first Premiership season as I write this.
Guthrie was applauded from the pitch by Newcastle "fans" when making his way to the tunnel after a swift red card from the referee. Presumably, this was for getting "stuck in".

Hopefully, these fans will have seen the "challenge" later on the telly and been suitably ashamed of themselves.

Perhaps they can write in and tell us what they think of the incident.
If any of them can write.
Scroll down to the bottom and you can have your say, anonymously if you like.

Anyone that saw the horrific tackle/assault by Ben Thatcher on Mendes last season, must surely put this one in the same bracket. Despicable, cowardly, all sorts of adjectives really, but none of them good.

The FA panel however, have failed produce a suitably lengthy ban for this arsehole.
3 matches is all you get for deliberately breaking another players leg. Shocking.

The third sending off, if anything, made matters worse.
John Terry was sent off for what was basically a rugby tackle on Man City forward Jo. Terry, spotting the danger from Jo's bursting run, blatantly, having first tried to kick him, hauled down the City player and made absolutely no attempt to play the ball.

Referee Mark Halsey sent Terry off for Serious Foul Play, while all the pundits were still speculating as to whether Jo was through on goal, or denied a shooting chance.

If you watch the tv replays, you can actually lip read the ref saying that he's sending Terry off for serious foul play.

Fair enough ref, we can't argue with that, Terry was blatantly cheating and had to go.
I suppose it could have been deemed ungentlemanly conduct too, which also carries a red card tariff.

Unbelievably, Terry's red card was removed by an FA panel yesterday.
No punishment will stand, and consequently, no 3 match ban will be incurred.

I'm sure Mr Ferguson will be happy that Terry will be able to participate for Chelsea against Man Utd this weekend, whilst Vidic sits in the stands.

In these times of "Respect for Referees", (a policy ushered in by the FA), surely the idiots that run our game have dropped another almighty bollock.

The referee's decision was sound and was overruled.
How can that serve to respect the referee in this instance?
You've got to feel sorry for Halsey at he way he's been undermined.

Perhaps the FA think that the England Captain's profile would be damaged by having a red card to his name?
Perhaps the money men of Chelsea are getting preferential treatment?

Perhaps also, the FA panel could tell us how a rugby tackle is not serious foul play, or ungentlemanly conduct, or just plain cheating, and is not a sending off?

Perhaps they could also tell us what is a suitable red card offence?
Presumably booting the shit out of somene like Guthrie did is still ok for a red?
Perhaps they'll overturn that one if Newcastle appeal as well?

So to the football... Arsenal turned in another majestic performance to batter Blackburn at Ewood Park, with Adebayor getting himself a hat-trick to boot.

The Gunners have been improving steadily thus far, and seem destined to mount a challenge this year, on their most recent displays. Having said that they have already lost to Fulham.

Chelsea lead the way as they showed that relatively old money is always to be trusted more than brand new money as they came from behind to stroll to a 3-1 win at nouveau riche Manchester City.

Robinho scored a debut goal after his remarkbale move from Real Madrid and then had leisure to look around his teammates and wonder what he has let himself in for.

Carvalho, Fat Frank and former City employee Nicolas Anelka emphasised how far City have to go and even the sending off of John Terry, absolutely correctly in our opinion, failed to disrupt Chelsea's smooth progress to three points.

I suppose, by the way, that Anelka might just have been the type of "superstar" who would have jumped at City's new cash. Any chance of a return in January?

Liverpool are level on points at the top and will be "over the moon" after beating arch enemy Manchester United in the league for the first time in about a century. It looked bleak for the Merseyside Reds when Dimitar Berbatov set up Carlos Tevez for a third minute opener but, after dominating the opening quarter hour, United lost their way, lost control in midfield and ended up imploding at the back.

Wes Brown returned to his youth with an equalising own goal though most blame must go to Tin Man goalkeeper Edwin Van Der Sar. A deserved victory was sealed late on by Ryan Babel after an error by Ryan Giggs, who is surely now illegally past his sell by date.

This was Liverpool's most impressive performance thus far, achieved mainly without Gerrard and Torres, but they still haven't convinced anyone other than their own supporters that they are up for a genuine title challenge.

Hull City are in a remarkably high position and probably went to St. James Park at the best possible moment. If they were fortunate in that respect they certainly made the most of it and returned down the east coast with a well earned and fully deserved 2-1 victory.

Marlon King grabbed both goals for The Tigers with the Xisco Kid replying late on for Newcastle before everything was overshadowed by Guthrie's manic assault on Fagan late on.

Ironic that Fagan should get mugged in broad daylight, I suppose.

Jermain Defoe was again sharp for Portsmouth as his double gave his side a 2-1 win over Middlesbrough. 'Boro keep on looking good but will be worried about the points they are losing after taking the lead this season.

Fulham, who must have feared the worst after losing at Hull on the opening day, have now won their next two games after defeating Bolton 2-1 with goals from Zoltan Gera and Bobby Zamora.

Maybe the Hull-Fulham game wasn't the relegation battle everyone assumed and was really a Champions League six pointer instead. Fulham are probably also aggrieved at having to miss out on their trip to Old Trafford because of United's involvement in the European Super Cup piece of nonsense.

It will be a much tougher visit when they do now go there.

Wigan had Egyptian striker Amr Zaki to thank for a point at home to Sunderland after Titus Bramble had scored a trademark own goal. Bramble wasn't under undue pressure when he bulleted home a near post header and didn't look unduly concerned afterwards.

Just the thing to make a Sunderland fans' week complete really. Having had the St. James' Park debacle thrust in their faces all week long a Newcastle old boy then heads them into the lead. Happy days, as the Fonz might have said.

By the way, do you think that Fonzie ever got it on with Mrs Cunningham? I reckon he probably did. I know I would have if I'd been him.

Aston Villa made their start to the season a whole lot brighter with a 2-1 win at Tottenham which leaves the North London club rock bottom at the moment. Ashley Young and Nigel Reo-Coker were on target in a solid, progressive display that was in stark contrast to a Spurs side totally lacking cohesion.

West Brom earned their first win of the season after edging out West Ham 3-2. A seesaw first half saw the teams level at 2-2 with the issue being settled late on by a Chris Brunt goal after a much tighter second half.

The Sunday game saw two teams sitting in the relegation zone locking horns and Everton will have been relieved, in the end, to come away from Stoke with a 3-2 victory.

The win looked plain sailing as goals from Yakubu and Victor Anichebe had The Toffees two up early in the second half but someone had forgotten the tin helmets and Everton suffered badly under a blitz of Rory Delap long throws.

Seyi Olofinjana belted home a loose ball from one such bomb and then Phil Jagielka glanced one into his own net.

Everton were then denied a blatant penalty after the linesman correctly flagged for handball against Leon Cort but then persuaded the referee, who had already pointed to the spot, that the offence had taken place outside the box.

It had been a good two yards inside.

By the time Tim Cahill headed home the winner David Moyes was watching from the stand surrounded by the biggest stewards the city of Stoke could muster.

One final comment on Stoke boss Tony Pulis. He had the customary managers' moan afterwards about his side conceding from a set piece. Jesus Christ, Tony. Where would your side be if teams didn't concede goals from set pieces?

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