1. Tribute of the day
On this day three years ago Robert Enke took his own life. The German Goalkeeper had travelled the world, with stops in Portugal, Spain and Turkey among the destinations. Depression can affect anyone, no matter their stature or position in the world. This isn’t a PSA, but we would do well to realize this illness is just as serious as its more sinister sounding cousins. RIP.
2. Champions of the day
Forget ‘the day’, try all of Asia! Ulsan Hyundai–their cars no longer suck– defeated Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli 3-0 in the Asian Champions League final. All the stars were there. Kwak Tae-hwi, Rafinha, Kim-Sung-yong –sheer class. Though I joke, this is a major accomplishment for a club that isn’t known for their regional dominance, or domestic prominence for that matter. Their last league win came in 2005. The squad is comprised of 36 South Korean nationals –only three players are from elsewhere. Ulsan’s ultimate prize is a spot in the FIFA Club World Cup, which takes place in December. As an FC Seoul supporter I wish a begrudging congratulations to our rivals. Well done.
3. Stat of the day
2 – Man Utd have come from two goals down to win on seven different occasions in the PL, with six of them away from home. Belief.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 10, 2012
The cardiac kids employ a 37-year-old midfielder in their starting lineup. Let the meme die.
4. Goal of the day
Juventus put the demise of their unbeaten streak behind them, thrashing Pescara 6-1 in the football equivalent of flipping the middle finger to the world. Kwadwo Asamoah’s bicycle kick was pretty dang sweet. Check it out.
5. Rant of the day
Ian Darke and Steve McManaman–brothers in destruction– are making it hard to watch games with the volume on. Yes, whining about the strength, or lack thereof, of commentary is beyond its expiry date, but seriously. Darke’s predictions are as reliable as the saps who thought Mitt Romney had a chance on Tuesday night. Macca, prone to rash hyperbole, trots out incredibly bold proclamations with glee. Enough is enough. Watch the game. Tell us why things happened. That’s it. Thank you.
Hi there,
Longterm follower of the Footyblog. Just thought I’d pass on this recent New York Times feature on the Indestructible Football Project. Definitely think it’s something you guys should share with your readers:
http://www.nytimes.com/video/2012/11/08/giving/100000001891050/constructing-the-indestructible-.html
Cheers and keep up the good work!
Thats crazy, Darke and Macca are pretty fun to listen to, farrrrrrrrrr better than the Hudson horror shows and such. Yeah, they banter maybe a tad much, but at least Macca will say sh*t play when he sees it, instead of everything being majesterial.
Ray Hudson is the single greatest commentator in the world… best poet of our time.