AVB Sacked.......Again.

Another London club has proved too much for AVB. (telegraph.co.uk)

It's tempting to just write up a generic "AVB got sacked" entry and just cut and paste in the details.  Ok, I'm kidding, actually I'm not really.  Spurs have finally had enough of the AVB fad, sacking him just one day after Spurs were humiliated by Liverpool 0-5 at White Hart Lane.  Couple that with a 6-0 beating by City a few weeks ago, and it spelled the end for a man who has now been canned by two big London clubs.

Honestly though, I think AVB was a better fit for Spurs than he was at Chelsea.  I also thought he seemed to have learned from his time at the Bridge as well.  Let's not forget that Spurs had a pretty solid season under him last year, and seemed to be rounding more into form in the Premier League this year as well, at least until the Liverpool thrashing.  Spurs had also won their Europa League group.

Now it seems rather odd that a Chelsea supporter would be coming to the defense of AVB at all, but this just seems like a reactionary move from Spurs.  It's been an odd season in the EPL, just look at the table.  Sure, Spurs are 7th, but they're ahead of Man United.  Also, let's not forget that this team lost Gareth Bale, who is a pretty good player or something.  Villas-Boas and Spurs ownership turned that money right around and invested it in bringing in some pretty nice talent, but they don't seem to have quite gelled all the way.  The question that Spurs fans have to be thinking this morning is: did they have enough time to gel completely?

The other question I have as far as the situation goes is, "Who are you going to get for an upgrade at this point in the season?"  Sky Sports names Russia boss Fabio Capello as the favorite, though if I'm a Spurs fan I'm not sure I'd be all that excited about that either.  USA head man Jurgen Klinsmann has been mentioned, but as he has just signed a new contract, it's unlikely that he'll be seriously in the running.  Klinsmann was a striker for Spurs back in his playing days.

It's pretty rough for AVB though.  Even Harry Redknapp, who knows a thing or two about being sacked by Spurs, had said that he thinks that Villas-Boas should have gotten more time.  In the end, I guess somebody's head had to roll after the Liverpool match, but I wonder if more change for Spurs is really the best thing for them at this time.

EPL Final Sunday 2013: Chelsea, Arsenal Clinch UCL spots.

Demba Ba and Chelsea clinched 3rd place with a win over Everton (Getty Images)

Today was the last day of the 2012-2013 EPL season.  It's always sad to see the league wrap up another campaign, and it's bittersweet for some people this year as retirements and changes in TV contract rights will really change how we, here in the US, see the league next year.  More on that later, let's talk about today's pertinent action.

Often the final Sunday is called "Survival Sunday" as teams scrap to escape relegation.  That wasn't the case this year.  QPR and Reading have been relegated for a few weeks now, and Wigan joined them with a loss to Arsenal last Tuesday.  Last year we fans were spoiled as the EPL title came down to pretty much the last kick of the season as Manchester City came from behind to steal the title from United.  This year, the Red Devils put that to rest weeks ago. 

That doesn't mean that there wasn't anything to play for today though.  There was a lot of pride and a lot of MONEY on the line as three teams, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Tottenham battled for the final two UEFA Champions League places.  Chelsea were pretty much through, but Spurs needed a win and some help from the Gunners to climb into fourth.  The Gunners had qualified for the Champions League every year under Arsene Wenger, and were keen to keep that streak alive.  There was also the possibility of Chelsea and Arsenal having a one game playoff to decide 3rd place, as they were so close on both points and goal difference.  In the end, that wasn't needed.

All Chelsea needed to do to avoid that fate was win.  That wasn't going to be an easy task as they hosted Everton, who were playing their last match with David Moyes in charge.  Juan Mata gave the Blues the lead on 7 minutes, but Everton bounced back later with a goal from Steven Naismith in minute 14.  The game remained deadlocked late, with the specter of the playoff hanging over Stamford Bridge.  Then Fernando Torres punched in a goal in minute 76 to cement the newly minted Europa League Winners in third place.

Third place is important because the winner goes straight to the Champions League group stage, and Arsenal were shooting for that as well as just trying to hold off a late charge from Tottenham into fourth.  The Gunners visited Sports Direct Arena to face a lowly Newcastle squad who had every reason to already be on the golf course.  Newcastle did put up a fight though, and played better than they have of late.  It wasn't enough though as Laurent Koscielny scored in the 55th minute to give the Gunners the only goal they would need on the day.

All of Sunday's matches ran concurrently though, so with the matches being close, tension was still high.  Spurs needed the three points against Sunderland to even have a prayer at joining the Champions League, plus they needed Arsenal to lose or draw.  Spurs left it late as Gareth Bale hit a wonder strike to give them a 1-0 win at White Heart Lane, however with Arsenal's win, the Spurs face another season in the the gauntlet that is the Europa League.

So here's how things shape up now that all is said and done:

Champions League Group Stage--
Manchester United (Champions)
Manchester City
Chelsea

Champions League Playoff Qualification--
Arsenal

Europa League--
Swansea City (League Cup Champions)
Wigan (FA Cup Champions)
Tottenham Hotspur (5th Place Finish in the Premier League)

Relegation:
Wigan
Reading (promoted this year)
Queens Park Rangers (QPR finish in last place).

Promoted to EPL:
Cardiff City (Championship winners)
Hull City (Championship Runner-up)
Watford OR Crystal Palace (TBD by playoff at Wembley on 27 May).

So there it is folks.  Congrats again to United and Sir Alex on a great career.

Next year fans in the USA will being seeing the league covered by a different network for the first time in a long time.  NBC Sports was awarded the broadcast rights earlier this year in a move that was a big blow to the current holders: Fox Soccer and ESPN.  I'll miss Ian Darke's call on ESPN, but I'm very glad Gus Johnson won't be torturing any more Premier League matches on Fox.

Check back later this week for the Puddle's season review, and don't forget, only 90 days til next year!

Tottenham Fans Attacked in Rome

Italian Police at the scene where Spurs fans were attacked in Rome. (EPA)

Tottenham and their fans will have heavy hearts during their Europa League match against Lazio today after five Spurs fans were injured during an attack by Lazio "ultras" overnight.  The trouble occurred at the "Drunken Ship Pub" In Rome's Campo De Fiori square at approximately 1 AM local time.

The proprietor described the pub as being full of about 30 Spurs fans at the time, most of them between the ages of 40 and 50 and were "quite well behaved."  Shortly after 1 about 50 assailants arrived at the pub, wielding knives, baseball bats, clubs, rocks, and knuckle dusters, among other things.  They beat and chased the Spurs fans into a local street where one fan, identified as Mr. Ashley Mills was "hit with a knife."  As of this morning Mills was still "seriously ill" in a Rome hospital.  The attackers dispersed before the police arrived.

Witnesses describe the attack as having antisemitic tones, as the attackers, dressed in scooter helmets and scarves, were shouting "Jews" at the Spurs fans.  According to the Daily Mail UK, Lazio fans are often right wing types who often use fascist slogans and salutes at their matches.  Spurs supporters are often called the "Yid Army" due to their large Jewish following in North London.

British authorities were said to be monitoring the investigation and confirmed that there will be additional security at the Europa League match between Spurs and Lazio.  The club put the number of injured at 9, and was working with British and Italian Police to investigate and assure their supporters' safety.  Spurs supporters were urged to take shuttle buses to and from the match.

The Ultras also trashed the pub before dispersing, leaving much of the equipment and furniture damaged beyond repair.  For their part, Lazio have denied that their supporters were responsible for the attack.  The Drunken Ship Pub is the same place where three Middlesbrough fans were stabbed during a visit to the city in 2006.

Dempsey Scores as Spurs Top United

Clint Dempsey tallied the match winner for Spurs (Action Images)

It's safe to say that things did not go according to script for Manchester United today as they lost at Old Trafford for the first time in the calendar year.  Ultimately a lackluster defensive effort in the first half led to their downfall to a surging Tottenham side.

In the opening minute it looked the like the match would be off to a tentative to start with both sides probing around the edges of the midfield.  However in the second minute Spurs conjured a goal seemingly out of nothing.  Jan Vertonghen took a ball from Gareth Bale and charged into the United penalty area almost totally unchallenged.  In the end he fired off a low shot that took a slight deflection off a United player and nestled in the bottom corner for a 0-1 lead.

One might think that conceding a goal so early at home might prod United into action.  That didn't happen though.  The Red Devils sniped around the edge of the Spurs area a couple times, and had a couple of half hearted shouts for penalties, but that was about it.  They continued in a lull and it cost them.  In the 32nd minute Bale took a ball from midfield and ran into the United box, drifting a lazy right footed shot toward the far post.  The 'keeper had no chance at the angle and the ball dribbled over the line to give Spurs the 0-2 advantage going into halftime.

The second half started in an absolute flurry as Sir Alex had likely given his team the blow dryer treatment at halftime.  Truth be told, he probably came across more like an army of blow dryers.  He also inserted Wayne Rooney into the match, which paid off almost immediately.  In the 51st minute Rooney sent a gorgeous cross into the six where Nani was waiting to knock it home from close range and cut the lead to 1-2.

But before United could even think about trying to pull level, Tottenham restored their 2 goal lead.  In the 52nd minute Gareth Bale once again torched the United defense getting free and sending a low blast in on Anders Lindegaard.  The United keeper saved the shot, but gave up a rebound that fell right to an onrushing Clint Dempsey who banged the shot into the open net to make it 1-3.  It was the American's first goal for Spurs.

United weren't about to lay down though, and they fought right back. In the 53rd minute Robin Van Persie slipped a through ball to Shinji Kagawa, and the former Dortmund man put it just into the lower right corner of the goal to make it 2-3.

United were never able to get the equalizer though.  Their best chance came in the 61st minute when Wayne Rooney stepped over a free kick in a dangerous situation.  He seemed to have Brad Friedel beaten on the shot, but it clanged off the post and out of danger as Spurs held on to the 2-3 win.

The win is Spurs first at Old Trafford since 1989, and was their first win over United since 2001.

Bale Reups With Tottenham

Tottenham's Gareth Bale (guardian.co.uk)

Spurs fans got a bit of welcome news today in an off season full of trouble.  Wales international Gareth Bale has signed a new deal with the club that will keep him in a Spurs kit until 2016.  The winger has been at Tottenham for the last 5 years, and has been in the Premier League's team of the year the last two seasons.  This last year he was also named in UEFA's team of the year.

The move should put Spurs fans at ease at least for awhile.  Manager Harry Redknapp was sacked by the club a couple of weeks back after missing out on the Champion's League due to Chelsea winning this year's competition.  Several clubs were apparently in for Bale himself this summer both from England and throughout Europe.  They'll feel even better if their new manager is able to get Luka Modric to stay put, as the Croatian star has been linked to a move to Real Madrid

Bale told Tottenham's website:

"I love the club and the fans and I want to play my part in trying to get us back into the Champions League - where we belong. "We have a good, young squad and we need to work together to get back on the biggest stage."

Bale originally came to Spurs on a  £7million signing from Southampton.  He has scored 29 goals in 160 matches for the club.

Puddle's Deadline Day Roundup: January 2012

THE BRITISH TRANSFER WINDOW CLOSED AT 11 pm (gmt)


This time last year the football blogs and shows were buzzing with the likes of transfers from Luis Suarez, Fernando Torres, and Andy Carroll. We really didn't see a lot of movement from superstar names today, but some good snatches of guys who are probably right under that top tier. Here's my take on just a few of the moves, and non-moves.

QPR sign Cisse and Zamora--
Nobody would question the fact that QPR intended to load up once they hired the ambitious Mark Hughes as manager. That turns out to be exactly what they did. In total they brought in 6 players during the window, making them the most active EPL team. On deadline day they brought in Djibril Cisse from Lazio, where he had just landed over the summer. They completed their new strike force by signing Bobby Zamora away from Fulham about 20 minutes before the deadline expired. I like the Zamora move, Cisse is a bit of a gamble I think. He was not having a good year at Lazio. Of course, it's a lot harder to score goals in Italy. Will these moves keep QPR up? Signs point to yes.

Everton sign Jelavic, get Pienaar on loan--
Toffees fans were heartened at the end of the transfer window as Everton put the finishing touches on two deadline day deals. First they signed away striker Nikica Jelavic from Glasgow Rangers, who was leading the SPL in scoring. Right at the death of the deadline, they also got Steven Pienaar back from Spurs on a loan deal to the end of the year. Put these with the arrival of Gibson earlier in the window, and you've got some real solid moves. Too bad they have to send Landon Donovan back.

Spurs acquire Saha, dump Pavlyuchenko--
Probably the surprise move of the day was Tottenham acquiring Louis Saha from Everton. This is rumored to be part of the deal that sent Pienaar back to Everton on loan. They also got rid of want-away Roman Pavlyuchenko, who made his way to Lokomotiv Moscow. Saha's body and confidence are about as fragile as a Fabrege egg, as Everton supportes will attest to, so we'll see what happens on this. Could be a shrewd pick up.

Chelsea sign Belgian international De Bruyne--
In the earliest of the deadline day deals, Chelsea announced that they had finally succeeded in signing Belgian International winger Kevin De Bruyne from Genk. This appears to be a deal more for the future, as Chelsea immediately loaned him right back to Genk for the rest of the season.

No big EPL names to MLS--
I had to throw this in here because the MLS rumor mill has bugged the living crap out of me all month, probably because I'm a Chelsea fan. The biggest rumors concerned folks like Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard coming to play for the Galaxy. Now of course that got a lot less likely once Beckham re-signed, but still. Our league seems to delight in connecting every aging Euro star to MLS, and it annoys me. We need to be less of a retirement home and develop more of our own talent. that being said, Portland did acquire former Rangers man Kris Boyd, but as I pointed out on the twitter feed yesterday, Boyd had only 12 goals since leaving Glasgow, where he had better people around him than he will in Portland, so I'm not keen on handing any trophies the Timbers' way just yet.

Carlos Tevez stays put, still playing golf--
The biggest name actually up for grabs this month was City malcontent Carlos Tevez, who hasn't played hardly at all for the Citizens. A deal was almost reached with AC Milan earlier this month, then Inter Milan joined the fray as well. However, the window closed in Italy at 7 PM Italian time and no move had been made. Later on there was a twitter hoax as someone tweeting as Aston Villa's official twitter confirmed that Villa had signed him and Florent Malouda from Chelsea. Malouda is still with Chelsea, Tevez is still playing golf, and Villa fans are bent out of shape.

Of course many more moves were made on deadline day, and there were about 89 million dollars spent (USA) in England. However, the window has now slammed shut, and teams will have to play their hands for the rest of the season.

Puddle's Goal of the Midweek: Assou-Ekotto Blast vs Everton

Great live fan vid from the ground of Assou Ekotto's GOLAZO against Everton. The deflection it took off of Cahill did make matters easier for Howard either.

EPL: Tottenham vs. Everton

Tottenham hasn't had the best of luck in recent times against Everton, with only one victory in their last nine coming in. However, I think everybody would agree that this is a different Spurs side. They've been on fire, and they didn't let up against the Toffees.

Ironically, Everton's best chance of the match came in the very first minute to Louis Saha. The Frenchman jumped on a slight miscue from the Spurs defense and looked poised to challenge Brad Friedel in net. Unfortuantely for Everton, Saha flubbed the shot and watched it trickle harmlessly wide of the post.

After that Tottenham took control of what was to end up being a possession oriented match. Neither side really created a ton of chances in the first half, but for the most part Spurs controlled the ball and the tempo.

Everton finally picked up steam again a little bit around the half hour mark. In the 32nd minute Louis Saha took a rather indulgent shot toward goal that missed yet again. Had he looked up, he would have found teammates in better positions. In the 34th Landon Donovan tried his luck, but watched his shot float harmlessly well over the bar. All in all it was a lackluster day for the American.

Those misses came back to plague Everton just a minute later. A major defensive mistake by Leighton Baines let the speedy Aaron Lennon in at goal. With a clever move the Spurs' midfielder wrong footed Tim Howard and dropped the ball into the net to make it 1-0. That was also our halftime result.

Everton came out fighting again in the second half. Say what you want about David Moyes' men, but they never quit. Saha had a shot blocked in the 54th minute, and Fellaini watched a header fly over the bar in the 58th. He really should have done better with it.

In the 63rd minute Spurs iced the points. From about the 55th minute on you could feel them steadily turning up the heat on Everton. The 2nd goal came from an unexpected source though. Benoit Assou-Ekotto blasted a strike at goal that lasered past Tim Howard to make it 2-0. Howard never had much of a chance on it in the first place, but it did take a deflection off of Tim Cahill that made it all the more difficult. Great goal though.

With a little under ten minutes to ago, Everton appealed to the referee to try and get them back in it via a penalty kick. Younes Kaboul brought Royston Drenthe down in the box with a touch of contact as he sped toward goal, but referee Martin Atkinson was not interested and the match ended with the 2-0 score.

This one was a really tough loss for Everton, who played their guts out, like usual. It's unfortunate for them because they have zero offense. I'm sorry, but Louis Saha couldn't hit a house wall from two yards out. It's just not working for him. Donovan didn't do much either. It's too bad Moyes doesn't have some money to spend.

The win puts Tottenham in a great position though. The 3 points put them right there with United and just behind City. The only problem I might see for Spurs is depth. They play a lot of the same guys week in and week out, and one wonders if that might come back to haunt them in the later stages of the title race.

EPL: Norwich vs. Tottenham

About this time last season, those of us that watch the Barclay's Premier League were witnessing the curious case of Blackpool, newly promoted from the Championship and still hanging around the top half of the table come the festive period. Well, we all know how that turned out, unfortunately for the Tangerines.

This season all three of the promoted squads have done alright. QPR has the money a their disposal to try to buy the players to stay up. Swansea has been junk on the road but in very good form at home in Wales. Norwich has played pretty much everybody tough and has garnered my respect as an EPL fan.

This match against Tottenham was always going to be tough though. You'd really be hard pressed to find an EPL side in better form coming than Spurs, and they certainly flexed their muscles against the Canaries, or at least Gareth Bale did. To say that the Spurs really controlled the match would not really be an understatement, they had the possession and the chances.

Norwich fought hard, but really had a hard time getting chances from what possession they did get. Their best chance of the first half came on 16 minutes as David Fox smacked a line drive on goal, only to be easily corralled by Brad Friedel.

The two sides emerged from the half time break still level at nil-nil. That's when Gareth Bale took over. His first goal came on 55 minutes as he took a ball from Adebayor in the center of the area and slotted it home to give Spurs the 0-1 lead. Then in the 67th minute, he put the final nail in the coffin, breaking away after a through ball from Modric and outrunning everyone on the pitch. He beat the 'keeper and put in the back of the Canary net to make it 0-2.

That was more than enough for Spurs. Norwich just could not fashion a real quality chance to save their lives and Tottenham held on for the 0-2 win, giving them an even bigger hold on one of the Champions League spots.

EPL: Fulham vs. Tottenham Hotspur

This is one of those matches that the score line just doesn't do justice. Initially, I had my doubts about getting up early to catch it, but I'm glad I did.

Fulham got off to a bright start, getting a lot of possession and controlling the flow of the match. However the best chances and the only two goals of the first half belonged to Spurs. In the 10th minute Mark Schwarzer pushed an Aaron Lennon pass away to the side, but Gareth Bale sliced it back toward the goal where it deflected into the net off of a Fulham defender. The goal was credited to Bale.

Spurs struck again in first half stoppage time, with Aaron Lennon again involved. This time he slashed his own way into the penalty area and slotted home the second goal to give Spurs the 0-2 lead at half time.

The second half was pretty much all Fulham, and was great fun to watch. They poured chance after chance and shot after shot in at the Spurs defense and Brad Friedel. Their first break of the match came in the 57th minute when during a scrum off of a corner kick Ledley King headed the ball off the back of Younes Kaboul and into the Spurs net, that made it 1-2.

The own goal just energized Fulham even more, as Friedel was forced to make save after save into the match's final minutes. At one point, Clint Dempsey worked his way around Friedel and put the ball in for what looked like a sure equalizer, only to have it cleared at the last second by King.

In second half stoppage time Fulham ended up feeling very hard done by. In yet another scrum in front of the Spurs goal, Kyle Walker clearly handled the ball and Fulham should have had a penalty kick to try and equalize, but it wasn't given. In the end, substitue Jermaine Defoe broke loose toward Schwarzer's goal and slotted home the Spurs' 3rd on virtually the last kick of the game. The full time result was 1-3 to Tottenham.

The result puts Spurs just out of the Champion's League spots on goal difference.

EPL: Tottenham vs. Arsenal

Coming into this year's first edition of the North London Derby, it looked like these two teams were going in different directions. Spurs, after a horrid start, had won their last two EPL matches. Arsenal were not quite ready to pull out of a slow start, despite winning their last three in all competitions.

No matter what the form of the two sides is, these matches are almost always competitive, and this one was no exception. Most of the possession and indeed the midfield battle belonged to the Gunners in the first half, even though Spurs created most of the better chances. Unfortunately for Arsenal, their defense continues to have communication issues. Scott Parker got a chance in the 7th minute after some defensive bungling, but in the end his shot was on target but not much of a test for Szczesny. Rafael Van der Vaart had nice look in the 28th, but his cheeky shot was again saved by the Arsenal 'keeper.

The Gunners did have their chances in the first half though. The best of these chances came in the 29th minute. Szczesny triggered a counter after the Van der Vaart shot that found Gervinho with a great look at a semi empty Spurs net. However, the new Arsenal signing somehow bungled his shot wide.

In the 40th minute Spurs finally got on the board, making Arsenal pay for having the possession but not chances. They came down on a counter and totally sliced open the Arsenal defense and it resulted in Van der Vaart slotting home a goal to make it 1-0. There was a talking point here though as the Dutchman appeared to handle the ball as he was bringing it down. The goal stood though and Spurs led 1-0 at the half.

Arsenal came out determined to answer in the second half. Whatever Wenger said to them at the break seemed to help. In the 52nd minute Aaron Ramsey, who had been atrocious for the whole match, took a nice low cross from Alex song and put it past Friedel to knot the match at 1-1, and it looked to be game on.

Unfortunately for Arsenal though, it wasn't. That was about the last thing they had to cheer about. Spurs continued the attack and took the lead for good in the 73rd minute as fullback Kyle Walker slammed home a golazo from outside the 18 to make it 2-1. Arsenal never really got much going after that, and Spurs held on to the 2-1 win to move closer to the top of the table and send Arsenal reeling back toward the relegation zone. Poor performance really from the Gunners.

EPL: Manchester United vs.Tottenham

Ok, now it's time to talk about the other team that had their opener called off because of the London riots: Tottenham. They were probably wishing they would have had a match under their belts before having to travel to Old Trafford to take on United. They're also having their share of internal troubles as well. Chelsea has been trying to buy Luka Modric all transfer season. Looks like Modric has had enough of Tottenham's refusal to sell him, as he didn't even make the trip to Manchester. Depending on which media report you read, either he's on strike or he's so pissed off that he's not in the state to play. Either way it's ugly. Peter Crouch wasn't in the squad either, fueling rumors that he might move before the end of the transfer window.

As for this match, Spurs gave United pretty much all they could handle for the first half. It was a pretty wide open game, with chances for both sides. Brad Friedel made his Tottenham debut and played pretty well for the most part. He made some great saves, particularly in the first half. David De Gea continued to look uncomfortable for United however. He made the saves, but more often than not spilled it back to the floor before finally getting a handle on things.

The first half ended without a goal, but Manchester United really ramped things up in the second half. Tottenham was not without their chances either. Lennon flat out didn't see Van der Vaart ALL ALONE in the 18, and ended up conceding a goal kick, causing the Dutchman to pull his jersey up over his head in disgust.

United's first goal came off the head of Danny Welbeck in the 61st minute as he got on the end of a Cleverley cross. Wasn't much Friedel could do about it. United would go on to get two more. In the 76th, Welbeck made a nifty back heel pass to Anderson, who hit the back of the net to make it 2-0. Wayne Rooney, looking super sharp in the early season, put the icing on the cake in the 87th as he headed in a cross from Ryan Giggs to finish out the scoring at 3-0.

The second half was glorious for United but a nightmare for Spurs. Sure, I'm biased as a Chelsea fan, but sell Modric already. He doesn't want to play there. Take the money from Chelsea and pick up a couple of guys before the end of the window. Although now Harry Redknapp is blasting Juan Mata for "just wanting the money" since it looks like Modric will end up at Chelsea anyway. Could be an interesting season for Spurs fans.

An American Goalkeeper in London

Fox Soccer made it official last night: American Goalkeeper Brad Friedel, formerly of Aston Villa, will ply his trade for Tottenham next season. Friedel is currently sitting on 275 straight top flight matches, a record in England.

Current Spurs' net minder Heurelho Gomes made several high profile blunders in goal down the stretch last year, inflicting damage on Tottenham's Champions League run, as well as their league form. Some speculation says that he might be linked with a return to PSV Eindhoven.

Friedel's contract expires at the end of the month so it will be a free transfer.

EPL: Tottenham vs. Blackpool

This match was a perfect example part of the greatness of soccer. Here we are late in the season, neither team is going to win a trophy, but both sides had something to play for. Tottenham was trying to chase a Champions League spot while Blackpool needed every point they could muster to stay up in the Premier League next year.

Spurs came out on the front foot. Knowing they needed all three points ahead of a clash with Man City, they came out after an early goal against the Tangerines. Gareth Bale was active early with a shot on target in the 14th minute Modric also had a shot in the 17th that was deflected wide, and Spurs were looking pretty good.

Blackpool never just sits back though, and you could tell they were not at all awed by playing at White Hart Lane. They had a flurry of chances about mid first half and forced Gomes into some great saves.

Gareth Bale kept at it though. He had a great chance blocked in the 30th. He needed a little help though. In the 33rd minute he sent one of the best crosses you'll see but nobody could get on the end of it. Despite multiple chances from both sides, we went to the half on a 0-0 tie.

The tempo was pretty high when both sides came out for the second half. Things were marred in the 62nd minute with a major injury. Blackpool Captain Charlie Adam took down Gareth Bale on a rough tackle that wasn't even deemed a foul. Turns out to be bad news for Spurs. Bale is out for the remainder of the season with ruptured ligaments in his ankle.

Things got really interesting in the 74th minute when Dawson was tagged for handball in the box, giving Blackpool a penalty. Charlie Adam stepped up to take, and hit a pretty good PK, but Gomes got to it and knocked it out of bounds. However, on the next play Gomes made a horrible tackle in the box for a foul, and Blackpool got another PK. Adam didn't miss this chance, he slotted it and put the Tangerines up 0-1.

Spurs really turned it up a notch after that to try to get the equalizer. In fact, it didn't really look like it was going to happen. However, in the 89th minute, Jermaine Defoe blasted a shot in from distance that equalized at the death, and the match ended at 1-1.

Blackpool will certainly do better with the single point than Spurs as they struggle to stay up. The result put Tottenham in an even bigger whole prior to the City match, which we know didn't turn out the way they planned either. Now it looks like Spurs may not even get a Europa league spot next year.

Gareth Bale done for rest of the year.

The Original Winger and Spurs' official website are reporting this morning that Gareth Bale has suffered ruptured ligaments in his right ankle and will miss the remainder of the Premier League season, including Tuesday's big clash with Manchester City.

Bale suffered the injury from a tackle by Blackpool's Charlie Adam in the second half of Saturday's 1-1 draw with the Tangerines. He is expected to be ok for the start of next year's preseason

EPL: Chelsea vs, Tottenham

Both of these teams came into this London Derby with something to play for. For Chelsea, they needed a win and hope for a Manchester United loss at the Emirates to have a realistic shot at the title. Spurs have had a bit of a tough time following their Champions League exit at the hands of Real Madrid. A run of draws coupled with decent form by Manchester City and Liverpool had put not only a Champions League spot in question, but perhaps even a Europa league spot.

The match started open for both sides. After all, a draw wasn't going to do anybody any good. Spurs had some good possession in the Chelsea area early, and got a free kick for Rafael Van der Vaart. Unfortunately, it sailed over everybody and and resulted in nothing.

Chelsea took charge for a bit after that. Both Torres and Drogba started up front. Torres had a nice look in the 11th minute, but his shot was deflected. He certainly played better today. Drogba was doing his thing too. In the 13th minute he set up a free kick, that he promptly drilled off Spurs' crossbar. Replays showed Gomes got a finger to it that probably kept it out. The Blues were having the better of possession now.

Spurs were undaunted though, and they got a goal against the run of play. They came up the pitch in the 19th minute and Brazilian Sandro fired off a hell of a strike that bent beautifully into the top corner to give Spurs a 0-1 lead. The Blues fans were stunned. The game got a little contentious after that. In the 23rd, Essien had a header saved by Gomes. Torres got a shot off in the 24th, and in the 25th, Gareth Bale took a dive that was disgusting to watch.

The first bit of real controversy came on the stroke of half time. Lampard took a shot from about the top of the area. It looked to be a given for Gomes, but he messed it all up in a Robert Green type fashion. The ball squirted between his legs and went at least mostly over the goal line. Indeed, the linesman gave the goal, and we were tied up at 1-1. However, all replays pretty much suggested that the whole ball didn't cross, and Lampard shouldn't have scored. Nonetheless, the goal counted and we went to the half knotted at 1-1.

The second half was really the Chelsea show, mostly run by Drogba. The Spurs never really threatened again, but the half was not controversy. In the 68th minute Malouda was clearly taken down in front of goal, but no penalty was given. Chelsea were screwed over there. Maybe it was a bit of a makeup call. Who knows? It ended up being all good for Chelsea though, in the 88th minute Kalou put the winner in the back of the net after a flurry of activity in front of Gomes' goal. Replays showed he might have been offside, but Chelsea will take it either way, and they took the derby 2-1.

It's hard to not feel like the Spurs got screwed a little bit here. Both Chelsea goals were dubious. However, goal line technology debate aside, if Gomes hadn't committed yet another howler, it wouldn't have been an issue. Plus, the Spurs really didn't make an effort, especially in the second half despite Van der Vaart's whining and Bale's diving. It doesn't look like Bale will have any Champs league glory next year unless he's playing for someone else.

For Chelsea, this result combined with Arsenal beating United puts them to within 3 points of The Red Devils going into next week's showdown at Old Trafford. They outplayed Spurs, who really lack a striker, and they didn't deserve to go down in defeat either. Next weekend will be awesome.

Arsenal "P*sses Off."

Okay, so who is Arsene Wenger gonna blame for this match, this result? Face it, once again Arsenal have stumbled down the stretch pissing away chances at trophy after trophy. It's not that I hate Arsenal so much, I despise the Manchester teams much more, but Wenger is just so.....annoying, and for all his complaining, his teams never step up. I mean, just 5 or 6 weeks ago we were talking about the possibility of an Arsenal Quad. Of course, Wenger doesn't disappoint, blaming the refs for disallowing Van Persie's offside goal.


As for the match itself, it was a classic. Fox Soccer is calling it the best in the Premier League this year. Indeed, there were three goals in the first 12 or so minutes. An absolutely breathless start. Theo Walcott (who I really like, sue me) started things off for Arsenal, scoring off of a nice ball from Fabregas in the 5th minute. However, just two minutes later, Rafael Van der Vaart equalized for Spurs. Here we go! Not to be outdone, Samir Nasri put the Gunners back in front in the 12th minute, and everybody at White Hart Lane took a breath. However, the first half scoring was not done, as Van Persie added a goal taking advantage of a failed clearance from William Gallas (Irony?) in the 40th. Trailing 3-1, Spurs decided to show they were still in it, as Huddlestone scored off a 20 yard strike to make it 2-3 at the half.

The second half was a battle as well, and Gareth Bale did not return after being stretchered off. Spurs are horribly thin. Van der Vaart had a screamer saved, and Van Persie had his goal called back for offside. This was Wenger's big whine of the day, but replays suggest Van Persie was about a half yard off, according to the ESPN match report.

In the 70th minute, Arsenal keeper Szczesny tripped Aaron Lennon in the area and that resulted in a PK for Spurs. Van der Vaart, who I'm convinced really does have ice in his veins, slotted home the shot and equalized at 3-3, which was how things ended.

Unfortunately, neither club really benefits from this result. Spurs are chasing the final Champions League spot after getting a taste of European glory this year. That battle with Man City is likely to go to the end, but three points would have been huge for them today. However, it's perhaps worse for the Gunners, who not only failed to make up ground after United dropped points at Newcastle, but found themselves dropping to third behind Chelsea on goal difference after the Blues destroyed Birmingham City. Bad times. To make matters worse, Cesc Fabregas criticized his team before the game for not having a killer instinct. Arsenal is claiming his comments were misrepresented, but they seem to have been oddly prophetic.

UCL: Real Madrid & Schalke 04 round out semifinals.

Two more births in the UEFA Champions League finals up for grabs today, so there had to be drama, right? Not on your life. Both Spurs and Inter stunk it up so bad their respective first legs that Real and Schalke had easy passages in the second leg.

In London, Galacticos sat back and had a vacation. Gareth Bale had a goal called back for offside, but that was pretty much the highlight of the entire tie for Tottenham, who just look like the fixture congestion and injuries are starting to catch up with them. Gomes fumbled a Ronaldo shot over his own line for the games lone goal. Madrid advances to face Barca on a 5-0 aggregate.

Who knows what was up with Inter Milan? I'm an Inter supporter and I can't figure it out. Perhaps they took Schalke and Raul way too lightly? Perhaps the German side was pissed for being written off before tie? Perhaps Inter isn't much without the Special One at the helm? No secret Inter struggled in the Champions League all year, and never looked to be really serious threats to defend their title. Lame. All the credit to Schalke. Good look against United. Inter needs to settle down and chase the scudetto now.

Great run for Spurs though, in their first campaign. Had Crouch not gotten the red in the first leg, things might have been different. Still, credit to Tottenham and their fans.