(Just an FYI for you, if you're trying to calculate game times. Until the last Sunday in March, Britain is only four hours ahead of us in the Eastern Time Zone [EST]. On March 29, they go into their daylight savings time, when they'll be five hours ahead of us. It's boggy like this for this few weeks every year just in March. In October, when we switch again at different times, they're six hours ahead for a few weeks, then back to the usual five hours ahead.)
What a day...there's good news and bad news. The good news is we're still seven points ahead of Chelsea and four ahead of Liverpool. The bad news is...Liverpool took the match on a 4-1 win against us at Old Trafford today, Saturday 14th, March 2009.
It looked good up until an uncharacteristically, bold display at the back allowed Liverpool into the match; and the subsequent 4-1 defeat means the Reds’ lead at the top is chopped to four points, albeit with a game in hand.Cristiano Ronaldo converted a first-half penalty and put United ahead but three defensive mistakes, one of which was made by the man who's praises I'm quick to sing these days, Nemanja Vidic. Everyone makes mistakes and everyone has bad days. Many, many days have passed since United have seen so bad a day as this and we really can't berate the fact that it went so poorly. We're still tops in our home league and looking great in the UEFA. This really is only a minor trip up. I don't like that our Vidic was sent off in the second-half at 73 minutes with a red card, which preceded the visitor’s third goal. I've not yet heard about a next game ban.
Other Premier League:
My other team…I used to love and still feel a loyalty toward the players – not so much the staff.
The Blackburn Rovers
What comes around goes around…Arsenal took the Blackburn Rovers 4-0 at Emirates Stadium. As far as I'm concerned, this wasn't much of a surprise but it's always disappointing to see the Rovers go down so badly. I personally feel it's all part of the Paul Ince karma they've brought on themselves…the poor judgement enacted by the Rovers' Board in firing him after only four months at the helm as coach. I've always felt strongly about it, which is why I wrote a passionate comment only this morning (3/14/09), in the Lancashire Telegraph. The article is about Keith Andrews' earning his keep and the wise decision of Paul Ince to have brought him to the team. Ironically enough, Andy Cryer's column is titled, "Blackburn Rovers Midfielder Has Gone Full Circle," which I feel has great symmetry to my karmic evaluation of Blackburn's situation.
Other news in the UEFA Cup run off:
Taking it on the nose -- Danish midfielder Daniel Jensen will have to miss out on the deciding leg of Werder Bremen's UEFA Cup Round of 16 tie against AS Saint-Etienne. In fact, he'll be missing two weeks of play breaking his nose in Thursday's night's collision with an opponent while playing against Les Verts. His surgery was on Friday, 13th March, to repair his broken nose. OUCH!
