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Sat Nov 16, 2019 11:01 am
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Leaking goals and tears in similar amounts - nobody who witnessed the scenes from Selhurst Park Monday could not have a sense of sympathy for Liverpool as the title slipped from their grasp. Fake NCAA Jerseys . Their misery completed 24-hours later as the Etihad was reminded yet again why, for many, Yaya Toure and not Luis Suarez is the player of the year this season. Falling at a final fence is a BPL curse which has quivered the bottom lip of even Sir Alex Ferguson previously. Most famously, 2 years ago when added time heroics ensured the name Manchester City was etched onto the famous trophy for a first time. With just West Ham standing in the way, Manchester City appear the overwhelming favourites of securing a second title in three years. Not so fast. West Ham has gatecrashed a BPL parade previously. Before the top tier of English football turned into the global juggernaut it has now become, a bus parked by West Ham in the final match of the 1994/95 season denied Manchester United the title as the teams played out a 1-1 draw. With United denied the win, it was Blackburn managed by Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish who won the league. Even after they suffered defeat at the hands of his old club on the final day of the season. After waking up this morning to the headlines he would be fired, West Hams much maligned Sam Allardyce, who just a few weeks ago witnessed his own fans turn on him following their win over Hull, will be chomping at the bit to prove his naysayers wrong and end the season on a winning note. Its not like West Ham has not got form this season when it comes to destroying the plans of top clubs. Jose Mourinho branding their football as 19th Century following a dire Stamford Bridge stalemate back in January. With the relegation places all decided and handed out to teams who believed a managerial change was needed to inject survival into their BPL life, all attention Sunday will be on the Etihad and Anfield. Brendan Rogers put his best brave face on earlier today at his pre-match press conference when he emphatically stated the title race was not over. With not a hint of irony on his face, Rodgers singled out Andy Carroll, a player he immediately discarded after taking over at Anfield in summer 2013, as Manchester Citys destroyer. Its not known if it was Rodgers who addressed the Liverpool dressing room in the aftermath of the Selhurst Park devastation. It may well have been Dr. Steven Peters the renowned psychiatrist who Steven Gerrard credited recently as saving his career following an injury the Liverpool captain suffered in 2010. Drafted in by Roy Hodgson as part of Englands backroom staff for the World Cup, Peters has been working with Liverpool since last fall. He is widely credited with the rehabilitation and rejuvenation of Luis Suarez this season. Stevens theory holds that the secret to success is in effective management of our "Inner Chimp" - that emotive part of the brain which affects our ability to make rational choices and decisions. Manuel Pellegrini likely didnt have full control of his inner chimp when he proclaimed shortly after Wednesdays Aston Villa triumph, "Of course I expect to win the title because now we are top of the table." Being top of the table has been a poisoned chalice all season long. Manchester City leapfrogging Liverpool was the 25th such change at the top since opening day last August. Arsenal has spent the longest period on top, followed by Chelsea, then Liverpool. Manchester City has spent less than two weeks at the BPL summit. Remarkably, if just for 48-hours, even David Moyes experienced top-spot euphoria. As Liverpool still has a remote chance of been crowned champions come noon hour on the east coast Sunday, very early in the morning the Premier League trophy will arrive at Anfield. En route it is not likely going to drive past the homes of Luis Suarez or Steven Gerrard. Much folly and merriment has been made of Gerrards slip allowing for Demba Ba to score Chelseas opener a fortnight ago. Video and images of which, could shadow and stalk the Liverpool captain the remainder of his playing days and after. With the curtain about to come down on a season which has had more twists and turns than a John La Carré best seller - there is no player more deserving of a winners medal than Gerrard. Even Ferguson, who we learned earlier in the season had less than complimentary words for Gerrard in his autobiography, will likely be cheering for Liverpool under his breath and that a quiet hush comes over his old noisy neighbour Sunday. Noel.Butler@BellMedia.ca @TheSoccerNoel On Sunday, beginning with a pre-game show on TSN 2 at 9:30am et / 6:30am pt TSN, TSN Radio and TSN.ca has you fully covered for the exciting BPL season finale. Fake Jerseys For Sale . City, fielding a depleted team having already qualified, was twice pegged back by the plucky Czech champions but substitute Negredo tapped home in the 78th minute and Dzekos header made sure of victory in the 89th. The result kept City three points behind Bayern Munich ahead of their meeting in Germany in two weeks. Fake Jerseys . Lack made 20 saves for his third shutout of the season as the Canucks blanked the St. Louis Blues 1-0 in the first post-Olympic game for both teams night. http://www.fakejersey.com/fake-nba-jerseys/ . - The Cleveland Indians will place centerfielder Michael Bourn on the disabled list before their opener at Oakland on March 31.OAKLAND, Calif. - Coco Crisp homered leading off the bottom of the 12th inning to lift the Oakland Athletics to a 3-2 win over the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night. Crisp, who scored the tying run with two outs in the eighth inning, hit a towering home run off Seattle reliever Hector Noesi (0-1) on an 0-1 pitch. The ball landed just above the out-of-town scoreboard in right field. Its the sixth game-ending hit of Crisps career. Yoenis Cespedes and Sam Fuld also drove in runs for Oakland, which rallied from two runs down for its first walkoff win of the season. Drew Pomeranz (1-0), the fifth As pitcher, worked one scoreless inning for the win. Abraham Almonte had two hits and an RBI for Seattle. The Mariners were coming off a series sweep of Anaheim and were attempting to go 4-0 for the first time since 1985. After scoring 28 runs in the three games against the Angels, Seattles offence managed just six hits against Oakland and stranded seven base runners. The Mariners scored in the first without the benefit of a hit. Almonte hit a grounder that went through the legs of Oakland infielder Alberto Callaspo, who was making his first career start at first base. Second baseman Nick Punto chased down the ball in right field but threw wildly back to the bag for another error, allowing Almonte to take second. Two batters later, Canos groundout scored Almonte. Almontes RBI single off Oakland starter Jesse Chavez in the fifth drove in Logan Morrison and made it 2-0. That put Seattle starter Roenis Elias in shape to become the first Cuban-born pitcher to win a game for Seattle before the Mariners bullpen gave up the lead. Elias, an all-star in the minors a year ago, aallowed one runs and two hits in five effective innings but left with a no-decision. Fake Adidas Jerseys. The 25-year-old lefty allowed only two runners past first base and struck out three and walked three. The Seattle rookie didnt give up a hit until Nick Puntos sharp single to left with two outs in the fifth. Fuld followed with a triple after Seattle centre fielder Almonte dived for the ball and missed. Fuld tried to score on the same play but was thrown out at the plate on a relay from Cano. The play was reviewed and upheld. Oakland failed to score after loading the bases with two outs in the seventh before Cespedes tripled in Crisp to tie it with two outs in the eighth. Chavez, making his first start since 2012, allowed two runs and five hits over six innings. NOTES: Oakland manager Bob Melvin met with reliever Jim Johnson to check on the As new closer after he took the loss in each of his first two appearances. "Everything gets real magnified when youre in the closers role because when you have a bad day the team loses," Melvin said. "Thats just the way it is." ... The As voided the March 29 option of IF Jake Elmore and placed him on the 15-day disabled list because of a strained left quad. ... OF Michael Taylor cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Sacramento by the As. IF Hiro Nakajima was also sent outright to Sacramento. ... RHP Dan Strailey faces Seattle RHP Chris Young on Friday. Young last pitched in the big leagues in Sept. 29, 2012. ... Mariners RHP Stephen Pryor (surgery) began a rehab assignment with Double-A Jackson on Thursday. ... RHP Taijuan Walker (shoulder) will make a rehab start for Single-A High Desert on Friday. ' ' ' |
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