White Suburban Punk

Liverpool got a 2-0 over Bolton at Anfield Saturday to pull within one point of the top 4 in the Premiership.  Bolton looked good in the first half, with plenty of chances, but got virtually nothing in the second.  Kyrgiakos actually saved one off the line in the first half after goalie Pepe Reina was beaten, but then Dirk Kuyt scored off a great cross from Insua and a header from Alberto Aquilani back in front of the goal.  Aquilani got the start and looked like crap to start the game, seemingly trying to do too much.  Kuyt was clearly trying to lift his spirits during the goal celebration.  Liverpool took the 1-0 lead into the room and then completely dominated the second half.  David Ngog somehow missed from right in front of the goal early in the second half, but Insua blasted one off a Bolton defender for the all-important second goal that put the game away.  Ngog continues to frustrate.  He sucked today, shooting (badly) when he should be passing and passing when he should be shooting.  He’s clearly physically talented, but he just doesn’t seem to get it.  Albert Riera wasn’t very good, either.  But Steven Gerrard looked a lot more like his old self after a pretty poor outing last time against Wolves, and Liverpool had loads of other chances in the second half.  There was even a Ryan Babel sighting, just his 11th appearance of the season.  Liverpool are now unbeaten in their last six games, including four wins and two draws, and two clean sheets in a row.  Combined with Tottenham’s 1-1 tie with Birmingham, the Reds are creeping up on the Top 4.

Setanta Sports’ studio guy, Pat Dolan, had an interesting point about Rafa Benitez before the game.  I usually don’t like this guy, but I think he was right on with this one.  He was talking about Juventus’ supposed flirtation with Rafa and Rafa’s reaction to it.  He didn’t deny it, he just said he was flattered and proud to be linked to such a big team.  Dolan thinks that’s really clever, because instead of the pressure being on Rafa that “you better win to keep your job,” it actually puts the pressure on owner Tom Hicks to show a commitment to winning or you’re going to lose Rafa.  Freaking brilliant.  And of course, all Liverpool fans would choose Rafa over Hicks every day of the week.  Hicks was even at the game with a Liverpool scarf on.  What a tool.  You don’t see John Henry wearing a Red Sox hat.  It’s like, “see, I’m a fan.”

Anyway, Gerrard claims the team has turned the corner, and it’s now time to put up or shut up.  They play Everton at Anfield next Saturday, and then at Arsenal and at Manchester City, with a Europa League game in there, too.

Photo from ESPN Soccernet

#16 Wisconsin lost to #12 Purdue at Mackey Arena Thursday, but the performance was definitely encouraging given the last couple of games.  It’s a completely acceptable loss, and they actually had a real good chance to win this game.  Jon Leuer somewhat strangely is still traveling with the team despite his broken wrist, but this was probably the Badgers’ best performance so far without him.  Purdue’s crowd was extremely pumped for this game, and they had some extra emotion with the return from injury of their point guard.  The first half was pretty tight, with Purdue holding a 27-25 halftime lead.  There were only 8 fouls called in the entire first half, and then 8 were called in the first 4 minutes of the second half, including 3 on Purdue in 16 seconds, which had the crowd in a frenzy.  Purdue actually started the second half with 6 points, 8 fouls, and 5 turnovers, and UW took a 5 point lead.  But then the shots stopped falling and the Badgers started turning the ball over like crazy.  Purdue went on a 17-2 run.  One stat showed the Badgers with 4 turnovers in the game’s first 30 minutes and then 4 more in the next two minutes.  Still, Wisconsin clawed back and even took a lead with 40 seconds left on Keaton Nankivil’s 7th three pointer.  Hopefully he continues to step it up in Leuer’s absence.  A big guy who can score.  Robby Hummel hacked the hell out of Trevon Hughes on a 3 with 6 seconds left, but it wasn’t called, after the refs called absolutely everything in the rest of the second half.  The officiating was horribly inconsistent, but we’re used to that in the Big Ten.  Anyway, Badgers lose 60-57.  Next is Michigan State at the Kohl Center on Tuesday.

Looking forward to Kansas v. Kansas State from Manhattan Saturday night. 

Photo from Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Liverpool played Wolverhampton to a rather lackluster scoreless draw yesterday.  Captain Steven Gerrard made his early return from a groin injury, but looked slow and rusty as Liverpool had very few scoring chances.  Liverpool dominated first half possession and played with their tails up in the beginning of the second half, but to no avail.  Wolves actually had more legitimate scoring threats in the game, but the draw was a fair result for both teams. 

The latest Liverpool rumors are first that Manager Rafa Benitez will go to Italian club Juventus at the end of the year.  His agent denied it and Rafa dodged the question by saying he wanted to talk about the match.  The other troubling rumor states that Dinamo Moscow have agreed to purchase Yossi Benayoun, the Israeli international who may be my favorite player on the team.  Dinamo’s sporting director claims that they have an agreement with Benayoun’s agent and that Rafa is very much against the move, but the decision is in the hands of Liverpool’s board.  If this went through, I would think there would be a good chance that Rafa would resign.  And Tom Hicks would be tarred and feathered.

Big games coming up for Liverpool.  Next is the derby with Everton at Anfield on Saturday, and then away to Arsenal and Manchester City.

Photo from Liverpool Echo

These were supposed to be fairly easy games, Michigan and Penn State at home.  But they both turned into games Wisconsin had absolutely no business winning, although they did.  They rose to #16 in both polls in the process.  This Penn State game was even more insane than Michigan.  The Badgers trailed by as many as 16 in the second half and were down by 8 with two minutes left.  Jordan Taylor scored 18 of Wisconsin’s last 24 points as they forced overtime and then won, 79-71.  This time, Wisconsin actually got killed on the boards, but they only turned the ball over 5 times in the game and really turned up the defensive intensity when it counted.

The win solidifies Wisconsin’s hold on second place in the Big Ten, even though they really don’t deserve it.  Next up is at Purdue Thursday night and then Michigan State at home next Tuesday.

In some sad UW news, O’Brien Schofield tore his ACL during practice for the Senior Bowl.  He was projected as a second or third round pick and was actually chosen Defensive MVP of the East West Shrine Game last week.  He was trying to make the transition from defensive end to outside linebacker.  He probably won’t get drafted at all now.  Harsh.

So why can’t we do this against Michigan in football?  Charissa Thompson brought her magic to Madison and the Big Ten Network as the Badgers started the game 1-13 from the floor and finished the first half 1-10 from beyond the arc, but only down by 3 points.  Michigan got the lead back to 11 in the second half, but Wisconsin closed the game on a 24-9 run to win by 6.  They got their first lead with 3 minutes left in the game and ended up shooting 34% from the field, including 4-24 from three point land.  They won by turning the ball over just five times in the game (once in the second half), being tenacious on the boards, and hitting their free throws.  Tim Jarmusz held Manny Harris to just 11 points on 4-14 shooting, Trevon Hughes scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half, and Rob Wilson had his coming out party with a career high 13 points. 

Wisconsin is now a precarious 2-1 without Jon Leuer, and they simply have to start getting some production down low.  About half their shots have been from beyond the arc since Leuer went down.  This team just doesn’t shoot well enough to continue like this.  They absolutely stole a win at home to unranked Michigan, which is great, but definitely ominous.

Liverpool beat Tottenham, 2-0, at Anfield yesterday to climb within one point of the coveted top 4 in the Premiership.  It wasn’t a pretty game, but the team showed incredible heart and hustle to prevail.  It’s clear that despite all the troubles this season, manager Rafa Benitez has not lost the locker room.  Alberto Aquilani got the start in Steven Gerrard’s position supporting the lone striker, Dirk Kuyt, and it paid dividends early in the game, as Kuyt scored six minutes in off a feed from Aquilani.  Kuyt then put the game away in extra time on a penalty kick after David Ngog was hauled down in the box.  Liverpool played with a slow team, but still looked quick and determined, as every player followed the lead of Jamie Carragher, who played with great passion. 

In the always present Liverpool rumors saga, Steven Gerrard has denied there was a bust up between himself and Rafa in the locker room at halftime of the Reading game.

The schedule looks pretty favorable now, with games away at 17th place Wolverhampton and home to 19th place Bolton and 10th place Everton up next.

Photo from ESPN Soccernet

Ohio State got revenge from Wisconsin’s 22 point drubbing in Madison three weeks ago by beating the Badgers 60-51 in Columbus.  Evan Turner missed the game in Madison, but he was back Saturday and scored 15 points despite being plagued by foul trouble.  Wisconsin was without Jon Leuer, who has a broken wrist, and got virtually no low post scoring whatsoever.  The Badgers actually played pretty poorly overall, with 14 turnovers (season average is 10) and just 7 assists.  They shot 40% for the game and 9-26 from 3.  Ryan Evans had his worst game of the season, finishing with 0 points, 2 fouls, 2 turnovers, and 5 rebounds.  Jim Jackson couldn’t pronounce Tim Jarmusz’s name (JAR-miss), and it continued into the second half.  It’s strange that no one corrects a guy after he makes the same mistake over and over.

Overall, Ohio State wasn’t really all that impressive.  They shot well, but seemed to fall asleep at times and weren’t able to step on the Badgers’ throat and put the game away.  Even up 8 late in the game, they were taking quick shots and making stupid turnovers.  With 1:00 left and OSU up 10, the Badgers appeared to concede and weren’t even trying to foul.  Evan Turner inexplicably drove to the hoop and got called for charging.  But they got the win and are now 3-3 in the conference after a tough start to the conference schedule.   Wisconsin is 4-2 and now face Michigan (coming off a huge win against Connecticut) and Penn State at home in the next two games.  They then will play at Purdue and at home to Michigan State, so it’s important to win these two home games.  They are now 1-1 without Leuer and dropped to #18 in the AP and #19 in the coaches’ poll.  RPI is #9.

In the first game since getting knocked out of the FA Cup and losing Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard, and Yossi Benayoun to injury, Liverpool lost a 1-0 lead in extra time to tie Stoke City.  The game was played at 10th place Stoke in front of a boisterous crowd.  Liverpool fans were actually just as loud as Stoke’s, and they showed great support for embattled manger Rafa Benitez.  Rafa started two defenders in midfield, with David Ngog and Dirk Kuyt at striker, and the game was a war of attrition until a goal early in the second half by Sotirios Kyrgiakos off a great free kick by Fabio Aurelio.  Lucas received a yellow card for diving in the penalty box in the first half, which was a terrible call and should have been a penalty kick.  Ngog played poorly, shut down by Stoke’s physical play and Stoke tied it late off a set piece when no one covered the far post for Liverpool.  13 of Liverpool’s 26 goals conceded this year have come off set pieces.  They gave up 27 goals total last year.  Maxi Rodriguez made his Liverpool debut, but was not a factor. 

Ryan Babel tweeted his unhappiness (again) before the game, but he has since apologized to Rafa and is back in the squad for the huge game Wednesday vs. Tottenham.

Liverpool’s season has been almost unbelievably cursed.  This is like the Red Sox finishing 10 games behind the yankees three years ago, 5 games back two years ago, and 1 game back last year.  Then the yankees lose Alex Rodriguez (Cristiano Ronaldo) during the offseason while Liverpool comes back essentially intact with hopes and expectations sky high.  They respond by going 40-60 through the first 100 games.  That’s what it’s like.  

Photo from ESPN Soccernet.

Liverpool’s disastrous season continues, as they lose to League Championship side Reading (actually in 21st place in the League Championship) at Anfield to end their chances for the FA Cup.  They have now been knocked out of the Champions League, Carling Cup, and FA Cup, with their only hopes a top 4 finish in the Premiership to insure Champions League play next season and the Europa League. 

Liverpool looked uninspired from the start against Reading and were fortunate not to be behind in the first half after Reading missed two good chances.  Steven Gerrard got a lucky goal off a deflection at the end of the first half for Liverpool, and they tried to make that hold up in the second half. 

Liverpool actually dominated the beginning of the second half, but failed to find the net.  Reading gradually gained confidence and were awarded a penalty shot deep into extra time after a foul by Yossi Benayoun.  It looked like a pretty good call, as Benayoun was simply out of position and unlucky, which has been the theme all year for Liverpool.  Reading scored off the penalty and then the game went into a 30 minute overtime period before penalty kicks would decide it.  But they were not necessary.  Insua got nutmegged ten minutes into the overtime period and Reading scored a well-deserved goal and then hung on for the win.  It’s the first time since 1959 that both Liverpool and Manchester United have gone out of the FA Cup in the third round.

To add to the disaster of the result, Liverpool sustained injuries to three key players in the game, too.  Fernando Torres tore cartilage in his knee and will require surgery, causing him to miss six weeks.  Steven Gerrard tweaked his hamstring and will be out two weeks, and Yossi Benayoun fractured a rib and will miss four weeks.  Unfreaking believable.

In other Liverpool news, the team signed attacking midfielder Maxi Rodriguez, an Argentinian, from Atletico Madrid.  He’s a good player, but that position isn’t exactly a glaring need.  At least they’re trying to do something, but the team still is not really spending.  The money used to sign Rodriguez was not new spending, it was from sums the team received for Andriy Voronin going to Dinamo Moscow and Andrea Dossena going to Napoli in December.  So Liverpool still has not really spent any money since Tom Hicks and George Gillett bought the team in 2007.  Manager Rafa Benitez signed a five year contract extension over the summer, and these guys are too cheap to fire him and owe him so much money.  They said this week that Rafa will be evaluated at the end of the season.  I’ve always been a Rafa fan, and I’d like him to stay.  But getting rid of Hicks and Gillett is the most important thing for the future of the club at this point, and if they are finally persuaded to sell, then Rafa will probably be gone.  Speculation has already started, with Jose Morinho at the top of the list, although he would require a complete change of ownership and an organization dedicated to spending money to remain in the top 4, which the current administration is not doing.  Morinho (the self-proclaimed “Special One”) is probably the only coach in the world better than Rafa.

To show how classy the current ownership group is, Tom Hicks Junior was forced to resign last week after responding to an email from a fan with “blow me, f**k face.”  Deadspin has the actual emails and the story.

It really can’t get any worse than this, can it?

After being picked to finish 8th in the conference at the start of the season, Wisconsin is 14-3 overall, 4-1 in the conference, and ranked #13 in the nation.  Leading scorer Jon Leuer is now sidelined indefinitely, however, after having surgery on a broken wrist suffered in the Purdue game last weekend.  The Badgers played terrific basketball in their first two Big 10 games, at home to Ohio State (22 point win) and at Penn State, but looked completely discombobulated in a loss at Michigan State and in the first half of the Purdue game.  However, they got their mojo back in the second half against Purdue, handing them their first loss of the season behind the guard trio of Jordan Taylor, Jason Bohannon, and Trevon Hughes.

Last night they made it 4-1 in the conference with a hard-fought win at Northwestern in the first game without Leuer.  Trevon Hughes awoke from a horrible 0-9 shooting start to ignite the win.  Incidentally, Luke Winn at Sports Illustrated did a great piece on Hughes’ voyage from Queens to Wisbumf***, er, Wisconsin, here.  Wisconsin closed the game on a 14-2 run to win by 10 against Northwestern.  The Badgers finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds, while Northwestern had 20 defensive rebounds in the game.  Not bad for the first game without the 6-10 Leuer. 

Next up is a revenge game for Ohio State in Columbus on Saturday night, televised on the Big Ten Network.  The Buckeyes will have Evan Turner back for this one, after he missed the game in Madison.

One other college football note: In the last five years, the Big Ten is 6-6 in bowl games against the SEC.  In the last 10 years, the SEC holds a 14-12 edge.  Not nearly as bad as the national media would have you believe, is it?

Photo from SI