Playlist for the big Suarez bite

On a Monday like this, I should be hard at work but...well...I'm just not feeling up to the task.

So I decided to tweet away songs that could provide a great soundtrack for Luis "Vernaculaaar" Suarez (you will get that joke if you are a fan of Trevor Noah).



Here were my tweets for the hashtag #SuarezBiteSoundtrack (this would be an awesome playlist for the guy):

• #SuarezBiteSoundtrack Maxwell - pretty arms(wings)
  
• #SuarezBiteSoundtrack (House fans know this one) Dennis Ferrer - How do I let go
  
• #SuarezBiteSoundtrack Dr Dre - I need a Doctor
  
• #SuarezBiteSoundtrack Jay Z - Arms, arms, arms
  
• #SuarezBiteSoundtrack Eve - Hunger is blind (and it will take over your mind)
  
• #SuarezBiteSoundtrack Drake - Best I ever had
  
• #SuarezBiteSoundtrack Alicia Keys - Try sleeping with a broken arm
  
• #SuarezBiteSoundtrack Skwatta Kamp - Animal
  
• #SuarezBiteSountrack Kanye West - Bittersweet
  
• #SuarezBiteSoundtrack Drake - I get hungry too
  
• #SuarezBiteSoundtrack AKA & George Avakian - Living on the edge
  
• #SuarezBiteSountrack Take it to the arm - Dj Khaled ft Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne
  
• #SuarezBiteSoundtrack Mzimba eater - DJ Cleo
  
• #SuarezBiteSountrack Bee Gees - How deep is your arm
  
• #SuarezBiteSoundtrack Drake - Marvin's Arm
  
• #SuarezBiteSoundtrack French Montana,Lil Wayne, Drake, Rick Ross - Bite that
  
• #SuarezBiteSoundtrack - Rick Ross ft Drake - Stay Eatin'
  
• #SuarezBiteSoundtrack Proverb ft Tebogo Moloto - "Biters" Club
  
• #SuarezBiteSoundtrack Notorious BIG - Juicy
  

Last but not least (sorry to my Liverpool- and Suarez-supporting friends) we can have the classic tune for every time he walks on to the pitch, simply title: Y.N.E.A - You will never eat alone.



Now let me get back to giving my laptop the blank stare in the library.



Thomas Monyepao
You can follow me on twitter @Tom_18Yards

The referee's view: Moroka Swallows vs Kaizer Chiefs

This weekend South African fans had a number of Absa Premier League(PSL) games lined up including Platinum Stars against Chippa United, Moroka Swallows against Kaizer Chiefs, and later in, Orlando Pirates played an important CAF Champions League match against TP Mazembe.


This week, I will be focusing on an incident (or incidents, rather) that happened in the PSL match that took place in Dobsonville between The Birds and Amakhosi.


With about 25 minutes having been played, The Birds were leading 1-0 when the referee, Buyile Gqubule, awarded Moroka Swallows a penalty for a foul by Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper, Itumeleng Khune. 


I have to admit that from the television replays, I was not as convinced as the commentators were that there was indeed contact from Khune's trailing leg. But as Paul Dirkin once said: "Although television can give you 15 different angles, the only angle they can’t show is the referee’s."  I will have to give the benefit of the doubt to referee Gqubule for seeing that incident.


From the ensuing penalty kick, Swallow's leading goalscorer, Katlego Mashego, scored. In other words, the ball entered the goal.  However, referee, Gqubule, then proceeded to order a retake for an encroachment.  According to the Laws, a player is guilty of encroachment if he/she is not located "at least 9.15m (10 yds) from the penalty mark".  Law 14 also states: "If the referee gives the signal for a penalty kick to be taken and (before the ball is in play) a team-mate of the player taking the kick infringes the Laws of the Game, the referee allows the kick to be taken.  If the ball enters the goal, the kick is retaken."  


Mashego then scored the resultant penalty kick retake.  However, this time, a player from the attacking team (Swallows in this case) as well as from the defending team were guilty of encroachment.  I will refer to Law 14 again, which says: "If the referee gives the signal for a penalty kick to be taken and, before the ball is in play, a player of both the defending team and the attacking team infringe the Laws of the Game, the kick is retaken."  Simple and clear.  The referee was correct to order a retake of the penalty kick.


The third penalty kick was then saved by the Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper leaving the Swallows players and their technical team frustrated.  


A look at the third penalty kick will show us that thw Kaizer Chiefs keeper moved off his line before the kick was taken.  Law 14 states: "The defending goalkeeper must remain on his goal line, facing the kicker, between the goalposts until the ball is kicked."  The Laws also clearly say that if the goalkeeper infringes the Laws of the Game and the ball does not enter the goal, as in this case, the kick is retaken.  


Without even making use of replays, it was clear to me that Khune had moved off his line for at least two of the three penalty kicks, with the linesman failing to flag for this offence on all occasions.  Law 6 tells us that it is the duty of the assistant referee at penalty kicks to indicate whether the goalkeeper moves off the goal line before the ball is kicked. The assistant referee failed in this regard.  A third retake (thus fourth penalty kick) should have been given by the referee had his assistant seen and indicated the infringement.   I can understand why the Swallows coach felt so aggrieved after the match.


The game continued without another big talking point. But with Moroka Swallows fighting for a Top 8 finish and teams such as Platinum Stars and Orlando Pirates still in with small chance of wining the league title, such decisions could prove vital come May.


And that's the final whistle.

Thomas Monyepao
You can find me on twitter @Tom_18Yards

Arsenal and the EPL glass ceiling

With Arsenal now sitting in 3^rd place in the Premier League with 6 games to play, I find it rather odd that some 'experts' would call this “yet another season of predictable frustration”.

I prefer to see it as yet another season of “predictable position”.

I stopped believing Wenger’s optimistic views on Arsenal's title hopes a couple of years ago. They are contradicted by his satisfaction at Arsenal merely reclaiming their top-four 'trophy'. Wenger is an optimist of note but I doubt that he genuinely believes that this Arsenal side has the quality to be a title-contender.

Technically speaking, Arsenal are still the 3^rd best team in England (if we base it on the final league standings of the 2011/12 season). However, they finished a massive 19 points behind the winners and the runners-up, Manchester City and Manchester United, respectively. Quite the gap.

I will say, and have been saying, that – as things stand in the English Premier League - you have the two Manchester giants, then you have the rest. Manchester United seemingly have the EPL title wrapped up while Manchester City (who lie in second place) are favourites to take second biggest domestic trophy, the FA Cup on the 11^th of May 2013. This almost seems to reaffirm the notion that the two teams are currently in a class of their own.

The difference between the Manchester giants and the rest might not be of La Liga proportions but it exists, nonetheless. Logically, this means that for every other team in the league, as things stand, 3^rd place is the glass ceiling that exists for the likes of Arsenal, the work-in-progress Chelsea and Liverpool, and the ever-improving Tottenham Hotspur.

To come 3^rd is be the “best of the rest”. My realistic, and slightly optimistic expectations at the beginning of the season were a 3^rd place finish and no trophies (as usual). As things stand, Arsenal are in third place, with no chance of winning a trophy. As things stand, realistic expectation is matching reality. And if Arsenal stay in that position until the end of the season, I have no reason to feel “predictably frustrated” as others might expect.

True Gooners who are able to add in an adequate dose of objectivity and realism to their expectations will have expected nothing more. A trophy would have been a great bonus, but not a genuine expectation after losing the two key players from the previous season.

As to who is to blame for the sale of key players and thrifty use of money between Arsene Wenger and the board, I am not entirely sure. I do, however, have massive respect for Wenger in how he manages to get Arsenal into the Champions League season after season with less-than-spectacular looking team sheet.

Yes, the glory days have not returned. And yes, a “big club” should be challenging for trophies year in, year out. But excuse me, does Liverpool not count as a “big club”?

With the passing of time, comes change. Does anybody remember Nottingham Forest? They happen to have won back-to-back European Cups in 1979 and 1980. Everton, that who are battling to stay in touch to qualify for the Champions League, were previously a force in English Football. They last won a English League title in 1987. In 2001, current champs, Manchester City, were relegated from the Premier League. 12 years on, powered by Sheik Mansour's money, they have claimed their first EPL trophy in 44 years. With the passing of time, comes change. Heck, just look at Cardiff City in the red-coloured kit! Let's say it all together now kids... With the passing of time, comes change.

The point is that big teams don’t remain big teams forever in some instances. And in this case, Arsenal fanatics have to accept that while Arsenal remain a “big club”, as things stand, expecting anything more than 3^rd place and at best one trophy is a bit unrealistic. Some may laugh at these “low expectations” but wait until Liverpool return to Champions League football to see what a few years of UEFA Champions League-less seasons affect expectation of supporters; their fans will be thrilled to return.

While experts may struggle to understand the loyalty of the #WengerIn brigade. The view that a new manager, be it Jose “The Special One” Mourinho, or Borussia Dortmund coach, Jürgen Klopp, would merely come in and turn Arsenal into a championship contender without adequate support from the board is a bit naïve.

Arsenal may not be bringing in trophies but he is doing alright in reaching that glass ceiling. Of course, Wenger is not blameless; he's responsible for giving high wages (relative to the value of a player) to individuals such as Bendtner, Squillaci, Almunia and Andres Santos to name a few. But try finding a faultless manager in the league, Sir Alex included...

Until the financial dealings at Ashburton Grove change (or Financial Fair Play rules fully kick in), Arsenal will most likely remain under the glass ceiling. Until that point, Gunners fans should let Le Professeur" continue without so much criticism because they are becoming becoming “predictably frustrating”.

Thomas Monyepao

Follow me on twitter @Tom_18Yards

Innovative solutions needed for referees in the PSL

Week-in, week-out, we, the United Social Networkers of the nation, are bombarded with a stream of tweets and status updates loaded with abusive, insulting and offensive language (referees know I am referring to Law 12) directed at the Premier Soccer League's referees.

On Saturday, we saw some of this oft-seen abusive language we read on our smart-phones turn into actual physical abuse in the match between Golden Arrows and table-toppers Kaizer Chiefs. A Chiefs supporter ran more than a hundred meters into the field and hit referee, Lwandile Mfiki, with the infamous vuvuzela.  The fan's distress seemed to have been caused by Mfiki's decision to give Chief's midfield kingpin, Reneilwe “Yeye” Letsholonyane a red card in the 33^rd minute.

This type of behaviour is embarrassing almost serves to emphasize the notion that our PSL is indeed “a joke” (as a classmate recently stated in a class discussion).

If the standard of refereeing is a problem and looks amateurish, then why is it that we, errrm, still have amateur referees?  And I mean amateur in the literal sense. This is because a lot of referees have normal day jobs outside of their duties with the whistle.

Being a referee myself (at youth level), I know how demanding it can be to stay in shape and be up to date with the laws. Life of a referee isn't easy, and even when you plan for things and study time, life happens.  It is extremely difficult.  But that's my simple, limited view, as an amateur.But I am getting sidetracked.  I believe it is time to start talking about solutions instead of merely complaining.

Many have provided their own solutions to the problem on twitter and I hope many more will offer their ideas on how we can deal with referee issues in PSL.  Some will say refs should be banned or dropped to lower divisions, other will say refs should have their salaries cut, and the less-logical among us will say that we should moer them with a vuvuzela for costly mistakes.

I just cant help but wonder if some of that Q-Innovation money could have been diverted to one aspect that directly contributes to the enjoyment of the game by fans - refereeing.  We currently have a tight title-finish coming up and instead of discussions revolving around the actual football being played, discussions mainly revolved around the referee, offside decisions and the like.  Television pundits are probably becoming more accustomed with the FIFA Laws of the Game than tactical innovations in football.

The Q-Innovation idea was supposed to generate excitement and I presume, attract even more fans to the PSL games.  It was supposed to make every game important and keep supporters interested.  I am not a fan of the idea (as usual, I put my feelings in words).  Why was the extra R6 million (R1.5 million multiplied by four) not rather redirected to improving referees or specifically, their salaries?

The powers that be were more than ready to “innovate” and introduce quarterly prizes in the league.  Why weren't “innovative” methods introduced to not improve referees performance, and more specifically, their salaries?  This could gradually evolve to having a full-time panel of dedicated referees.  Becoming a member of the PSL referees panel could eventually end up being viewed as “hitting the big-time” for qualified referees.  With a lot more money to lose for poor performance, this could also have the positive effect of increasing accountability should they be dropped to lower levels.

At the moment, the PSL does not even have a review system in place to look at poor decision made in games.  So, shocking decisions that may arise are not even corrected. In the recent case, Stuart Baxter will just have to accept the suspension of his key player and get on with it/f*** off (delete as appropriate, hehehe).

With five or so games remaining in the league for most teams.  What impact will referees have on who wins the title and who get relegated?  Will the poor referees receive better pay next season?  Will the likes of Mfiki be suspended in the coming weeks and months?  Do we have better referees waiting in the lower divisions?

I do not claim to know all the answers but I am pretty certain that the PSL now needs a solution.  An intervention of some sorts...   An innovation!

I only have one “Q” to ask, when will the men in charge introduce some sort of R-Innovation?

Thomas Monyepao

Please make use of T-Innovation and follow me on twitter @Tom_18Yards.

5 factors contributing to the rise of Amakhosi

With Kaizer Chiefs now seven points clear at the top, here is a list of five factors that have contributed to Chiefs topping the table with seven games to go.

1. Unbeaten at home

Amakhosi have simply been ruthless at home. They have not lost a single match at home. Added to that, their away record has improved compared to last season. Last season at this stage they only won 3 out of 12 matches away from home. This season they have already won 6 out of 11 away games including the 3-0 thrashing of Bloemfontein Celtic this past Sunday.

2. Taking the lead and keeping it

Chiefs have only won once from a losing position (against Free State Stars at home). When in the lead, the Glamour boys have only thrown away 4 point all season from a winning position. While this may point to a lack of fighting spirit for some, one thing it does confirm is that Chiefs know how to sniff and then grab hold of the three points, and then take the points safely home no matter what the opposition may do.

Let us also not forget that from a losing position they managed to take 2 points away from rivals Orlando Pirates while simultaneously gaining an important point in the first derby of the season. It is safe to say that Chiefs do indeed “have Balz”.

3. Change of tactics from Baxter

Many may think I will be highlighting the use of an adaptable 5-3-2 (3-5-2) formation from Baxter as a bit of tactical genius. However, the most important decision by Baxter was to simply change from what looked liked a 4-3-3 with the interchangeable three of Josta Dladla, Reneilwe “Yeye” Letsholonyane (in a deep midfield role), and Siyabonga Nkosi, to the more commonly used 4-3-3 (and other adaptations) that has Williard “Salt 'n Pepper” Katsande playing the role that Tinashe Nengomasha made his own as a “destroyer”, thereby allowing Yeye more freedom to attack. This has allowed soccer fans the opportunity to enjoy Yeye at his creative best - distributing balls all over the pitch to allow Bernard Parker and co an opportunity to knock the ball into the Auld Onion Bag.

In August, I wrote that Chiefs may rue letting Nengomasha go as I felt Katsande had not show enough consistency to fill his countryman's big shoes. I also felt that Lucky Baloyi was also not ready to play big role in a title-challenging team Fortunately for Amakhosi, “Salt 'n Pepper” Katsande showed massive improvement and his contribution has been immense ever since he became regular this season.

4. “Major” strikeforce

When you have the luxury of bringing on a Bafana Bafana striker on as an impact player, you have a quite an advantage over other teams.

With a strikeforce containing the likes of Bernard Parker, Kingston Nkhatha, and Lehlohonolo “Major” Majoro to choose from, Chiefs coach, Stuart Baxter, has been spoilt for choice as the three players have not only been consistent in their performance - contributing over 20 goals - but they have also avoided any serious injuries.

Contrast this to Pirates where Bafana legend Benni McCarthy has remained sidelined for most of the season, Takesure Chinyama has only scored twice in the league, Collins Mbesuma is a shadow of the player he was for Chiefs back in 2005, and Ndumiso Mabena... The mere mention of THAT miss in the Telkom Knockout Cup match against Celtic probably still gives coach Roger De Sa nightmares!

5. Injuries

Key players at Pirates including Rooi Mahamutsa, goalscoring centreback Siyabonga Sangweni, the experienced Benni McCarthy, Moneeb Josephs and Sifiso “Myessi” Myeni have all suffered bad injuries during the season which has contributed to the below-par performances.

As I mentioned earlier, Chiefs have had a strikeforce that, fortunately for them, avoided any serious injury problems. While in defence, their number one in between the poles, Itumeleng Khune, has remained injury-free while new signing Morgan Gould was the only senior player to get a long-term injury. Midfield kingpin, “Yeye” Letsholonyane, as a creative force, has played a big part in the title challenge while Pirates have lost their biggest creative force “Myessi” to injury at an important stage of the season.

So, while both teams have had their share of injury problems, Pirates were hit hardest with the loss of key men like McCarthy and Mahamusta for most of the season.

Conclusion

There are of course other factors that may have contributed to Chiefs currently topping the PSL table (and no, the use of brown envelopes is not what I was thinking).

However, with seven games of the season remaining, the title is not yet wrapped up and we may still witness some drama in the run-in.

Let's hope we will have a relatively tight finish(and maybe even see Pirates snatching it late) instead of a situation where Chiefs simply walk away with the title. That is, of course, unless some of you actually take the Q-Innovation table seriously.

Thomas Monyepao

Do follow me on twitter. The name is @Tom_18Yards.