Liverpool’s Changed Expectations

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If you had asked Liverpool fans at the beginning of the season if they would take a 6th place finish in the English Premier League and to get to the latter stages of the Europa League, I’m sure most would have given you a strange look. Unfortunately though, most Liverpool fans would now probably take this offer with both hands.

Liverpool had a dreadful start to the season and therefore sacked Roy Hodgson in early January. There were several changes at the club last month, including Kenny Dalglish being re-appointed as manager, the departure of Fernando Torres to Chelsea and the late signings of Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll. Things at Anfield do seem to have improved, but with the season so far through, there is only so much that King Kenny can do in a short space of time.

Fans will now have to be realistic in their ambitions for the rest of the season and accept that there is a lot of rebuilding needing to be done at the club. The acquisitions of Suarez and Carroll are certainly a step in the right direction and they both have youth on their side. If Liverpool can hang on to other players like Reina, Gerrard and Meireles, then there is a good spine to the team and 2 or 3 other good signings could mean that those wearing Liverpool football shirts will be able to compete for a Champions League spot next season.

After a run of four consecutive wins and also clean sheets against Wolves, Chelsea, Fulham and Stoke, fans were starting to look up the league table and fancied their chances of challenging for fourth spot in the league. Unfortunately, a home draw against Wigan has stopped this run and the task to earn a Champions League position has started to fade again. That is not to say that the team cannot get into another run of form again, but there are certainly some very tough games ahead.

Liverpool still have to play Man Utd and Man City at home in the next few weeks. They also have matches against Arsenal at the Emirates and a home game against Tottenham and a final day clash with Aston Villa at Villa Park. With only eleven games to go, these are four very tricky matches to win. One team from Man City, Chelsea and Tottenham are also likely to miss out on a Champions League place, which shows how tough it will be. I certainly think that with how this season has panned out for the club, a 6th place finish for Liverpool would be regarded as a reasonable success.

They are also still in the Europa League and few would bet against Liverpool winning the trophy. Man City are seen as favourites at the moment, but Liverpool are certainly in with a shout. I would be interested to hear anyone else’s thoughts on this, especially Liverpool fans. Have I been too harsh or is this the consensus among Liverpool fans too?

Written by Eddie Smith, a sports writer who blog about football shirts.

NBA -Miami Heat is not living to its expectations

Critics are still hitting them hard, and the rumors keep on invading the blogs and forums on the Internet. Its really hard to point fingers at the situation and explain or at least try to come out with a decent excuse as of why the Miami Heat are playing like they are playing. The Miami Heat is now nine-and-eight and albeit a winning season, it is still very far from what the fans the in less then a couple of hours had bought all season tickets for the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida.

So what’s wrong? Well, for starters, the Heat has been defeated in 4 of its last 5 NBA games. Second, the Miami Heat has fall twice this season to their conference rival the Boston Celtics. Three, if they don’t make an important change to their performance, they are not going to have much success in the playoffs despite holding to one of the strongest player-by-player teams in the nation, but when it comes to the team’s performance they are just slightly above the average.

Sure, the team is just dealing with injuries and despite what we would like -for the sake of the sport- the Big Three: Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade and LeBron James have not been great together. And that’s where it all starts. Despite the injuries, and the stardom of its players, Miami Heat is not playing well. They have fell to the Memphis Grizzlies 97-95, to the Indiana Pacers 93-77 and to Orlando Magic 104-95. So yes, LeBron James scored over 25 points in each of those games. And yet, it was not enough.

The Miami Heat had a small comeback against the Philadelphia 76ers. The 99-90 win over Philly came with great performances from Wade and Bosh. And yet, it was not enough to really give a new boost to the Heat which just later on fell to the Dallas Mavericks 106-95. Now, let’s talk about what really matters: Odds. Out of the 17 games the Heat has played this season, it has won only 8 games. When playing Against the Spread, the Heat is currently 13-5 ATS. They Heat have not yet covered the spread in 6 of its last games, and has only covered the spread once in its last 12 games.

The Miami Heat is not looking so great. Blame the head coach, the point guard, the injuries, the drama. It makes little difference. The Heat is just not making the cut.

Frankel Lives Up To Expectations in Dewhurst Stakes

Posted by Leigh on October 16, 2010 · Leave a Comment 

Justifying his race favouritism, the Henry Cecil trained Frankel showed he merited the trainer’s high praise, with a decisive victory in the Dubai Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket, under the guidance of jockey Tom Queally.