No seriously, the revolution is coming...

I've finally found a soccer blog worth reading: The Unprofessional Foul.

I click over this morning, and find this article with some good analysis of Sepp Blatter's latest political wind-sniffing... only this time, he appears to be considering INSTANT REPLAY!?!??!??!?!

Sepp Blatter supporting instant replay would be like Kim Jong Il hosting an anti-pornography convention. That said, there's plenty of room in "The Tent of Rationality," even for ol' Sepp.

There's some interesting comments after the article, where one Unprofessional Foul fan argues that "the players do not get the aid of technology, so neither should the referee." I've posted asking for an explanation, but my initial reaction is:

Ireland France

First, dear Irish people: lose the chip on your shoulder. It's old. Regarding their appeal for a World Cup Replay, Irish Justice Minister Ahern had this to say:

"They probably won't grant it as we are minnows in world football," Ahern said, "but let's put them on the spot anyway."

*YAWN*. You're Ireland. You have good players who start in Europe. I just got through watching US vs Denmark, where Dax McCarthy got midfield playing time. You want to talk about minnows.

That said: y'all got screwed. Badly. You will certainly not get a replay. But you could jump on the bandwagon and start supporting a different kind of replay.

Here's the clip, plus a Melissa Theriault style hot-French-reporter-lady:


PS: Dear Robbie Keane: YOU ARE THE BIGGEST WOMAN ON THE PLANET. After Barca beat Chelsea despite questionable calls in the latest CL seminfinals, John Terry went to the Barca lockerroom and congratulated them on a good game, and wished them luck. I'm confident that we'll have to listen to your whining until the next World Cup.

Fergie Weighs in On Eduardo and Replay

Fergie Quote article #1:
Fergie: UEFA right to punish Arsenal star Eduardo

Fergie Quote article #2:
Ferguson agrees with Wenger on Eduardo

If your immediate reaction was "???" then you were not alone.

When you read the actual Fergie quotes inside, you see that Fergie's argument is actually pretty reasonable. He says "Eduardo dove and should be punished." AND "That UEFA should be consistent in their rulings."

The soccer media (esp the English) has a penchant for cherry picking select quotes from high profile managers, flagrantly omitting any context, and basically misrepresenting their opinions with the sole intention of stoking controversy. Shame on you for dishonest journalism.

I'll omit a rant about the hypocrisy of Fergie's "No manager ever wants to win by diving" sermonizing. The folks at arsenal-mania.com do a better job than me about this.

But the main point is this: The high profile managers WANT consistent replay usage. They DO NOT disagree over this, in principle, even if they disagree over specific incidents. Actual examination of their opinions shows that the opinion in favor of anti-diving replay is growing, despite the facade of disagreement that the media displays.

I hope UEFA and FIFA take note. The revolution is coming.