31 January 2010
Cinderella
Yet another discovery in the old chest... I love how she holds her wrist up and the train of her dress - just like a classy, refined woman should. Would you like to dance malady?
30 January 2010
Super Woman
We cleaned out an old chest this week that's been sitting in the boy's room. In the next week or two I'll be painting the room so we can set up the crib, decorate, etc. Julia really liked the Super Woman outfit we found and, of course, had to wear it. Up, up, and AWAY!
29 January 2010
Bye Bye iPhone
Goodbye old iPhone. We've had a lot of good memories. Since my service contract recently expired, I evaluated my use/need in the cell phone department and decided to kick my iPhone to the curb. As I type this message, my new-old skool free camera phone that can play .mp3s is in the back of a FedEx truck somewhere in Colorado Springs.
I'd like to give a shout out for the website Cash for iPhones. Believe it or not, they are going to pay me $170 for my old iPhone. That's right, the original 8GB 2G iPhone that's been around for about 3 years. I think I paid $300 for it new. I realize that they can turn around and sell it (or maybe parts) for more money, but the convenience is worth it. I could probably get a little more trying to sell it on Ebay too, but then I'd have to deal with individuals, setup an account (no selling history, etc). This company has been featured in Forbes magazines, among others, so I'm sure they are legit.
They also buy used laptops. Out of curiousity I got a quick quote for my MacBook Pro and they'd be willing to give me $610. Obviously, I'm not going to sell it to them but when it comes time to buy a new laptop I might consider this "trade-in" approach (similiar to cars).
So, over the next 12 months I'll save an extra $400 when you consider what they are going to pay me for my iPhone and savings in service fees. That's about enough to pay for a new iPad.
p.s. I just ran across this article today regarding the iPad. It pretty much says the same thing I said yesterday in my previous post but extends the use for conference rooms and classrooms too. I think these types of touch pad devices can also be developed to eventually control things around the house, classroom, conference room, etc.
Why Apple Will Sell Millions of iPads in 2010
I'd like to give a shout out for the website Cash for iPhones. Believe it or not, they are going to pay me $170 for my old iPhone. That's right, the original 8GB 2G iPhone that's been around for about 3 years. I think I paid $300 for it new. I realize that they can turn around and sell it (or maybe parts) for more money, but the convenience is worth it. I could probably get a little more trying to sell it on Ebay too, but then I'd have to deal with individuals, setup an account (no selling history, etc). This company has been featured in Forbes magazines, among others, so I'm sure they are legit.
They also buy used laptops. Out of curiousity I got a quick quote for my MacBook Pro and they'd be willing to give me $610. Obviously, I'm not going to sell it to them but when it comes time to buy a new laptop I might consider this "trade-in" approach (similiar to cars).
So, over the next 12 months I'll save an extra $400 when you consider what they are going to pay me for my iPhone and savings in service fees. That's about enough to pay for a new iPad.
p.s. I just ran across this article today regarding the iPad. It pretty much says the same thing I said yesterday in my previous post but extends the use for conference rooms and classrooms too. I think these types of touch pad devices can also be developed to eventually control things around the house, classroom, conference room, etc.
Why Apple Will Sell Millions of iPads in 2010
28 January 2010
Apple iPad
Yesterday, Apple unveiled it’s newest product, the iPad. It will come in 3 sizes: mini, maxi, and super. Ok, that was a bad joke.
Last night I watched the product video (i.e. advertisement) on Apple’s website and most of Steve Job’s presentation. Initially, I wasn’t very impressed with the idea of a tablet computer. After all, it’s pretty well established that there isn’t a market for tablet PCs. They don’t do anything well. However, the more I watched the video and the more I thought about it, the more I realized why people will buy this thing…and probably why I’ll be getting one come March.
Skeptics will initially say that it’s a just a big iPhone without the phone or a computer that you can’t do much with. This is true if your perspective is based on what we currently use and know. This is why Apple is Apple. They have created something that satisfies a need we didn’t know we had. I think the problem is some people don’t realize that this isn’t really going to be a mobile device (although it could be) or a computer. If you try and lump it in one of these two categories you’ll be disappointed.
What this most closely resembles is a netbook with an iPhone interface and OS in my opinion. Although you could sign up for an unlimited data plan, no one’s really going to carry this thing around town…so don’t bother with the extra product and monthly service cost. If you’re the type that always needs internet no matter where you go a mobile handheld device is what you should use. If you’re a traveling businessman or always on the go, chances are you’ll need to bring your laptop (i.e a fully functioning computer) with you on the road…one that has a hard drive, USB ports, a full keyboard, word and spreadsheet software, etc.
So, what this tells me is that is product will primarily be used at home or maybe a brief trip to the coffee shop. At this point you’re probably thinking I’ve just told you why people won’t buy this thing. Here’s its niche: personal home use. I have an iPhone (for another two days) and a MacBook Pro. Do I want to surf the web or check email or listen to music or watch movies on my iPhone at home? The answer to that is no. The screen is way too small and the device is limited. Do I want to disconnect my laptop and all the cables from it’s docking station, crawl under the desk to unplug everything, reverse thread the power cord, and carry it to another location in the house (every day, only to have to reserve that process to put it away)? Or, unplug the laptop and run on battery power that lasts about 2 hours? No.
Let’s face it…most people own laptops now. Either they keep them at their desk rendering them essentially a portable desktop computer or they keep their laptop and accessories (like bulky cords and fan cooler base thingies) strewn all over the living room or bedroom. The solution is the iPad. People could easily have a laptop at home and 1 or 2 of these gadgets in the nightstand drawer or on the coffee table. What if you have a family of four, consisting of two teenagers, and one of them is always on the laptop in the office and/or the other is always on the internet? The solution isn’t to buy 1-2 more laptops at $1,000-$2,000 each. The solution is to have a device like this laying around the house. Because the iPad is so small and so cheap, yet large enough to play games, watch videos, and surf the internet, people will be able to expand the number of devices in their own homes for the things they mainly use it for at home (as I said, reading, surfing, emailing, playing) at a fraction of the cost, a fraction of the size (the iPad is only 0.5 inches thick), a fraction of the clutter, and a fraction of the management (they would all sync with your base/master unit - the laptop). Wow, that was a run-on sentence.
When I drop $500 for an iPad in March, I’ll still keep and use my laptop computer. But I guarantee I’ll use the iPad at home more. If I want to surf the web or check email while watching TV (or even watch something online for that matter), I’ll pull the 1.5 pound iPad out of the drawer instead of using my laptop. After all, the battery life is 10 hours (constant use) and over a month on standby. Or, I might end up reading an e-book on the iPad in bed and then stash it in my nightstand for a couple of days until the next time I want to use it. Sure, you might think it’s overkill and are willing to drag your laptop all over the house. Fine. What about when it comes time to replace your old laptop? Since I paid $2,000 for my laptop, and it’s coming up on 4 years old, I could buy another one at that price or buy 2 iPads for half the cost. With the exception of a few minor things that I have to do a laptop (which coincidently, doesn't require much processing capability and therefore my old laptop can still be used), an iPad does everything else.
If I think of this product in this fashion, I can see its utility/purpose. I’ll make a prediction that, in the future, everyone will have these types of devices instead of laptops. Once they figure out an easy way for the masses to do the things you currently have to do on a laptop, either via online hosting or a plug and play unit that allows you to do run any software (like personal finance software, word processing, spreadsheets, picture editing, etc), I think we’ll see those bulky laptops fade into oblivion…and of course, replaced by cheap mobile units like the iPad.
Last night I watched the product video (i.e. advertisement) on Apple’s website and most of Steve Job’s presentation. Initially, I wasn’t very impressed with the idea of a tablet computer. After all, it’s pretty well established that there isn’t a market for tablet PCs. They don’t do anything well. However, the more I watched the video and the more I thought about it, the more I realized why people will buy this thing…and probably why I’ll be getting one come March.
Skeptics will initially say that it’s a just a big iPhone without the phone or a computer that you can’t do much with. This is true if your perspective is based on what we currently use and know. This is why Apple is Apple. They have created something that satisfies a need we didn’t know we had. I think the problem is some people don’t realize that this isn’t really going to be a mobile device (although it could be) or a computer. If you try and lump it in one of these two categories you’ll be disappointed.
What this most closely resembles is a netbook with an iPhone interface and OS in my opinion. Although you could sign up for an unlimited data plan, no one’s really going to carry this thing around town…so don’t bother with the extra product and monthly service cost. If you’re the type that always needs internet no matter where you go a mobile handheld device is what you should use. If you’re a traveling businessman or always on the go, chances are you’ll need to bring your laptop (i.e a fully functioning computer) with you on the road…one that has a hard drive, USB ports, a full keyboard, word and spreadsheet software, etc.
So, what this tells me is that is product will primarily be used at home or maybe a brief trip to the coffee shop. At this point you’re probably thinking I’ve just told you why people won’t buy this thing. Here’s its niche: personal home use. I have an iPhone (for another two days) and a MacBook Pro. Do I want to surf the web or check email or listen to music or watch movies on my iPhone at home? The answer to that is no. The screen is way too small and the device is limited. Do I want to disconnect my laptop and all the cables from it’s docking station, crawl under the desk to unplug everything, reverse thread the power cord, and carry it to another location in the house (every day, only to have to reserve that process to put it away)? Or, unplug the laptop and run on battery power that lasts about 2 hours? No.
Let’s face it…most people own laptops now. Either they keep them at their desk rendering them essentially a portable desktop computer or they keep their laptop and accessories (like bulky cords and fan cooler base thingies) strewn all over the living room or bedroom. The solution is the iPad. People could easily have a laptop at home and 1 or 2 of these gadgets in the nightstand drawer or on the coffee table. What if you have a family of four, consisting of two teenagers, and one of them is always on the laptop in the office and/or the other is always on the internet? The solution isn’t to buy 1-2 more laptops at $1,000-$2,000 each. The solution is to have a device like this laying around the house. Because the iPad is so small and so cheap, yet large enough to play games, watch videos, and surf the internet, people will be able to expand the number of devices in their own homes for the things they mainly use it for at home (as I said, reading, surfing, emailing, playing) at a fraction of the cost, a fraction of the size (the iPad is only 0.5 inches thick), a fraction of the clutter, and a fraction of the management (they would all sync with your base/master unit - the laptop). Wow, that was a run-on sentence.
When I drop $500 for an iPad in March, I’ll still keep and use my laptop computer. But I guarantee I’ll use the iPad at home more. If I want to surf the web or check email while watching TV (or even watch something online for that matter), I’ll pull the 1.5 pound iPad out of the drawer instead of using my laptop. After all, the battery life is 10 hours (constant use) and over a month on standby. Or, I might end up reading an e-book on the iPad in bed and then stash it in my nightstand for a couple of days until the next time I want to use it. Sure, you might think it’s overkill and are willing to drag your laptop all over the house. Fine. What about when it comes time to replace your old laptop? Since I paid $2,000 for my laptop, and it’s coming up on 4 years old, I could buy another one at that price or buy 2 iPads for half the cost. With the exception of a few minor things that I have to do a laptop (which coincidently, doesn't require much processing capability and therefore my old laptop can still be used), an iPad does everything else.
If I think of this product in this fashion, I can see its utility/purpose. I’ll make a prediction that, in the future, everyone will have these types of devices instead of laptops. Once they figure out an easy way for the masses to do the things you currently have to do on a laptop, either via online hosting or a plug and play unit that allows you to do run any software (like personal finance software, word processing, spreadsheets, picture editing, etc), I think we’ll see those bulky laptops fade into oblivion…and of course, replaced by cheap mobile units like the iPad.
26 January 2010
Sudduth State of the Union
Madam Speaker, Mrs. Vice President, members of Dogress, the First Lady born to the United Sudduths -
I have come here tonight not only to address the distinguished women, children, and pets in this great chamber, but to speak frankly and directly to those who got us here. I know that for many of those reading right now, the state of our economy isn’t a concern that rises above all others. And rightly so. Unemployment in this great land is at 0%. In fact, GDP is expected to grow at 3.5% over last year easing concerns about inflationary pressures.
Healthcare remains our biggest priority in 2010. We must count our blessings that in the United Sudduths every member has access to good healthcare. Our projections show that the population of this country is expected to increase in 2010 by a whopping 25%, offsetting the decline in 2009. As President, we are ready for this population boom. Extensive planning and preparation has been done, and continues to be done, in anticipation of this momentous event. Rest assured that although congestion, resource consumption, and sleepless nights will increase, we are ready. No child will be left behind at the hospital.
I have great plans for this land. The desert east is a location no man or woman has yet to conquer. Mark my words, 1000 points of light, in 2010 we will conquer with water, sprinklers, and grass, this inhospitable terrain. We are in an age of exploration where the human spirit of the people of the United Sudduths know no limits. For the betterment of this country, I vow to expand our living space borders through brute strength, good old-fashioned hard work, and probably lots of trips to Home Depot. This is a land that will flow with milk and honey once its potential is realized.
Legislatively, my plan is to enact a “Poop in the Potty” stimulus…consisting mostly of verbal praise and M&M rewards. Quincey, my head of Homeland Security, will also be given additional federal handouts to help keep us safe from Postal Service and Fed Ex terrorists bent on leaving unmarked, assumed explosive packages, along the borders of our house.
To fight global warming, we must conserve our resources. It is my goal to reduce natural gas and electricity consumption 50% in the summer months. Yes, that may already happen by default, but as your President it is my duty to take credit for anything positive regardless of whether or not I had anything to do with it - or even despite my poor decisions.
Let us not ever forget that we live in a blessed and prosperous land. God Bless the United Sudduths of America.
(the crowd goes wild and gives a standing ovation)
I have come here tonight not only to address the distinguished women, children, and pets in this great chamber, but to speak frankly and directly to those who got us here. I know that for many of those reading right now, the state of our economy isn’t a concern that rises above all others. And rightly so. Unemployment in this great land is at 0%. In fact, GDP is expected to grow at 3.5% over last year easing concerns about inflationary pressures.
Healthcare remains our biggest priority in 2010. We must count our blessings that in the United Sudduths every member has access to good healthcare. Our projections show that the population of this country is expected to increase in 2010 by a whopping 25%, offsetting the decline in 2009. As President, we are ready for this population boom. Extensive planning and preparation has been done, and continues to be done, in anticipation of this momentous event. Rest assured that although congestion, resource consumption, and sleepless nights will increase, we are ready. No child will be left behind at the hospital.
I have great plans for this land. The desert east is a location no man or woman has yet to conquer. Mark my words, 1000 points of light, in 2010 we will conquer with water, sprinklers, and grass, this inhospitable terrain. We are in an age of exploration where the human spirit of the people of the United Sudduths know no limits. For the betterment of this country, I vow to expand our living space borders through brute strength, good old-fashioned hard work, and probably lots of trips to Home Depot. This is a land that will flow with milk and honey once its potential is realized.
Legislatively, my plan is to enact a “Poop in the Potty” stimulus…consisting mostly of verbal praise and M&M rewards. Quincey, my head of Homeland Security, will also be given additional federal handouts to help keep us safe from Postal Service and Fed Ex terrorists bent on leaving unmarked, assumed explosive packages, along the borders of our house.
To fight global warming, we must conserve our resources. It is my goal to reduce natural gas and electricity consumption 50% in the summer months. Yes, that may already happen by default, but as your President it is my duty to take credit for anything positive regardless of whether or not I had anything to do with it - or even despite my poor decisions.
Let us not ever forget that we live in a blessed and prosperous land. God Bless the United Sudduths of America.
(the crowd goes wild and gives a standing ovation)
25 January 2010
Nighttime Gems
Julia leaned over the bathroom counter until her reflection was visible in the mirror and said to herself, "Hi, I'm Julia"!
That, followed by a Daddy-Daughter duet of "Jesus Loves Me" with the lights off before I tucked her into bed.
That, followed by a Daddy-Daughter duet of "Jesus Loves Me" with the lights off before I tucked her into bed.
23 January 2010
Happy Meal Saturday
Frequently on the weekend Julia and I go to McDonald's to grab a Happy Meal. Usually it's so Stacey can have a break or clean the house while at the same time allowing me some 1-on-1 time with Julia. The rules are pretty clear according to Jules: cheeseburger, fries poured out of the container, ketchup, and chocolate milk with a straw.
Today she requested fries as soon as I came in the door...so, off we went.
Today she requested fries as soon as I came in the door...so, off we went.
22 January 2010
21 January 2010
Princess Shoes
One of the things Julia likes to do is trade her pajamas for her princess shoes and necklace. Of course, this usually happens in the morning. Today she wanted to sit on the counter (something else she does a lot of too) and watch me make breakfast. Here are pictures of her chowing on an orange, showing us that her mouth is empty after swallowing, and then running around the house in her diaper...not very princess-like in the Disney sense but pretty cute from our perspective.
20 January 2010
Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool
What a disappointing night for Spurs fans. Not only did we lose, but Arsenal won which put them into 1st place (for now). This was our chance to put some space between us and Liverpool for the 4th spot, as well as psychologically driving the final nail into their already miserable season of a coffin. We didn't, and now there are 4 teams including us and Liverpool within 1 point of each other for the last Champions League spot.
My thoughts on the game can really be grouped into 3 categories. Although they may sound like excuses, they really aren't. Liverpool outplayed us and deserved to win. They played with the hunger you'd except them to play with given their current situation in an important fixture in front of their own fans.
1 - Personnel
In general, I'm a bit disappointed that this match had to be played now considering the injuries on both sides. I know that's just the way things are, but it really changed the game. Liverpool were missing their two superstars, Gerrard and Torres. I'm not sure if they had anyone else out with a recent injury or not. Spurs had to play this match without 3 of their regular starters...Lennon, Huddlestone, and Assou-Ekotto. Although only one of those 3 players (Lennon) is arguably a superstar, all 3 were clearly missed for the same reason: they create opportunities for us. Without them we don't have the continuity from the back and through midfield to feed our talent or create space for them up front.
Assou-Ekotto was replaced by Bale, who I actually like as a player but who is still fairly young. Only this year did Bale end his record streak of being the player who had played in 20+ straight games for Spurs without a win. The biggest issue for me with Bale is that he isn't as good of a defender or possession back as Assou-Ekotto. Even in previous games, I noticed that Bale would boot the ball forward in situations where Assou-Ekotto could make a move and retain possession. This is key when building the attack and controlling the game. A lot of our chances start from maintaining possession at the back and building up the play to a scoring chance.
Huddlestone, before he was sidelined, had started every game up to that point. Although he isn't the best player, his passing is sublime. He is able to make that difficult pass that no one else can make. Not only that, but 9 times out of 10 he makes the right decision. As I said above, he's not the best player but seems to fit given our current squad. He's almost like our quarterback in the sense that he decides which way the ball should go. He usually takes the first pass that starts a play and that eventually creates a chance or two. Without him, it seems like we're unbalanced or players don't know what to do with the ball in the center of the field one they get it.
Of course, we really missed Lennon again tonight. He would have been able to run up and down the field all night long against who Liverpool had to offer. Liverpool aren't the fastest team on the planet. Lennon is the kind of player that causes defenses nightmares because of his speed. As such, he's the main person who creates most of our chances in my opinion. Without him to worry about, life is much easier for the opposition's defense. The point is, he causes so much confusion, chaos and panic, that usually that alone is good for a goal or two even if he doesn't score it or assist himself. He creates space or allows other players to create their own space just due to his presence.
Considering all of our injuries, we had to play Modric out of position on the right side of midfield. He was obviously not his best on that side. So, in essence, we had no wide threats and no one in the middle to link play between the forwards and the defense. Everyone except Palacios seemed out of their element. It's not surprising that we didn't create any real chances and we failed to score for a 3rd time in our last 4 Premier League matches.
2 - Desire
We clearly didn't want this win as much as Liverpool did. I didn't see much hunger out there coming from anyone in a white shirt. As with any sport, that's usually enough to decide who wins and who loses.
Defoe was particularly lazy today. I was disappointed not only in his choices and touch but the fact that he was called offside numerous times mainly just because he decided to walk the 3 steps to get back onside instead of jog. You just never know what could have happened in some of those situations if he would have hustled. For example, Crouch controlled the ball in the box and appeared to be fouled - only it was after Defoe was called for offside. I'm not saying it was a definite penalty but that we never know what would have happened had Defoe gotten back onside. Maybe we would have been awarded the foul and a penalty. We'll never know. The point is, Defoe killed off a few plays like this before they even got started because he was walking it (in my opinion). You just never know what could have happened on a few of those plays.
Corluka, Modric, Jenas, Krancjar - didn't find what I was looking for from these guys either. Corluka and Krancjar were eventually subbed. It's not that they had particularly poor performances. I just didn't get the feel from them that this was an important game...either from their attitude to their urgency to their hustle to even the way they reacted to certain plays or calls. Nerves perhaps? Them showing they've never been in this position before? Who knows. Maybe it was just the simple fact that this was only our second league match in almost a month. That's an explanation, but not a good excuse when you consider every other team is in a similar situation. As I said above, Liverpool just wanted it more and were rewarded for their effort. Maybe that can explain why Liverpool scored in the first 6 minutes from a goal kick (essentially) - lack of concentration.
3 - The Blown Call
I'm not one to talk about the referee much since they make mistakes in every match. However, this was a call that changed the game. Only two things could have been called, offside or a foul on the goalie. However, neither happened.
Long story short, the ball was played through to Defoe who was offside. However, he wasn't "actively" offside. That is, he didn't attempt to play the ball or the defensive player who collected the ball and came back onside. Left alone without any pressure applied by Defoe, the Liverpool defender collected the ball and then decided to pass it back to Reina, the Liverpool goalie. This was after Defoe had come back onside and had allowed the defender to choose what to do with the ball. Defoe charged at Reina, who tried to dribble out of the situation. Reina lost possession of the ball which was kicked into an empty net. Confusion ensued on the field.
First of all, Defoe was not offside in this situation. I'm pretty sure the linesman did not raise his flag to signal offside - which was the correct call. For those who need help determining whether a player is in "active play", here are the rules. FIFA issued new guidelines for interpreting the active offside law in 2003 and these were incorporated in law 11 in July 2005. The new wording seeks to more precisely define the three cases as follows:
- Interfering with play means touching the ball passed or touched by a teammate (that didn't happen - Defoe didn't touch the ball)
- Interfering with an opponent means preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent's line of vision or movements or maintaining a position which, in the opinion of the referee, deceives or distracts an opponent in any way (this didn't happen either. Defoe clearly didn't not try to play the defender/jump back into the play until after the defender had decided who to pass to)
- Gaining an advantage by being in an offside position includes playing a ball that rebounds to the player off a post or crossbar or playing a ball that rebounds to the player off an opponent having been in an offside position (again, Defoe never touched it until the shot)
So, that leaves us with the referee judging Defoe fouled their keeper, Reina. This is the easier of the two possibilities for the referee to claim happened. Neither the commentators, nor I, nor most people would call it a foul though. Essentially, when Reina tried to dribble away from Defoe and then realized that he was in trouble, Reina tried to box him out like a basketball player with his rear end and arms. If anything, Reina could have been called for obstruction on Defoe. Since Defoe was trying to get around Reina, Reina essentially leaned on nothing but air and just fell over since Defoe wasn't there to hold him up. Of course, Defoe got to the ball first and put it into the back of the net.
Neither of these infractions happened. Thank you Howard Webb. Even though Liverpool deserved the win, the best team on the day doesn't always win in football. It's a cruel sport in that way. If the goal would have been correctly awarded in the second half, the game would have been changed completely. We'll never know what the game would have been like. This is the issue with calls the affect goals. They completely change the way the rest of the game would have been played out. So, with all the Spurs attacking options on, Liverpool won a penalty kick in injury time on a counter attack. That wouldn't have happened if the goal was awarded. That's just the way things go though.
In the end, it was a big chance wasted and a disappointing one considering how it happened. The race for 4th is now wide open. On a Spurs podcast the other day, the outcome of this game was summed up nicely. The winner or this game won't necessarily finish 4th, but the loser probably won't. That might be a strong statement, but for Spurs it'll probably prove true. The last 3 out of 5 games of the season see us play the teams that are currently in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in the league. If we had thoughts of finishing 4th, we needed to build up a lead before those games hit back to back to back in April. Without any lead, we'll slip out of contention at the end of the season if not sooner.
My thoughts on the game can really be grouped into 3 categories. Although they may sound like excuses, they really aren't. Liverpool outplayed us and deserved to win. They played with the hunger you'd except them to play with given their current situation in an important fixture in front of their own fans.
1 - Personnel
In general, I'm a bit disappointed that this match had to be played now considering the injuries on both sides. I know that's just the way things are, but it really changed the game. Liverpool were missing their two superstars, Gerrard and Torres. I'm not sure if they had anyone else out with a recent injury or not. Spurs had to play this match without 3 of their regular starters...Lennon, Huddlestone, and Assou-Ekotto. Although only one of those 3 players (Lennon) is arguably a superstar, all 3 were clearly missed for the same reason: they create opportunities for us. Without them we don't have the continuity from the back and through midfield to feed our talent or create space for them up front.
Assou-Ekotto was replaced by Bale, who I actually like as a player but who is still fairly young. Only this year did Bale end his record streak of being the player who had played in 20+ straight games for Spurs without a win. The biggest issue for me with Bale is that he isn't as good of a defender or possession back as Assou-Ekotto. Even in previous games, I noticed that Bale would boot the ball forward in situations where Assou-Ekotto could make a move and retain possession. This is key when building the attack and controlling the game. A lot of our chances start from maintaining possession at the back and building up the play to a scoring chance.
Huddlestone, before he was sidelined, had started every game up to that point. Although he isn't the best player, his passing is sublime. He is able to make that difficult pass that no one else can make. Not only that, but 9 times out of 10 he makes the right decision. As I said above, he's not the best player but seems to fit given our current squad. He's almost like our quarterback in the sense that he decides which way the ball should go. He usually takes the first pass that starts a play and that eventually creates a chance or two. Without him, it seems like we're unbalanced or players don't know what to do with the ball in the center of the field one they get it.
Of course, we really missed Lennon again tonight. He would have been able to run up and down the field all night long against who Liverpool had to offer. Liverpool aren't the fastest team on the planet. Lennon is the kind of player that causes defenses nightmares because of his speed. As such, he's the main person who creates most of our chances in my opinion. Without him to worry about, life is much easier for the opposition's defense. The point is, he causes so much confusion, chaos and panic, that usually that alone is good for a goal or two even if he doesn't score it or assist himself. He creates space or allows other players to create their own space just due to his presence.
Considering all of our injuries, we had to play Modric out of position on the right side of midfield. He was obviously not his best on that side. So, in essence, we had no wide threats and no one in the middle to link play between the forwards and the defense. Everyone except Palacios seemed out of their element. It's not surprising that we didn't create any real chances and we failed to score for a 3rd time in our last 4 Premier League matches.
2 - Desire
We clearly didn't want this win as much as Liverpool did. I didn't see much hunger out there coming from anyone in a white shirt. As with any sport, that's usually enough to decide who wins and who loses.
Defoe was particularly lazy today. I was disappointed not only in his choices and touch but the fact that he was called offside numerous times mainly just because he decided to walk the 3 steps to get back onside instead of jog. You just never know what could have happened in some of those situations if he would have hustled. For example, Crouch controlled the ball in the box and appeared to be fouled - only it was after Defoe was called for offside. I'm not saying it was a definite penalty but that we never know what would have happened had Defoe gotten back onside. Maybe we would have been awarded the foul and a penalty. We'll never know. The point is, Defoe killed off a few plays like this before they even got started because he was walking it (in my opinion). You just never know what could have happened on a few of those plays.
Corluka, Modric, Jenas, Krancjar - didn't find what I was looking for from these guys either. Corluka and Krancjar were eventually subbed. It's not that they had particularly poor performances. I just didn't get the feel from them that this was an important game...either from their attitude to their urgency to their hustle to even the way they reacted to certain plays or calls. Nerves perhaps? Them showing they've never been in this position before? Who knows. Maybe it was just the simple fact that this was only our second league match in almost a month. That's an explanation, but not a good excuse when you consider every other team is in a similar situation. As I said above, Liverpool just wanted it more and were rewarded for their effort. Maybe that can explain why Liverpool scored in the first 6 minutes from a goal kick (essentially) - lack of concentration.
3 - The Blown Call
I'm not one to talk about the referee much since they make mistakes in every match. However, this was a call that changed the game. Only two things could have been called, offside or a foul on the goalie. However, neither happened.
Long story short, the ball was played through to Defoe who was offside. However, he wasn't "actively" offside. That is, he didn't attempt to play the ball or the defensive player who collected the ball and came back onside. Left alone without any pressure applied by Defoe, the Liverpool defender collected the ball and then decided to pass it back to Reina, the Liverpool goalie. This was after Defoe had come back onside and had allowed the defender to choose what to do with the ball. Defoe charged at Reina, who tried to dribble out of the situation. Reina lost possession of the ball which was kicked into an empty net. Confusion ensued on the field.
First of all, Defoe was not offside in this situation. I'm pretty sure the linesman did not raise his flag to signal offside - which was the correct call. For those who need help determining whether a player is in "active play", here are the rules. FIFA issued new guidelines for interpreting the active offside law in 2003 and these were incorporated in law 11 in July 2005. The new wording seeks to more precisely define the three cases as follows:
- Interfering with play means touching the ball passed or touched by a teammate (that didn't happen - Defoe didn't touch the ball)
- Interfering with an opponent means preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent's line of vision or movements or maintaining a position which, in the opinion of the referee, deceives or distracts an opponent in any way (this didn't happen either. Defoe clearly didn't not try to play the defender/jump back into the play until after the defender had decided who to pass to)
- Gaining an advantage by being in an offside position includes playing a ball that rebounds to the player off a post or crossbar or playing a ball that rebounds to the player off an opponent having been in an offside position (again, Defoe never touched it until the shot)
So, that leaves us with the referee judging Defoe fouled their keeper, Reina. This is the easier of the two possibilities for the referee to claim happened. Neither the commentators, nor I, nor most people would call it a foul though. Essentially, when Reina tried to dribble away from Defoe and then realized that he was in trouble, Reina tried to box him out like a basketball player with his rear end and arms. If anything, Reina could have been called for obstruction on Defoe. Since Defoe was trying to get around Reina, Reina essentially leaned on nothing but air and just fell over since Defoe wasn't there to hold him up. Of course, Defoe got to the ball first and put it into the back of the net.
Neither of these infractions happened. Thank you Howard Webb. Even though Liverpool deserved the win, the best team on the day doesn't always win in football. It's a cruel sport in that way. If the goal would have been correctly awarded in the second half, the game would have been changed completely. We'll never know what the game would have been like. This is the issue with calls the affect goals. They completely change the way the rest of the game would have been played out. So, with all the Spurs attacking options on, Liverpool won a penalty kick in injury time on a counter attack. That wouldn't have happened if the goal was awarded. That's just the way things go though.
In the end, it was a big chance wasted and a disappointing one considering how it happened. The race for 4th is now wide open. On a Spurs podcast the other day, the outcome of this game was summed up nicely. The winner or this game won't necessarily finish 4th, but the loser probably won't. That might be a strong statement, but for Spurs it'll probably prove true. The last 3 out of 5 games of the season see us play the teams that are currently in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in the league. If we had thoughts of finishing 4th, we needed to build up a lead before those games hit back to back to back in April. Without any lead, we'll slip out of contention at the end of the season if not sooner.
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