As we attempted to highlight final week, this is going to be a new epoch in a blog. Didn’t worry to write a Friday, EPL(*) “preview” post, yet we’ll do some rapid-fire, knee jerk Saturday morning reactions.

(*) Look, we comprehend EPL isn’t a proper nomenclature as a joining is technically a “Barclay’s Premier League” yet everybody in America uses it. It’s shorthand. It creates sense. No clarity being stodgy, and screw a English and their foolish bank unite that is also sponsoring a Brooklyn Nets’ arena.  

As we said, this is going to be a new year.

And with each new year, around this time my friends and we start ticking off a days until a recover of a newest chronicle of “FIFA” for XBox 360. Yes, if it’s not abundantly clear by now, we am massively cold person. Like Luke Perry cool. Wait, that’s not a timely reference, is it? Must be that I’m stranded in a 1990s Tumblr time warp.

Anyways, if we don’t play “FIFA” we substantially consider to yourself, because dump $60 on a new front for a diversion that’s fundamentally an MS-Paint refurbish — new rosters, new uniforms, a integrate new songs on a soundtrack and that’s it? For one in the strictest financial sense, you’re right. It is stupid and a rubbish of money, yet for a (ugh) hardcore gamer, a pointed tweaks are positively value it.

For whatever a reason, as we woke adult this morning with Swansea already violence West Ham United in a Ian Darke/Steve McManaman ESPN promote this popped into my head. Here’s why: Swansea, initial underneath Brendan Rodgers, and now underneath Brian Laudrup are like a “FIFA” series, constantly evolving, creation a intelligent tiny moves to urge their altogether footballing philosophy, while Sam Allardyce (and Mark Hughes) are still stranded with a primer to “FIFA 2004.”

There’s a vital risk going overboard over Swansea violence West Ham and QPR by an total 8-0 in a initial dual weeks of a season. That said, it’s an engaging review and contrariety between how an alien Welsh bar is doing a business to a) benefit graduation and b) stay adult in a Prem vs. what a dual London clubs are doing in identical circumstances.

It’s a tad mocking as a English adore to indicate out how they exported organisation football opposite a universe — note a Crosses of St. George in a bar logos of clubs or shirts of places like Inter Milan or even mighty, revered and spiritual FC Barcelona. Now, in a bit of a retreat Art Vandelay import/export(*), intelligent English clubs are looking to a continent like Swansea to Spain and it’s possession/tika-taka diversion or Newcastle United plumbing France for speedy, two-way players to increasing success, yet not short-term shots in a arm, yet long-standing planning.

(*) The Summer of 2012 competence also be remembered as a Belgian Invasion in a Prem. 

Clubs are finally starting to comprehend that maybe a centuries aged model: :big man adult front — flog it to him: isn’t going to work in a 21st Century. Adapt to what everybody else is perplexing to do, or die. Simply demeanour during a continued failings of England National Team.

Even as Swansea mislaid Rodgers and Joe Allen to Liverpool, it didn’t panic. It simply combined some players from Spain Laudrup was familiar with like Michu and Jonathan de Guzman and plugged them into a complement that worked. (Adding Korean Ki Sung-Yueng from Celtic for a club-record cost seems to sire this trend a tiny bit.) Long-term Swansea are going to take a strike if they remove Scott Sinclair to Manchester City as rumored given Wayne Routledge isn’t going to continue personification like this for 9 months. Then again, take a income as Sinclair will fundamentally be Shaun Wright-Phillips during Chelsea once he gets to City, his value will never be aloft than it is during a moment.

Again, this is clearly large overreacting to a span of games, nonetheless review it to West Ham, that is stranded in a undisturbed English tradition. Allardyce worked some of this purported send “magic” removing Mohammed Diame for a free, that is an fine move. Yet he couldn’t conflict himself, adding toxic defender James Collins from Aston Villa or dump a boatload of income to get ENGLAND’S Matty Jarvis from relegated Wolves for good over $10 million.

Hughes during QPR has been worse, grabbing whatever “name” English players or Premier League castoffs are available. It’s building on a fly, doing each singular pierce usually to try to equivocate relegation.

As per usual, were we smarter or some-more meddlesome in “Daily Show” character politics, we could review this line of meditative to a debt crisis, bailouts and fun things of that ilk. Quick fixes to, potentially, fuck over a future.

In any event, EA will get my $59.99 in late Sep for a new square of plastic.

Other Thoughts: 

Bloody United: Quick doubt United fans, improved idea Saturday vs. Fulham: Robin outpost Persie’s overwhelming half-volley entrance or Nemanja Vidic’s impertinent behind heel … for an possess goal, that finished an easy 3-1 feat a 3-2 life-and-death struggle?

United are still United and even with an early idea from Damien Duff on a intelligent set square by Bryan Ruiz are going to improved Fulham during Old Trafford on flesh memory. Rafael scored, that is nice, yet it doesn’t shimmer over his defensive liabilities that stand adult opposite a bigger teams.

Sir Alex started outpost Persie and benched Wayne Rooney, who after had his obese parsimonious torn asunder late in a diversion in a conform that would make both Ric Flair and Dusty Rhodes’ stomachs turn. If anything, outpost Persie’s participation with a Red Devils means Rooney’s involuntary place in a starting XI is in question. As we’ve seen a encouraged Rooney is a dangerous Rooney.

The thigh damage is going to cost Rooney a month in a triage unit, your pierce Mr. Glass, err, RvP.

Fulham positively looked splendid sans Clint Dempsey. Not to make some-more declarative statements, yet of all a things on a field, are goals a easiest to replace? If Arsenal had poached Breda Hangeland as rumored a few summers ago, wouldn’t that have been a some-more crippling move?

Same aged Spurs: Watching Tottenham impotent try to collect detached West Brom for about an hour, in a eventual, unavoidable 1-1 pull (replete with Jermaine Defoe scoring goals from offside positions) during White Hart Lane, we kept wondering … is it ever a good thing for a top-tier soccer group (or one with those ambitions) when it’s best players play out wide, as Gareth Bale does during Spurs? What good is a speed and ability to overlie with Kyle Walker if there’s nobody in a middle?

Spurs were better, marginally, when Glyfi Sigurdsson came on for Rafel outpost der Vaart, yet a likes of Sandro and Jake Livermore didn’t do most to put a stamp on a diversion in a midfield, as West Brom grew some-more and some-more assured as a diversion went on.

The diversion incited when Steve Clarke brought on Chelsea-loanee Romelu Lukaku, who incited William Gallas into his personal dog quicker than Adibesi could have finished so on “Oz.”  Again with a knee-jerk thoughts, yet as good as Emmanuel Adebayor has been in England scoring goals, he’s removing comparison and has accrued copiousness of miles on his crawl legs. Put it this way, he’s not as physically commanding (or motivated) as he once was during Arsenal or City. Lukaku — new and unloved by Andre Villas-Boas final year during Chelsea — is still a really tender player, yet he’s clever and he scares short, delayed defenders like Gallas simply by stepping on a field.

As most as AVB wants to spin Spurs into a quick, fast-moving 4-3-3 Portuguese-style team, he still needs some steel in a squad, as a big, logging West Brom bar showed late in a compare as it asserted a will inside a chastisement box before James Morrison’s stoppage-time equalizer, occasionally size still does matter.

Tottenham, regardless of whatever a bar does, never has a courage to see out a 1-0 win, does it?

Fast Start: Who body-snatched David Moyes and transposed him with this impostor? Everton’s not ostensible to win games until January. What gives?

Credit Everton for outstanding a entirely listless, dead, Aston Villa group with 3 initial half goals, en track to a 3-1 win during Villa Park for 6 out of 6 points.

For all a woe-is-me Moyes has had over a years, he’s finally removing a lapse on some investments, or during slightest buying-and-selling smartly, nonetheless a lot of it goes to a happening of picking over a skeleton of Rangers as Nikica Jelavic has 8 goals in his final 8 games and solved a brazen maze during Goodison Park. Still, flipping Jack Rodwell, Joseph Yobo and Diniyar Bilyaletdinov and regulating that income to move behind Steven Pienaar (who never should have left), keep Leighton Baines and pointer Kevin Mirallas from Greece helped build a patrol with depth. Throw in removing Darron Gibson (don’t laugh) on a inexpensive from Manchester United and Moyes has revitalized a squad.

It helps that Marouane Fellaini is personification out of his afro, too.

Landon who?

One discerning thing on Aston Villa. If any group needs to make a Boston Red Sox-style trade and purify house, it’s Villa. Something is decaying inside that sauce room. Enjoy it Randy Lerner now that you’ve divested yourself of a clever Cleveland Browns.

Ponce de Liverpool: Have Liverpool finally found their Xabi Alonso replacement, as fans have unyieldingly pined for over a final integrate seasons? Nuri Sahin — over-abundance during Real Madrid — could be that guy, yet they’re dual opposite forms of executive midfielders.

What Liverpool fans should like about a German-born Turk is he thrived at Jurgen Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund, a high-pressing, high-tempo team. That’s a bit like what Rodgers wants to do during Anfield, so a good tiny triangle in a center of a margin of Sahin, Allen and Lucas isn’t too shabby. What it does to Steven Gerrard is open to debate, given all 4 substantially can’t play during once.

Now if usually a bar can find a fool to take Andy Caroll or seaside adult it’s fortifying issues …

Quick hits: 

Seems like, for dual weeks, Fox Soccer is now display a early AM Sunday kickoff, definition Fox Soccer Plus is usually display one live EPL diversion per week. In hint that whole channel is now built so it can uncover dual point midweek Champions League games. Guess that’s a good business model. … Didn’t comprehend West Brom had sealed Yacob from Racing in Argentina. First thing we saw him do was force a actor over. Makes sense. … Wigan wins on a road. Beware Roberto Martinez, even but Victor Moses. … Whenever we get a far-reaching shot, we comprehend usually how tiny some of these Premier League drift truly are in comparison to what we’re used to saying in America. … Sunderland/Reading was rained out. Bummed, always like Adam Johnson and he’ll get plenty personification time after withdrawal Manchester City. … Watched about 10 mins of Norwich City/QPR before my slow self loathsome took over and satisfied we indispensable to do some-more with my life. This coincided with a Vidic possess goal, that was fortunate.