Entries from September 2003 ↓

UEFA Champions League Group Phase One
Matchday Two

A Point Earned, or Two Points Squandered?

Fulltime Score
Lokomotiv 0 - 0 Arsenal

A short-handed Arsenal took the pitch this afternoon in Moscow against Lokomotiv. The Russians seemed to have the upper-hand for much of the match, which is to be expected considering the Gunners are missing captain Patrick Vieira, defender Sol Campbell, mid-fielder Freddie Ljungberg, and the non-flying Dutchman, striker Dennis Bergkamp.

Arsenal did get their chances towards the end of each half, but the hero of the match was Jens Lehmann. The keeper stopped several Lokomotiv shots, thus keeping the Gunners in it.

So, the Gunners got their first point of this season’s Champions League, which could be viewed in two ways. On the one hand, given the key players who were missing, a point was well-earned tonight. The other viewpoint, and one that seems to be shared by Thierry Henry based on his reactions after the full-time whistle, was that this was a missed opportunity.

The next European match will be in Kiev against Dynamo in three weeks time. Of more pressing concern is this Saturday’s match against Liverpool at Anfield. Hopefully there will be some good news on the injury front, or we may be in for a long morning. This match starts at 7:30 AM ET here in the States, and is being shown live on PPV.

I’ve been meaning to write this review for weeks, but for one reason or another have not gotten around to it until now. What was lost in immediacy is now gained in perspective. As a result, I can judge the film more fairly.

Perhaps “film” is a misnomer, for within the opening credits, writer/director Robert Rodriguez makes it quite clear that none of what is about to transpire is to be taken seriously. Rather than use the standard tag, “A Robert Rodriguez Film,” or perhaps, “A Film By Robert Rodriguez,” the filmmaker chooses the much cheekier “A Robert Rodriguez Flick.” The credits go one step further in setting the tone, when we find out that the movie was “chopped” instead of edited by Mr. Rodriguez.

“Once Upon A Time…” is billed as the final chapter in Rodriguez’s now-legendary “El Mariachi” saga. It’s strange then, that the star of the movie is not Antonio Banderas’ El Mariachi, but instead is Johnny Depp in his second scene stealing turn in as many films (his last being Capt. Jack Sparrow in this summer’s Pirates Of The Caribbean.)

Depp is masterful as the corrupt Agent Sands, a CIA operative who uses Mexico as if it were his personal playground, and delights in wearing the cheesiest of tacky t-shirts (Cleavage Inspection Agent anyone?)

The “flick” seems to have been written with the Sands character in mind, with the El Mariachi stuff added in afterwards to fill the gaps. The beautiful Salma Hayak is unforgivably underused, getting what amounts to a glorified cameo’s worth of screen-time. Admittedly, the screen time is put to good use, as in one particularly thrilling scene in which Banderas and Hayak escape from would-be assassins while bound together by chains.

Overall, this was a fun picture, but I don’t quite understand the four star ratings it’s been getting in the press.

The Yankees ended their 100th regular season with their 101st win of the season today against the Orioles at the Stadium. This is the third time the Yankees have won at least 100 games during the Joe Torre era, and the second season on the trot. The last two occasions, 1998, and 2002, had quite different outcomes. In ‘98, the Yanks ended up sweeping all three playoff series against the Rangers, Red Sox and Braves on their way to their 24th World Series title. In ‘02, the Yanks collapsed in the post-season, getting knocked out in the first round by wild-card entry and eventual World Series champions, the Anaheim Angels.

Things look a little bit better for the Yanks this year, as they face the Minnesota Twins in the American League Division Series. New York has beaten the Twins in fourteen of their last fourteen meetings, which bodes well for a Yankee berth in the League Championship Series.

The schedule for the ALDS breaks down like this:

Game One:
@
Tuesday, Sept. 30
1:05 PM ET - ESPN

Game Two:
@
Thursday, Oct. 2
8:15 PM ET - FOX

Game Three:
@
Saturday, Oct 4
TBA

Game Four (if necessary):
@
Sunday, Oct. 5
TBA

Game Five (if necessary):
@
Monday, Oct. 6
TBA

The third season of this fantastic ABC drama begins tonight at 9PM. Here’s the TV guide blurb regarding tonight’s episode:

Alias
3.01: “The Two”
60 mins.

“There’s hell to pay as season three sends Syd after Vaughn for giving up hope, Sloane for weaseling his way into a formal pardon and an NSC honcho for locking her father away on bogus charges. Meanwhile, the CIA needs the newly resurrected Bristow on a case that could be tied to her two-year disappearance and the recent murders of eight operatives.”

Fulltime score:
Arsenal 3 - 2 Newcastle United

Arsenal Scorers:
Thierry Henry - 19′, 78′ (pen)(5,6)
Gilberto - 66′ (2)

Newcastle Scorers:
Laurent Robert - 25′
Olivier Bernard - 70′

Booked:
Arsenal - None
Newcastle - Laurent Robert - 65′ - unsportsmanlike conduct

Thierry Henry opened the scoring 19 minutes into the match on a rather rainy Friday evening in London. In an worrisome turn of events, Patrick Vieira came off about ten minutes after the goal. He did have a slight limp, but it did not look that serious - not sure what exactly went wrong. Moments after Paddy left, Newcastle equalized through a Laurent Robert goal, his third against Arsenal in four matches. He truly is becoming a thorn in the Gunners’ side.

In the second half, it looked increasingly like the match was going to end in a 1-1 draw, until Henry’s free-kick in the 66th minute met the head of Gilberto, who scored his second goal of the year. It was the Brazilian’s first ever goal at Highbury. The celebrations were shortlived, as Newcastle came right back - as they had in the first half - and tied the match, this time through a goal by their other Frenchman, Olivier Bernard.

In the first half, it had been Edu who came on for Vieira. In the second, Arsene Wenger was forced to send on Pascal Cygan for an injured Ashley Cole, who had taken a nasty knock to his ankle earlier in the match. In a tactical switch, Wenger later replaced Ray Parlour with Robert Pires. With over twenty minutes left in the match, this was quite the gamble. It almost seemed to have backfired, because a few moments later, Freddie Ljungberg went down injured.

Arsenal continued to pressure the Magpies, even after being reduced to ten men. Their persistance paid off when Newcastle’s Jermaine Jenas was called for a handball inside his own penalty area. The ball had been sent into the box by a Thierry Henry free-kick, and as Gilberto and Jenas jostled for postion, the Newcastle man handled it, giving the Gunners the opportunity they needed.

Thierry Henry stepped up and made no mistake about this one - smashing it past Shay Given. This time the Gunners were in front for good. The win puts Arsenal four points clear of the ManUre scum at the top of the table. Not only does this win keep Arsenal top, but the fact that there were no Arsenal players booked speaks volumes about how poor a referee Steve Bennett actually is when compared to today’s ref, Mike Riley. Next up for Arsenal - a long trip to Moscow, where they face Lokomotiv Moscow in the Champions League on Tuesday night. The match is actually taking place at 11:45 AM ET, but the television coverage that had been promised by Setanta seems to have fallen through. We’ll see if that changes over the next few days.

From BBC News:

Eight charged after bust-up

Arsenal and six of their players - plus two from Manchester United - have been charged by the Football Association after the stormy Premiership clash at Old Trafford.

The Gunners have been accused of failing to control their players in the goalless draw on Sunday.

And Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira - who was sent off - Martin Keown, Ashley Cole, Lauren, Ray Parlour and Jens Lehmann all face individual charges that could lead to suspensions.

Manchester United duo Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo have also been charged by the FA after a review of video evidence of the ill-tempered climax to the game following Ruud van Nistelrooy’s last-minute penalty miss.

Arsenal, their players and those accused from Manchester United have 14 days to respond to the FA charges.

Manchester United issued a statement that read: “We have received the details of the charges from the FA and we are currently reviewing them internally with our lawyers, the manager and the players involved.

“Until that review is completed the club will make no further comment.”

The charges in full:

Arsenal: Charged with “failing to ensure the proper behaviour of their players”.

Lauren: Two counts of violent behaviour for “kicking out at Quinton Fortune following the penalty award and for forcibly pushing van Nistelrooy in the back following the final whistle”. Two counts of improper conduct for “confronting Ruud van Nistelrooy after Patrick Vieira’s sending-off, and for confronting Ryan Giggs after the final whistle”.

Keown: One charge of violent behaviour “for striking van Nistelrooy on the back of the head following the final whistle”. One charge of improper conduct for “confronting Van Nistelrooy following the penalty miss”.

Parlour: One charge of improper conduct for “confronting Van Nistelrooy after the final whistle”. One charge of violent behaviour for “grabbing at Gary Neville from behind shortly afterwards”.

Cole: One charge of improper conduct for “his involvement in a confrontation with Cristiano Ronaldo after the final whistle”.

Lehmann: One charge of improper conduct for “confronting referee Steve Bennett after Patrick Vieira’s second yellow card and for then persistently seeking to confront Van Nistelrooy”.

Vieira: One charge of improper conduct for “failing to leave the field of play following his sending-off, and for instead seeking to confront Van Nistelrooy and engaging in a verbal exchange with fourth official Neale Barry”.

Giggs: One charge of improper conduct for “his involvement in a confrontation with Lauren after the match had ended”.

Ronaldo: One charge of improper conduct for “confronting Martin Keown at the conclusion of the match”.
Phil Neville has, meanwhile, been warned as to his future conduct after a confrontation with Lauren, but his brother Gary and Manchester United as a club are not being charged by the FA.

Arsenal, however, could now face a suspension crisis, with Lauren facing four separate counts, including two of violent behaviour, the same serious charge which is faced by Keown and Parlour.