It’s that time that you have all been eagerly anticipating; yes, that’s right, get ready to go one more round with A slice of Motd.
This weekend’s edition begins with tribute to the commentator Tony Gubba who passed away this past week.
We get started with the relegation dog fight between Aston Villa and QPR which was high in drama and intensity. Villa secured the crucial three points by winning 3-2 as they felt the power of BENTEKE late on. Dion Dublin and Alan Shearer join Gary Lineker to dissect the games this week and Dublin is handed the duties of explaining how Villa pulled off the victory. He highlights Garbriel Abonglahor as a key reason and rightly points out that he not only scored but caused QPR problems all day with his pace. Brad Guazan’s superb saves were important too.
Fashion update: All three chaps have chosen to wear black shirts for this edition, possibly because of Gubba’s passing?
Everton vs Man City next and City have surely given themselves no chance at retaining their League title with this loss to the Toffees. Even with Everton playing with ten men for half an hour they still weren’t able to muster a goal. Poor Mancini was so distraught he couldn’t attend to his post match media duties. Everton’s energy was key to the game says Shearer as David Moyes’ men fully deserved the victory.
We go down to the south coast for the following game where Southampton beat Liverpool 3-1. This win is a big boost for Southampton’s chances at staying up this season the Saints have been outstanding since the turn of the year. Liverpool are certainly good going forward but lacklustre at the back and this is the focus of Shearer’s analysis.
As far as guest presenters go I have to say I am not convinced by Dion Dublin. He wasn’t a bad player, did well for Coventry, but as we know sometimes former players don’t make the best pundits. Shearer’s Okish most of the time but next to Dublin’s mediocrity he looks like Gary Neville.
League leaders and champions elect Manchester United take on managerless Reading next and Wayne Rooney’s first half goal sealed three more points for the Red Devils. The sacking of Brian McDermott seemed strange to me. Reading have been poor lately but firing a manager at such an important time in the season is risky. The three amigos talk about Rio Ferdinand’s performance and he gets the focus because of his call up to the England team. Shearer agrees with me about McDermott – risky stuff – and throws out a stat about clubs firing their managers in the middle of the season and still getting relegated. So there.
After nearly pulling off a miracle in Munich during the week Arsenal did manage to perform one against Swansea by keeping clean sheets in consecutive games. There was another miracle, too, as Gervinho actually finished when one on one with the keeper. Shearer gets his post match analysis on point by giving high praise for the little Spaniard Santi Cazorla, who was brilliant. Dublin goes and ruins it with some boring say-what-you-see guff and a crap joke about Lineker.
Rounding off the show we have West Brom vs Stoke in a bore draw. How much of an idiot is Peter Odemwingie? Always ranting on that Twitter. I bet West Brom fans and staff will be pleased to see the back of him. Stoke of only scored six goals in 2013. SIX! One win in ten? That is terrible, Pulis.
That’s that for another edition of A slice of Motd and have only now just realised that Dublin is not actually wearing a black shirt but a blue one. And on that seismic shockwave I shall say farewell to you and see you again on the otherside of this monster interlull.
‘Til then.