The Fred Bassett Column

Fred's Weekend Review

First of all I want to start off by talking about how incredible yesterday’s football was. After Liverpool went to Old Trafford and won 1-4 three seasons ago, I didn’t think I’d see a familiar thrashing for England’s best side, but Manchester’s power shift is now clear and is well and truly underway after City hit them for six this weekend after what was rightfully described by Sir Alex as suicidal football from United when they were a man down. The action was not over by a long shot however, as Chelsea were reduced to nine men after Bosingwa and Drogba were sent off, and only after a very soft penalty decision went the way of QPR.

The Black Sabbath Award for Never Say Die

This award without a doubt has to go to Wolves this weekend, at 2-0 down to Swansea at Molineux and with ten minutes remaining in the match, and what seemed like a ridiculous decision to take off two wingers in Jarvis and Hammill for two midfielders, Wolves fans were quite right to act frustrated with McCarthy, but what a turnaround in the last 10 minutes of the match, as Wolves struck twice through Doyle and O’Hara (a fine finish I must say) leading our favourite Yorkshireman Mick to give us this gem of a quote: “They can react how they like. I’m always up for a scrap, so if anybody fancies one I’ll me happy to accommodate them."

Yep, that’s exactly what the fans want to hear Mick.

The Wickes Award for Building a Brick Wall in Front of the Goal

After enjoying Barcelona so much in recent games, I thought I would watch them again this weekend at the Camp Nou against Sevilla. If I had an award for world player of the week, it would have to go to Javi Varas in the Sevilla net, what a performance, superhuman, magnificent, defiant, I could carry on but it would be redundant as words cannot describe just how good this man’s performance was this weekend.

He made save after save after save, and not from just any players but from players of the calibre of Xavi, Iniesta, Messi and Thiago. In the last ten minutes, Barcelona had the firepower of Villa, Messi, Fabregas, Pedro and Iniesta up front in an attempt at finding the breakthrough and in the dying embers of the game they thought they had got it as Iniesta was fouled in the box and Lionel Messi stepped up to take the penalty. When the undisputed best player in the world finally got to take the penalty after unsightly scenes so typical of Spanish football these days, Javi Varas was yet again his equal and saved brilliantly and the game finished 0-0.

Congratulations Sevilla, bus parking at its finest, you certainly could teach a few London drivers how it’s done.

The Pîssed Off Redneck Award for Most Trigger Happy Performance

Only one answer this weekend as Chris Foy stepped up to the mark dishing out a remarkable nine yellow cards and two red cards in a fiery west London derby at Loftus Road. In fact the only player that started for Chelsea that wasn’t sent off or substituted without a yellow card was Petr Cech, not for a long time have I seen a game so full of controversy and bookable offenses, and I’m going to have to give the credit to the referee, he called most of the decisions correctly and I think it was a good performance from him, and I’m certainly not one to agree with what Neil Warnock says.

The Fernando Torres Award for Miss of the Week

Sorry Andy, but down to the circumstances, I’m going to have to give this to Liverpool’s number nine. Drawing with Norwich at home really isn’t acceptable for Liverpool, and Carroll had the late chance to rectify that situation with a header that somebody of his calibre should have netted, despite having to twist himself into a pretzel to get proper contact on the ball. However honourable mention to Luis Suarez for missing about a thousand and one chances, a bit like my golf game, brilliant long game but he just couldn’t put to save his life on Saturday!

The Mick McCarthy Award for Quote of the Weekend

A positive one today, I think Roger Johnson deserves the plaudits for this:

“As for the sack, I hope the board weren’t listening as it’s below the belt. They (the fans) should stick by the boss and point the finger where it belongs, at the players."
- Roger Johnson

Fair play to Roger.