Soccer Clips

I saw these today and I thought you all might enjoy them. HILARIOUS!! My favorite is the official giving the yellow card.

                                


                             
Source: http://funkydowntown.com/funniest-soccer-animations-funny-2010-fifa-world-cup-video-clip/#ixzz0r0uTsytw

Yet Another Draw

     After defeating Swansea 2-0 with relative ease, Stoke City earned their 5th draw of the season. Stoke and Liverpool faced off and finished in a 0-0 draw. Normally I would not be too happy about a 0-0 draw, however, Liverpool is one of the best football clubs in the Premier League so Stoke keeping a clean sheet against them is a pretty big deal as far as I'm concerned.

     I'd like to address an issue I have with Liverpool's go-to striker, Luis Suarez. Throughout the match Suarez was battling my favorite defender for the Potters, Robert Huth. It was obvious that Suarez was getting frustrated not being able to best the tall defender. During the match, Suarez was trying to move the ball through Stoke's box when he lost control of the ball and his footing. He lost the ball and was able to stay on his feet. That wasn't the issue. The problem was when he realized he'd lost the ball, Suarez dove to the ground looking for a penalty. I understand that trying to draw fouls is sometimes just a part of the game and I understand why some players do it, but this was just shameful. Suarez has always been known for taking dives and I'm a little upset that he wasn't shown a yellow card for his dive against Stoke. No player should ever get away with such a flagrant dive. It was simply disgraceful and it embarrassed me. 

Liverpool's Luis Suarez dives against Stoke (8_10) by antonis_tsi

A lot of officials will give a yellow card for such a display and I'm very disappointed that Suarez didn't get one here. In my opinion, a dive like this should be given a yellow card automatically without any hesitation. There's a difference between drawing a foul strategically, and trying to get away with something because you lost out. That said, Luis Suarez is an amazing footballer. He just has his moments.

FINALLY...A WIN!!!!

     As you all know by now, Stoke City is my favorite football club in the Premier League. Stoke started off a little rocky this season with 4 straight draws and a loss which is not exactly the best way to add points to one's tally. However, Stoke now have their first win right after their first loss. They beat Swansea 2-0. You may recall from my last post that I was really wanting Peter Crouch to get his 4th goal of the season after not scoring in the club's first loss, and he did. Crouch also got his 5th! He was so close to a hat trick too. What would have been his 3rd goal of the match ricocheted off the crossbar of the goal. I literally jumped off the couch! The Britannia stadium was so loud for both of Crouch's goals and after his second, the fans began to sing his praises (I'll admit that I may have joined in a little). "He's big, he's red, his feet stick out the bed! Peter Crouch, Peter Crouch!" They sing, "His feet stick out the bed" because of how tall he is if you can't tell from the photo.

                                                                                   Michael Steele-Getty Images

     I was a little surprised at Swansea's performance. They started off the season on fire. Pretty much everyone expected it to be a closer match than it was. Nevertheless, Stoke walked away with their first win relatively easy. Whether the Stoke City Potters are your favorite team or not, you still have to give these guys some respect. They're very good at finding a way to hang in there. I know that we're a long way from the end of the season, but this was still a much needed win for a very deserving club.