The Athenaeum Forum

The last day of the Barclays Premier League goes Sunday and the permutations are rather simple. If Manchester City wins or draws against West Ham at the Etihad, they win the title. A draw would mean the league would be decided by goal differential if Liverpool beats Newcastle; a gleeful sight for Manchester United supporters if City were to win both of their two titles based on goal difference. After a frustrating year at Old Trafford, this is all they have. The only way Liverpool are crowned champions is a win Sunday at Anfield combined with a Man City loss. Seems improbable, but not impossible. The dream of ending the title drought since 1990 will most likely carry on another year, along with the pain, anguish and yearning. This is the most compelling storyline heading in to Super Sunday with all eyes on Man City (TSN Radio Network, 10am ET) and Liverpool (TSN) and who will reign supreme. At the bottom of the table, Fulham and Cardiff City have already been relegated. Norwich City is all but relegated, needing a miracle of biblical proportions, facing a 17-goal gap in goal differential. Bye, bye, Canaries. So we will not to be treated to a topsy-turvy day of who stays and who goes from Premier League football. The casual fan is worse off for it not having the drama at the death. Tottenham and Manchester United are the only other teams playing for anything come Sunday. Spurs can wrap up Europa League qualification with a win or a draw at home against Aston Villa. If Spurs lose, a Manchester United win at Southampton would see them qualify for Europe. Europa League is hardly the prize either team envisioned. Again, blasé. An exciting season may be coming to an end in unspectacular fashion, however talking points continue to swirl. Here are this weeks musings: - Hardly Vintage: The 2013/14 season will hardly go down as a vintage Premier League campaign. There were plenty of memorable moments (more on the flash points next week), good and bad, but the prevailing sentiment over the season was sub-par play. The league lacked a true frontrunner and parity was more a product of mediocre play and change, rather than top quality football. The Premier League spends millions in transfers on a bi-annual basis. It can hardly be said teams are paying for value. The Premier League is rich with sponsors and earnings for surpassing any of their contemporaries. The wealth is exposed by lesser lights, with Premier League teams paying out the nose for marginal talent. It makes development that much more important for British clubs, avoiding the pitfalls of fools gold. Its a double-edged sword, as young players failing to get first team opportunity leave for green pastures (Paul Pogba, anyone?) or attempt to catch on elsewhere in a maze lacking identity or true direction. Although the entire ‘B-team model has been approached by cynicism by many in high-ranking positions and influential pundits, alternative opportunity to develop is paramount for competitiveness and business. - Super Sunday: North American professional sports need take notice of the Premier Leagues final day of games. All matches start at 10am et, meaning all-important results cannot be manipulated to the benefit of self or detriment to another. The NBA became a farce down the stretch of its regular season, with teams purposely losing to jockey for position. Professional basketball is not the only culprit. Its understood scheduling decisions are made based upon broadcasting revenue. But for the good of the sport and the fans, integrity must be taken into account. And the excitement of the final day of the Premier League more years than not trumps the spectacle of all others based upon set-up and importance. The drama is unmatched. - Suarez doubts: The pictures of Luis Suarez after Liverpools late collapse in a dramatic 3-3 tie at Selhurst Park will be replayed for ages. Burying his head in his shirt, visibly inconsolable speaks volumes. There is no doubt Suarez loves Liverpool. And Champions League football next season brings the assumption he will remain at Anfield. But thats all it is - an assumption. If Real Madrid comes calling, which continues to be rumoured, will Suarez be able to resist? And is the Uruguayan to be trusted by anything he says? This was a player who cast a line and was headed to Arsenal before the season. Hes a player suspended twice for biting and once for racist gestures. His actions on and off the field dont speak of a reliable, stable, predictable player. There is a lot to like about Suarez. Manchester Citys Yaya Toure and the Liverpool striker have been a cut above on the season. Liverpool need be wary heading into the summer, bringing in requisite players to compete in Europe, also keeping in mind cover for Suarez may be needed. Its a big summer ahead for Brendan Rodgers making sure he makes the right moves so his team doesnt regress after this ultimately successful campaign. Suarez is a big part of that. And if he goes, question marks will remain above the sustainability of success at Liverpool in an ultimately competitive Premier League. - Poor Stevie G: Contrary to belief, Liverpools title chances didnt go out the window after Mondays draw; it came through Steven Gerrards infamous ‘slip-up leading to the game winning goal in a 2-0 home loss to an weakened Chelsea. Its incredible a player as decorated as Gerrard may end his career without a Premier League title. Hes been one of the top midfielders of his generation, yet hasnt been able to inspire his team to consistent greatness aside from that one night in Istanbul. This doesnt fall solely on Gerrards shoulders. And his loyalty to Liverpool is one that should be applauded. The riches of Chelsea tempted him, yet he remained on the Merseyside. Seeing Gerrard ‘rally the troops in his now infamous team huddle with the title in his sights, paired with his ‘slip against Chelsea makes for an undeserving snippet of how harsh the game truly his. As his career fades into memories, how will he be remembered? The last month provides material he, perhaps, would want stricken from the record. - Citys Dynamic Duo: Manchester City has a roster among the best money can buy. Yaya Toure is the pulse and Vincent Kompany, despite some hiccups this season, remains the anchor at the back. But its hard to see City having the success they have without right back Pablo Zabaleta and attacking midfielder David Silva; in my opinion, the best two at their respective positions in the Premier League. On Wednesday, in a game Aston Villa proved a difficult team to breakdown, it was Zabaleta and Silva with top rate passing and movement that broke Villa down leading to the first two goals. It must be appreciated how these two see the game and can provide a variance in attack. In a Premier League predicated on speed and strength, the Argentine and Spaniard bring elements of intelligence and understanding seldom properly utilized. Their respective importance to team success cannot be understated. - Mourinhos self-fulfilling prophecy: Looking back on Jose Mourinhos first season back at Chelsea, its hard not to wonder what could have been. The Portuguese tactician was clear throughout the year his team was an underdog in the title race - the ‘little horse, if you will. It was hard to buy it back when he started spewing the nonsense and it makes little sense now. It may have not been a squad Mourinho was entirely comfortable with. And the group will continue to be cut in the mold to what Mourinho desires. Money is no object, but the past season cannot be deemed a success. He wasnt managing a team of lesser lights. The squad was as good as any in the league, but losses to Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Sunderland in the last two months were the fatal blow. It must be asked whether Mourinhos open pessimism about his team played a role in the team psyche. When you repeatedly downplay your teams chances, it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. A more positive Mourinho doesnt mean less realistic. When he sits back and reflects on the season that was, he should rue the outcome as a year of what could have been, rather than what was. - Wenger success?: Arsenal finishes fourth place in the league - another successful year for the club? That seems to be the mentality at Arsenal and its backwards, but lifting the FA Cup in just over a week from now would soften the blow. The lack of silverware over the last decade is astonishing for a marquee club. Wenger will blame injuries and anything else he can grasp hold of. Its all nonsense. Arsenals positive start masked continual holes in this team. A striker and a goalkeeper remain atop the checklist at Arsenal and further squad upgrades are essential. Arsenals policy of fiscal restraint and development of unknown commodities is a honourable one and Champions League football is great to keep the wheel spinning, but at some point, it must be decided whether fourth place constitutes a victory because at present time it is accepted as good enough...which is really isnt. - Giggss future: With Louis van Gaal seeming like Manchester Uniteds manager of the future, the debate continues to swirl about a role for Ryan Giggs. The Welshman is a club legend and that will never change. The insistence he remains part of the new United backroom staff is a romantic one, but it may be flawed. Uniteds links to their past are never really far away, but now, were speaking of a new-look United, in need of turning the page, moving on to the next chapter. If van Gaal wants to bring Danny Blind, Patrick Kluivert or whomever he wants to fill out important assistant roles, then so it shall be. Holding Giggs over his head would be a mistake. The class of 92 brought incredible success to the team. They, along with a solid group of veteran leadership, were be able to become the most successful team in English football and it wasnt even close. Sir Alex Ferguson steered that ship. If van Gaal is to do his job properly, he needs full autonomy. If he doesnt have it, who knows what kind of mish-mashed vision will come of it and a mish-mash of results will predictably follow. It may sound harsh, even unfair, but Giggs may have to go for the restructure to properly take place. If youre going to hand over the keys to van Gaal, then do it. No restrictions. 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No leaks, no whispers, nothing.(SportsNetwork.com) - It cant possibly go worse, can it? The much-anticipated starting debut of Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Johnny Manziel was a bigger bomb than 47 Ronin, the Keanu Reeves fantasy action film regarded by Hollywood as the biggest Box Office bust in history. Johnny Football will get his second opportunity on Sunday against a 5-8-1 Carolina Panthers team still in the thick of the NFC South race. The harshest of Manziels critics didnt expect what happened last weekend when the lightning rod proved to be an abject mess in his first NFL start, completing 10-of-18 for 80 yards with two first-half interceptions as Clevelands playoff hopes nosedived in a similar trajectory to Manziels stock with a 30-0 setback to the AFC North-leading Cincinnati Bengals. There were flashes but they were brief, Browns coach Mike Pettine said in a laughably kind review of Manziels performance. Seemingly every Bengals defender got a chance to flash the former Heisman Trophy winners signature money-sign celebration to the FirstEnergy Stadium crowd, essentially mocking Manziel for his inability to get anything done offensively. Of course, he kind of brought that on himself, Bengals defensive end Wallace Gilberry quipped. The Browns made the switch from the limited Brian Hoyer to Manziel to provide a spark in an effort to keep their fading playoff hopes alive. However, that spark was never fanned. In his first 30 minutes, Manziel was 4-for-9 for 22 yards and a 12.0 passer rating and things never really turned around as Cleveland, which has lost three in a row, ran only 38 offensive plays (the fewest by any team in a game this season), totaled 107 yards of total offense and had six three-and-outs. I saw the field fine today, but when it came down to it, I just need to throw the ball and let it rip, and I didnt do a very good job of that, Manziel understated. About the only positive you could take from Manziels performance was the fact he didnt make any excuses. Nobody wants to win (in the locker room) more than I do, and its tough to come out there and lay an egg like that, Manziel said. Im not using the rookie excuse. I needed to play better. The Panthers, meanwhile, kept hope alive in Week 15 by topping lowly Tampa Bay, 19-17, to win for the first time in seven games despite being without star quarterback Cam Newton, who was injured in a car accident earlier in the week. Derek Anderson filled in for Newton and threw for 277 yards and a touchdown. Newton suffered two transverse process fractures in his lower back in a two- car accident on Dec. 9 near the teams stadium. Anderson, who also started for Newton in the Panthers Week 1 win at Tampa Bay, completed 25-of-40 passes. Everything was not as clean as we wouldve liked it. Anderson said. It wasnt perfect by any means ... overall Im very happy with the win. Greg Olsen matched a career-high with 10 receptions for 110 yards and Kelvin Benjamin added 104 yards on eight receptions for Carolina, which is percentage points behind the New Orleans Saints (6-8) for first place in the division with two games to play. After Cleveland the Panthers will finish their schedule at Atlanta, which is 5-9 and also in the mix in the NFC South. The Saints and Falcons play each other in New Orleans on Sunday, and the Saints will close the reggular season at Tampa Bay in Week 17.dddddddddddd The Panthers need to win their final two games and have the Saints lose once to repeat as division champions. Carolina leads its all-time series with the Browns by a 3-1 margin but the two teams havent met since Nov. 28, 2010 when Cleveland got its only win, a 24-23 triumph in the Buckeye State. The clubs havent met in the Queen City since 2006, a 20-12 Panthers win. WHAT TO WATCH FOR The Panthers are playing a wait-and-see game with Newton but signs point to him giving it a go on Sunday. Newton was able to practice by Wednesday and reports said he was moving well and looking relatively pain free, just eight days since his accident. He looked like he threw the ball well, but again, a lot depends on how he feels tomorrow, Panthers coach Ron Rivera said. He went through all the team drills. He went through all the individual drills. He did all we had slated for him.This is a young man who is very strong-willed and very tough. The hope is that Newton continues to progress without any setbacks. Rivera hopes to make a final decision on his status by Friday. The biggest factor will be whether or not (team doctors) tell me he can protect himself, Rivera said. I dont want to put a guy out there if he cant protect himself. By that I mean being able to run out of the way, scramble out of the way to stay alive, keep the play alive, by being able to get out of the way. Whether its Newton or Anderson under center, expect them to keep feeding Olsen, who has 20 catches in his last two games and is tied for the NFL lead among tight ends with 81 receptions and ranks second with 960 yards. If I see him one-on-one with a guy that I know cant cover him, I have a lot of confidence in what (Olsens) going to do, Anderson said. Making things tougher for the Cleveland defense are injuries to cornerbacks Joe Haden (shoulder) and Justin Gilbert (concussion), who are both iffy for this contest. Manziel, meanwhile, called his first chance at solving an NFL defense very humbling and the Browns are hoping his struggles serve as a wake-up call when it comes to off-the-field preparation. I think its too small a sample size, Pettine said when asked to project Manziels future. When you look at how we played around him, I think its very unfair to judge what somebodys career is going to be like off of their first start. That type of game humbles all of us. Manziel, however, is trying to stay away from the negativity. Im not really listening to any outside noise or what anybody else has to say, he said. I know that I need to play better and if I dont, people are going to continue to say things like that. OVERALL ANALYSIS The Panthers get a big break here in a must win game with Manziel starting, which strikes many as a general manager forcing a first-round pick on a first- year coach with little cachet. Pettine understands Manziel is simply not ready to play an NFL game yet so the Browns ate behind the 8-ball for the final weeks. Whether Newton or Anderson starts, Carolina should do enough to stay in the NFC South race for at least one more week. Its a race, but we play Cleveland next. That will be the focus, Rivera said. Weve got to get things going in the right direction. Sports Network predicted outcome: Panthers 20, Browns 13 Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '