As to the 0-0 PK idea its interesting but I think our friends across the pond would see it as too “American”.

Also, can we all agree that the worst way to decide a game, perhaps in the history of organized sports, was the early MLS 1v1 shootout shit? I remember watching it and being utterly disgusted.

It would be GREAT if big cup tourneys had replays like they had in the old days (eg., the FA Cup). Score all level? Play another game next week. Some days, teams were just meant to draw. So play another day. Old English farts love to tell young’uns about Chelsea and Arsenal going to 5 replays and what not. Naturally, money fucked this over. Too much bookkeeping with printing extra tickets, making sure the venue had a slot for next year, managing security (and paying them extra). All that shit.

*OK, maybe the players don’t love it so much. It’s a legitimate beef; sure they go into the Final knowing penalties might happen, so what’s that, an extra 1/4 day practicing from the spot? It’s simply not enough. That’s why I have a proposal that will increase the amount of practice professional soccer players spend on PKs and not be too intrusive to the sanctity of the game. And, it provides the fans with a lovable PK shootout every so often.

What’s this plan? It’s not have a PK with every game that ends in a draw, as stated above, some days the teams just deserve a draw. But there’s one draw that nobody deserves, the 0 - 0. At least, not the fans who paid money to sit in a seat and be thoroughly bored. So end the 0 - 0 with PKs. And the winning team gets the one point for the draw, and the loser gets nothing. Blammo! Fans never have to sit through 0 - 0 without some excitement coming, players get a substantial but not intrusive amount of practice with their PKs. I like it.

BTW, one of the owners of the company I work for use to play some intramural type soccer back on the continent. When he was a teen, he played on the same ground that tonight’s Final was held on in Moscow. Only back then, it was a synthetic surface. As soon as he heard that it was a recently installed grass, and it was headed for penalties, he said, “Someone’s gonna slip on that grass and mess up their PK.” And he was right.

Poor Terry.

One other thing. U S A! U S A!! we might not win championships, but we can own one!!

From The Liverpool Echo, Tuesday:

Premier League footballer Joey Barton has been jailed for assault and affray.

Jailing the 25-year-old Huyton-born midfielder for six months, Judge Henry Globe said: “You delivered many blows and were acting in an extremely violent and aggressive manner.”

Barton, who was described by his barrister as addicted to alcohol, had earlier admitted committing assault and affray in the early hours of December 27.

CCTV cameras picked up the Newcastle United star as he staggered along Church Street, getting involved in two separate altercations.

The camera operators monitoring alerted police after seeing an incident at about 5.30am.

Two men claimed they had been attacked by Barton and officers arrested him and two friends further along Church Street outside a mobile phone shop.

The £6m midfielder, who has one England cap, had been out with friends and family after an ankle injury forced him to miss the Boxing Day game in which his Newcastle United teammates were beaten 1-0 at Wigan.

He spent the New Year behind bars at Walton prison.

And to the Rijkaard Randolph comparison. I find it both fitting and devastating. Ugh indeed.

Frank Rijkaard (FC Barçelona manger) = Willie Randolph (NY Mets manager)

Ugh.