Relegation Sunday

I got the rare treat of no kid or wife this morning and I made the most of it. I have never really had the opportunity to watch the final day of the EPL season and I have to say it was riveting stuff. The United-Blackpool match, on ESPN2 with Ian Darke and Steve McManaman, was a really fun watch. Blackpool entered the day on 39 points, tied for 19th in the league. Many fans with non-rooting interests for surely pulling for them because of the style of soccer they played. Even when the odds were against them, they never sat back and hoped for a cheap victory via a counterattack or set piece. Instead, they thought they would be successful by scoring goals - a crazy idea indeed. On the year they had indeed found the back of the net often, scoring a respectable 53 goals. Unfortunately they only had one clean sheet and had given up 74 goals.

This morning, with their EPL lives on the line, they again played their style. Instead of being intimidated by the giants, they pushed the envelope and actaully were up 2-1 with 33 minutes left. Then in the story of their season, their defense let them down including a horrid own goal to make it 3-2 down. You gotta feel sorry for Ian Evatt - instead of being a hero that keeps the team up, he is going to be hailed as the ultimate goat for his untimely mishap. Just emotional stuff.

The best part of the telecast though was the constant updates by Darke. It seemed like every 5 minutes the story changed... First, Wolves were down. Then Birmingham. Then Wigan. Then Wolves. Then Blackpool. It was quite a roller coaster ride for a guy sitting in his tv room in Washington. I can't imagine what being a Wolves or Blackpool fan in the stadium on the final weekend of the season is like. It has to be brutal for Blackpool and Birmingham City fans.

The funniest moment of the day for me was when Darke said that the United players understood the enormity of the situation and weren't gloating after the win. Wait, really? I'm sorry, I know that I as an American don't fully understand what relegation means as much as all English fans do, but there is NO WAY the United payers know what it means. I mean, they are fighting for titles every year...disappointment for them is finishing second in the table. I understand he was trying to sell the point, but it was a little overdone.


Finally, on a totally unrelated note, I actually think Eric Wynalda is doing an excellent job as a studio host for FSC. Who knew that the guy who got kicked off ESPN broadcasts and then lost his job on Fox Football Fone-In would not only be given another shot, but would also thrive in it.