Football from Across the Ocean Part 2: The Rest of the Premier League

After previewing Manchester City's hopes for this year last week, here are some thoughts, observations and predictions for the rest of the 2011-2012 Premier League.

-While the Manchester Derby battle for the title will be exciting to follow, I think the biggest story of this year will be the slip of Arsenal. Has coming in fourth place ever felt so bad? The brutal 4-4 draw after having a 4-0 lead against Newcastle (match of the year in most circles, which means the Gunners got to relive it multiple times during the off season), blowing a chance to finally claim silverware against Birmingham City of all teams (who were then relegated!) and finishing just 3 points off of 3rd place following multiple blown leads, resulting in draws late in the season (see Liverpool at the Emirates.) Throw in the near certain departures of Fabregas and Nasri and another year without silverware at the Emirates appears likely. Bold prediction: Arsenal finish outside of the top 4 for the first time since '95/'96

-I'm happy to see Shay Given secure a move away from City and I expect him to have a strong year at Aston Villa. As a fan of the Irish national team, I have a soft spot for Given, but I believe he was given a raw deal at City last year. Prior to his season ending injury in 2009/2010 he had been a tough, gritty keeper who performed well in big spots which is why the fact that he didn't make even one appearance last year was a bit of an insult. I'm excited to follow him this year and see how he does at Villa. Additionally, the importance of getting first team time during such a crucial test of Ireland's Euro 2012 hopes cannot be understated.

-Out of respect to my good friend Steve Lazar, I have to talk about Spurs who seduced me last season with some of the more exciting football I've ever seen. The keeper opening for Given at Villa came as a result of Brad Friedel moving to Spurs. There was no keeper that was more infuriating to watch than Heurelho Gomes. His inept handling of relatively easy balls led to a crucial loss to Chelsea and the nail in the coffin against Real Madrid in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinal (don't get me wrong, Spurs weren't going to come back to win but the Gomes blunder helped seal the loss early in the second half) Hopefully Spurs will have another exciting campaign, but I have a feeling that the drop off from the heights of Champions League football to the far off fixtures of the Europa League will have a negative impact. I'm also excited to see what Gareth Bale can do this year after such an exciting half season last year.

-My initial interest in the Premier League came from following Irish players and that will continue this year. Young striker Shane Long will be making the jump to West Bromwich Albion after a 25 goal campaign for Reading in the Championship last year. Also interesting to watch at WBA will be the work of Roy Hodgson after a disastrous half season at Liverpool.

-Fulham will once again be on my radar because of both Clint Dempsey, Damien Duff and my fellow New York/Premier League friend Kent has recently adopted them as his team (check out his Fulham blog as well). Oh and how could I forget the beautiful Michael Jackson statue erected by the owner outside the stadium last year

-What to make of Chelsea? New wunderkind coach André Villas-Boas, who is the same age as two of his top players (Drogba and Lampard are also 33) has inherited a team that was always just within reach of United last season, but could never pull even. Winning a treble at such a young age is impressive but what might be more helpful in his transition to the Bridge is his familiarity with the system, having served there under Mourinho. The offset of a young coach with an aging team should be interesting to follow.

-The other intrigue for me comes from Liverpool who found their stride under Kenny Daiglish after a terrible start. Can they bounce back into the top four? The impressive play of Luis Suarez at Copa America should translate over and a full season of Andy Carroll should help as well. Plus, Liverpool has one of my favorite players in the league, the underrated Dirk Kuyt. If I'm knocking down Arsenal then someone has to move up, my favorite would be Liverpool.

-Dark horses for a nice year? I'll go with three: Fulham, Stoke City, WBA . All showed hints of promise last year and finished the year strong. I've already mentioned my reasons for liking Fulham and I respect any many in England who wears a cap and kind of looks like my dad in Stoke's manager Tony Pulis.

-So who's going to win it? The youth movement at Old Trafford is well underway (average age on the field in the 2nd half of the Charity Shield was 22!) but that doesn't mean they're in rebuild mode because of one man: Alex Ferguson. The one thing that does worry me about United is in the net. While David de Gea might be the keeper of the future, it doesn't necessarily mean he's ready to be the keeper of the present at just 20 years old and in his first season in England. My last post started with my full dedication to Manchester City, which officially means that there is no way that I can choose United to win the title (despite the fact that that is exactly what my brain is telling me to do) Chelsea is also an appealing option but I'll take a what and see approach with AVB. So who's left? Well screw it, I'll contradict what I said last week and I'll take the full plunge with my team:

I'll go with City to win the League.

Official Predictions from Across the Ocean:

League 1)City 2)United 3)Chelsea 4)Liverpool

FA Cup:Chelsea

Golden Boot: Luis Suarez (Liverpool)

Top Newcomers
Sergio Aguero (City)
Shane Long (WBA)

Football from Across the Ocean Part One: The 2011-2012 Manchester City Preview

I've just returned from a family wedding in Ireland where I had the opportunity to discuss football with one of my cousins. After an initial conversation about Ireland's chances to qualify for both Euro 2012 and the World Cup, the topic turned to the English Premier League. My cousin mentioned that he knew I supported a team but couldn't remember which one. Chelsea? Aresenal? No, I informed him that I supported Manchester City.

His head dropped and it was clear that my response disappointed him.

"City? Oh come on, not City!"

It turns out that he is a fan of Manchester United. He tried to convince me to switch my allegiances but I informed him that I could not do so for a few reasons, the biggest being that I was a Mets fan. I hate the Yankees and since United are basically the Yankees of the Premier League I would be a total fraud if I chose them.

Instead, I chose City.

I started to follow the Premier League 5 years ago and between the amount of Irish players they had at the time (that number is now zero), and the fact that they were clearly the Mets of Manchester, City was a perfect fit. Last season, I flirted with the exciting play of Gareth Bale and Tottenham (the best individual half season I've seen from a player since I started following the Premier League) but towards the end of the season I realized that I had to make a decision, so I bought a City jersey and decided they were my team.

As we sit here on the eve of the 2011-2012 campaign, there are a lot of positives for City which I think can translate to a title push this season.

1)City finished last year very strong after having a mediocre first half of the season that looked like it would be another battle for fourth place. However, by the end of the season, they had won the FA Cup (including beating United in the semis) and come in third ahead of Arsenal in the League, although they technically tied for second and got third on goal differential.

2)I think David Silva and Yaya Toure will both make a step up after solid first seasons in England. Silva is proving himself to me a deft play maker and Toure has shown a scoring touch, especially in the big moment as his proved in both the FA Cup Semi-Finals and Finals.

3)The Carlos Tevez transfer creates a little uncertainty up front (with the unproven Edin Dzeko and the unstable Mario Balotelli) but I think it has a chance to stabilize during the season. Dzeko has shown promise in the preseason but still has a lot to prove in England (just two goals in the 15 games he played after transferring to City in January.) Balotelli is just a total disaster. He seems to have a lot of raw skill but he is also a headcase who has stated the desire to leave Manchester because there aren't enough good restaurants (huh?) Right now the team would definitely be better with Carlos Tevez, but you have to assume he'll be moved somewhere by the end of the August transfer window. If Tevez does leaves and Balotelli self destructs (both highly probable) Sergio Aguero is an interesting replacement, coming over from La Liga after a 20 goal season with Atletico Madrid. I think that by the end of the season (if not sooner) Dzeko and Aguero will be the men up front for City and can be productive.

4)The defense is strong. It was one of City's strengths last year and more times that not, a one goal lead was enough to win the game. I expect Vincent Kompany to have another great year and Lescott and Richards to be stable forces on the line.

5)Samir Nasri. As I write this, there are rumors that City are close to locking him up on transfer. We'll see how this plays out, but his addition would obviously push City that much closer to the top of the table.

So what's going to happen this season? It should be interesting strictly based on the volatility of Balotelli but the hopes of a title and Champions League football should make it one that's fun to watch. Don't get me wrong, blowing the 2 goal lead to United in the Charity Shield hurt, but I don't think it's the psychological knock out blow that many claimed it was. I don't know if they'll reach the title this season, but I also don't think it's totally out of the question. I think they'll flirt with the top but end up with a solid second place campaign.

Next week, a preview of the rest of the Premiership.

Observations of Our Nation's Capital

My week in Washington has come to an end. Here are some thoughts and observations I had during my time in the capital.

-It's definitely the history teacher in me, but being in the city where the decisions that have shaped this country for the past 200+ years gives this place a different feel. I know that I live in the economic center of the country/world but economics has never resonated with me the way that history and politics do (after all I was predicted to be a US Senator in my 8th grade year book. Sad but true.)

-Seeing buildings in person that you've seen on TV or in textbooks your entire life is a little surreal. The Capitol (especially at night) is absolutely gorgeous. I suppose that visitors to NYC have the same feeling when they see the Empire State Building or the Statue of Liberty; I should appreciate those structures more.

-There's a crazy amount of people out running at 7 AM. I suppose this is because by 11:00 o'clock it's 90 degrees with 75% humidity.

-I love old cities for the little quirks that reveal a lot about the past. My favorite from Georgetown was the insurance symbols that are still found on many buildings (I've seen these in Philadelphia) The basic idea is that when you bought insurance back in "the day" you would be given a large metal disc that you would hang outside of your house (this was the time of independent, non-government run fire companies.) If your home was on fire, the fireman would show up. If you had their disc the fire was put out but if you didn't? Well no disc, no water so you better hope you don't have cheap neighbors.

-Georgetown made my list of places I'm going to buy a house when I'm a billionaire, and yes there is an actual list. Apparently the people are pretty obnoxious there but the houses are stunning. If I had a house that nice I'd probably be a jerk too.

-I thought the 10 pence per ketchup packet at McDonald's in Ireland was bad but a 5 cent surcharge per plastic bag? Really District of Columbia? Then again, am I actually complaining about being charged a nickel for a bag when I won't bring back all the cans and bottles I drink? I'll just shut up now.

-I don't know whether it's a summer, southern or politician thing, but there are too many bow ties in this city for my liking.

-Bike racks on buses??? Brilliant!

-Here's a tip I wish I was told before I got here. If you go down to the Capitol reflecting pool to take a night time picture of the Capitol you will get eaten alive by bugs and get a nice whiff of a pool that apparently hasn't been skimmed in 125 years.

-This one has nothing to do with DC but more with being away from home. At the end of each day, I throw change in an office style water jug in my bedroom. Without having that here, I realized how much change you collect over the course of 5 days. My latest count is $6.19 which will be a joy to bring home.

-Favorite part of DC? Hands down, The Capitol. I was lucky enough to go on a night time private tour with my group but I'm sure a regular tour would be amazing as well. The beauty and inspiration of the Rotunda cannot be properly captured in words; it must be seen in person.

-Regardless of political ideology or opinion of the president, seeing the White House up close is awe inspiring.

Overall an absolutely amazing week. Each time that I was amazed by a sight or building, I was quickly blown away by something equally or more amazing. The best part is, I probably only saw about 30-40% (albeit a BIG 30-40%) of what the city has to offer.

Learning in DC- Day 3: Lincoln and Reflection

Day 3 of the Civil War Washington Teaching Fellows brought me to Lincoln’s Cottage on the grounds of the U.S. Soldiers and Airmen’s Home. The day got me thinking about thinking.

Washington in the mid to late 19th century stunk…..literally. The exposed canal that ran through the National Mall, combined with roving livestock gave the city a smell that, when combined with southern heat and humidity, left the city unbearable.

Abraham Lincoln was well aware of these facts.

It was this knowledge combined with the recent loss of his son Willie that brought Lincoln 3 miles from the White House for 1/3 of his presidency. At a cottage on the grounds of the Soldiers' Home in northwest D.C., Lincoln could escape the noise, heat and stench of war-time Washington and have a place where he could reflect on the experiences and challenges that he faced as the Commander-in-Chief of a country at war. These challenges, which had not seen by any president before him (and possibly since) created a need for a place where he could think about the situation that the country was in and how the decisions he made affected millions of lives. While at the Cottage, all Lincoln had to do was look out the front window to see the results of his decisions. Just four months into the war, land across the road from the cottage became one of the nation’s first National Cemetery; the arrival of dozens of bodies each day, week and month gave him pause and afforded more time for reflection. Although dangerous, Lincoln would often make the daily trip to the White House without any guards so that he could be alone with his thoughts for a precious thirty minutes. This ability to slow down and examine both his life and his duties as president helped to make Lincoln the man who led our country through perhaps our darkest days.

One of the toughest things that we can do as people is step back, take a look at ourselves and evaluate not only what we do, but who we are as people. While this exercise can be very difficult for us, it is this reflection that can help us move forward by looking back and become a better husband/wife, teacher, friend or brother by reflecting on the times when we haven’t been at our best.

In the classroom, getting students to reflect on their work is an invaluable skill and tool that will help them grow as both people and learners. I realized this year that many, if not all of my students were not prepared to go through this exercise. It is essential that teachers, (especially in middle and high school) guide students through this process and help them to see that reflecting on their actions and learning can lead to both personal growth and a better understanding of who they are.

The last part of our tour today was a visit to the aforementioned National Cemetery. It was during this time that I was able to do my own reflection. Looking out across the 14,000 white headstones that covered the land allowed me to reflect on the sacrifice that those men and women made on behalf of our country. The few minutes that I spent there allowed me to see that self sacrifice can lead to things both great and small, whether it’s helping a student become a better thinker or helping the country preserve the freedoms that make America great.

Frederick Douglass: Patriot

"....he is a lover of his country who rebukes and does not excuse its sins."

Frederick Douglass was many things during his life: runaway slave, famed orator, adviser to presidents but it was after visiting his house today that I learned that Frederick Douglass was a great patriot and one of our greatest Americans.

It's generally accepted that a patriot is someone who loves their country and (in our case) sees the world through red, white and blue colored glasses. In post 9/11 America, we consistently hear that there are people in this world who not only hate America, but also the lives we lead as Americans. The result of this shift in our culture is the development of a bravado that dictates that if you speak out against or criticize America in anyway, you are not a patriot.

Today, I learned the true definition of patriotism and it doesn't look much like the patriotism defined above.

Today, Frederick Douglass taught me that a patriot is not just someone who loves his or her country but someone who can look at what their country is and what their country does and know that it can be better. Douglass lived in a country that celebrated freedom and liberty while keeping slaves in bondage and denying rights to many different types of citizen. He not only recognized this hypocrisy but he also let people know about it through his writings and speeches, specifically the beautiful, scathing and ultimately truthful "rebuke" of our Independence Day in his 1852 speech, What to an American Slave is the Fourth of July? This doesn't mean that he hated America, it just means that he cared about the country and its people. This idea of "tough love" translates to many relationships in life including parent to child and teacher to student. Multiple times during my three years in the classroom I have pushed students to be better because I've seen the potential in them; their response is usually questioning why it is that I hate them. Much like Douglass and 19th century America, I just want them to live up to the high standards that have been set for them.

Sadly Douglass was not alive for Jim Crow in the 20th century but while he was here, he gave America exactly what the country needed and what each of us needs at different times in our lives: someone to get in our ear, tell us we're acting like fools and to cut the crap. Whether it was the abolition of slavery, or the rights of women and free blacks, Frederick Douglass pushed America to live up to the lofty standards set by our founding fathers and by doing so he helped America become a better place.

Thank you Mr. Douglass, for not only changing America but also for teaching me how to truly love my country.

Learning in DC: Day One

I hated being a student when I was younger, just ask my parents or my sisters. However, this doesn't mean that I didn't like to learn new things.

That curiosity and desire to learn has grown even stronger as I've gotten older (some might call it maturity) to the point where I'm now happy to give up parts of my summer to go away from home to learn new things and try to become better at what I do.

I'm currently down in Washington D.C. to participate in the Civil War Washington Teaching Fellows, a program that brings together some of the best historical sites in the city to help teachers become better at what we do. I'll be here for the rest of the week alongside 25 other teachers from around the country, during which we will make trips to President Lincoln's Cottage, Frederick Douglas' house and Ford's Theatre. Today we started at the Tudor House, a home once owned by the granddaughter (and subsequent generations) of Martha Washington. We got a tour of the house, followed by a walking tour of historic Georgetown. Both provided great insight into the history of both DC and Georgetown, which I now know was once it's own independent city.

As a teacher, the highlight of the day came after lunch when we participated in activities that not only enhanced my knowledge of the city, slavery and the war but also gave me some resources and tools that I can use in my classroom. I've talked on this blog about how the greatest challenge facing a history teacher is making "old" things seem relevant to teenagers. The things I learned today, ranging from the narratives of escaped slaves and the use of various 19th century inventions will no doubt develop as least some interest in my subject and the time period. That is a very exciting thing.

I'll be updating the blog throughout the week, including a list of odds and ends I've observed around the capital by the end of the week.

Cheers.

The Summer Manifesto

After putting in a few extra days at school this week to wrap up some loose ends, today is my first official day of summer. During the school year, teaching is often an all encompassing profession with grading, lesson planning and a few dozen other things taking up what seems to be all of a teacher's waking moments. With this in mind, I usually try to write down what I want/need to do this summer in order to make the best of my freedom. Here's the 2011 list.

1)Read at least 5 books
-Summer reading was almost non-existent as a student, but now that I'm older I've come to really enjoy reading. I've already started and finished one book over the last week (Animal Farm, which I loved and was only about 130 pages long) so I think I should be able to meet this goal.

2)Write more
-Writing is definitely the interest of mine that gets lost the most during the school year. I don't want to put a number on this one, since I'm usually just inspired to write about something and don't want to write just to hit a number. I'll leave it right now at writing "more" with the hope of writing a few times per week

3)Go golfing 3 times
-I have this goal every summer and never meet, primarily because I look at golfing as more of a social event so I'm not interested in going by myself.

4)Be a better home owner
-There are plenty of things I can do around my house to touch the place up just need to finally do it.

5)Get ready for September
-This will be a mid-August goal. I really want to hit the ground running at school in the fall so I need to get some work done in order to do so. Let's not think about this one for a while.

Throw in trips to DC, Ireland and Maine and it should be a busy and (hopefully) productive summer.