NFL Week 11, Naked Girl Betting Service
Away team,(points spread),home team, money line, pick against points/money line
ARI......(+7.5).......ATL........+335/-440........ARI/ATL
TB......(-1).......CAR.......-125/+105........CAR/CAR
CLE........(+8)......DAL......+300/-360.....CLE/DAL
GB......(-3)......DET......-160/+140......GB/GB
JAC......(+15)......HOU......+850/-1,300......HOU/HOU
CIN......(-3)......KC......-185/+160......KC/CIN
NYJ......(+3.5)......STL......+165/-190......NYJ/STL
PHI......(+3.5)......WAS......+170/-200......PHI/PHI*
NO......(-4.5)......OAK......-115/+185......OAK/NO
SD......(+7.5)......DEN......+275/-335......SD/SD
IND......(+9)......NE......+330/-410......IND/NE
BAL.....(-3.5)......PIT......-175/+155......PIT/PIT*
CHI......(no line)......SF......no line.....n/a/SF
*Aisha loves to hurt me. I mentioned something like that to her. It gave her an idea, and now she is putting on her leather busier. In an hour or so,after she teases me, I will be in pain.
Hope your night goes better.
Away team,(points spread),home team, money line, pick against points/money line
ARI......(+7.5).......ATL........+335/-440........ARI/ATL
TB......(-1).......CAR.......-125/+105........CAR/CAR
CLE........(+8)......DAL......+300/-360.....CLE/DAL
GB......(-3)......DET......-160/+140......GB/GB
JAC......(+15)......HOU......+850/-1,300......HOU/HOU
CIN......(-3)......KC......-185/+160......KC/CIN
NYJ......(+3.5)......STL......+165/-190......NYJ/STL
PHI......(+3.5)......WAS......+170/-200......PHI/PHI*
NO......(-4.5)......OAK......-115/+185......OAK/NO
SD......(+7.5)......DEN......+275/-335......SD/SD
IND......(+9)......NE......+330/-410......IND/NE
BAL.....(-3.5)......PIT......-175/+155......PIT/PIT*
CHI......(no line)......SF......no line.....n/a/SF
*Aisha loves to hurt me. I mentioned something like that to her. It gave her an idea, and now she is putting on her leather busier. In an hour or so,after she teases me, I will be in pain.
Hope your night goes better.
That gives me the motivation to get my fucking act together to go pro. Love it.
It's so ridiculous. I was going to post these in the Celtic thread, but I'll put them on here so you can give them a read, two great articles, one debunking the "OMGZ!11 SELLICK PLAYED ANTI-FITBAW WAAAAHHH WAAAHHHH" from Barca, and a great one on Lennon.
It wasn't anti-football; The Strategy
Zonal Marking by Michael Cox
Little possession for long periods then a set-piece opener followed by a second on the break a classic underdog victory.
Neil Lennon was forced into a few changes from the side he used at the weekend, but kept to a 4-4-1-1ish formation. Adam Matthews played at left-back despite being right-sided, Kris Commons moved to the right of midfield, and Miku linked up with Georgios Samaras upfront.
Tito Vilanova picked roughly his expected side Cesc Fabregas was only on the bench (hes been a regular this season) and Marc Bartra started at the back. Alex Song was in the holding role.
Yes, Celtic spent most of the game in their own half, and rode their luck at times but they didnt simply park the bus. They retained an attacking threat throughout the game, while changing their usual strategy to suit the task at hand.
Celtic approach
Celtics strategy was relatively basic. Two sitting mdifielders protected the defence, but rather than focusing upon keeping it tight between the lines (in fact, often the space in that zone was surprisingly large) they concentrated on Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta. Victor Wanyama played a little deeper on Iniesta, while Joe Ledley started off pressuring Xavi albeit not constantly, so he didnt tire.
The home sides full-backs stuck tightly to their man. Matthews is extremely quick, so was happy to be pulled out of position by Pedro, preventing an easy pass into feet, confident hed be able to win the race if forced to sprint back to his left-back zone. On the other side, Alexis Sanchez focused more on getting into the box, so Mikael Lustig was narrower.
Narrowness
Narrowness was unquestionably the most obvious thing about Celtics strategy. Essentially its the standard way to play against Barcelona they dont have tall players that thrive on crosses, so opponents pack the centre of the pitch to deny the creative central players space, and concede ground out wide.
But this was something more extreme Charlie Mulgrew and Kris Commons basically played as central midfielders, and only moved towards Jordi Alba and Dani Alves when they received possession, which meant an awful lot of lateral running. Both full-backs were always available for a pass, and both crossed the ball regularly Alves usually with whipped crosses, Alba with neater, lower balls into the box.
Pedro hit the woodwork in the first half following an Alves cross, indicating that this wasnt a strategy entirely without risk but youd probably rather Barcelona are creating chances in that respect, rather than say, through Iniesta, who only created two chances compared to three apiece from the full-backs.
At some point towards the end of the first half, Lionel Messi realised that Celtic were playing extremely narrow. Although Lennon left a fair amount of space in the red zone, one centre-back usually followed Messi out, so to get away from that attention, he drifted to the right of the pitch where he was given too much space. Giving Alves and Alba time on the ball is one thing, allowing Messi that freedom is something different entirely. One curled shot towards the far post drew a fine save from Fraser Forster, while a couple of excellent through-pass created chances for others. In fact, Messis stoppage time consolation goal was a good example of his positioning he was wider than every Celtic player at the far post, with no-one in a position to stop him. He also moved frequently towards the right in Barcelonas previous Champions League away match, at Benfica.
Celtic attacks
They spent the vast majority of the match without the ball, but Celtic retained a commitment to attack. Miku played as a half-forward, picking up Alex Song when Barcelona had the ball, but quickly sprinting past him, generally in wider positions, at transitions.
This was hugely effective Song picked up an early booking for a rash tackle, and was fortunate to get away with two further fouls. He was clearly Barcelonas weak link, and its difficult to imagine that Miku would have done so well against Sergio Busquets, who remains vastly superior in the holding midfield role. (Song also hampered Barcelonas midfield play there was no rotation of position and Barcelona were surprisingly static in the centre of the pitch. Song became something of a playmaker at Arsenal last season with sudden midfield runs and chips over the defence, but at Barcelona hes given less freedom than Busquets).
Set-pieces
The fouls were significant, because they have Celtic the chance to whip the ball into the box. Theyd gone ahead at the Nou Camp after a free-kick, and its interesting that the foul statistics in this match were 11-8 a fairly minimal difference considering the possession statistics were 16%-84%; Barcelona were genuinely scared of Celtics quick breaks, and had to resort to cynical fouls.
It was a corner rather than a set-piece that got the breakthrough, with 62 Wanyama towering over 57 Alba a simple goal, but a fine example of Celtic maximising their area of strength.
The game continued in a predictable fashion Barcelona dominating the ball, Celtic sitting back and breaking with two upfront.
Subs
Despite Barcelona having far, far greater strength in depth, it was Lennon that used his bench more effectively. Vilanovas first two switches were straight swaps David Villa for Sanchez, then Gerard Pique for Bartra. His third change was more attacking, introducing Fabregas in place of Song for more attacking drive, with Xavi going to the holding midfield position, still broadly in a 4-3-3 shape.
Lennon had to remove right-back Lustig through injury, but was brave enough to introduce Tony Watt, an 18-year-old striker whod had a big role in Celtics weekend game. This meant some reorganisation at the back Charlie Mulgrew went to centre-back with Efe Ambrose moving to right-back, and the midfield shuffled across. Biram Kayal soon replaced Samaras to retain a fourth midfielder.
But the key impact was Watts sheer pace upfront. He terrified the Barca back four, particularly Javier Mascherano and after he scored the second goal (following a mistake by Xavi in the deep midfield role he dislikes playing), Mascherano could have been dismissed for a tackle as the last defender when Watt outsprinted him.
Granted, Lennons options on the bench were sparse, but he had more defensive-minded (or experienced) players than Watt. Showing faith in the youngster was a bold move, but it restored Celtics threat on the break, and turned out to be a key factor in the victory.
Conclusion
Barcelona had vastly more possession and considerably more shots but Celtic didnt concede many clear-cut chances, and created a couple for themselves. The defensive approach was narrowness, attacking strategy was to counter through pace, and exploit Barcelonas lack of height.
The victory wouldnt have been possible without a fine goalkeeping performance from Forster, but its not unreasonable for upcoming opponents to consider this a template for beating Vilanovas side even if a similar approach wont work on a consistent basis, its still the way to go against Barcelona.
Barcelona werent terrible, but unquestionably missed strong, reliable players in defensive areas. A defensive triangle of Gerard Pique, Carles Puyol and Sergio Busquets wouldnt have allowed Celtic to break so dangerously, and would have made Barcelona less vulnerable at set-pieces. Its another game when their refusal to sign a standard centre-back looks dodgy, with Song still yet to convince.
Its easy to question their lack of a plan B, a tall central striker but after some excellent late rallies this season by sticking to their short passing approach, its an unreasonable criticism. Instead, they simply didnt play their own style well enough - its one of those matches where Iniesta, while extraordinarily able to come up with key contributions on the biggest occasions, didnt show his class against individually inferior opponents. Pedro couldnt get past his full-back regularly enough to receive balls in behind the defence, and while Messi was very dangerous with his use of the space near the right, Celtic were happy to see him there, rather than on the edge of the box.
Neil Lennon Enjoy Peace in History
For a man whose name alone in Scotland is enough to inflame passion, be it furious or joyous, Neil Lennon chooses serenity when the heat of battle has subsided. This is how it was around 10pm last Wednesday, in Glasgow, when the assembled Scottish and Spanish media corps pressed in on him, eager to hear his thoughts on what had just unfolded before them all. Lennon's Celtic team, with an average age of 24 and a collective price tag of 6.5m, had inflicted defeat on Barcelona, the best team in the world and assembled at a cost of 125m. The Catalans' squad is studded with World Cup and Champions League winners, yet they were undone on the night by a Lanarkshire 18 year old who had been playing for Airdrie against teams such as East Fife and Stenhousemuir barely two years previously, before Celtic paid 50,000 for him.
Lennon was entitled to be ecstatic, triumphant even, at having steered his young charges to arguably the greatest victory witnessed at Celtic Park. Instead, the journalists encountered a reflective man, proportionate in his admiration for the way his team had played and measured in his thoughts about what the future may hold for them.
"My players are all heroes to me and I can't speak too highly of their performance," he said. "You can talk about tactics until you are blue in the face, but football is about the players. They covered themselves in glory tonight. We can give instructions to them, but it's down to the players to go and do it."
Lennon is entitled to some peace and tranquillity after 12 years of sheer tumult and brimstone. In 2002 the garlanded Ayrshire-born classical music composer, James MacMillan, penned a solo piano piece in tribute to him, called For Neil. The musician's dedication hints at the tempest that has swirled around Lennon. "I felt moved to write this little gift piece for him because of the pressures that have been put upon him, as a Celtic player, from Northern Ireland, and to remind him that he is greatly revered by many, in spite of the sectarian abuse he receives from other quarters. It is reflective and intimate, with the lilt and accent of an Irish folk song."
"The pressures that have been put upon him" began almost as soon as Lennon joined Celtic from Leicester City in 2000. From the outset, his debut at Dens Park in Dundee, he was routinely singled out for abuse at almost every ground he visited with Celtic, and most especially at Ibrox and Tynecastle, the homes of Rangers and Hearts. Part of this was due to his belligerence as Celtic's midfield enforcer in the team that Martin O'Neill, his old Filbert Street mentor, guided to the Uefa Cup final three years later. But for many, the sight and sound of a stocky, mouthy, red-haired Catholic Ulsterman playing for Celtic was simply too much to bear and enkindled some of the sectarian fires that glow just beneath the surface of civic and cultural life in the west of Scotland.
He was forced to quit international football after threats that were manifest in graffiti painted on the street where he lived in Glasgow and in his home town of Lurgan. "I had played nearly 40 times for Northern Ireland before I came to Glasgow and had no problems," he said in 2010. "But that all changed after I joined Celtic."
He has been physically attacked and abused in the street, and a handful of Rangers fans have been imprisoned as a result. This year, two men were jailed for attempting to send an explosive device to Lennon through the post.
Until recently, though, he has been regularly caricatured in the Scottish press as an immature hothead and a loose cannon who was somehow partly responsible for the vicissitudes he has encountered. One former Scotland international, writing in a Sunday newspaper, even suggested Lennon had brought the death threats upon himself because of his edgy demeanour.
As they flock to praise him now they adopt a supercilious tone in the manner of a headmaster handing over the best-pupil prize to a classroom miscreant who has changed his ways. The patronising tone has not gone unnoticed by Celtic's chief executive, Peter Lawwell, and it irks him. "What people are seeing now is the real Neil Lennon, a man who is highly intelligent, articulate and gifted. We have always known this, though, ever since he started working with us as a player, then captain and now manager.
"Yes, he has changed in the three years he has been manager, but only in the way most people change, including me, three years into any job. There were a few occasions when Neil reacted in a way that he later regretted, but Alex Ferguson, Arsne Wenger and Jos Mourinho have all reacted similarly in the heat of battle."
When Lawwell speaks about his manager there is barely concealed pride and affection for him. Much of this stems from his achievements as a player and now manager, but also from the way Lennon conducted himself in the face of "events that no other manager in world football has ever had to endure".
Nor will it have escaped the chief executive's notice that his young manager is building a solid reputation beyond Britain. He is now in his third full season as manager of Celtic and club insiders believe he is capable of taking them to heights unimagined since Jock Stein's Lisbon Lions reached two European Cup finals and two semi-finals in the 1960s and 70s.
In Lennon's first season as a Champions League manager Celtic stand poised to qualify for the last 16. Their titanic tactical struggles in the Barcelona double-header have captivated a new audience. Barcelona granted Celtic little more than 20% of possession over their two games, yet this was no frantic anywhere-will-do, rearguard action. Gary Neville, the former Manchester United defender, was impressed. "It wasn't desperate defending; it wasn't legs on the floor, flailing around and diving in. They were controlled, they stayed on their feet. They all did their jobs in a disciplined manner."
They played a bit, too. What also characterised both games against Barcelona was that Celtic had several players who could hurt their lauded opponents. That they did this so effectively was also due to the way Lennon deployed them. He played with two strikers, knowing that his team would have the chance to break and thus secure some dead-ball opportunities. He made them keep a relentlessly narrow shape in the knowledge that Barcelona are uncomfortable playing crosses from wide and that Celtic now have a some intelligent defenders playing together at the same time.
Those who think that Lennon's imminent departure to the Premier League is inevitable may be unable to grasp the strength of the relationships Lennon has forged at Celtic. Last Tuesday, the eve of the Barcelona fixture, 1,000 worshippers crowded into St Mary's church in Glasgow's east end for a mass and celebration to mark the 125th anniversary of Celtic. The club's board and management were joined by seven Barcelona directors who were surprised to learn their slogan, Ms que un club, had been coined by a Celtic chairman years earlier in a documentary made to mark their annus mirabilis of 1967, when they became the first British team to win the European Cup.
Earlier that day, as if to underline their commitment to social responsibility, Celtic had announced a gift of 120,000 to four schools to enable pupils to play musical instruments after local authority cuts in musical provision. In the past two years, the club has established initiatives in India and Mexico, where poor communities will receive coaching, football kit and regular visits to Glasgow. The locations were chosen in the knowledge that there will be no commercial spin-off.
Those close to Lennon speak of his appreciation of Celtic's commitment to social justice and the way in which Lawwell and Dermot Desmond, the club's largest shareholder, stood shoulder to shoulder with him when it seemed one strand of Scottish society had unilaterally declared war on him.
He has had to deal with clinical depression and speaks regularly at events to help fellow sufferers. Lennon is also venerated by the Celtic supporters. Barcelona's players lined up to say that the Celtic fans' fervour was unlike anything they had previously encountered, and Lennon's bond with them is the strongest of any of the club's 17 managers.
Some also believe that there would be an incongruity in Lennon managing an English club that is the mere plaything of foreign plutocrats; where success can be bought rather than earned and where the desire for instant gratification has rendered the values of sacrifice and industry utterly redundant.
Lennon's entire career has been lived in the shadow of adversity; it is as if he is destined always to scale his heights by the north face in winter while others are granted a gentler route. He may be at Celtic for some time yet.