Being a professional referee in the Premier League is an extremely tough job. The old adage “Who would ever want to be a referee?” rings particularly true in the EPL. They get more abuse than we as fans care to admit, and every single one of us has been guilty of being on the wrong side of a decision before viewing the instant replay.
The debate as to where this goal falls on the list of the greatest of all time could rage ceaselessly, but this is almost certainly the greatest of the Premier League era.
It’s been six months since Hal Robson-Kanu completed what many consider THE footballing moment of 2016. After Wales had unexpectedly leveled against a heavily favored Belgium side in the quarterfinals of Euro 2016 through Ashley Williams, Robson-Kanu dropped jaws around the planet by performing a Cruyff turn through two Belgium defenders and firing beyond Thibaut Courtois, lifting Wales into the semifinals.
For many, 2016 will be remembered as a year of loss. For all the remarkable gains, achievements and creations that sprung from 2016, it’s often the hurt derived from defeats and casualties that reverberates most poignantly. Here are 10 things we’ve lost in football over the course of 2016.
If there's one thing we love in life, it's laughing at Harry Kane. The man is just an easy target.
He's an even easier target than normal when he misses a penalty. Join us in laughing as Harry skies a penalty against Stoke.
#HarryKane misses a penalty. Whhhy He is my captain in #fantasyfootball.. pic.twitter.com/gN7mDBiMEi
Son Heung-min is now our favorite footballer on the planet. And with an average of a goal every 147 minutes this season, he's a damn good footballer at that.
@SpursOfficial @kevinwimmer27 pic.twitter.com/87GlYBZPHK
— . (@ned99kelsey) December 29, 2016
On Tuesday, it was confirmed that Swansea City parted ways with Bob Bradley after just taking over the team in early August. It may come as a surprise to many, taking into consideration he's only been in charge for 11 games, but it's a decision that the Swansea board felt needed to be made with the team sitting in 19th position on only 12 points.
News of Carlos Tevez perhaps becoming the highest paid footballer on the planet by earning nearly $40 million with Shanghai Shenhua ($1.25 per second) was unfathomable. That kind of total, when dissected and attempted to be understood, is like standing on the beach and trying to fathom all the individual grains of sand or staring up at the night sky and quantifying your place in the universe.
Saying the words "Adam Lallana is the key to the Premier League's most high-powered offense" feels weird. It does not roll off the tongue. You think "did I just say that?" and, after a few moments, realize you did say that, and that you meant it, because it's true.
This is not a thing that seemed like it could ever be true as recently as this summer.
Here are a couple of tweets I have tweeted about Adam Lallana: