Well, I sure did tempt the fates when I said the Romantic in me wanted to face Barcelona. While it is obvious that I'd rather have faced Lyon or Bordeaux (a fact Laurent Blanc himself testified to), a fact that is as undeniable as that the earth is a sphere slightly flat at the poles is that this is clearly thus far the Match of the Season.

Arvi's Note : 15th of March, one Roman emperor was fallen eons ago and another Roman prince arises to see Liverpool celebrate it's 118th birthday in glorious fashion.

Before making it sound like a riposte of a certain sort of dish best served cold, I shall make it clear that there is no need yet to jump the gun yet.

Dimitar Berbatov. Love him, hate him, sigh about him, throw your hands up in frustration about him, but you just can't seem to ignore him. We certainly haven't, on this blog and I believe we've now had enough on the subject that it's practically a trilogy now. On that note, you can catch Part I here and a sort of a follow-on rebuttal in Part II here.

Ducky's Note: If one feels like making Paint images with random drawings of arrows after defeating 2 time European Champions and a team that is 3rd in a league of 16, imagine what all geometric inticacies I have to create for defeating 7 time European Champions and a team second in the Italian League, by one goal better.

"He may have scored 2 goals, but for me he was woeful"

-Â Carlton Palmer

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That ladies and gentlemen is NOT a ‘BigFourZa making a mockery and hence attributing it to Carlton Palmer' quote. He really said that during the half time analysis.

And the dreaded event for all United fans finally happened this weekend. Rooney not even in the squad list for our journey to The Molineux. Two games in three days at that sorry excuse for a pitch at Wembley finally took its toll on the Premier League's most durable player. At the rate this pitch is taking players out, it should be banned for 5 games and the FA should draft a letter of apology to Arsenal (it's always Arsenal isn't it) saying it was never intentional and they send their best wishes for a speedy recovery.

"I just don't think he's got a football brain and he's going to have problems. Let's be honest, good defenders would catch him offside every time. I just don't know whether he studies the game, learns the game, or what.

Chris Waddle (March 2nd)

"I believe he has not only a football brain but he has a brain"

Arsene Wenger (March 5th)

<Laughing last> "Ha Ha Ha"

Theo Walcott (March 7th)

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Whose opinions are you more likely to take; a man who has proven time and again that he is a scary and possibly the best judge of young talent in the world, or a man who has a problem with a penalty (whether he is taking them or talking them)?

Ducky's Note: (Obligatory) Ladies, Gentlemen and fellow Mancs. BigFourZa is proud to present another guest author from the world of Orkut fan communities, and thankfully, this one's not a Gooner. So please welcome Prashanth, the moderator of the widely popular United Orkut community, more popularly known as 2939 among us Mancs.

The media has touted the ongoing spat between Rafa and Allardyce as childish. Yeah well, damn the media. I personally love this stuff, and at least it has given me a decent reason to write another post. As I have already said, Big Sam is one of my most annoying characters in EPL but then like a Russian Pole-Vaulter he keeps bettering his own records.

Maddy's Note: Warning. Contains Graphic Images. If you are particularly squeamish or have just enjoyed a good lunch, I'd recommend you give this a miss.

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Malice [Mal-is] intent on the part of a person who commits a wrongful act injurious to others

Malice [Mal-is] (Antonym) shattering limbs to bits, issuing a statement of regret, serving out a 3 game ban and getting on with it as though everything is hunky dory

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Feb 23rd 2008

 "There will be nobody more upset and sickened than him (Martin Taylor); there is not a bad bone in his body"

- Steve Bruce

 "Martin Taylor is adamant there was no malicious intent in the tackle and he is deeply upset by the extent of Eduardo's injury"

- Birmingham FC Official Statement

Feb 27th 2010

"Ryan Shawcross has no bad blood in him whatsoever.

Vishwa's Note: Here is Aswin again but this time he has declared war on all the Berba haters/doubters.

"He's a great player and you're all idiots.. I wish I had bought him for 10.

If u r a rglr readr n u read mah post yday, u wud remembr I made a ref to Cshley n Cheryl as da worst couple in da wrld. Well, I ws wrng. They arnt a couple nymore. Cheryl dmped Cshley aftr she fnd a set f fotos of him butt nakd in his Sent Folder.

Despite Cashley's protestations of innocence claiming those vomit inducing photos weren't for Vanessa Perroncel, her fickle excuse of a mind is apparently made up; which means they are no longer the worst couple in the world.

Football never leaves me hungry, on the basis that I had to endure eating a whole lot of words from the past. No sooner than my last post, in which I had impolitely asked Villa and Spurs to stay grounded and be put to their place, both the teams registered facile wins that enabled them to arrive at the destination of none of their damn business.

Of the many takeaways from the Goodison game, this question qould have been uppermost on quite a few of us fans. Not because of anything that this game alone showed us about Berbatov, that we suddenly have our doubts about him. It's more of a gradual process, as Rob has written. It always has been, with Dimitar.

The revised champions league format proved to be an impromptu holiday and I had the chance trot around and catch-up with some acquaintances...

Jack Rodwell:

Man of the moment really, but I couldn't get a word out of him but as you can see here he was pretty busy, so I just let him be and joined the party at Goodison park

José Mourinho:

With Inter the next away point, the man at the helm there is no stranger, when asked if he would celebrate in case of a victory -

"I think actions speak far louder than words, But I have nothing to prove, so why would I celebrate when we have won a football match yet won nothing?

Maddy's Note: Ladies and Gents, L is for Lighter. You remember this guy don't you? BigFourZa's famous F for Fantasy Football Pundit, the man who is planning a takeover of G for Google. Anyway here he is, with a write up of Chelsea's Route 1 win over the Wolves at the Molineux.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. I'm really sorry for the crash in Portugal. In order to salvage this situation, I promise we'll try as hard as possible from now on and we could really use your support and please pray hard."

If I was on an aircraft and heard this message over the PA system, the last thing I'd have done was stand up and give the man who just spoken to me a standing ovation.

What we have here, is a weekend without football. It's not the international break, it's not any Christmas vacation like in La Liga, it's not a mega-boycott by all clubs over this increasingly heated-up issue of club finances with so many clubs. It is FA Cup weekend and three of the four clubs on this blog have crashed out unceremoniously from this glorious competition with its rich history, great heritage and a proven track record of generating 'David and Goliath' headlines.

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Admittedly, At first glance, this may seem like a mere Adaptation of an Awe inspiring Article written with great Aplomb by Anand, our resident Manc. However to the Analytical mind, it will rightly Appear that this is nothing more than an Adulatory ode written by an Ardent fan whose Attachment to the Club runs deep; right down to his Aorta.

After all that noise made about Terry and Vanessa on everything from The Sun to a full final page feature on the Times of India, the judgment has finally been delivered. No, not by the guy in the wig in a London court, but by an Italian who is as much an expert on law as the guy in the wig is on football.

Ducky's Note: Robert Blanchette is back with a bang for Bigfourza, an expected move after the big game on Sunday. Rob has his own blog at View from Tier 3 which is, obviously, the views of a season-ticket holder form Tier 3 at Old Trafford. Following is his take on the match, and not surprisingly, it revolves around Super-Nan!

Maddy's Note: Since our readers seem to be connoisseurs of fine cinema and of a certain Mr. Tarantino I shall continue the trend with my next four posts and adopt a style that he most certainly pioneered. Â

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Chapter 1 Villains

Vil-lain [vil-uh n]

Noun A cruelly malicious person who is involved in or devoted to wickedness or crime; scoundrel.

I hate watching games on internet streams. One, my internet connection isn't good enough and two invariably the streams aren't either. So last night was like 90 minutes of that good old competition ‘What Happened Next?' Rosicky with the ball, shrugs off a defender, lines up a shot freeze frame.

By - Felipe Hassin Pinto a.k.a The Man from the Grove

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If I were sane at this very moment I would say I have mixed feelings about our victory. But as I am not, allow me to enjoy the endorfine running through my veins and to analyse the game as a true Arsenal lover.

To requote one of our guest columnists almost word for word That was not the kind of atmosphere I was expecting to re-kick-off my column under.

We all know that thing about not judging a book by its cover. Clearly, that doesn't apply to Tevez. Then again, he's no book.

Nearly four years after powering in a header to give a 10 man Arsenal a 1-0 advantage that took them within minutes of a Champions League win over Barcelona, Big Sol Campbell was back in an Arsenal shirt today playing for the reserves in what clearly is the Rayden meets Gorro, last round in the tournament level test for him.

Certain events are always waiting to happen. Yesterday a concerned Liverpool fan Steve Horner wrote a mail to Tom Hicks Jnr, son of Liverpool football club and Hicks holdings company, questioning about the usage of funds acquired from Rafa Benitez's sellings towards debt clearance. A debt which totaled to 250m and counting.

Ducky's Note: Amidst all the madness of the snow and the only two games of Saturday ending in a draw, BigFourZa is pleased to announce its very own on-ground Mancunian, Robert Blanchette. Rob has been a Manchester United fan since the age of 9 when he saw Norman Whiteside curl the ball into a Wembley goal in the dying minutes.

Ok boys, About time we started a transfer thread I think. In case you have a story BigFourZa's failed to track, comment indicating whether it is a rumor or a confirmed news item including links and we'll update our thread.

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Rumor: Paddy Vieira to Citeh Credibility 3/5

Yet another Arsenal Great (the other being King Kolo of course) could join the blue side of Manchester.

A team which cost nearly £65m (without calculating Rooney's present worth using the RMEIPVI) went down to a team more than 40 places below them in the pecking order of English Football. And all Fergie could complain about was that there was only 5 minutes of Injury time and virtually no ‘Fergie Time'.

Had it been last season, I would have been asking myself why in the unspeakable hell is Torres playing in a dreary 3rd round FA cup fixture with a bottom table championship side. But then this ain't last season. If people like Arsene Wenger or Wayne Rooney with their clubs very much in contention have a reason to think this is a crazy season, then imagine a scouser like me.

No, this is not an article about how much money Citeh are going to throw into the January Transfer Window. And no again, this is not about Pompey's absent owner Ali Al Faraj (who incidentally has the nickname Ali Al Mirage because no one is sure he exists really). This is an article about that terrorist douchebag who tried to bomb that aircraft in the US.

If you strained your ears hard enough, you probably would have heard Felipe's rich baritone singing ‘We're gonna win the League' at Fratton Park last night (or early this morning in India). Yes, the man from the Emirates was spotted celebrating in a Hampshire pub after the game and you'll have to put up with my take on the events that transpired on the pitch (and off it of course).

At 1-1 going into the 75th minute at the Kingston Communication Stadium in Hull on Sunday, it seemed like United's run of worst defensive leaks had proved their undoing yet again. Most cruelly, it seemed like their best attacking option and ever-relaible frontman had handed Hull the lifeline back into the game.

Maddy's Note: Today was one of those days. A day when all Arsenal fans reached for the jersey that they all own and lovingly kissed the crest. A day when fans of every other team in Europe wished the Magician who is Francesc Fabregas Soler was a part of their squad sheet.

At times like these it's terribly disappointing to watch Liverpool play with an absolute lack of purpose. Personally, having defended the team in good spirits through out this blog, I feel way too cheated by this kind of display. The feeling is a total sense of betrayal. It doesn't really matter whether Mascherano's sending off was right or wrong.

And the Scouser mom told her kids, "eat your veggies or Arshavin will get you"

Scouser Kid rebels, "Hmph! He's going to anyway!"

Credit: Felipe Hassin Pinto

Arshavin has now scored more goals at Anfield than Voronin. It wasn't exactly 5 Goals, 1 Game. It was 5 Goals, TWO games and I'm happy enough.

Ducky's Note : The semester is finally over and Lighter The Pundit, looks back on it in the same loving way that you look at a half-boil in the sink the day after. So, if what follows seems self-indulgent, it is.

Oh, and also, being a Stones kinda guy, he finds the excessive Beatles referencing downright offensive.

The score line may have read one zip to the home side, but this was one game where even though we ended up second best, I still ended up with a broad smile on my face at 5 in the morning. (And no it was not because Liverpool lost AGAIN. At least not just because of that). An inconsequential game in a tournament of great consequence against an opponent who had everything to play for with us already having won the group in some style; perfect setting for a Wenger Experiment.