The Week Gone By In Our World of Football

Video Post: Premier League's Newest Stars

2010-08-10T16:48:00.003+01:00

With the 2010/11 Premier League season just days away here are 3 new arrivals with the potential to make a big impact this season: Marouanne Chamakh, David Silva and Javier Hernandez.

Review: The Miracle of Castel di Sangro

2010-08-10T15:28:00.006+01:00

The ‘Miracle of Castel di Sangro’ tells the story of a local football team. The miracle refers to the promotion of the town’s football club Castel di Sangro Calcio into Serie B, the second tier of Italian football, in 1996. It is specifically the penalty shootout, which won the Serie C1 playoff against Ascoli. The book is written by famed American author Joe McGinniss who spent the duration of the 1996/97 season with the team following their campaign for Serie B survival. McGinniss attended training, travelled with the team to matches, even eating with the players and becoming good friends with several of them. One gets the impression he really felt a part of what was happening.

Castel di Sangro is a small town in central southern Italy, with a tiny population of just 6000. The club’s roots lie in the regional amateur leagues and since the dizzying heights of Serie B this is where it has returned. To put the journey into perspective; it would be as if the likes of Southport or Farnborough reached the Championship level of English football. Generally unthinkable.

The main snagging point I found with this book is this American author. By his own admission McGinniss only took notice of ‘football’ a couple of years previously when the US hosted the 1994 football world cup. In the following 2 years he became truly obsessed with all things calico, that is, Italian football and Serie A in particular. What most people might find frustrating is his insistence to inform the reader on the finer details of trivial things, such as the rules of the game. One example being a few paragraphs which outlined what corners and free kicks are and when they are awarded. It would be my understanding that the vast majority of people drawn to this book would at least have a basic idea of the rules of football and therefore do not need to be re-informed by someone who has only just decided they like the game. The assumed expertise extended to tactics and formations. This writer whose place was to chronicle the team’s journey through Serie B felt it was his place to offer the manager tactical advice and was surprised when told where to stick it. But despite my hang ups with the author’s character I still found the book very enjoyable to read.

The story, in spite of the annoying ‘expertise’, is told very well and in great detail. It is a true football fairytale full of scandal, jubilation and tragedy in equal measures.

Villa 'Resigned' to Misery

2010-08-09T16:51:00.006+01:00

Quick comment on the breaking news that Martin O' Neill has resigned his post at Aston Villa just days before the new Premier League season is due to kick-off. The phrase 'horrendous timing' comes to mind. The players will most likely be in shock at losing the manager who has guided them to three consecutive 6th place finishes. It will not be the best preparation for Saturday's opener with West Ham.

If O' Neill had thought he could take Villa no further he would most likely have stepped down at the end of last season, so this must be to do with some kind of internal disagreement. My best guess is that it stems from the James Milner saga. It is unlikely the resignation comes as a result of the sale as O' Neill was resigned to losing Milner weeks ago. My best guess is that it is to do with will happens to the transfer fee. In Aston Villa's case the only upside to losing one your better players is that the money coming in should be more than adequate to purchase one or more quality replacements. If Martin O' Neill is not being given access to those funds one can see why he might resign. He will not be happy that players are being sold and he is unable to buy new ones. In a time where Manchester City and Tottenham have spent big to close the gap on the top four, having money available is key for Aston Villa to keep up. Losing James Milner and not buying top players in his place is a recipe to go only backwards. It sounds eerily similar to the tight fisted nature of one Deadly Doug Ellis, of which Villa fans will not want a new generation.

With Martin O' Neill leaving and what looks like a negative attitude coming from upstairs in the boardroom, Aston Villa could have lost all chances of challenging for a place in the Premier League's top 6 before the season has even begun.

Championship Excitement

2010-08-09T16:48:00.002+01:00

This season’s npower Championship has been eagerly awaited, for the reason that 10 or more teams are ably equipped to mount serious promotion challenges. This may well be the most competitive and compelling Championship season there has been for many years. The opening weekend of fixtures did nothing to dispel such optimism either.

Middlesbrough and Nottingham Forest, both strongly favoured for automatic promotion, were beaten. Middlesbrough, having assembled one of the strongest squads in the league, surrendered a one goal lead to lose at home to the supposedly weaker Ipswich. There was much optimism surrounding Bristol City, now under Steve Coppell, looking for promotion to the top flight with a third different club. A humbling home defeat to newly promoted Millwall was not, however, the best of starts. Leicester will have been looking to build on last season’s playoff finish, but despite playing good football, gifted Crystal Palace a three goal lead. Cardiff were another of promotion favourites to falter, unable to beat 10 man Sheffield United, but some neat interplay will be encouraging to fans. Sheffield United themselves have aspirations for the Premier League, but a small squad will have to be added to if they are to last the marathon.

QPR certainly began is style. Since the takeover by the Ecclestone, Briatore, Mittal consortium stability has been hard to come by at Loftus Road, and by that I mean having the same manager from August through to May. But if Neil Warnock, with his proven track record at this level, can keep the results flowing there is no reason why we won’t be seeing QPR back in the top flight after 15 long years.

There have been thoughts that Leeds have an outside chance of the playoffs, but the manner of the defeat at home to Derby and a League One squad means it looks like it might be too much too soon to expect to be at Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge in 2012.

Of those that were relegated from the top flight Burnley look the best equipped to make a swift return. A healthy financial set up and pretty much the same squad that won promotion and experienced Premiership football should mean the clarets from Lancashire will be there or there about at the business end of the season. Hull clocked an impressive opening day win over Swansea and despite problematic debts have playoff potential. And then there’s Portsmouth ... now that liquidation is off the table for the near future who knows what might happen. In Michael Brown, David Nugent, Hayden Mullins and Tommy Smith, Pompey possess players who have proven ability in the Championship. However a very small squad and a transfer embargo still hanging over the club things will be difficult. This season might just have to be about consolidation.

In the football league consistency and a good run of form at the right time, can be the difference between promotion and staying put. Few know that better than Blackpool after last season’s playoff heroics. So really anyone in a reasonable position approaching the last 10 games could be in contention. Of course, the results from the opening weekend can only tell us so much. Over the course of the next 1080 games expect plenty of thrills, spills and drama from the fourth most popular league in Europe.

Oh Henry!

2010-07-13T15:52:00.002+01:00

New York Red Bulls of the MLS are set to unveil a ‘major signing’ this week and it has all but been confirmed that it will be Thierry Henry. The Frenchman’s arrival in New York marks further progress in the development of soccer in the United States. It is a developing that has been ongoing for a few years now. American fans were more behind their national team than ever before at this summer’s world cup. Reports on the team’s progress shared equal time on major sports networks with items such as the 2010 NBA draft, something which would have been unheard of as recently as 10 years ago ... and almost every which way you turn there’s Landon Donovan’s injury time winner against Algeria. With more money and quality players being brought to the MLS it a development that can only go further.

Thierry Henry is very much player in need of a fresh challenge and a new start. 2009/10 was a season that only produced 4 goals for Henry, mostly limited to a place on the bench, as his place was taken by Barcelona’s latest world beater: Pedro Rodríguez. The world cup was not much better for Henry who was again limited to the bench and able to do little about France’s dismal effort. I can think of no better place for a new start than, arguably, the world’s most upwardly mobile league. The MLS is calling and Thierry is answering.

(the title to this post is a subtle cultural pun; it refers to the American chocolate bar ‘Oh Henry!’)

England: post World Cup thoughts

2010-07-13T15:10:00.004+01:00

My last post, on 6th March, talked about England's delusional optimism approaching the world cup. The concluding sentence read: 'I think quarter finals at best (again); but prove me wrong!'. It turns out I was right that the team would disappoint (as always), but even reaching the quarter finals proved too difficult this time. We all saw what happened and it was even more disappointing than I could ever have expected. After struggling through possibly the most straightforward of the groups England were soundly and deservedly beaten by Germany. But it was something that needed to happen, to open the eyes of the players, management, and fans alike. England is not a team that deserves to be looked at among the favourites for major tournaments. It is a situation that looks disturbingly similar to the 1940s and 1950s, where there is an assumption of 'world class' around the England team. It took two humiliating defeats to Hungary to change things back then. Heavy defeat to Germany should be the medicine this time.

As individuals many of the players in the England set up have been at the top of the game for the past few years, but as the national team it does not work. The mentality needs to be play the best team, not the best individual players. If you play all the best players at once at least a couple will be played out of position (the glaringly obvious example here is Steven Gerrard). In Spain's set up this is clearly understood. Players like Fabregas and David Silva cannot get in the starting XI because they don't fit the team. The less technically gifted Busquets starts every time because he fits into the system where his abilities are required. In England's starting XI against the USA there were arguably 4/5 world class players, in the Dutch line up for the final there was only 2/3, but who was by far the better team?

England also seemed to be lagging behind tactically; still employing the traditional 4-4-2. It clearly does not work when every other top team is playing 4-2-3-1, or a variation of it. It was clear in England's 2nd round match that the German's had the upper hand in midfield.

It is imperative is to identify the key positions and pick only the players that fit the requirements in those specific positions. What England managers of late seem to be scared to do is leave out big names. If they don't fit the system leave them out. Until this approach is changed England will always disappoint. Unfortunately I am sceptical that we will see major change any time soon.

England Special: Delusional Optimism

2010-03-06T16:00:00.001Z

When England beat Egypt on Wednesday night the 3-1 score-line suggested everything is as it should be approaching the World Cup this summer. Placed at 17th in the latest world rankings, Egypt have secured a highly respectable and deserved position in international football. The performance the North Africans gave on Wednesday suggests no less: leading until the 56th minute playing some good football along the way. It is understandable that after a full on African Nations in January that the team tired late on, and 2 goals from Peter Crouch and 1 from Shaun Wright-Phillips gave England the win they were looking for.
However despite Egypt’s position inside the world’s top 20 they are not a team, had they even qualified, that would be realistically challenging for the World Cup. I would think that it is very unlikely that the winner of this year’s World Cup will come from outside the top 10, of which England sit 8th. While the FIFA world rankings do not generally mean a whole lot and have been heavily criticised in the past at this moment in time it provides a list of who England should be aiming to emulate. Spain look near untouchable at the top and Brazil are playing football that may be as pretty as one would expect but nevertheless gets the job done. These are both teams that have beaten England in recent matches in recent memory. Against Spain in particular England have looked a distant second as the Spanish dictated play throughout. On the whole when playing in qualifiers and friendlies against ‘lesser’ teams England have looked the part, but it is when it gets to the games against the real challengers that things don’t quite pull together. Yes, these may be only friendlies and bear no relevance to what may or may not happen in South Africa, but to win the World Cup these are the teams to beat and at the moment England look second best.
A stable squad is vital to international football as the players are only together for such a short amount of time. New players have to learn new routines and it takes longer for teams to gel. The unfortunate thing for England is that at the moment any 23 of 35 or more have a genuine claim to a place in the final World Cup squad. I’ve heard from some corners that this is England’s best chance to win a tournament in years. In my opinion the current team is not as good as in 2006 and even 2002 before it. In 2006 England were hit with a loss of form and the exhaustion of players who had been on top of the world at club level; this may well also be a factor this summer. At the moment England do not look to have enough.

Breaking it down across the field has an alarming result. In goal Robert Green looks to have taken the #1 for himself, sort of. I think this has been helped by a lack of other options. Joe Hart has played himself into contention, but a lack of general experience is worrying. It would certainly be a baptism of fire, but has the making of a fairytale. The defence which has been a strong point of the England team in the last 10 years looks weak. Rio Ferdinand, although newly named captain, may not make it to the finals due to persistent injury and John Terry has been a shadow of his former self this season (after the events of the last few weeks I guess now we know why). At this stage four years ago beneath these two was a plethora of talent, but now it seems to have dispersed. Jamie Carragher retired from International duty in 2007 through frustration over his lack of chances. Ledley King is a top defender, although injury problems look to have curtailed his career, to the extent he is unable to train and can only play once a week. Jonathan Woodgate too has had similar problems with a long history of injury and has barely played at all this season. Matthew Upson has been the first replacement in recent months but it is questionable whether he has the ability to perform against the best in the world. There are questions too about Joleon Lescott’s ability at the top level. He has certainly not lived up to his £24m price tag, which I’m convinced was brilliant business by David Moyes and Everton and sheer madness by Manchester City. Sol Campbell’s return to Arsenal may put in the frame, but the veteran would be horribly exposed by any sort of pace. And there is the forgotten man: Phil Jagielka. The Everton defender is still recovering from injury and is unlikely to be fit enough in time for World Cup selection. Options here look bleak. One of few positives is the form of Ryan Shawcross who fully deserved his place in the squad against Egypt.
In terms of full-backs things don’t look much better. Glen Johnson held the right back position, partly through lack of competition, but there are questions over his fitness. Wes Brown, although recognised as a central defender, will most likely be included as a right back, but a stop start season as not helped his form. On the left side things have been somewhat of a joke. Ashley Cole is one of a few true world class players in the England setup, but a broken ankle may have ended his hopes; it would have been interesting to see how off the field incidents would have affected his form. Wayne Bridge has pulled out through other well broadcasted off field events, although one questions the decision to throw away possibly the best opportunity of his career. That leaves Leighton Baines, who has been inspired in the past few weeks, and Stephen Warnock. Although neither is as good as Cole, either would be a more than adequate replacement for Bridge.
The midfield is hit and miss. Steven Gerrard has struggled for fitness all season and Frank Lampard’s form has been inconsistent. Owen Hargreaves is quickly running out of time to claim a place, but would be able to provide the balance that is sometimes lacking. Gareth Barry has adequately filled the hole left by Hargreaves and is a favourite of Capello’s, but just lacks that next level. Since David Beckham was removed from the squad by Steve McClaren nobody has taken the opportunity to make the right side of midfield their own. Aaron Lennon, Theo Walcott and Shaun Wright-Phillips have all flirted with it but none has been able to hold it for long. James Milner’s form this season has been refreshing, but I can’t remove the feeling he is the latest in a long line of pretenders. Ashley Young too showed genuine quality last season, but his form has disappeared since his manager Martin O’Neill said he was as good as Lionel Messi. There is undoubted talent in this position but I’m not sure it is enough at the moment; maybe Beckham may yet win his starting place back (although I doubt this very much). On the left side Stewart Downing is the only realistic left footed option. Joe Cole has struggled to get back into the Chelsea tem after injury, otherwise this position would possibly have been his. It looks as though the wide positions in the team will be made up of a combination of right wingers and Steven Gerrard, although it is unclear exactly which combination.
If England can win the World Cup a large part of it will be down to Wayne Rooney. I am wary though that Rooney may suffer burn out before June having carried Manchester United through significant periods of the season so far. The question is who will play with him. I’m a fan of Emile Heskey; just because he provides exactly what Rooney needs. Heskey’s return to the England squad coincided with Rooney’s goals. The other option is Jermain Defoe, who is a good finisher but doesn’t fit the system with Rooney. It would have to be either or, and it would be Rooney every time. Peter Crouch scored twice against Egypt putting him onto 20 international goals in 37 caps, which on the face of it sounds great, but a good number of these goals have come against weak opposition and Crouch is yet to prove himself against the best. Fabio Capello himself does not yet seem sure of his best strike partnership.
This is seems very depressing and negative. I have no doubt that other teams also have ‘problems’; but to me, at this moment in time, people who are talking about this being England’s best chance of glory are deluded; or just so desperate to see a trophy that they believe it. I would quite like England to win the World Cup this summer, but given the context it would have to take a minor miracle. I think quarter finals at best (again); but prove me wrong!

The Magic of the Cup Is Not Dead

2010-02-27T11:19:00.005Z

The giantkilling magic of the FA Cup is what helps to make it the most famous domestic cup competition in the world. Those memories of 2nd Division Sunderland beating Don Revie's mighty Leeds in 1973; and 1988 when Wimbledon defied the odds to beat Liverpool particularly stick in the mind.

The FA Cup has been criticised in recent years for losing its aura. Perhaps it no longer matters to the big teams, as illustrated when Manchester United withdrew from the 2000 competition to compete on a global stage. It may often be the case that the so called big teams put weakened sides out in the cup to rest players for more important games. Having said that when Leeds won at Old Trafford earlier this year it was a Manchester United side that contained several regular starters, including Wayne Rooney. But also, if the competition means less to the 'big teams' it doesn't explain why only Portsmouth have broken the dominance of the Premier League's 'big four' since 1995.

A trophy is a trophy regardless and every team fights to win. That is why the fortunes of teams like Reading and Leeds in this years competition continue keep the true spirit of the FA Cup alive. Reading are suffering an unexpectedly poor league campaign and the side's cup run (quarter finalists at time of writing) is helping to turn a poor season into a more memorable one for the right reasons. For all the top four dominance of the last 15 or more years we must not forget that lower ranked teams nearly always feature in the later rounds of the tournament. As a first division team Sheffield United have made the semi-finals twice in recent memory, being denied a place in the final by eventual winners Arsenal on the second occasion in 2003 thanks in part to a near impossible save from David Seaman. Millwall reached the final in 2004 and Portsmouth, as winners in 2008, were the Premier League's only representation at the semi final stage. We may not have seen a winner from outside the top flight for a while, but it is certainly not been walkover by any stretch of the imagination. As a football romantic I am always pleased to see lower teams do well, even lower ranked top flight teams, and contesting the dominance.

I finish on perhaps the most famous FA Cup upset to date. The 1972 3rd round saw top flight Newcastle drawn at home to Hereford United of the Southern League, a tie in which anything other than a Newcastle win would be unthinkable. A 2-2 draw was a great achievement in itself for Hereford. A replay delayed numerous times by weather was won 2-1 by Hereford and produced one of the most famous goals in FA Cup history ...

Coming Soon ...

2010-02-18T17:47:00.003Z

Over the next few weeks I will be doing a series of pieces profiling the greatest players if all time. This will include pieces on true legends of the game, all of whom have given a lasting legacy to the beautiful game.

The Return of Arsene Whinger

2010-02-18T16:28:00.003Z

Arsenal apparently cannot lose these days because the other team deserved to win. That certainly seems to be the opinion of Arsene Wenger at least. Last night’s loss against Porto in the Champions League seemed to highlight everything that is wrong with Arsenal at the moment. The grit and the experience needed to get results in difficult places like Porto is not there. Wenger’s idealised dream of success by means of investment in youth and attractive football just doesn’t cut it at the top level. Although capable of quality football there just doesn’t seem to be enough strength in depth to genuinely challenge for major honours. The two goals Arsenal conceded in Portugal can be attributed to two mistakes by Lukasz Fabianksi. The Polish goalkeeper doesn’t seem to inspire confidence in the defence in front of him and always looks ‘dodgy’. Worryingly for Wenger, Manuel Almunia’s form seems to have disappeared reaffirming that Arsenal really do need a new goalkeeper. The lack of a genuine striker should also be rather worrying; and a general inability to withstand the pressure is clear to see. It is almost a petty refusal by Wenger to see that his ideology and his team is lacking.

Modern football is as much about tactics as it is about attractive play. If Arsenal’s plan A is nullified by the oppositions superior tactics there is seemingly no plan B. And here is where it becomes a bit ridiculous; there always seems to be an unfair reason why Arsenal are not able to keep pace at the top. A few years ago Wenger used to complain when his team were knocked around by the likes of Bolton and Blackburn. All these teams were doing was playing to their strengths: the physical contest. There is nothing wrong that but you can see why it would be irksome to such an advocator of the ‘beautiful game’ as Arsene Wenger. In the last few weeks however the Arsenal manager has thrown all sorts of accusations around. After a frustrating 0-0 draw on 27^th January Aston Villa were described as a physical, long ball team. Villa may not have the intricate passing ability of Arsenal, but a long ball team? I don’t think so. A few days later Arsenal completely lacked any kind of competitive spirit in a comprehensive defeat to Manchester United and a 2-0 defeat to Chelsea was answered with comments about time wasting and negative tactics. Champions league defeat to Porto was subsequently blamed on poor refereeing. Wenger rarely attributes his team’s loss to the good performance of the deserving opposition.

Moving to the specifics of the Porto game, the supposed incompetent refereeing at hand was the decision to award Porto an indirect free kick for a back pass. Wenger was adamant Sol Campbell’s touch was adamant. I wonder how he could tell it was accidental form so far away. But regardless of whether it was accidental or not Arsenal gained an unfair advantage from it as the touch put the ball into Fabianksi’s hands with Porto’s Rubin Micael closing in quickly. Sol Campbell’s reaction and body language was also telling. There was also the question of the referee allowing a quick free kick and then being in Campbell’s way as it was taken. The Arsenal defence had gone to sleep and showed no desire to defend the free kick; Wenger would no doubt have been happy if it had been his side scoring in this fashion. Cesc Fabregas also later remarked he would probably have done the same. The fact that the referee was ‘in the way’ is also questionable as the only way Campbell could have stopped it would have been blocking the free kick in an illegal fashion.

The fact is that Arsenal lost because they did not play well enough. Porto are a very good team, especially at home. Some people seem to think that Arsenal will have no problem turning things around in the return leg. I wouldn’t be so convinced of this as the problems clearly run deeper than a one off poor performance.

Video Post

2010-02-18T16:03:00.002Z

With the Champions League resuming this week here is my pick of the goals from last year's tournament.

Alessandro Del Piero will go down as one of the greats of his generation, this goal against Real Madrid in last year's group stage is just one reason why.

There are many free kick specialists ... David Beckham; Cristiano Ronaldo to name but two. But Juninho Permanbucano perhaps beats all of them. The Brazilian scored over 40 free kicks in his time at Lyon, with this one against Barcelona a highlight of 2008/09's second round.

There is little more that can be said about Cristiano Ronaldo. The 40 yard piledriver he scored against Porto in the quarter final is probably one of the best goals he will ever score.

With this goal Andres Iniesta sent Barcelona to the final in Rome. All the more sickening for Chelsea as it was scored with the time on the clock at 90+2.08.

Do We Expect Too Much Too Soon?

2010-02-13T11:46:00.003Z

Back in November Nani looked destined for the Old Trafford door. Now after an unexpected recall to the starting XI and possibly his best performance to date in a 3-1 over Arsenal people are saying that he is finally beginning to fulfil the potential that was promised when he arrived in England little over 2¹/₂ years ago. After being sent off against Aston Villa on Wednesday night it looks like one step forward two steps back for the 23 year old winger. Suspension will mean Nani misses the Carling Cup final, an opportunity seemingly tailor made to prove himself. Nani has shown flashes of form in the past but they have soon disappeared. A 4-0 FA Cup demolition of Arsenal in February 2008 springs to mind, a game in which he (along with others it has to be said) was virtually unplayable. Such promise soon disappeared. I would be sceptical to believe this current form is anything different.

Given his nationality and position Nani was always going to draw comparisons with a certain other Portuguese winger at Old Trafford. At 23 years old Cristiano Ronaldo received the Balon d’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards, having powered Manchester United to domestic and European glory. If this is the standard Nani is being compared to it is no wonder he has not reached the heights people expected. Players like Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are the anomalies. It is not normal for players to have achieved almost everything they can achieve in the game by their early 20s. This brings me to a critical question: do people expect too much too soon of young players? Taking the example of Nani; at 23 has he really missed his opportunity to prove he is a top level player? We must not forget that before Ronaldo became the world’s best he was also frustratingly inconsistent. Unfair comparisons are always hard for young players to shake off. The ‘new Maradona’ is perhaps the most infamous of these tags, putting huge amounts of pressure on young Argentine footballers. Players like Andres D’Alessandro (who people in England may remember from a brief loan spell at Portsmouth) although talented never had a chance of living up to the comparison. It makes the fans believe these youngsters are better than they actually are. When they are not able to reach the heights expected of them, through no fault of their own, it is a letdown to everyone.

There is an argument that football players are peaking younger than they used to. This is more apparent looking at the last few winners of the top individual awards: Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi at 25, 23 and 22 respectively. This trend is not, however, universal. By age 21 Didier Drogba was only just signing his first professional contract. Drogba did not play top flight football until shortly before his 23^rd birthday and onlt regularly by 24 years of age. Both Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, although not late coming into the game, did not become world beaters until their mid 20s. Both were always talented but took a few years to build a foundation before stepping up to the elite level.

The jury is still out on Nani, but time is beginning to run out. He is no doubt a good player; however, it is debatable how good. But we cannot let our judgement be clouded by what other players have achieved so young. A Lionel Messi only comes along once in a generation and should have no bearing on how others are judged. We are expecting too much too soon. In time those who deserve to be there will rise above the rest, whether that be age 22 or age 30.

Video Post

2010-02-13T10:14:00.004Z

Football adverts are always entertaining, but those made by Nike are particularly good. Here I've chosen a few of my favourites from recent years.

Spain's Forgotten Man

2010-01-14T19:18:00.003Z

On the 23rd of May 2001 a penalty missed by Argentine defender Mauricio Pellegrino in front of 71 000 fans at the San Siro cost Valencia Champions League glory. Bayern Munich won 5-4 in the shoot-out claiming their 4th title and easing the pain of the Nou Camp. Rewind 12 months earlier to May 2000 and Valencia had been losing finalists to Real Madrid. In reaching both finals the team from Spain's Costa del Azahar had disposed of some of Europe's top teams, including Arsenal and Leeds and destructions of Barcelona and Lazio.

The driving force behind this team was a diminutive Basque: Gaizka Mendieta. As a combative box to box goal scoring midfielder Mendieta, as captain, had all the qualities of a world class player. In each of the two years that his side reached the Champions League Final he was named UEFA Midfielder of the Year. The 2000/2001 campaign was Mendieta's last with Valencia, who had become one of the most sought after players in Europe. Moneybags Lazio came calling and paid €48million, making Mendieta the 6th most expensive player of all time in the process. However, the move looked to have been a mistake as the Italian game didn't suit his style of play and an unhappy season was to follow. Despite a poor start to his Lazio career Mendieta was still picked to represent his country in the 2002 World Cup, dispatching the winning penalty in the round of 16 shoot-out against Ireland.

After the World Cup Mendieta returned to Spain looking to get his career back on track with a loan move to Barcelona. He never quite recaptured the form that had seen him twice named Europe's best. After a year in Barcelona Mendieta found himself on loan again, this time in England with Middlesbrough. It was in England where the Spaniard rediscovered some of his old Valencia form helping Boro to their first ever major trophy: Carling Cup victory in 2004. The move was made permanent later that year and things looked bright for the future. However, damaged cruciate ligaments meant Mendieta missed most of the 2004/05 campaign. Having regained fitness he was on hand to help in a 4-1 demolition of Manchester United at the Riverside in October of 2005, but again his season was cut short with a broken foot.

When Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren departed to take the England job in June 2006 the void he left was filled by Gareth Southgate. Now aged 32 Mendieta was struggling to overcome a string of niggling injuries, finding a run of fitness hard to come by. New manager Southgate was clear that Mendieta would not feature in his plans. Mendieta, having fallen in love with the club was determined to fight for his place, but it was not to be and he played last game in professional football came on Boxing Day 2006 in a 0-0 draw versus Everton. He saw out the remainder of contract and officially retired upon his release from Middlesbrough in May 2008.

Just 2 years after playing in his second Champions League final, both albeit unsuccessful, Mendieta had fallen off the map when he should have been at his peak. Looking back over his career it seems that poor judgement and a string unfortunate injuries curtailed arguably one of Europe's finest talents: Gaizka Mendieta.

This video is Mendieta at his best in his Valencia days; a thumping volley against Barcelona.

Angola is not South Africa

2010-01-10T14:18:00.003Z

I am tired of suggestions that the World Cup in South Africa is a ticking time bomb because of what happened to the Togo team. It's simply wrong to question South Africa's ability to host the world cup based on the events that have unfolded in Angola. The whole issue with Africa is very 'us' and 'them' and what it boils down to is a sub-concious almost racist subordination of the whole continent. People seem to miss that Africa is a continent and not a single country. We don't talk about England and France as being the same place so why are Angola and South Africa labelled like they are? On the face of it the area of Cabinda is as far away from Johannesburg as London is from Donetsk. I very much doubt people would call for the London Olympics to be cancelled if a bomb went off in Paris the day before the opening ceremony.

Angola has a very different history to South Africa, one full of civil war and internal strife in recent years. Hosting matches in Cabinda where there are active separatist movements was like CAF was asking for trouble. The tournament would probably have passed without major incident had the organisers not picked such a volatile region in which to play some of the matches. It was an act of terrorism, but an act based on specific local factors. South Africa has no history of such terrorism, so if anything of a similar nature were to go down at the world cup it would be from outside influences, making it liable to happen wherever the World Cup was hosted. We need to move beyond the simplistic way in which we view Africa. Yes, South Africa has some of its own problems, but they are nothing comparable to what what went on in Cabinda and to suggest that the same thing will happen again as we approach the World Cup is incredibly narrow minded.

Togo Team Ambush

2010-01-08T20:20:00.002Z

The Togo team bus was shot at by gunmen armed with machine guns, as the team were travelling to Cabinda in the north of Angola for the African Cup of Nations. In the attack the driver was reportedly killed and many others injured, some seriously. The oil rich Cabinda territory was still being fought over as recently as 2006 and it is clear that rebels are still active in the area. The civil war in Angola ended after ceasefire was negotiated in 2002, after 27 years of fighting. People were already commenting that holding the tournament in Angola was a gamble by African football's governing body and now it already appears that it has not paid off. It is likely that Togo will pull out reducing group B to three teams, but it is unclear whether the matches will still be played in Cabinda, which was due to host group B as well a quarter final. Officials have already stated that the tournament will still go ahead. It begs the question why a region as potentially unstable as this one was chosen to host part of a continental event. Angola may be developing rapidly but most of this is confined to the capital Luanda, and evidently problems still exist elsewhere in the country.

Thoughts will no doubt soon turn to South Africa and the World Cup in summer and whether Africa as a continent is up to hosting one of the world's most prestigious events, given what has already happened in Angola. The problem here is that the European mindset groups all of Africa together as one and doesn't always see that it is made up of 53 unique countries. The events in Angola have no bearing on what may or may not happen in South Africa. The attack in Cabinda is related to internal struggle which has been ongoing since the end of the Portuguese rule in 1975. South Africa has no such post-independence troubles and is one of Africa's most stable nations. It would be wholly unfair should it be labelled with the same sticker as a completely different country with a different past and different present.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8449319.stm

All Eyes on Africa

2010-01-08T19:40:00.004Z

On the 10^th January the 2010 edition of the African Cup of Nations will kick off in Angola’s capital city Luanda. Over the years African football has come on leaps and bounds and now the continent boasts some the world’s top players. The tournament itself has come a long way from its roots in the 1950s. The first tournament was played in 1957 in Sudan and was only contested by four teams. Of those four South Africa was disqualified due to the increasing presence of the apartheid regime. The tournament was expanded to 16 teams for the first time in 1996 and has remained the same since, taking the format of a group stage followed by knockout.

Angola will be hosting the tournament for the first time. Matches will be played in the cities of Luanda, the capital, Cabinda, Benguela and Lubango, all located in the west of the country, towards the Atlantic coast. Many will see it as odd that Angola, a country engaged in brutal civil war for 27 years after independence from Portugal in 1975, was chosen to host Africa’s most prestigious sporting event. Cabinda, the most northern of the host cities was still involved in conflict as recently as 2006. But Angola has one of the world’s fastest growing economies and the fastest in all of Africa. The economic transformation is driven by the booming oil industry. However, as is often the case with third world development, much fails to get beyond the capital city. It means there are still large areas of the country suffering from mass poverty, and the country has low life expectancy and high infant mortality rates. There are those who think it is too soon in the country’s development to be hosting the Cup of Nations and the decision may yet prove to be a gamble.

In terms of the contenders, it could turn out to be a straight fight between Egypt and the Ivory Coast. Egypt won in 2006 on home soil, in some people’s eyes somewhat unconvincingly, but 2008 was a different story. The Egyptians played some great football on their way to the glory demolishing Ivory Coast in the semi final. Goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary is arguably Africa’s best; Ahmed Hassan controls the midfield with intelligent passing and Mohamed Zidan should score goals. No team has ever won 3 titles in a row and Egypt will be looking to become the first to do so. It is something of a surprise they haven’t qualified for a World Cup since 1990. Ivory Coast will be the biggest challenge to Egypt’s continental dominance and will also represent Africa’s greatest hope on the world stage later this year. The spine of the team is incredibly strong, with Kolo Touré in defence, Yaya Touré in midfield and Didier Drogba leading the line and captaining the side. The rest of the team is littered with players plying their trade at top clubs in Europe. The likes of Didier Zokora, Salomon Kalou, Emmanuel Eboué and Marseille’s Bakari Koné will be out to show that there is much more to Les Éléphants than Drogba and the Touré brothers. On paper they look the real deal and it is hard to look any further.

The glory days of Nigeria look to have passed, yet few Nigerians can see any difference between the current side and the great team of the 1990s. Despite the presence of Chelsea’s John Obi Mikel, there are just not enough players at really top clubs to provide a decent challenge. Ghana too face a similar problem in that although there are one or two players of real quality, Michael Essien in particular, there just isn’t the strength in the rest of the team to pull through. Cameroon will rely on the goalscoring prowess of Samuel Eto’o, supported by Achille Emana, who has found form since moving to Spain. The Indomitable Lions look their strongest since last winning the trophy in 2002. Mali have some of Africa’s best players in their ranks. They are seemingly overwhelmed with quality central midfielders. Mahamadou Diarra was key to league titles wins for Lyon and Real Madrid; and Seydou Keita is provides more than adequate competition to Barcelona’s world beating midfield trio. Up front Fredi Kanouté will be expected to provide goals.

In recent years there has been controversy over the scheduling of the tournament. It is only really since Africa began producing some of the world’s best players that that this debate was ever sparked. As you might expect clubs are unwilling to lose important players for a month mid-season. But now as the players are becoming more high profile big clubs are kicking up more of a fuss. But this is just how it is with the Cup of Nations; and when signing an African player clubs must accept that every couple of years that player will be away for a month representing his country. Although still taking place during the season, this year the Cup will take place earlier than it did in 2008, perhaps an attempt by CAF to appease clubs in Europe, to ensure players will be back at their respective clubs in better time for the run in.

2010 promises much in the way of quality football and the atmosphere that always comes with African football. The final will take place on 31^st January and all 32 matches will be broadcast on BBC television and Eurosport.

Video Post

2010-01-08T15:41:00.005Z

The 2010 African Cup of Nations is only a few days away and promises much in the way of a great show. Africa as a continent now boasts some of the world's best players and will only get better in the future.

Here is a video of the top 10 goals from the 2008 tournament played in Ghana, in which Egypt swept all before them.

Video Post

2009-12-31T12:20:00.002Z

The decade has drawn to a close and what seems to be fashionable is to look back and pick the best of the last 10 years. So I have decided to pick just a few of my favourite goals from that time.

Zinedine Zidane became the world's most expensive player after his £45million transfer from Juventus to Real Madrid in the summer of 2001. Many regard him to be among the very best to have ever played the game. His winning goal for Real Madrid in the 2002 Champions League final is just one of numerous reasons why.

When Hernan Crespo scored this next goal to put Milan 3-0 up against Liverpool before half time in the 2005 Champions League final it looked all over. We would later find out it wasn't, due to a remarkable comeback, but what makes this goal stand out from a great match was the pass to set it up followed by the exquisite finish.

Ronaldinho stands out as one the best players of the decade, having twice won FIFA's World Player of the Year award. His goal on an epic Champions League night at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea came at the height of his power.

Portsmouth fans must have been glad to see the back of Cristiano Ronaldo as he departed England for Spain, having seen many a Ronaldo rocket against them. This one came in Ronaldo's third season in England, providing a glimpse of what was soon to follow. The commentray sums it up nicely.

And finally to a video of not 1, but 3 goals; a hat-trick scored by the Brazilian Ronaldo at Old Trafford in 2003. All 3 were fantastic goals and the Brazilian, suported by the likes of Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane, Roberto Carlos and Claude Makelele, blew Manchester United away and got a standing ovation from the home crowd for his troubles.

UEFA Champions League: The Last 16

2009-12-18T17:10:00.003Z

Today’s draw for the knockout round of the Champions League has produced some interesting ties, which will hopefully produce some enthralling contests.

German outfit Stuttgart have drawn, in Barcelona, the team that everyone would have wanted to avoid. Stuttgart, who finished 3^rd in last season’s Bundesliga and who qualified from group G, just edging out Unirea Urziceni of Romania, must not be underestimated. The likes of the Brazilian born German international Cacau and Russia’s Pavel Pogrebnyak offer quality up front with a solid team behind them. Their best chance is stop Barcelona dictating the pace of the play, although it is much easier said than done, as many have tried and failed to unsettle the Catalan giants. Few would look further beyond the reigning European champions to win this tie and I too can see no other winner, especially with the quality that Barca have oozing through the whole team.

Bordeaux qualified from the group stage having amassed more points than anyone else. It is a feat made more impressive by the fact that Juventus were unceremoniously dumped into the Europa League. The French champions have been drawn with Greek champions Olympiakos, who beat Arsenal, albeit a weakened team, on match day 6. If Bordeaux can carry through their form from the group stage I think they will just a little too much for the Greeks. At this point I would mark Bordeaux down as a dark horse for the competition.

One of the more interesting ties was Inter vs Chelsea. A lot will be made of this because of José Mourinho’s return to Stamford Bridge, especially given the murky context of his dismissal. I’m sure there is nothing more Mourinho would want than to stick it to Roman Abramovich. There is no question that he has the tools at his disposal to do the job, with players like Samuel Eto’o, Wesley Sneijder and Maicon, but Inter have vastly underperformed in Europe for many years. Club football in Italy has greatly fallen behind England and Spain in recent years after a golden age in the late 1980s and 1990s. Under Carlo Ancelotti Chelsea look a very strong side and this definitely has the making of a titanic battle.

Some might say that Bayern Munich are in a bit of a crisis: knocked of their perch in Germany and no longer one of Europe’s heavyweights. But a 4-1 thrashing of Juventus in Italy to secure passage to the last 16 shows signs of something. Their opponents Fiorentina will be brimming with confidence having beaten 5 times champions Liverpool home and away in the group stages. Fiorentina definitely look to be one of Europe’s emerging sides at the moment and could be one to watch out for later on. Adrian Mutu has now full put his Chelsea past behind him, and Alberto Gilardino is resurgent after a disappointing time at Milan. Fiorentina may be ones to look out for in later rounds.

Russian teams in the Champions League often benefit from home advantage, especially during the winter. Sevilla will have to travel to Moscow in February and may find it difficult. The Spanish tea have consolidated a place as La Liga’s third team in recent years and should have more than enough quality to see off the threat from CSKA Moscow, despite a tricky first leg in the Russian capital. CSKA Moscow did well to see off German champions Wolfsburg in the group stage but will be hard pushed to go any further in the competition.

A few years ago Lyon were France’s best hope for the first taste of glory since 1993, but such a dream never materialised and now it looks gone, at least for the time being. The French club spent large amounts of money over to bring in some top players, including Lisandro Lopez and Aly Cissokho, both from Porto. But no one has spent more than their opponents in the last 16. Real Madrid boast several of the world’s very best players. Lyon are a good team but if Real perform anywhere near to the level they should be capable of it should be a foregone conclusion. But as we well know things are never that simple and Lyon are definitely have some potential to upset.

Arsenal have been drawn with Porto, who are themselves becoming regulars in the knockout rounds. There are arguably few teams in the world who play better football than Arsenal, but as we see time and time again they just do not match up in other departments. Porto gave Manchester United problems at Old Trafford last season, with constant pressure on the ball and never fearful of attacking. This will definitely be an interesting tie and could produce England’s second casualty of the tournament.

One of the main talking points from the draw is David Beckham’s return to Manchester to face United. Beckham will more than likely receive an ultra warm welcome on his return, having served the club so well for 10 years. Milan are definitely not the force they were in 2007 when they walked away as champions, having not played in the tournament at all last season and losing Kaka to Real Madrid in the summer. The likes of Clarence Seedorf and Andrea Pirlo remain and are always dangerous. At only 20 years of age Alexandre Pato leads the line, shouldering a huge responsibility, for someone so young. Manchester United are a different team form the one that played the last two finals, with the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo prompting a change in playing style. But United have proved so far this season they are still more than capable and should have enough to edge out the Italians.

Whatever happens in the last 16 it should make for good viewing and will be further reason as to why the competition is so very popular.

Video Post

2009-12-18T15:25:00.002Z

You may remember the video from a few weeks ago, of Lionel Messi creating a near perfect copy of Diego Maradona's famous solo dribble against England in 1986. Messi is the only player to have emerged from Argentina and Maradona's shadow who shows the quality it would take to emulate El Diego.

The comparison is perhaps more striking than people realised. This video shows Messi recreating another of Maradona's most famous goals: The Hand of God. The incident happened in El Derbi Barcelones, the cross city derby against Espanyol, in 2007. Like his hero Diego, Messi got away with it and the goal stood.

Poll Results

2009-12-18T15:23:00.001Z

Player of the decade?

Zinedine Zidane led the way, followed by Ryan Giggs

UEFA Team of the Year 2009

2009-12-10T17:04:00.002Z

Voting for UEFA Team of the year is open for fans to pick the best XI and manager of the year. Having voted myself this week I thought I would share my selection.

In goal I chose Edwin van der Sar who, even at 39 years of age is still going strong, having set a world record for consecutive top flight clean sheets in 2009 and shows no signs of slowing down. Another return to the Dutch national team may even be on the cards bore the World Cup this summer.

There is arguably no better right sided defender in the world at the moment than Barcelona’s Dani Alves. The Brazilian is tireless in moving up and down the right flank and was an important part of Barca’s success in 2009.

Patrice Evra crowned another good season with a third consecutive league title and a third appearance on Europe’s biggest stage in the Champions League final. He was also part of the impenetrable Manchester United defence.

Gerard Pique is one of Europe’s rising stars, having left Manchester United because he couldn’t break into the first team, he has now become a regular for Barcelona and Spain and looks set to go from strength to strength in the near future.

Carles Puyol was the rock at the back for Barcelona, who led the team by example with a number of great performances particularly in the Champions League. Yet he was mysteriously overlooked in FourFourTwo magazine’s top 100 list.

This team is starting to fill up with Barcelona players. Xavi was the heartbeat of the treble winning team, very rarely giving the ball away and dictating the play. A home grown player who makes Barca’s excellent forward line look even better.

Andrés Iniesta along with Xavi is vital to Barcelona’s continued success. Another who rarely misplaces a pass, Iniesta has been described by Wayne Rooney and Samuel Eto’o as th best in the world. He also chips in with important goals as Chelsea fans will tell you.

Diego carried an average Werder Bremen team last season, scoring 20 goals from midfield and inspiring the team to the UEFA Cup final. The Brazilian was suspended for the final and Bremen lost the match without their star player. Diego now has a big challenge ahead of him, to fill the void left at Juventus by the retirement of Pavel Nedvěd, but he is more than capable of doing so.

There is little more that can be said about Cristiano Ronaldo, now the world’s most expensive player. Compared to 2008 his 2009 was less impressive but still yielded a third consecutive league title, the FIFA World Club Cup and the Carling Cup, as well as second Champions League final and 26 goals.

Lionel Messi has already won 2009's Ballon d’Or and looks set to win the FIFA World Player of the Year award on 21^st December. Messi scored 38 goals in all competitions last season and also provided plenty of assists for the likes of Henry and Eto’o. The diminutive Argentine proved doubters that he could play in the big matches by putting Real Madrid to the sword at the Bernabeu in an emphatic 6-2 win, and stepping up in the Champions League final against Manchester United in Rome.

Europe’s Golden Boot winner last season was Diego Forlán, for the second time in his career. A flop in England, Forlán is one of La Liga’s most feared strikers, finding the net 32 times in the league last season in only 33 appearances. He is a main reason why Atlético Madrid are becoming regulars in Europe.

This is my choice, maybe you agree, maybe you don’t. Cast your own votes at http://www1.uefa.com/fanzone/TeamOfTheYear/

Video Post

2009-12-10T15:37:00.002Z

There are few more memorable scenes in football than a goalkeeper scoring a goal, not least because they are usually last gasp equalisers when all else has failed.

In last's nights Champions League action Standard Liege secured 3rd place and passage into the Europa League thanks to a 95th minute equaliser from none other than goalkeeper Sinan Bolat. With his side trailing 1-0 Bolat made his way into the box for a free kick, rising above the defence to head into the top corner .... cue pandemonium.

In February 2004 Brad Friedel netted in the Premier League Blackburn against Charlton as the clock ticked over 90 minutes. Blackburn were trailing 2-1 as the the ball dropped at the feet of the American who coolly put away a left footed side foot to equalize, thus rescuing a point ... except that Charlton, courtesy of Claus Jensen, scored a third in injury time to take all three points.

Peter Schmeichel had somewhat of a reputation for being an attacking threat, scoring 11 goals over the course of his career. This is a goal for Manchester United in a UEFA Cup tie against Russian side Rotor Volgograd, which made the final score 2-2. Although United lost over the two legs on the away goals rule this goal preserved United's 40 year unbeaten home record in European competition.

Perhaps one of the most memorable goalkeeper strikes was that of Jimmy Glass for Carlisle United in 1999, a stoppage time goal which kept the club in the football league. Glass was only at the club on loan and left soon after, but he will forever be part of the club's history.

Poll Results

2009-12-10T15:08:00.003Z

Should France and/or Portugal have been included pot 1 for the World Cup draw at the expense of others?

All 100% said 'no'

World Cup Draw and more ...

2009-12-03T15:29:00.003Z

Tomorrow night brings the next stage of the World Cup live from Cape Town: the draw for the finals. There has already been plenty of controversy with Ireland and Costa Rica demanding extra places at the finals, feeling they had been cheated in qualifying; and Chile being threatened with expulsion from the tournament for domestic misgivings. Now there is some more with some corners questioning the seeding that some teams have been given. For those that are unaware there are 4 pots of 8 teams, with one from each pot going into each group. Pot 1 contains the hosts and the elites, the other 3 pots are arranged geographically to ensure a fairly even geographical distribution across all 8 groups.

Pot 1: South Africa; Italy; Argentina; Brazil; England; Germany; Holland; Spain

Pot 2: New Zealand; Australia; Japan; North Korea; South Korea; Honduras; Mexico; USA

Pot 3: Chile; Paraguay; Uruguay; Algeria; Cameroon; Ghana; Ivory Coast; Nigeria

Pot 4: Denmark; France; Greece; Portugal; Serbia; Slovakia; Slovenia; Switzerland

The seeding controversy arises in the fact that France and Portugal have been omitted from pot 1. On the face of it this may seem fair as they had to qualify via the European playoff system and not as outright group winners. But FIFA have been criticised by some who believe that England, Holland or Argentina are less deserving of a place in pot 1 having underachieved in the recent tournaments, Argentina especially, as they secured qualification very late on and unconvincingly. Particularly as Portugal finished 4^th last time around and France were runners up.

As far as the draw itself is concerned there are a few nasty teams dotted around that the top teams will want to steer clear of in the opening matches. From pot 2 Mexico have a reasonable world cup record and the ever improving USA will make it difficult for opponents, Australia may also cause problems. None of the countries in pot 3 look nice prospects; all are capable of playing good football and reaching the next round. Many are also marking down Ghana and Ivory Coast to give Africa’s best World Cup showing yet Containing the remaining European teams pot 4 is also non appealing proposition, beyond the obvious two of France and Portugal, danger could lie with Serbia, Slovakia and Denmark. The best case scenario for England to secure a simple enough passage into the knockout rounds is to be drawn with New Zealand/North Korea from pot 2, Algeria from pot 3 and either Slovenia or Greece from pot 4. Having said that the World Cup is all about the global spectacle of football and so it would be rather boring to hope for an easy group. Any team who wants to win will have to beat the best teams to do so, why should it matter when that is.

Moving away from international football, this week saw the quarter finals of the Carling Cup and the elimination of Chelsea and Arsenal. Accounting for a Man Utd bias, it’s good to see teams other than the proverbial big 4 in with a chance of winning silverware or at the very least getting a trip to Wembley.

Brazilian striker Luis Fabiano has commented this week on how he thinks that should Manchester United make a move for him in the near future he would be ready to take it as he thinks he would fit in well with the playing style and the players already at Old Trafford. Should Alex Ferguson go looking in January there are few better around at the moment than the Brazilian who has been a vital part of Sevilla’s transformation into one of Europe’s top club sides. Fabiano has also netted 25 goals in 36 international caps for the Seleção having made Brazil’s number 9 shirt his own in time for South Africa. Ferguson’s other option in January is Edin Dzeko of German champions Wolfsburg, of whom he has admitted to be keeping an eye on. Dzeko has also brought interest from Arsene Wenger this season especially now as Robin van Persie faces at least 5 months out injured. Whatever happens in Januray it is certain that United have pulled the plug on the arranged transfer of Serbian teenager Adem Ljajić from Partizan Belgrade. It may also be the case that winger Zoran Tošić, also signed form Partizan, has run out of chances to impress, especially now as Antonio Valencia and Gabriel Obertan were brought in over his head in the summer. The daily gossip columns would have us believe that pulling out of the deal was down to tightening finances at Old Trafford with such outlay for a teenager seen as too risky. I’m not sure how much truth there is in this, what is more likely is that the two Serbs have not developed in the way that was hoped and they’re just not good enough for the level of football expected.

Just a quick note away from football to talk about the BBC sports personality of the year award. This is one of the biggest individual awards in British sport, as it is public recognition of great sporting achievement, with past winners including Steve Redgrave, Ian Botham, Linford Christie and Bobby Moore, but to name a few. The list of nominees is of such a high standard this year, dotted with various world champions and star performers making it incredibly hard to pick out a winner.

Nominations are Formula One world champion Jenson Button; winner of 6 Tour de France stages Mark Cavendish; world champion 10m diver Tom Daley; world champion heptathlete Jessica Ennis, 11 time Premier League winner and PFA player of the year Ryan Giggs; WBA world Heavyweight boxing champion David Haye; world champion triple jumper Phillips Idowu; winner of 6 tennis tour events in 2009 Andy Murray; Ashes winning England cricket captain Andrew Strauss; and World Champion gymnast in the floor event Beth Tweddle

At this moment in time I’m leaning toward Jess Ennis who won the Heptathlon event at the 2009 Athletics World Championships with personal best overall score and the 3^rd highest overnight (after 4 events) score in history. It is even more of an amazing feat when you consider that she was forced to withdraw from the Olympics only the previous year with a fractured ankle; to come back quite so emphatically is quite incredible. I think the other leading contender is boxer David Haye who did the unthinkable by beating a man a whole foot taller and 7 stones heavier than himself. Such a win when the odds are stacked in favour of the other fighter is also an achievement worth recognising.

Video Post

2009-12-03T15:17:00.003Z

Jimmy Bullard is one of English football's jokers and most loved players, having amassed a fair few fans along the way. His goal celebration last weekend in the match against Manchester City showed just why. It's always refreshing to see someone who can just have fun in a context where the sport has, in extreme cases, moved into the realms of a matter of life an death. He's not the best player around but he plays football for the right reasons and always has a smile on his face. Here is the best of Jimmy Bullard ...

Poll Results

2009-12-03T15:00:00.003Z

Would winning the Europa League make 2009/10 a successful season for Liverpool?

33% said 'yes'

66% said 'no'

This Week ...

2009-11-26T16:14:00.004Z

Tuesday night in the Champions League yielded no surprises as far as the English teams were concerned: Arsenal secured the top spot in group H with a game to spare and Liverpool were eliminated despite a 1-0 win in Hungary. Having only obtained 1 point from 3 matches against the main group rivals, Lyon and Fiorentina, Liverpool really did have a mountain to qualify for the next round. You know things are never good when you are relying on results in other games to go your way. Fiorentina got the points they needed and that was that. At this point I may get accused of being unpatriotic and told that I should be supporting the English teams, but I think the competition will be better without such dominance from one country. It has been several years since an English team did not progress from the group stage and 3 of the four semi finalists have been English for each of the last 3 seasons. The whole appeal of the Champions League for me is seeing the best teams that each different country has to offer and dominance on such a scale, like there has been from English clubs of recent makes it less interesting as a general spectacle.

3^rd place in their Champions League group means Europa League for Liverpool. As a team that had aims of making the latter stages of the Champions League this looks like a distinct failure, but this may be the chance to add silverware to what would otherwise have probably been a failed season, seeing as the league looks increasingly out of reach. Having said that, it will not be as simple as collecting the trophy. The competition already contains the likes of Roma, Sporting, Valencia and current holders Shakhtar Donetsk, and the other 3^rd placed Champions League dropouts will also be joining. The Europa League is Rafa’s salvage mission.

Liverpool’s plight may be cushioned somewhat if we are to believe the story in today’s Daily Mirror concerning the possible loan signing of Ruud van Nistelrooy. The Dutch striker is out of favour at Real Madrid and wants first team football ahead of the World Cup in the summer. Van Nistelrooy scored 150 goals in just 219 appearances for Manchester United and is placed 8^th on the all time goals chart at Old Trafford. It could be what helps save Liverpool’s season from embarrassment; all we have to do is wait until January to see if it happens.

In last night’s Champions League action several of Manchester United’s young fringe players showed what they were capable of. It was the time I’ve had the chance to see Gabriel Obertan who reminded a little of Cristiano Ronaldo in his early days in England. Danny Welbeck showed again why Sir Alex Ferguson rates him so highly and Federico Macheda also showed promising signs. Turkish champions Beşiktaş left Old Trafford with a 0-1 win, but United probably should have taken any one of a number of chances to get something from the game. One reason why the score line stayed 0-1 was the heroics of Beşiktaş goalkeeper Rüştü Reçber who rolled back the years to make several top draw saves, reminding us why he was named UEFA’s best goalkeeper in 2002 and earned a move to Spanish giants Barcelona. Although unfortunately there was no sign of his trademark sunblock.

Bordeaux have taken this season’s Champions League by storm, having qualified with consummate ease. Laurent Blanc’s French champions, who last season ended Lyon’s domestic dominance, have made both Juventus and Bayern Munich to look average, taking 4 points and 6 points of each respectively. Neither of these two would be regarded as Europe’s elite anymore but it is still no mean feat. With only Maccabi Haifa left to play it looks as though Bordeaux should come out of the group stage with 5 wins and 1 draw from their 6 games. It is team managed by one of Europe’s top emerging coaches Laurent Blanc who has already been linked with the manager’s job at Manchester United and also with the French national team. Blanc has put together a quality side containing much sought after Moroccan striker Marouane Chamakh and perhaps more notably Yoann Gourcuff. Gourcuff was ranked as the 37^th best player in the world in the November issue of FourFourTwo magazine and has become an important part of the set up in the French national team, filling the attacking midfielder position that many fans feel has been empty since Zinedine Zidane hung up his boots in 2006. Maybe Bordeaux can succeed where Lyon never quite did; I would certainly mark them down as a dark horse and one to watch out for in the knockout rounds.

Video Post

2009-11-26T15:44:00.002Z

This week I came across this compilation of dives which adds a light hearted take on the issue ...

Review: Football Against The Enemy

2009-11-26T13:23:00.004Z

Football Against The Enemy by Simon Kuper.

In the early 1990s Simon Kuper travelled across the world looking at the effect that politics and culture have on football and vice versa. He talks to the people who have experienced this relationship first hand and how it has changed what they understand about football and life. From the fans who were prevented from watching their favourite team for 40 years in East Germany to President Biya’s Cameroon. This collection of accounts just goes to show how important football can be in the lives of so many and how it is integral to many political systems. Fans can gather at a match to protest against a military dictatorship, something they could not get away with in normal life; and such dictators can make the most of national team success for their own cause: look no further than the Argentine junta that oversaw world cup glory under the tickertape in 1978.

Published in 1994 it may feel slightly outdated but it provides a window into football’s past that we may otherwise have lost. It was written at a time when significant global events were going on, so we get the fallout from the fall of communism and the end of apartheid. All in all it’s a really good and interesting read, even for those who are not keen football fans.

The Rise and Rise of Team USA

2009-11-20T17:51:00.002Z

Just 2 months before the last World Cup the United States men’s national football team were officially ranked 4th in the world, leading many people to question how and why. The FIFA world ranking system was changed in 2006 after the world cup to prevent unrealistic rises up the rankings from teams such as the USA. Under the old system ranking points were awarded for wins and draws, but also for goals and bonus points were given to away teams. The number of points varied depending on the importance of the match and the class of the opponent. But teams who played more competitive matches to qualify for world cups gained an advantage because they were playing more matches that mattered and thus gaining more ranking points. For example, to qualify for the 2006 world cup England played 10 matches, whereas USA played 18; weighting the quality of opposition does not account for such a difference. But to have come so far, even if it was in a dodgy system, something must have been going right.

Football, or soccer, has always had the problem of being the 5th sport for the majority of American sporting culture. However there is a common misconception that soccer is universally unpopular in America, but within large immigrant communities, from either Latin America or Europe it has the other sports beat. But if a sport is not generally popular in a country it is very unlikely that the national team will be any good, this certainly used to be the case for the US national team. For 30 years between 1950 and 1980 the national side was only able to beat Bermuda, Canada, China, Haiti, Honduras and Poland; not a particularly impressive record. The 1970s had seen the rise of the North American Soccer League where many ageing superstars, including Johan Cruyff, Pele, Franz Beckenbauer and George Best were paid vast amounts of money, in what was basically an exhibition of football. Despite brief popularity it was never a real success and folded in 1984 as ill advised expansions were attempted all too soon. The whole experience did little to improve the quality of the national team.

Things seemed to change in the early 1990s and with the 1994 World Cup making its way over to the States. At the time FIFA was heavily criticised for awarding the world’s most prestigious football tournament to a country with no professional league. The US squad did well reaching the second round at the expense of dark-horse favourites Colombia, before losing to eventual champions Brazil in the first knockout round. It was a good squad that contained several players who were playing European leagues and also, Brad Friedel, Claudio Reyna and Joe-Max Moore who would go on to star in the English Premier League. The World Cup prompted the founding of Major League Soccer which had its debut season in 1996. The existence of a professional league has been vital to the increasing popularity of soccer among mainstream American society. The growth and development of the MLS has made the game much more accessible to more people and gives a foundation to build on. Until recently young Americans had to travel abroad to really ‘make it’ as a footballer with many finding it tough to learn the professional game while adjusting to new cultures and lifestyles, resulting in moving back home with talent unfulfilled. The young players of today’s generation have their own professional platform to play on, which helps them to develop much better. Of course the quality of the European leagues is greater and the best players will get the calls, but they will be ready when they get the chance, unlike many before.

In 1998 in France the US team disappointed, losing to Germany, Yugoslavia and Iran, in a match of great symbolic importance, and going home without a point. Four years later the story was entirely different with team USA making the quarter finals despite being drawn in a group with Portugal, Poland and joint hosts South Korea. The journey to the quarter finals also sparked a resurgence in domestic US soccer which had been which had been waning since the honeymoon period of the MLS had ended. Of that squad several were making a name for themselves in Europe; Brian McBride was soon to follow after his 2 match winning goals. At this point MLS was also producing a plethora of stars, with the emergence of Tim Howard among others, who has gone on to become one of the best goalkeepers in the English Premier League. In 2004 teenage sensation Freddy Adu made his debut for DC United aged just 14, attracting the attention of several of global football’s elites. In Germany in 2006 USA failed to make quite the same impact as in 2002 and were eliminated in the first round. But in doing so earned a credible draw against eventual champions Italy.

Major League Soccer had seemingly learned from the ill fated NASL and took a more reserved approach with regard to finance and expansion. A salary cap stops clubs from overspending and encountering the kind of financial problems that has hurt so many big teams in Europe. In 2007 changes were made to increase the national and international popularity of the league; the main change being the advent of the Designated Player Rule. The new rule allowed teams to have one player exempt from the salary cap, meaning that teams could make offers for higher profile players. There were none bigger than David Beckham who joined LA Galaxy from Real Madrid in 2007. Beckham was joined in the MLS by Mexican legend Cuauhtémoc Blanco and Juan Pablo Ángel, who joined from Aston Villa. The new players brought a quality of football to MLS that served only to help improve the standard of the league. Several new teams were added and more high profile players joined the revolution with Freddie Ljungberg signing for expansion team Seattle Sounders. A new generation of stars in the MLS had wholly positive effects for the national team; with Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley and Brad Guzan all making impact before earning moves to Europe. The domestic league is now turning out a higher proportion of quality players than ever before and the national team now boasts a good blend of international experience and youthful talent. USA have come to dominate CONCACAF in recent years, heading the qualifying group for the last two world cups and winning continental honours in 2002, 2005 and 2007. The Confederations Cup of 2009 seemed to be the culmination of 15 years of continual progression and development. In the semi final Spain were denied a world record for their undefeated run and in the final itself Brazil were given a significant run for their money.

While 4th place in the world rankings in 2006 may have been overstating it, 15th place currently is certainly not. USA definitely deserves a place on the top list of football nations. The United States has come to dominate so much in the world we live in and it is somewhat of a surprise that more hasn’t been invested in the planet’s number one sport until now. People talk about how it won’t be long until an African team wins the World Cup; I think we can say similar things about team USA.

Handball Heartbreak

2009-11-20T15:34:00.002Z

Thierry Henry's handball in Wednesday's World Cup playoff against Ireland has sparked mass controversy and debates now rage about whether the match should be replayed.

As the ball came across hios body the ball hit Henry's arm, before he could move it out of the way, which kept the ball in play. But there was then a second touch where he appeared to flick at the ball to control it. This goes down as deilberate handball. The referee has come under a lot of criticism for the incident, but with the speed at which everything happened it would have been very difficult to see. We have the benefit of slow motion video replays in which it is very clearly handball. This incident has already sparked a new debate about the use of video replays. It probably would solve controversies but then what would there be to talk about?

In terms of having the game replayed, I think that it just wouldn't be feasible. It would set a dangerous precedent for similar incidents in the future. FIFA have already outlined that it cannot be replayed, quoting laws and discipline codes, and it is extremey unlikely that there will be any bending of the rules in this case. Ireland fans will feel agrieved but what's done is done.

I noticed that Thierry Henry has publicly said that he thinks the fairest thing to do would be to replay the match. Although I also noticed that he said this after FIFA had already outlined that it would not be replayed; most likely an attempt to save his good guy reputation.

Video Post

2009-11-20T14:40:00.003Z

I recently rediscovered a video from a 2006/07 La Liga match between Real Zaragoza and Sevilla. After a minor confrontation between Sevilla's Luis Fabiano and Zaragoza's Diogo things got a bit heated and a fight broke out between the two, although I'd probably call it 'windmill slapping ...

Poll Results

2009-11-20T13:36:00.001Z

Do you think Chelsea's transfer ban should have been suspsended?

65% said 'yes'

35% said 'no'

A Little About A Lot

2009-11-12T17:34:00.003Z

This week I’m going to try something new and instead of writing on just one topic I will write just a bit about several things that have been going on in the world of football.

First up is the fiasco of Stamford Bridge form last weekend. I apologise in advance, but for the next few paragraphs I will be very pro-Man United and very anti-everyone else, especially Chelsea. Last Sunday’s match between United and Chelsea was a good game for the neutrals to watch despite the 1-0 score-line. But it was the second time this season against top four opposition, that United have been hindered by poor decisions from the referee and his officials. In the match at Anfield 3 weeks ago referee Andre Mariner failed to clamp down on constant fouling in midfield, from Lucas in particular that could have yielded several yellow cards for totting up offences. Jamie Carragher denied Michael Owen a clear goal scoring opportunity by dragging him to the floor, but got away with, something which he rightly saw red for a week later. With Liverpool players getting away with everything, it made it a lot harder for United to get going. Back to the match at Chelsea: the referee waved away a clear penalty when Antonio Valencia was brought down clumsily by John Terry. Wayne Rooney was flagged offside when through on goal, despite being played onside. Darren Fletcher appeared to win the ball when tackling Ashley Cole, giving away a free kick which resulted in a goal for John Terry. For the goal itself Didier Drogba was in a offside position and flicked at the ball right in front of United goalkeeper van der Sar, meaning the Dutchman was unsighted and could not move for the ball until it was too late. In the match United didn’t take any of a string of chances. In football you can’t not take chances and deserve to win, but United certainly didn’t deserve to lose, especially in such a way. Being coupled with an injury crisis makes it doubly bad. But things usually find a way of working themselves out and so later in the season I’m sure these kinds of things will be reversed, which will no doubt lead to others complaining that things always work out in favour of United. But just remember these last few weeks.

Big news last week was that Chelsea have had their transfer ban suspended until after the January transfer window when an appeal will be launched. To me this looks like the beginnings of the ban being completely rescinded and I would not be the slightest bit surprised if it was to be the case. This is where the governing bodies of football fall down in my estimation. Chelsea have been punished for something they did wrong; it was also not the first time they have been in the wrong over transfers, quoting the examples of Ashley Cole and John Obi Mikel. I’m all in favour of FIFA making an example of a big club like Chelsea because maybe it will deter them from wrongdoing in the future and deter others as well. But there is absolutely no point in issuing such a strong statement of intent for it to be withdrawn soon after. Part of the punishment was to ban the club from signing new players, but suspending it until after the window allows the club to plan ahead, much negating the effect of the punishment. Upon appeal I’m sure it will be rescinded. This is not the only example: UEFA slapped Arsenal’s Eduardo with a 2 match ban for diving only to fully rescind it upon appeal. The intent was good; make an example of a big name player with a heavy punishment to deter others from diving. Yet such a fuss was kicked up that the player got off free, despite video evidence clearly showing a dive. Banning Eduardo in the first place was made pointless by everything that followed. From January 2004 Rio Ferdinand served an 8 month ban for a missed drugs test. This fits in with the idea of making an example of the big name to deter others. But the thing with this is that Ferdinand’s appeal was rejected and he had to serve all 8 months of his ban, not forgetting it was a ban for missing a test, which was taken and found negative a couple of days later. I don’t understand how it could have been much different from the Chelsea and Eduardo examples. I know that each of these cases were dealt with by different bodies but what we are crying out for is some level of consistency across disciplinary action. I take this chance re-iterate that there is no point handing out and then taking back big bans, either follow through and hold strong or don’t bother at all in the first place; but at the same time consistency is vital.

German football was shocked this week by the death of Hanover 96 and national team goalkeeper Robert Enke. Enke was killed when hit by a train travelling at 100mph; his death is believed to have been suicide. It was revealed that Enke had been battling with depression for 6 years, coupled with the death of his daughter from a heart condition in 2006 and the fear that his adopted child of 8 months would be taken away if the authorities found out the nature of his condition. Enke was a journeyman of European football having played in Portugal, Spain and Turkey for some of the bigger names in club football, as well as in his native Germany. Enke spent much of his international career in the shadow of heavyweights Oliver Kahn and Jens Lehmann. A memorial service was held in Hannover on Wednesday night and there will be a minute’s silence before all matches in the top two tiers of German football next week, with all teams wearing black armbands. Similar signs of respect have also been visible at Barcelona and Tenerife, two of Enke’s former clubs. Germany’s friendly against Chile in Cologne this weekend has also been called off as a mark of respect.

England flew out to Doha, Qatar yesterday for an international friendly against Brazil. This match, played on neutral ground, seems no more than a money spinner. England have already qualified for the World Cup, which means this international break, which wraps the rest of the qualifiers, could be used for much needed rest. I just feel that when England players often look tired at major tournaments every opportunity for a break and some rest mid-season should be taken. The squad is severely depleted due to injury to several regulars and I anticipate the match itself to be thoroughly dull as most England friendlies usually are. A minor positive would be the inclusion of Darren Bent in the squad who, having been second only to Wayne Rooney in terms of goals in the last few years, has now got his chance to shine on the international stage. I hope he takes it with both hands.

A final note: I surpassed 1000 views this week and would like to thank you all for supporting me by reading my articles and hope that you will continue to do so.

Video Post

2009-11-12T16:50:00.003Z

This week I came across a piece on www.thesportreview.com by Kieran Beckles entitled 'Five of the worst ... Fouls of 2009'. Number one on the list really stands out. This foul is a from a highly anticipated match in the Belgian League, earlier this season, between Standard Liège and Anderlecht, arguably the country's best two teams. The offender is Standard midfielder Axel Witsel who was given a straight red card and an 8 match ban for a tackle that broke the leg of Anderlecht's Marcin Wasilewski in several places. You may remember the gruesome images of Eduardo's broken leg suffered in 2008 in a match between Arsenal and Birmingham ... well this one is much, much worse, and definitely not one for the faint hearted. Don't say I didn't warn you.

For the other 4 check out http://www.thesportreview.com/tsr/2009/11/five-worst-football-fouls-2009/

Poll Results

2009-11-12T16:40:00.003Z

Should Rafa Benitez still be at Liverpool at the end of the season?

33% said 'yes'

66% said 'no'

I heard a rumour today that Darren Ferguson (freshly sacked from his post at Peterborough, and son of Sir Alex) was being touted as a possible replacement for Benitez. That certainly would make United vs. Liverpool very interesting.

Rafa's Troubles

2009-11-05T18:45:00.002Z

Going into the game with Manchester United two weeks ago you could be forgiven for thinking how on earth Liverpool were going to pull a win out of the bag. The fact is that for fixtures of such magnitude form is usually irrelevant. Then, having witnessed the performance and the win, you could be forgiven for thinking it was that which would kick-start their season after a poor opening couple of months. But here we are two games later and despite a win against United, Liverpool’s season is still in urgent need of that kick-start. Having lost 5 of 11 matches in the league already (compared to 2 in the whole of last season), and, with qualification to the Champions League 2^nd round hanging in the balance, things are not looking good on Merseyside.

I have said it before that without Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres Liverpool are a very average team. The problem is worsened by the fact that neither is particularly good reliable when it comes to injuries. When both are out at the same time Liverpool are doomed. Torres has a hernia problem, which is what is causing his inconsistent form at the moment. This can easily be fixed with a minor operation which the striker could be back from 100% fit in little over 3 weeks. You would think the sooner the problem is sorted the better, certainly while there is a long way to go in the season. If I was in Rafa Benitez’s position I would send Torres for surgery to have him back as soon as possible to make a charge on the top of the table. Sir Alex Ferguson had a similar problem with Roy Keane in 2002/03. Keane had a hip problem that he could play on with but was not at his best. Ferguson sent Keane away to have the operation and he was back fully fit with several months of the season still left to play. United, complete with a fully fit Roy Keane lifted the Premier League title in May. A fully fit Torres in the Liverpool side would give more than just the effect of his ability. It would also provide a psychological effect. His name in the team sheet scares opposition players and his presence gives a much needed boost to his own teammates.

Liverpool’s overreliance on Gerrard and Torres has got to the stage where the rest of the team, except occasionally Yossi Benayoun, is incapable of winning on its own. Benitez’s Transfer policy must at some point be called into question. There is no depth to the Liverpool squad. Behind Torres Liverpool’s striking options are minimal to say the least. David N’Gog is still learning his trade at age 20 and Andriy Voronin has proved on several occasions (including last night’s Champions League outing against Lyon) that he is simply not up to standard. It is times like these when you wonder let £20million signing Robbie Keane leave for cut price after only 6 months. Given the chance I’m sure Keane would probably have been fitting in quite well right about now, but the chance was never really given to him and you can’t blame him for wanting out. Ryan Babel occasionally shows why Benitez shelled out over £11million for his services. His goal last night against Lyon was a reason why, his subsequent attempt from a free kick that went out for a throw and great chance in the penalty area he pulled miles wide are reasons why you wonder why he is there at all. Benitez has also done a great job of turning Dirk Kuyt from a prolific goal-scorer into a wide midfield player who contributes barely more than 10 goals a season. In midfield Xabi Alonso was what made Liverpool tick. £30million is a good price and it would have been virtually impossible to say no to such money. But the problem here is that the money should have been used to buy a direct replacement for the same kind of price. So you may argue that it was; Alberto Aquilani has been a star performer for AS Roma over the past couple of seasons and has cemented his place in the Italian national squad. But if a player has a broken ankle it is usually advisable to look elsewhere. Yet it is now November and Benitez’s big signing of the summer has yet to start a game for his new club. The stage of the season when such a signing should be starting to really control games from midfield is the time when Aquilani will be just settling in and getting used to English football.

The thing which really seems to frustrate the Liverpool fans is that Benitez always seems to prioritise Europe over the league. Liverpool have 18 English league titles to their name, level with Manchester United. But when Liverpool last won their 18^th title in 1990 United had only won 7. The maths is simple: United have won 11 titles in 19 years to Liverpool’s none. Liverpool fans really do not want to see their crown taken away and this is seemingly what Benitez doesn’t get. Against Fulham Liverpool were losing 2-1 and Torres was taken off. He may not have been fully mobile but his presence and ability on the ball would have been a boost to the team. A goal down with not long to go you wouldn’t see United or Chelsea substitute their best player to save them for the next match. What you would see a team pouring forward and going for broke and more often than not scoring a late equaliser and maybe even a later winner. For Benitez this kind of substitution is not an uncommon occurrence.

What Rafa Benitez seems to have cleverly done is got himself into an unsackable position. To get rid of him the club would have to pay out £20million, which is effectively the price of a new world class player, or at least a couple of fairly decent players. Liverpool, although not poor, are not swimming in money so this is not really a viable option. Early success with the Champions League in 2005 and the promise of long awaited domestic glory has made Benitez virtually untouchable during his time in England. I think that Liverpool have gone as far as they can go with him in charge and need something new. I don’t expect to see him go anytime soon though, but while he stays in charge I think there will be more of what we have seen already this season, which makes it all the more amusing for everyone else.

Video Post

2009-11-05T17:30:00.004Z

The Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards will most likely go to one player this year: Lionel Messi of Barcelona, who inspired his team to the treble scroing 38 goals in the process. Messi was just one of many young attacking Argentinian players to be compared to Diego Maradona when he burst on to the scene at Barcelona as a 17 year old. Of all those who have been likened to Maradona Messi has so far been the only one to get close to fulfilling such comparisons. This video shows a goal scored by Messi against Getafe around 2 years ago, which was strikingly similar to the solo goal Maradona scored against England in 1986. Maybe Messi's stage will be next year's World Cup where he will hope to inspire an average Argentina side to glory, just like Maradona did in '86.

Poll Results

2009-11-05T17:27:00.001Z

Do you consider Henrik Larson to be one of the greats of the modern era?

60% said 'yes'

40% said 'no'

Henrik Larsson: Model Professional

2009-10-29T20:41:00.006Z

Henrik Larsson played his last ever game of competitive football last night captaining Helsingborg to a 2-0 defeat to Djurgarden of Stockholm. Larsson played out the last 3 years of an illustrious career at his hometown club, somewhat in the periphery of European club football. But he will always be remembered across the world, especially for his time at Celtic and Barcelona. The tributes on the big screen after his last game from Swedish national team coach Lars Lagerbeck, Sir Alex Ferguson and Zlatan Ibrahimović among others show the impact that he has had in the last 20 years.

Henrik Larsson became widely known in the UK after his transfer to Celtic in the summer of 1997. Before arriving in Glasgow he had played in his native Sweden for Högaborg and Helsingborg and in Holland for Feyenoord, with a reasonable scoring record at each. In Scotland Larsson became something of a prolific goal getter. At Celtic the Swede scored 35 goals or more in 5 of his 7 seasons there, netting over 40 three times. Some criticised him saying the Scottish Premier League was too easy and he was scared of a real challenge, never recognising him as one of the World’s finest forwards. But at Celtic Larsson was part of the team that made it to the UEFA Cup final in 2003 losing 3-2 after extra time to José Mourinho’s Porto in a hard fought contest. Larsson scored Celtic’s two goals in the final itself and was the tournament’s second highest scorer behind Porto’s Hélder Postiga. I personally never thought Larsson to be a great player while he was in Scotland but then he was picked up in 2004 by a resurgent Barcelona powered by Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto’o and Ludovic Giuly. Injury limited his chances in his first season in Spain, but Barcelona chose to extend his contract and it was the next season that changed the way I thought about Henrik Larsson. He scored 10 goals in 28 league games helping the team to a second consecutive La Liga title and the season culminated in the Champions League final in Paris against Arsenal. Larsson started on the bench, but with a 10 man Arsenal team clinging on to a single goal lead he was brought on and changed the game. In 5 second half minutes Larsson set up an equaliser for Eto’o and then a winner for Juliano Belletti, in what was a truly great performance. But more success at Barcelona was not to follow for he had made the decision earlier that season to return to Sweden to Helsingborg where he planned to finish his career. Despite winning the Champions League and possessing a verbal offer from Barcelona President Joan Laporta to stay on in Spain, Larsson returned to Sweden as he had always said he would do. Upon a successful first season back with Helsingborg Larsson was offered the chance to play on loan at Manchester United during the Swedish close season. He made his debut in the 3^rd round of the FA cup against Aston Villa at Old Trafford and fitted in instantly, and despite being 35 years of age at the time, was able to keep up with the pace of the English game. Larsson had only agreed to stay in England until the new Swedish league campaign began in March and honoured this promise despite offers from Alex Ferguson to stay.He played a further 3 seasons in Sweden. Larsson was still playing international football right up until his retirement even at the age of 38. He represented his national side at 3 World Cups and two European Championships between 1993 and 2009, captaining the side from 2008 up to his retirement. In 106 international appearances he netted 37 goals, not exactly a record to be sniffed at.

What makes Henrik Larsson really stand out from the rest is not just his ability on the pitch, but his manner, integrity and willingness to put in the hard work. In 1999 while playing for Celtic he broke his leg in two places, an injury which threatened his career, but he came back even stronger. In his first season at Barcelona he suffered a tear to the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and missed most of the season, but again he put the hard work in and returned as good and as fit as ever the next season. A broken knee cap earlier this year was potentially a third career ending injury but again he fought back. It is a mark of his desire and hunger that he was able to come back from such injuries even in to his mid and late thirties. Henrik Larsson has acquired so much respect in the world of football for his integrity and having made a promise would not go back on his word, refusing contract extensions at Barcelona and Manchester United to honour his contract with Helsingborg. Larsson was a genuine nice guy of professional football. He never hit the headlines for the wrong reasons and always lived the right way. It is for this reason he was able to play for so long without losing the quality and fitness which saw him become one of the World’s top players. In short Henrik Larsson was the model professional and kids playing football all over the world would do well to follow his example.

Poll Results

2009-10-29T17:03:00.002Z

Do you think Liverpool will be able to get over their early season blip to realistically challenge for the Premier League title?

25% said 'yes'

75% said 'no'

Superclásico

2009-10-29T16:14:00.003Z

Recently an advert made by Bartle Bogle Hegarty for British Airways, advertising direct flights from the UK to Buenos Aires, has been brought to my attention. Pascual Tatangelo talks about his love of Boca Juniors. Pascual is an immigrant who arrived in Argentina in 1947 fitting into the traditional Boca fan base: immigrants from the working class La Boca neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. He also refers to the traditional River Plate fan base, Los Millonarios. This traditional class difference is the root of Superclásico; and although this traditional divide is no longer really relevant it is the fans who still categorise themselves in this way. The ad captures the atmosphere of the spectacle really well and illustrates just how much this one fixture means.

The Greatest Game in England

2009-10-22T18:55:00.008+01:00

You may remember that a few weeks ago I wrote about Superclásico the Buenos Aires derby between River Plate and Boca Juniors. England’s very own version is to be played this weekend. Manchester United and Liverpool are by far the most decorated teams in English football and despite being from different cities this is still a fierce rivalry and is the first match both sets of fans look for when the fixtures for the new season are published.

The rivalry between the two teams stems from the rivalry between the cities going back as far as the industrial revolution. The competition was who could be the best and biggest city in the highly industrialised north west of England. Liverpool benefitted hugely from the slave trade in the 18^th and early 19^th centuries as the major port of the area where goods shipped from the slave plantations in North America and the Caribbean arrived in Britain. Manchester boomed in the 19^th century due to further industrialisation and was termed cottonopolis having become the world’s largest marketplace for cotton goods. A key moment in the budding rivalry was the opening of the Manchester Ship Canal in 1894 which gave the city of Manchester it’s very own port despite being nearly 40 miles from the coast. Manchester now had its own way of getting its goods out into the world market and Liverpool and its ‘Gateway to the Atlantic’ no longer had any use; the middle man was cut out. But what has this got to do with football? And why does the same rivalry not exist with Manchester City and Everton? This is only one part of the story. This inter-city rivalry acts as a base for what comes next. It may be surprising for some to know that United-Liverpool never really existed before the 1960s. Before the Second World War Manchester City and Everton were the better, more successful teams from their respective cities. But it was when the 60s rolled around and both sets of reds began to start winning trophies on a more regular basis, combined with the original inter-city rivalry that had existed for 150 years previously that we get what we now have: the Greatest Rivalry in English Football.

Before moving on to talking about the match this Sunday I thought it would be nice to look back at some of the more memorable encounters of recent years (warning to any Liverpool fans it may be slightly biased).

Starting with the title decider in April 1997: United were top of the table when they travelled to Anfield to face 2^nd place Liverpool at the business end of the 1996/97 season. It was pretty much a ‘winner takes all’ type of affair. On that day defender Gary Pallister scored twice and a classic David James moment gifted Andy Cole United’s third. United won 3-1 and knocked Liverpool out of the title race.

United travelled to Anfield in the 4^th round of the FA Cup in January 1999 but were behind very early to a Michael Owen goal. The score stayed this way until the 89^th minute when Dwight Yorke equalised and in stoppage time Ole Gunnar Solskjaer did to Liverpool what he would do again 4 months later to Bayern Munich in Barcelona. 2-1.

In May 2001 United lifted an unprecedented 3^rd consecutive league title and Liverpool completed their own treble of sorts (although League Cup, FA Cup, UEFA Cup doesn’t quite have the same ring to it). So their meeting in November 2001 was much anticipated. Thanks to two goals from Michael Owen and a blinding free kick from John Arne Riise Liverpool ran out 3 -1 winners in a game that summed up United’s season; finishing outside the top two for the first time in 10 years. It was also the first time Liverpool had finished above United in that time, although they still couldn’t win it.

Diego Forlan was seen by many as a rare flop signing by Alex Ferguson having failed to score in his first 27 appearances. But he became a United legend following a trip to Anfield in December 2002. Two goals later, one thanks to a calamitous error by Liverpool goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek (now of Real Madrid???) and Forlan was written into United folklore for making ‘the scousers cry’. United won 2-1 and Forlan’s name can still occasionally be heard at Old Trafford even 5 years after his departure.

Skip forwards to another United win at Anfield, this time March 2007. This one it helped propel United towards a first League title in 4 years. It was a season in which United led from pretty much start to finish but with José Mourinho’s back to back champions Chelsea hot in pursuit a win against Liverpool was vital. The only problem was Liverpool were by far the better team, only made worse when Paul Scholes was sent off. Liverpool couldn’t score though so when John O’Shea knocked it in from close range in the last minute United made off with all 3 points. Daylight robbery on Merseyside, who would have thought?

Finally then we come to the game at Old Trafford last season. It was the best chance Liverpool had had to win the league in a very long time. They had already beaten United at home earlier in the season and a win at Old Trafford would have put them right up there with United at the top. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a penalty to put United 1-0 up, but then something happened. Nemanja Vidic chose this one of all games to have the mother of all shockers, ended up getting sent off for his troubles and by the time Andrea Dossena had lobbed Edwin van der Sar to make it 4-1 United had all but given up. But despite all this United still went on to win a 3^rd consecutive league title and for Liverpool its now 19 years and counting.

So now to this weekend. Liverpool have not had the best preparation having lost 4 games on the spin in all competitions and having lost twice the amount of league games they lost in the whole of last season in only 9 games so far this season. There is also something of an injury crisis as well. Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard are doubts, Albert Riera is out, and Alberto Aquilani only has 15 minutes of reserve football under his belt. Torres and Gerrard are by far Liverpool’s best two players, and without them Liverpool look no better than average. The problem of an over reliance on Gerrard has been solved by sharing it with Torres, but neither are particularly reliable with injuries. You may say that if you take the best two players out of any team that they won’t be able to perform as well. But the thing with Manchester United, and Chelsea as well, is that without their best two players they are still good teams and it is the top players that make them excellent teams. United are suffering their own mini injury crisis; neither Wayne Rooney nor Ryan Giggs travelled to Moscow midweek. Fletcher, Park and Evra were all also left at home. United are sitting top of the league but are still to hit top gear. Given recent form United will certainly go into the game high on confidence and Liverpool may struggle to match it.

But when it come to a game of this magnitude the form book goes out of the window and all bets are off. It should be a great game, especially after Liverpool’s near miss last season as they will be out to prove a point. Whoever wins will be made to work for it. I see United edging it, but why would I say any different?

Poll Results

2009-10-22T18:45:00.003+01:00

Who are your favourites at the moment to win the World Cup?

35% voted for England

10% voted for Germany (I suppose you can never write off the Germans)

10% voted for Holland

45% voted for Spain

Full Speed Ahead South Africa

2009-10-15T17:10:00.004+01:00

Yesterday the European and South American sections of World Cup Qualifiers came to a close and now with only the African section and the final playoffs left 23 of the 32 finalists have now booked their place in South Africa. Qualifying has certainly not been without its surprises and although, as yet, only Slovakia are playing in their first tournament, there are a few teams that have not been present at the finals for a few years. Chile have qualified for the first time since France 98; Honduras have not been seen on this stage since 1982 and going back even further North Korea have not qualified since their shock run to the quarter finals in 1966.
In Europe the 9 group winners automatically qualify for the finals and the 8 best group runners-up go through to the playoff round where 4 more will make it to South Africa. There have been some, what you might call upsets, in the European section. Sweden, Turkey, Croatia, Poland and Czech Republic have all missed out completely meaning we won’t be seeing some of the countries who have been regulars at international tournaments over the past few years. On top of this France and Portugal have been forced down the playoff route having been outclassed in their respective groups. Many people have put Portugal’s inconsistent form down to poor tactics and a poor choice of manager. Carlos Queiroz has credentials as a number two but has come unstuck when flying solo. Cristiano Ronaldo has been captain since Queiroz took over but the role is not helping him or the team. France are very much in transition, with only Thierry Henry the only surviving member of the 1998 triumph and by far the most experienced player in the squad. William Gallas and Nicolas Anelka are the only other players in the squad to have more than 50 caps, making it a very inexperienced team. So who then were the group winners, considering the teams that missed out? It’s no surprise that Spain, who still seem to be on a high after winning Euro 2008, won all 10 games. Holland also won all of their matches, qualifying in style. You also wouldn’t be surprised to know that Germany qualified top of their group, although having been pushed all the way by Russia. And of course there’s England and a new look Italy. These are the teams you would expect to have qualified. But then there’s the likes of Slovakia and Denmark. Slovakia looked fairly comfortable topping a group that contained Czech Republic and Poland as well as a tricky Northern Ireland. Denmark did incredibly well to oust Portugal, who, regardless of their problems are still are a good team; and rivals Sweden who boast the prowess of Zlatan Ibrahimović among others. It is feat made even more remarkable by the fact that this side contains players mostly from the Danish Superliga and the Eredivisie of Holland. Switzerland are not a surprise as such when you consider the fact that other than Greece, who were narrowly edged out, the strongest competition was Latvia. Serbia won group 7 ahead of France and Austria. The Serbs qualified similarly well for the 2006 competition boasting a rock solid defence. Now most of the players are entering their peaks and a significant number are plying their trade in the top European leagues. But last time despite such a good qualifying record Serbia never really showed up for the finals, although it may not have helped being put in a group with Holland, Argentina and Ivory Coast. It will be interesting to see how they cope this time around; they certainly have the potential to cause problems for the ‘big’ teams.
In South America Diego Maradona’s Argentina cut it very fine and only just secured qualification with a 1-0 over Uruguay in Montevideo. Maradona has come under great criticism as the national coach especially after heavy defeats to Brazil and Bolivia. He certainly has not been able to settle on a group of players having used a grand total of 49 in qualifying matches, using a significant amount of players from Argentina’s Primera División. The best players often do not make particularly good managers, although there are exceptions to this, such as Johan Cruyff, Maradona certainly seems like he is not. Now that Argentina have scraped into the finals I can’t really see them winning. They have decent players at their disposal though, so if El Diego can figure it out or someone else comes in they might just have a chance. The other South American qualifiers are Brazil, who as expected have made their 19th consecutive finals; Paraguay, who are becoming something of a regular, but will be hoping to make progress further than the last 16; and Chile who will be appearing for the first time since 1998. Chile finished second in the group behind Brazil, picking up good away wins at altitude in Bolivia and also in Paraguay along the way.
In Africa it looks as though the dominance is shifting once more. Nigeria were the top team during the 1990s, but by the turn of the century it looked as though Cameroon had taken the title as the continents best. With back to back Cup of Nations wins Egypt have been the force over the past few years, but now Ivory Coast will look to cement their place as the dominant force. The Elephants have an incredibly strong spine to the team, with the Tourés: Kolo and Yaya, and Didier Drogba. They will be hoping to improve on 2006 and progress from the group stage and represent the best chance from the African contingent. At this moment in time I would put down the Ivory Coast as a potential dark horse. With one game still remaining in the African section Ghana are the only other team to have already qualified. Having impressed in 2006 Ghana also stand a good chance of doing well this time round, but poor discipline cost them last time round, they also do not have the real quality boasted by the Ivoirians. In terms of the other nations Cameroon look well placed to qualify, having missed 2006. Algeria also look good for qualification.
In Asia the real surprise is the qualification achieved by North Korea at the expense of Saudi Arabia and Iran. North Korea have played in the finals since 1966 where they lost 5-3 in the quarter finals against Eusebio’s Portugal despite being 3-0 up. There are no other surprises in the other 3 qualifiers. Japan and South Korea seem to be by far the strongest of the Asian nations and will again be present on the world stage and now that Australia are in the Asian qualifying section they will start to make more regular appearances at the finals. I would fancy one of these 3 to have a decent run.
In North and Central America the dominant forces have been Mexico and USA for a long time and this time it is still no exception. USA have improved dramatically over the past few years and I think that will continue into this World Cup. Mexico are rather inconsistent on the global stage; their players have quality and several have experience of top European leagues; they at least have potential to do well. Honduras are the third automatic qualifier form this section, having narrowly edged out Costa Rica. Honduras have come on leaps and bounds in the last few years and now have several players who possess real quality. Wilson Palacios frequently gets raving reviews for his performances for Spurs and left back Maynor Figueroa is being tipped for bigger things than Wigan in the near future. It is a place that is well deserved.
In terms of the last places the Americas playoff will be contested between Uruguay and Costa Rica with the winner over two legs entering the draw for the finals group stage. For this few would look beyond the South Americans to progress. The final place is being contested between Bahrain, the 5th Asian nation and New Zealand, the Oceania winners, in a playoff. This will be a hard one to call but a place in the group stage would be a great achievement for either country.
I always enjoy watching the World Cup and this one should provide great deals of entertainment and drama. There are always favourites and this tournament will be no different but I will be intrigued to see some teams that I have never seen before and I think there are definitely some banana skins in there, which all in all will make a for a truly great global festival of football.

Poll Results

2009-10-15T16:57:00.001+01:00

Do you think non-European leagues will ever be at a stage where they can compete with their European counterparts? 60% said 'yes', 40% said 'no'.

From All Corners ...

2009-10-08T18:24:00.007+01:00

We now live in truly globalised world where you can eat McDonalds food and drink Starbucks coffee anywhere in pretty much any country on the planet. Football is a part of this globalism, with the faces of David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo recognisable all over. The English Premier League is the most viewed football league in the world and has a significant foreign fan base. Football is an international language and can unite people all over the world, I say this having experienced it first hand in the small town of Madrigal in Peru. Now that professional football has reached the corners of the earth and is more popular now than it has ever been I thought it would be interesting to look at the professional leagues in countries in global football’s periphery.
We begin by heading off to Australia. Typically you would think of the premier Australian sports as cricket, rugby, aussie rules and maybe even swimming. In other words football does not appear high on the list. But football is becoming more prominent in Australia with several players, such as Mark Viduka, Tim Cahill and Harry Kewell being successful in Europe, and with the advent of the A-League in 2005/06. The A-League replaced the National Soccer League of Australia, which folded in 2004 after 28 seasons. It has 10 teams and a one city one team policy which means professional football is spread throughout Australia, making it more accessible to a larger amount of people. Despite only one team in each city rivalries have still developed, although these are more competitive rather than local. Tempers are always close to the boil when Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory meet; a feud fed by the rivalry of Australia’s two biggest cities, which stretches back over 100 years. The A-League is not known for having big name players. Many of its stars are Australians who have returned home following careers in Europe and Asia, the likes of Jason Culina, formerly of PSV Eindhoven, and John Aloisi, formerly of Coventry City and Osasuna. The salary cap means that money cannot be used to tempt players down under, but it has its benefits if it means that clubs won’t pay more than they can afford, gambling on a star. Each club is however allowed one marquee player to whom the salary cap does not apply. Robbie Fowler is the marquee player of North Queensland Fury and it is hoped that players like Fowler will help bring in the crowds and promote professional football in Australia. The biggest challenge for football in Australia is get on the same level as cricket and rugby, but the A-League is the best way for this to happen.
Now we move onto the middle east and Qatar. The Qatar Stars League has been running since 1973 but has come on a great deal in the last 10 years or so. Since its inception the league has been dominated by Al-Arabi, Al-Sadd and Al-Rayyan, with Al-Gharrafa coming to the fore more recently. The big thing in Qatari football is money. Qatar is an oil rich country and such wealth is reflected in the nation’s sport. But it is not home grown talent that is in demand. Money demands instant success and so fans and owners alike do not want to wait for their own players to come through, they want the best. Qatar has long been a place for ageing stars to make some quick money before retiring. Some of the notable names to ply their trade in the desert include Gabriel Batistuta, Josep Guardiola, the de Boer twins, Romario, Frank Lebeouf and Fernando Hierro, the list goes on. Having left Lyon after 8 seasons in the summer Juninho became the latest to add his name to this illustrious list. It adds a certain flair to the league and gives the fans a great spectacle, but would it not be better to invest the money into youth development and nurturing local players? There will always be the money to offer bumper contracts but ultimately it will not improve Qatari football, only the league itself. It is a similar debate to that of foreigners in the English Premier League and the fate of the national team. On the flipside of the argument these former stars can impart vast amounts of experience and help local players improve. The balance is a fine one and there is no doubt having players like Desailly and Effenberg is great for the image of the league but clubs need to be careful not to squash their own young local players for a quick fling with an ageing star.
Finally we reach the United States and Major League Soccer. Professional football has always suffered in America, with baseball, basketball, ice hockey and American football proving a lot more popular. Surprisingly in junior sport football is often one of the more popular options, but as kids reach high school other sports often take over, receiving much more funding and interest. MLS is most developed of the professional leagues we have looked at and shows continued signs of progress. It is not yet up to the standard of European leagues but certainly has potential to improve and be at that standard someday. In terms of the geography of the teams there is clustering in the north east and in the west, and there no teams in the south or the northern states, which means there are large amounts of people who don’t have access to a team. Like the A-League in Australia MLS has a salary cap, but like the A-League has a ruling to allow teams to break the cap, named the Designated Player Rule. This was changed for the 2007 season to allow LA Galaxy to sign David Beckham, but also allowed other teams to sign bigger names for more money. The move saw Juan Pablo Angel transfer to New York Red Bulls and Mexican legend Cuauhtemoc Blanco sign for Chicago Fire; in 2009 Freddie Ljungberg signed for expansion team Seattle Sounders. These are steps that have improved the MLS and people’s awareness of professional football in America. The general popularity of football has also increased firstly due to the surprise performance of the national team at the 2002 World Cup, beating Mexico and Portugal en route to the quarter finals, and then again more recently reaching the final of the 2009 Confederations Cup. Exports from MLS have regularly been a success in Europe going back to Kasey Keller in the 1990s and more recently Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore. USA has tried at a professional football league before but ultimately failed. The ill fated North American Soccer League boasted the likes of Johan Cruyff, Pele, Franz Beckenbauer and George Best. Too much money was spent of aging superstars and not enough knowledge of how to run football teams was available to the franchise owners. It is a fairly safe bet that MLS will not follow the same path as the NASL, at least not any time soon and with any luck it will go from strength to strength in the near future.

Review: FIFA 10

2009-10-08T18:16:00.005+01:00

The battle of the football games has come round again. FIFA vs Pro Evolution Soccer. For years FIFA was the dominant title but then Japanese company Konami stepped forward with Pro Evolution and FIFA was knocked back into second place. 2009 was the year FIFA caught up and now 2010 looks to be the year where the lead will be finally retaken.
What instantly stands out when playing this game is the sheer attention to detail; from the referees checking the nets prior to kick-off to stadium announcers giving the name of goal scorers. The stadia have a fantastic likeness to real life and you can even choose what pitch pattern you want to play on. The match commentary is done by Martin Tyler and Andy Gray of Sky Sports and is actually good to listen to. I find their little conversations about the history of the clubs playing other things of that nature quite interesting and have yet to hear any repeats.
FIFA’s big selling has always been official licensing. Playing with officially named teams, with official kits can make quite a difference to the experience of playing; it all feels so much more realistic. There is also official licensing for balls, so you can decide whether to play with Puma, Nike, Adidas or whatever else, and boots as well. The sheer amount of teams (over 500) to play with is staggering. Personally I have never had the desire to see the outcome of a match between Brentford and Trabzonspor played at the San Siro in Milan, but with this game the potential is there. The only thing that maybe slightly disappointing is a relative lack of international teams, although 41 is still enough to be getting on with. If, like me, you enjoy experimenting with new teams, that are a bit more obscure than say the Barcelonas and Manchester Uniteds of this world it will be a long time before you run out of new ones to try.
In terms of the actual game play 360 dribbling is fantastic and gives you so much more control over the player and the ball. There is no restriction as to what direction you travel in and it feels so much more realistic than ever before. Everything you do with the ball is measured and you can do exactly what you want with it. Such levels of realism mean there are none of those occasions when you see the same play over and over again. There are also more skills than ever before which means there are now many, many more ways to beat the defence, and make a fool of your opponent in the process. Goalkeepers seem to have higher levels of AI and it is easy to distribute the ball to where you want it and this all makes for fast flowing football and players will always get forward in support of attacks so there are always options on the break. The only thing that gets a bit tedious is setting new formations in the team management menu; it’s a bit too fiddly when all you want is a 4-3-3 to try and get back into the game in the last 15 minutes.
There are a great number of game modes to try including the Lounge Sessions which is a great way to play against friends, with space for upto 20 players. Badges are awarded for achievements in game and ‘cheap shots’ mean you could start with a 2 goal lead, or cannot be called offside in the match. The Live Season 2.0 allows players to play the season with their club, with regular downloads keeping up to date with transfers, injuries and even cards and suspensions, so that you can rewrite your club’s season. The Gameface allows you to upload your own picture to the easports website and create your face in the game which is then available to download so you play as yourself with your own likeness to play across any of the game modes, imagine yourself as part of the Galacticos or lining up alongside Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs at Old Trafford. Manager mode has also been worked on since 09, with the manager taking on more admin roles, and player growth and performance taking a more realistic path. And for those with a more creative side there is now the ability to create your own ingenious set pieces to bamboozle the opponent’s defence.
All in all EA have done a great job. FIFA 10 looks the part, plays well and seems to have a tremendous lifespan. This is a fantastic game and should definitely be the choice for you if you’re looking for a free flowing ultra-realistic football experience.

Poll Results

2009-10-08T18:14:00.001+01:00

Who are your favourites to be relegated first from the Premiership this season? A whopping 85% was in favour of Portsmouth and 15% favoured Wolves, no other teams were voted for.

Andrés Escobar: Death By Own Goal

2009-10-02T10:21:00.002+01:00

The 2nd July earlier this year marked the 15th anniversary of the death of Andrés Escobar, the player who was infamously shot dead after Colombia were eliminated from the World Cup in only the first round. The Colombians were, in many people’s eyes the dark horse to win the competition having come through the notorious South American qualifying group undefeated, as well as having demolished Argentina 5-0 in Buenos Aires in the process. The squad was extremely talented containing the likes of Carlos Valderama, Freddy Rincon and Faustino Asprilla.
But huge disappointment was to follow for the Colombians and their fans. Romania completely outclassed them in their first game of the group stage winning 3-1. This first loss meant that a win against the United States was vital to qualify for the next round. The USA went 1-0 in the 34th minute when Andrés Escobar slid to turn away a cross from John Harkes, but could only find the back of his own net, at this point he could not even have imagined what lay ahead. The Americans went 2-0 up early in the second half; Colombia pulled one back in the 89th minute but it was not enough to prevent elimination from the tournament. Despite victory in the final group game against Switzerland one of the pre-tournament favourites went home early.
Colombia is infamous worldwide for its drug and gambling culture, and given that Colombia were put down as potential World Cup winners many of the country’s drug lords and gambling syndicates had large amounts of money resting on the team’s success. Their early elimination can surely only be down underperformance; maybe the pressure got to the players, or maybe they just weren’t good enough. It can be the case that South American teams like Colombia or Ecuador who perform well in qualifying cannot reproduce such form when it comes to the tournament itself, possibly because they are not used to conditions on foreign continents, or because they do not have home advantage.
The tragedy of the story though, is the death of Andrés Escobar as a result of this. His own goal was seen by some as the goal that caused Colombia to be eliminated, despite the fact that it was not the winning goal and Colombia had already lost the first match convincingly. But as is usually the way with sport blame must be attributed to someone. Those who lost vast amounts of money from gambling on Colombia blamed Escobar and his own goal. Escobar was shot 12 times outside a bar in the city of Medellin only 10 days after the match against USA, with the shooter reportedly shouting goal after each shot was fired. It is tragic that Escobar was killed over something so trivial as a football match. In the 1980s and 1990s Medellin was run by the drugs trade of Pablo Escobar who fought Guerilla warfare against the state and became the 7th richest man in the world. Although Pablo Escobar was killed by police in 1993 it was this kind of organisation that symbolised Colombian society throughout the 1980s and 1990s and still to a certain extent today. These were not empty stereotypes. At the time it was very real and Andrés Escobar paid the ultimate price for getting on the wrong side of it, albeit unknowingly.

Pompey Crisis

2009-10-01T20:48:00.003+01:00

It’s May 2008 and Sol Campbell lifts high the FA Cup at Wembley. Harry Redknapp’s side beat Cardiff City in what was ultimately a dull game, but by winning became the first team outside of the so called ‘big 4’ to win the competition since Everton in 1995. It was a team that Redknapp had put together since his return to Pompey in 2005 and looked capable of bigger and better things in the next few years. But that team is no longer together a little over a year later and now things look very bad for Portsmouth. The loss to Everton last Saturday set a record for consecutive losses at the start of a season (7 and counting); not even Derby County of 2007/08 were that bad, and they were pretty awful.
But back to the team that won the cup. Where are they now? All those players were destined for better things with Portsmouth, but due to what can only be financial problems players have been leaving on a constant stream since. James, Johnson, Campbell, Distin, Hreidarsson, Utaka, Diarra, Mendes, Muntari, Kranjcar, Kanu; that was the XI that started the FA Cup final, but only 4 of these are still at the club.
David James, Herman Hreidarsson, John Utaka, and Kanu are still at Portsmouth. But even these players were linked with a move away over the past year.
Glen Johnson moved on to Liverpool for a fee of £17million and has started well there. He has a great opportunity to cement his place in the England starting XI in time of the World Cup in South Africa and now has Champions League experience as well.
Sol Campbell joined Sven Goran Eriksson’s Notts County revolution before sensationally walking out after just one game. He is not eligible to play for any other club until January having been registered at Notts when the transfer window closed. It look like his decision to leave was not the best, as he may still have been able to force his way into the world cup squad.
Sylvain Distin was a model of consistency in 2007/08 before becoming the polar opposite the season after. Distin moved onto Everton where he will hope to play in Europe again and be pushing at the right end of the table.
Lassana Diarra was somewhat surprisingly taken by Real Madrid for £20million but has cemented his place in the second coming of the Galacticos prompting Wesley Sneijder’s departure. Diarra was the driving force in the midfield and was severely missed last season and will be again this season. The team has suffered without an adequate replacement.
Pedro Mendes inspired the relegation fightback in 2005/06 but has now moved onto Rangers soon after the final. He has also been missed in the midfield with his passing ability. Mendes was also a fans favourite.
Sulley Muntari moved to Inter under Jose Mourinho and won the Serie A title in his first season. Muntari’s tough tackling and creativity has also not been replaced properly, which has caused significant problems in midfield.
Niko Kranjcar was the last to leave this summer. He did not have the ability to carry a team when the rest were playing poorly but does add good quality when the team is performing. Harry Redknapp is a fan which explains why the move to Tottenham came about. Kranjcar never really performed last season when he really should have come into his own, but maybe he will find his feet on the bgger stage under Redknapp again at Spurs.
Jermain Defoe was cup tied for the FA Cup, but returned to Tottenham for big money, and Peter Crouch has also been and gone in the last year, these two have taken goals with them, and again haven’t been replaced.
No team can afford to lose all their best players and expect to be ok. Good players who leave need to be replaced with other good players. Manager Paul Hart has only been given minimal funds to replace the £90million worth of players that have departed. It’s not really clear why the manager has not seen the money. With a takeover by Sulaiman al-Fahaim, who helped with the Manchester City takeover you could be mistaken for thinking that there would be a spending spree in January, but it seems that there will not be. It looks like Pompey are already preparing for life in the Championship with the personnel that have come in. Surely Portsmouth are going to be relegated? It’s just whether they can do it fighting or go down with a whimper setting a new record low points total in the process.

Poll Results

2009-10-01T19:55:00.002+01:00

Should we be looking stopping the clock for stoppages in play? 22% said yes, and 78% said no.

Dutch Mastery

2009-09-24T20:04:00.005+01:00

When Barcelona completed the treble in 2009 people were in awe at the style of free flowing, attractive football, where fluidity is of the utmost importance. The team that started the Champions League final against Manchester United in Rome contained 7 players that came through Barcelona’s famed academy, which has also produced the likes of Cesc Fàbregas, José Reina and Mikel Arteta. These players have had that style of football bred into them from an early age to make them some of the most technically gifted footballers in the world. Every team in every age category at Barcelona plays the same way.
Their style has its earliest origins with Ajax in the first half of the 20th Century, under the management of English coach Jack Reynolds. But it was in 1965 when Rinus Michels arrived at Ajax that what we now know as total football was born. Total football is technical football played at its very best. One and two touch passing with players moving all over the pitch; simple. The birth of total football at Ajax also coincided with the emergence of Johan Cruyff as a teenager in the mid 1960s.
Cruyff is one football’s greatest thinkers and together with Michels transformed Ajax from neighbourhood team in Amsterdam East to an international superpower. Within 6 years of taking over, Michels, with Cruyff as his main man, took Ajax to European glory. Two more European cups followed in the next two years, but it is the win in 1972 that particularly stands out. The 1972 European Cup final was a battle of two conflicting football philosophies. Internazionale had been successful in the 1960s playing typical Italian cattenacio, playing defensively and squeezing out 1-0 wins. Ajax’s total football won 2-0 and showed the world the beauties of attacking football. It was seen as the victory of total football and the death of cattenacio. Total football spread to the Dutch national team where both Cruyff and Michels worked together at the 1974 World Cup. Holland of 1974 will go down in history as possibly the greatest team not to win the World Cup. A moment that defined total football as a concept came in the final itself against West Germany. The Dutch kicked off and made 13 passes before Cruyff received the ball as the deepest player, despite being the centre forward. Cruyff proceeded to run through the German defence before being brought down inside the penalty area. The resulting penalty was scored so that Holland were 1-0 up before the Germans had even kicked the ball. Cruyff as a player moved onto Barcelona in 1973 but it was his time there as a manager where he laid out the Dutch legacy. In his first managerial post Cruyff had reinstalled total football at Ajax and revolutionised the youth academy, making every youth team play the same way, much in the same way Barcelona do now. As Barcelona coach Cruyff won 4 successive league titles and was responsible for assembling the 1992 Dream Team. Cruyff’s legacy at Barcelona is clear for all to see. The way that Messi and co play today is a direct result of what Cruyff and Michels started in the 1960s. It’s not just in Holland and at Barcelona where the Dutch legacy can be seen. The way that Manchester United have played over the past few seasons has been reminiscent of total football, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney popping up all over the pitch and playing so freely.
It seems odd to think that a country of only four million people, where football has only been played professionally since 1954 could be responsible for a philosophy that is leading the way in the modern era.

Time is of the Essence

2009-09-24T19:15:00.003+01:00

Last weekend’s Manchester derby was billed as being the closest in years. Many people thought that after a summer spending spree, that brought the likes of Touré and Tévez to the club, City would be going into the game on much more of a level playing field than they had for years. It was not a game to disappoint either. What seems to make such games brilliant is not outstanding performances from both teams, but quite the opposite. Both sides were guilty of some awful play at times. Mistakes from Ben Foster and Rio Ferdinand all but gifted 2 goals to City; and at times City’s defence and midfield were so completely incapable of holding onto the ball that it was laughable. This game really did have everything: 7 goals, an old favourite returning in the shirt of a rival, the makings of a new hero and great derby day competitiveness. We are always being told that our Premier League is the best in the world. It is the most watched league in the world and here was the evidence that shows us why.
But above all else it is the late goals that stand out. Over the course of the match it cannot be argued that United deserved a win. But for heroic goalkeeping form Shay Given they could have been out of sight midway through the second half. But as Rio Ferdinand gave the ball away cheaply to Craig Bellamy and the clock ticked to 90 it looked as though it was all for nothing and that both would come away with a point. The controversy begins here. 4 minutes of injury time was shown on the board by the fourth official and United’s winning goal scored by Michael Owen was scored after 95:28 minutes. At first glance it looks as though United have been allowed even longer to get the goal to win the derby; and this is seemingly why City fans and players are so aggrieved. But on closer inspection it becomes clearer that excessive time was not added on. Bellamy scored to make it 3-3 as time moved within seconds of the full 90; celebration ensued as City players believed they had grabbed a point at the death. By the time the celebrations had ended and the ball was returned to the centre spot for kick-off almost a whole minute had passed. A minute in injury time where there was no play, meaning this minute should be added on at the end to make 95. But, this is still too short to allow Owen to score his goal. The extra 30 seconds comes from the substitution when Michael Carrick took to the field. In the event of substitutions in stoppage time referees are supposed to add 30 seconds for each one, to prevent teams from using them as time wasting tactics. So this makes 95:30, which is enough time for Owen’s goal, timed officially at 95:28. So it seems that the referee timed it just about right. United being United pushed all the way to the very end, there is nothing wrong with it; it’s just what good teams do.
There is ongoing debate that accuses referees for favouring the big teams when it comes to adding time on at the end. The only solution for timekeeping problems would be to ‘Americanise’ football; i.e. stop the clock while the ball goes out of play and resume when it comes back in. For those who don’t believe that 95:30 in the Manchester derby was legitimate time, this is the only way to end the confusion. Such is the nature of football it would be pointless to stop the clock all the time. The popularity of the sport relies on fast paced action; all we achieve by stopping time is slowing the action down, we might as well throw in an advert break every time the ball goes out as well. So here it is, for those who will always complain about more time being added on to favour the big teams, there is a solution, but do you really want it?

Poll Results

2009-09-24T17:01:00.002+01:00

Do we need an additional disciplinary panel whose sole job it is tho review the week's contentious issues?

66% say yes. 33% say no

Discipline Panel

2009-09-18T15:06:00.003+01:00

Emmanuel Adebayor would have made headlines last weekend purely for scoring against his former employers, but two other major incidents pushed this to the shadows. For a lot of players there is no better feeling than scoring against your former club but Adebayor dubbed ‘MADebayor’ by one national newspaper, seemed to take this too far. At some point during his final year in North London Adebayor’s relationship with Arsenal and particularly the club’s fans turned sour. You get the feeling that having scored his goal the Togalese striker wanted to prove a point to those that once loved him. Most people would see running the whole length of the pitch to celebrate in front of the away fans as unnecessary provocation, turning an already hostile reception into pure hatred. And what punishment for these actions? Adebayor was issued a yellow card by referee Mark Clattenburg. But players taking their shirts off after scoring a goal get booked, so are we to believe that Adebayor’s offence and taking your shirt off are equal offences? An improper conduct charge has now been made, which seems to go against precedent on this type of thing. I always thought if the referee had ‘dealt’ with the situation the matter was seen as closed. Any further investigation would be undermining the authority of the referee.
But even this incident is lightweight when compared to Adebayor’s other offence. The striker clashed with former teammate Robin van Persie where he appeared to kick out. Van Persie issued a statement after the game labelling it a ‘mindless and malicious stamp’ and video evidence would seem to back this up. For such gross violent conduct Adebayor could be looking at anywhere between a 3 and 6 match ban; and rightly so.
Retrospective punishment is a good thing because it stops people getting away with things that have gone unnoticed by the match officials. The only problem is that there is no consistency across varying governing bodies. There are differences in what the FA or FIFA can (will) do compared to UEFA. There needs to be one rule to govern all. It seems wrong that Darren Fletcher missed the 2009 Champions League final after being wrongly sent off in the semi final as UEFA rules state cards can only be rescinded in the event of mistaken identity. Under FA rules the decision could have been overturned. Governing bodies need to be firm with any retrospective punishments as well. It’s no good dishing out a two match ban to a player like Eduardo for diving and then rescinding it completely. It renders the whole affair pointless.
Arsene Wenger’s criticism of UEFA in the Eduardo saga was that there would 50 or more incidents across Europe each week to review. But what if there was a special committee whose job it is to do just that; review all the controversial incidents. You might argue that at what point does it stop? because angry managers may begin to launch appeals to the panel for the most superficial of things, but the concept is surely one that would work. If the FA can put together a dubious goals committee surely they could be able to put another one together for this purpose. If FIFA made it mandatory for all national football associations to have such a committee it would solve so many issues.

Superclásico

2009-09-18T14:04:00.008+01:00

Real Madrid-Barcelona, Manchester United-Manchester City, Liverpool-Everton; these are typically what we would, in Europe, think of as football’s greatest rivalries. But South Americans are possibly the world’s most passionate and ‘loco’ fans, which brings me to a derby match that is not always at the forefront of people’s mind over here. Superclásico. This match is fought between two of the world’s most decorated clubs and is arguably the fiercest and most competitive derby match in the world. The two clubs involved are of course Boca Juniors and River Plate, both of Buenos Aires in Argentina. In 2004 The Observer described Superclásico as making Glasgow’s Old Firm look like a primary school kick-about.
What is it that makes Superclásico the derby to put all others to shame? The two clubs both represent polar ends of society. Boca are traditionally a working class club, supported by immigrant communities in the dockland part of the city. River traditionally represents the bourgeois classes, the supporters often called Los Millonarios. People say this economic split is no longer applicable but it does nothing to dampen animosity. They are Argentina’s most successful teams having won 56 national championships and 8 Copa Libertadores titles between them. The competitive nature of the rivalry helps keep it on the boil as both teams are always challenging for major honours. This is something that has been lacking from the major English derbies in recent years. It is extremely dangerous for people to wear River colours in Boca territory and vice versa. Many fans will not wear anything that is in the other team’s colours, such is the intensity and hatred.
Boca and River first met in a friendly match in 1908 with the match being won 2-1 by Boca. The first official Superclásico took place 5 years later in 1913, but this time it was River who won 2-1. Since then it has grown and developed so fiercely that fans will stop at nothing to get one over on their rivals. Argentinean football was, and is still, rife with hooliganism and gang violence. Sets of Ultras are usually behind crowd violence and fighting that surrounds the spectacle. In 1968 74 fans were killed in a crush at El Monumental, home of River Plate, caused by a stampede of fans. In 1994 River fans were ambushed after a derby match and two were shot dead.
In the run up to derby day the city of Buenos Aires grinds to a halt, with everyone in anticipation of what is to come. Nothing else going on is as important and police presence is three times greater than it normally would be for any other football match. It seems they come to expect trouble. All fans are stopped and searched for anything that could be used as a weapon. It means so much to the passionate fans of both sides that each would say they prefer to win Superclásico than win the league. And that is how it is and how it will always be. Superclásico. More than you could ever know.

Poll Results

2009-09-17T19:29:00.003+01:00

Is enough being done to improve the standards of women's football in the UK?

33% of the vote said yes, but 66% said no.

Publishing this week will be delayed by one day to Friday.

Turning Pro Is The Way To Go

2009-09-10T20:13:00.003+01:00

England qualified for the World Cup in South Africa last night with a 5-1 win over Croatia, but this is not the only England success of late. Few people will be aware of the UEFA Women’s European Championships currently taking place in Finland, mainly due to poor media coverage. England will play defending champions Germany today (10/09/09) at 1700BST in the final. Germany has been the dominating force in women’s football of late, having won the last two World Cups, and will no doubt go into the final as favourites. But regardless of the result England’s women have done well having struggled to get past the group stage or having failed to qualify at all in previous international tournaments. Such improvement should be acknowledged.
In this country women’s football receives very little media coverage. It says something that a meaningless friendly played by the men’s team against Slovenia is shown live on ITV1’s Saturday night prime time, yet the women’s semi final victory over Holland a day later was confined to Eurosport. Euro 2005, held in England, was broadcasted on the BBC but the English team failed to impress and it perhaps such failure to capture the imagination of the public that has seen women’s football relegated to the periphery of television coverage, although the final itself this time around has made it to BBC2.
The quality of women’s football in England can only improve with funding. The difference between professional and amateur is so important; with the professional clubs having a clear advantage. In England, Arsenal Ladies turned semi-professional in 2002, a change that has prompted 6 consecutive league titles since 2003, 5 FA Cup wins since 2003 and the UEFA Women’s Cup (Champions League equivalent) in 2007. No other team in England has a chance to compete with Arsenal. The upturn in fortunes for the national team coincides with two main factors. Firstly, 5 regular England starters have moved to America to play in Women’s Professional Soccer newly formed for the 2009 season. As full time professionals these players can only keep getting better. Secondly, the FA has handed out central contracts to 17 English based players; paying a salary of £16 000 and allowing players to work in part time jobs for no more than 24 hours per week, meaning there has been more focus on training and playing. This initiative can only help improve the quality of the England squad.
Money is also the key to greater popularity. Popularity in sport is usually a direct response to quality and success. Only when more club’s are able to turn professional and more international standard players brought through will success follow. If performances at international tournaments can become consistently higher it will only be a matter of time before the media begins to take more notice and bring women’s football to more and more people. Certainly the women’s game will never be as popular as the men’s but for the moment it is refreshing to see such a marked improvement in the quality and perhaps we may see more of it on the back pages in the future.
The final has been played since the main body of this piece was written with Germany winning 6-2, in what was quite a good match. I wonder how many column inches it will get in tomorrow’s newspapers.

Poll Results

2009-09-10T19:04:00.002+01:00

Should Eduardo have been banned retrospectively by UEFA? 58% of the vote thought 'yes' and 42% thought 'no'. So a fairly split decision.

Eduardo Off The 3 Metre Springboard

2009-09-03T21:29:00.005+01:00

The somewhat contentious issue of diving has resurfaced in the last week or so. Arsenal’s Eduardo has now been handed a retrospective two match ban by UEFA after he was seen to have intentionally deceived the referee in a Champions League qualifier against Celtic. Now suddenly diving is a hot topic again. Many seem to be of the opinion that diving is on the increase; and the increasing number of yellow cards issued each of the last few years would seem to support this. I don’t think that diving is becoming more of a problem, it seems more like a case of referees cracking down on it more and I believe that there probably will be a greater number of yellow cards issued for diving in the near future while this is all fresh.
But is there a clear solution to stamp out diving from professional football? What people must be careful not to do is jump on the anti dive bandwagon. The foul on Wayne Rooney by Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia was labelled a dive by some, citing that Rooney was already going down before contact was made with the goalkeeper. If all incidents like this are to be included under the ‘dive’ label then what is left. If players feel contact in the box will go down, but this doesn’t make the contact any less of foul if it is stopping the attacking player from playing the ball as he fully wishes to. Let’s also not forget that at the speeds some players reach even the slightest of touches from a defender can put an attacker off balance, thus stopping him unfairly: foul.
A dive is difficult to spot and a referee can only take action against a player perceived to have dived if they are 100% sure. An initiative in the Australian top flight hands out two match bans to any player found guilty of diving. Eduardo has been banned retrospectively, this may work as a punishment and a deterrent to other players but Arsene Wenger is right in saying that if UEFA are to follow the precedent set in this case they will be asked to review 50 or more similar incidents every week. Consistency is a major problem here. I can see the plus sides of players who have got away with diving being punished after the match, much in the same way as players can be given bans for foul play or violent conduct that went unpunished in the game. The flipside would be that players wrongly cautioned for diving would have their card rescinded. The problem with this is that it does not offer compensation to the team who have suffered because of an unpunished dive. In fairness, Arsenal were already 2 away goals up against Celtic and probably would have gone onto win regardless of Eduardo’s dive, but in a closer fought match such an incident could prove decisive and nothing can be done to overturn this.
The true solution to eradicating diving in football lies with players. The players have the responsibility to be honest and not attempt to deceive the referee. But even this is not so simple. Diving is seen in different light in different football cultures. In this country diving is clearly outlined as cheating and any player found guilty of diving is labelled a cheat. But, as Ruud Gullit once commented, in Italy the situation is different and a player who has conned the referee into giving a penalty has been clever. There does not seem an obvious way to totally stop diving but making an example of Eduardo is a start and players will be aware of what can happen to them if they are caught taking a tumble.

My Perfect XI

2009-09-03T21:02:00.004+01:00

My obsession with football began sometime in the mid 1990s and since then many greats have played the game. Since my first time to Old Trafford in January 1997 I have seen 3 great Manchester United teams, containing some of the best players around. I got thinking about what players from this era (1995-now) I would pick in my perfect XI. Several of these are players that I have seen play and others are those I have only seen on TV but was truly taken by the way they played and the success they have achieved.
In goal there is one who stands out above all others. Peter Schmeichel is one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time and brought his own style (modelled on the sport of handball) to the game. There were times when Schmeichel looked unbeatable; I’m thinking mainly of the time when Dennis Bergkamp stepped up to take a penalty that would have taken Arsenal to the FA Cup final in 1999. For some reason Schmeichel looked destined to save it, sending the match to extra time and the rest as they say is history.
Even at age 34 Cafu was still the most energetic player on the pitch. A typical Brazilian full back, I first became aware of his quality at the 1998 World Cup and was still being impressed by his performances when he retired some 10 years later. Cafu seemed to get better and better with age and picked up a deserved Champions League winners medal in 2007 aged 36.
It is very rare that players remain at one club for their whole career and even rarer that they stay at the very top of the game for over 20 years. Paolo Maldini is widely acknowledged as one of the very best defenders of all time. In over 900 appearances for Milan Maldini won 7 Serie A titles and 5 times winner if the European Cup/Champions League.
In Japan/Korea in 2002 it was confirmed that Rio Ferdinand was one of the world’s best defenders. Ferdinand is both strong in the tackle and in the air, but also an accomplished passer who can bring the ball out of defence. I’m not sure all the success at Manchester United over the past few seasons would have been possible without him.
Fabio Cannavaro is one only a few defensive players to win global individual honours. The Italian captained Italy to World Cup success in 2006 and also holds the record for appearances for his national team. At only 5ft9in Cannavaro is short for central defender but is rarely beaten in the air, or on the ground for that matter.
Roy Keane was the driving force behind United’s treble win in 1999, with the Champions League semi final second leg being the epitome of his character. Keane led a fight back from 2-0 down despite knowing he would miss the final through suspension. As a classic box to box midfielder Keane possessed a truly competitive spirit that saw much success at his time at Old Trafford.
I think that in time Zinedine Zidane will go down in history alongside names such as Pele, Maradona and Cruyff. So graceful on the ball and yet so powerful as well. People who truly appreciate football will see past the red card in the World Cup final and remember the Frenchman for his undeniable skill and command of a football.
As far as the complete player goes Cristiano Ronaldo is by far the closest thing to it that I have ever seen. Ronaldo possesses every attribute a manager could ever want from an attacking player. Ronaldo had a good year in 2007 but it pales into insignificance given his achievements in 2008. Never before had I witnessed such expectation surrounding one player, until Ronaldo played in a friendly against Inter before his epic season; there was held breath every time he touched the ball, just waiting for the magic to come.
Ryan Giggs has been an ever present in all the great United teams since debuting in 1991 and there seems to be stopping him just yet. It is the goal against Arsenal in the FA Cup on the way to the treble that sticks in the mind. In the mid and late 1990s every right back in the country was terrified by the name Giggs on the opposition team sheet.
I remember watching Ronaldo for the first time, playing for Barcelona in the European Cup Winners Cup final in 1997. In that season the 20 year old scored 47 goals in 49 appearances and was named FIFA World Player of the Year for the second time. The pressure of a nation’s expectation took its toll at the 1998 World Cup and injuires disrupted his career for 4 years when he should have been entering his peak. The 2nd coming came at the 2002 World Cup with his goals winning the tournament for Brazil. Problems with weight and further career threatening injuries looked to have pretty much ended Ronaldo’s career by 2006, but with new found form and fitness with Corinthians don’t rule out the 3rd coming in South Africa next summer. In my eyes he had the talent to be the greatest of all time.
I never used to think that Henrik Larsson was as good as people made out having played 7 seasons in Scottish football. But scoring over 400 career goals is no mean feat and he is still going strong at 37 years old. After a badly broken leg, suffered in 1999, it could have been all over, but Larsson was determined that it wasn’t. I realised how good he really was after coming off the bench in the 2006 Champions League final to change the game, getting assists for both of Barcelona’s goals.
Even a great XI like this needs a substitute bench. Edwin van der Sar has been one of the world’s top goalkeepers for the last 15 years and an integral part of the success at Old Trafford over the last 3 seasons. Between 1995 and 2007 Gary Neville was England’s most reliable and consistent defender and it is unfortunate injuries have made him miss most of the last 2 years. Clarence Seedorf was the first, and so far only player, to win the Champions League with 3 different teams. He has been one of Europe’s biggest names since he was a teenager. Xavi first broke into Barcelona’s first team in 1998 and is one of the most technically gifted players around and is vitally important to both Barcelona and Spain. I believe Alan Shearer made a mistake in not joining Manchester United in the summer of 1996. England’s best striker of the generation received great praises in his time at Newcastle but could have won trophies in Manchester.
To manage this great team there is only one choice. Sir Alex Ferguson. Ferguson is arguably the greatest manager off all time and future is still open to even more success.

Any suggestions of your own perfect XIs? or just individual players who you particularly like/admire? please post as comments

Chelsea's Big Ban

2009-09-03T20:29:00.008+01:00

Today’s big news is that Chelsea have been banned by FIFA from signing any new players until January 2011. The ban concerns the transfer of Gael Kakuta, from Lens in 2007, who Chelsea were accused of encouraging to break his contract with Lens. This is not the first time that Chelsea have been found guilty of this kind of thing. The tapping up incident concerning Ashley Cole was big news in 2005 and both Chelsea and Cole were fined. In 2006 Chelsea were ordered to pay £16million in compensation for the transfer of John Obi Mikel. The player was reported to have signed a contract with Manchester United before claiming the only English club he wanted to play for was Chelsea. So it seems they haven’t exactly got a clean record when it comes to this sort of thing. If Chelsea fans feel their club has been hard done by they have but to look at how previous punishments have not been acknowledged; maybe this time they will take notice of transfer rules.
The argument against the ban is that this kind of tapping up goes on all over the place and has done for years and Chelsea are doing things no differently to other teams. It seems like players no longer have an obligation to fulfil their contracts and can jump ship whenever they see fit. Selling clubs don’t have any power in the transfer market; that much is clear from the way that the Joleon Lescott transfer came about. The power is with players, agents and whoever has money. There is no excuse for teams like Chelsea to flash the cash at players and encouraging them to break their existing contracts.
It is unlikely that Chelsea’s transfer ban will affect the team this season. Manager Carlo Ancelotti must have included the African Nations Cup in his plans and will probably get by despite losing Drogba, Kalou, Essien and Mikel for several weeks. Problems may occur if injuries and suspensions crop up around this time. It is in summer where Chelsea will be hit hard and may fall behind other title contenders who are able to strengthen their squads. A statement issued from the club today confirmed that an appeal against the ban will be made. I hope that this appeal comes to nothing because given Chelsea’s recent record of rule breaking it seems no less than they deserve.

UEFA Champions League 2009/10

2009-08-27T13:04:00.005+01:00

The draw for the group stage of this season’s UEFA Champions League happens later today (in fact as you read this it may already have happened). You may be surprised a fair few new faces. Several leagues in Europe had different winners to what we might usually expect. Wolfsburg of Germany, Rubin Kazan of Russia, AZ Alkmaar of Holland and Unirea Urziceni of Romania all achieved automatic group stage berths. The high number of new teams was also down the fact that the final qualifying round was drawn slightly differently this year, and I think it is much better as a result. The round was split into two ‘paths’, one for Champions and one for non-Champions. In previous tournaments those clubs who are champions of smaller countries have not had the honour of competing in the tournament proper because they have been eliminated in qualifying by a team from Spain or Italy, maybe, who finished 4th in their league . This time they were all drawn together so that four would get through; and the likes of Atletico Madrid, Arsenal, Lyon, Stuttgart and Fiorentina were stuck playing each other. What this means is that the Champions League will have a more varied look to it this year, showcasing football from all across the continent, and not just the best teams from Western Europe. Some may argue that this may detract from the quality of football on offer; I don’t think it will. These smaller teams will not roll over and die for the Chelseas and Barcelonas of this world. I can’t imagine the galacticos of Madrid would fancy an away trip to Russia in November to face Rubin Kazan.
This change means a slight move back to the traditional idea of The European Cup, a competition for the champions of the European nations, something which has been lost of late, in the era of television money and sponsorship.
I am happy to see all these new teams compete and I hope the proverbial ‘big boys’ will be just as wary of Debrecen as they would have been of Sporting or Panathinaikos.

Looking Ahead To South Africa 2010

2009-08-27T12:56:00.005+01:00

To qualify for the world cup in South Africa, England need only to avoid defeat against Croatia at Wembley on 9th September. How things have changed from 2 years ago, where only a win would do. The Croats aren’t the same team they were then and now does not pose so much of a threat, especially after the 4-1 demolition by England in Zagreb back in September.
With England on the verge of qualifying easily from what was potentially a difficult group, people (and by people I mean the press) will undoubtedly be throwing around the name of England with that of Spain and Holland as possible winners. Under Capello our national team is now finally comfortably beating the minnows, like it always should have done, and putting in the performances where it counts, away in Croatia. You might argue that in friendlies against the bigger teams in Europe, England have looked second best; I’m thinking of the game versus Spain in February. If there is to be any chance of winning the World Cup performances against the top 10 of international football need to be better. Despite these below par friendlies there will still be confidence flowing among the team going into the tournament.
Capello seems to have instilled a system whereby no one is safe from being dropped; gone are the days of Sven’s untouchables. I think this has what has helped England to do so well in qualifying. Players are no longer assured of their place in the squad and it seems to make them play with more drive and energy. So often, in recent years, players been accused of not caring enough in international matches. So for the first time in years it looks as though a lot more places are up for grabs.
Looking at the English players available I would say that, barring injury, only 8, maybe 9 would be pretty much guaranteed a place on the plane to South Africa. This leaves 14/15 places up for grabs, for pretty much any English player who shows good, consistent form over the course of this season. I’m sure that John Terry, as captain, Rio Ferdinand, Ashley Cole and probably Glen Johnson (through default at right back) are will be included. Steven Gerrard will go, as will Frank Lampard who has recaptured good form. Capello is a big fan of Gareth Barry, so he will go as well. Wayne Rooney is set for his biggest season yet at Manchester United, and Emile Heskey is seen by Capello as Rooney’s perfect strike partner; the combination has worked very well throughout the qualifying process, so those two will also both go to South Africa.
But who else? The goalkeeper position has suddenly become more open, with David James injured of late. I would say that any three from James, Ben Foster, Rob Green, Chris Kirkland, Paul Robinson and Joe Hart will go; but it’s anyone’s guess who number one will be, it depends how the season goes. For the other defenders places I think that Upson and Lescott will be cover at centre back and Wayne Bridge will be understudy to Ashley Cole. For cover at right back, there is little to consider at the moment. Wes Brown and Gary Neville are still struggling with injuries, but may be fit later in the season. Micah Richards could stake a claim to a place if he can re-find his good form of a couple of years ago. Or there could be a surprise call up for Kyle Naughton if he does well at Tottenham this season.
In midfield I can’t understand why Michael Carrick is often overlooked for a starting place having been vital to back to back to back league titles at Manchester United. David Beckham will be keen to play at a fourth consecutive World Cup, but looks only likely to do so if he joins a top European team in the near future. This is the season where Shaun Wright-Phillips can finally overtake Beckham in the England pecking order, after being understudy for so long. He will face competition from Aaron Lennon, who, given his good start to the season with Spurs will no doubt stake a claim to a seat on the plane. Ashley Young is another who has a chance if he can reproduce the form that sent Villa to 3rd in the table in the first half of last season. There are often surprises when England tournament squads are announced and this time could be no different, especially if Capello is picking players on form and not reputation. I wouldn’t be too surprised to see the inclusion of Everton teenager Jack Rodwell, who had a good debut season last year and will no doubt push on this campaign. Jack Wilshere of Arsenal is another talented youngster who could be included if he is given enough first team opportunities this season. Stewart Downing is also a player in contention if he overcomes injury and becomes a regular starter for Aston Villa.
Assuming Rooney and Heskey are definitely going, that probably leaves only two spaces for 5 or 6 other strikers to fight for. At the moment everyone is talking about whether Michael Owen’s mover to Manchester will reignite his England career; there is definitely potential for it to happen. Jermain Defoe has started well this season and will be hoping to stay a regular for Spurs. Peter Crouch has been a consistent squad member over the last few years. Darren Bent may well have his most prolific season yet and could be the perfect impact sub to bring on against tired legs. Carlton Cole is another name floating about but I can’t see him being able to make the impact coming off the bench. Gabriel Agbonlahor and Theo Walcott also stand a chance but I very much doubt that both will go.

Here is the squad that I think will (should) go to the World Cup:
Ben Foster
David James
Robert Green
Rio Ferdinand
John Terry (c)
Joleon Lescott
Matthew Upson
Glen Johnson
Ashley Cole
Gary Neville (for one last huzzah)
Wayne Bridge
Steven Gerrard
Gareth Barry
Frank Lampard
Michael Carrick
David Beckham
Aaron Lennon
Shaun Wright-Phillips
Jack Wilshere
Wayne Rooney
Emile Heskey
Jermain Defoe
Darren Bent

Early Surprise Packages

2009-08-27T12:46:00.005+01:00

The thing about football is that it never quite goes how you expect it to. At the point where two teams line up alongside each other in the tunnel before a match there is nothing between them. Form and history is so often dumped unceremoniously. Who would have thought Burnley had what it takes to beat Manchester United, and then follow it up with victory against Everton. That’s what makes football so compelling, especially in this country.
As far as early season surprises go we’ve already had a few in the Premier League. Burnley must top the list. 6 points from 9 is a good start by anyone’s standards, let alone a team who have been condemned by many to an immediate return to the football league. It’s important for newly promoted teams to get off to a good start, to build confidence and make them feel like they properly belong with the big boys. For Burnley getting a good start looked nigh on impossible. Stoke away on the opening day was a rude awakening to the physical side of the Premier League. After games against Man United, Everton, Chelsea and Liverpool, all top 5 last season, you might be forgiven for thinking Burnley would be rock bottom with a couple of battering. Whatever happens against Chelsea and Liverpool Burnley won’t be bottom and with growing confidence cricket score-lines don’t look to be on the card either. Who knows how the rest of their season will pan out; we must not forget that there is a long way to go. They may keep it up like of Ipswich or Reading of season’s past, or may fade badly. But for now it seems nicer not knowing ... or having no clue for that matter.
Tottenham have been another one to surprise early on. For once it seems like Spurs are finally living up to their potential. I’m sure we would have seen a more consistent challenge on the top four over the past two seasons had it not been for dreadful starts. The fact that the limelight was hogged by Manchester City all summer has meant that there is much less pressure to deliver at White Hart Lane. The quality of players has at Tottenham in recent years has never been in doubt, but now it seems like things have finally come together. I thought a slow start was likely, despite the management of Harry Redknapp, and now that I have been proved wrong I am glad, as this stands to be one of the most competitive seasons we have seen for a while.
People seem to be surprised by Arsenal’s good start and now are including them in the title race having previously written them off. I don’t think Arsenal will challenge for the title, and this good start is no different from others they have had in recent seasons, and not maintained a challenge. Arsenal also usually finish strongly but their midseason, where Man United and Chelsea are so strong is their downfall; this is when too much ground is lost on the top.
Although I thought Liverpool were less able to mount a title challenge this season than last I am surprised that they have lost two out of the opening three games. I am now pretty much convinced that selling Alonso will prove decisive. Beyond Torres and Gerrard there just doesn’t seem to be anything of substance. When injuries keep these two out of the team, or if neither plays well, as was the case against Aston Villa on Monday night, you can’t see where goals will come from. It’s a sorry start.

Finally, just a quick (unrelated) word on the Joleon Lescott transfer saga: I think that considering the amounts of money that City have at their disposal it had been spent well and wisely. Mark Hughes almost did so well and was so close to making it through the whole summer without being horrendously ripped off. I think with this deal City have been well and truly ripped off. On the flipside David Moyes and Everton have done extremely well to get £24million from it. I’m not saying that I think Lescott is a bad player, I’m saying that a player who has never played in the Champions League, does not have title race experience and is not an international regular should not be valued so highly. No higher than £12million would surely have been more appropriate. It is clear why the price go so high ... Everton did not want to sell, simple as. Mark Hughes should have seen sense and pursued another target when it got into silly money. City have their man, but I suppose with their bank balance, they won’t bat an eyelid at the price.

Foreign Ownership of Premier League Clubs

2009-08-20T21:04:00.005+01:00

Foreign ownership of clubs has become something of a hot topic in football over the last few years and it shows no signs of slowing down. This week Carson Yeung, the Hong Kong businessman, has moved closer to a takeover of Birmingham City. Yeung is the largest single shareholder at the midlands club with a stake of 29.9% and has now put down a £3million deposit with a view to a complete takeover. Birmingham is just one in a long line of clubs to be taken over by foreign investors in recent years. But this begs the question can all this foreign ownership be good for the Premier League and English football as a whole?
Chelsea would not be the European force they are today were it not for Roman Abramovich’s billions. Abramovich effectively bought back to back titles in 2005 and 2006, with high profile transfers and big wages. Chelsea were a good team before the takeover but were suffering financial problems and still had a way to go before truly being able to compete for the league title. Abramovich sped up the process. But you have to wonder should the day come where Abramovich wants to sell up what will become of the club. Having been transformed into a superpower Chelsea post Abramovich certainly won’t be the bargain the Russian picked up in the summer of 2003. Astronomical wage bills and costs may put off potential buyers and worst case scenario the club descends in financial meltdown; like Leeds but more possibly more spectacular. Manchester City could face similar problems in the future; you can’t really see the Abu Dhabi group sticking around forever. This is the problem with increasing the club’s bills so rapidly. If the money pulls out the costs will stay high, but there will be no funds to cover it, resulting in huge debts, mass player exodus and likely relegation(s). Things seem rosy at the moment but the potential consequences cannot be ignored.
The situation is slightly different when foreign investors attempt to buy clubs that are already big. The sheer amount of money needed to buy clubs like Manchester United is hard to come by. United have been plunged into over £800million of debt when Malcolm Glazer used the assets of the club he did not yet own to buy said club. This takeover triggered mass reaction fans many of which boycotted the club, by not renewing season tickets and setting up a new club. For remaining fans fears that the support base will be used to serve the debt and its interest are becoming realised as ticket prices have increased by over 10% every year since the takeover. However the Glazer ownership of United has not had an impact on the football. Money is still available for transfers and the manager still has control of the team and the personnel who come in. Something you might think that is not the case at Chelsea (Andriy Shevchenko anyone?)
Many people see the masses of foreign money in the Premier League as damaging, but this can only be the case where the owners want immediate success and no less, leaving a trail of discarded mangers and players in their wake. At Aston Villa Randy Lerner is taking a different approach and building slowly. Building solid financial foundations now will be vital to sustaining any success in the future. Should Lerner pull out it won’t be difficult for somebody else to pick up the costs and continue without problem. Under Lerner’s ownership the club is learning to walk before it can run. I would say Man City are sprinting like Usain Bolt, when they’ve just learnt to sit up.
Fans often complain about foreign owners in the Premier League, but it is a consequence of the league being billed as the best there is and advertised on a global scale. We’ve reached a stage now where this is inevitable; everybody wants a piece of the action. It is just one more arm of the mass globalisation that is going on all around.

Peaking Early

2009-08-20T20:44:00.005+01:00

Sports stars across the world seem to be getting younger and younger. The name on everybody’s lips at the moment is Usain Bolt, winner of 3 Olympic gold medals and 2 (at the time of writing) World Championship gold medals and setting world records for each, and at only 22 years of age, has now achieved everything he could hope to achieve in his sport. What does the future hold? Earlier this week Yelena Isinbayeva, 27, who has dominated women’s pole vaulting since 2004, setting world records seemingly easily, failed to even register a jump at the athletics World Championships in Berlin. Is it the case that those who peak early are losing the motivation to push further to stay on top? Being the world’s best requires a true winning mentality. If motivation to work and train is lost then complacency creeps in.
Traditionally in football, as with other sports, players reach their peaks in their late twenties. But more and more players are emerging sooner and reaching the top of the game at early ages. You have to look no further than Cristiano Ronaldo to see this. Ronaldo was a regular starter for Manchester United at just 18 years old and by age 23 he had won league titles, domestic cups, continental titles and intercontinental titles as well as global individual recognition. How does can this be improved? How can Ronaldo feasibly become any better? Leo Messi is following suit, having been the driving force behind Barcelona’s success last season and the favourite for the Balon d’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards for 2009. Messi only recently turned 22 and will no doubt soon have achieved the lot. It can only be hoped that Ronaldo and Messi have the mental capacity to push themselves even further and set new unprecedented heights of greatness. There is no question that it will be hard, but there are those who have stayed consistently at the top of their game for 15 years or more. Ryan Giggs and Paolo Maldini have both been able to stay focused and motivated, winning trophies year after year. For these players winning is purely enough and they have managed to keep in shape for 20 years to allow it to happen. Of course these two old guys are extreme cases, but it gives the example to those who have achieved so much very early in their careers, in all sports, not just football, that there is still every reason to keep pushing, keep winning, setting new, higher standards in doing so.

Poll Results

2009-08-20T20:40:00.002+01:00

Who will win the Premier League in 2009/10? Manchester United came out top with 50% of the vote, with the remaining 50% being divided equally between Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City. Liverpool got not votes.

Premier League Kick Off Is Here ... Finally!

2009-08-13T21:08:00.017+01:00

I think this season the Premier League will be more competitive across the whole division. Several teams look strong and it looks possible that there may be at least a 3 horse race for the title. There should also be a good scrap for the Europa League places, and as always a compelling relegation battle. Looking forwards to plenty of last day drama.

Starting with Arsenal then, it looks as if this season may once again prove too soon for their promising young squad. The problem is that it seems to be the case every season. When it comes to playing football there are few better in the world than Arsenal, but they still don’t seems to have that competitive edge and grit that Chelsea, Liverpool and United have. I see that edge even less now with the sale of Kolo Touré. The side still needs a combative midfielder, without which I can’t see the title heading to north London anytime soon. Arsenal’s biggest challenge this season looks to be keeping Manchester City out of the top four.

Aston Villa will find it hard to replicate last season. For most of last season Villa’s small squad was punching way above its weight and with the losses of Gareth Barry and Martin Laursen and still no replacements just 2 days before the opening game things are not looking good. The top four at the moment is out of reach and only some significant squad strengthening will allow progress. By their new high standards I think Villa will have a disappointing season.

Birmingham still have the majority of players from their last Premier League season, who will no doubt have been galvanised by the experience of relegation. Many of the players have previously played in the Premier League for tops clubs. The defence needs to hold strong if they are to survive. The signing of Giovanny Espinoza looks to be a good one, having vast international experience. They need to make themselves difficult to play against, and if they can do that I think they will stay up ... just.

Sam Allardyce took Bolton to two 8th positions, a 7th and a 6th and will be hoping to replicate this at Blackburn. Big Sam has now had a pre-season to instil his ideas into the club. I don’t think that Roque Santa Cruz will be missed that much considering his prolonged absences last season and Allardyce will hope loanee Franco di Santo can add goals. Blackburn will do well but there are other teams, who just seem to have more quality, that will stop them progressing into the top half. Relegation should certainly not be a worry.

2009/10 looks to be another solid season of consolidation for Bolton. Kevin Davies remains an important asset and good performances from him will be vital if Bolton are to do well. Fans will also be hoping that Matt Taylor retains the goalscoring form of last season. The signing of Sam Ricketts, Paul Robinson and Zat Knight has added depth to the defence. A bottom half finish is likely but Bolton should remain clear of any relegation scrap.

The aim for Burnley this season will surely be nothing other than survival: 17th would do fine. Burnley have a small squad with very little Premiership experience, which is vital for all newly promoted teams; unless players with said experience can be brought in before the transfer window closes I think they might struggle. For goals look to Martin Paterson and Steven Fletcher, both are young and talented, but I just can’t see them scoring enough. Burnley did incredibly well to get this far, but I think their time in the top flight will be limited.

2008/09 was salvaged for Chelsea by Guus Hiddink. Carlo Ancelotti seems convinced that his 4-4-2 diamond is the key to success, but I’m not sure it works that well with the players he has at his disposal. No big name has been brought in over the summer, but new contracts for Didier Drogba and John Terry will give fans confidence. New signing Yuri Zhirkov demonstrated his ability at Euro 2008 with Russia and will do well in England. Chelsea will be challenging for the title right to the end, but I think 2nd place is where they will end up.

For large chunks of last season Everton played without strikers and Mikel Arteta missed the second half of the season through injury, and they still finished 5th. Tim Cahill gives so much to the team and I’m surprised he’s not being linked with moves to bigger clubs. With Yakubu and Louis Saha fully fit Everton have a potentially lethal strikeforce. Fellaini should provide more goals from midfield. The defence is key to Everton’s success. Holding onto Joleon Lescott is so important. 18 year old Jack Rodwell could shine this season. There has been no significant strengthening over summer but players back from injury will be like new signings. Another Europe qualification is on the cards.

Roy Hodgson has worked wonders at Fulham since taking over in December 2007. Fulham will do well to finish as high as 7th again, especially with the likes of Tottenham and Man City looking so strong. Fulham’s defence last season was the foundation of their success. Brede Hangeland needs to stay despite reported interest from Arsenal. Clint Dempsey showed more class over summer in his displays for USA in the Confederations Cup and Andrew Johnson will score goals given chances. Mid table looks likely.

The only reason Hull stayed up last season is because of their fantastic start. The squad doesn’t have an air of quality about it. I think scoring goals may be a problem and conceding them will be an even bigger problem. Phil Brown has been knocked back several times in his attempts to sign players over summer. The surprise factor is no longer there and I think the Tigers will struggle all season. Relegation looks likely.

Liverpool’s chance to end their 19 year wait for the title was last season. Beyond Gerrard and Torres the attacking options look average. If either one gets injured I can’t see where the goals are coming from. The loss of Xabi Alonso will be huge; his replacement Aquilani is talented, but, as I heard last week, delicate; he will miss the start of the season and may need time to adjust after that. The loss of Arbeloa will also be detrimental to their title challenge; the Spanish defender was a great utility player. I don’t think Liverpool will finish higher than 3rd.

What’s not already been said about Manchester City? Last summer the big money only came in on the last day of the transfer window. Now that Mark Hughes has had a whole summer and pre-season to plan and spend things may finally start to happen. With Robinho, Adebayor and Tevez there should be no problem scoring goals; Wright-Phillips and Ireland will also chip in. The problem last season was a leaky defence and poor away form. Kolo Touré will bolster the defence and brigs title winning experience. I don’t see City winning the league because I don’t think they will win the games where they play badly, which is what Chelsea and local rivals United do so well. Two of Liverpool, Arsenal and City will finish 3rd and 4th; if it comes down to the last day I think City will lose out as they have the harder of the final day fixtures.

People seem to think that without Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez Manchester United will be stuck for goals, but Ronaldo’s departure in particular could allow other players to come out of the shadows. If Rooney is played consistently in a central role he could have his best season yet. Berbatov will be looking to improve on a disappointing first season and a fit again Michael Owen cannot be ignored. We will probably see Alex Ferguson employing a more conventional 4-4-2 this season. Valencia and Nani should provide good width and goals will come from their crosses. The midfield also needs to score more goals. Van Der Sar is missing for the first few games, which could be problematic; Ben Foster is a good shot stopper but is prone to errors. An unprecedented fourth consecutive title is there for the taking, but it will be a hard fought battle.

The future looks bleak for Portsmouth. In the last year Muntari, Diarra, Defoe, Johnson and Crouch have left; all quality players. The club has £60million debts and prospective takeover has not formally happened yet. There is no money for players and what is left of the squad looks very weak with little depth. If Pompey are to have any chance of survival David Nugent needs to finally step forward and score goals. The departure of Sol Campbell has a left a whole at the centre of the defence and Sylvain Distin has become a mere shadow of what he was in 2007/08. Portsmouth will be relegation fodder.

Stoke surprised everyone last season with how well they did. The second season is always harder for teams like these, as Ipswich and Reading have found out in recent years. Stoke are very difficult to play against and are a great aerial threat. The goals of James Beattie were integral to survival last season and will be again this season. The rest of the team needs to provide goals as well, having only scored 38 last season. If home form is strong again Stoke will make it a third season in the top flight.

Steve Bruce with money to spend will be an interesting concept. With a relatively small budget he took Wigan to a mid-table finish last season, so with a healthy backing at Sunderland bigger things could be around the corner. It may surprise some to know that Darren Bent is second highest English league scorer of the last four seasons behind only Wayne Rooney, so should prove to be a very good signing. Kenwyne Jones is always a handful for defences and Fraizer Campbell now gets his chance at regular Premier League football. With the management of Bruce and his new signings I think Sunderland will vastly improve on last season’s 16th place finish; mid-table or maybe even top half should be what Bruce is aiming for.

Tottenham always look strong and this season will be no exception. If Spurs really want to push on they need to improve their record against the top four, which has not been the best in recent years. Harry Redknapp has a wealth of attacking talent at his disposal. Injury prone centre backs may hinder progress and the traditional slow start needs to be avoided if there is to be any chance of bridging the gap with the top four. Redknapp has spent a lot of money since he has been in charge and fans will be keen to see it pay off, but I still don’t think it will quite come together the way it should do.

Gianfranco Zola took over a struggling team at West Ham, with no money to spend and turned them into a mid-table side playing attractive football. Zola is not scared to blood youth in his team, with Junior Stanislas being the prime example. Along with Jack Collison and James Tomkins, Stanislas will develop well over the course of the season. Carlton Cole is finally living up to his potential and Luis Jiminéz, on loan from Inter, will add some flair and support to the attack. West Ham are set for a very good season, perhaps challenging for a Europa League place.

I watched Roberto Martinez’s Swansea play Sheffield Wednesday last season and, although the final score was 0-0, I was very impressed with the way they played and in particular with Jordi Gomez and Jason Scotland, both of which have now joined Martinez at Wigan. Martinez has the makings of a good manager and will impose an attractive style on Wigan, yet still possessing the bite of players like Michael Brown and Paul Scharner. Scott Sinclair also arrives on loan, who given the chance will be able to terrorise defenders with his lightning pace. Wigan will probably flirt with relegation on occasion but will ultimately survive.

Wolves boast several quality attacking players who were a class apart in the Championship last season. New signing Kevin Doyle has proved he can score goals at this level and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake is highly regarded by many including Sir Alex Ferguson, who requested a buy-back clause when he sold the striker to Plymouth. I don’t think Wolves will have a problem scoring goals, but the defence looks like it might leak a fair few; Michael Mancienne, on loan from Chelsea, has been added to the squad to help sure it up at the back. Wolves will be alright in the end; goals will just about keep them up. I expect them to still be fighting on the last day.

Final Table:

1. Manchester United
2. Chelsea
3. Liverpool
4. Arsenal
5. Manchester City
6. Everton
7. Tottenham Hotspur
8. West Ham United
9. Aston Villa
10. Sunderland
11. Fulham
12. Blackburn Rovers
13. Bolton Wanderers
14. Stoke City
15. Wigan Athletic
16. Wolverhampton Wanderers
17. Birmingham City
18. Burnley
19. Portsmouth
20. Hull City

Scotland: World Champions? Yeah Right!

2009-08-13T20:48:00.005+01:00

Would it be crazy to say that Scotland are the greatest international team in history? What if the title of ‘World Champions’ was decided not by the FIFA World Cup, but by a one off match between the current champions and a contender? This is the Unofficial Football World Championship. The concept works much in the same way as a boxing title; the ‘holders’ play a ‘contender’ and the winner of the match is the world champion (a draw results in the holder retaining the title). In the UFWC a ranking point is awarded for each defence of the title (only for a win, not a draw). Scotland top the rankings having accumulated the most points. The championship can be traced back to 1872 with the first ever international match between England and Scotland. At the time these two were the only international sides around so the winner could be declared as the best in the world. Since then the title has moved all over the world. The beauty of the UFWC is that it strays from the football status quo; Brazil only appear 6th on the all time ranking list. Who would have thought that Scotland would top the all-time rankings in international football? or that Zimbabwe would be world champions for most of 2005? It can make otherwise pointless international matches into something a bit more interesting.
There are two instances where the FIFA World Cup and the UFWC have combined. The World Cup Final in 1966 and in 1974 both doubled up as a title match for UFWC. Other famous matches that decided the UFWC are England’s loss to USA at the 1950 World Cup and England’s win against Germany in Euro 2000.
Holland are current champions which made this week’s otherwise pointless friendly with England a title match. The 2-2 draw means that Holland have retained the title and will defend it again against Japan in September. In 2009 Holland have been undefeated as unofficial world champions, having beaten Sweden in November 2008 to take the title.
If you are interested in finding out more about the UFWC go to http://www.ufwc.co.uk/

The Heart Attack and the Professional Footballer

2009-08-13T20:22:00.006+01:00

Last Saturday (8th August) newly appointed Espanyol captain Daniel Jarque became the latest professional footballer to die from heart failure. Only 6 days before his untimely death Jarque led out his team against Liverpool in a friendly to mark the opening of Estada Cornellà-El Prat, Espanyol’s brand new stadium. The Spaniards ran out 3-0 winners. The team then moved on to a pre-season training camp in Italy, where after a training session Jarque suffered a heart attack which proved fatal. He could not be resuscitated despite the best efforts of paramedics. Jarque played his whole career at Espanyol, joining the club at the age of 12, and also represented Spain from U17 though to U21 level.
Unfortunately Jarque is not alone. He is not the only player to die of heart failure in recent years. It is an occurrence which is seemingly becoming not uncommon in professional football. The physical demands of the game have become so intense that players are having to push their bodies further than ever before to achieve the fitness levels required of a modern footballer.
Sevilla’s Antonio Puerta collapsed during the opening game of the 2007/08 season and died 3 days later in hospital due to multiple organ failure as a result of multiple prolonged cardiac arrests. Puerta was a bright star of the Sevilla team that won the UEFA Cup in 2006 and 2007 and was an emerging prospect for the Spanish national team. Puerta’s funeral was attended by players and officials from both Sevilla and city rivals Real Betis; a city normally divided by football was united by tragedy.
The deaths of Phil O’ Donnell and Marc-Vivien Foé are similar and are more well known in the UK. Phil O’ Donnell was captaining Motherwell against Dundee United in December 2007 when he collapsed due to left ventricular failure, he was pronounced dead in hospital shortly afterwards. Marc-Vivien Foé collapsed on the pitch in the semi final of the 2003 Confederations Cup and died in the stadium’s medical centre after attempts for resuscitation failed. Foé’s number at Lyon and Manchester City were both retired in his memory and he received a state funeral in his homeland of Cameroon. It is often the case with these types of deaths that there is an underlying disease or condition that makes these players vulnerable to cardiac arrest while playing. As was the case with Foé, his death was only attributed to a heart condition after two autopsies. These are conditions that can have little to no effect on athletes in normal day to day life and therefore go unnoticed. It is when they go out onto the pitch and push their bodies to the limit that catastrophe strikes.
If there is any consolation in the deaths of players like Foé it is that there is now a greater awareness of the strain that professional sport can have on the bodies of its stars. Medical checks are becoming more thorough to uncover any underlying heart conditions. French veteran defender Lilian Thuram was set to sign for Paris Saint-Germain upon leaving Barcelona in 2008, but instead retired from playing upon the discovery of a cardiac malformation. Rubén de la Red of Real Madrid will be missing the entire 2009/10 season, having also missed most of the 2008/09, while a heart condition discovered in October 2008 is being monitored. It may be the case that he never returns to playing, but at least he will escape with his life, which puts it all into perspective.

The Race for Promotion

2009-08-06T21:22:00.009+01:00

In just a couple of days time the Football League season kicks off again. The race to the dizzying heights of the Premier League looks like it could be closely fought one, with several clubs looking good.
Obvious contenders would be perennial yo-yo-ers West Brom, who once again have kept their squad together following relegation and look as though they will be there or there abouts come May. The Baggies are a team caught between two leagues: too good for the Championship, but not cut out for the Premiership. Of the others relegated last season Middlesbrough stand a better chance than Newcastle at bouncing straight back. Gareth Southgate has kept the majority of his squad together and looks to have a decent defence. Mido has already left and Southgate is resigned to the prospect of losing Tuncay and Afonso Alves, although no one has come in for them yet. I have a feeling that former Arsenal player Jérémie Aliadière will shine at this level, having always displayed talent yet never quite blossoming in the top flight. Winger Adam Johnson will also take on a greater role and will most likely prosper. For Newcastle the future looks bleak, no manager and a 6-1 battering by Leyton Orient during pre-season doesn’t spell optimism. I expect Newcastle would be lucky to make the playoffs.
Of the other possible contenders I have to say that Ipswich look a decent bet. Roy Keane proved his worth at this level taking Sunderland up at attempt one. The side contains several players experienced at Championship level and with a good financial backing, as he had at Sunderland, Keane will no doubt be aiming high. I don’t see a reason why he can’t do it again.
Many people will be looking to Sheffield United to go one step further, but I think the playoff final was the chance for the Blades. Kyle Naughton and Greg Halford may prove big losses. The frontline has a youthful look, with Billy Sharp and Jamie Ward aged 23 and new signing Ched Evans only 20. The defence looks reasonably strong but goals could be a problem.
Cardiff narrowly missed out on a playoff spot last season and will be looking to put it right this season. Michael Chopra is back permanently and, should last season’s top scorer Ross McCormack stay, City will have a very potent strike force. Keeping Joe Ledley, who has attracted plenty of Premiership interest, will also be a bonus. I think Cardiff are well placed for the playoffs at least.
Anybody overlooking Reading would be foolish. The squad still contains several players who finished 8th in the Premier League in 2006/07. In Matthew Mills and Jay Tabb, the Royals have acquired two of the division’s most exciting younger prospects. At times last season Reading looked as though they could finish in the automatic promotion places and despite a change of management over the summer I expect them to be challenging again.
There are always some teams that compete for promotion against the odds. You just wonder whether Peterborough United could achieve a third consecutive promotion. Darren Ferguson is proving he is cut out for management and despite having a healthy financial backing has a great eye for a bargain, having brought in strikers Aaron McLean and Craig Mackail-Smith from non league football. Both players’ goals have been vital to back to back promotions. Goalkeeper Joe Lewis also has considerable talent and was named in the England squad for friendlies against USA and Trinidad & Tobago in 2008 despite playing in League Two at the time. Momentum is all important in football and Peterborough have it in abundance, a sneaky playoff finish could be on the cards.
The championship is always ultra-competitive and it is this that has made it the 4th most popular league in Europe, behind only the Premier League, La Liga and the Bundesliga. There can no doubts that the race to the promised land of the Premiership will have plenty of twists and turns and will a hard fought battle exciting for all to watch.

Deal or Martin nO' Deal?

2009-08-06T21:12:00.006+01:00

It has been brought to my attention that sections of Aston Villa fans are losing patience with ‘Martin nO’ Deal’ this summer, over a lack of summer signings. So far only Stewart Downing and Fabian Delph have been recruited. Both look to be good signings; however, Downing is not expected to be fit until December having suffered a fractured foot in his last game for Middlesbrough; and Delph has great potential, but is only 19, and is one more for the future.
The losses of Gareth Barry, to Manchester City, and Martin Laursen, to retirement, will be huge for Villa. Both were so important to the success of last season. Loss of form towards the end was not helped by Laursen’s injury. The team requires a new spine, but with the new season only just over a week away and no new signings Villa will be hard pushed to improve on 6th place. My guess is that to keep the club moving forwards at least 5 or 6 quality players have to be brought in, to replace and strengthen. Squad rotation is a necessity in the modern game with the need to keep top players fit and fresh over the whole season. Martin O’ Neill had very limited options last season, especially as beyond the 1st XI there is a lack in quality. New players are vital, but now that pre-season is almost over new signings have no time to gel with the existing players and I would say this is hardly the best preparation for a side aspiring for Champions League football.
In Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor Villa have two of the brightest attacking talents in England. John Carew has Champions League pedigree having played with Valencia and Lyon; and Emile Heskey has rediscovered form in the last year. These players all offer different qualities but the problem is that there is no reliable goalscorer; someone who can provide 20 or more goals a season. I have previously pointed out the availability of Ruud van Nistelrooy, scorer of 150 goals in just 219 appearances for Manchester United. At £1.5million this would be a steal and potentially a fantastic move for player and club. With good service from Ashley Young and Downing, when fit, I could see van Nistelrooy enjoying an Indian summer to his career at Villa Park. Similarly Mark Viduka would be an option. At the time of writing Viduka is a free agent having been released by Newcastle. Signing Viduka could be a gamble, but may be worth it on a free transfer, especially if he can recapture his Leeds and Middlesbrough form. Italian striker Luca Toni is also a possibility. At 32 Toni still has the goal scorer’s touch and faces extra competition at Bayern now due to the signing of Mario Gomez from Stuttgart. Rumours linking Toni with a move to West Ham have been denied this week, but it is this kind of goal scorer that is an urgent need at Villa Park.
The centre of midfield needs significant strengthening. Villa do not have enough quality in this area to compete at the highest level. Players like Reo-Coker and Petrov look distinctly average compared to the standard required. Xabi Alonso’s arrival in Madrid looks to be pushing Wesley Sneijder further towards the door. This is a player who in my opinion has been too easily overlooked at Real. Lerner and O’ Neill have to be willing to spend money because that is the only way to get the right calibre of player. Sneijder’s services could probably be secured for around £14million and would add some real class and flair to the midfield. But there may be stiff competition from some of Europe’s big boys. A midfield target closer to home could be Tom Huddlestone of Spurs. Huddlestone could be lured to Villa Park with the promise of a regular starting place, which may be harder to come by at Tottenham with O’ Hara, Jenas, Palacios, Modric and the emerging talent of Bostock all competing. Huddlestone has been linked with Villa in the past and would fit well into O’ Neill’s model. Mahamadou Diarra won 6 consecutive league titles between 2002/03 and 2007/08 with Lyon and Real Madrid. A knee injury forced him to miss most of last season. Now there is real competition for places in Real Madrid’s midfield and Diarra may be tempted to look elsewhere. If Villa can prove they can offer potential it could be a great signing. Diarra is a destructive holding midfielder who would provide good cover for the back four. On his day nothing gets past him and everything comes through him.
The centre of defence is another problem area. Curtis Davies has talent but needs quality and experience alongside him, which he had with Laursen, but not with Zat Knight. Knight has now departed for Bolton (is that a sigh of relief I hear?), leaving Carlos Cuéllar as the only other recognised central defender. One player who might be available is Ricardo Carvalho of Chelsea, who again offers the necessary quality that progress requires. Carvalho has won league titles in England and Portugal as well as the Champions League in 2004. Inter pulled out of a deal because manager José Mourinho refused to meet Chelsea’s valuation, around £6million. £6million does not seem too steep a price for someone of that calibre, but it depends whether Carvalho sees Aston Villa as the right challenge. Alan Hutton at right-back may also be a feasible target. Kyle Naughton’s arrival at Tottenham could push Hutton out. Spurs will want to recoup most of the £9million spent on Hutton just 18 months ago but would probably listen to offers in the region of £7million. Hutton has good Champions League and International experience and could add strength and depth to a potentially shaky defence.
These are just a few players who could fill the holes. Whatever happens over the next week or so, it is vital that new players are added to Villa’s paper thin squad. Martin O’ Neill needs to change from Martin nO’ Deal to Martin Deal quickly if he is to have any chance of taking the club to the next level.

Sir Bobby Robson: 1933 - 2009

2009-08-06T21:07:00.003+01:00

The 31st July 2009 marked the passing of a legend of the modern football era. It is very rare indeed for someone in the world of football to be so well respected by all. People love and respect Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, but just as many hate them; this just isn’t the case when it comes to Sir Bobby Robson. On this day Sir Bobby finally lost a long battle with cancer, but will always be remembered for his success as both a player and a manager and for being true gentleman of the game.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Robson played the position of inside forward and had two spells at Fulham either side of his time at West Bromwich Albion. He was also capped 20 times for England and represented his country at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden. Robson was also due to go to the World Cup in 1962, but injury forced withdrawal from the squad. He never played for England again after that and retired from playing in 1968 after a brief spell as player manager of the Vancouver Royals in the inaugural season of the North American Soccer League.
Bobby Robson will always be remembered more for a managerial career that spanned 35 years across 4 nations at club and international level. It is remarkable that he achieved success in all his appointments. In 1969 after a short time as manager of Fulham Robson took over the reins at Ipswich Town, where he would stay for 13 years. Under Robson’s management Ipswich were consistent top 6 finishers, finishing as runner-up on two occasions. Robson brought trophies to Portman road in the form of the 1978 FA Cup and the 1981 UEFA Cup.
The success of Ipswich led to the England manager’s job being offered to Robson, shortly after the World Cup in 1982. England failed to qualify for Euro 84, but appeared at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico where they were eliminated at the quarter final stage thanks to one famous goal and one infamous goal from Argentina’s Diego Maradona. In 1990 Robson’s England became the most successful England team since 1966, reaching the World Cup semi final, losing only on penalties to eventual champions West Germany.
Robson’s first call from abroad came soon after the World Cup, leaving England for PSV Eindhoven in the first of two stints as manager there. PSV won the Dutch title in consecutive seasons, but in 1992 Robson moved on, this time to Portugal to take charge of Sporting CP. Lisbon was where Robson would first encounter José Mourinho, who was his interpreter. After only a brief time at Sporting Robson moved onto to Porto and brought back to back league titles and one Portuguese Cup in 3 seasons. After which came the call from Spanish giants Barcelona; where Mourinho was appointed his assistant. In only one season in Spain Robson picked up the Spanish Cup and the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup.
In 1999 Bobby Robson returned to England to his native north east, to become manager of Newcastle United, picking up the pieces after the brief but disastrous tenure of Ruud Gullit. Robson was able to reignite Newcastle after the progress under Keegan, and then Dalglish, had become stagnant. The Magpies finished 4th in 2002, improving to 3rd in 2003, seriously challenging for the title until the latter stages of the season. These two finishes brought Champions League football back to Newcastle, which saw famous victories over Juventus and Feyenoord. In the eyes of many fans the decline of Newcastle began because the premature sacking of Robson in August 2004.
In his managerial career Robson worked with some of the finest players around, including the likes of Romário, Ronaldo, Paul Gascoigne and Alan Shearer but to name a few. All who worked with him had only positive things to say about him and the way he conducted himself. Robson strived for good football. I particularly remember one post match interview where Newcastle had played very poorly and lost a match in London and Robson was particularly dismayed for the sake of the fans who had made the long journey to watch their team perform so poorly. It is this kind of thing which made him so loved by all. Sir Bobby Robson will be a great loss to the game of football.

Poll Results

2009-08-06T15:44:00.003+01:00

The question was who would you choose: Samuel Eto'o, Zlatan Ibrahimović or neither.

The results were fairly conclusive. Most would choose Eto'o. 85%, in fact, were in favour of Eto'o, with no votes at all for Ibrahimović and the remaining 15% choosing neither.

Short Change in the Transfer Market

2009-07-30T20:57:00.005+01:00

It seems that in this transfer window the concept of value for money has been somewhat lost. There are questions over whether Cristiano Ronaldo was worth his £80million price tag, the answer is probably not; I think £50-60million would have been more fitting. But this sale prompted the top European clubs to value their players excessively high. Bayern Munich announced that Franck Ribéry was going nowhere for less than £87million; and following José Mourinho’s comments last season about how Zlatan Ibrahimović Is the World’s best player, Inter valued him equally high. Those who want the best players simply have no choice but to meet the demands.
This week Ibrahimović completed a move to Barcelona, but looking at the terms of the deal you can’t help but feel that Barcelona have been short changed. To get Ibrahimović Barcelona had to pay in the region of £46million, as well as Samuel Eto’o, valued at around £20million, and Aliaksandr Hleb on loan with the option to buy. Surely one player cannot be worth all this. A fairer price would have been the £46million on its own. Ibrahimović has often been criticised in recent seasons for not performing when it really mattered. During his time at Juventus fans became frustrated with his inconsistency, especially after the Champions League quarter final defeat to Arsenal in 2006. Ibrahimović also failed to impress against Liverpool and Manchester United in the Champions League in the last two seasons. This is perhaps part of the reason why Inter failed to make progress in Europe. Teams need their top players to be firing on all cylinders in order to be successful; Ibrahimović along with several others at Inter were unable to perform on the biggest stage when the pressure was on. Ibrahimović is undoubtedly a talented player but there just seems to be something missing.
Inter have done fantastically well out of this deal. From previous articles you may know of my great admiration for Samuel Eto’o, and now will be no exception. Inter have acquired one of the world’s best strikers at what is effectively cut price, receiving over £40million on top of this. Eto’o is more prolific than Ibrahimović and has proved himself on the biggest stage having played in, scored in and won two Champions League Finals. Eto’o has also won 3 African Player of the Year titles and was only the second African to be named in the top 3 for the FIFA World Player of the Year Award.
But we have to remember that Italian and Spanish football have very different styles; maybe Eto’o won’t take to Italian football well, or maybe Ibrahimović will be more suited to La Liga than he was to Serie A. We will only find out in time, but for the moment it looks like Inter have conducted a great piece of business and Barcelona have been, for want of a better phrase, ‘ripped off’.