March 17, 2010

Sport polarises opinion to the same ferocious extent as political and ethical issues. Admittedly sporting dialectics could concern whether Mark Fish was the greatest South African to play in the Premier League, (we all know it was Shaun Bartlett, right?), but to the initiated they are as important as health care reform.

Certain figures from the world of football have the knack of being adored by some and despised by many, with the cliche “you hate him unless he plays for you” attached to their name as though a suffix. I remember speaking to an ardent Liverpool fan on the day that his club signed Craig Bellamy. His vitriolic hatred of the diminutive Welshman was as such that he held him in the regard usually reserved for war criminals. As I approached, a smug grin on my face, ready to hear him bemoan how his beloved team could sign such a prize prick he turned to me and, with a completely straight face, said: “I’ve always thought he was a top player really”.

There are not many people in sport who excite such sentiments in the way that Jose Mourinho does. The former Porto and Chelsea manager who now holds the top job at Internazionale is either lauded as a roguish continental scallywag or slated as a swaggering example of bloated hubris. In his first press conference after becoming Chelsea manager the newly anointed messiah of European management pronounced that he was “a special one” and proceeded to prove that he had the goods to back such a claim up. Initially he was the darling of the press possibly, I suspect, due to the stark contrast between his penchant for witty soundbites and the monotone drawl of Arsene Wenger or Sir Alex Ferguson. This relationship soon soured as Mourinho proved somewhat graceless in defeat and acerbic in his treatment of his counterparts.

His disgraceful attack on Wenger (he called the Arsenal boss a “voyeur” who “has his big telescope to look into the homes of other people and see what is happening”) became symptomatic of his increasingly erratic verbal attacks and sense of victimisation. Roman Ambramovich quickly tired of his inability to deliver the coveted Champions League trophy and “The Special One” left inevitably bound for one of the big jobs in Europe.

He returned to Stamford Bridge last night to show the West Londoners what they are missing. After a brilliantly cantankerous interview in the run up to the second leg of the Champions League tie Mourinho claimed that he should still be manager wryly remarking of Chelsea’s success since his departure: “They won…something. They won an FA cup”. He also went on to say, as he has done on numerous occasions during his time in Italy, that he would love a return to the Premiership.

For all his faults I would welcome him back with open arms. He displayed, last night, the clinical tactical acumen so lacking in our sometimes pedestrian league. No manager, even perhaps Ferguson, can accurately surmise the demands of an opposition and then set his team up to beat them accordingly. Even Wenger, hailed universally as a genius, has been found wanting implementing systems that leave his team worryingly open on big occasions, leading to them being comprehensively beaten by their two title rivals four times this season. The manner in which Jose engineered the Inter victory yesterday evening was masterful. Many would not have expected it, as both the reputation of Italian football and Mourinho is typically considered to be miserly.

The Inter boss realised that with Chelsea having an away goal, courtesy of Saloman Kalou’s strike at the San Siro, simply “parking the bus” to use a Mourinho term was not an option. Had Inter sat back and allowed Chelsea the impetus to attack for significant portions of the game they would have been beaten. Instead they set out to attack with an offensive triumvirate of Milito, Pandev and goalscorer Eto’o who never gave the Chelsea back four a seconds rest or the space needed to feed their midfield. Behind them Mourinho employed the Dutch playmaker Wesley Sneijder, arguably the best player on the pitch, to make sure that John Obi Mikel was more concerned with stopping him than winning the ball for Frank Lampard to distribute.

This move effectively stopped Chelsea from playing. Lampard, usually so effective in Europe, was anonymous and in turn the front two of Anelka and Drogba were left isolated. Sneijder flitted around with the ease of a man in top form probing the Chelsea defence with a series of near killer passes. It was Mourinho’s tactics that set him free.

And so Inter progress into the quarter finals with a special manager at the helm. Fans of Europe’s top clubs will point to their aging side, their supposedly one-dimensional style of play and their lack of depth but privately no one will want to draw them. In just the same way they may say that Mourinho is arrogant, over rated and has a bad attitude; but almost all of them would have him as their side’s manager.

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March 11, 2010

Amidst protests over Malcolm Glazer’s ownership of the club, Manchester United progressed into the quarter-finals of the Champions League with consummate ease, winning 4-0 against Leonardo’s A. C. Milan and 7-2 on aggregate. This was a game not so much about the quality of the Red Devils but one of the worst performances I have ever seen from a supposedly top European side in the world’s premier club competition.

The distinct lack of urgency from Milan, knowing that before a ball was even kicked they needed to score twice to make the next round was thoroughly frustrating to say the least. Centre-half Alessandro Nesta, experienced full-back Massimo Oddo and young Brazilian striker Alexandre Pato were admittedly all missing, but only substitute David Beckham can feel like he performed to a level anywhere near acceptable in the game at Old Trafford. Daniele Bonera looked even more inept in the heart of defence than at right-back, getting nowhere near the in-form Wayne Rooney who headed in a Gary Neville cross in the opening quarter of an hour. At least he was taken off at half-time!

Massimo Ambrosini, successor to Paolo Maldini as captain of the Rossoneri, is the perfect example of why the armband should not go to a player just because he has been at the club the longest, which is often the case in Italy. He never picked out a forward pass and scarcely made a tackle, something he is supposedly renowned for. Gennaro Gattuso must be baffled as to why he continues to be overlooked. The Milan full-backs, who both like to get forward, failed to provide from wide areas and offered no protection to their colleagues at the back; Ignazio Abate showed how inexperienced and overrated he is and Marek Jankulovski looked over the hill.

Ronaldinho barely figured in the game, whilst Marco Borriello displayed that he is equally useless out wide than as the main striker. Centre-forward Klaas-Jan Huntelaar continues to suffer from a lack of confidence and form, spurning a good chance early on due to a first touch that was so heavy you would have thought he was wearing concrete boots. Brazilian centre-half Thiago Silva didn’t have a glittering game either and neither did former Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini. Goalkeeper Christian Abbiati only added to his eccentric reputation and his mania for fisting the ball.

Of the XI that started Andrea Pirlo probably had the best game, but much like substitute Clarence Seedorf he tried to force the play through the middle of the park, making it easy for Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic. Also off the bench came Pippo Inzaghi who contributed three offsides before missing a great chance to get a consolation for Milan near the end.

Nobody can doubt the contribution Leonardo has made to the club over a decade as player, scout, coach and manager, yet there is no doubt his tactics were atrocious and naive for a side coming into the second leg of a knockout competition needing to score goals. A thoroughly nice man who had an exemplary career on the pitch, aside from one moment of madness, but he is simply not motivating his players in big matches. There was nobody supporting Huntelaar from the centre of midfield. The overall performance has for me rang alarm bells over the largely ageing squad and youngsters that might look good in the academy but fail to translate that form into a high-profile match. The tempo was wrong for a side chasing the tie, almost casual and non-committed at times. The Italian style of play is going to have to adapt to other approaches if its players cannot perform properly.

This is not to take anything away from Manchester United who still had put the ball back in the net. Rooney’s continuing purple patch is splendid news for England fans with the World Cup getting sooner and sooner. They thoroughly deserved to make it to the quarter-finals and no team will want to draw last season’s beaten finalists.

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March 7, 2010

Let’s face it. It used to be the proudest prize in English football. Nowadays, I think I’d be more entertained watching Roy Hodgson try to sing ‘Rocky Robin’ than following the F.A. Cup. Admittedly, I’m a United fan (please carry on reading), and there may be some bitterness in this article if you look closely enough, but I seriously believe that a reformatting of this historic trophy is needed to give it back the status it deserves.

Don’t furiously hammer a comment of protest into the keyboard just yet. I enjoyed thoroughly Portsmouth v Southampton, Stoke v Man City, Leeds v Tottenham and Aston Villa v Crystal Palace, and I imagine some people enjoyed watching Man United crash out in the third round. This competition will always provide upsets, good matches and drama.

However, as we move into a new age of football, marked by the financial theatrics at Portsmouth, West Ham and Man United, it’s clear that both fans and clubs have relegated the F.A. Cup to a lowly priority. This year’s third round saw an average attendance of 18,023 people, which is pretty high, but this is deceptive. Massive attendances at Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge boosted this figure massively, and overall figures since the first round were down on last year. Several top clubs including Wigan and Sheffield United suffered record low attendances.

The clubs, too, lost a lot of interest. Weakened team selections and apathetic performances mean that only three of the top ten Premiership clubs are in the last eight. No football fan can honestly say that they’re more excited about who wins this ‘major trophy’ than they are about who will go down, who will qualify for Europe, and who will stop Liverpool from getting into the Champions league. Steve Coppell summed up the new attitude to the Cup as manager of Reading in 2008. When asked about his team’s premature exit from the F.A. Cup, he replied “I’ve got 17 more cup finals this season.” When it comes down to it, managers can’t afford to regard this trophy as anything more than a jolly day out to distract their players from the harsh world of the Premier League.

So what can be done to change things? The English F.A. are looking into a few ways of upping the prestige of their eponymous trophy. Personally, I think the European incentive has failed, and so giving a Champions League place to the winners is excessive and would only serve to devalue and corrupt the English game.

There are many possibilities being discussed to potentially improve the situation, but only two of these seem sensible. Firstly: the abolition of replays. Only then would managers have the confidence to play stronger teams, more likely to get a result. There would be more excitement on match days, and no irritating backlog of Premier League fixtures to catch up on. Secondly, to increase the possibility of ‘giant-killings’ while at the same time keeping big clubs interested, the third and fourth round should be seeded. If Championship and Premiership clubs were kept apart then there would be more chance of lucrative revenue for smaller clubs from the competition.

These are only ideas, still very much embryonic, but most importantly it would appear that the F.A. have recognised the need to protect the value of the most famous up competition in the world; now all that remains to be done is practical action.

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February 27, 2010

England’s upcoming home friendly with 2010 Africa Cup of Nations winners Egypt on Wednesday looks on paper to be a great opportunity to try new ideas and test fringe players – yet, the squad just announced includes only one player being called up for the first time.

Stoke City’s Ryan Shawcross, a player who has been linked with Liverpool, received the call from Fabio Capello, despite his involvement in the horrific injury sustained by young Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey this afternoon. He is reported to have left the Britannia Stadium in tears after his 50-50 challenge resulted in the Welsh central midfielder’s foot hanging off his leg. Highly rated as Shawcross is, this incident should not detract from his displays this season, which saw Stoke go unbeaten this year until the 1-3 defeat at the hands of the Gunners. It is to be hoped that he is not too shaken to make the most of the opportunity handed to him by the England manager, though the best he can hope for is a substitute appearance.

Elsewhere in defence, Captain Rio Ferdinand, Glen Johnson and Ashley Cole miss out through injury, whilst Manchester City left-back Wayne Bridge has declared himself unavailable for off-the-pitch reasons. Squad player Gary Cahill is recovering from a blood clot problem and Everton’s Phil Jagielka is just returning from a serious knee injury. This leaves Joleon Lescott, West Ham’s Matthew Upson and former captain John Terry competing with Shawcross for the two centre-back berths. Wes Brown of Manchester United is the only right back in the squad, with either Everton’s Leighton Baines or Aston Villa’s Stephen Warnock having to step into Cole’s boots.

In goal, Ben Foster is dropped completely from the squad and troubled Portsmouth’s David James is recalled. He is joined by Robert Green and Birmingham City’s Joe Hart (on loan from Man City), who after solid displays for the Blues should really be involved at some stage.

As ever England are spoilt for choice with options on the right side of midfield. David Beckham and Theo Walcott return and find themselves competing with the versatile James Milner and Shaun Wright-Phillips. I am not entirely convinced SWP would be in the squad were Aaron Lennon of Tottenham Hotspur fit. Milner might also be deployed on the left. On the other side Stewart Downing is named for the first time since recovering from the foot injury which saw him miss six months last year, with Villa team mate Ashley Young dropped and there still being no place for Chelsea’s Joe Cole.

In the middle of the park, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard return, but the Liverpool skipper may start from the left-hand side as it has been a favourite tactic of Capello’s. They are joined by the less-attacking duo of Gareth Barry and Michael Carrick. Spurs pair Jermaine Jenas and Tom Huddlestone miss out, which is particularly hard on the latter as I felt his debut substitute performance against Brazil last time out was solid.

Up front, Sunderland’s Darren Bent and Villa’s Gabriel Agbonlahor are not one of the five strikers selected. Neither is the in-form Fulham frontman Bobby Zamora, whom I feel should really have been selected even if he wasn’t going to feature. Wayne Rooney should be partnered in attack by Emile Heskey, Peter Crouch or Carlton Cole. Jermain Defoe completes the England strike force.

As for the opposition, the champions of Africa welcome back Mohamed Aboutrika after injury. Former Sheffield United player Ahmed Fathy will play in the back five. Ex-Spurs and Derby midfielder Hossam Ghaly should join national team captain Ahmed Hassan and Aboutrika in the midfield three. Up front you would expect two from Hull City striker Amr Zaki, Emad Motaeb and Borussia Dortmund’s Mohamed Zidan to play, though Geddo, the African Cup of Nations top scorer earlier this year, may have done enough to be promoted from an impact sub.

England XI I would select to start vs. Egypt:
Hart, Brown, Terry, Upson, Baines, Milner, Lampard, Barry, Gerrard, Rooney, Carlton Cole

England XI I think will start:
Hart, Brown, Terry, Upson, Baines, Walcott, Lampard, Barry, Gerrard, Rooney, Heskey

We welcome your thoughts on all things England, leave a comment below or contact sport@nouse.co.uk

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February 26, 2010

Football clubs have long helped insolvency experts remain solvent. Ever since Peter Ridsdale built Leeds United’s Champions League citadel on a mound of slowly sinking sand, clubs, and their owners, throughout the football pyramid have displayed the financal acumen usually associated with gambling addicts. Administration for a Premiership club became a statistical inevitability, a sorry financal train wreck waiting to happen. The announcement today that Portsmouth have entered administration, and will have to face the effective relegation that accompanies it, signals the setting of a dark precedent for the modern game.

Many will point to Portsmouth themselves as the architects of their own grisly demise. A culture of “never – never” spending and a sucession of distinctly sour sugar daddies have left the South Coast outfit beleaguered and broken. They no longer have the money to pay for an internet server for their website. It looks as though many of the 600 people that they employ will lose their jobs. Consequences such as these are the best that Pompey’s fans can currently countenance.

Having narrowly avoided two winding up orders perhaps, as former manager Paul Hart has suggested in the press, administration will offer them a fresh start. Finally the systematic reckless mismanagement of a venerable sporting instituion will be ended. Perhaps a sense of realism will be introduced to a club mired by £60 million pounds worth of debt. Signings such as John Utaka make Portsmouth’s financal situation understandable and act as a microcosm for the wider problems inherent in modern football. The former Rennes forward was signed for £7 million in July 2007 and has started a paltry 31 premier league games, scoring just seven goals in the process. The Nigerian earns £80,000 a week and will have cost Portsmouth an incredible £23 million if he stays until the end of his contract.

Aspirational and frankly ludicrous signings are the major problem for all clubs of Portsmouth’s stature nowadays. As fans bay for greater sucess increasingly unsustainable risks are taken which fundamentally damage the long-term future of clubs everywhere. Beholden to the desires of supporters whose expectations are unreasonably altered by periods of sucess owners are only too happy to splash cash they haven’t got. Portsmouth are now paying the ultimate price.

The South Coast is not a footballing region and Portsmouth suffer from small gate recepits and a the confines of ageing facilities. After winning the FA Cup in 2008, and earning lucrative and prestigious UEFA cup ties with European giants such as AC Milan, Pompey looked like the epitome of a well run club. They seemed to be utilising their limited resources to garner as much sucess as conceivably possible and to build foundations for continued prosperity in the top flight.

In the background, an entirely different narrative was being played out as their upper management greedily looked to commerically capitalise on their sucess through a succesion of loans that make RBS seem eminently responsible. Local stalwarts like Peter Storrie were content to allow foreign owners with little or no money behind their facade of extravagant wealth to suffocate one of the most ardently supported clubs in the Premier League.

When will people say enough is enough? When will fans look beyond cheque books and exotic surnames to demand that their clubs aren’t violated any more? If Portsmouth go under it will have an incalculably negative effect on the local area and its people. Perhaps other club owners and British guardians eagerly seeking to tout their club to and sheikh or oligarch that will take notice will view Portsmouth as a cautionary tale. Instead of seeking the proverbial pot of gold at every opportunity, instead of taking out loans and crossing their fingers they will realise it is not a bad acheivement to simply be in the Premier League. Perhaps they will realise that it is better to be less successful than to not exist at all.

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February 10, 2010

If there’s one thing we can all learn from Chelsea (apart from whom to call for a sly look at a Premier League training ground), it’s that the Premiership title is up for sale. With decent managerial guidance, it’s quite realistic for any fat cat to expect to be polishing the Premiership trophy after a couple of years and around £150-200 million.

Of course, Arsenal don’t have anywhere near that sort of cash. They do, however, have Arsene Wenger. This is a man with an exquisite eye for tactical detail, a fine perception of the art of football, and a reputation as a truly great manager. Since establishing himself, Wenger’s philosophy has been to rely on the power of player potential. This has seen some very promising young talent emerge from Highbury/Emirates over the last decade, but with the Gunners heading for a fourth consecutive trophy-less season, is it time to question Arsene’s extreme youth team?

I don’t think anybody can deny that watching first Wayne Rooney, then Didier Drogba and their respective cronies tear apart their timid back line over the past week or so has sealed Arsenal’s fate of a finish outside of the top two this season. For all the potential there, there are serious deficiencies at the Emirates. What is most interesting is that these deficiencies flow through the backbone of the team, a backbone where United have Edwin Van Der Sar, Nemanja Vidic, Darren Fletcher and Rooney, and where Chelsea have Petr Cech, John Terry, Michael Essien and Drogba. It is from this rigid stem that flair and talent can blossom, and trophies can be won.

I’ll start with the goalkeeper; Manuel Almunia. I think that gives enough reason to spend some of the money from the Kolo Toure/Emmanuel Adebayor sale on someone decent in goal. Secondly, William Gallas will never be strong enough to be in charge of a back four. This has been uncovered several times this season, and although Thomas Vermaelen will be good, he isn’t good enough yet. Maybe Rio Ferdinand is over the hill at Man United but he knows how to organise a defence and knows how to make the best of the talented Jonny Evans. Arsenal need someone to unify the defence and stop them all flapping around, entangled in each other’s bootlaces while Drogba whistles past.

Perhaps that is all a little harsh, but if he’s unwilling to cough up for a defender, then Wenger cannot deny the need for a commanding central midfielder. Brian Clough was of the view that a club should never have a creative gem in midfield without a dogged tackler in midfield to win the ball for him. The incredible skill of Cesc Fabregas is suffocating alongside the incompetence of Alexandre Song. I dread to imagine what that midfield will look like if the Spaniard hops over to Catalunia this summer. Compared to the glory days of Marc Overmars, Emmanuel Petit and Patrick Vieira it’ll look like Ringo Starr leading a Beatles tribute band.

Finally, the centre forward situation could do with a rethink. Andrei Arshavin had more in common with that annoying Russian meerkat than he did with Drogba last weekend. He’s just too wasteful and his skill doesn’t make up for his lack of presence, and has been dining out on his Euro 2008 performance for too long (remember Thomas Brolin?). With no Robin van Persie, Arsenal need five good chances before they can score a goal. Sometimes they can do this, other times not.

Arsenal fans shouldn’t be depressed just yet. It may be frustrating for now, but let’s not forget that Wenger has sowed the seeds of a potentially trophy winning team. He just needs to buy a tractor and a rake and start harvesting………..

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February 2, 2010

With the window now slammed shut once again, analysts have been pointing to the marked decrease in the total money spent and the number of loan deals that have gone through, doubtlessly reflecting the current financial climate. It is time to go beyond the economics and look at what clubs have got from the market. After a relatively quiet start, which I have previously discussed, the second half of the month always provides us with more activity.

Glasgow Celtic has been a club with something of a revolving door this month. Out have gone former defensive mainstays Gary Caldwell and Steven McManus, popular Australian striker Scott McDonald, midfielder Barry Robson, and promising wingback Danny Fox, along with Willo Flood and Chris Killen, who have struggled to perform in the SPL.

The majority of these players have joined former boss Gordon Strachan, now at Middlesbrough, and it is interesting to note that of these seven, only one player moved on was signed by current manager Tony Mowbray. The same number of players has been brought in by the former West Bromwich Albion boss. South Korean central midfielder Ki Sung-Yong has started well and the loan signing of Edison Braafheid from Bayern Munich is very much like-for-like with the departed Fox, but tall centre backs Jos Hooiveld and the nineteen-year old Thomas Rogne have such big boots to fill. The Dutchman, 26, has played in the Eredivise before spells in the Austrian, Finnish and Swedish leagues, winning the 2009 Allsvenskan with AIK. The young Norwegian on the other hand could be the future.

Up front the Bhoys have brought in three new options. Danish striker Morten Rasmussen hit twelve in fifteen games in the Danish Superliga and opened his account for Celtic in the 1-0 away win to Hamilton at the weekend. Fulham forward Diomansy Kamara has also joined on loan. Although he has never really cut it in the Premier League, he had a highly successful campaign in the Championship under Mowbray at The Hawthorns in the 2006-07 season.

Last and by no means least is the loan signing of Tottenham Hotspur striker and Ireland’s record goalscorer Robbie Keane. No longer guaranteed a regular starting place at Spurs due to the revival of the Crouch-Defoe partnership from Portsmouth, Harry Redknapp has let his team captain join the Glasgow club until the end of the season. There is great expectation on Keane’s shoulders but he is of a completely different class from the usual tests SPL defenders face. For me and many other commentators this is definitely the story of the transfer window.

Turning our attention from Scotland to East London and relegation threatened West Ham. Prior to the opening of the window, Hammers boss Gianfranco Zola saw his forward options depleted by injuries to Carlton Cole and Guillermo Franco and the sad but unsurprising retirement of another ‘England-nearly’ Dean Ashton. Despite recalling young Freddie Sears from cash-strapped Crystal Palace, they displayed their striking problems to a wider audience on Third Round weekend in the FA Cup defeat against Arsenal. Their lack of cutting edge was so obvious, even my aunt commented on it! Since then the East London club have only scored against fellow strugglers Portsmouth, with no out-and-out centre forward scoring since the end of November.

In response to this three new striking options have made their way to Upton Park. Blackburn’s Benni McCarthy is in my view the best of these. He has never failed to get double figures in all competitions since coming to England in 2006, but has found his opportunities limited under Sam Allardyce at Ewood Park and is no doubt anxious to secure a regular starting place to ensure that he plays for the host nation come the World Cup. South Africa’s record goalscorer has been joined by Brazilian forward Ilan signed from French top flight side Saint-Étienne. Though skilful, a fact reflected by his three national caps during the 2003 Confederations Cup, he joins the Hammers from a side that has gone from UEFA Cup qualification in 2008 to barely staying in La Championnat last season and that continues to struggle now. It may be better to judge him by his assists than goal contributions; at 29, it is not too late for him to silence his critics though.

Lastly, West Ham has secured the loan signing of Egyptian striker Mido. This for me is a move that makes no sense whatsoever. His attitude problem is well documented, having twice been banned from playing for his national side; a selfish ego is the last thing the East London oufit, a point above the relegation zone, needs. Countless lazy, non-committed, passionless displays at Tottenham, Middlesbrough and Wigan count against Mido being worthwhile. What makes Zola think he can get the best out of a player who has worked with more experienced and well respected coaches like Martin Jol and Steve Bruce? The best Hammers fans can hope for seems to be what has happened with the Egyptian before: initial promising displays with the odd goal here and there being replaced by slothful performances that upset the fans. Those that cite his relatively bad injury record as an excuse should be reminded that far better players than Mido have returned from such setbacks without the attitude. All that said I loved Gianfranco Zola as a player and therefore I wish him every success in the dugout. West Ham can stay up, if not necessarily due to the players they have brought in, then because of those like Carlton Cole, Scott Parker and Matthew Upson who they have kept hold of this month.

Staying in London, Fulham have brought in Nick Shorey on loan from Aston Villa, previously on a similar deal at Championship promotion hopefuls Nottingham Forest. His displays for the Trent-side team were excellent and they were sorry to lose him. Shorey provides a better defensive option at left back than Paul Konchesky and is a better bet than operating Irish full-back Stephen Kelly on the wrong side. Joining him at Craven Cottage is Italian-Nigerian target man Stefano Okaka on loan from AS Roma. At only 20 he is still a player in development, so we should not judge him too harshly, but it is his departure from the Stadio Olimpico which is puzzling. In need of a large presence up front, Claudio Ranieri was not able to call on Luca Toni and Mirko Vucinic in the last game against Siena due to muscular strains, leaving Julio Baptista as the only fit attacking player of big build.

Wigan have signed England youth international Victor Moses for £2.5 million from Crystal Palace. Along with Middlesbrough’s Adam Johnson who joined Manchester City also on deadline day, the Nigerian born forward will have to step up to the Premier League. Johnson has 11 goals and 5 assists in half a Championship season, whilst Moses has found the net on six occasions, grabbing two assists. These players will only develop if played regularly. The departure of Robinho back to Brazil has increased Johnson’s chances of getting into the match-day squad, but his only chance of forcing his way into the XI is if Sky Blues boss Roberto Mancini does not continue to play Craig Bellamy wide and the good form of Martin Petrov begins to dwindle. As for Moses his best bet of getting into the Wigan starting line-up may be playing off Hugo Rodallega rather than on the wing as Charles N’Zogbia has been excellent on the left for the Lactics. That said they are both signings very much with the future in mind. Staying with the northwest club, they signed Bolivian striker Marcelo Moreno Martins on loan from Ukrainian side Shaktar Donetsk. At 22 he has already made a name for himself on the international stage, scoring home goals in La Paz against Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina during the World Cup Qualifiers for the national team. That said he is yet to prove himself in domestic leagues outside South America.

Stoke City have swooped for Portsmouth’s Bosnian goalkeeper Asmir Begovic for £3.25 million. He looks as though he has great potential. Sunderland signed Matt Kilgallon from Sheffield United, Alan Hutton on loan from Tottenham and Benjani from Manchester City. The centre back is looking to get his first real crack at the Premier League, having been used sparingly in the top flight when at the Blades. Hutton’s move to the northeast will hopefully help him to recapture his excellent form for Rangers and Scotland. How much Benjani will play seems to me to depend upon how unsettled Trinidadian target man Kenwyne Jones is at the speculation linking him with a move to Liverpool. Besides letting Robbie Keane join Celtic on loan, Tottenham have re-signed Younes Kaboul from Portsmouth and former Chelsea and Bolton frontman Eidur Gudjohnsen has returned to the Premier League on loan from AS Monaco.

Sadly there isn’t enough room to talk about all the transfers that have gone through in my blog, but any comments on the transfers that has gone through this January is most welcome.

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February 2, 2010

I, for one, am getting bored with the English Premier League. Chelsea are looking in cracking form and as well as being a point ahead of Manchester United, they also have a game in hand. With such a big squad at their disposal and a resurgent United side hitting their stride, this season’s title race is already between the same two contestants.

Where to go for your weekly dose of football excitement then? I present to you the Coca-Cola Football League One.

Even before the season began, this league has always looked exciting. Leeds United, playing against some of the greatest teams in Europe just a few years ago, were hot shot favourites for the top spot and a certainty for automatic promotion. In 2001, a side made up of class players such as Alan Smith, Mark Viduka and Rio Ferdinand lost to Valencia in the semi-finals of the Champions League. Now they’re being carried by Jermaine Beckford. The 26 year-old striker scored his 24th goal of the season against Colchester United at the weekend to bring Leeds’ tenth win at Elland Road so far.

Leeds opened the season with eight consecutive victories, their best ever league start. Nine points ahead at one point, Leeds are now three points behind Norwich with two games in hand. They look in impressive form to reclaim the top spot though. Winning against Manchester United 1-0 in the FA Cup is solid proof that this side doesn’t deserve to be in the third tier of English football. Let’s just hope that prolonged action in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy, where they’ve reached the Northern Final, and FA Cup doesn’t distract them from their goal of automatic promotion.

In contrast, Norwich City have only got league ambitions on their mind. The Canaries’ form started off shaky, losing 7-1 on the opening day to local rivals Colchester. However, a miraculous turnaround has taken place. City legend Bryan Gunn was sacked six days after Norwich’s heaviest loss ever, replaced by Paul Lambert, the Colchester manager who masterminded the win. Unsurprisingly, Theoklitos, the Australian goalkeeper responsible for the opening day defeat, hasn’t played since and Norwich are now unbeaten in 16 matches.

Canary fans are praying that their three star players stay injury free and the club’s fine form can continue. There is no doubt that without Grant Holt, Wes Hoolahan and Chris Martin, the club wouldn’t be top of the table. The three players have scored 39 league goals this season, well over half the club’s total of 61. The loan signing of Newcastle stopper Fraser Forster seems inspired as well; Norwich have only conceded 23 league goals since that disastrous first day. Proof of Lambert’s incredible magic at Norwich comes in the form of a 5-0 demolishing of Colchester last month, showing that memories of the first day have been forgotten. Not achieving automatic promotion would be cruel now.

Hot on the tails of the top two have been Colchester and Charlton Athletic. Charlton always looked like title contenders, especially with their reputation of Premier League football a few years ago. Captain Nicky Bailey, who was also Charlton player of the year last year, has continued his good form scoring ten goals so far this season. The Addicks have only lost three times in the league so far showing consistency, as well as the ability to put pressure on the top two and push for automatic promotion. Furthermore, they’ve drawn with Norwich and Leeds already this season. Charlton’s fourth from last and penultimate games of the season are against Norwich and Leeds respectively, giving the London side a real shot at promotion if things stay tight at the top.

Colchester are leading the rest of the pack to keep up with the top three, with Swindon Town hot on their tails. Despite losing at Leeds at the weekend, their home form has been impressive, winning 10 of their 13 games at the Colchester Community Stadium this season. What they lack though, and which Norwich and Leeds have, is a reliable goal scorer. Kevin Lisbie has hit the net 11 times so far but is only on loan at Colchester from Ipswich Town. Promotion may be a more reasonable aim next season for The U’s.

After their brilliant 7-1 victory against Norwich on the opening season though and beating Charlton convincingly in September, making predictions is a risky business. Especially near the top, the football in League One can be enjoyable to watch and entertaining – League One is full of surprises. Next season plans to be even more of a contest as well – Southampton will be in the race next time without their administration 10 point penalty. Things are also tight at the bottom of the Championship. Ipswich, Crystal Palace and Reading are all in danger of being relegated and entering the race to stay afloat and secure a way out of the third tier of English Football.

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February 1, 2010

England’s bid to win the World Cup this summer has suffered its first major blow, and surprisingly it has not come in the shape of a broken metatarsal. On Saturday a Judge overturned a gagging order that had previously prevented the media from reporting on an alleged affair between inspirational skipper John Terry and the ex-girlfriend of England team-mate Wayne Bridge.

The news threatens to seriously affect the tight ship that Capello has been running. When he took over the reins the stories focused on no mobile phones at dinner and heavy penalties for lateness, the players insist that the boss’ changes have not been too dramatic, but nevertheless the disciplinarian that is Capello must have reservations about having a captain who may not have the full support of his troops.

It has been suggested that Bridge will refuse to travel to South Africa if Terry is on the plane, and while it is nigh on unbelievable to imagine a situation where the Chelsea defender is dropped from the squad completely, is it right that he continues as captain?

If the allegations are all true then Terry is not the first football player to indulge in extra-marital affairs and, while I’m no Mystic Meg, I very much doubt he will be the last. The difference is, of course, that his alleged indecency took place with the girlfriend of a team-mate. The only people who are really qualified to answer the question are those who know the dynamics of the England set-up. If Wayne Bridge is a popular figure then the players may not be happy to take the field playing for Terry.

England would be in a bad situation if they had a captain in place who did not command the respect of his players. To really threaten in June Capello needs his players to all be pulling in one direction and that might not be possible if Terry is in charge. So what to do? Relieve the Chelsea man of his duties perhaps? This seems the obvious answer but you would then be left with a disaffected Terry, suddenly a member of the rank and file, and playing under his replacement. This would not solve the problem; you could easily see a situation with a split squad, those in “Team Bridge” and those backing their former skipper; anything but ideal.

Perhaps Capello will shock everyone and axe the man he appointed as his leader when he took over. Unlike Ancelotti he is yet to come out and vociferously support him. It would certainly follow his hard line on discipline within the squad but, in doing so, it would rip apart an already shaky backline. If Terry were to be given the chop, who would don the armband in his place? The candidates are numerous; Ferdinand, Gerrard, Rooney or Lampard all spring to mind and it’s not ridiculous to suggest they could all do an adequate job.

Capello has dealt superbly with any hurdle placed in his way since he was given the top job in English football, but this issue will most certainly test his mettle. Let’s not forget, even doing nothing could potentially lead to England losing an experienced back-up full back. The answer to Terry’s suspected discrepancies is not simple and it’s clear that the stern Italian has been left with a very tricky decision. Drop your captain and defensive lynchpin? Remove him of his captaincy? Or do nothing and risk splitting the squad? Mr Capello has a very tough decision to make and whatever he chooses to do someone will be upset. England’s skipper has left his boss between a rock and a hard place.

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January 25, 2010

The logic of Owen Coyle switching from Burnley to Bolton is beyond me, and neither I nor my laptop has the energy to tackle that here. That said, for the sake of the Scot, I hope Bolton’s insanely ruthless fan base manage to bite their collective tongue and actually get behind their team for the rest of the season. However, what I suspect will happen is that anything short of Coyle’s men joining the title race by March will lead to more detrimental and utterly disloyal complaints from the Reebok crowd.

I will admit that watching a Premiership team is quite a financial commitment, and fans want more for their money than access to limited edition themed pies, but this is frankly no excuse for hurling jeers and jibes toward players. Hours before his departure from Bolton, Gary Megson requested that the supporters stop persistently booing their team, as it was “starting to affect the players.” What effect did anyone really think it would have?! This kind of opposition is so inane and poorly constructed that it serves only to destroy the confidence of the players, and so spoiling results more than any incompetent manager ever could, even John Barnes.

Many will point to the money Megson spent, which was around £40m in three years. However, this is not excessive for a bottom half side, in fact it’s below average, looking at other teams in that area. Even Roy Hodgson has notched up well over £60m since the summer of 2007 to get to where he is with Fulham.

It is unfortunate for Coyle that his first three games have each been something of a foregone conclusion. Two defeats to an in-form Arsenal and a win over lower league opposition in the F.A. Cup don’t give enough of an insight into the probable future of Bolton under their new boss. It will be interesting to see how Bolton fans react if Coyle brings with him the more attractive style of play that he has promised but cannot deliver results.

Bolton achieved decent league positions and enjoyed a good run in Europe while Megson was in charge. He went from ‘Ginger Mourinho’ with the Manager of the Month award, to the most hated man in the North West in the space of three seasons. My point is simple: if you support a football team, then you have to SUPPORT it. Being a fan isn’t being a consumer, it’s a commitment to an institution. As Sir Bobby Robson once put it: “What is a club in any case? Not the buildings or the directors or the people who are paid to represent it. It’s not the television contracts, get-out clauses, marketing departments or executive boxes. It’s the noise, the passion, the feeling of belonging, the pride in your city. It’s a small boy clambering up stadium steps for the very first time, gripping his father’s hand, gawping at that hallowed stretch of turf beneath him and, without being able to do a thing about it, falling in love.” Can you imagine Sir Bobby Robson, that admirable footballing patriarch, ever booing his beloved Newcastle from the stands? I thought not.

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January 16, 2010

As we find ourselves at this half-way stage through the English domestic football season, amidst the decimation of the sporting calendar by the weather there has still been significant movement in the player market during the first fifteen days of January.

So far, most of the headlines have gone to Patrick Vieira and his return to the Premier League from Serie A champions Internazionale, joining Manchester City on a six-month deal. The former Arsenal captain will bring vast experience and a winning mentality to the dressing room at Eastlands and doubtlessly hopes to play as much as possible with the World Cup around the corner.

His move has received a mixed reaction. Those of you expecting the 33-year old to put in the box-to-box midfield performances that helped bring three Premiership titles and four FA Cups to the Gunners during his nine seasons at Highbury are in my view being a little naive. Having plied his trade in a league where pace is an optional extra for the last four-and-a-half years, during which time Vieira has also suffered with injuries, his game will have changed to suit this.

Only time will tell but from watching European games it appears he is now more of a defensive midfielder than a central one, though he can still pick out a pass. The France international will not be afforded anything like the same time on the ball back in the Premier League and needs to adjust his style accordingly. For free, though there is the question of his wages, City can consider themselves lucky to have attracted his services and I feel that Vieira has a real chance of getting the regular football he desires due to Nigel de Jong’s mixed displays.

Having offloaded Andriy Voronin to Dynamo Moscow and Andrea Dossena to Napoli, Liverpool have brought in Argentine right-winger Maxi Rodríguez for around £1.5 million from Atlético Madrid. Best known for his stunning goal against Mexico in the 2006 World Cup, he follows in the footsteps of Fernando Torres, having moved from the Spanish capital to Merseyside. Reds fans out there are probably saying their priority is finding a back-up to their number 9, something which has become even more urgent with Torres undergoing knee surgery, but like with Vieira, Maxi being a cheap transfer is something of a coup.

I really rate him. Were it not for world player of the year Lionel Messi he should be in Diego Maradona’s starting XI come South Africa. Injury permitting, he should definitely make the squad. His quality is no better highlighted than by his clinical display in the Copa del Rey in November, putting four goals past admittedly lesser opposition in UD Marbella, but Liverpool could use some of that, having crashed out of the FA Cup to Championship strugglers Reading in midweek. If Rodríguez does not immediately adjust to the Premier League, I would ask fans to be patient.

Free agent Sol Campbell has returned to Arsenal. The centre-back made headlines when he signed for League Two side Notts County in the summer after leaving Portsmouth and walked away from the club after a single appearance. Since then he has trained with the Gunners and Arsene Wenger decided to offer him a short-term deal to the end of the season. At 35 the former England international is the oldest member of the squad at the Emirates. It is difficult to see Campbell playing much of a role in first-team action, unless there are injuries, but he brings experience with him.

Again, as is the case with former team mate Vieira, he is one of a few players on Arsenal’s books who has won trophies in English football and this makes him a figure for the younger players to revere. If he does feature as anything more than just a bit-part player it will be interesting to see the fans’ reaction. His poor first-half display in the 3-2 home defeat to West Ham at Highbury in the 2005-06 season that resulted in Campbell being substituted and leaving the stadium sticks in many minds.

Everton have secured the services of United States international and record goalscorer Landon Donovan on loan from LA Galaxy until the MLS season starts in March. Whilst bringing this versatile player to Goodison Park boosts their injury-hit squad, Donovan, who can play in the hole or on either wing, had a similar spell at Bayern Munich this time last year, but because of the short length of the loan he could do very little to make a telling contribution. Playing for this short space of time for the Toffees is not much of a gesture and I fear fans’ expectations will be too high after seeing him net goals against Brazil and Italy on the international stage at the Confederations Cup in the summer, though both were in losing efforts.

If Donovan is serious about playing in Europe or really testing his fitness, what is to stop him signing a deal similar to the one David Beckham has both last and this winter with AC Milan? We have an established tradition of players from the States joining Premier League outfits, with the likes of Brian McBride, Carlos Bocanegra and the keepers, including Everton stopper Tim Howard, have on the whole been excellent. For me the jury is out on Donovan, but judgment shall be reserved until his spell has been completed.

Birmingham City have acquired long-term target Michel from Sporting Gijón. Comparisons have been made to Argentina and Liverpool player Javier Mascherano, but with better passing ability, these are big shoes to fill. He has joined the in-form side of the Premier League and at this moment in time and it is difficult to see him, let alone anyone else in the Blues squad, forcing their way into the starting XI with the team putting together an unbeaten run of thirteen matches and counting.

Wigan Athletic have also made a couple of signings. Sporting Lisbon and Serbian international goalkeeper Vladimir Stojković has joined the Lancashire club on loan until the end of the season. Although he is cover in case Chris Kirkland’s bad injury record continues, the stopper is the first choice for his country and played his part in seeing Serbia qualify for the World Cup, including a famous draw against France in Belgrade.

Celtic defender Gary Caldwell has also come to the DW Stadium. Choosing at the last minute not to follow now former Bhoys team-mates Barry Robson, Willo Flood and Chris Killen to Middlesbrough, Caldwell and the hoops defence have been inconsistent in the Scottish Premier League, reflected by Tony Mowbray’s side being seven points behind Rangers in the title race. Premier League football is very much a step up for him. Turning to Teesside, Robson will certainly add something to Gordon Strachan’s men, but Flood has yet to show the promise of his academy days at Man. City and Killen has been poor both on and off the pitch since leaving Hibernian in 2007.

Elsewhere, Championship promotion hopefuls West Bromwich Albion have signed Romanian centre-back Gabriel Tamaş, who was part of the side that held both France and Italy to draws in the Group Stages of Euro 2008, on loan. With pedigree like this, Baggies fans have right to be optimistic that he can bring some improvement to their side’s defensive displays as they look to bounce back into the Premier League.

Sticking with the Championship, some fringe players at top flight sides have dropped down a level either in loan deals or transfers in search of first-team football. Stoke City’s Richard Creswell is now a Sheffield United player, having previously been on loan with the Blades and Andy Griffin has joined Reading till the end of the season. Welsh winger David Cotterill has swapped Bramall Lane for Swansea City. Cash-strapped Crystal Palace have let popular Portuguese defender José Fonte leave Selhurst Park for League One Southampton, but for good money. His comments that he is more likely to reach the Premier League with the lower league Saints are hurtful to Eagles fans.

Liverpool youth product and Millwall defender Zak Whitbread has joined Norwich City to bolster their defence as they continue the push for automatic promotion back to the Championship from League One. Charlton Athletic striker Izale McLeod has taken on the challenge of trying to keep Peterborough United up in the league above, where he is joined by West Brom’s Reuben Reid who has found first-team opportunities limited since moving from Rotherham United. Beleaguered Stockport County have let the only bright spark of their campaign, Carl Baker, leave to make the step up to Coventry City and Oli Johnson follows him through the exit door at Edgeley Park having signed for Paul Lambert at Carrow Road. Finally, Bradford City have signed former Huddersfield Town and Carlisle United keeper Matt Glennon who brings a wealth of experience in lower league football to Valley Parade.

I shall be writing a second blog on the transfers to come in the window at the start of February. Please share your views and comments.

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January 15, 2010

You may, or may not, have noticed, but since the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008 a global financial crisis has been raging. For just over 18 months the news that has reached our ears is consistently ‘how much money we owe’ and ‘by this year our debt will have reached far too great a percentage of our nations’ GDP’. 127% by 2017 I believe is a recent quoted figure.

Many of you Premiership football fans might have seen the recent news headlines regarding the financial situation down at Fratton Park, home of Portsmouth Football Club. Well, to update you, until recently they haven’t been able to pay their players wages for December. ‘Yawn,’ you might say! These poor players won’t be able to drive around in their Bentley’s and gas-guzzling Range Rovers with a surplus £200,000 in their banks. Prompt a discussion this might. In an age of financial restriction and global recession, are footballers really worth their pay cheques?

Portsmouth could take a look at to whom exactly they owe their money for December. Owing John Utaka the equivalent of £80,000 per/week, as the Sports blog on The Times recently highlighted, to lounge on the bench or in the reserves, might raise a few eyebrows. Wages seem to have exploded to dizzying heights over recent transfer windows. Players are literally making big-money multi-million pound/euro moves between countries to take, as Alan Hansen stated, ‘a king’s ransom into retirement’.

The Madrid newspaper ‘x’ hinted last August that Real Madrid would pay Cristiano Ronaldo a whopping £183,000 p/week on top of the hefty £80 million pound transfer fee they paid to Manchester United to prize him to the Santiago Bernabeu. Speculation revealed that Sheikh Mansour was willing to offer Kaka, then of AC Milan, a meagre £500,000 p/week to bring him to his beloved Manchester City in the 2009 January transfer window; a move that the brilliant Brazilian and former European footballer of the year subsequently declined, vilifying him as an icon in an age of financial superfluousness. All that just to kick a football you might say!

As the Times Online recently revealed, the Premiership has had more than its fair share of ‘flops’. There is no better place to start than with recently relegated, although somewhat high-flying Newcastle United. Don’t even go there! Since sacking Bobby Robson in September 2004 the club has gone from mediocre to abysmal – leaving aside the recent and much-welcomed revival. Infamously the fight between Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer at home in front of over 50,000 avid fans highlighted the state of the game up north. Bowyer was justly fined six weeks’ wages for his part in the debacle, totalling a whopping £300,000! Is that really conduct that one would expect for an employee of a business earning £50,000 p/week?

Kieron Dyer earned £75,000 p/week on his contract at Newcastle, during which he spent a significant amount of time injured. Whilst he was doing that, Kaka was winning both the Ballon D’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year titles for £69,000 p/week at A.C. Milan, one of the world’s biggest clubs! Newcastle were practically paying him to drive around in his Bentley! Albert Luque, the Spanish winger signed from Deportivo for £9.5million, spent his two years falling down the offensive pecking order. For this, Newcastle paid him £55,000 p/week. Joey Barton is the classic headline grabber, who similarly earns over £50,000 a week, for which a few of those he spent in prison! Michael Owen, although extremely unlucky with injury, earned a colossal £100,000 p/week, with which he used a large proportion to put fuel in his helicopter and be chauffeured from his home in Cheshire to training and back every day. I mean, seriously, did Graeme Sounness think that money would be recovered in shirt sales?

The entertainment that the sport and the players provide to the British public cannot be underestimated. Jeff Stelling’s, what can only be described as, ‘antics’ on Gillette Soccer Saturday every weekend is not without its value. We all tune in for the weekend’s live games and Match of the Day on a Saturday. Football, from grassroots to international level, plays a big part in our lives. Many of us do await June 11th and the start of the world cup with eager anticipation!

The problem that has emerged is that money begins to take the edge off success. Players sign these mega-money deals with clubs so that they can’t physically expect to earn any more money because they can’t physically improve as a player – so why bother? Newcastle United is the classic example. Traditionally, a player begins at a young age on a small contract, he continually plays well so he breaks into the first team and renews his contract with a better deal, then signs for a bigger club earning more money and with that, hopefully, bringing more success. You play well, you get a better contract, and you earn more money! That is how it should work.

Instead, what is happening is average-to-good players in France, Spain, Italy or Germany are scouted and brought over to England for substantial transfer fees to bolster the squads so that clubs have enough depth to cope with the intense fixture list. They are subsequently offered lucrative deals and ultimately cannot cope with the quality and intensity and become a drain on a clubs finances and become disinterested. Portsmouth has a handful of African stars brought over from France to rake in tens of thousands only to pop up with the odd goal now and then. I’m sure Leeds fans remember Seth Johnson’s contract that rinsed the club of any kind of wage structure. Dimitar Berbatov and Emmanuel Adebayor both swapped London for Manchester, or should I say, London for ‘a few more noughts added to your bank balance’ as Terry Venables put it.

I’m sure Man. United fans will agree we haven’t seen enough out of Berbatov! Giorgios Samaras, signed by Stuart Pearce for £6 million, and Alfonso Alves of Middlesbrough earned roughly £35,000 p/week only to disappear into obscurity. This is still an awful lot of money that is largely, as Alan Sugar aptly put it, ‘pissed up the wall on wages’. A week is only long in politics! There are a few exceptions. Fernando Torres is of course excellent, Robin van Persie has bags of ability, as does Michael Essien. But the list of those who have ultimately failed is phenomenal in comparison, yet the money they earn is practically the same. How does this work?

Proportionately though, they do pay the same income tax as the rest of us, which our debt-ridden economy will happily receive as a contribution to sewing up the gaping hole left by ‘the bankers and their bonuses’. An economy that has lost £600 million p/day since the beginning of the cold snap on December 18th! We all await our gas bills that promise to bear an extra £70 to compensate for the 540 million cubic tons of gas that we as a nation have used per day since then. A recent Facebook group that I was invited to join proposed that ‘Soldiers should earn a Footballer’s wage’ – a reaction to the ‘important’ role that they are playing in a war that was begun seven years ago by a politician whose party shortly, hopefully, will be going out of power. Maybe we should rebrand it to ‘Footballers should earn a Soldiers’ wage’!

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January 11, 2010

As a Manchester United follower of some 15 years, I have learnt to regard the views of Sir Alex Ferguson as sacrosanct. After all, what reason has there been to doubt the Scot? His great teams of 1996, 1999, 2003 and 2007 have provided the peaks of my adolescence; all United fans of my generation have been spoilt with endless silverware. However, the manager’s comments in the Friday press conference previewing the 1-1 draw with Birmingham City left me well and truly baffled, frustrated even.

Ferguson insisted he would not be using the considerable transfer war chest generated by the summer sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to reinvest in the squad during the January window, because he saw “no value” in the market. I was astonished that such a football genius could be so short-sighted.

There is no doubt there is little value in the transfer market, hence the trickle of bargain moves in its first fortnight. United’s sale of Ronaldo to Real Madrid for £80 million started the whole chain of inflated fees off and the second Galácticos project of Florentino Pérez and the billions of Sheikh Mansour et al. at Manchester City will ensure the situation will remain this way for the foreseeable future. In truth, football isn’t going to return to how it was for several years, possibly decades.

And this leaves Manchester United in a dreadful position. The fact they are saddled with upwards of £700 million of unserviceable debt from the Glazer family takeover leaves Ferguson’s hands tied, whatever he may say to the contrary. Hence, while United have been linked in the last 12 months with Karim Benzema, the £35 million Real Madrid striker, Franck Ribéry, the Bayern Munich playmaker, and Sergio Agüero, the Atlético Madrid forward courted by Chelsea, among others, they have succeeded only in recruiting the likes of Michael Owen, Antonio Valencia, Mame Biram Diouf and Gabriel Obertan.

Now, as things stand, this isn’t exactly a disaster. Despite looking vulnerable in defence during the recent injury crisis and occasionally lacking their usual cutting edge up front, United sit just a point behind Chelsea at the Premier League summit, are in a League Cup semi-final and remain among the favourites for the Champions League crown. However, these statistics miss the point.

In the next 12-18 months, United are set to lose a number of players through retirement as the chapter closes on the remaining members of the great FA Youth Cup winning squad of 1992. If the club fail to replace these players properly in the next few transfer windows, whatever the market climate, the team will be fatally undermined in several positions. Their position as the predominant club in England is at stake.

The mercurial Ryan Giggs, still in the Indian Summer of his career at 36, has already agreed to a one-year contract extension, but what then? His record of 824 matches for United speaks for itself but his absence on the left will leave a massive vacuum. The infuriating Nani, billed as the second coming of Giggs, has been largely non-existent on the occasions he makes the starting eleven, is certainly not the solution and should probably be swiftly sold to a mid-ranging Premiership side and quickly forgotten. Since his arrival in 2007, only one of the Portuguese’s performances springs to mind as being half-decent: his mauling of Arsenal in the 4-0 FA Cup fifth round victory in February 2008.

While the more promising cameos of Obertan this season mark him as one for the future, few would fancy him to step in as a like-for-like replacement for Giggs when he announced his retirement. You would expect United to be working behind the scenes to take advantage of Bayern Munich’s financial worries to poach Ribéry, manipulate the similarly prudent atmosphere at Valencia for the versatile David Silva or monitoring the likes of Jérémy Toulalan at Lyons, who can be deployed right across midfield, but don’t bank on it.

Paul Scholes, still influential at 35 despite his first-team opportunities becoming less frequent, should be slightly easier to replace, whether he decides to call it a day this May or next. However, none of Michael Carrick, Anderson, Darren Fletcher or Darron Gibson is exactly world-class. For the estimated £18 million United shelled out for him, Anderson has persistently underwhelmed and he certainly lacks the physical presence and silent midfield dominance of Scholes. As does Carrick, whose form has steadily declined during this season – his passing has suddenly ceased to be adventurous or creative as some kind of nervousness has creeped into his game. Again, reinforcement will be needed.

At right-back, Gary Neville, ostensibly the club captain and its most fervent advocate, has barely kicked a ball these past years and, although his intense commitment will thrust pen to a new contract if offered one, e has little left in the tank. Sadly, Rafael Da Silva, the young, swashbuckling Brazilian, won’t offer instant compensation for Neville’s departure or, more likely, move upstairs into a cushy coaching role. Between the posts as well, with 39-year old Edwin Van Der Sar preoccupied with his wife’s recovery from a brain haemorrhage, more than a stop-gap replacement will be needed. Until this season, Ben Foster had played more minutes for England at Wembley than he had for United at Old Trafford and, following an altercation with Ferguson in the wake of the lucky 2-2 home draw with Sunderland in October, newspaper reports yesterday suggested the stopper had been valued at £4 million and pushed towards the exit door.

With the aforementioned dearth of attacking options, now exacerbated by news that Dimitar Berbatov requires exploratory surgery on a niggling knee injury, there are at least four or five positions in which United must look to strengthen, either immediately or in the summer. There must be no room for sentimentality for the 1990s generation drawing near to retirement; Ferguson must trim the deadwood in the squad and harvest every penny brought in, including the Ronaldo money supposedly at his disposal, to build a fifth great side, regardless of the absurdly inflated market.

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January 9, 2010

Owen Coyle’s decision to ditch Burnley for Bolton has left me bewildered. Not only has he abandoned Turf Moor with the job undeniably half finished, he has moved to a club that are also fighting to stay in the league. Coyle has worked miracles and some would say that the fans should just be thankful for the success he has brought to them, but he owes Burnley just as much as they owe him.

Before taking over the Lancashire club he was manager of St. Johnstone and was barely known south of the border. Fast forward two years and Celtic made Coyle their number one target to replace Gordon Strachan. When George Burley was axed as Scottish manager Coyle was again being talked up. Coyle would not have received this interest had it not been for the gamble taken by Burnley chairman Barry Kilby, and yet now he walks away from Turf Moor.

How is Coyle happy to leave Kilby and his team? If Burnley were bottom and Bolton were doing well you could perhaps see the logic but this is the man who, when Celtic came calling, signed an extension to his contract reported to stretch to 2012. Do contracts mean anything anymore? If I was a Burnley fan I would be fuming. Coyle has left Burnley high and dry, and for what? Do Bolton necessarily have a higher chance of staying in the Premier League? I would vouch that the answer to that question is no. Coyle disagrees, with the suggestion being Bolton’s increased transfer budget gives him the resources to remain a Premiership manager. This leads us to the crux of the argument: ambition. Coyle has left Burnley to further his own career, and he is not the only one.

Gone are the days of one club players. Players like Matt Le Tissier and Steve Bull ignored the interests of bigger clubs in favour of playing for their team. You might suggest someone like John Terry will go on to play for Chelsea until his career ceases but this is the same John Terry who was remarkably quiet when Manchester City showed interest in him over the summer. Terry could easily have come out and said he wasn’t interested in leaving the Bridge, but no, ‘Captain Fantastic’ chose instead to keep quiet, holding Chelsea to ransom so that they increased his ever growing wage packet.

Another footballer guilty of lacking loyalty is England’s left back Ashley Cole. Often called “Cashley” by the tabloids, Cole describes the moment his agent told him of Arsenal’s offer of a new contract: “When I heard my agent repeat the figure of £55,000 [per week], I nearly swerved off the road. “He’s taking the piss, Jonathan!” I yelled down the phone. I was trembling with anger”.

Now the money argument can effectively be removed this argument. Maybe he deserved more money from the Gunners but Cole was a local boy who had been at the club from a young age. Why was his focus on earning more? Should it not have been on improving his game and helping to bring more silverware to his local club? Cole is not evil, as many people would suggest, but he is, like Terry, just a product of his time. It is deeply engrained in footballers that ambition means more money, bigger clubs, a bit more money and maybe if they can swing it a bit more money. Football is now a business. A business where agents have so much sway that the players are just pawns.

So what do fans make of this lack of loyalty? Essentially there is no longer the anger there previously was. When the want away Joleon Lescott eventually got his wish and arrived at Man City, Everton fans were not surprised. There were no cries of Judas like there were for Sol Campbell. Arsenal fans might boo Ashley Cole but Chelsea and Liverpool fans are happy to forget Terry and Gerrard’s respective misdemeanours. We now expect this lack of loyalty; to recycle an old phrase, it is part and parcel of football. However, call me old fashioned, I would prefer to go back to an age where players stuck with their local teams. It would be nice if a player kissing a badge or signing a contract actually meant something.

As it is, it’s all empty and meaningless because these players and managers are now businessmen and they make decisions fuelled by ambition and greed. How sad. My hope is come Sunday 9th May we see a Burnley side remaining in the Premier League and we see Owen Coyle’s Bolton heading down to the Championship. It would be a victory for loyalty.

4 comments

December 20, 2009

It’s been a turbulent weekend in the Premiership, with Mark Hughes being sacked by Manchester City after their 4-3 victory over Sunderland. The media reaction has been huge, with many stating their surprise and outrage at a move which seems as if it has been a long time coming. It has been said that the sacking was unfair on a manager who has overseen just two league defeats from 17 games this season. Unfair it certainly was, but also a decision that had to be made.

Phil McNulty says on his BBC blog that Hughes has been “harshly dealt with” and that “money may be able to buy most things, but instant Eastlands success is not one of them”. Elsewhere Harry Redknapp, whose team’s victory against City last week was probably the final nail in the coffin, has said he was “disappointed” to hear of the sacking.

It is not a surprising reaction. Since the Abu Dhabi United Group took over last September, and City became the richest club in football, they have constantly been criticised for spending huge amounts of money and expecting instant success. Like Chelsea before them, their money has been met with a certain amount of envy, as many take the moral high ground and claim that it is bad for the English game. Hughes had been labelled a dead man walking ever since the owners took charge, having been employed by the considerably poorer previous administration less than three months before.

City are currently sixth in the league, two points above Liverpool with a game in hand, and in the semi finals of the Carling Cup. Since losing to Manchester United they have lost just one game from fifteen in all competitions, playing all of the other three ‘Big Four’ sides on the way. It’s not a bad record at all, until you realise that they have only won two of their last eleven league games.

The way the sacking was conducted was certainly without class and not decent to any manager regardless of their record. Mancini was obviously already lined up for the job before yesterday’s game, yet today League Managers Association executive Richard Bevan has criticised City’s impatience, claiming that Hughes did not know his fate until afterwards. There have also been reports of a last minute player’s revolt lead by Shay Given being ignored by chairman Khaldoon al Murbarak.

It is easy to feel sorry for a man who largely comes across as pretty likeable and who has witnessed his club and their expectations transform entirely in his short tenure. But football is not a sentimental sport, and City’s owners must act harshly if they want to become the most successful club in the country. Hughes was unable to get the best from an extremely talented squad and, when money is spent, results are expected.

The owners have been criticised for not giving Hughes enough time but he has had a season and a half to shape a team to challenge for the top four. His team managed just a tenth place finish last year and, despite improvement this year after more spending, looked far from where they would want to be last week against Spurs.

He has had certainly more time than Claudio Ranieri was given when Roman Abramovich took over Chelsea and although that sacking was considered harsh at the time few would doubt now that it was the right decision. Harsher perhaps was the sacking of Paul Hart who, in stark contrast to Hughes, had to sell many of his best players as the club collapsed around him – yet I doubt many Portsmouth supporters are thinking sentimentally about that now.

The simple fact is that City’s owners have put large amounts of money into the club and therefore should not be criticised for expecting a big return. Players such as Robinho, Tevez, and Lescott cost a lot and their squad is of a higher quality than that of Villa or Tottenham. In a year where a place in the top four is there for the taking, City should have been doing better and the manager is the one responsible.

And what if they had been patient? The truth is that it probably would have not made any difference. Mark Hughes has a good record in management but did anyone really expect him to be the person to lead them to the Premiership and Champions League success that they so desperately crave?. City are also creating a brand and Hughes is hardly a big name manager who will attract the top players from around the world. The simple reality is that Man City are striving to become the top club in the country and he was never going to be the man to take them there. It’s horribly unfair on him, but it’s the truth.

There are claims that Mancini will not be able to do any better in the role. There is no way of knowing how well he will adapt to English football but this is a manager who led Inter to their first Serie A title in 18 years, albeit in unusual circumstances, and then two more after. He has grabbed the attention of some of the top clubs in Europe before. Of course there is no guarantee that he will be more successful than Hughes, but he has the resources there for him and will be able to attract further big name players.

I’m sure Hughes will go on to find a another job. He’s a good manager and can take positives from what has actually been a reasonably successful process for him. No one expected him to last long in the role after the takeover but he has stayed for a season and half under owners that always had to power to bring in a big name replacement. Overall his reputation has been enhanced by the experience.

The Abu Dhabi United Group can be accused of ruining football by using money to achieve success but at least they have made their goals clear from the start: “to make Manchester City the biggest club in the Premier League.” Some say that money will not buy them this success, but the past has shown us that it probably can. Whether this is moral or good for the game is irrelevant; City’s owners have paid big money for their team to challenge at the highest level and, when they did not do this, Hughes had to go.

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