Carlo Ancelotti announced his long awaited resignation from Milan soon after the Fiorentina match was over. He ended his Milan association a year before his contract was to expire.
He should be confirmed as Chelsea manager shortly.
OK. We already have Franck Ribery joining up Real. Before that it was Cristiano Ronaldo. If it Tuesday it must be Kaka. Now, it is Alonso.
If you keep shooting BB shots, a duck will fall.
One thing is certain. A number of tabloids and blogs are kept afloat by the Real rumour mill. Yours truly included. It is a gift that keeps giving.
Btw, I take back that duck reference. It would mean that Alexandre Pato is on his way to Real too. Which he might. Which he might. Stay tuned.
Tout Simplement means "its just that" in French.
It is also the title of the new book by Claude Makelele which has already generated a fair bit of controversy. The former Blues midfielder claims in his book that John Terry's unhappiness with his playing time was the catalyst behind Jose Mourinho's ouster. Essentially, Terry asked Peter Kenyon for an exit after he clashed with his manager over his form.
By now, Mourinho was looked on as a divisive figure, drawing support from some players while alienating others. The club's poor start to the 2007 season and Mourinho's dissatisfaction with Avram Grant's installation as director of football had the owner wavering over whether continuing on with Mourinho was in the club's best interest. Simply put, the potential loss of Chelsea's talisman convinced him that the Portugese was expendable.
There is truth to all this even as John Terry strenuously denies any role in Mourinho's departure and insists that he never asked for a transfer. A revelation like this is potentially damaging and it is significant that his lawyers came out against such claims. It warns parties against future "Turncoat Terry" type defamation.
Terry and Mourinho's deteriorating relationship forcing the manager's ouster was already the topic of intense media speculation. It really took a nosedive after the CL fixture against Rosenborg which ended in a shocking draw against the lowly Norwegian side. Mourinho's departure by mutual consent came after 24 hours of a rapidly developing timeline.
Terry was upbraided by the manager at half time for failing to stop Mika Koppinen's set piece. The defender failed to accept responsibility. Earlier in the day, Terry found out Mourinho had gone to the club's medical team to find out if there were physical reasons responsible for Terry's decline in performance following spinal surgery to remove a disc. It seemed to have disturbed Terry to the extent that at first he refused to join the warm up prior to the match apparently preoccupied "with things on my mind" only agreeing after a team mate convinced him.
Peter Kenyon, in an emergency board meeting brought up the Terry dispute as evidence that the manager had lost his players support which the board accepted prima facie and Mourinho was asked to resign. He refused and "by mutual consent" was agreed upon.
It would be very interesting to hear Mourinho's side to the story. He would probably support Makelele's claim. After his ouster, he supposedly texted Terry "sarcastically thanking him for talking to the club's hierarchy."
I think Terry was really spooked by Mourinho's sleuthing. A physical reason would rule out a transient loss of performance and potentially mean early retirement. Terry had a lot riding that summer signing on with Chelsea on a multi year deal which made him England's most expensive player.
Yep, you now know why Adebayor does not show up to play when he can score virtually.
Guus Hiddink's mandate was clear cut. A short term intervention that would halt Chelsea's spiraling fortunes which at one threatened to undermine their CL spot. In that he succeeded magnificently. Instilling discipline, excising self doubt, and getting the best out of players overlooked or playing below par under Scolari. Next year's CL appearance is assured, they play for the FA Cup final today, and their CL finals spot was cruelly snatched away by Barca. In a matter of months, Hiddink effected a string of singular achievements.
It is serves as a useful reminder that a year ago, another cruel event snatched away Chelsea's chances. The CL was theirs to win if it was not for that fateful John Terry slip on a slick surface. Chelsea went on to lose the finals to Man Utd in a nail biting penalty shootout. A visibly moved Grant had to console his inconsolable captain. More to the point, under Grant, if popular opinion was a barometer, they should not have even been contesting the final. Instead, the Israeli manager managed a feat that escaped even Jose Mourinho. In fact, till the last day Chelsea challenged Man Utd for the Premiership title after Arsenal succumbed to injuries and an inability to put away matches.
Abramovich's decision to saddle a no name as manager of one of the world's biggest clubs was clearly a wrong one. But clearly as the results prove it did not go south either. It was an impressive debut for a little know man with a thin managerial resume. The mass implosion that everyone feared did not happen otherwise Guus Hiddink might have gotten an emergency call up a year before with the exact same mandate. But Grant guided Chelsea to a CL final in some fashion without a bailout.
Grant followed not just a manager but a personality made for TV. Mourinho was a media godsend. The Premiership was all Sir Alex, Wenger, Benitez, and the Special One. Their eye catching verbal sparring was tabloid fodder and fans loved it. Suddenly, a taciturn and little know Israeli had taken over. His media interaction were horror shows. Mourinho was a tough act to follow. Clearly, the Israeli was aware he was not sexy but his football was going to be, an important distinction which he thought would make him more palatable to fans. Whether that qualitative change took place is debatable. Certainly, Joe Cole was given more freedom under Grant than under Mourinho. However from a result standpoint, Grant proved effective. He however, did not become more palatable to fans.
I remember seeing the Arsenal match when the Gunners went up a goal at the Bridge. The boos that chorused down had the commentators shamed into offering a rare defense of the embattled manager. Chelsea went on to win the match, after Drogba, in typical muscular fashion scored a brace. The Ivoirian striker had been so distraught over the departure of Mourinho, that a transfer appeared inevitable. Yet, here he was months later being as effective, just like under Hiddink. Grant may have not been a media darling but he knew a few things about keeping his players together. He gained the respect of John Terry.
"To get to where we are and to still question the manager's the role at the club is unbelievable."
Terry added, "things have been very good and results don't lie."
The CL loss made Abramovich's task of getting rid of the unpopular manager easy. He of course, went on to hire Big Phil Scolari, a huge name, whose arrival was trumpeted by many as righting the ship. Ironically, Scolari's subsequent lack of results and increasing unpopularity with players and fans necessitated the Hiddink transfusion. Its important to note in a perverse way, that Chelsea's cruel run in the CLs was kept intact under Grant. We would not have had any talking points at all otherwise.
Uli Hoeness shows who is boss in Bayern. Its not the manager for sure, he will always be a figurehead.
"For 50 millions euros, I don't even pick up my telephone," Hoeness told the Bild tabloid. "Because a figure like that doesn't even give you rights, at best, to one of Ribery's legs.
Its all been a bit confusing. Chelsea's bid of £43.7m (50m euros) for the Bayern midfielder has been rejected.
The Times is now reporting that Real's offer of more than £40m has been accepted and Ribery is all set to join the club. Wait, how much is more? And is it per leg?
The simple fact: Man Utd believed in its invincibility built up by its stunning performance against Arsenal, bolstered by the last moment goal by Barca which saved the champions from an embarrassing semi-final exit, and honed to perfection by the media drumbeat that they only had to show up to play for the inevitable anointment.
It was almost too perfect. While Barca had many questions to answer at the Nou camp after that near loss. Especially on defense. For the first time in a long time, we saw a Sir Alex side, poorly prepared with many players no shows. Where was Carrick and Anderson? Well, its all unraveling a bit. The club are worthy winners of every title there is including last year's best club in the whole wide world shout it out loud from the mountaintop status. However, this was not just a defeat, it was a stylistic showdown. Barca showed that the beautiful game still exists and it can win matches. With Xavi and Iniesta purring on the field, Man Utd's midfield looked like their shoes had been replaced with clogs.
There is nothing like defeat to measure self worth or open up questions. Their midfield remains in transition. Anderson has a long way to go before replacing Scholes adequately. The self centered Nani is a poor option for Giggs. Hargreaves is perpetually injured. Man Utd inherited that injury from Bayern. Carrick and Fletcher are very competent but cannot be considered world beaters by a mile. On attack, Berbatov struggles with consistency. Tevez remains in a strange twilight where the price has to be right. Rooney may define "total football" but he is being marginalized in his primary role. Van Der Saar may have a year or two left but who replaces him as Man Utd's sentinel is unclear. On defense, the right back spot has rotated between Wes Brown, Gary Neville, Rafael, and John O'Shea.
It should all be put in perspective. Man Utd have a soul searching off season to answer these questions but they are still good enough to repeat their domestic success with this squad. It is true, in football we always ask for the level. Are they at the level to reach the top? It is a question that has dogged Liverpool and Arsenal for many years now in the Premiership. Well, Man Utd came off second best on one of the biggest nights in football. It maybe a while before they win another CL.
...as he takes the new dream team to greater heights
Investors complaining of poor customer service relations. Bust ups with investors. Arbitrary rises in housing units, severe penalties for late payments, delayed construction work, and unhonoured site visits.
"Does anyone know of anywhere else in the world where a seller is able to sell an off-plan property without a contract and then a year or two later provide a contract showing an increase the price of what he has already sold? Beware of buying Hydra Village units!"
The problems are partly due to the difficult financial times that is affecting everyone. But it is also not a case of badmouthing that the potential owner of Portsmouth FC claims it to be. The financial problems confronting Hydra Properties is true. The problems are compounded by the fact that Abu Dhabi does not have a regulatory organization that oversees the real estate sector. Most of these real estate investment projects are floated out by big companies on their financial strength and closeness to the royal family. In good economic times, this may not be a problem. But when things go south, it becomes a potential flashpoint between investors bailing out of their commitments and the company that goes to any lengths to keep them in and pad losses.
It maybe a good PR exercise on Suleiman Al-Fahim's part to de-emphasize the Hydra Properties part of the resume when talking about the takeover of Portsmouth FC. That is why he talks up the private investor part of the deal. It also clouds the connection between ADUG which controls Man City and is a subsidiary of his own company.
I am sure Portsmouth FC fans are delighted to have a source of seemingly unlimited transfer funds to propel the club to new heights but they must also be curious to know more about the entity taking over their club. Between oil rich Arab sheiks and billionaire American businessmen, the financial turmoil has taken the shine out of every stereotype.
Sulaiman Al-Fahim, the prime mover behind the Man City takeover now owns his own Premiership club. He is purchasing Portsmouth for a reported figure of £80m, through the investment arm of his company, Al Fahim Asia Associates. Portsmouth has flirted with relegation all season long and its transfers have not panned out. The club was £65m in debt, of which £25m was owed to the present owner Alexandre Gaydamak.
He also owns a Versace Lamborghini Murcielagos, one of only three in the world and is the host of the reality show, Hydra Executives which pits eight Americans against eight Britons for a chance to work in his company, Hydra Properties, and win $1million for a business venture.
Falcon Equity, the private equity and asset management company which structured and negotiated the Man City deal was behind the Portsmouth takeover. It reportedly raised the funds from Asian and Middle Eastern investors through its network of offices. Al-Fahim in an interview denied any further involvement with Man City after September 2008, and said that his role in Portsmouth is yet to be defined.
He also denied rumours that Hydra Properties was in financial trouble and dismissed them as 'badmouthing" his company. He was at pains to separate out his company, Hydra Properties and the investors who had been tapped by Falcon Equity to put money into Portsmouth FC. In a customary disclaimer, he said that none of the investors were from the real estate sector or were part of the royal family.
I certainly hope that shoe-kissing will not become the new celebratory signature for Messi. A brilliant game for Barcelona, but you gotta draw the line somewhere.
What now for United? The wheels came off for the Red Devil Express. Ronaldo fizzled after the first ten; Rooney was busy playing defense, and across the pitch it was Barcelona that controlled the ball and the game.
More on failed tactics here >>
Ferguson won't make the same mistake twice. Next time these two meet, you can count on a physical game.
Until then, Guardiola and gang have proved themselves the best team on the planet.
More on Messi's shoes here>>
Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez hold the CL trophy aloft
The number 4s are a special breed in Barcelona history:
It was love at first sight, so the story goes. When Barcelona's then-captain Pep Guardiola first clapped eyes on youth team midfielder Xavi Hernandez he turned to a team-mate and said: "This kid will retire me."
Several years later when the veteran Guardiola was now playing alongside Xavi in Barca's midfield, they watched a teenager called Andres Iniesta, and Guardiola turned,this time to Xavi and said: "And this kid, is going to retire the both of us."
La Masia's alum are the proud winners of the triple crown, none more heralded than the CL trophy that they hold in their hands. It is in its 20th year of existence and it could not have asked for a better anniversary.
Leo Messi found his "head of God" goal, Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez pillaged the midfield, Victor Valdes, the sentinel kept the Man Utd attack at bay, Carlos Puyol held the defense together, and Pep Guardiola had a dream debut as Barca's manager in his first year.
In the end it was the heroic Carlos Puyol, overmatched in speed but not in intensity and in desire who held aloft the CL trophy. His Barcelona side turned in a dominating display which overwhelmed the Red Devils. I have to say, watching this match, gave an impression of a sacrificial lamb fattened up before the inevitable slaughter. Man Utd had swept aside Arsenal and Barca had barely survived Chelsea.
The Guardian pundits had all said that it would be Man Utd's to lose. But if the team did not show up to play, what then was there to lose? Could we also rest all charges of a conspiracy because if Barca had not played Man Utd, we would have not known what a circular firing squad the EPL actually is.
Eto'o's subtle trickery yielded a goal against the run of play in the 10th minute cut against conventional wisdom. It was supposed to be Man Utd that would stick the knife in the very counterattack that fetched Barca a goal.
This was repeated ad nauseam by everyone in the world:young, old, infirm, fan, pundit, prisoner, Inuit, despot, midget, and internalized by the Utd players. The goal shattered Man Utd's psyche, forcing it to retreat into a shell, only venturing out to make an occasional foray in the first half. The pendulum had swung the other way in a heartbeat. Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez started moving the ball around effortlessly. Man Utd's bright and domineering start became a distant memory. A spell which saw Victor Valdes tested a few times by Ronaldo. Park Ji Sung coming close after Valdes spilled a cracking shot from Ronaldo into his path. The Korean ballooned the ball over under Pique's challenge. That was the extent of Man Utd's chances.
More was to come in the second half and Van Der Saar and the back four were rocking back on their heels. Barca should have gone up by a few more goals, with Henry muffing a simple chance. A brief interlude of Man Utd possession proved to be ineffectual in attaining the equalizer. The deal was sealed when Evra's sloppy clearance found Xavi who took the ball and chipped it elegantly to Messi, who rose unchallenged, all 5' 7" of him to head the ball past Van Der Saar in the 69' minute.
In doing so, Messi answered the challenge. It was a no contest between him and Cristiano Ronaldo who faded away as the match went on. Man Utd came closest to scoring what would have amounted to a consolation goal when Park Ji Sung failed to meet Rooney's cross. Carrick and Anderson were invisible, and the Brazilian was substituted by Carlos Tevez who failed to provide a spark. The elegant Berbatov could not change the game either when he came on for Park Ji Sung.
Barca's back four widely considered its Achilles heel proved to be physical and very adept at winning the 50/50 chances. Yaya Toure was a force with Pique at the center and won Man Utd's long balls. Sylvinho was industrious on the left and kept Rooney quiet. Puyol had a few problems handling Evra and Park's pace but he did not make any major mistakes.
So Barca go out deserving winners. Congratulations to Pep Guardiola and his men.
Eto'o's goal (10' minute)
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Barca becomes the first Spanish side to record the triple in a season: La Liga, Copa Del Rey, and the CL final. Messi records his first goal against an English side.
The fallout escalates over the Curva Sud's fans behaviour towards captain Paolo Maldini. He now says that the club failed to defend him. Its not been the type of farewell that he envisioned, far from it.
The club defended its silence by saying it did not want to give any more attention to those disrespecting Maldini.
Manchester in the mid 1980s, the mecca of the rave scene and Factory Records. Impresario Tony Wilson brought to life through Steve Coogan in Michael Winterbottom's 24 Hour Party People walks us through The Haçienda, ground zero for the Madchester scene which saw Ian Brown, Shaun Ryder, Mark "Bez" Berry, Martin Hannett and many other names. Fac 51's history was tightly linked to New Order who financed most of the club when it opened in 1982 till it folded in 1997. Two years later Man Utd won its first CL title.
Beautiful lyrics and wonderful guitaring.
Rambla pa'qui
rambla pa'llá
esa es la rumba de Barcelona
Rambla pa'qui
rambla pa'llá
esa es la rumba de Barcelona
Manu Chao's origins are Basque but he was born in Paris and now calls Barcelona his home. These disparate musical influences have shaped a unique sound. His live album Radio Bemba Sound System has some songs from Manu Negra, a group influenced by Spanish anarchism. He is a huge fan of Diego Maradona, for his football and politics. His song La Vida Tombola is a tribute to the Argentinian legend.
Man Utd player touched by Cantona
Cantona's self aggrandizing announcement that he would like to coach his former club was met by a collective loss of bodily functions of acolytes all over the world.
The man is an attention seeking gadfly. At the moment when the world watches the CL final between Man Utd and Barca, Cantona will be attending the premiere of his film in which he utters, " I am Cantona " Great line but that's the problem. It works because those words define his legend. Everything will fall into place when he says that. Man Utd's opponents will be caught in Magneto like force fields in which they mutate into spineless jelly fishes. His players will be set free of doubt and self loathing. Its a bit like the Flying Spaghetti Monster. A parody. Why believe in evolution and its complexity when there is a simple design. Its unthinking and fallacious. Just like when it comes to football, that a fetish for a cult of personality, will work.
Do you think Sir Alex in a million years would hobnob with the Cannes crowd? Good managers are for a lack of a better word, nerds. Even Jose Mourinho who looks a bit like a botoxed telenovela star was ill at ease when dragged into a studio in front of a live TV audience and forced to watch some scantily clad nymphet commit a sideline foul on him. Marcelo Lippi, Guus Hiddink, Arsene Wenger, Rafa Benitez, Felix Magath, every good coach shuns attention. Except Phil Brown who could have single handedly revived Chrysler's used car division. They can ill afford being egotistic. Or launch some half career. Or kick sand. Or launch some half career in kicking sand.
It means paying attention to details. From transfer budgets to fouls committed. It means remaining focused doing grunt work. Sounds like an accountant but that is what managers are deep down inside. Wenger's thoughts don't turn to love when spring comes around, he is already calculating the transfer market. Sir Alex is worried that Ronaldo might leave, he wants Ribery. Think Cantona can handle all that. Bollocks.
Anyway, his next movie is called "The Pelvis moves". Seems like the right move.
Barca will field Mali's Seydou Keita, Cote D"Ivoire's Yaya Toure and Cameroun's Samuel Eto'o. If they win, they join a select group of African CL winners. Eto'o would become a double winner.
Bruce Grobbelaar and Craig Johnston (Liverpool FC) in 1984, Rabah Madjer (FC Porto) in 1987, Abédi Ayew (Olympique de Marseille) in 1993, Nwankwo Kanu and Finidi George (AFC Ajax) in 1995, Samuel Kuffour (FC Bayern München) in 2001,
Benni McCarthy (FC Porto) in 2004, Djimi Traore (Liverpool FC) in 2005 and Samuel Eto'o (FC Barcelona) in 2006.
Seydou Keita talks about what this win would mean:
SK: Of course it will be a great achievement for me. The Malian people are waiting for this success and a lot of Africans want us to win because there are three Africans at Barcelona. To be named alongside players like Abedi Pele, Kanu and Eto'o is something every African football will cherish and I am keen to join the great group of African players who have won the title.
Martin Jol stepped up as Ajax manager following Marco Van Basten's resignation.
Jol's former club Hamburg started the season at a furious pace and was favoured to win either the Bundesliga, UEFA Cup or the German Cup but in the end Werder had their number and they lost three straight times to end up empty handed. They managed 5th position, good enough to get a Europa spot but the season ended disappointingly for many fans who believed the club should have done better.
This is a huge deal.
It appears that Real's former president Ramon Calderon and present president Vicente Boluda are being investigated for the illegal transfer of club property. The judicial investigation conducted by magistrate Santiago Torres has asked that copies of all books and trading accounts be submitted. This includes receipts, contracts, and invoices. The investigation will open up an office on the club premises which means that the club offices will be sealed.
The magistrate is also asking the Mercantile Registry and the Office of Land Register to provide financial data on the accused. It is a wide ranging inquiry and covers the gamut of financial transactions from real estate to foreign currency reserves.
If the investigations turn up evidence of financial impropriety then the magistrate could dissolve the current board. This represents the most serious turn of events since Atletico Madrid was put under judicial administration.
The timing is exquisite. With Florentino Perez poised to return as president on June 1st, it appears someone got the ear of the magistrate. Perez could not have set this up better. Saviour of Madrid indeed! He will bring in Jorge Valdano and Zinedine Zidane along with him.
Juve shows it means business. Today, it went some distance in filling its creative lacuna.
Diego, the Brazilian playmaker joins the squad from Werder on a five year contract worth €24.5m.
The midfielder who began his career at Santos, made his way to FC Porto as a replacement for Deco, and finally found his goalscoring abilities at Werder. He made 84 appearances and scored 38 goals.
Werder has some cash leftover for a quality playmaker. Paging Misimovic.
Barcelona stands against the trope of English dominance. If they lose, it will be UEFA's last shot at a concerted effort in keeping parity. Well, as per conspiracy theorists. How many times will they rely on Tom Hennings Ovrebro? Then there is Platini's 6+5 argument. Surely, that was hatched to loosen the English death grip on the CL.
Barcelona is still a mystery. There is a feast or famine quality to their play. Sublime against Bayern, ridiculous at the end of season against local rivals. Their problem is that they resemble Arsenal in possession with more attacking firepower but the same suspect defense. They rely on attrition. Very effective against leakier levees which dissolve in a barrage of attacks. But as Chelsea proved, against stronger and physical defending, they have problems creating a swathe.
So the chatter coming out of Spain provides fascinating reading. El Pais weighs in.
Much of the talk is centered around solving Man Utd's Vidic and Ferdinand, by far the best central defending duo in the world. Barca's aerial attack is looking a bit thin.They don't have Dani Alves, out with suspension. The galloping wing back is an attacking threat with his probing crosses. Guardiola acknowledges this: "Without Alves, we lose offense".
On the other side, the loss of Alves and Abidal has forced Pep Guardiola to consider shifting Carlos Puyol to the right flank and possibly Sylvinho mans the left, leaving out the relatively inexperienced Martin Caceres.
Keita could be dropped back from his usual midfield role, to pair up with Pique at the center. The back four's lack of pace exposed by Chelsea on many occasions, could lose another step with this configuration. These open up considerable opportunities for Evra, Ronaldo, Park Ji Sung and Rooney to punch back with rapid counterattacking runs and win set piece opportunities. To seal against such real threats, Barca needs to maintain a tight lid on possession and when they lose the ball to cut off supply: the long diagonal balls or via intermediaries like Carrick and Anderson. Guardiola mentions the duo as the building blocks of Man Utd's game. Carrick almost constantly overlooked in his role as one of the most effective holding midfielders. "He is the lynchpin of Man Utd" while Anderson "shines in his defensive strength."
The matchup of goalkeepers favours Van Der Saar over Victor Valdes, who has looked tentative at times having problems timing his charges from goal and being assertive in set pieces. He was very good against Chelsea but there were unnerving moments against Drogba. VDS has been solid having bounced back from those losses to Liverpool and Fulham. He has povided insurance against the occasional mistakes made by his back four.
Cristiano Ronaldo's maintains a distinct edge over Messi remains in his work rate. He has launched 32 shots on goal scoring four while Messi has made considerably fewer attempts, 11 but been more effective, scoring eight times. Ronaldo needs more open space but shows more versatility with the ways he scores while Messi is much more effective closer to goal, maneuvering out of tight spaces with his foot skills. He also enjoys the advantage of wrong footing defenses cutting in from the right side with his lethal left foot. Its the football version of the crossover dribble. However it also reveals a directional bias which can be used to minimize his forays or render them ineffective.
Like Arsenal, Barca enjoys walking the ball home. So they need to keep VDS honest with some long range efforts. Xavi and Toure can crack a few.
Man Utd's strikers are no slouches at tracking back. They will be very busy. Evra will be bolstered by Park Ji Sung, whose work rate needs no introduction, to manage Messi. John O'Shea's potential weaknesses can be exploited by Thierry Henry who returns to pace after injury but it must be comforting to have Rooney's help with his speed and physicality used so effectively for defensive purposes. In the center Rio and Vidic will keep a wary eye on Samuel Eto'o to stop the Camerounian from slipping in and monitor the movements of the dangerous Iniesta controlling the center.
Essentially, it will come down to Barcelona inventing ways to win but Man Utd looks the more dangerous team.
Elliott's 13th minute curler was perfectly placed and Paddy Kenny could do little about it.
Wade Elliott will be remembered: A red letter day in Burnley history
Burnley made its top flight entry after 33 years of steadily falling through the cracks to the second, third, fourth divisions and in 1987, flirting with non-league extinction. They dodged that one by beating Leyton Orient. They do however, enjoy the distinction of winning except for the Premier League; every other division title, a rare feat with just Wanderers and Preston North End matching that record. And yes, they did win the FA Cup in 1914.
Owen Coyle's men beat Sheffield United with Wade Elliott scoring a beautiful 25 yard curler in the 13th minute. After the match:
Asked whether his goal was the best of his career, the midfielder said: "In terms of importance - no contest. It's far and away the best goal I'll ever score, probably.
Mike Dean also turned down two appeals by United for penalties adding to the drama. Burnley join Wanderers and Birmingham in the Premiership from the Championship league. In the process, they enrich themselves by £60m. Not a bad chunk of change. Even more cheering was Coyle's renewed commitment to managing the club after being scouted out as a possible replacement for Gordon Strachan who resigned from Celtic.
So what do we know about Burnley. It is one of the bigger North West towns located in Lancashire, population approx 88, 000 making it the smallest city to field a Premiership club since the league began 17 years ago. It was famous at one time for its textile industry but for many years now has suffered a serious decline in its traditional manufacturing base. It is better known now as a commuter town for cities like Manchester and Leeds.
Shahid Malik, the disgraced undersecretary of state for justice in Gordon Brown's cabinet, the first minister to resign in the expense scandal sweeping England was born in Burnley. Ian McKellen, who played Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Magneto, Wolverine's nemesis in the X-Men series is a Burnley native.
Chumbawamba is probably the most notable Burnley band.
Strangely enough, Burnley is well known amongst tipplers for ingesting the most amount of Benedictine, the French liqueur, in the world. The connection is no accident. The liqueur became a favourite amongst Lancashire regiments for warding off the cold while stationed in France during World War I. Apparently, they brought the taste back home.
Burnley's entry is a great story. A celebration of a small blue collared club with strong roots to the community. For the Wembley playoff match, 36000 fans made the trip. That is 40% of the population. Victory was achieved without the additives of enormous amounts of money or foreign players.
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John Arne Riise finally nails one with a blistering shot. Ambrosini answers in the second half as Artur parries Inzaghi's shot into his path. Menez puts the Giallorossi up catching the Milan defense flatfooted. I have to say this was not one of Maldini's best games. Ambrosini responds seconds later as Artur fails to stop Kaka's cross.
Then comes Totti's delectable free kick which swerved away from a diving Dida. How many times have we seen him do this? Berlusconi looked ill by the end of the match.
Roma snare a Europa spot while Milan cling to the second spot being pushed hard by Juve who won against Siena, 3-0. The worst they can manage is third spot, even if they lose to Fiorentina in the final match because the Violas are behind by three points and have an inferior goal differential. It may not mean direct entry to the CL but the more painstaking qualifying round.
A shocker at the San Siro as Totti's free kick stunned the Rossoneri. It added to the angst and anxiety enveloping the club.
Worse still, Maldini's sendoff was marred by Milan's Curva Sud ultras standing on the terraces mocking the Milan legend by unfurling a banner with the number 6 marked on it with the caption "There is only one captain" a reference to Franco Baresi, Maldini's mentor and former team mate.
More was to follow as a banner read" Thank you captain: On the field you were a never ending champion but you failed to respect those who made you rich". In reference to Maldini's gesture of silencing them with a finger to his lips. Another read, " For your 25 years of glorious service, you should thank those you have called mercenaries and peasants."
Silvio Berlusconi was hit hard by banners saying "Sell Kaka to revive the club" and "For years you bought trinkets and figurines, this year we bought.... tissues?"
The Milan captain responded by saying, " I am glad I am not one of you."
He inquires about prostate screenings for players.
Filed under snark.
They won against Stoke, 4-1 with Van Persie scoring twice, Diaby adding another, and James Beattie's own goal rounding of the tally.
But it was all touch and go before the match because a voice from the past had sent doom and gloom through the club. Yes, it was Aliaksandr Hleb, surfacing from a bunker in Barca, like an unwanted boil on the buttcheek to air everything that was wrong with his former club. The modern day version of the woes of the Pharisees. He could not have done better if he were a paid spokesman for Usmanov.
Wenger paid no heed to the carping former Arsenal midfielder with the pretty feet. His concession:
“In the big games, we were still a bit young and played a bit the occasion more than the game, because we were under a lot of pressure and wanted to do so well,” accepted Wenger.
Other than that he was satisfied that the team had made the semi-finals of the FA Cup and the CL. We can debate the measurement of these successes. Wenger's supporters, the majority will point to these achievements and counsel patience. His critics, a vocal minority will highlight the way most consequential matches ended, as a widening gap between the club and the pinnacle.
There is a lot riding on Wenger to succeed. He is the anti-thesis of the big club manager. In fact, he manages Arsenal with the self discipline of a small club. It is very attractive from a football economics point of view which sees skyrocketing expenses to attain titles as the norm. If Wenger wins, he will have won the right way, and his success will be worthy of emulation. In fact, he should be recruited by the Republicans as the one fiscal conservative who practices what he preaches. Yeah, I thought so, that French thing is a problem.
Nicholas Nassem Taleb will not be writing about this Premiership. It was a tame end to the 2008- 2009 season.
Hull lost to Man Utd, 0-1. Sunderland also lost to Chelsea, 2-3. But the results were inconsequential because their other promotion rivals lost their matches.
The Magpies lost to Villa, 0-1 through a Damien Duff own goal. The loss relegated Newcastle and ended 16 seasons in top flight competition. Boro lost away to West Ham, 1-2, ending their 11 year representation.
So 35 is the new 40.
Meanwhile you can read all about match predictions from a professor of risk management. It is only slightly less risky than betting on the stock market.
The media has painted a bulls eye on Phil Brown as he tries to keep a leaky Hull afloat. He has banded together a motley alliance of detractors from Stoke City to Arsenal, who have even created a Facebook page “for all those who hate the orange-faced, goatee-bearded moron”.
When he gets someone who fights in his corner, it makes news.
Hull meets a revamped Man Utd team which should start Nani, Gibson, Kiki Macheda and Danny Wellbeck. Sir Alex has been accused of going soft but even Utd's second stringers are better than anyone that Hull puts out on the pitch.
It has been a second half implosion for Hull who have given away goals by the gallons. Up front injuries to their forwards have rendered the attack ineffective with their defenders lead by Michael Turner matching them in output.
If all the relegation zone teams lose then Hull is safe. The Magpies and Boro join West Brom.
Hull is just above the drop zone and if they can manage to hold Man Utd to a draw they should be safe. The main challenge comes from the Magpies who have a point less but have some padding with a much better goal differential. Hull will be hoping that Villa's trend of drawing matches against lesser teams continues. Alan Shearer's team is looking for a similar inspirational moment that Obafemi Martins provided against Boro.
Boro are further back three point behind with an insurmountable goal differential. Gareth Southgate has to hope for a Magpies loss but first they need to win against the stumbling Hammers who have won only one in their last six.
The real story of course, would be the relegation of Newcastle. Richard Scudamore has essentially written it off if it does happen, as a sentimental loss but with minimal impact on the business of the Premiership.
In the end it was easy. Goals from Lafferty, Mendes, and Boyd made it 3-0 against Dundee while Celtics ground out a goalless draw against Hearts.
Kyle Lafferty goes from a scapegoat to a hero in a week and Barry Ferguson makes an appearance after his drunken desecration of club spirit got him suspended. Victory can indeed redeem any transgression.
The helicopter bringing in the SPL trophy has touched down at Tannadice.
Dons latch onto the final Europa spot. They beat Hibs, 2-1.
Congratulations to Rangers. I am happy for Maurice Edu who worked himself into Walter Smith's favour, taking full advantage of his playing opportunities.
Cesare and Paolo Maldini: Like father, like son
Silvio Berlusconi offered a laconic "Shame" when asked what he thought of Milan's talisman farewell. And Ancelotti? "The same."
Ancelotti should be getting the message loud and clear.
Maldini ends his career against AS Roma in a very consequential match for both. A win will assure Milan's automatic qualifying and Roma would book a Europa spot.
25 years and 901 matches later the number 29 will be retired.
Kyle Lafferty and Pedro Mendes score against United to keep Rangers in front for the title. Maurice Edu starts the game.
Celtics and Hearts is scoreless so far. Not looking good for the titleholders.
Its raining goals at the Hibs vs Dons game with the latter up, 2-1. At stake for the Dons is a Europa spot. If the match were to end now, Dons would pip Dundee on goal differential and go through.
On the eve of the Wolfsburg success, Klinsmann had much to say of his former overseers.
"They are all alpha males and also need their space," he said. "They are all personalities you have to work with."
He also said that his departure was premature.
"The most hurtful thing for me was feeling I could have finished the job," he said. "I could have led Bayern to the German league title."
Klinsi, it is not you fault. Your former club suffers from dissociated identity disorder.
The imperious and distant Der Kaiser, the comically upbeat Karl Heinz Rummenigge, the paranoid and angry Uli Hoeness, the skulking and secretive Paul Breitner, and a composite character called Breitnigge. Read all about it >>
Magath's two years saw the Wolves rebuilding the team almost from scratch adding key players like Josue, Ricardo Costa, Grafite, and Edin Dzeko in the first season. They climbed from relegation zone to 5th place in his first season. The trend continued in the second season with defender Andrea Berzagli and goalie Diego Benaglia.
However, the most influential signing as it turned out would be that of Bosnian playmaker Zvjezdan Misimovic who joined in 2008 at a price of £3.9 million.
Misimovic's dazzling passing skills have been instrumental in turning the Wolfsburg attack into a potent force and in no small measure, his contribution in creating so many chances for Grafite and Dzeko, made it possible to set their record 54 goals, the first striker tandem to score over 20 goals each in Bundesliga history. While the media focuses on that attention grabbing stat, Misimovic quietly accrued another record with the most number of assists in a season with 20. He is no slouch when it comes to scoring with 7 goals including the opening one in yesterday's drubbing of Werder that gave them the title.
He is described as a classic number 10 who stays in the middle of the pitch, making himself available to receive passes and in turn waiting for the perfect moment to dish to a sprinting forward. He also takes the clubs free kicks and corners. Misimovic's introverted personality makes him the ideal team player, preferring his precision game to make a statement.
"I think a number 10, i.e. a playmaker, always has to put himself in position to receive passes when his team has the ball and has to set up his teammates, especially the strikers," Misimovic said. "You have to read certain situations, spot the space that opens up and play the ball on quickly. Basically you set the tempo for the team."
The ability to set a tempo, or dictate the flow of play, is very important because Misimovic is not the fastest player, a shortcoming that he is aware of.
"I know I'm not the fastest guy around but there are other players who aren't quick and still play at the highest European level."
He is on contract till 2012 so he will still be with the Wolves next season but his form makes him a huge transfer target. Bayern may seek the return of a player who was part of the 2003 title winning team. Ribery is getting restless in Munich, as his team struggles making any meaningful impact in Europe. Werder is reportedly interested too as Diego has been linked with Juve. His price has gone up and he is currently valued at about £10m.
Will it be Hull City, Sunderland, Middlesbrough, or Newcastle?
Phil Brown, Ricky Sbragia, Gareth Southgate, and Alan Shearer live in trepidation and anxiety. Sir Alex has had to come out in public to reassure Hull's rivals that he is not short selling them with his eyes firmly on the CL finals three days later.
For the Magpies, the financial stakes are enormous if Mike Ashley wants to sell the club. A drop down to the second tier means certain devaluation of what the club is currently worth. The flip side is that there maybe more suitors lined up who might be willing to buy the club, just that it won't be the price that Ashley wants to get.
Louise Taylor walks us through how these clubs got to shadows and fog.
Maldini retires.
I would have never imagined those two words together.
The Peter Pan of football seemed so indestructible. Milan knew him and he knew Milan for a quarter of a century when team mate Ronaldinho was but 4 years old and Alexandre Pato had not yet seen one living day.
On Sunday, after 900 matches for Milan, his last match will be against AS Roma at the San Siro. It will be emotional and tears will flow freely. A fin de siecle moment for the Rossoneri everywhere in the world.
His retirement comes at the crossroads of a Milan team that has pushed its few able bodied players to the limits. At Pyrrhic cost, they have till now, managed second place.
Where they do they go now without their talisman?
He is the last of the golden quartet of backs that defined Milan's incandescent rise in the 80s and 90s. Maldini, Costacurta, Baresi, and Tassotti, defined by their longevity, fealty to one club, and suffocating defense. Between them they logged close to 2400 appearances, won eight Scudetti and five CL titles.
Baresi was the canny leader, the visionary who taught them all: Costacurta, the technician, Tassoti, the enforcer. Maldini, the most photogenic of the four, who Maradona infamously said of: " Another great player who chose the wrong profession. He should have been an actor; he's too pretty to play football" turned out to be the most durable. The emotional force in a waning Milan side. A bookend to a yesteryear of beautiful memories and stirring moments.
How many years before someone like Maldini comes along? The answer can be found looking to their crosstown rivals.
The same question was posed to Inter when Giacinto Facchetti, legend; four time Scudetti winner in the 1960s and all around Mr Nice Guy, sent off only once in his 634 matches, retired after 18 seasons. His number three was retired. Seventeen years later on, Javier Zanetti provided the answer, joining Inter in 1995. He recently played his 600th match and on the day Milan lost to Udinese, won the same number of Scudetti as did Facchetti. He is good for another 5 years at the rate he is going.
Goodbye Paolo Maldini. We are sure there will be fewer of you the way the game presently goes. It is left to the pundits to shine accolades on your place in the annals of performances. For us, you will be cherished, on the simple fact that you were never part of the transfer rumour mill and remained faithful to your club.
The Milan midfielder finds no place in Dunga's squad for next month's Confederations Cup in SA as well as World Cup qualifiers against Paraguay and Uruguay. A victim of indifferent form and lack of regular appearances.
This tough cookie should be part of the deal
It as they say, quite complicated. Adebayor has been talking from both sides of his mouth which helps him maintain his options. Does he have the gumption to stick it out with his stock hitting rock bottom or start anew?
Silvio Berlusconi is very keen on landing the Togolese striker but Milan's summer shows a lot of upheaval. Ancelotti in now a certainty for the Chelsea job and his move is likely to be confirmed after the FA Cup. Kaka is being wooed as part of the relocation.
There is going to be a mass retrenchment forced upon Milan with retirements, injuries, and transfers once the Ancelotti era ends. Maldini has announced his last season. Seedorf is on the bubble. Nesta and Gattuso's careers have been undermined by serious injuries. Becks and Sheva will walk away. The new manager will have to shake up the midfield and attack with sub par performances from Pirlo and Ambrosini. Ronaldinho's trajectory is on the wane. Up front, Inzaghi is the lone ranger.
Milan needs more firepower. So getting a striker like Adebayor will be a huge priority. If Milan is serious about getting Ade then Wenger should also press Flamini's return as part of the deal.
Flamini has seen a revised role in Ancelotti's scheme. After being overlooked the first half of the season, he has been pigeonholed at right back. It is not a good situation. Flamini was a natural fit at Arsenal. He is also proven quality. With him holding the middle, he drastically improved Fabregas game. The Spaniard was left free to use his uncanny vision and passing skills. Flamini's work rate was phenomenal. He was also a fan favourite. A Flamini return would sharpen the amorphous midfield that we have at the moment.
It was not Cesc who used Brian Horton as a spittoon. Who was it then? A llama or a paan chewing Indian or mere projection on the part of Hull's assistant manager at losing a bitter match.
Anyways, good news for Cesc. He has been cleared of charges.
We walk you back in time for a look back at a few more infamous spitting episodes. Cesc on Ballack. Rijkaard on Voller. Fabiano on Cornthwaite
No entry is complete without a Robbie Savage mention. This time its Ronaldo.
If these gentlemen ever want to use their projectile talents then there are showcases. How about that Kudu dung spitting competition?
The media drumbeat: Anyone and everyone will join Real. From Kaka to Cristiano Ronaldo. From Wenger to Mourinho. Real is a black hole.
You maybe a unicellular organism and your name Ktoereoteawhehtrheth Sakjwentewthhyte. It does not matter as long as you can kick a ball and score 93 goals in two matches. Anyone who can do that is linked to Real forever. Under Florentino Perez.
Like Don Quixote forever chasing windmills, success in Real terms, is presently a mirage.The greatness of the Santiago Bernabeu yesteryears which spawned the likes of Di Stefano, Puskas, Kopa, Gento, Rial, and Santamaria have become too costly to bear. There are constant comparisons. The pity is that we have not tried seriously to resurrect those days. For that we have Ramon Calderon and Florentino Perez to thank, men who believe that they can pay their way through.
The paradigm shift occurred when Perez did his Galacticos spiel in 2000. The simple premise envisaged a grand scale migration of superstars to Real if the price was right.
Goalactico! La Liga was under blitz with all this attacking talent and Real had its way. Due homage was paid at a pretty price to the attacking talent at its disposal: Raul, Zidane, Ronaldo, Owen, and Beckham. But like 80's music living on a prayer and song, it all fell apart abruptly when Claude Makelele, the underpaid grunt managing the defense, left unappreciated. Perez was left holding his cojones after Real slumped.
He wants to do it again.
Silvio Berlusconi seems to be making the hard choices for Carlo Ancelotti. And he seems keen on embarrassing him at forums which have little to do with soccer.
Criticizing him for playing Ronaldinho off the bench. Castigating him for Milan's inability to stop late goals. Belittling his managerial skills by saying that the team has the players to easily outstrip Inter.
Now he seems to leading Ancelotti into making personnel decisions. Inviting Adebayor to join the club. But all this pales in comparison with what he said yesterday:
"This time I may have to sell Kaka for real," he revealed.
He dropped the bombshell at a dinner for candidates standing for EU parliament elections.
Inquiring minds want to know whether the French playmaker instrumental in Bordeaux's success this season will return to Milan after completing his year long loan. Or will he be open to staying on for at least another year?
Bordeaux is desperate to lure Gourcuff away. The club's president has said:
“I will not comment on Gourcuff but I must say he is a world-class player. We never hid the fact that we want to keep the player. We can afford it.”
The club is on the brink of winning its first Ligue title in 10 years and there are a number of key players who have already talked about leaving including marksman Marouane Chamakh and holding midfieder Fernando Menegazzo. Both are looking to the bigger leagues. Chamakh is in negotiations with Spurs. These developments do not bode well for Bordeaux's long term plans.
The principal figure in this end of season, will he won't he back and forth is Christian Gourcuff, the father of Yoann and career adviser who reportedly said, “The fact that talks with Bordeaux are underway show the mutual intention to find an agreement. Then it is all about a career plan.”
Christian Gourcuff is also FC Lorient's manager. It maybe a bit of a conflict of interest when you have a father who manages one of Bordeaux's rivals advising career moves. Especially when Lorient has been on the receiving end. Yoann Gourcuff also got his career off the ground at Lorient under his father after graduating from the youth system. So it is safe to say that Yoann's father has been a very influential figure in his development as a player.
A lot depends on Carlo Ancelotti's move to Chelsea. Gourcuff was starved of regular appearances there while Ancelotti kept his "old is gold" mantra alive, of playing older players and recycling them. His father in an interview said that his son had not gained the confidence of Ancelotti at a crucial stage in his career.
"You cannot not play a 21-year-old - his career is at stake. We all agreed a loan out was necessary."
If Milan gets a coach who believes that a core group of younger players is crucial to reviving the club's success and Gourcuff is part of that change in philosophy, it might be attractive to return.
If Ancelotti, who is being pressurized by the likes of Beckham, for obvious reasons stays on then the picture gets a bit more cloudy. The Milan midfield has underperformed with Kaka and Pirlo falling way short of form. Clarence Seedorf does not have the legs to go 90 minutes. Ronaldinho and Pato play off the bench. Ancelotti will have to make some hard choices and jettison his policy of reviving the career of players like Becks and Sheva.
I bet you both father and son are watching with very great interest Ancelotti's summer plans.
The Daily Mail has the goods on the new away colours. It looks a bit dull and not particularly distinctive. The current yellow away shirt is quite attention grabbing.
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A tired group of defenders react too late and poor goal keeping by Tim Weise lets in Jadson's extra time goal. Shakhtar become the first Ukraine side to win the UEFA Cup. Congratulations to them.
It was an all Brazilian show as Luiz Adriano put Shakhtar up in the first half, again latching onto a pass after a defensive breakdown. Weise charged out half heartedly and then inexplicably flopped down while the chip was in the air. Naldo equalized through a straightforward free kick which Andrei Pyatov ended up parrying into his own goal. All the goal action took place in the first half. Regulation time ended with the teams deadlocked. ESPN's matchcast here >>
Nothing major. Just arthroscopic surgery to remove his ankle screws. He will be out for 4-6 weeks missing his country's World Cup fixture against Ukraine.
Eduardo has had a number of niggling injuries that have hampered his complete rehabilitation since his return.
It is tough to say this but I doubt he will ever be fully match fit. An ankle surgery of that magnitude works well when your occupation is sedentary or fairly sedentary. But when it comes to football with its shearing torques and loading of the ankle, a small compromise in the structural integrity of the bones and/or the supporting fascia, including muscles and ligaments can prove detrimental in the long term.
All smoke no fire in that small brouhaha which Peter Hill Wood set off over the weekend with his rant against shareholders asking "disgraceful questions" of Wenger.
Today, Wenger committed himself to staying on at Arsenal. Florentino Perez better look elsewhere.
A comment here:
For some entrenched Arsenal bloggers who pooh pooh the notion that we should go "for Ednkdhfg Dzumbhfgrizo from random Bundelisga side for £4m". These are the same commentators who presently get lathered up over Arshavin. They would have discounted his arrival at the Emirates too. As well as Eduardo. Yep, playing in a random Bundesliga side is reason enough to turn our noses up at them. The disquieting noises that the club maybe putting up a paltry £13m, add to it Adebayor's plus a few others transfer fees, gets you a transfer budget in the vicinity of £50m. Even if the £13m figure is not strictly true; the club even if it does have the money, might choose not to invest in big name players. Wenger's recent signings from smaller leagues show a pattern. Older players who have proven central to their club's success as well have international experience in their resume. Someone like Edin Dzeko who has that profile could very well be on his radar. It all depends on a careful balance between priorities and the money given to them. But lets forget that cheap shot at random Bundesliga sides. We may fault Wenger for his preoccupation with youthful talent but even he is not that willfully arrogant.
Rarer than that species: a winning English coach, is a sighting of Freddy Adu.
Fear not, Freddy is still in AS Monaco. Alive, just on the bench a lot.
He is most likely return to Benfica because it appears Monaco is not interested in buying him out. So far he has logged 169 minutes of playing time in 11 appearances. Ten of these have been as a substitute and the one that he started was a Ligue Cup game against Caen. All the appearances came before the new year. So it is very fair to say that Monaco has given Adu very little exposure.
Adu might fare better in his Benfica return, where the two loan moves David Suazo and Jose Antonio Reyes have not worked out. Suazo's appearances have been curtailed through injury. Reyes most likely will move back to Atletico. Angel Di Maria, the left winger/ striker is sure to be a sought after transfer target. So there should be more regular openings for Adu.
There seems to be a push towards building a team around younger talent like Di Maria, Urreta, Bastos, Sidnei, David Luiz, Vitor, and Ishmael Vartey. Quiqui Flores the manager has also resorted to juggling midfield and attacking responsibilities which have unsettled players like Ruben Amorim and Pablo Aimar. The only consistent attacking threat has been Oscar Cardozo and his 16 goals. Adu's versatility maybe a good fit in this transitional Benfica team feeling its way forward under Rui Costa's new stewardship.
FC Twente's ascent up the Eredivisie has gone a some ways in rehabilitating the image of the much maligned ex-England manager. Steve McLaren's resume now includes a Dutch accent picked up at beer nights. He does a passable impression of Guus Hiddink, which might make him attractive to Boro, his former club who might be walking out Gareth Southgate.
Meanwhile Richard Williams can barely contain himself at the prospect of that rarest of species: A winning English coach. What next, peace in the Middle East?
Simon Kuper says so. Read on >>
Ciro Ferrara takes over Claudio Ranieri at Juve's helm for the last two matches.
Zero titles claimed their first big victim this season.
Juve have gone eight matches without winning one. They lost to Atalanta which jeopardized their automatic CL spot. They now need the maximum points from the last two matches. The decision to fire Ranieri was arrived at by consensus:
"We made the decision to sack Ranieri yesterday evening and once we informed the club leadership of our decision, we made Ferrara's arrival official. We know that sacking a manager is not our style and the last dismissal mid-season took place in 1969. However, for the last 3 years we have been in a different situation from previous seasons. Having to go through the Champions League preliminary round and ending seasons this way isn't like us either."
Mouinho is looking for a second striker since Adriano and the club terminated their contract by mutual consent. It appears Diego Milito presently at Genoa is coveted by Mourinho. He has been in spectacular form scoring 20 goals and leading Genoa to a UEFA spot.
Meanwhile, Massimo Moratti has assured worried fans that Ibra is not going anywhere.
Richard Caborn maybe embarrassed that a BNP member was allowed to attend the opening of the World Cup bid. A jarring note, potentially undermining a major selling point: England's inclusiveness.
However it is the expenses scandal rocking England that is proving a major embarrassment for the Labour party. It has provided a major fillip for the BNP. Labour's image is so bad, only a few percentage points separate the two parties if a election was held now. The BNP may be excluded from the 2018 bidding table but at this point, their real power lies outside. They can used their increased political relevance to create a backlash against immigrants, stoke tensions, and keep prospective World Cup visitors away.
The scandal also opens up questions as to who benefits from the financial windfall that the World Cup brings? The same MPs shielded by years of government opacity on how taxpayer money was used to finance their lifestyle? A perceived lack of transparency was a factor in sinking SA's bid for the 2006 World Cup, awarded finally to Germany. The same sort of questions are being raised by western skeptics in SA's preparation for the 2010 World Cup.
Mark Fry, the administrator in charge of Southampton FC is a very important chap nowadays.
The saga to save the Saints seems to have taken many twists with a number of mysterious groups all ready for an 11th hour bid. But who are they?
Why does Mark Fry keep giving Matt Le Tessier's Pinnacle group extensions when they fail to submit bid documents?
One thing for sure, it is giving Saints fans sleepless nights wondering who their saviour will be?
Its ironical but the club could have been saved with a fraction of the taxpayer money that British MPs have looted to waste on the most frivolous of things, including horse manure.
Portsmouth made Sunderland pay for all their defensive lapses as they won, 3-1.
Sunderland made a bright start as Kenwyne Jones put them up. But the lead was shortlived as John Utaka scored the equalizer when Grant Leadbitter made a hash of a clearance gifting the ball to the Nigerian striker who converted.
Then Anton Ferdinand failed to clear the Portsmouth goalie's long punt and Utaka gathered the ball and would have scored against Fulop even before Phil Bardsley's desperate intervention resulted in an own goal.
Armand Traore put the icing on the cake with Portsmouth's third. In between there were chances as Pompey waned but Sunderland failed to convert them.
It will be left to Chelsea, if they feel even the slightest bit magnanimous, to give Sunderland a chance to remain promoted.
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Kudos to Tuncay who was voted Boro's player of the year. He fully deserves it. In the MOTD highlights is the perfectly placed bicycle kick that Daniel was referring to. Boro will in all probability be relegated but Tuncay was one of the bright spots of the season.
Having a good lafferty at Mulgrew's expense?
Charlie Mulgrew found out after being sent off in a Oscar worthy moment by Kyle Lafferty. The Rangers forward fell feigning injury over a head butt with the Aberdeen defender. The fracas resulted in Mulgrew's expulsion. It would have made (insert here customary cheap pot shot at) Cristiano Ronaldo proud. Lafferty then winked at the bench.
Later, he posted a public apology on Rangers website. The SPL will impose a prospective penalty that kicks in next season. For now, Lafferty gets to play the final match against Dundee.
A controversy that might make Aberdeen vs Rangers matches a bit tetchy in the future but Rangers now have to fancy their title chances. They beat Aberdeen, 2-1.
Celtics lost quite a bit of steam drawing Hibs, 0-0. They fall two points behind Rangers.
It should set up a fascinating last day with Celtics taking on third placed Hearts at home while Rangers travel to fourth placed Dundee. Celtics have been very good at home while Rangers have the best road record. Celtics have a goal advantage over Rangers. It could all come down to goal differential.
Deja vu all over again for the Crew who seem to specialize in giving away late goals that rob them of wins. This time it was Eddie Lewis celebrating his 35th birthday with a goal in the 91st minute as the Galaxy came from behind to equalize.
Earlier Guillermo Barros-Schelotto took advantage of a defensive mistake by Tony Sanneh to put the Crew ahead.
McBride's sixth goal of the season in nine games gave visiting Chicago a 2-0 win over Toronto. The Fire are on top of the Eastern division standings and McBride and Josh Wolff lead in league goal scoring.
Lyon blows by Marseille, 3-1 on the strength of two Benzema goals. Juninho adds another in stoppage time. Sylvain Wiltord scored Marseille's only goal. Jeremy Toulalan and Jean Makoun imposed their physical presence on the midfield and blunted Ben Arfa and Mathieu Valbuena.
Mamadou Niang appears to have been denied two penalty opportunities after Anthony Revelliere charged him in the box. There was a bit of luck as the goalpost came in the way of Niang and Cheyrou.
Marseille now needs a Bordeaux stumble to help to win the title. Bordeaux won against Le Mans, 3-2. With the Marseille loss, Bordeaux move three points clear in the title race. They have two games left. Lyon are in third place and appear to have secured the final CL qualifying spot with this win as PSG lost 2-1 to Auxerre.
Real Madrid has come knocking and part of Florentino Perez's rebuilding of the club not only includes the potential signing of high powered stars like Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Cesc Fabregas but also getting a quality manager. Real has been linked with Wenger for a number of years but it is usually in the fevered imaginations of publications like Marca. The Frenchman usually dismisses them.
However, he met up Perez in Paris last week in which he was informed about Real's plans. In an interview with a French media outlet, Wenger reportedly said that the Perez's vision would sound attractive to any coach. When it came to the question of commitment to Arsenal he offered a bit more ambiguity saying ""In general I usually stay until the end of my contract." His contract runs till 2011.
I think Wenger has been hurt by the negative feelings of many supporters who see the present club's performance as hitting an impasse.
Frustration bubbled over in recent shareholder meeting where Wenger was put on the spot and reacted with some feeling stating that "You sit here, you are in the last four in Europe, and every day you feel you have killed someone," he said. "It is unbelievable."
The less than unequivocal commitment to the club maybe a bit of a shot across the bow to the fans but it also feels like a warning to the board that they need to open up the purse strings to get some quality players. So far Wenger has been very careful, tightly controlling transfer money so as not to add onto existing stadium debt. What works in the clubs favour is Wenger's mantra that the club needs just a couple of quality additions to the defense and midfield to start winning titles. He will need to honour his contract to prove this theory true.
However you might want to interpret this, a line has been crossed with this meeting.
Harry Redknapp has not taken kindly to Pavlyuchenko's unsporting conduct. The Russian striker was taken off after muffing a simple goal chance against City. He reacted by storming off into the tunnel. Redknapp had some very strong words.
Its been an on and off season, the Russian did not endear himself when he first joined up complaining about the intensity of the training sessions. He has been injured frequently, most recently with a back problem that has kept him out of the starting line up. But Pavlyuchenko has managed to score goals and his technique has impressed Redknapp. Which has led to the will he, won't he renew situation.
Redknapp also might be selling off David Bentley, who in an Arsenal repeat is missing vital first squad action with Aaron Lennon as firm favourite in the right winger position.
A pro Silvio Berlusconi paper says it:
"Ancelotti, una sconfitta che sa di addio."
"Zeru tituli" is a code word in both Inter and AC Milan's history.
It refers to Massimo Ambrosini's two year old Inter taunt when AC won the 2007 CL finals.
On March 3rd, Mourinho threw the taunt back as he said the Rossoneri would win no titles more than two months before the end of the season. The infuriated Ambrosini went on air to ask for an apology. Which set off Mourinho.
The two words have become viral with legions of Inter fans sporting banners. Zero titles has become Dante's inferno for Ancelotti, Ranieri, and Spaletti. None of them might return next season. It has become a verdict without trial. Split rivals, sown dissension, and vitiated club atmosphere.
Yesterday, Milan lost to Udinese, 1-2 gifting Inter their fourth Serie title in succession. It gave the Special One his first scudetto making today's 3-0 win over Siena moot.
El Pais has a fascinating article (it is in Spanish) about Barca's manager.
He is obsessive, intelligent, passionate, a legend in a legendary city.
His impeccable sartorial style comes from his companion, Cristina Serra, whose family runs a well known boutique. She has cultivated the couple's interest in photography, travel, and reading.
His mother shows a photo of a small boy who was declared the best player in a football tournament but cried when he received his trophy because he had missed a penalty.
That was in 1986. Guardiola went onto win 18 honours with Barcelona as a player, including 6 La Liga titles and a CL championship. By that time he established himself as one of the most important players in Johan Cruyff's dream team. A legend in Camp Nou. Injuries cut his Barca days short and he left in 2001 for a brief stint with Brecia and AS Roma.
By all accounts it was a disaster, with very few appearances because of injuries, and worse still, testing positive for nandrolone. It led to a four month ban. In a measure of his obsessive personality, Guardiola fought to clear his name with a single mindedness for 6 years till the charges were finally dropped in 2007.
Xavi, a Barca product talks about how Guardiola's playing style influenced his own: He was the most mentally agile player in the Barca team. He would see the play before it had developed. "It seemed he had an eye on back of the neck, all the while turning the head, as if it had mirrors."
As a manager, Xavi says that Guardiola has little idea of how intensely he lives and breathes the game. "Es un enfermo del fútbol." Yet strangely, this intensity does not make him a despot as he remains first and foremost a friend to all his players. Football is a fast game and it needs clarity of communication. Guardiola has proved himself a very effective communicator. His success with Barca's B team leading them out of the third tier to the second within a year of joining up convinced Txiki Beguiristain, the sports director and Joan Laporta, the club president to appoint him as successor to Frank Rijkaard in 2008. He now lies at the gates of attaining a treble.
He has Barca in his marrow. A product of La Masia, Barca's youth training facility that shaped the careers of Carlos Puyol, Victor Valdez, Leo Messi and Andres Iniesta, who form the fulcrum of the club's success. An iconic figure to all the children from his neighborhood of Santpedor, who aspire to be the next number four. Guardiola's number.
Guardiola, Celades, Milla: All quality holding midfielders, a unique Barcelona tradition passed down to the present team; to Xavi, Iniesta (who started as one), and Busquets.
Real Madrid falls to Villareal, 2-3 at El Madrigal. It snuffs out their slim chances of overtaking Barca.
Barca are now La Liga champions, two days after being crowned Copa Del Rey champions and on May 27th fight Man Utd for the title of the best team in Europe in the CL final. A chance for a triple crown.
Marca documents the 12 step recovery program.
Messi, Eto'o, and Henry are duly mentioned but the most intriguing entry is on Joan Laporta (link in Spanish).
Laporta must be the most reviled and at the same time most resurrected man in the history of Barcelona because in the beginning of the season, he lost a popular censure vote by a whopping enough margin but since it did not cross the 66% threshold for new elections, he did not tender his resignation. Barca was coming off a disastrous season under Frank Rijkaard. Ronaldinho had grown heavy and complacent. Henry was only operating sub-optimally. Eto'o had spent almost a whole season out with injuries. The laissez-faire attitude extended to training and physical fitness.
But Laporta managed to survive, withstanding the subsequent pressure of the board of the directors who tried to force him out. When he did not resign, eight of them left in protest. His failure to energize the club's fortunes was complicated by his use of the club to espouse his passionate advocacy of Catalonian independence. The media was not amused by his volatile mix of politics and sports. In short, Laporta cut a polarizing figure.
However he did one thing right, he brought in Pep Guardiola, a local man and kept his faith in him. It was Laporta's only move but it turned out to be the right one.
Dzeko cuts a heroic figure
In the alternate world of The True Table or www.wahretabelle.de if referees were perfect, then Bayern would have leapfrogged over Stuttgart and Wolfsburg to a comfortable Bundesliga title. Cold comfort for Juergen Klinsmann indeed.
What do we get out of this exercise in keeping tabs on refereeing blunders. A grand conspiracy to keep Germany's most hated club from winning one more title. A support group for human imperfections. A pointed statement to install video replay technology. Another reason to hate the man with the whistle.
In the real world it is evident that Grafite and Edin Dzeko are having the time of their lives. A 30 year old Brazilian journeyman is teaming up with a 23 year Bosnian wonder boy for the most lethal striking tandem in Bundesliga history. They have scored 51 goals with Grafite up by one goal over Dzeko. Wolfsburg latest victim was Hannover who got their clock cleaned out losing 5-0. Grafite scored a brace while Dzeko recorded a hat trick.
Bayern would have been done in by Hoffenheim if it was not for a last gasp Luca Toni equalizer. Franck Ribery showed why he remains a Man Utd target as he single handedly kept Bayern in the game as they drew 2-2 with Hoffenheim. The French midfielder was outstanding, as the rest of the team muddled through.
The draw most likely means their death rattle in winning the title. They fall behind Wolfsburg by two points and even further in goal differential. But the match was even more damaging to their CL prospects.
They have their work cut out as their last match is against Stuttgart. Only goal differential separate these two. Hertha is in fourth position, a point behind. The first two spots get automatic entry into the CL while the third enters the qualification round. The Stuttgart game is now a must win. That is because they have to assume a Hertha win over relegated Karlsruher. A draw will not suffice.
Link:
Man Utd once again crested the pinnacle. Arsenal played a much improved game and at moments looked threatening but Utd was far too strong defensively to let this game go. The draw was enough for the Premiership title.
RVP had Arsenal's best chance of the match. It should have been a sure goal but he mistimed the header and the ball went sailing harmlessly over the crossbar. Its been a frustrating season for him with injuries and a loss of form. Fabianski was solid, snuffing out Ronaldo and Tevez's dangerous moves in the box. At the opposite end, Rooney could have put Man Utd ahead but his header missed the near post by inches. The Gunners piled on the pressure in the last quarter of the match with Fabregas coming close as his shot hit the woodwork but finally time ran out.
Tevez was substituted and the Argentinian walked off with Old Trafford chanting his name calling Sir Alex to keep him in the club. He could not have asked for a better vote of confidence.
It was Man Utd's 18th title, 11 of them Premiership, and they now equal Liverpool's record. Rafa Benitez can live in a world of denial but the fact is that their challenge came to an end today.
Congratulations to Man Utd. Once again the club as its wont, overcame moments of doubt, pulling themselves up, through sheer force of character and desire, to win. I have to say as integral as Ronaldo is to the club's success, it is Wayne Rooney who is the fiercest spirit of them all.
And to keep Man Utd's title hopes in check for at least another week. Well, we can hope, can't we? Man Utd will come out of the gates with intensity of purpose, to claim what is rightfully theirs.
If the Gunners win, at least the season won't end on a sour note. If not, then Fabregas and men will have to applaud the champions on their home turf in front of their fans. It will hurt this fan to see the team as the sacrificial goat. But not for long, the best team in the Premiership once again will have won. We can step back and let them enjoy the moment that they fully deserve.
Arshavin is back and should bring some meaningful zip back into the attack. Adebayor did not start the Chelsea match and Wenger should keep it that way, because when he did come on, he chose to exhibit his diving capabilities. In that too, he failed miserably. Nicklas Bendtner was far more solid. Almunia is out, so Fabianski starts. Its going to be nervy at the back and with Man Utd scenting blood, the Polish goalie will have to wade out a torrid start.
For an entertaining start to today's match, here is an unrestrained Arshavin speaking his mind about the game.
"I believe that out of the top four English teams, when it comes to football, Arsenal are the best. They have the best style and the best coach. At the moment, young players come to Arsenal because they see it as a very big team, but if we carry on like this without winning trophies, young players will not want to come. Everyone likes the appeal of Arsenal, the football of Arsenal, the young players of Arsenal, but if there is no result they will stop."
"If you play tennis tomorrow, you lose against Nadal, you can still say you are a good player."
Roger Federer might be comforted by Wenger's words but the fact is that he still lost and lost not because he played badly, he just came up against a more relentless player.
We would have no problems if Arsenal had done what Federer did, play a good game, and still lost. It was the abjectness of their defeats which have been so disquieting.
Wenger knows this. It has been a bitter end to the season and fans have reacted strongly. It is a bit fallacious to say that Man Utd's resources cannot be matched. This is not a David vs Goliath situation. Arsenal has the money but the conscious game plan has been to spend it on young and relatively inexperienced talent. It has worked superbly to a level just below the best but the last few matches have proved that it is not enough.
Cool finisher!
Its been 8 years since Sol Campbell left Spurs for Arsenal. For some fans, this was the final word in back stabbing. They reacted badly. Its been tough for him every time he returns to White Hart Lane.
Campbell might be a bit more relieved that a few of the most vituperative lot have been found guilty of homophobic chants against him.
A somewhat simpler explanation for all the ire. Spurs have never shown any consistent improvement in their defense, their Achilles heel in attaining a higher place in the league. Since Campbell left in 2001, they have conceded 40 goals or less only once, in 2006 when they achieved 5th place under Martin Jol conceding just 38 goals.
2001-2002: Goals against- 53
2002-2003: Goals against- 62
2003-2004: Goals against- 57
2004-2005: Goals against- 41
2005-2006: Goals against- 38
2006-2007: Goals against- 54
2007-2008: Goals against- 61
Guus Hiddink seems to be making a bit of a meal leaving Chelsea. He says he will be back and forth to support the club.
“Unofficially, I will keep my connection with the club,” he said as he prepared for tomorrow’s game at home to Blackburn Rovers. “By supporting them, by coming to visit every now and then.”
Forget the fact that Carlo Ancelotti or Frank Rijkaard might have problems with this seemingly innocuous Big Brother attitude.
Can Russia handle the distraction? Hiddink's entertaining notions of staying on at Chelsea had its star player airing his worries in public.
Nemanja Vidic was an undoubted success in Man Utd's reaching for the moon. No one denies that. Despite the much lampooned Vidic moment played out endlessly to You Tube rap song remixes when Torres took him to the cleaners in a 4-1 drubbing over Man Utd.
Ryan Giggs won the PFA award in dubious circumstances, on the strength of an Oscar worthy lifetime award, just not this season. Everyone rolled over. We celebrated the good guy passed over in his prime finally getting the PFA, with misty eyes.
Yet, we are treated to the selfish spectacle of Sir Alex complaining about Steven Gerrard getting the Football Writers Association award. What did Gerrard do? Waterboard the journalists? Or actually prove that because of his form, Liverpool have gotten the closest in years to challenging for the title.
I should also add on the 20th year anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster, Gerrard shouldered the pain and despair of a club and its supporters admirably. A seminal moment in football history that led to far reaching reforms which ensured better playing circumstances for everyone, including Man Utd. Sometimes moments like this transcend the nuts and bolts of winning a title.
So zip it, Sir Alex. You tarnish your accomplishments with your constant whining.
The first leg resulted in a Atlante 2-0 win and the second leg was a 0-0 draw. Atlante won on aggregate.
It has been a very poor season for all the traditional heavy hitters. Cruz Azul, Club America, Chivas, and Atlas fell by the wayside in the regular season. Azul was the hardest hit finishing dead last in the Primera League, the first time in 47 years. Their lack of success has Ramon Raya and Mauricio Cabrera bemoaning the state of affairs in the big Mexican clubs.
Adebayor must have really impressed Roman Abramovich in the cameo against Chelsea where he touched the ball twice and dove repeatedly to get a penalty. In keeping with the CL semi-finals, he contributed very little to that match.
He is reportedly a transfer target for the Blues. Didier Drogba is an almost certainty to depart Stamford Bridge. Carlo Ancelotti now a distinct coaching possibility is a big fan of the Togolese striker.
Wenger appears to have no objections to him leaving for one of the big rivals. If there is anyone who knows Ade's weaknesses, it is Wenger. He has probablyl figured out a way to neutralize him. The money from his sale is an irresistible attraction. Ade should go for £25-30m.
Wenger should also seriously consider the transfers of Abou Diaby, Alexander Song, and Denilson. The three of them should net about £20m. We could also offload Mikael Silvestre and William Gallas.
With about £60m to £70m in player transfers and another £30m from the club for a budget of £90- 100m, here is who we should try and get:
Adebayor's replacement should be someone who outscores him in power and speed. Edin Dzeko at Wolfsburg is a big bold presence at 6' 4". He has outstanding stats with 22 goals scored in 30 appearances this season. At 23 years, he is already an outstanding contributor to the Bosnian national team and leads the World Cup qualifiers with seven goals.
You might argue that having another striker is redundant having RVP, Eduardo, Bendtner, Vela, Walcott, and Arshavin who can all score but this is a false notion. RVP is injury prone, , Eduardo's complete return remains in question, Walcott lacks the finishing touch in spades, Bendtner's recent form has been satisfactory but after much profligacy, and Vela has just begun getting some first place looks. Arshavin seems to be the only player who inspires confidence, so relieving him of goalscoring pressure would be extremely important.
Another bold move would be to seduce Mathieu Flamini back. It will take more money but Flamini has been under utilized in Milan and might want to get back to a more substantial role. I really believe Wenger dropped the ball and they should have matched or exceeded Milan's offer. Flamini alongside Fabregas forged the template for Arsenal's midfield potency last season.
We could also target Marcos Senna, Villareal's hard man, as holding midfielder. He brings serious teeth to the game. Senna has expressed admiration for Arsenal's young talent and he might want to move to a bigger stage. At 32 years he is at the older end of the spectrum but his Villareal and Spain performances suggest he is peaking. Without a doubt, he is an inspirational leader who would relieve Fabregas of that burden. For a younger player we could turn to Yaya Toure, Barca's everyday man on defense with some serious attacking chops. Brother Kolo could give him a few words of encouragement to encourage him to come to the Emirates. Xavi Alonso and Gareth Barry remain on the horizon.
Arsenal's central defense has been shambolic. They have also lacked being set piece threats. With an eye towards that, the following central defenders should be seriously considered. Raul Albiol of Valencia who with his 6'3" frame should give the inches that Arsenal's defense needs.
There is Juventus Giorgio Chiellini and Everton's Joleon Lescott, both hard to knock of the tackle and proven set piece goal scorers. If Wenger wants to go a bit cheaper he can try to get Nedum Onuoha at Man City or Curtis Davies at Villa. Both are the highest quality and performing beyond their years. Arsenal needs a central defender duo who can develop the sort of understanding that Toure and Gallas were unable to do.
Tomas Rosicky has just started attending training after 16 months away with injuries to his knees and hamstrings and if everything progresses well, should be back for next season's start. If that happens then the midfield has yet another option.
The Mexican Football Federation announced they were breaking all ties with CONMEBOL, canceling Copa Sudamericana, Copa America, and Copa Libertadores appearances. The fallout was set in motion when Nacional and San Paulo refused to travel to Mexico for their third round matches against San Luis and Chivas Gualdajara because of fears associated with the swine flu outbreak.
Nacional and Sao Paulo could not come to a subsequent agreement over alternate venues. San Luis and Chivas Gualdajara then withdrew from the Copa.
The FMF is particularly infuriated because it was given to understand that in lieu, COMNEBOL would give five spots to Mexican clubs instead of the three next year's Libertadores competition. But CONMEBOL seems to have had a sudden change of heart ordering the Mexican clubs to play one off matches at Sao Paulo and Montevideo. Controversy surrounds the CONMEBOL volte face. Were officials on the same page? It appears there is a rift between Julio Grondona, a powerful FIFA vice president and the head of the AFA, the CONMEBOL president Nicolas Leoz, and Ricardo Texeira, the CBF head and a FIFA member.
Grondona and Leoz's original position in sync with FIFA regulations, was to allow next year's expansion of spots available for the Mexican clubs, which is what Justino Compean, the FMF president received in his first communication. But the decision did not sit well with the CBF, and Ricardo Texeira appears to have exerted pressure on Leoz. In the meantime, Grondona also realized that they were losing money by foregoing these matches, thus there was a volte face.
This has set of a firestorm in Mexico, with CONMEBOL being accused of heavy handed chauvinism and favouritism towards the South American clubs. There is a feeling that the Mexican clubs have been shut out because the South Americans also feared an upset. The CONMEBOL decision came a day after Mexican health authorities had declared stadiums safe to reopen to the public. Meanwhile, an internet war has broken out between Mexican and Argentine fans.
I have a solution: Smithfield's public relations have taken a beating. Preliminary investigations show that pig farms operated by a Mexican subsidiary of the Virginia based Smithfield company, the world's largest producer of pork and pork products could be the probable locus of the epidemic. How about Smithfield rehabilitating its image by footing the costs of playing the matches here in the USA? Everyone walks out happy.
A truly sad moment for Reading fans as the club failed to make it to the Premiership losing to Burnley in the playoffs. It should not have come to this as the Royals had a number of chances for promotion but their miserable home record proved their undoing, as they lost their last nine matches in a row.
Steve Coppell resigned with minimum fuss, great dignity, and no excuses. It was quintessential Coppell. They are a vanishing breed as finger pointers have taken over the game.
I became a big fan of Coppell when the Royals were promoted to the Premiership in 2006 and their success that season lighted up the league. Their first match was a 3-2 win against Boro. Dave Kitson was injured in that match and was out till January but players like Kevin Doyle, Seol Ki-Hyun, Leroy Lita, and Steve Sidwell stepped up admirably.
Apart from a Steve Hunt moment where he attempted a prefrontal lobotomy on Petr Cech (the Chelsea goalie now wears protective headgear), the club preferred to make news with their performances. The Man Utd encounters provided some choice moments. Reading refused to go away in both Premiership matches. The highlight was the FA Cup fifth round that gave Sir Alex some very anxious moments as Reading fought back through Kitson and Lita after Man Utd had seemingly wrapped up the match in a three goal blitz in 6 minutes.
The Royals ended in 8th position with Doyle and Lita combining for 27 goals. The season threw up Steve Sidwell as a player to be watched for. Chelsea came knocking. Coppell was deservedly voted as manager of the year. The achievement was accomplished with the most minimal of sideline shenanigans as Coppell's stoic and unflappable visage became an enduring image.
A reason for their strong first season was Reading's super efficient scoring. They were the most accurate of all clubs. They scored a goal every three attempts. The number was significantly better than Man Utd, Liverpool, and Arsenal.
Doyle, Lita, and Sidwell were not just goal scorers, they were snipers.
So thanks for all the great memories, Steve. Here is hoping this is a brief interlude and you come back to coaching again.
The Seattle Sounders are the hottest team in the MLS right now.
The club is accommodating the demand for tickets by increasing seats by 4000. This increases the total capacity for MLS games to over 32,000. The Sounders also play Chelsea and Barca in the summer and Qwest will open up all its sections to increase seating to 67,000.
For more info on how other clubs are faring >>
Yaya Toure, Kolo's younger brother shows why Arsenal should get this man. Brilliant footwork, great balance, and a killer finish. It all began at the half line. Yaya was shifted to the center back position because of Abidal's suspension and Rafa Marque's injury.
His goal scored the equalizer for Barca who went on to demolish Bilbao through goals by Messi, Krkic, and Xavi. The perfect scoreline was spoiled by Gaizka Toquero's 9th minute header which briefly put Bilbao up.
Barca won the Copa Del Rey for the first time after 11 years. Andres Iniesta and Thierry Henry did not play because of injuries but both are going to be back for the CL final against Man Utd.
Arseblog uses Jabba the Usmanov which I think is a perfect moniker. Well, the Uzbeki metal king wants to use his depleted bank balance to help the Gunners cover some of the debt associated with the stadium, so as to open up the transfer budget. It is as Arseblog says, a clever move, taking the side of the fans when he mentions that raising ticket prices is not the answer.
Nice populist gesture. But what is the quid pro quo? A takeover obviously. Of course, if that happens, ticket prices will be raised nonetheless, this time to pay him back. Yes, your money will go to a numbered account in the Cayman islands. There is no way a businessman who lost 74% of his wealth is going to hand out freebies.
I think all parties interested in the future of Arsenal need a way forward to reduce the debt. Which means setting aside personal ambitions for the summer and working together to get the players needed. It is going to be difficult what with Arsenal's byzantine boardroom politics calling for George Mitchell like negotiating skills. I think Ivan Gazidis will be a very busy man.
For all its parity with the other three big European leagues, the Bundesliga coaches have had considerably less sway in influencing other European big leagues.
Felix Magath's success with three Bundesliga teams should have seen his stock rise across Europe but has Chelsea come knocking? He is moving to Schalke. Juergen Klinsmann mentioned as a successor to Jose Mourinho at Chelsea finally landed up at Bayern before being fired. He is now being touted as Ralf Ragnick's successor at Hoffenheim. Ottmar Hitzfeld surely one of the biggest names in coaching circles is managing Switzerland after a lifetime spent coaching in the Bundesliga. Otto Rehhagel spent 14 successful years heading Werder where he built up the club as a force that challenged Bayern. Despite that enviable resume, Rehhagel never coached another big league club, taking up as Greece's national coach in 2001. Bernd Schuster's exit from Real last season, ended German representation in the top three European leagues.
The flip side of all this insularity is the inveterate parody of the itinerant globe trotting German coach. Jupp Derwall in 1984, after retiring as the German national coach headed down to Turkish club Galtasaray, revolutionizing the sport in that country. Over the years Berti Vogts, Bernd Stange, and that most recognizable of names, Otto Pfister have made a career of coaching teams all over the world. These modern day versions of Sir Richard Burton have struck out over the global terrain with little political compunction and financial compensation to coach a polyglot of teams.
The relative invisibility of German coaching success is remarkable when you consider other countries and their coaches. Italy's national team success seems to be rooted in home soil ardency. Their players are loath to leave but the coaches seem to have embraced the rigours of English football. West Ham lured Gianfranco Zola away from his coaching duties as assistant manager of the U21 Italy team to install him as manager. Zola was a favourite amongst Chelsea fans in his playing career under Gianluca Vialli, another Italian. Carlo Ancelotti is now being mentioned as a replacement for Guus Hiddink, a Dutchman, who built his reputation at PSV. Hiddink's success with Chelsea is a rebuilding process started under Claudio Ranieri in 2001, a base that Roman Abramovich could build on and Jose Mourinho perfected. Arsenal is coached by Arsene Wenger, a Frenchman, who previously coached AS Monaco. Rafa Benitez, a Spaniard, spent five years at Valencia before leaving for Liverpool.
The situation in La Liga and the Serie is no different. The foreign representation is less overall but the Liga employs coaches like Hugo Sanchez of Mexico and Manuel Pellegrini of Chile, arguably because of linguistic connections. Barca broke a recent stranglehold of Dutch coaches with Pep Guardiola and before Schuster, Real Madrid employed Fabio Capello and Carlos Queiroz. The Serie has been traditionally tough ground to break so it is not surprising to see Jose Mourinho as the only foreign representative. Mourinho, Hiddink, and Wenger, each of them started their coaching careers in smaller European leagues to reach its upper echelons underscores the paucity of German equivalence.
Here I end with a caveat: If it is any cold comfort, English coaches are infinitely worse off in any meaningful representation and impact outside of the Premiership. Even that is due to borrowed Scottish lustre. The big English moment ended when Bobby Robson left Barca in 1997.
The comedy of errors that led to Frank Baumann's goal against Hamburg. The culprit has been identified and it will be installed in Werder's hall of fame.
Werder had Hamburg's number this season. Make it three of three. Baumann's goal ended their UEFA aspirations. They also lost the German Cup. And this weekend Martin Jol's squad crashed out of title contention after being beaten by Hugo Almeida's brace.
Link:
Wolfsburg bounced back from the Stuttgart drubbing last weekend. It was the Dzeko- Grafite combine yet again which sank Borussia. Dzeko opened the scoring with his 21st goal. Lovely one touch football!
Grafite added one more and Dzeko rounded of the rout with yet another. Grafite leads the league with 24 goals. Wolfsburg maintain their formidable home form and Magath is unbeaten against Juergen Klopp.
The 3 goal spanking was crucial as they remain in first place ahead of Bayern on goal differential who took apart Leverkusen by the same scoreline. Hertha also won, 2-1 against Cologne and remain on third, a point behind. Today Stuttgart take on Schalke in another must win game for them.
Tim Vickery, passionate follower of Brazil's hallowed sport, observes that some big time players were MIA on opening day of the national championship.
He cautioned against reading too much into the return of these stars to the domestic game. It does not mean that the Brazilian league have found the magic elixir. And if Wenger is looking for cheap talent (cue eye roll) to bolster the defense, then he should pursue Boca's Juan Daniel Forlin.
Meanwhile Brazilian sports medicine gets a shout out with the amazing job that they do with rehabilitating injured stars that Europe has given up on. Ronaldo appears to have been reborn.
I can vouch for this approach. I go back to India every year to find an extra inch in my trousers and the tailors there always find it. My waistline has burgeoned but its the same trousers that I partied in 1999.
Carlo Ancelotti is probably going to come to Chelsea after all. He can play coy. The fact is that his boss wants him gone.
"E 'tutta colpa di Ancelotti."
Silvio Berlusconi has laid the blame (link in Italian) on Milan's fading chances to win the scudetto squarely on Carlo Ancelotti. He believes with the quality of personnel on the field, Milan should have been ahead of Inter comfortably. He questioned Ancelotti's tactic of using Ronaldinho from the bench. The defensive woes which see Milan give up easy goals late in the game.
It was quite extraordinary, given that the outburst took place in Egypt where Berlusconi was attending a summit with Mubarak. Obviously the draw with Juve weighed heavily on his mind when Milan was unable to take advantage of Inter's stumble against Chievo. The Italian premier gave his opinion on Ancelotti at a dinner at the Sharm El Sheik with Italian dignitaries and tourists in attendance.
The most fascinating league this season has huge matches today and tomorrow with huge implications.
Three top clubs meet up today. Bayern meet Leverkusen, Wolfsburg encounters Dortmund, and Hertha tangle with FC Cologne.
Tomorrow another top club Stuttgart takes on Schalke.
Five points separate six clubs. Wolfsburg nosed ahead of Bayern in goal differential. Hertha and Stuttgart round up the top four. Borussia and Hamburg are leaning on them hard.
Wolfsburg is suffering a slump in form at the worst possible time in the season.
They have had to deal Felix Magath's rather tastelessly timed decision to announce his departure from the team at the end of the season to coach Schalke. A big distraction which might have led to their embarrassing 1-4 loss all at the hands or rather legs of Mario Gomez.
Borussia brings its seven game winning streak to VW Arena. The good news for the Wolves is that they are impregnable at home. Their big men, Grafite and Edin Dzeko combined have scored 43 goals. So offensive output should not be a problem. More tellingly, Juergen Klopp has never won against Felix Magath.
Carlos Tevez moves in mysterious ways.
Corinthians to West Ham. West Ham to Man Utd. Both moves were shrouded in intrigue and shady money. And now where? Wherever it is, Tevez's moves have always created controversy. He could swallow his pride, stay on at Man Utd, and hopefully win his way back from the bench. Or leave for another club in the Premiership where he is assured of starting. Or more boldly, leave England altogether and play in Spain where Real has made approving noises.
Add Spurs to the list of clubs that are now competing for Tevez's affections. Harry Redknapp's grand plan is to sell Pavlyuchenko, Bent, and Bentley to raise the cash for Tevez. However all this is moot if Tevez's stated desire is to play for Liverpool. That will really get Sir Alex's blood pressure up! Tevez's family lives in Cheshire so he won't have to move them if he leaves for Spurs or Liverpool.
Fernando Torres. Never missed him. Atletico have Diego Forlan another reason why La Liga still retains an edge in world class talent even with the EPL soaked with all that money.
In 30 league matches the Uruguayan has scored 27 goals. Against Espanyol he scored two including the match winner. He now threatens Samuel Eto'o for the Pichichi. The Camerounian leads with 28 goals. The 3-2 win over Espanyol challenges Valencia for the final CL spot. Valencia also administered a very satisfying drubbing of Real, 3-0 this weekend.
Newcastle won, 3-1 over Boro in the north east Derby as Obafemi Martins put them over the top after substituting Owen in the 71st minute. Shearer and his men can breathe a little easier now. They top Hull City on goal differential.
"This is a magnificent feeling, it really is. I thought my players were brilliant because I asked them to show courage, determination and ability - and they did all of that," Shearer insisted.
The Drogba dive for which Fabregas got carded and led to the Alex goal is par for the Chelsea striker. He does what he does. It should not become a rationalization for the rout.
The reasons are many and an ostrich in the sand attitude only ensures their prolongation. "In Wenger we trust" has been the 11th commandment but if your response is going to be:
"I don’t think the squad needs major investment. I believe we need to continue to improve. I’m not as doom-and-gloom as everybody wants to make it after a defeat and of course we play in a strong league against top quality opponents."
There is a major problem.
The improvement is not going to come out of thin air. We have a back four which is porous at its best. With injuries, the rejiggered line is a broken levee. We have given up 36 goals. 10, 13 and 14 more than Liverpool, Chelsea, and Man Utd.
Lets put it this way, we actually lost the season in the first half.
Conceding goals to Fulham, Hull, Stoke, Sunderland, and Boro. The Spurs match was a killer. We gained three points from those matches. That was when we had our first team back four with Gallas in and out with injury. Remember Wenger blamed it on the lack of inches. Toure and Gallas do not inspire confidence because as a duo they are undisciplined with suspect man marking skills. Clichy has his inexplicable moments but he runs back hard and is not afraid to tackle. Sagna is solid, although he has appeared lethargic at times. But there is no escaping the fact that it is a reactive defense.
Anelka's goal should not have come as a surprise. Samir Nasri might be at fault but we have had Geovanni, Jenas, and Grant Ledbitter making us pay because of the free space that we give them. One of the reasons why Man Utd is in first place is because they have the best tracking back forwards in the business. Tevez and Rooney are standouts. When you get that sort of help, the defense responds too.
Seeing Mathieu Flamini play for Milan against Juve yesterday was a poignant reminder of why he was our biggest loss.
Looks like a steady procession of injured and suspended players is complicating Pep Guardiola's preparation for the Cl final. He has a depleted back four with Abidal and Alves out through suspension. Rafa Marquez is injured.
However the bitterest blow could be Andres Iniesta who suffered a suspected muscle tear in his right thigh. Further investigations will be done Monday to ascertain the extent of the tear.
Not sure why Guardiola wanted to expose his best player to the rigours of the Liga. The title win is a just a matter of time. Iniesta will definitely miss the Copa Del Rey final against Atletico Bilbao but he is also doubtful for the CL final.
The long time Bolton midfielder who joined Ipswich Town in 2008 was released by Roy Keane.
Ipswich ended its season on a high note winning the last two games since Keane's takeover.
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Barca was comfortably on its way to a win and the title but Villareal fought back to draw the match, 3-3. Sir Alex might be video reviewing this a lot at as Villareal made Barca look very vulnerable on the counter attack.
The Sounders and Toronto FC are filling their stadiums to capacity. Their combined attendances contribute to little more than 30% of the total MLS attendance in the present season. The Sounders got off to a flying start when 32, 253 fans showed up for their inaugural match against the Red Bulls. Since then attendances have averaged 29,536 fans. A very impressive start. Toronto FC in their third year are averaging 20180 fans. The above graph shows they are boosting total MLS attendance substantially.
A very telling statistic: When Qwest and BMO are the venues as in week 4, the total attendance went up to 127,389. The next week both clubs were on the road, attendance fell to 84,577, a significant decrease of 34%.
The red bars represent average attendances while the blue bars represent total seating capacity. I have not given the seating capacities of RFK, Giants, and Gillette stadiums because these were basically designed for the NFL which are now also being shared by soccer teams.
As you can see the Sounders and Toronto FC are doing fantastically well with Qwest Field actually overflowing. Smaller soccer specific stadiums like Buckshaw and Community America, homes to the Earthquakes and Wizards are also operating at capacity.
The Texas based teams have one of the worst records when taking into account seating capacity. The Dynamo are averaging about half the total seating capacity of 32,000 at Robertson Stadium and Dallas is doing the same with 20,000 seat Pizza Hut Park.
There are dangerous signs that DC United and the Red Bulls are going to have a hard time filling seats when their soccer specific stadiums finally open. DC United has a 24,000 seat stadium in the works while an average of 14,561 fans attend home games at RFK. The picture is even more dismal for the Red Bulls who are struggling to fill 10,000 (9829) seats in cavernous Giants stadium. Next year, they move to Red Bull Arena which seats 25,000 plus. The same fate might befall the Revolution if they firm up plans to move to a smaller venue as they barely exceed 10,000 fans.
Stan Kroenke whose energies seem to be consumed by an Arsenal takeover might want to take a second look at his club, the Rapids who are not energizing their home base at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.
Even impressive performances by Chivas and Fire with a loyal Latin American fan base are not enough to fill Home Depot Center or Toyota Park. They are filled to about 60% capacity.
A few more observations: East coast teams fare poorly compared to the West coast teams in attendances. Seattle, the home of Microsoft, is a hub for young technocrats who come from culturally diverse backgrounds. Soccer with its global emphasis is a natural fit. There also appears to be a suggestion that cities with an entrenched history in other major league sports like baseball, basketball, and especially the NFL, may be more impervious to soccer even with large immigrant populations from Latin American countries. A corollary, those exposed to good soccer in their countries might find MLS below par, which means that the MLS has to find ways to drive up quality by encouraging young foreign talent like Steve Zakuani in larger numbers.
Against Chelsea, Walcott had about 6 shots on goal. 3 clear chances, only one which was saved by Cech, the rest of them were "how in blazes did he miss that" opportunities. This has become a pattern.
Walcott gets caught between responsibilities of goal scoring and supplying. As a winger he is supposed to do the latter but with injuries to Eduardo, Adebayor and RVP and a drought in goalscoring, he has had to step up as a second striker under Wenger's shuffling of positions.
His shots are tantalizingly close to being considered crosses but they have too much power and are not carefully timed for other players to take full advantage. It also appears that he is taking shots at goal but the angle is wrong and has no bearing to where the posts or the goalkeeper is situated. In the end it really is neither one nor the other. The great tragedy is that with his pace and on ball skills he is always going to give you chances. He just has to make better decisions.
Arsene Wenger and Pat Rice have that familiar pinched look on their faces.
All that beautiful possession from Fabregas and Nasri, Sagna's and Gibbs forays up front, Theo Walcott's innumerable whacks at goal, can only mean one thing.
Chelsea is up at half time.
The Blues needed just two opportunities as Alex overpowered the defense to head the ball home off a Drogba free kick and then Anelka bulled his way through, firing a muscular shot which swung away from Fabianski.
Overpowered. Bulled. Muscular. Meanwhile, Abou Diaby is a fruit fly on the ball, easily flicked off.
Chelsea are in great position to win their first game in the Emirates.
Tevez's step son like treatment at the hands of Sir Alex has everyone agog. It provides the background to the Utd- City derby.
The Argentinian makes it clear in the NOTW interview that the manager is at fault for his sour mood, not his team mates or the fans. He has essentially written off continuing at Man Utd.
However, it appears that if this is indeed true, he like Ronaldo wants to be remembered for a very long time. Man Utd went up two goals at half time thanks to a Ronaldo free kick and a Tevez goal.
At this point we can safely say that Man Utd has a death grip on the title.
Chelsea meet Arsenal at the Emirates.
Two clubs licking their wounds. Nothing materially changes with a result but there are old favourites to play for, like the satisfaction of seeing Ashley Cole's nose caked in mud.
More interesting are the words of advice that Hiddink has for a recalcitrant Wenger.
He is a big admirer of the Arsenal system with its emphasis on long term planning. However, the Dutchman thinks its time for Wenger to invest in some experienced oomph up front. Sage words.
A Drogba like arrival would mean we can finally end Adebayor's on and off relationship with Arsenal.
Note: I said, a "Drogba like arrival" as in the power not the personality. Amy Lawrence believes that we need to go for the original which could mean Wenger spending more time with the shrink. Or spending good money on a PR firm just for Drogba.
Theo Walcott penned a new contract with the club, a good start to a rebuilding summer. Of course, all this may pale with what lies ahead in the boardroom drama of who finally gets control of the club.
As for the match itself, Clichy's season is over and Gibbs should get the start. Arshavin may not recover from the flu in time for today's match which means Diaby will likely get playing time.
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Bayern has a lot to thank Mario Gomez for. All four goals in Stuttgart's 4-1 thrashing of Wolfsburg were scored by him. Wolfsburg still managed to nose ahead of Bayern at the top of the Bundesliga due to goal difference. Bayern got the better of Cottbus, 3-1.
The race for the Bundesliga title manages to get more fascinating every week. Just 2 points separate fourth placed Stuttgart from the league leaders. Hertha is a point behind in third place. Borussia Dortmund and Hamburg also have an outside chance at winning the title.
It all comes down to the wage bill that sticks out like a sore thumb. And a lot of it is consumed by Joey Barton, who gives sleepless nights to all his managers.
They keep thinking however that they maybe the one digging out that kernel of talent from all the crud. Which means that Barton will always find employment as Alan Shearer gets set to offload him in the summer.
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Maurice Edu's team wins the most celebrated derby in the world and goes two up on their rivals. The win left the Ibrox faithful rocking and Rangers in great position to claim their fifth SPL title.
The match winner was scored by Steven Davis in the 36th minute. Edu acquitted himself well as the match report shows.
Not just Schelotto. But the whole name. Its so, how you say it? So deliciously foreign, it makes the MLS legit.
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Real lost to Valencia, 0-3 on the heels of their most humiliating loss at the Bernabeu in 38 years against Barca.
Ruben Baraja's 68th minute goal reminded one of Michael Essien's goal against Barca, a stunning volley that upended Iker Casillas. Before that Mata got the ball rolling as the Real defense fell like nine pins and then Silva's speculative shot was parried by Casillas into goal.
It is clear Ramos will not be invited back as part of Florentino Perez's vision of rebuilding Real. 9 goals in two matches to your rivals is not a resume builder. Tomorrow, Barca can win the title with a win at home against struggling Villareal.
These players are central to their clubs fortunes but they always manage to live in the twilight zone with their questionable commitment and/ or their behavioral issues. In between they throw up tantalizing glimpses of their undoubted potential.
Emmanuel Adebayor:
On one of the biggest encounters in club history, the Togolese striker was AWOL against Man Utd in both legs of the CL semi-final, enhancing long held suspicions that his commitment to his club is skin deep. Milan should take note. One of the most infuriating thing about Adebayor: For all his size and strength, the striker plays like the incredible shrinking man. He is terrible at playing with his back to goal and is easily dispossessed of the ball. Unless this improves he is not one of the best strikers in the world, as he likes to brag. He still remains Arsenal's most productive goal scorer because RVP can't buy himself an injury free season.
Didier Drogba:
It remains a coin toss as to what keeps the Cote D'Ivoirian prima donna purring. The right manager? But even that may not be enough as Guus Hiddink found out in the CL semi-final against Barca as Drogba went Ovreboard. Drogba's form has been one of the keys to Chelsea's late season revival but his temperament is more tightly wound than one of Roger Federer's racquet strings. Drogba could have won them the game but his affinity for remaining parallel more than perpendicular robbed Chelsea of a much needed second goal. As it turned out it was Iniesta who cornered all the glory and Barca that goes to the CL final.
Robinho:
Greed lured the Brazilian to a club he probably did not know existed after Chelsea failed in its bid. The most expensive signing in club history was heralded as a player that City could build around and yet in the months past, Mark Hughes finally had to resort to benching him to get a pulse on the field. He has shown a bit more ambition in the last few games after a huge gap from scoring his last goal in December. In between he became more well known for his off field behaviour including charges of statutory rape. Robinho's commitment on the field remains a huge concern. His up and down performance have Hughes squarely in the management's firing squad.
Amr Zaki:
What can you say about the granite faced Egyptian? He had the Wigan fans salivating and the rest of the Premiership on tenterhooks every time he took the field. Wigan began its season as if a mule had kicked its behind and the mule was Zaki. Virtually unstoppable with treadmills for legs, Zaki was on a tear when he suddenly disappeared after national team duty in late March. Was it a hamstring injury, a lack of quality shisha cafes, or the miserable winter? It was all a mystery. Steve Bruce had had enough. He resurfaced again working his way back into Bruce's favour only for his season to be cut short with a knee injury.
Dimitar Berbatov:
The target of Man Utd's unrequited love finally made it to Old Trafford after what appears to be an Italian Job on Spurs. When not on his game, even a cardboard cutout shows more alacrity. The nadir came when Berbs did some fancy exaggerated footwork before lazily slugging it straight to Tim Howard in the FA Cup semi-final. The quintessential Berbs conundrum: He makes goal scoring effortless, if he can be bothered to show up at all. Man Utd fans work themselves into a frenzy in wonderment. That he has not been a target of sustained wrath is because, despite him, the club remains on target to win the Premiership.
Setanta is now negotiating a lower contract for the TV rights to the SPL matches as a way of moving away from financial fragility.
The SPL will probably have no choice but to accede because the Irish broadcaster's payment for TV rights injects crucial cash into the clubs. Even with lowered rates the SPL stands to pick up about £100m.
There also appears to be no other sports broadcaster in the horizon to telecast the SPL package, with Sky Sports only showing interest in the Old Firm rivalry, the most followed of all league matches, with the highest attendances. If the SPL decides not to re-negotiate the contract, then the league maybe in a fight for its survival.
Sepp Blatter sent his legal team to ensure that the elections to the FIFA executive committee went off smoothly in one of the most bitter and acrimonious campaigns that pitted incumbent Mohammed Bin Hammam, AFC president from Qatar against Bahrain's challenger Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa.
Today, Bin Hammam retained his seat in a close vote 23-21 on his 60th birthday.
India, Australia, Indonesia, amongst others voted for the AFC president while South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, and the Gulf coast countries voted against him.
There is enormous amount of work to be done including the future of the AFC as the true representative of Asian football or whether it needs to be restructured into smaller, independent entities that manage regional aspirations much more effectively. There seems to be a groundswell of support for such a split.
An Arabic metaphor is misunderstood by South Korean football officials and sets the tone for the poisonous state of affairs that Asian football finds itself in.
The AFC is becoming increasingly fractious under the weight of its 46 constituent, the largest regional group with a varied cultural, economic, and political background adding to the complexity. On the eve of the elections to the FIFA executive committee, divisive factors are coming into play which will decide whether the AFC truly serves Asian football in the best possible way or needs restructuring to accommodate more manageable regional aspirations. There seems to be a gathering sense that the AFC could be partitioned into West Asia and East Asia entities.
The simmering feud between two antagonists, Mohammed Bin Hammam and Chung Moon-Joon is expected to take center stage and influence the outcome of the elections.
Mohammed Bin Hammam, present AFC president and FIFA executive member who is said to be close to Sepp Blatter and whose personal initiative in professionalizing clubs and Vision Asia programs have been widely acknowledged in improving Asian standards. Opposing him is FIFA vice president Chung Mong-Joon, who was seen as a prime mover in the successful organization of the 2002 World Cup because of his powerful connections to the Hyundai conglomerate who took over the entire operation.
Both men have alleged ambitions to succeed Sepp Blatter as FIFA president and have engaged in a war of words to marginalize the other. Bin Hammam accuses Chung Joon-Moon of being a soccer ingenue whose sole purpose is to unseat him to gain the FIFA presidency whereas Joon-Moon issues broadsides which question the Qatari's mental competence and accuse him of financial mismanagement. Moon-Joon believes that under Bin Hammam the AFC is run as a dictatorship.
The South Korean is supporting the candidacy of Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa, a Bahraini royal to succeed Bin Hammam in this election. It appears the Gulf royal families are coalescing to undercut support for Bin Hammam. Peter Vellappan, a former Bin Hammam protege and ex- AFC general secretary, whose relationship has soured with his former boss is the public voice of opposition.
However, Sheikh Salman also does not seem to be above board and is being investigated by FIFA's ethics committee for using development funds to buy votes.
Bin Hammam has vowed that he will also step aside as AFC president, if defeated.
In the end, the campaign to oust Bin Hammam as an out of touch overlord who treats the AFC as his personal fiefdom and goes against FIFA regulations may not be enough because the timeline of Asian success and his own personal ascension are quite tightly interlinked.
Nicklas Bendtner has a wardrobe malfunction and is very contrite. Armani will be very happy. Arsene and Arsenal not so much.
Its all part of the angst sweeping the club following the Man U clinic.
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The Frank Baumann winner was a comedy of errors as Michael Gravgaard's clearance hits a piece of debris and bounces out for a corner. Frank Rost is unable to deal with the header adequately and the ball deflects of his hand into the area of Piotr Trochowski and Baumann. Trochowski standing on the line gets to the ball but his kick only manages to tattoo the forehead of the charging Baumann and the ball bloops over for the goal. Werder go up, 3-1.
Olic puts Hamburg up, 1-0. Diego finishes his work with a cheeky little chip for the equalizer, 1-1. Frank Rost is wrong footed on a Pizarro blast for Werder to overtake Hamburg, 2-1. Olic scores a late header sparking hopes of a Hamburg comeback, 2-3.
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A beauty of a goal. Iniesta's superb strike broke Chelsea's heart in the 93rd minute and became the talk of the world but this was a Messi like gem that came late and snuffed out Kyiv's hopes. Before that Ismael Bangoura had equalized 1-1 after another Brazilian, Jadson had put Shakhtar up, 1-0.
The Norwegians are not taking this too kindly.
Today, Drogba's apology was posted on the Chelsea website.
"I was very upset at what happened during the game, but having seen the pictures on TV I accept that I overreacted."
Good for him.
Ovrebo had to be smuggled out of England, switching hotels. On landing at Oslo, he avoided the media. Norwegian police have been patrolling his house. Hate groups have formed on the internet targeting the Norwegian referee and his family, including a group called Kill Tom Henning Ovrebo.
The creator of one group states: “We group dedicated to the hunt for (and brutal murdering of) the second-leg champions league ref of Chelsea vs Barcelona.”
Ovrebo was pursued into the players' tunnel by Drogba and Ballack with the Ivorian hitting the wall with his fist as abuse was screamed at the official.
No less than Graham Poll, surely, as controversial as they come, weighs on this issue.
Poll blamed the players for stoking the fans' anger. He added: “When you see players acting like that, fans are called fans because they are fanatics — they may feel it's time to take action themselves.”
The Norwegian Football Federation defended Ovrebo's game management.
They will now take over UEFA and review the game. Further action could be taken against Ovrebo but they expressed confidence that he would be cleared. However, if cleared, the NFF also stated that the decision to continue officiating would be left to him probably keeping in mind Andres Frisk affair after a similar situation four years ago, left Chelsea fans issuing death threats against the Swedish referee and his family, forcing his retirement.
Ovrebo is a trained psychologist, so maybe he can start by giving himself some much needed therapy.
In the first leg of a 2005 second round match against Barca, the referee Andres Frisk sent off Drogba, which prompted Jose Mourinho's launching of yet another bizarre conspiracy theory that the referee had met up with then coach Frank Rijkaard before the match.
The Swedish referee was forced to retire after he and his family received death threats.
UEFA keeping that context in mind is going to be less charitable towards Chelsea's over the top reaction which might encourage fans to do the same with Ovrebo and his family.
If Hiddink was looking for a graceful exit back to Russian national team duties, he is not going to get it now. His players were a disgrace.
Both Drogba and Michael Ballack could face substantial bans for their over the top behaviour. Drogba as this video shows went bats**t insane.
The NFL has been revenue sharing for decades and because of it American football has become the most highly attended and anticipated major sport in the US.
Andy Burnham's most controversial proposal if implemented will have the top four Premiership clubs share their revenues with the league have nots. The idea is to break the stranglehold at the top.
The TV money right now is skewed in a 1:6:1 ratio which means that Man Utd received £49.3 million from the Premier League last season. Arsenal got £47 million; Chelsea £45.5 million and Liverpool £45.4 million. Reading, relegated from the Premier League received £30 million for its efforts.
The NFL model essentially guarantees a pot of $430million (£268million) to the bottom echelon teams from the top earning teams for the next four years. With the NFL draft and salary caps, low revenue teams like the Ravens and the Rams have won the Superbowl in recent years.
The hit of the Tribeca Film Festival opens May 8th and follows Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal as two feuding brothers, working in a banana plantation who end up being recruited as big time soccer players in Mexico City. The film was written and produced by the same people responsible for the hit Y Tu Mama Tambien.
Here is an interview with Carlos Cuaron, the director who also wrote the script for Y Tu Mama Tambien and Gael Garcia Bernal.
If it is anything like Y Tu, then it will be worth a watch.
Adebayor was virtually non-existent in the CL semi-finals. His lackadaisical performance was roundly panned (its not just Arsenal fans who were unimpressed, but future employers too, including Milan, might now be less interested). He seems to have realized that his commitment is in question.
"Arsenal put me where I am today. They made me one of the biggest strikers in the world. I have to pay them back.
“How am I going to pay them back? Make them win trophies. That’s what I am here for and I have to fight for that. Next season, 100 per cent, I am an Arsenal footballer.
Hold back on the biggest striker a bit. We needed you on one of our biggest nights and you disappeared.
The Spanish media reacts.
Drogba's eyes zone on the ground, his best friend all night
Drogba spent a lot of times flopping and at the end going ballistic at Tom Hennings Ovrebo, the Norwegian referee. He faces UEFA disciplinary action for that classy move as well as a invective filled tirade facing a camera.
Then there was Michael Ballack who pursued Ovrebo in an apoplectic fit after the referee turned down his appeal for handball. Replays showed that the call was correct, his shot struck Eto'o on back of the shoulder.
Dominic Fifield and Amy Lawrence, of course, highlight all the calls that seemed to go against Chelsea.
The only clearly wrong call was Anelka's flick that Pique blocked with his hand.
Yes, football is a cruel sport and cuts both ways. Eric Abidal can attest to that. Ovrebo gave the Frenchman marching orders for allegedly tripping up Anelka on his way to goal. Replays showed that it was very doubtful whether he had anything to do with it. Barca was a goal down and reduced to ten men.
Yes, it is a conspiracy to keep English clubs out of the finals. Cry me a river. This is just a lot of projection at the golden opportunities that Chelsea missed to put the game away. The chief culprit was Drogba who muffed two clear chances. Then cried the hardest.
Its a reminder that money can buy titles but not grace.
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Chelsea lost a heartbreaker in the 93rd minute due to a fabulous Iniesta strike. The aggregate was 1-1 but the away goal advantage applied in Barca's case and they will meet Man Utd in the final on May 27.
Michael Essien was involved in both goals.
The equalizer would not have been possible if Essien had not whiffed on Samuel Eto'o's heavy first touch, helping the ball along to Messi who collected and side passed to Iniesta who lined up and cracked the ball past all that heavy traffic and over Cech. It was Essien however, who came out of nowhere with an amazing volley that got Chelsea the goal which brought them so close, so tantalizingly close to their second consecutive CL final.
The reaction is varied:
"My solution is simple and it's something I've said all season long: Arsene needs to spend some money on experienced, quality players."
"Let me ask you one question. When talking about experience, how many Arsenal teams who had that commodity in abundance, won the European Cup in its various guises?"
"Equally though, I didn’t see before last night why we should fear next season that much and I don’t see why the events of last night should change that opinion."
"The time to properly reflect is probably a few weeks away, but I will express a desire at this stage to see the level of experience topped up in the summer window."
"I think the priorities are a world class goalkeeper and centre half. Possibly another centre-forward if Emmanuel Adebayor goes – frankly I hope he does. His continued public dalliance with Milan shows his head isn’t in the club, despite his massive pay rise."
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I feel very badly for Gibbs. He looked so gutted. Almunia was a trifle too late in reacting to Ronaldo's free kick. The third goal was a great give and go between Ronaldo, Ji Sung Park, Rooney, and finally Ronaldo for the finish. Arsenal's goal came from a controversial decision give by the referee to award a PK after Darren Fletcher brought down Cesc. Fletcher misses the CL final with his red card.
It was all over in 11 minutes.
It must have been bewildering and frightening to find the team down by a couple, before your bum had warmed the seat. With Man Utd playing like this a weather advisory was called for so that fans could have stayed home.Yes, Wenger could not have foreseen Gibbs losing his footing or Almunia being beaten by Ronaldo's 40 yard free kick.
We can console ourselves as if these mistakes were the reasons for the loss but the overwhelming sense was that of a team comprehensively and utterly outplayed. Man Utd could have won in any combination of ways even if they were not bestowed these gifts. Even Kafka could not have written this better. Ronaldo was Gregor Samsa, a terrifying figure whose unstoppable presence turned Arsenal's legs to jelly every time he touched the ball.
Think of all the blighted young players on the team after this match and Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final. Lukacz Fabianski and Kieran Gibbs, in particular. Wenger's cause is noble but it can also be very cruel. They will undoubtedly bounce back from that bloodied nose but there may be sleepless nights, dry mouth, restless legs, and nightmares. Yes, nightmares.
I do hope with all my heart that Wenger does not sugar coat this loss. To his credit he did not do so in the presser. He was quite pensive but justified his approach with the usual noises about experience being over valued and the quality of this young team. The precocity of talent is indisputable but we have had many iterations where it is has proven not enough to take us to the next level. Wenger in the end supplies the answer to that conundrum.
"Tonight we were caught by a team who has the art to kill and take advantage of mistakes."
This will continue to happen if we turn our nose at proven quality. Arshavin has already become invaluable. We need to stiffen our defense, especially at the center. Another quality central midfielder to complement Fabregas. A proven goal scorer of the highest caliber. Wenger of course needs the support of the board which I fully expect will happen but the attitude needs to change. We need to pay good money, even exorbitant money for those players. It takes a certain amount of courage to do that. Frankly, we have gotten so used to the basement bargains, that a brazen offer like that of Man U for Ribery might leave us in need of therapy but Wenger and the board need to start the process of bringing that quality to our team.
As for Man Utd, it never continues to amaze me, with all the titles in hand, the hunger and intensity never dissipates for yet one more. We might talk of moments of inattention which the rest of the league celebrates as a sign that this year might finally prove different but they come right back up, eyes once more firmly on the prize. When it comes to match preparation, Sir Alex remains unparalleled. They fully deserve their place in the finals.
Arsenal v Manchester United
UEFA Champions League
Tuesday, May 05, 2009, 19:45
Go Gunners! An appeal to all the fans on one of the biggest games in club history. Get behind the team and make life harder for Man U.
A familiar face returns to Marseille.
Deschamps was part of the Bernard Tapie revolution of the late 80s and early 90s that saw L'OM dominate Ligue football culminating in their CL triumph over AC Milan in 1993. The squads became a virtual who's who of the international game.
He takes over Eric Gerets who resigned a week ago. Deschamps can finish off Gerets work by winning L'OM their first Ligue title in 17 years. Quite a role reversal for someone derided by Cantona as a "water carrier" during his playing career.
This may not be a familiar sight anymore
As Juninho rose, Lyon did too. The Brazilian is now at the twilight of his career and the sun may also be setting on Lyon's era of dominance. Their loss to Valenciennes gives Marseille its best chance at a title since 1992.
Lyon is a remarkable record in the annals of French football. 7 consecutive seasons at the top.
Juninho joined in 2001 and that season saw Lyon win their first league title in club history.
What is more remarkable is that this nascence was achieved with a revolving door of managers. Four of them in the last 7 seasons. They found ways to win titles, despite different personalities, philosophies, and personnel changes.
Jacques Santini who began OL's era at the top in 2002, followed by Paul Le Guen's unbroken streak of three titles in the middle, and Gerard Houllier and Alain Perrin rounding of the decade with their wins. With domestic bragging rights firmly theirs, the lack of European success has been harder to swallow. Both Santini and Le Guen resigned following disappointing losses in the CL.
The constant was Juninho and with his creative passing, devastating free kicks and strong personality, it did not matter who came and went in the managerial position or whether players were transferred in or out.
However all that maybe coming to an end. The president Jean-Michel Aulas in an interview with L'Equipe reaffirmed his faith in manager Claude Puel. On Juninho, his age becomes an issue (he turns 35 years) and more tellingly, he thinks that the Brazilian is no longer indispensable to the club and cannot guarantee his place. Since Aulas almost always has the final say in personnel matters, it is safe to say Juninho's Lyon days are over.
The ladies. So don't get your knickers in a twist.
They are the best in the land and have been for a long time. This time they dispatched Sunderland. This makes it 10 out of 10 in FA Cup finals.
Edu played all 90 minutes in Rangers win against Hearts this weekend. The former Toronto FC man is relishing his starting role in the club and has turned in some solid performances.
He is now looking forward to the coming weekend's Old Firm rivalry in a huge match that will most likely seal the SPL title for one of the clubs. Only a point separate second placed Rangers from Celtics.
"Against Celtic next week, we're going to have to come out and deliver. We know what we're capable of and what kind of game it's going to be."
The weekend misery for all the drop zone clubs continued with Hull losing to Villa after John Carew scored his 10th Premiership goal.
Phil Brown's club is in huge trouble after their brilliantly bright start to the season. They were in third place after 9 weeks and in sixth after 18 weeks before beginning their steep descent into relegation horror.
There were no surprises in the tale of two Premierships. The toffs went eight for eight.
What is Man U using? AIG bailout money?
Ribery is definitely not worth £63m.
Great on and off the ball but he is not a goal scorer. You need a 20+ goalscorer to match Ronaldo's production. Rooney, Tevez and Berbatov generate 30-35. The rest of the squad chips in another 15-20. Any less will be fatal to their chances. Unless Kiki Macheda lives up to the George Best hype.
Its unreal to see these football valuations when the financial world has crumbled with pennies on the dollar offered for all those CDOs that caused this recession.
Ribery is probably about half that amount, if that. In the unlikely event bumbling Bayern does achieve a title by him kicking the winning goal on the final day, throw in another £5m.
Arseblog has more on the war brewing between Usmanov's Red and White Holdings (the dark forces) and the Stan Kroenke- Danny Fiszman axis (the good guys).
City regulators have stepped in to investigate aspects of Kroenke's share buying at the behest of Usmanov. The AST has issued a statement disapproving of Usmanov's actions and urging the club shareholders to work together.
The big dance is tomorrow. Arsenal finds out whether they can pull off what will be one of their biggest wins. Against a Man Utd team that is great at closing out the deal. The CL final spot is on the line.
A 4-4-2 or a 4-2-3-1?
The latter formation did not work because Adebayor was very effectively neutralized by Ferdinand and Vidic and there was no striker tandem to offset that advantage. Fabregas was sitting behind Ade in the unfamiliar role at the slot where he was wasted. He is a goal creator for which he needs more turf ahead of him.
RVP will be back, so Wenger has the option of reverting to the 4-4-2 which should give Ferdinand and Vidic more to handle.
However, the key is to get Nasri to define the left flank which he has been inconsistent in doing so far. Unlike Arshavin who has become a genuine threat. Nasri's L'OM days saw him as the chief playmaker which sometimes gets in the way of simple clarity. Its Fabregas responsibility to diagram plays with Song as his able assistant.
Cluttering the midfield is unhelpful. Nasri needs to eschew his natural left-center drift, consciously drag his game out wide, with more crosses and more shot taking. Widening the poles between Walcott and Nasri gives the center more opportunities and choices in attack.
Florentino Perez declares May 14 as the day Real football was saved. His signing wish list include Kaka, Cesc, Cristiano Ronaldo, Xabi Alonso, Esteban Granero, and Alvaro Negredo.
Arsene Wenger will manage all this talent.
The bill will equal Spain's GDP, a small price to pay for the Barca bollicking of the Blancos.
Thierry Henry suffered a knee injury during the Real match and is likely to miss the second leg against Chelsea.
He will travel to London but is day to day and Pep Guardiola and the medical team will re-evaluate him to decide his playing status.
Good read. I have always wondered why Newcastle resorts to inspirational figures in its past to pull its way through a crisis.
Shearer was courageous to take on the managerial position but he is a novice given the onerous task of staving of relegation. An outside figure with the experience of playing hard nosed football should have been made manager. Its not romantic or newsworthy, the Gary Megsons of the world roll up their sleeves and do their jobs to keep their clubs afloat.
The impression is of a club that yearns for its past glory but is unwilling to do anything against the grain to reclaim it.
- Replace Bruce Arena at the Galaxy and get them to win two games, back to back.
- A corollary to the above. Tim Leiwecke declares Klinsi the real saviour of MLS and the gag
order on Alexi Lalas is finally removed.
- Sunil Gulati has him on speed dial, in case Bob Bradley slips up against Costa Rica.
- Replace Tommy Smyth because “Eine Ausbuchtung in der alten Zwiebel Tasche" sound so
much better than " A bulge in the old onion bag".
- Become Obama’s fitness czar and reduce the obesity epidemic by 50% by banning
cheeseburgers.
- Open up an international support group for recovering divers.
-. Hollywood beckons. They need German actors who can play something other than Nazis,
barbarians or cyborgs.
- Write a book on Uli Hoeness enhanced interrogation methods aka "psychological terror"
- Wait for the MLS expansion to hit Munich. Yeah, Klinsi, finally get back at those Bayern
fans
- Oliver Kahn, you want to come out of retirement now?
The upper echelon had its way with the lower echelon. There were no spoilers this weekend. It got bleaker for all the drop zone candidates.
Sunderland went down to Everton tamely, 0-2.
The relegation dogfight also saw Stoke, Blackburn, Middlesbrough, West Brom, Newcastle, and Portsmouth going down. Even Bolton who dreww against Wigan should not count themselves out of the woods.
Its left to Phil Brown and Hull to see if they can spring a surprise tomorrow against Villa.
After the Chelsea's win over Fulham, the English media indulges in some false equivalence to try and take the wind out of Barca's sails.
Of course, the real test would have been Chelsea replicating Barca's score against Real. But since that is unlikely, we have the come from behind 3-1 win over Liverpool in the CL first leg quarterfinal for a similar comparison against top rated opposition. Even then the most optimistic reading is that Chelsea is half as good as Barca.
Dropping back 9 men every time Barca attacked is a pretty good indication that Hiddink is aware that it could have easily been Ricky Hatton vs Manny Pacquaio.
Link:
9+ minutes video. Good stuff from mostly the youth squad. Carlos Vela getting his first goal in the Premiership. However, the impact of the older and more experienced Arshavin on the game is the key factor. He provided the team's steel. Wenger's winning it all with younger players is a beautiful fantasy. But you need a mix of older players to win titles.
Its been all bad news for drop zone clubs this weekend.
Stoke started it off by losing to the Hammers, the Baggies lost to Spurs, Portsmouth came a cropper to the young guns of Arsenal, Boro did not dent Man Utd's title hopes, Newcastle's misery continued with a loss to Liverpool.
The Sunderland - Everton match is tied 0-0 at half time and Hull meet Villa tomorrow.
Consequently its been all tame atop the Premiership with no surprises save a Petr Cech muff that gave Fulham false hope.
Update: It is not looking good for Sunderland as Everton went ahead through Pienaar.
Tyrone Marshall half volley jab of a Ljungberg corner scored a late equalizer for Seattle against the Fire. The ex-Arsenal player now has a goal and one assist for the season.
Steve Zakuani who cut his teeth in the Arsenal youth system also has two goals and two assists.
The match also saw and end to Kasey Keller's record breaking shutout performance.
With the Barca vs Real El Clasico, the world comes to an end.
But the real news is that the Galaxy finally won thus closing out employment opportunities for Juergen Klinsmann to take over Bruce Arena. Or not? The Galaxy won against the equally inept Red Bulls, 1-0.
Arena also won the "which manager would end his zero win record" sweepstakes.
Robert Warzycha continues Crew's search for their first win this season. The title holders are at the bottom of the Eastern standings.
Landon Donovan's PK was the difference. It was also veteran Chris Klein's 300th MLS appearance and he is 7th on the MLS list of all time appearances.
It seems like aeons ago, that Real won the title but it was just last season and the coach was Bernd Schuster. It of course has become de rigueur at Real to fire coaches who win them titles. Schuster was shown the door.
Link:
Anish's video of Barca vs Real has been posted below. But we can't get enough of how Barca pulverized Real at the Bernabeu. Is the gap so yawning?
The end result is mind boggling considering Real's emphatic start. Higuain's header should have sowed some seeds of doubt in the Barca camp but it looked like this was part of a grand scheme to systematically deflate their rivals. We have to go back 36 years to find proof that Real was that fallible. In 1973 they lost to Barca, 0-5 at the Bernabeu with Johann Cruyff at his peak. The results are pouring in with fans overwhelmingly voting this as the worst defeat.
Sure, this is all emotional and one can sleep over it and rationalize. But soccer is emotional and the pain, real. (pun not really intended but very apt in this case).
Stan Kroenke will not be denied.
As his Colorado Rapids muddle along, Stan Kroenke upped his stakes yet again before the weekend and now controls 28.3% of the Arsenal’s shares which puts him in pole position for the 30% trigger to offer a buyout of the rest of the remaining shares. Kroenke bought up the Carr family shares for £8,500 and £10,500 per share, well above the £6,500 value for a total investment of £46m.
The era of cost cutting has seen Roman Abramovich decreasing his liability; Hicks and Gillett looking for outside investment to improve chances of refinancing in the summer, and the Glazers tightening their belt by increasing ticket prices. In the most egregious example, Southampton's fate teeters in the balance.
It would appear Stan Kroenke lives in an alternate world. He has moved from a 12% stake and more than doubled his shareholding in a years time when most club investors in this period have looked to lowering their risk. In a measure of where he has come, the Arsenal Supporters Trust welcomed this move as one that ensures the club’s long term stability. Two years ago, David Dein's support of a Kroenke takeover bid engendered such hostility with the board and club supporters, he was forced to resign.
The almost invisible way this has been done mirrors Kroenke's business acquisitions. He has made billions through real estate development. His marriage to the daughter of Bud Walton, the co-founder of Walmart, the ubiquitous icon of suburban life, ensured he was taught by the best in the business. After that learning curve, Kroenke opened his own company, Thf Realty (the acronym stands for To have fun) which catapulted in short time to become one of the top retail developers. The couple's joint net worth is $5.6 billion (£3.7b) , with Kroenke ranked 105 on the Forbes rich list and getting wealthier every year.
His company Thf realty has defied the reeling economy by turning in a profit. With most real estate companies going slow, the company's low cost mantra has seen high occupancy rates in their retail and office holdings, giving them an advantage over others in this economic downturn.
Along the way he has become the most powerful name in sports business with his acquisition of the St Louis Rams, Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets, and the Colorado Rapids. His diversification into every facet of sports includes owning clubs, arenas, manufacture and retail of sporting goods, and media and entertainment outlets. He owns Denver's Pepsi Center and Dicks Sporting Goods, the sports retailers. Yet, outside his peer group, the name Stan Kroenke barely registers a ripple. He is notoriously publicity shy and even his friends acknowledge his bland personality. But you have to read between the lines to get a sense or in this case the bouquet of the man.
His inside man in Arsenal is chief executive, Ivan Gazidis whose previous tenure as MLS deputy commissioner brought him close to Kroenke. There is every indication that Kroenke and Danny Fiszman are working together to keep Alisher Usmanov away from achieving majority status. Gazidis has been entrusted with winning over estranged Nina Bracewell Smith and ensuring that her 15.9% stake is protected from Usmanov.
Once that happens, Arsenal will be in the hands of the man who is called Silent Stan in business circles.
Hector Reynosa of Club Gualdajara uses Sebastian Penco of Chile's Everton as a spittoon. The Chilean media saw this as a way of intimidating players using the threat of swine flu. Reynosa later apologized but said he was reacting to taunts calling him "a leper."
Its quite graphic but it tell us that swine flu fears are causing havoc with soccer matches all across Latin and Central America with clubs like Boca Juniors expressing concern about traveling to Mexico to meet SLP in the Copa Libertadores. All 176 Mexican league matches this weekend will be played without spectators.
The CONCACAF beach soccer tournament scheduled to start in Puerto Vallarta in Mexico has been postponed indefinitely because of the swine flu threat.
Mohammed Bin Hammam, AFC president is thumbing his nose at FIFA directives that reinstate the voting rights of five countries in the AFC.
He had stripped these countries of their privileges at the behest of the ad-hoc legal committee's recommendations. As per the committee four countries did not deserve representation because their participation in tournaments do not meet AFC standards.
The countries falling foul are Laos, Timor Leste, Mongolia and Afghanistan. The fifth country, Kuwait has an interim association not recognized by the AFC.
FIFA has recognized the tournaments and the Kuwaiti association as legitimate. They however, have questioned the AFC's legal committee's jurisdiction. As per FIFA "it has no competence to take any decision with legal effect” and secondly it’s up to the AFC Congress to decide about voting rights of member associations.
Mohammed Bin Hammam has been Asian football's caretaker overseeing its revival since 2002. However, his increasingly authoritarian streak is causing many to throw their support behind Sheikh Salman bin Khalifa, from Bahrain who is challenging Hammam for a seat in the FIFA executive committee.
It is under Hammam's watch that Australia was admitted to the Asia zone which has been acknowledged by them as a major factor in improving their game. He obviously has a stake in improving football in Asia but the standards applied to these five countries appear very arbitrary and in contravention of FIFA rules.
The "Black Italian"
The racist taunts that Mario Balotelli seems to attract occurs obviously because of his colour but his success against other clubs, gives it an added edge.
He has made Inter's rivals pay and those fans are not pleased that it is a man of colour that their country gave citizenship to who is doing damage.
He has a history of petulance which does not help but that should be no excuse and the Italian Olympic Committee needs to be firm in clamping down racist behaviour.
But singling Juve out is foolish and counterproductive. It should be recognized as a national problem and suitable action should also be directed at Roma as well and indeed all the clubs that have engaged in this practice.
Balotelli's form makes him a strong candidate for selection to the national squad and it will be highly unfortunate if fans continued singing “a black Italian does not exist” like they did when he made his U-21 debut. Balotelli might have a point to prove and if it benefits the Azzurri, the fans should be thankful he decided to play for Italy, and not Ghana. All the more strange given Italians, in general love Obama , even when you factor Silvio Berlusconi's troglodyte like greeting on his election.
Good news for Man Utd as Rio Ferdinand will be back to play the CL second leg at the Emirates.
It was feared he had cracked a rib when he went down after colliding with Eduardo. X-rays revealed no break and his pain is being managed by medication. He will sit out the Middlesbrough match.
Ferdinand and Vidic were huge in rendering Adebayor ineffectual after the Togolese striker ran his mouth off before the match.
Link:
Timid. The first 25 minutes were a self appeasing display of tackles being missed, players left unmarked, passing lanes left uncontested. The result, Man Utd had ample space to roam. Credit goes to them as they seized the moment. Tevez was an absolute beast. John O'Shea was left totally unchallenged to score his goal as the Arsenal defense reacted either ineffectively or remained rooted to the spot. It could have been much worse if it was not for some stellar keeping by Almunia. In contrast, Van Der Saar was rarely challenged.
Man Utd gets the win but what makes it more challenging for Arsenal is how they got the win. This is not good for an Arsenal team that struggled with self assurance throughout the match. Adebayor was horribly ineffective, Fabregas was wasted in the second striker role, Nasri was invisible, and Gibbs had his hands full with Ronaldo and Tevez.
Ryan Giggs should get his 800th cap. A special moment for a special player. We can dispute his PFA award but Sir Alex will be looking to him to provide some special moments.
The Ronaldo Rooney combination is looking mighty dangerous and leaves Wenger with a bit of a problem of trading off Gibbs speed for Silvestre's match experience to contain that left to right link up. With Silvestre the chances of dead ball opportunities for Man U skyrocket. Ronaldo will relish those chances.
I think Wenger should start Gibbs for his work rate as well as for his Clichy like propensity for counterattacks. Song's toughness at the back will help in clogging the middle.
Adebayor starts as the lone striker on top but the question is who plays behind him. Fabregas seems to have found his scoring touch, however his best work begins downfield, and if it is a choice then Nasri should fill that space.
Many of Walcott's crosses have gone begging without the Gunners getting a boot or head on them. The troops need to come up and Walcott needs to wait a wee bit for the best chance at conversion.
Yes, all that and no need to micromanage the ball into goal. Snap shots. The kind we saw at Liverpool and Boro.
Chelsea sure knows how to spoil a good party. Hiddink outcoached Guardiola with his tactic of dropping Ballack deep. The German midfielder broke down lots of plays. Their consensus by committee approach on dealing with Messi and Iniesta paid dividends. 20 fouls is a lot of scrappiness.
In between Drogba tested Rafa Marquez and Victor Valdes with the best chance for the Blues.
That and Barca were off their finishing touch throughout the match. Bojan Krkic had a glorious chance to put the match away in the dying minutes but misdirected his header.
Now it goes to Stamford Bridge where Barca will have to prove that they are indeed the best team in the world.
Chelsea vs Barca, CL semi-final first leg.
The spotlight is on Leo Messi as it should be, arguably the best player in the world.
So for all the fevered attention given to containing him, it should not be overlooked that Barca's orchestrator in the Bayern blowout, was Iniesta. His prior work culminated in the Messi goals. In the return leg, Iniesta's intricate passing led to the Keita equalizer.
Iniesta is a chess player, cagey, with a real feel for the first and last pass that score goals. Between them there are 30. It depends on who he gives the ball to. Eto'o, Henry, and Messi all can be part of his largesse. Or for that matter, as he has very capably shown, he might take on the whole show and score goals himself.
So Chelsea, if you want to pick your poison and shift the field to his side, there is a chance that you might end up getting burned very badly.
Here is Iniesta destroying Sevilla with Messi looking on from the bench:
Theo Walcott's former club will fold if they do not find a investor in about a week.
Rupert Lowe's Southampton association appears to have been a marriage of convenience. The club was looking for a publicly traded company to get the club listed on the London Stock Exchange, and a reverse takeover was effected. In lieu, he was made the chairman, despite rumours that he was actually a hockey fan and had never attended a football match previously.
Here is an interesting article that gives a glimmer into the turmoil and uncertainty that the club underwent before the administrators took over the club early this month. Lowe comes across as a toff who disdained football's low brow politics and its sacred rivalries.
A revolving door on managers, thirteen in 14 years, and regular sales of its best players to raise cash to pay for an expensive stadium, saw a dive down from the upper echelons, now, with the Burnley draw, to the third tier.
Angry and despondent Saint fans point their finger squarely at Rupert Lowe for the club's fall from grace.
Its all happening in the Bundesliga. Minnows are mowing down mammoths.
Wolfsburg falls. As does Hamburg. Bayern's loss to Schalke sends Klinsi packing. Who will stand in the end?
Der Kaiser, Hoeness, Rummenigge, Breitner, Breitnigge
Its all over for Klinsmann.
"After the results of recent weeks the management saw that even our minimum goals for the season were now in danger and decided this was the obvious course of action," Bayern said in a statement. "
Jupp Heynckes who last led Bayern 18 years ago, returns to the club to salvage the season.
Spare a thought for Klinsi, it was never going to be easy with Bayern's many headed Hydra.
Here are two goals from the "Original Ronaldo" as his Corinthians beat up on Santos (yes, Pele's Santos) in the first leg of the Paulista championship final.
Even the original Pele had good things to say (which seems to be out of character for him these days):
"The ball landed at the feet of a player who doesn't miss," Pele told reporters. "Ronaldo makes the difference. The second goal was worthy of the World Cup."
I have to say I'm stunned. Ronaldo, even at 30 lbs over, still has that killer instinct. His tally: eight goals in 10 games.
Wow:
- Ronaldo scores twice in Corinthians win Guardian
- Ronaldo steers Corinthians to Victory FIFA
- Always count on Ronaldo SportsYA
PS - Maybe Dunga will bring him back after all!?
Roy Keane begins his Ipswich career with a bang. The Tractor Boys pulverized Cardiff, 3-0. It was the last league match at 99 year old Ninian Park before they move to the new Cardiff City Stadium in the summer.
Keane seems to have taken a liking to his bearded visage. His salt and pepper appendage makes him look a bit martial. Enough to strike fear into the ranks.
His team is an interesting mix of veterans like Ivan Campo and newbies like Connor Wickham whose appearance on 11 April 2009 made him Ipswich Town's youngest player to debut. Giovanni Dos Santos on loan from Tottenham has been far more productive in his new club with 3 goals in six games.
What happened to Frank Lampard?
I love Ryan Giggs but this year's POTY award is bogus. It took only 12 starts this year to convince the PFA that Giggs was invaluable to his club?
In fact, his acceptance speech sounded very much like the PFA had decided to give him a special award that aggregated his 18 years of service to Man Utd.
The Man U back four except for Gary Neville made the PFA team of the year. How about including the Fulham defense for a full and fairer set? They looked pretty good in that Man U loss.
An atrocious piece of refereeing by Webb and atrocious goalkeeping from Gomes keep Spurs from scoring their first win at Old Trafford since the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Only a force of nature or divine intervention can keep Man U's anointment as Premiership champions once again.
Seattle beat San Jose, 2-0 yesterday. Steve Zakuani scored a goal and assisted in the second, as the Sounders maintained the best start in MLS history for an expansion team. In that game, goalie Kasey Keller broke the MLS record for the most minutes played without conceding a goal.
The Congolese winger, a London transplant is turning out to be a key player for Sigi Schmid's aspirations and is justifying Seattle's faith in picking him first in the MLS draft as he decided to forgo the last two years at the Univ of Akron. As a Generation Adidas underclassman player, Zakuani fits into Seattle's salary cap as a developmental player, which will save the club money.
Steve Zakuani was a standout at the Univ of Akron soccer team, scoring 20 goals and racking up 47 points, on the way winning Soccer America's College player of the year award. He was also the runner up for the MAC Hermann Trophy awarded to the best intercollegiate soccer player. The Zips coach Caleb Porter acknowledges that Zakuani has scary talent.
However, if Zakuani had his way he would still be in London where he grew up in the Highbury area, round the corner from Arsenal where he developed his skills playing in their youth teams for five years till the age of 15. He credits the club for laying a solid foundation and giving him invaluable international experience.
"They preached final third effectiveness at Arsenal. I would always hear things like "pass with a purpose" and "take the defenders on." Those things were drummed into me from an early age."
Interestingly enough he went to White Hart Lane School which was just across the Tottenham stadium. He would attract a lot of negative attention with his Arsenal gear but he said there were enough Arsenal supporters in his school because of its success, so during heated arguments he did not find himself fighting alone.
Amongst his contemporaries were Kerrea Gilbert, Gavin Hoyte, Mark Randall, Jay Simpson, and Henry Lansbury who are now part of Arsenal reserves. His dream was to become part of the senior squad. It all came came to an end when a letter arrived saying he no longer had a future in the club. The huge disappointment led to Zakuani almost quitting playing the sport altogether. He was also laid low by a serious knee injury that saw him unable to play for 18 months. His career was resuscitated when he moved to the Independent Football Academy where his talent was spotted by a Univ of Akron scout.
He still follows Arsenal and roots for them. He also looked upto Freddie Ljungberg, his Sounders team mate, while training at Arsenal. Ljungberg, of course captured the imagination of the Gunner fans with his breakaway speed down the wings, spectacular goals, and bright red stripe in his hair. Seems like Zakuani is well on his way to becoming a fan favourite too with his distinct hair designs, blazing speed down the left, and already two goals and two assists in just his third start.
He also contributes to the ESPN rookie diary and comes across as an articulate, well spoken athlete.
My deep admiration for Brian McBride continues.
The man is on fire since joining the Fire and his 5 goals in 6 games have kept the club at the top of the East. His 86th minute header against his old club brought the Fire back to life after they had surrendered two early goals to the Crew. Two minutes later Gonzalo Segares scored the equalizer in a dramatic end that left the Crew still searching for their first win.
Klinsi is in deep, deep trouble. With the loss to Schalke, Bayern slips to third and is now in danger of falling out of CL contention altogether. Wolfsburg meets lowly Energie Cottbus today and can move six points clear of Bayern. The top of the table is getting crowded. Hertha is in second, a point clear. With Stuttgart and Hamburg, tied with Bayern but behind in GD, a fascinating finish to this Bundesliga season is guaranteed.
Klinsi might not get to see the end. He is being crucified by the media, his support amongst fans is slipping and more ominously for him, Der Kaiser is showing signs of real impatience. This follows his tongue lashing of the team's CL performance.
"What I saw in the first half is, without doubt, the worst football in Bayern's history," said Beckenbauer. "It was a demonstration, almost a humiliation. They gave us a lesson."
It is easy to blame the coach. Just ask Felix Magath. Or Ottmar Hitzfeld. Outsiders who never wore the badge of Germany's colossus. The real culprits are actually its cabal of ex-players who run the club with an iron fist: Der Kaiser,Uli Hoeness, Karl Heinz Rummenigge and his alter ego Paul Breitner, the last two so intertwined, they are popularly called Breitnigge. The club floats along a constantly shifting confluence of these disparate personalities. Actually one would argue that the cabal are the three faces of Eve. Magath would agree. After giving Bayern, three successful seasons, he was axed. He has now come back to haunt them.
Following Klinsi's resignation from the national team, Der Kaiser seems to have become his surrogate agent advising alternative employment away from German shores, including coaching their bitter rivals.
Despite all the meddling, Klinsi decided to take on the Bayern job, a move which seems to have caught Beckenbauer and the media, especially Bild by surprise. It did not go down well, with Beckenbauer as club president openly questioning Klinsi's durability extending deeper underlying doubts he seems to have harboured from the 2006 World Cup. Even as he muted his criticism recently after the Schalke loss, Bild seems to have dialed up the boot out Klinsi volume, a reflection of their cozy relationship with Beckenbauer.
Beckenbauer with his less than equivocal support provides the underpinning of the club's deeply pessimistic and neurotic persona. Rummenigge, as the CEO with his gung ho pronouncements, is its polar opposite. The club reverts to his personality under stress which has helped it cope this season. He has provided Klinsmann with obdurate support since Bayern slipped to 11th with variations of the following statement:
""We are convinced Jurgen is the right coach for Bayern. He is a very modern and innovative coach, and we are convinced of the fact that we will celebrate plenty of successes with him."
By now Klinsi might be forgiven as to which voices in his head he should hear. This is nothing compared to Uli Hoeness, the Dick Cheneysque presence constantly seen by Klinsi's side. Hoeness is the man on the ground. He is easily one of the most emotionally labile and territorial personalities of the game and his interactions with Klinsi have been of the Jekyll and Hyde variety. During the run up to the 2006 World Cup, Hoeness accused him of psychological terror when he did not pick Oliver Kahn to start in the squad, which he said so unnerved the Bayern goalie that his domestic form suffered. Other rants included being overrated, an egoist, an actor, and someone who sold his soul. All this changed once Klinsi joined Bayern. Hoeness regularly resorted to vocal and thin skinned reactions against criticism by fans and even ex-Bayern midfielder Lotthar Matthaus as the club struggled through the season. This should not be misconstrued as support of Klinsi. Hoeness is a true believer who constantly scours the media for slights against the club.
He is being rewarded for his service by succeeding Beckenbauer as club president next season. Hoeness was responsible for papering over much of the club's objections to circumventing tradition with Klinsi coming on board. A lot is riding on Klinsi's vision with the emphasis on new training techniques and a holistic approach towards match preparation while imparting Bayern's historicity to the new players, and at the same time gradually phasing out the influence of former players. Without Klinsi, the success of the experiment appears bleak, and Hoeness tenure as the club president begins with uncertainty. The thought seems to have changed Hoeness once again, into morose tight lipped silence. This picture does not bode well for Klinsi.
Remember Warren St John's article in the NYT about soccer being played by immigrant children of families resettled from war torn countries by legal means into small towns like Pleasantville, USA or in this case, outposts like Clarkston, GA.
Soccer becomes an extended metaphor of a foreignness creeping into American society, as delineated by Clarkston, one which usurps an established way of life, creating divisions between people that embrace diversity as a way of moving ahead and others who look upon it, if left unchecked, as the last throes of a civilized society, already stretched to its limits. As a Malthusian device, its at the heart of the immigration debate playing out in the country right now.
Those who want the Fugees to succeed are pro-immigration reform and want amnesty for the undocumented, as long as they remain above the law, paid their dues, and have contributed to the economic well being of the country, as have previous generations. Those who do not, see the influx of immigrants, documented or otherwise as a death rattle in a country beset by tough economic times.
Well, Warren St John's article is now a full fledged book and you can now read it or wait for the movie which should be out end of the year. St John also wrote the highly regarded book Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer, on the Crimson Tide, the Univ of Alabama football team.
Spurs travel to Old Trafford to take on Man U. They have been in good form against the top four remaining unbeaten, which is what the Reds are hoping will happen by match end. The Reds face Hull, and unless their defense decides to make this interesting, this should be three easy points.
Rafael starts at right back in place of the injured Gary Neville, an advantage that Assou-Ekotto and Luka Modric should try and exploit. Darren Bent has had a good streak. Pavlyuchenko is injured but Defoe should be ready.
Redknapp could make this more interesting by introducing Frazier Campbell, the Man Utd striker on loan, who could use his talent to embarrass his old club.
Good times. The man with a mouth is back in the saddle again at Ipswich City. And he starts off with a flourish mud wrestling former Man U team mates Steve Bruce, Mark Hughes, Paul Ince, and Bryan Robson. He even managed to singe a few nose hairs of Republic of Ireland compatriot Steve Cascarino.
Not bad for the first day.
At least Keane fights his own battles. So refreshingly different from the thin skinned crap flying around in the Premiership where Big Sam's paranoia involves analyzing Rafa's body language which is then channeled by Sir Alex to launch his own vendetta against the Spaniard.
Now he has to put his money where his mouth is and actually do something constructive at Ipswich. Niall Quinn will wish the Suffolk team well because he has had to clean up twice after Keane.
A good indicator would be to see if he is growing a beard.
Lest we believe Ellen Cardoso will pay for Adriano's caipirinhas.
He does want to get back to playing soccer and earning a paycheck. Indications are that he will join Flamengo, his former club in August in time for the Brazilian Championship.
Luis Felipe Scolari has been approached by the Angolan FA to manage the Angolan national squad. His contract, if he accepts it, runs to the end of the Africa Cup of Nations which is to be hosted by Angola in January 2010.
Angola has been overshadowed by its West African counterparts and Egypt until recently when they qualified for the 2006 World Cup and entered the quarterfinals of the 2008 Africa Cup. They however failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup.
The Angolan squad has some quality players like Flavio Amado, Ze Kalanga, Luis Delgado, Gilberto Amaral and most notably Manucho. At the 2008 ACN, Manucho made a indelible impression scoring four goals and was included in the ACN's best XI. He has had successful loan seasons at Panathinaikos and Hull since joining Man Utd in January 2008. Angola now believes that they have the nucleus of a squad capable of winning their first ACN title.
By bringing Scolari on board the Angolan FA hopes to accomplish a dual role, first, his experience and leadership will make winning possible but just as importantly his international profile will showcase Angola's hosting of the ACN. In fact, the plan is to make him the public face of the competition just like he was for Portugal when they hosted the 2004 Euro.
As for Scolari, he has been linked to QPR and Man City, where embattled Mark Hughes faces a tough finishing stretch which could easily see the club flirting with relegation danger. It appears he is going to make his decision once the English season comes to an end.
Adriano 8 year association with Inter came to an end this Friday by mutual consent.
He failed to show up in Italy following the Brazil World Cup qualifier played at the beginning of this month stating that he no longer enjoyed playing soccer and wanted to remain in Brazil to think things through. Adriano's career took a nosedive battling depression after he broke up with fiancee Joana Machado.
Well we know now why he wants to remain in Brazil. He is now dating Brazilian singer-dancer Ellen Cardoso aka Mulher Moranguinho or Strawberry Woman. Can you blame him? She looks like the perfect antidote to a broken heart. Here is more of her >>
Cesc Fabregas is slapped with two improper conducts over Spit-gate and Van Persie will be unavailable for the Man U showdown because of a groin problem. The injury list gets longer.
On another note: Tuesday night at Anfield was special for another reason. Ray Kennedy, the former Arsenal and Liverpool player making an appearance. Kennedy has fallen on hard times struggling with Parkinsons Disease and supporters from both clubs are raising money.
Here is the link to the website where you can make a donation.
Simon Kuper finds out that the EPL's favourite bogeyman, Michel Platini, like Obama, is just another armchair re-distributor of wealth.
However, Kuper ends more ominously with these words:
"English rule in football will eventually collapse. However, it will be ended not by some puny regulator but by something now unforeseen."
Susan Boyle, I knew not ye had such powers.
Jacob Zuma's ANC faction, which is backed by unions and the SACP is heading to a resounding victory in the SA elections.
Here is an earlier article that argues that his election will ensure the World Cup benefits those who need it most, the working class which seemed unlikely while his predecessor, the neo-liberal Thabo Mbeki was in power.
Paul Scholes plays for a personal milestone as Man U takes on Portsmouth. Scholes ranks fourth in all time appearances for his club. In the first five, Giggs and Neville, who are still playing, a testimony to the trio's staying power.
Congratulations to Scholes who has been in the thick of things of a team that is synonymous for millions with the Premiership. An impressive array of past and present players pay tribute to Man U's midfield maestro.
Today Man U also increased the ticket prices by £1 per game with effect next season. The only club to raise prices contrary to the deflationary spiral swirling in Europe. The most expensive ticket will now cost £49 per match with the cheapest £27.
10 years ago, ticket prices were £20 for the most expensive seats and £14 for the cheapest.
Freddie Ljungberg's rocking first start resulted in a goal that continued the Seattle Sounders red hot streak. They have cooled off with two consecutive losses against the Wizards and Chivas . They have no goals and have conceded three.
Ljungberg and Colombian striker Fredy Montero are not linking up as well as Sigi Schmid would like and it is an issue that he needs to address on the field. This is what he says:
"(Freddie) Ljungberg and (Fredy) Montero have played together now a total of maybe 180 minutes. Once they got like 700 minutes together, I think they'll understand each other a lot better. So an awful lot of that depends on guys getting to know each other better ."
Seattle meets San Jose this weekend, a club that is leaking goals. Ljungberg and Seattle should be able to get back on track.
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After an engrossing battle, this was probably the nail in the coffin. Arshavin crashing his shot through after racing across the field in tandem with Walcott who passed him the ball. 90th minute.
But it was not to be as Benayoun pounces on a loose ball with the Gunners making a hash of marking their players. The match ended in a 4-4 draw with both teams spanking each others defenses and leaving Rafa with a huge question mark.
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Superb piece of opportunism and a cracking goal to get the equalizer. Before, Liverpool went up through Benayoun's header, 2-1
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Liverpool answers though Torres, 1-1.
It makes you wonder even more why Wenger did not start him against Chelsea in the FA semi-final. Arshavin roared back with four against Liverpool including what appeared to be the winning goal before Benayoun scored the equalizer moments before the match ended.
The Reds were left contemplating their precarious return to the top of the table with Man U having two games in hand. Arshavin's four goals in a league game were the first at Anfield in 64 years.
Adebayor was not in the squad and Walcott was left on the bench. With Drogba blowing past Silvestre last week for the winning goal, Sir Alex must have had palpitations wondering if the ex Man U player would be shredded like cheese by Torres. He was but so was the Liverpool defense by Arshavin.
...of the top ten most embarassing manager celebrations - as compiled by the Mirror here...
The first time in 14 years. Today they beat Man U on penalties.
Berbatov makes a Robinho like hash and Tim Howard saves Rio Ferdinand's effort.
Everton won the 1995 FA Cup beating Man Utd in the final. Paul Rideout scored the winning goal. Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs, and Paul Scholes were part of the losing team.
Man Utd were also beaten to the Premiership title by Blackburn. They also crashed out of the CL in the group stage missing out to Barca on goal difference. It was a rare bad year for the Red Devils.
Wenger's criticism of the pitch might have merit. Yes, the Wembley stadium operators could care less as long as it holds the weight of 15,000 standing fans attending a concert by some aging rockers but it should not deflect from his puzzling selection choices.
The pitch was the same for both clubs. Chelsea had figured out that they would win in the air.
No game on the left without Arshavin and Nasri. Arshavin's omission was most glaring. The most expensive player in club history sitting on the bench for most of the match.
Fabregas was left without Song, his deputy. Song is having his best season, he's been physical and his defensive help would have been much appreciated in this game. Wenger mentioned in his press conference that Song needed a break. Nasri had not fully recovered from the flu. Diaby was brought in to offset Chelsea's physicality.
Lukasz Fabianski's mistake proved costly. He covered Silvestre's lack of pace against Rossi in the Villareal match by effectively timing his runs but he picked the wrong player this time. Our defensive woes really showed up. I think Fabianski is a good goalie and is very ambitious but Almunia can feel safe after this display.
Wenger may have his explanations but his match selection was debatable. It might reflect his opinion of the FA Cup in the grand scheme of things when weighing out priorities. But the FA Cup was our best chance and the most egalitarian of silverware.
For all you relegation bound clubs. Know this. We love you. Because you might not get there but we recognize your talent and more importantly, your courage. Its hidden like Susan Boyle, under a disheveled look, bushy eyebrows and all. She unlike Beckham, has made the big crossover.
And if you get there, we too will be gobsmacked. So fight on Baggies.
Eduardo Galeano became the talking point when Barack Obama and Hugo Chavez met up in a very anticipated encounter at the OAS.
Chavez thrust Eduardo Galeano's "The Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent" into the hands of Obama. This of course is a vast improvement from the Venezuelan president's invocation of the "devil" being present when George W Bush addressed the UN. Chavez with this gesture at least acknowledges that the present US president is capable of reading more complex books than The Pet Goat.
However for us soccer lovers, Galeano's Soccer in Sun and Shadow should be familiar reading. It gives great insights with a lyricality similar to that of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and pulls no punches when it comes to the unpalatable truths of the politics that distort the beautiful game.
This season's Premiership was lost long ago and today our chances of winning the FA Cup ended. We now have the CL left and our road goes through Man U. Are our boys hungry enough?
Let me say this. I have no idea what Wenger was thinking when he signed on Silvestre. It is a mystery, just like the cure for the common cold. But Silvestre is a convenient excuse for another edition of the soft underbelly of the Gunners which gets exposed repeatedly in games that count.
It is a matter of seizing a wisp of a chance like Drogba did and pounding on for what it is worth because somewhere down the line, a ruthless striker like he, figures out there is a great chance of a breakdown occurring with an out of depth defender and a hyperventilating goalie. Which is what happened.
Arsenal is not feared even as it wins matches because of moments like these.
When Andrei Arshavin takes the field against Chelsea, chances are that he will make lots of eye contact with Guus Hiddink, his national coach. After all it was under the Dutchman that Arshavin, late at 28 years and with hitherto unknown powers, became the hit of Euro 2008.
Clubs came clamouring and in the winter he made his move from Zenit St Petersburg to the Emirates. He has been a large part of Arsenal's revival. But this could have been an entirely different story if it was not for a couple of Dutch coaches who sought to change his
lackadaisical approach to the game, even as they saw brilliance on the field.
First, Dick Advocaat at Zenit St Petersburg and then Hiddink as the Russian team manager took it on themselves to teach him to play 90 minutes. As the Dutch in Euro 2008 found out to their detriment coming unglued against Arshavin's omnipresence on the field.
Arsenal's splurge on Arshavin would have never happened if these two managers had not imbued his talent with discipline. Hiddink will be grateful if the older version of Arshavin shows up tomorrow.
Good times. No, awesome times. Wonder goals by Ray Parlour and Freddie"Orange Hair" Ljungberg.
It always comes as a bit of a shock: The number of English players in the 2002 squad:
Parlour, Keown, Adams, Dixon, Campbell, Cole, Wright, and Seaman.
It puts into context the snide criticism of Wenger as one of the culprits held responsible for undermining the national game by encouraging the foreign invasion. Now that Capello seems to be winning matches handily, it seems to have subsided.
On the wrong side, a very young John Terry, Frank Lampard, Carlo Cudicini, and William Gallas saw their team go down. As did Petit who spurned his old club to come back to Chelsea. Wrong move, Emmanuel! You should have counseled Ashley Cole too.
Making a mountain out of a molehill is par for Sir Alex.
Then channeling Allardyce to air his grudges is even better. He knows Big Sam and Rafa have a history. Its a bit like this. Rafa's description of Everton being a 'small club' is to challenge them to win against Man U. The media then picks up on the meme of a stumbling club and the players internalize it. SAF is a bit worried about his club's psyche at this delicate juncture.
Lukasz Fabianksi timed his runs out of goal to deny Giuseppe Rossi.
It became apparent that the goalkeeper was cognizant of the speed mismatch between Rossi and Silvestre and deliberately acted as a fifth back. Although he was not tested often, except for that Diego Godin header at the end of the first half, he looked solid and decisive overall.
April 21st:Arsenal meet Liverpool
May 10th: Arsenal meet Chelsea
May 16th: Arsenal meet Man Utd
Throw the CL semi-final legs into the mix and every Gunner will be able to tell you the exact number of hairs in Ronaldo's nose by season end.
All this is going to get, up close and personal. Arsenal is playing kingmaker and the clubs in title contention are aware that a loss to the Gunners is probably going to spell doom for their chances in the Premiership.
Liverpool are going to be under pressure right away with the 21st April match against Arsenal as Man U should have an easy time against Portsmouth. A loss would push the Reds back four points. A draw would not do as much damage and a win would essentially keep them breathing hard on Man U's shoulder.
Things get very interesting in the second week of May. Chelsea visit Arsenal on May 10th. On that day Man U host City. That day could decide Chelsea's title hopes. 13th May, Man U travel to Wigan. Liverpool and Chelsea will be watching that game very closely because Man U's one game advantage ends that day. With a normalized point total the path to the title becomes clearer.
The Wigan game segues into the grueling game against Arsenal on the 16th of May. That will be the Red Devils 3rd game in less than a week. With the CL fixture, their 4th in 11 days. Liverpool and Chelsea will probably hope that tiredness will cause less alacrity on the field and yield a favourable result. Should Man U fall, their games against West Brom and Rovers next day should set up a fascinating finale on the last day of the Premiership.
It will probably come down to goal difference. Liverpool has an advantage and it needs one because they also have the toughest opposition in Spurs as compared to the other two clubs who have Hull City and Sunderland.
I saw Milan play some of the most insipid soccer against Chievo this weekend. They should consider themselves lucky to escape with a win.
Ancelotti manages a club that is a shelter for players reaching retirement age, wracked with injuries, and who are discarded by other clubs. Through this osmotic process, Beckham came back to his warm embrace and so did Sheva.
Players like Seedorf, Maldini, Nesta, Gattuso, and Jankulovski have gone well past the born on date. Unfortunately for them the Serie season does not get shorter, so they drift in and out with injuries and exhaustion. Milan is now in a dogfight with Genoa for a CL spot.
Let me put it this way. Is Chelsea ready for a coach that brought back Sheva? A player whose stratospheric transfer price and indifferent form was key to the falling out between Mourinho and Abramovich.
Ancelotti was pursued as Grant's successor in the 2008 summer before turning it down. His managerial form since then should not inspire confidence.
What happens when you conjure Severus Snape aka Alan Rickman with a football. You get Andrea Pirlo. They look alike.
Barack Obama smarting from West Ham's weekend loss against Spurs and a 75% failure rate in the Final Four, maybe a bit of a lightweight when it comes to picking sports teams that actually win but in throwing his weight behind the US bid for the 2018 World Cup, he knows a good thing, especially in capturing the hearts and minds of the world. The US under George W Bush was consistently amongst the most unpopular countries in the world even amongst allies.
“Soccer is truly the world’s sport, and the World Cup promotes camaraderie and friendly competition across the globe,” Obama added in the letter, a part of which was released to The New York Times by the United States Soccer Federation with permission from the White House.
“That is why this bid is about much more than a game,” he added. “It is about the United States of America inviting the world to gather all across our great country in celebration of our common hopes and dreams.”
Which makes Henry Kissinger's selection to the US World Cup bid committee even more baffling. If you want the world to celebrate the US and share in its common hopes and dreams, why would you want someone, as declassified material increasingly reveal, happens to be a central figure in the 1970s subversion of democracy in South America by supporting some of its most repressive regimes. He has also been held responsible for expanding the Vietnam War to Cambodia and Laos that cost millions their lives.
Kissinger may have been instrumental in bringing the 1994 World Cup to the US and endeared himself to Sepp Blatter but this was well before a spate of investigations sought to examine his culpability in these crimes. One of them was launched by Baltazar Garzon from Spain, famously known for issuing a 1998 arrest warrant for Auguste Pinochet, the Chilean dictator. Criminal proceedings have begun in Spain against six Bush administration officials over the advocacy and use of enhanced interrogation tactics aka torture. Needless to say the Spanish are serious about these crimes against humanity.
Mixed in with the practical considerations of making a successful bid is the idea that the World Cup however imperfectly, brings together people from different countries with varied political systems, which the US seriously undermined under Kissinger's tenure as Secretary of State under Nixon. Having Kissinger on the committee undercuts both Obama's message of hope and the essence of the World Cup.
Will the Gunners injury woes on defense expose them or will Villareal's similar problems on attack prove to be their downfall.
Villareal's injury problems are probably more significant in their overall impact to their game as compared to the Gunners.
Both Senna and Cazorla are out and especially without Cazorla's energetic forays wide on the left, the Villareal attack became patchy and predictable against Arsenal in the first leg. They have been on a bit of a swoon without the services of Cani and Mati Fernandez through injuries in their weekend loss to Malaga. The midfield duo are expected to start against Arsenal.
Arsenal are without Almunia, Gallas, and Clichy. Djourou starting for Gallas went down in the Wigan match with a knee injury. He was replaced with Silvestre. Almunia's place has been taken over by Fabianski.
Therein lies some potential for the Villareal attack.
The matchup that one worries most about is Silvestre against Rossi. It was Rossi's clash with Gallas that caused the ankle ligament injury and ended his season. Before that Gallas was having all kinds of problems keeping the fleet footed Rossi at bay before the Italian striker ran out of steam. Silvestre will find it difficult to match Rossi's speed and outside help will be needed to cut off the strikers supply from Cani and Ibazaga. We can hope that the damage done will be limited.
Fabianski lapses in judgement against Wigan did not prove costly as the Gunners scored enough goals and in the Villareal match he was inconsistent with his clearances, although never really seriously troubled.
Manuel Pellegrini will look to his players to exploit these potential weaknesses.
Michael Essien is an athletic beast. He got his head down in time for a goal line save in the 90th minute as Cech was beaten all ends up. The Blues would have gone to the semi-finals on goal aggregate even in defeat. It was a pulsating encounter with end to end action.
But Liverpool was riding on emotion with the observance of the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough tragedy this week. The odds were stacked against them. Away from home, a two goal deficit to surmount, without captain and talisman Steve Gerrard, and Chelsea's stingy defense. But two goals early in the first half had their faithful fans daring to dream. Could they pull off a win with a large enough goal margin to keep their CL hopes alive? Fabio Aurelio's free kick minus power but enough angle caught Cech by surprise. Soon after Alonso was pulled down by Ivanovic in the penalty area and the resultant PK was converted. The stands became a sea of red with fans waving flags and jerseys.
Hiddink's recent faith in Drogba has paid dividends with the physical centerforward providing a lot of the impetus in Chelsea's charge late into the season. He was right there to change the complexion of the game in the second half. Drogba's touch off an Anelka sideline cross changed the trajectory enough causing Reina to deflect the ball into his own goal. A period followed when Liverpool seemed to be penalized for every tackle with Drogba squarely in the middle. His dramatics paid off as Alex continued a Chelsea trend of defenders scoring from set pieces, blasting home a rocket of a free kick that evaded Reina. It was Drogba again who had a hand the third goal, his sidefooted pass finding an onrushing Lampard who slotted the ball past Reina. Fans who had been subdued in the first half, came alive waving flags and chanting Chelsea Chelsea. Hiddink suddenly animated, punched his fist into the air. The Blues were up 3-2 and were coasting to the semi-finals.
Liverpool did not give up and it was Benayoun's nifty feet and pass which isolated Lucas with enough time to snap of a shot which was fortuitously deflected into goal by Essien. A minute later Reira who had come on as a sub to Mascherano ran wide on the left and centered a cross which found Kuyt muscling in for the header. The pendulum had swung all the way back. This was a slugfest going all 10 rounds and the ebb and flow seemed to have drained the fans. Stamford Bridge eerily fell quiet. It was left to Lampard to score off an Anelka pass and secure the draw.
Two teams came to play. Chelsea moves on. Liverpool goes back to what will be an emotional day tomorrow. If there is to be a source of comfort to the team, it is in this, they did not let down the 96 fallen. They would have been proud of their team.
The day that changed forever how football was played in England.
On 15 April 1989, 96 Liverpool fans lost their lives and 788 were injured. Amongst them was Steven Gerrard's 10 year old cousin, whose untimely death proved to be the inspiration for his success.
Gerrard recalls that day and says he will never forget:
"I was completely and utterly shocked whilst wondering if there was anyone we knew really close at the game. And then going to bed that night, lying there praying and keeping your fingers crossed that it didn't get any worse to what we had already heard. Unfortunately for myself and my family we got the dreaded knock the next morning to say a member of our family had been tragically killed."
Living in India at that time, I heard about the tragedy from newspapers and on radio. The news that 96 fans had lost their lives crushed against fences seemed so reminiscent of the bus falls into the ravine type of tragedy that we had grown accustomed to at home, it was inconceivable that it had taken place in the UK.
Even the Indian public that was agog in those days over Ayotallah Khomeini's fatwa against Salman Rushdie for writing Satanic Verses stopped in disbelief as the body count went up and up.
Man U is still on top with a game in hand with Liverpool chasing them hard.
I am betting that Chelsea wins the Premiership.
What a difference a couple of weeks can make.
Guus Hiddink is bringing the best out of his players at just the right time. Michael Essien's return has brought back the toughness that seemed to be missing in the midfield. His presence has unshackled Frank Lampard to roam upfield and he has been on fire even as Anelka's production has dropped. Didier Drogba has reasserted his old physical style. The iron curtain of John Terry, Jose Bosingwa, Ashley Cole, have conceded only 17 goals, the best in the Premiership.
Chelsea's deep bench strength also accounts for the fresher legs of the starters late into the season. They have the luxury of drawing players like Kalou, Belletti, Malouda, and Ballack.
Unlike the last two seasons there are no outstanding injury problems that decimated key players in crucial matches. Chelsea also has the advantage of a number of home games, arguably the best schedule amongst the title contenders.
Man U looks like it needs a second wind with injuries and suspensions to key players like Ferdinand, Vidic, Berbatov and Rooney that have sapped them of much needed momentum. Giggs, Scholes, and Neville are carrying their craft on aging legs. But their replacements show a talent gap. Carrick and Fletcher played adequately but I would not bet on them to carry the team.
Liverpool shows an interesting pattern of goal scoring with clumps of wins interspersed with dreary draws. They are due for a patch of dullness which has already begun with the loss to Chelsea. Plus, they live by Gerrard and they die by Gerrard. Even with Alonso, Mascherano, and the wiles of the occasional Benayoun.
Hiddink thrives on these clearly defined missions. Brought into resuscitate a flagging Chelsea and now they are in position to pull off a stunning upset. He then departs in less than two months to resume coaching the Russian team.
He reminds me of Harvey Keitel's character in Pulp Fiction.
''David Beckham will have a greater impact on soccer in America than any athlete has ever had on a sport globally,'' said Timothy J. Leiweke, president and CEO of AEG, the sports and entertainment conglomerate that operates the Galaxy. ``David is truly the only individual that can build the bridge between soccer in America and the rest of the world.''
MLS might have in a delusion of grandeur anointed him saviour of US soccer but Beckham is not complaining. This is one retiree who will not have to work again. The LA Galaxy stint has swollen his bank account even as he has become indispensable to Carlo Ancelotti's title aspirations.
"Although the former English team captain has scored just five goals in 30 games during his first two seasons with the Galaxy, the move across the pond has proved to be a financial windfall: Of the $95 million he has earned during the past two years, $66 million come from endorsement contracts, including Adidas, Armani and Motorola."
Only Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan pulled in more endorsement money. They however, unlike Beckham, proved to be more transformational in their sports without it ever being part of the suggested resume.
Defeating Chelsea at home with a two goal deficit will be a difficult mountain to climb. Especially without a fully fit Gerrard.
Rafa Benitez should cut his losses, give enough time to Gerrard to heal, and get back on track in the Premiership.
They have Blackburn on Saturday to deal with and they have to literally shove the Chelsea defeat out of their minds. Sam Allardyce knows a thing or two about frustrating top level competition.
Looming in the horizon is the Arsenal encounter which would require a squad at full strength. The Gunners have the best record in matches played between the top four teams.
I have no idea how Mark Hughes does this.
Manage a club with so many players who are no shows. The club with the most bloated transfer payroll with very little to show for it. His star player is the Lindsey Lohan of the soccer world with his fair share of entries in the police blotter. Even his countrymen have washed their hands of Robinho. This fate might have befallen Jo, another double digit million pound acquisition but he found himself Everton where he and Louis Saha have rejuvenated their careers.
Hughes Blackburn teams were defensive moats, now City can't throw down the drawbridge soon enough. Micah Richards has fallen way below in Capello's depth chart after Steve McLaren could not do without him. Piotr Trochowski torched him in the Hamburg match.
More kudos to Steven Ireland, their best player whose legacy could have been defined in an entirely different way but who chose to prove his worth on the field. He rightfully questioned the courage of his team mates.
Previously I had argued that Hughes was the perfect manager for a scrappy, chip on the shoulder type of a club like Blackburn, where he served as manager. The club regularly bench pressed far above its capability with no name players. A club very much like the one he faced last night.
Maurice Edu took full advantage of his start against St Mirren to score the winning goal in a 2-1 win. Marcus DaBeasley also started the match but left the match after 15 minutes with an injury to the ribs.
Walter Smith is being a bit coy about Edu's chances of replacing Barry Feguson who is out of the Rangers line up after the SPL ban. However, Rangers are running out of midfield options with Lee McCulloch also out with an ankle injury. Edu's noteworthy performance should open up the door for more starting minutes.
Its presently about £650m. But Man U should pass the stress test.
A spate of injuries dog Arsenal yet again. The Villareal draw proved Pyrrhic.
William Gallas season ended with a medial collateral ligament injury when he collided with Rossi. In his place, Wenger will start Djourou.
Rossi was also involved in a collision with Almunia which resulted in the Spaniard's suffering a bruised ankle bone. Gael Clichy strained his back. Both are doubtful for the match against Wigan. Fabianski will get a start but Clichy's left back position is harder to fill. Wenger could start Kieran Gibbs who has already come on as a sub for Clichy.
Der Kaiser has taken an exceedingly dim view of Bayern's shellacking at the hands of Barca.
"This is a catastrophe," Beckenbauer told Premiere Television after the 4-0 defeat against Barcelona. "This is schoolboy stuff. The first half was the worst I have ever seen Bayern play."
Ouch.
Bayern now wait at home for Barca to nail the coffin shut. More problematic is their insipid form in the Bundesliga. They lag behind VFL Wolfsburg, SV Hamburger and Hertha Berlin in the race for the title with Stuttgart and Hoffenheim breathing hard down their neck. They face Eintracht Frankfurt this Saturday, a club which seems to showing signs of revival.
If Klinsi slips up against Eintracht, he could be out of a job. Sunil Gulati may still be very, very interested.
It never works when a national coach is so openly contemptuous of the domestic league. Even as the national team does well.
Pim Verbeek's success has the FFA and the media swooning but it has left the A-League owners fuming. They point to his Eurocentric attitude in encouraging talented young players to leave the A League and at the same time discouraging Socceroos from returning home from Europe.
The yawning talent gap was cited as a factor in the 5-0 thrashing of Central Coast by Kawasaki Frontale in an Asian Champions League match. Central Coast signing of Scott Chipperfield fell through in the 11th hour as he decided to extend his FC Basel contract. Chipperfield was apparently convinced by Verbeek that remaining in Europe would be better for him.
There are two points to this story. First, there were already a number of overseas players like Mark Viduka, Brett Emerton, and Lucas Neill from sports programs established by Australian Institute of Sports (AIS). More importantly, the success of the 2006 Socceroos shone a spotlight on these players who competed in the European leagues. The A-League established in 2005 did not incubate this talent. Thus, national success has very little to do with the establishment of the A League. Pragmatic coaches like Guus Hiddink and now Pim Verbeek know that. They are brought in for the short measure and their job is to ensure the 2006 success. The best way to replicate this is to use the talent already present and eschew a national development scheme which might bear fruit many years later, if at all. Graham Arnold might have entertained the crazy notion of using Oz based players but his teams performance led to a national hangover.
Unfortunately what happens to A-League club players is that national selection then seems contingent on European exposure. Hence the desire to leave and a reluctance to come back. A message Pim Verbeek seems to have articulated quite vocally and is now taking heat from the A League managers.
This is the reverse of the J League established in 1992. Their first international star was Hidetoshi Nakata who started in that league. Shunsuke Nakamura, the Celtic standout played for five years for the Yokohma Marinos. It took Japan ten years but the 2002 World Cup squad that tasted quarterfinal success was the outcome of indigenous talent exclusively nurtured by the J-League. It continues to this day. The fortunes of the national team is inextricably linked with J-League success.
Barry Hall makes an appeal to tamp down all the ugly rubbish that goes on in Aussie Rules games because he wants the next generation of kids to keep coming and carry on the footy tradition.
Aussie Rules is still the number one sport but there is concern at the huge inroads that soccer has made. From a sport that was derogatorily called Wogball to the national mainstream in a few years, soccer's success has the AFL worried for footy's future.
Many parents already consider soccer to be a safer option for kids and it has supplanted Aussie Rules amongst the school going population. It has led Aussie Rules to change the rules to make it safer and reverse the trend. Unfortunately for them, the mob mentality that usually accompanies these games which led to the beating up of the father of Nathan Jones, a Melbourne player, does not help their cause. A number of other factors like the Socceroos international success, a well attended domestic league, and a real possibility of getting the 2018 World Cup are fueling soccer's progress.
Concerned enough that the most recognizable footy personality has to make a personal appeal.
Dean Ashton has been out for ever. The West Ham striker started in blazing fashion and then suffered a crippling ankle injury which will keep him out for the rest of the 2008-09 season. A huge blow for goal strapped West Ham. It maybe blasphemy to say this but a few more strikes and the club could be challenging Arsenal just like Villa and Everton for the last CL spot.
Ashton has Os Trigonum Syndrome.
The Os Trigonum is a small extra bone formation behind the ankle bone (talus). It is the result of a failure to fuse with the talus although it remains attached through fibrous tissue. Approximately 7% of the population is born with this condition, making it rare. Usually the extra bone remains asymptomatic but in active athletes and ballet dancers where the ankle is subject to repeated stress, especially with downward pointing of the toes (plantarflexion) the Os Trigonum can be crunched between the talus and the heel bone (calcaneus) and pulled loose. This stretches or tears the fibrous tissue connecting the Os Trigonum and the talus resulting in pain especially on downward pointing or pushing off the toes ground when walking. There is also tenderness and swelling behind the ankle. Careful history taking and radiological tests can establish this condition and rule out other similar ankle and foot conditions like an Achilles Tendon injury, ankle sprain, or ankle fracture.
Conservative measures include protracted periods of rest, immobilization with a foot brace, ice packs, and pain medication like NSAIDs or cortisone injections to reduce inflammation. If the condition proves intractable, surgical procedures involve removing the Os Trigonum.
Whatever measures Ashton takes, it remains a condition that keeps players away for protracted periods, and in West Ham's case, a major factor to cement an UEFA spot.
I would like to point out the hypocrisy of the South African government when they deny the Dalai Lama's visa to attend a Desmond Tutu sponsored World Cup peace conference.
The official explanation is that the SA government feared that the Dalai Lama would use the conference as a platform to advocate Tibetan sovereignty which would distract from the World Cup and its apolitical message.
Thabo Masebe, spokesman for President Kgalema Motlanthe, said now was not the time for such a high-profile visit from the Tibetan spiritual leader and added that South Africa hoped to avoid being "the source of negative publicity about China."
China is SA's biggest trading partner and it is widely believed that the Dalai Lama was denied his visa because of pressure from the Chinese government.
This is rich coming from a country that suffered the brunt of sporting sanctions for more than four decades as a political tool to force them to renounce apartheid. That it comes from the ANC controlled government, the organization that fought for equal rights and free speech is even more troubling. The World Cup was awarded to the SA government to showcase their place in Africa and the world as a country that had buried that ugly part of their history and was ready to move on.
I have been one of the biggest advocates of the SA World Cup and have been very critical of other countries efforts to cast aspersions on their preparation citing its high crime rate, unchecked AIDS epidemic, and lack of infrastructure. This however gets my goat. A country that should realize more than most the liberating power of political self expression is bowing its head to a country that takes it away.
Liverpool is Steven Gerrard and Steven Gerrard is Liverpool.
Wait a minute, they have Torres, Alonso, a bloke called Riera who is having a pretty good season, and Pepe Reina whose ICBMs have led to Kim Jong- il offering him North Korean citizenship. They are multifaceted and multitudinous after bashing Man U and Villa as per pundits.
Its not working as long as Stevie G takes the day off. Chelsea proved it as they reduced Liverpool's heartbeat to a guest appearance. He was an onlooker when Branislav Ivanovic, the Serbian defender rose unchallenged to score the decisive second goal. The rest of the time was spent in disastrous Hindenburg like endeavours to airlift the ball to Torres or Kuyt.
Chelsea ran out easy 3-1 winners at Anfield. I have no idea what Rafa plans at Stamford Bridge but at this point Chelsea coasting to a semi-final berth is a done deal.
I fear for soccer. I fear for soccer as long as Barca plays like it played today. To cast aside a proud Bayern, 4 times CL winner, like an irritating gnat with a contemptuous flick of the wrist. At moments of the match, I had the irrational thought that Pep Guardiola would like Ashoka, the great Indian emperor after the Kalinga war, survey the carnage and have an epiphany: "Lord, what have I done?"
But Guardiola looked like he wanted Howard Webb's head on a platter after the referee turned down Messi's pleas for a penalty when brought down by Oddo. All thoughts of a second life of ceasefires and diplomacy evaporated. By the time the first half finished, Barca were up four goals. 4, 6, or 20. It would have made no difference. The scoreboard could have been a random number generator and it still would have made perfect sense. Bayern were outclassed.
It must have been after Eto'o's goal that Bayern fell in love with its captors as it understood Barca's mission. The entire second half was entirely played in a small patch of land before Butt. And Messi, Eto'o, Henry, Iniesta, and Xavi proved to be exemplary advocates of that mission. We call it the Stockholm Syndrome. Luca Toni could have been the loneliest human being on the earth. Franck Ribery, the most futile. They both could have exited the stadium, gone to a pub, commiserated over a keg of lager, while watching the game on Setanta and would not have been missed an iota.
If Cristiano Ronaldo wanted any affirmation of why he wanted to join Real, this would be the match he would point to. To go mano a mano with Messi. To stop Barca in their tracks, is now the dream of every player worth their salt.
Not a goal old and we already have mind boggling comparisons.
Right, and it was said that Beckham was going to become the saviour of US soccer.
Arsenal looked at sea in the first half and it was a wave of yellow jerseys that swamped their half with crisp, aggressive, and adventurous matchplay. Ibazaga and Cani ran up the possession stats as Rossi and Llorente softened up the Arsenal defense. The backpedaling Gunners were unprepared for Senna's thunderous shot which reverse swung its way into goal. Senna is a compact player sparing with his touches but all have a purpose. He showed it through the match with his laser like shots at goal and his organizational capacity in midfield. He reminds one of a more powerful Gilberto.
Almunia already shaken up with a knock looked ashen after that. He departed and Lukacz Fabianski came on for the most important match in his Arsenal career and was tested right away. He proved decisive in his collection of corners and free kicks. Almunia was not the only casualty with Gallas limping off too and Djourou replacing him.
Wenger must have given the youngsters a talking to because they looked a lot sharper in the second half. Their passing picked up in confidence and they looked more incisive. Villareal has a penchant for giving up late goals and it was a beautiful little play in the 66th minute that gave Arsenal the equalizer. Fabregas looking up saw Adebayor in between two out of position defenders and lofted a perfectly placed pass that the Togolese striker chested down and effortlessly volleyed into the back of the net. It was majestic.
A good spell for the Gunners ensued as Villareal had trouble holding onto the ball. Nasri wasted a few opportunities to go ahead and Walcott's sizzler just went over the crossbar. Otherwise it looked like the Gunners were playing for a draw and their waning urgency almost let the Submariners back in the last 10 minutes.
There was a lot of energy in Sagna and Clichy's forays down the flanks but I wish they held onto the ball a bit longer for more bodies to arrive into the box before crossing. As it is many sailed harmlessly into no man's land. Clichy also needs to put more air into his crosses as many of them caromed off Villareal defenders.
A special moment when Robert Pires came on late in the second half and El Madrigal erupted in thunderous applause from fans of both clubs. He showed flashes of familiar creativity on the ball but otherwise had a quiet game.
The draw sets up Arsenal perfectly for the second leg to be played at home.
Giuseppe Rossi is the marksman that Arsenal will have to keep an eye on. He has scored a dozen times in the Liga and three in the CL. Argentinian Ariel Ibazaga is Villareal's playmaker along with Cani, who gets back to squad duty after injury.
However, Joseba Llorente is the X factor. He has proved to be a super sub providing four goals including a hat trick against Danish side, Aalborg. His link up with Ibazaga scored the winner against Panathinaikos marching them to the CL quarterfinals.
Marcos Senna's defensive organization was a major factor in Spain's Euro win and he has proved that Villareal are tough to beat at El Madrigal. In the Liga, they have won nine games and lost just two.
There is a silver lining for Arsenal.
Villareal have conceded a number of late goals which have resulted in victory snatched away from them. Defensive lapses cost them wins against Osasuna, Atletico Madrid, and Malaga.
Arsenal should take note of that and keep applying attacking pressure even if they do go a goal down. If Arsenal can come up with a draw then they are in good position in the return leg because Villareal are not a good road team and have the worst record amongst the top four Liga teams with just four wins and 23 goals conceded.
The last time Robert Pires played for the Gunners was in the 2006 CL semi-final against Villareal.
He was substituted by Wenger following Lehmann's red card. It was a defining moment in his career. Now he faces fans that remember him fondly from those wonderful seasons of sublime football that he gave to the club that he still loves.
Pires says that if he scores a goal, he will not celebrate in deference to the club and its fans, who have meant so much to him.
A bit of a jaunt down memory lane. It reminds us of Pires amazing finishing abilities, of an Arsenal that provided an exclamation point to all that intricate play.
RVP is out and so is Eduardo and Abou Diaby.
A number of attacking players have match fitness concerns.
Walcott will play but his knee is still tender and a cause for concern. There is worry that the speedster's knee could be susceptible to some of those crunching tackles. Fabregas got back after 4 months from knee ligament injuries. Adebayor played his first game after two months. Samir Nasri just shrugged off the flu.
Arshavin is ineligible because he played in the group stage with Zenit St. Petersburg.
I think Wenger will go for a 4-5-1 formation with Adebayor, the lone striker and Nasri in the left winger position. Denilson, Fabregas, Song, and Walcott, will round out the midfield. Arsenal will protect the back through Clichy, Toure, Gallas, and Sagna. The defense has stepped up its performance recently and has been quite watertight.
Santi Cazorla, Villareal's versatile presence in the midfield will miss the Arsenal match with an ankle fracture sustained in the Liga encounter with CD Almeria. In fact, the Spanish international will be out for four months or more.
In better news for the club, Marcos Senna and Cani are back, in time to help their squad in this crucial encounter.
Robert Pires talks about how he looks forward to playing his former club. He was voted as Arsenal's sixth greatest player.
Arsenal will also see Pascal Cygan, who did yeoman duty as a makeshift left back following injuries to Ashley Young and Gael Clichy in the 2005-2006 season. He joined Pires in a transfer to Villareal in the summer of 2006.
Eliminate the group stage and go straight for the knockout. A FA Cup type format.
Barry Ferguson, MBE will not play as a Ranger and will not represent Scotland anymore.
For drinking and flashing V signs no less. What is a footballer to do? Drink ginseng tea and curl up with a book?
Joey Barton can stub out a lit cigar in a youth player's eye and still play for Man City and get an England call up. He can assault a team mate on the training ground and then flee the country. This strangely increases his transfer worth when moving to Newcastle.
Sometimes it makes no sense.
Australia could become the first country to join SA in World Cup 2010. Pim Verbeek's team scored a 2-0 win over Uzbekistan. They need just another point. It could come in their next match against Qatar on the 6th June giving them a valuable headstart on other countries still going through an arduous qualifying process.
Verbeek might not be the Tele Santana of soccer but he is a man on a mission and his first step is almost realized.
As for Australia, changing to the Asia zone has proved to be singular in improving their game.
Dick's Sporting Good Park, home to the Colorado Rapids can seat about 19,000 fans. Their matches are averaging a shade below 12,000.
Max Bretos just brought up an important point.
Two years ago, Rapids owner Stan Kroenke used his share holding position to build an alliance with Arsenal which would be used to exchange commercial and marketing information. The agreement also includes developing an Arsenal Center of Excellence and an Arsenal Cup for US based youth soccer clubs.
So strong was the brand attachment that the Rapids had considered changing their names to Colorado Arsenal or Arsenal Colorado and actually registered these websites to prevent cybersquatting. A change to Arsenal's famous red and white colours was even considered. Just like Beveren, Arsenal's Belgian based feeder club, it was natural to assume that these development could mean that the Rapids could be groomed to provide Arsenal talent. At the other end move Arsenal reserve players to the Rapids on loan. All these exciting developments should have translated into more fans coming to watch Rapids matches.
But it is not happening. In fact, fan attendance has been falling. Instead, Kroenke seems to be devoting more time to acquiring Arsenal and not to his own team and its mediocre record and attendance.
Arsenal fans will be pleased that one of their former players is faring well.
Freddie Ljungberg made an instant impact in his first start for the Seattle Sounders scoring one goal against Toronto and had a hand in the second one. The ex-Arsenal left winger and former underwear model came on as a substitute in the previous match.
The Sounders are off to an impressive 3-0 start in their first year.
Touching scene of Macheda's brother shedding tears of joy. Man U shed off periods of somnolence to produce three bolts of brilliance, none more than Macheda's stoppage time goal that wrecked Villa's heroics.
AIG has an image problem with executive bonuses that resemble the GDP of a small country (a very small country)?
You should see what Sven Goran Eriksson is getting paid for his services. Not bad for 11 months of pretty awful results.
The Bundesliga would have us believe that.
A Bosnian duo are striking mayhem.
Edin Dzeko of VFL Wolfsburg has scored 14 goals. He and Brazilian Grafite with 18 are benefiting from the playmaking ability of Dzeko's countryman, Zvjezdan Misimović, the captain of the Bosnia & Herzegovina national team. Their little regarded team has raced from eighth to the top spot.
As VFL Wolfsburg star gains ascendancy, 1899 Hoffenheim's is on the wane due to injuries to its duo of Bosnian standouts. An ACL injury in January cut short Vedad Ibisevic's stellar season was carrying 1899 Hoffenheim to never before giddy heights with 17 goals. More recently, they lost Sejad Salihovic, their midfield general with a knee injury. Hoffenheim have struggled in recent games with just one win in nine games since January. They have fallen from first to the sixth position.
It is no wonder that the Bosnian national team has brought its attacking firepower to the World Cup qualifiers with 18 goals scored equaling Germany's output. They are second to Spain in Group 5 and ahead of rivals Turkey.
Javier Aguirre re-takes the reins of the Mexican coaching job. He was the coach of the 2002 World Cup team and replaces the fired Sven Goran Eriksson.
He has the difficult task of instilling confidence in a badly underperforming national team. Mexico lost to arch rivals US and more recently, Honduras thumped them. This has led to a lot of soul searching including figuring out shortcomings within the youth system which has led to the drying up of talented players in the men's squad. To the plug the achievement gap, foreign born players have been included in the roster, a controversial and divisive decision. These systemic problems do not solve the more immediate need to qualify for the World Cup.
For the record Aguirre also coached the Mexican team that lost to 0-2 to the USA in the round of 16 in the 2002 World Cup. He is also only the second Mexican coach to record a win against the US since 2000. This was a 1-0 win through a Jared Borgetti goal on July 2001at Stadium Azteca in a World Cup qualifier.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's legacy lives on. His name is Federico Macheda. Another baby faced killer.
Liverpool fans will remember that name. Lets put it this way, I don't think there will be a street with that name in that city anytime soon.
If Man Utd go onto win this season's title, a more important dagger than that of 17 year old Federico 'Kiko' Macheda, will be harder to find. The Solskjaer reserve team regular made a dream debut scoring the winning goal against Villa in stoppage time. It was the way he did it which was even more memorable, a nifty turn and shoot which left Friedel grasping air for the third time. Before that another former reserve Danny Wellbeck had a chance in burnishing himself into Mancunian history but Friedel stuck a timely hand to deflect a goal bound shot.
An absorbing match with Villa through Carew, Young, and Agbanlahor taking advantage of the absence of Vidic and Ferdinand to win the aerial duel in the box. Milner's back pass mistake which led to the first Ronaldo goal was mitigated by Carew's header off a perfect Barry cross and then it was Carew's turn as provider for Agbanlahor to head the ball home and put Villa a goal up. Barry and Petrov proved to be more effective than Fletcher and Giggs in the first half in exploiting the supply lines.
However, Villa shut down after the second goal and give up ball possession resorting to counterattacks. Big mistake. A familiar story line played out. Macheda's introduction restored much needed urgency which saw Ronaldo, Tevez and Fletcher respond as they took control of the Villa quarter and it was once again Ronaldo to the rescue as he snapped off a shot in slow motion. Friedel mistimed his dive. For a split second the ball looked like it was going to drag wide but it found a lane into the goal. Villa looked deflated and came under increasing siege resorting to increasingly futile counter attacks.
Friedel's left hand corner proved costly in this match. Man U found a way to bury all three goals into that spot. Villa lost their edge when James Milner was substituted. Reo-Coker is an overrated player who brings nothing to the game.
Man U reclaims the top spot, answers its critics and goes into their CL quarterfinal against Porto with their wind on their backs.
It finally happened and Ramon Calderon has won the battle against Alex Ferguson if reports are true. Ronaldo could be off to Real in the summer bringing his career to Old Trafford to an end. The price £75m, a world record.
Ronaldo's cousin, Luis Felipe, added: "He's won everything with United and he needs new challenges with a new team."
I wonder if Man Utd will even bother to match that. Something tells me that they will not be so keen to distract the whole team again with last summer's shenanigans.
All $575m of it. But relax its all part of a clever strategery so that the banks allow Hicks holding company access to the interest revenue account.
How does it affect Liverpool FC? Increased ticket prices and a delay in the long overdue stadium. Unspoken but I would hazard a guess that is where it is going to go.
Brian Clough's ill fated 44 days at Leeds United. The legend even had Muhammad Ali talking on TV about him. But true to Clough's nature, he was going to fight even that passing reference. Tearing down institutions. Shaking up the cozy old boys club that ruled football. Leeds United was just that. Its ironic to see that 20 years later, it did happen as United went bankrupt. That was Clough, his genius and his untimely end through alcoholism. The movie opened on the 27th of March. I hope I get to see it in the US.
A fantastic cast and a screenplay written by the writer of Frost/ Nixon.
Simon Kuper's review >>
Cristiano Ronaldo is a great club player. He has garnered every accolade including FIFA world player of the year and Man U's first Ballon d'Or winner in 40 years. In comparison, his national duty so far has been pedestrian by his own standards.
There appears to be a pattern. Very good performances into the lead up to the tournament where he tends to then play with a very marked "carry the team on the shoulders" quality that proves detrimental.
He came to the 2006 World Cup with the second best tally in the European qualifiers but gained notoriety for his extra curricular activities on Rooney. His actual contribution was just a PK goal against Iran. Again in Euro 2008, he scored a total of eight goals as David Healey stole the show in the qualifiers but apart from the match against the Czech Republic, where he scored a goal and assisted in the two others he did very little of note in the big quarterfinal against Germany. They lost the match 2-3 on a late rally.
So far his performances in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers have been very dull. 270 minutes of nothing. Portugal have struggled with three goal less draws against Sweden and Albania. This from a team brimming with attacking firepower like that of Ronaldo and in a group from which they should easily qualify. A note here, Ronaldo was captain of these three matches and he has not scored. It appears as if Carlos Queiroz is burdening the Man U winger.
I have to say, his performances are an inversion of another left winger, Lukas Podolski whose Bayern Munich career is pretty checkered but his national output has been outstanding.
Amr Zaki could do no wrong at the beginning of the season. Now Steve Bruce looks like he just wants to wash his hands of the man.
My favourite Cesc photo- he looks like he wants to tear another!
Yeay! Gunner fans will see the little Catalunyan maestro back in action against Man City this weekend. He will obviously play limited minutes before he works his way to being fully match it.
Also starting will be Adebayor and Walcott returning from injuries. Arsenal will be missing RVP and Eduardo who were injured in recent World Cup qualifiers.
Ivan Gazidis also reassures the fans that they are working out contracts which extends Fabregas, RVP, and Walcott's future at Arsenal.
The obvious punning of his name is irresistible given his contribution to Mexico's defeat.
With all the teeth gnashing going on with naturalized citizens like Matias Vuoso and Leandro Oldoni on the El Tri roster it comes as a bit of a surprise that Honduran striker Carlos Costly also has extensive Mexican connections. It may even be a matter of educated conjecture that he could have potentially become naturalized through his family.
He lived in that country for a number of years after his parents separation when his mother married a Mexican. Costly initially played in the Mexican second division league with Celaya, Pumas, and Morelia till he was 23. He then returned to Honduras because of age restrictions and joined CD Platense. From there he launched his international career and is currently on loan to Birmingham City from Polish club GKS Belchatow. He still has a house in Coyoacán and regularly visits Mexico because of his mother. Mexico as he says is his second home.
Diego Maradona said that each of the 6 goals that Bolivia scored was like a stab in his heart.That would be 6 stabs in all.His 100 percent record went up in smoke at 3,600 metres above sea level in La Paz.A good analysis of Deigo's fall from grace in the rare air of Bolivia here..
A minute silence was observed by teams before kickoff in all of the World Cup qualifying fixtures played today. It was done to honour the Ivory Coast victims who were killed in the stampeding tragedy that took place in the match between the Ivory Coast and Malawi on Saturday.
After Ecuador time and time again ran through the Brazilian defense like battering rams in Quito, it must have been a relief to face Peru, the bottom dwellers of the group. Luis Fabiano who toiled in vain against Ecuador scored two and Felipe Melo who was turned inside out by Cristian Benitez in that game scored the third goal. Brazil brushed aside Peru, 3-0.
With this win Brazil secures the second spot behind Paraguay. On third is Chile with Argentina slipping to fourth after their historic beating by Bolivia.
Here is Joseph and his Technicolor Dream Coat. Umm sorry it is ....... Cesare Prandelli and his Purple People Eater uniform. The only difference, one eye less and a cheesy song. Thanks to Soccer Tricks.
The US won easily 3-0 as Altidore scored a hat trick against the Soca Warriors.
But I have to ask John Harkes what he meant when he said "weak side"? I am almost certain he said it. I have heard a lot of soccer commentary around the world but I have never heard this term being used. It stopped me short. It came when the US team reacted to a move by Kenwyne Jones.
The weak side is almost exclusively used in American football to describe the defense lining up on the side where the offense places the tight end. In basketball it describes the side of the court away from the ball. It is never used in soccer because there is no such specific circumscribed space or deployment of players.
I see matches here as much as to see how lingua franca is used to sort of inveigle soccer into the sports mainstream. Some day extra base hit will be used.
Yes, we have heard that English team is left brained in its success. They beat Ukraine today and Beckham who replaced Lennon was there to lay the cross which got Terry the winning goal. Before that it was all Gerrard and Rooney.
But Aaron Lennon represents the future and Beckham the past.
The hallmark of a great coach is not just to win games but to set the template of a future team that can carry on his good work. Lennon is a great little player and he is versatile, not one dimensional as so many claim. I will say this, look at the clips from the Spurs vs Villa game a couple of weeks ago which saw Lennon playing wide down right with his blistering changes in speed, quick footwork, and probing crosses which set up both goals for Spurs. Liverpool surely must have seen what he did that day. As an Arsenal fan I was delighted that Lennon found his touch and sent Villa packing.
The lad lacks confidence. He needs it in spades. With the media going ga ga over Gerrard and Rooney where is he going to find it? Which is where Capello steps in and gives his vote of confidence to Lennon and finds ways for other players to exploit his talent. He is better than Walcott. Get him to believe in himself. England will be so much more deadlier and unpredictable with genuine threats down both flanks.
These are not the Soca Warriors of the 2006 World Cup. Not even close. Kenwyne Jones is having a nightmare. And you can write off the defense. They are Swiss cheese with big holes. Ince is gesticulating wildly like a madman at Edwards and Lawrence for forgetting the 101's of defense. It could have been worse but Ince has had a nice couple of saves. On the other end Tim Howard has been tested rarely.
A very nice match for Altidore so far. The goal was a set up from a beautiful little head flick by Brian Ching which found Donovan who lost no time laying a cross across goal and Altidore just bulled his way through and slotted it past Ince. Great goal. Zero defense.
Maradona looking very, very disturbed
Oye! Maradona crashes to earth.
Literally from the heady climes of La Paz. From the easy toying of Venezuela on Saturday to a disastrous show where Messi and Tevez were rendered useless. The Bolivians inflicted a 6-1 punishment on the Albiceleste, the likes which they had not seen in more than half a century.
Leading the way was Marcelo Martins who has both Brazilian and Bolivian nationality scoring the first goal. Lucho Gonzalez equalized with a long range shot which bounced awkwardly in front of the Bolivian goalie and flew in. But Bolivia kept up the pressure and Alex da Rosa, a naturalized Bolivian of Brazilian extraction added another one.
By half time the Bolivians were up by three goals and they did not rest in the second half either, scoring three more. Joaquin Botero scored a hat trick. Lucho Gonzalez pirouetted like a dervish but to no avail. Angel Di Maria substituted Maxi Rodriguez and was ejected for a foul on Ronald Garcia.
Argentina's defense was found brittle and slow footed. It remains questionable and so does the goal keeping quality. This is a blip in their World Cup qualification but for the big dance they better find someone better than Gabriel Heinze and Emiliano Papa in defense otherwise it will be another premature exit.
Update: The FIFA website backs up this score. This definitely is not an April Fools joke.
Jozy Altidore probably gets a start. Jonathan Bornstein could replace Heath Pearce at starting left back. Pearce's performance was shaky.
The US played a come from behinddraw with El Salvador on Saturday night and needs to get back on track.
The Soca Warriors captain Dwight Yorke is out with a suspension. However, the US is not taking the Soca Warriors lightly even though the Warriors are 0-3 on US soil. Their team possesses great individual talent. Up front Sunderland's Kenwyne Jones and Southampton's Stern John could provide problems for the defense with their speed and physicality and midfielder Carlos Edwards when fully fit can be a game winning playmaker.
Looks like US Soccer is putting together a pretty star studded cast to bring the 2018 World Cup stateside. Barack Obama's election was hailed by US Soccer chief Sunil Gulati as a positive development in persuading FIFA to award the World Cup. Obama has been sighted attending his daughter's soccer games and is said to be a Hammers fan.
Now they have Henry Kissinger, former US Secretary of State under Richard Nixon joining their bid. Kissinger is a lifelong soccer fan and was instrumental in the US successfully hosting the 1994 World Cup. He is a favourite of Sepp Blatter who awarded the diplomat with the Order of Merit for his services to the sport.
Kissinger is a controversial figure in political history, particularly from a South American standpoint. Many recent investigations and lawsuits have opened up in a number of countries like Chile, Argentina, and Brazil questioning his involvement in Operation Condor, a covert military intelligence operation carried out in the Southern Cone countries (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Chile) in the 1970s where left wing opponents of regimes like that of Auguste Pinochet, Juan Rafael Videla, and Alfredo Stroessner were targeted in a wave of kidnappings and extrajudicial murders.
These investigations and lawsuits have come up as evidence pieced together show US complicity. Kissinger himself has been sued by the family of an Argentinian general who was murdered for his refusal to oust Salvador Allende, President of Chile. It is an ongoing lawsuit and there are other active investigations against Kissinger including an arrest warrant by the Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon, the same man responsible for issuing the arrest of Auguste Pinochet.
These developments are very recent and come much after Kissinger's successful lobbying of the 1994 World Cup. Many of these South American countries have begun to piece together their versions of a truth and reconciliation process which sheds light on a dark era in their history. Kissinger is a central figure as recent declassified information reveal. These issues could become very relevant as the Southern Cone countries are a very powerful voting force within FIFA and Kissinger's appointment may become a potential stumbling block in the US World Cup bid.
Just as Arsenal seemed to be settling down with Eduardo and Arshavin playing longer minutes and with the expected return of Adebayor and Fabregas from protracted injury spells, it appears RVP, Diaby, and Bendtner have picked up significant knocks during the World Cup qualifiers which might see them sidelined for the next 2-3 weeks.
Lots of crucial matches coming up with Man City coming up and then we have the CL quarterfinals first and second legs with Villareal. The FA Cup semi-final with Chelsea takes place on April 18th. We need a full side to keep our chances intact of getting some meaningful silverware.
Liverpool's ownership has settled down with Tom Hicks on a long term investment plan at Anfield which includes buying out George Gillett's stake. Chelsea and Man Utd have long had single entity ownerships.
In contrast, the Arsenal ownership is a group of competing camps with carefully titrated share holdings, as one goes up the other goes down. These fluctuations are market driven. Hanging in balance is Arsenal's future vision and commitments. The old guard with Danny Fiszman and PHW are on board with Wenger's long term philosophy of providing Arsenal a base of homegrown talent and careful transfer spending.
Stan Kroenke's stealth acquisition might raise hackles but the recent buying out of part of Fiszman's stake only strengthens the Kroenke- Fiszman axis which acts as a countervail to the unsavoury Alisher Usmanov, the Uzbeki born oligarch whose loyalty to the club is questionable. The X factor in all this is the 15% stake of ousted board director Nina Bracewell Smith whose sell off can make her the kingmaker. It is left to Ivan Gazidis, Arsenal's chief executive in an unofficial capacity as liaison between her and the Kroenke- Fiszman camp to prevent Usmanov from seizing control. One positive aspect the financial meltdown is that Usmanov's personal wealth has plummeted and he may not be in a position to put up more money.
All these behind the scenes moves remind one of why Arsenal never seems reactive enough. Achieving consensus sometimes means moving a step backward and two steps to the side. That is why these minute adjustments in share holdings seemingly mundane are yet so crucial to the club's future.
Just like the liquidity crunch has frozen financial markets worldwide, the goal crunch has hit the Premiership hard. 33 goal less draws and counting. In both cases it would appear to be brought on by the excesses of deregulated capitalism. One is fact, the other theory. In fact, there is this and other theories being bandied about and novel suggestions to fix this sudden bane confronting the EPL.
Clubs are hunkering down because there is a financial windfall if they remain promoted, as the richest league keeps getting richer from TV subscriptions, sponsorships, and merchandising which allows them to spend astronomical sums on transfers and wages.
It may have to do with the 4-5-1 formation favoured by many teams which clogs up the passing lanes and forces teams to take the more difficult wide route. Pepe Reina might have succeeded in showing us a way out through the thicket.
The problem is that the Premiership was already overheated with enough money to stuff everyone and their aunt. The 4-5-1 is nothing new. An influx of pragmatic foreign coaches? We have had Houllier and then Mourinho in the past who could never be accused of profligacy but even they seem to draw the line on goalless draws while betting everything on unappealing 1-0 victories. So why now?
It comes on the heels of unprecedented CL supremacy.
Lets put it this way, this season has been particularly unsettling for the usual suspects. In fact, the top clubs might be paying a price for overexposure, physical exhaustion from a glut of matches, escalated expectations, and ennui.
Off season transfer distractions, diva like behaviour, changes in coaching, and injuries. This is all part and parcel. But the CL seems to have exacerbated the situation and dramatically curtailed production. Cristiano Ronaldo was involved in a bitter feud between Man Utd and Real in the off season. Drogba came unhinged in the coin toss incident and was sidelined by Scolari. Torres has missed more than third of the season already. Adebayor did not make any new friends with his wishy washy Arsenal commitment and has been wanting in effort. Anelka has cooled off considerably from his bright start. The top four teams have been involved in 14 goalless encounters, a very high number.
These players provide insurance against drawing blanks, in fact, they are there to break the backs of teams like Fulham and Wigan with a stoppage time strike. Nothing should be taken away from the Cottagers impeccable defense but they have had to deal with a misfiring upper echelon finding goal scoring elusive in general.
In comparison, Barca is running a virtual jailbreak with 84 goals coming thick and fast. Samuel Eto'o has 25, Messi 19. Second placed Real has 66. The top four teams have 4 goalless draws. In the Serie and the Bundesliga the number is 7 and 2, respectively. In fact, the Bundesliga provides an interesting story. The top team Hertha Berlin has scored only 39 goals. But there have been no goalless draws. Instead they have had any number of 1-0 wins. The attack in these leagues are doing what they are supposed to be doing, scoring, breaking goalless deadlocks. There maybe an association with these developments and the European leagues having to deal with the new reality of perennial English CL contention. Call it transference but they look a lot fresher and more focused in their domestic season.
Amidst all this Mark Hughes is probably scratching his head at suggestions like widening the goals. With 5 draws, none goalless and 14 losses he is really going for broke. A bit more of Fulham like obduracy and Man City would be competing for an UEFA berth.
Maradona's Argentina destroys Venezuela. Argentina are looking like champions once again:
That last run by Messi reminded me of Maradona's immortal goal against England.
Wouldn't it be great to see Coach Maradona vs. Coach Zico in South Africa?
Dunga's boys look lame as they scrape by. Brazil was lucky, period.
I'm ready to see Coach Zico take over.
22 people killed and 132 injured as ticketless fans tried to stampede the stadium before kickoff.
I have no idea how this match was allowed to go on. Next month is the 10 year anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster which led to far reaching reforms in crowd control and soccer ground safety. At the very least this match should have been rescheduled by FIFA and stricter rules instituted.
Check out what is happening in Vancouver, the venue for the 2010 Winter Olympics. This will only get worse.
I am fabregasted. All this while I thought he loved Arsenal. Relax, this news is not worth a spit.
Looks like the Czech players could use some AC/ DC to restore some mojo to their team. They lag behind Northern Ireland and Slovakia in the World Cup qualifiers.
The Czech Republic has been responsible for AC/ DC's recent transformation from ageing rockers whose anthems celebrate testesterone and booze to a political force.
Bon Scott is a modern day Jonathan Mayhew and his song Highway to Hell was used by the Czech prime minister in his fiery retort to the US stimulus plan akin to Mayhew's "no taxation without representation." The Czechs have long had a love affair with rock n' roll and used its energy to stage the Velvet Revolution.
Energy their soccer players could use in their match against Slovenia which resulted in an insipid draw.
The late Bon Scott mesmerizes the crowd with Highway to Hell >>
Good news for Arsenal fans. Ade seems to have played all 90+ minutes without discomfort and scored the only goal that gave Togo a win over Cameroon in a World Cup qualifier.
It is almost certain that Maradona will not be taking part in a gay pride parade anytime soon and Pele will not be in the forefront asking for a repeal of Rockefeller era drug laws.
The latest edition of Celebrity deathmatch features Maradona vs Pele as each outdo the other for the title of the most consequential sportsperson of the world. Pele's aspirations included running for president of Brazil when Maradona's was keeping his mind from getting addled through booze and drugs in sun drenched Napoli. An effort he had as much success at as Titus Bramble from scoring an own goal. Maradona's road to recovery is a well documented hell with near death situations and many hospitalizations. It is a story with many endings. Unfortunately, it has also left Maradona vulnerable to moral adjudication, the type Pele just engaged in.
Comparisons are odious. It was a cheap shot on Pele's part bringing up Maradona's drug history and then name Beckenbauer, Kaka, and Platini as ideal role models. Pele might have been projecting as his son Edinho faces charges of drug trafficking and addiction.
It must stick Pele in his craw that he remains largely (pun unintended) in the news peddling erectile dysfunction drugs. His rival revels in the attention and adulation of millions who look to him to carry Argentina to a place they have not been in for more than two decades. Maradona responded with an old debunked bath house slur.
Pele needs to take a chill pill.
The absence of a quality forward and goalie leads the English team to resort to smoke and mirrors and the result has the pundits in awe.
The new era of Maradona pragmatism begins.
"He let the tortoise get away with some of the things he said about me, he let it get away badly, very badly. That's why it's now an issue with no solutions." (From Maradona: The Autobiography of Soccer's Greatest and Most Controversial Soccer Star).
Maradona does not hold back when asked his personal opinion of Juan Sebastian Veron. However, he has also been an long standing admirer and champion of the former Lazio player who was named South American player last season for his standout role in Estudiantes revitalization.
Maradona's first meaningful match was an outstanding success. Argentina thoroughly outclassed Argentina and kept pace with rivals Brazil and Paraguay in the World Cup qualifiers. Once the match was in the bag, Maradona trotted out Veron in the 70th minute eschewing any bitter feelings that he might have and showing a pragmatism that Argentina will need if they have to get back to the heady days of the 1986 World Cup.
In Riquelme's absence the attacking midfield lacks a deep threat which relies on plays mostly developed by Messi around the 30 meter mark. Veron's vision opens up the game and his experience in set pieces gives the Argentine attack another dimension.
Whether Veron can shoulder this responsibility on a national level is questionable. He is a veteran of two World Cups and his insipid performance was singled out in Argentina's shocking early exit in 2002. He has a long history of untimely injuries and problems dealing with a more physical style of soccer. English fans know him as a highly paid clunker from his days at Chelsea and Man Utd.
Having bludgeoned the front runner and chief bogeyman Man U and then used CL hopefuls Aston Villa as target practice within a week of each other, Liverpool might be excused for believing in its immortality. An impressive 9 goals scored and just the solitary spoiler in Reina's clean sheets will do just that. Even better, they are building a full head of steam to seriously challenge for the top title in almost two decades even as Man U and Chelsea have seen some serious stumbles.
The answer lies somewhere in between Fabio Aurelio's delectable free kick and Nemanja Vidic's defensive meltdowns. Yes, Liverpool is playing great attacking soccer and their success has much to do with its stepped up set piece capability and opportunism but much of it has to do with examples of defending vulnerabilities of opposing teams. Liverpool has proved adept at making them pay.
A makeshift Villa defense struggling with injuries was left to cope with Steven Gerrard and Albert Reira (surely the best player in the match) and it showed. An unprepared Reo-Coker was forced into defensive duties contributing to an error prone performance and Luke Young for all his speed and aggression came unglued with his tackles and erratic ball supply. Reira's magnificent goal came from a complete miscalculation of Reina's kick which was a bit of Andrea Dossena deja vu from the previous game. So did the clumsy challenges that led to the PKs inflating Gerrard's goal total. But there was almost a half hour where Villa looked the better team just like Man U did in large parts in their game which does not reflect in the final score. It also deflects from the fact that the midfield and Torres were not on the same page with their connections throughout the match.
Where Liverpool really elevated its game was in Gerrard's clever opportunism that took advantage of an out of position defense and an unsighted Friedel to squeeze a perfectly placed free kick into the left hand corner of goal. That moment revealed a fine soccer brain that no team can protect against.
Watch Inter Milan go down by 3 goals to nothing against Sampdoria in the first leg of the Italian Cup Semifinal.
The Hiddink effect on Chelsea involves some of these things - players have to turn up on time for training.They have to chant a 'fitness first' mantra and live up to it.Their mobile phones are in danger of being confiscated if the usage on club grounds goes beyond permitted limits.Fines for those who break the rules.Then there is the Hiddink dress code.Players have to wear the club's Armani suits when travelling for home or away games and when leaving stadiums after matches.No more slouching around in old T shirts.Hiddink, who is never seen on the sideline out of a suit, has also given the chaps some definite instructions on how they should knot their ties.All this has woken Drogba up from his hibernation and he is doing his "the surly bear gets the goals " impersonation again.[For those who didn't get it - that's subtle word play on "the early bird gets the worm"] Anyway all this has resulted in Chelsea moving into second place in the EPL something even their most ardent fans might have considered an implausible dream just a week or so ago.Their latest is this 2 -1 win over Wigan.Lampard was the hero of the game scoring the injury time winner.
"Something amazing is going on in Barcelona. Josep Guardiola’s crew are scoring goals at a rate not seen in a big (or even small) European league in years. On Saturday, they had 65 in 21 league matches: roughly 3.1 a game. Contrast this with the rest of Europe’s league leaders: Hoffenheim, 45 in 19 matches (2.37) in Germany, Inter Milan in Italy and Manchester United, both 40 in 23 (1.74), and Lyons, a paltry 27 in 22 (1.23) in France." More..
The video is of their latest 3 -1 victory over Sporting Gijon
Gael Clichy, last season's sure footed defender is now becoming a byword in blooper of the week.
BBC is reporting that William Gallas has been relieved of his duties. He was also not present on the bus to City.
Gallas days are over at Arsenal as I see it. He burned up precious goodwill with his team mates following his rant and embarrassed Wenger in the process. While Gallas might not have meant it that way, it came close to insubordination.
It is not Gallas place to belittle his team mates in public. It will be tough to continue in such an environment and for Gallas, a bitter pill to swallow. He mentioned that he would like to retire in France singling out PSG. Well, he just found his motivation.
"I replied: 'How are you speaking to me? Who do you think you are? You are only 20 years old. I am not your friend. He said: 'Me neither, I am not your friend'."
OK. What other response do you think "I am not your friend" gets you? Is the 20 year old going to say "I'm sorry, I thought you were my Christmas tree."
Gallas just revealed his thin skin towards the French team.
Gallas would only say it was a player whose name began with "S" and there is buzz in the media that it might be Samir Nasri who is now a team mate at Arsenal. So much for building team confidence.
The rant against his Arsenal team mates is even more disturbing. He is obviously trying to deflect criticism from his less than inspirational captaincy. You can question the effort of some of the younger players and motivate them without tattling to the media about specific examples. Now the media circus is jumping all over this story. An educated guess and we come to the conclusion that it must be RVP who gave Gallas the figurative finger. If Gallas has a sense of entitlement that comes with his age, RVP has a sense of entitlement. Period. But RVP has been at Arsenal a lot longer and in that sense should be considered a co-equal of Gallas. Plus, if you are a smart captain you can get prima donnas on board. Massage their egos and talk about their indispensability.
Wenger has made mistakes with his choice of captains in recent seasons. Thierry Henry was too aloof and non-committal while Gallas is a blowhard who acts out quite a bit. He should have been stripped of his captaincy after his meltdown in the Birmingham match in February but Wenger decided to go with him because, well, there are very few choices left after Gallas. Remember Gallas also sought his way out from Chelsea because he could not get on with John Terry and the Chelsea management, so this stuff is par for the course with him.
Does this make Gallas want to stay on at Arsenal and fight after accusing his team mates of having no heart? No. He has already started making noises about wanting out.
If Arsenal rights the ship these will just be distractions but Wenger has to make a choice. He cannot be too happy about Gallas outburst towards the players. A number of former players are also coming out with their disapproval. Does he finally strip Gallas of his captaincy? I think he should.
The shortlist is very short. Does he give it to Fabregas? No, because the Catalan has been struggling with form and he needs to concentrate on getting it back. Without him as a catalyst Arsenal loses its attacking flow. To burden him with this additional responsibility during these trying times might be too much. Then there is Toure. I have always liked him. He is a veteran and well respected at Arsenal. He is low key and uncontroversial who manages to get along with his team mates. And he has an advantage as a defender. As a captain he might find his voice. Now, if he can only resolve his injury problems.
On 5 September 2008, Senegal met Algeria at the Mustapha Tchaker Stadium in a World Cup qualifier. In the 81st minute, Cheikh Gueye scored an own goal which leveled the game for Algeria. 7 minutes later, Rafik Saiki stuck a dagger into Senegal by scoring the winner. Algeria won the match.
The own goal proved fateful as Senegal drew Gambia a month later and were eliminated from the World Cup running. If they had drawn Algeria they would have been at the top of the table with 10 points and would have gone to the next round.
Rewind six years ago. The 2002 World Cup was set ablaze as Senegal in its first appearance in the World Cup shocked the reigning World Champions France, 1-0. It then captivated the world with some flowing soccer as it drew Denmark, then withstood a furious onslaught by the Uruguayans to draw again and qualify for the knockout phase. The match against Sweden went into overtime and Henry Camara delivered the golden goal that sent Senegal to the quarterfinals. The first African country after Cameroun in the 1982 World Cup to do so. The momentum built by their great run in the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal finishing runners up to Cameroun seemingly had carried over to the World Cup.
By that time El Hadji Diouf, Henri Camara, Pape Bouba Diop, and Pape Thiaw had captivated the world with their dynamic and exhilarating display. Diouf was named to the All Star team. They had a look of invincibility. Encomiums from all around the world flowed in and Dakar's streets teamed with revelers. When Metsu's team went up against Turkey, all of Africa's prayers were with the Lions of Teranga. Surely, they would get through. But it was not to be. The game was played without the customary verve by the Senegalese and they lost on a golden goal scored by Ilhan Mansiz.
It was anti climactic. Bruno Metsu was criticized by the press and fans for not substituting his tired players even as he stoutly defended his decisions. Some ex-players like Babacar Louis Camara were exceedingly harsh on him "It is horrible to say it, but we were beaten because of bad coaching."
It appears that they have not recovered from that loss. Senegal failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup. Unlike their West African neighbours who have invested robustly in quality infrastructure for their soccer players and proved to be incubators of world class talent, Senegal has been stuck in an apathetic rut. Despite boasting a stable government which sees very little ethnic strife and enjoying more affluence than its neighbors, the neglect in improving conditions is quite remarkable.
Senegal's youth leagues are very poorly organized and there are no dedicated soccer academies like ASEC Mimosas. The country's largest facility, the Leopold Senghor is little more than a dust bowl with no floodlights and broken down dressing rooms. The football federation was little more than a cash cow for its officials and famous for having a testy relationship with the media charged with exposing its corruption. One of its former presidents is under investigation for embezzlement of 66m francs. The Orwellian sounding Committee for the Normalization of Soccer (CNF), the newer version, set up earlier this year after Senegal's dismal 2008 ACN campaign appears to be little interested in anything but more politics.
The early exit of the Senegalese team resulted in rioting fans attacking the CNF headquarters and torching vehicles. The CNF terminated the services of the Lamine Ndiaye, the coach and promptly launched an investigation into the team's failure. The 2002 World Cup success has resulted in an obsession with recycling players like El Hadji Diouf and Henry Camara even as they approach their fading years.
Senegal's shambolic 2008 Africa Cup venture seems to have left a bitter taste as a number of quality players have rejected national squad duty. The list includes Mamadou Niang, L'OM's sharpshooter and Souleymane Diawara, Bordeaux's right back refusing the call up. Demba Ba, one of the brighter sparks partnering Vedad Ibisevic in 1899 Hoffenheim's blistering run has been virtually overlooked.
Aliou Cisse, the captain of the 2002 World Cup team could not have been more prophetic.
"If we do not sort out the problems of Senegalese football and prepare a generation of talented footballers to follow us, I am very scared for the future," Cisse told BBC Sport Online.
I think the verdict has been quite positive.
Typically El Diego sucks up all the oxygen where ever he is. Instead we saw no outbursts or wild gesticulations on the sidelines or haranguing of officials which we typically associate Maradona with. He was sober and subdued though his first match as manager, with nary a whisper of emotion at Maxi Rodriguez's goal. Maradona rarely got up preferring to remain huddled against the cold.
He hugged all his players after the match more for their support following his daughter's admission to a Madrid hospital with complications resulting from her pregnancy. It was obvious that her condition weighed heavy on his head.
Maradona had thought about leaving the camp himself but was told by Giannina to stay. “I’ve got a lump in the heart,” Maradona had said in the hours leading up to kick-off.
After the match, and before flying straight to Madrid to see Giannina, he paid tribute to his players for helping him to cope with the anxiety. “I was thinking of my daughter and her baby but the lads have made things easy for me,” he said. “They have given me great support at what’s been a difficult time.”
Only the Terry Butcher sideshow brought the old Maradona back.
So it appears that Argentina played like gangbusters for the first 20 minutes and then faded away letting Scotland have some decent chances, a combination of hustle and and an uneasy Juan Pablo Carrizo in goal. This is what usually happens with Argentina who have been unable to sustain their bright starts and let teams back in as the game progresses.
However much of the game was dreary and there were many empty seats as Argentina did not bring their A team with Leo Messi and Riquelme missing. Sergio Aguera was also absent rushing back to Madrid to tend to his pregnant girlfriend who also happens to be Maradona's daughter.
So Maradona rolled out of Scotland a victor. And parted with a last dig, "Who is Butcher?"
Most Americans now prefer diplomacy towards Iran rather than seek a knee jerk military solution.
After virtually turning off the charm school for eight years and surrendering foreign policy to the unilateral wet dream of Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney, Americans have woken to an unfamiliar sense of vulnerability brought on by two draining wars and an unraveling economy. Do they want to go down the sickening path of more obituaries for their young men and women who are manipulated into fighting essentially wars of choice? The mushroom cloud used cynically as the final solution.
It is thus time to dust off those long forgotten practitioners of negotiations and treaties to find a low cost solution to those less inclined to think kindly of us. Let them earn their salaries too. Iran's religious orthodoxy coupled with its nuclear ambition poses a problem but so do half a dozen other countries which the US has willfully chosen to ignore. However, amongst the ME countries, Iran also has the largest group of well educated and youthful progressives who resist the clerics in power. They are well known to many in the world deeply appreciative of their contributions to music, art, and films.
Overarching all this is Iran's passion for soccer. The game virtually died out in the Islamic Revolution until recently revived by Iran's largest demographic, the under 30s, who have shaped the team's recent success. Team Melli was followed by thousands of young flag waving Iranians festooned with face paint flocking to Germany in the last World Cup to watch their heroes Ali Daei, Ali Karimi, and Mehdi Mahdavikia in action. It even moved Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, the West's favourite bogeyman to declare that he would attend the matches knowing that this would spark an outrage.
Iran's participation brought out a surfeit of right wing frothing in the USA and Europe with the customary references to suicide bombers and Neville Chamberlain. John McCain had already moved a resolution in the Senate Foreign Committee to demand that FIFA ban Iran's participation. The Shiite government in Iraq was warming up to Iran at that time and there was a lot of heartburn going around at that time amongst the AEI geniuses in charge of this war who had failed to predict this development.
However in all this chest thumping, the 1998 World Cup provides a prudent reminder of solutions that would not be worth spit in a neo-con's playbook. On July 22, 1998 Iran met the USA in one of the most highly anticipated matches. It came at a salient moment in Iranian history. The president Mohammed Khatami, a moderate had been elected a year ago, signaling the end of the Islamic revolution opening up a potential conduit to societal and cultural reform. Both countries wanted to tone down the rhetoric and no one underestimated the significance of the match.
"Before the match, Iran's starting players handed their U.S. counterparts white flowers-- a symbol of peace. In turn, the Americans gave the Iranian athletes pennants from the U.S. Soccer Federation. The teams then broke tradition and posed for a group picture."
The media came up with a whole spectrum of opnions. Some were understandably dismissive of the significance of a mere match. Amongst the most opimistic:
"As an act of consummate popular diplomacy, President Clinton yesterday used the Iran-America clash on the football field to make a direct appeal for an end to the 20-year diplomatic standoff between the two countries. Mr. Clinton's brief message was the latest, and by far the most public, step in a slow warming of United States policy towards Iran."
No one is naive enough to believe that soccer itself provides the panacea to the profound disagreements between the two countries. Moreover, any sort of leverage is lost when you get classified as the "Axes of Evil." Complicating this is Israel's relationship with the ME which is that of an unloved stepsister. It glows when the US assigns another carrier force to the Persian Gulf and glowers when the UN and the Norwegians get involved (Where are you Terje Rød-Larsen?). The Iranian establishment has turned rightward since the Iraq War with Ahmedinejad's election and it makes negotiations tougher. But in an under the radar move, the Bush administration seems to have thawed out a bit sending their ME point person to negotiate with the Iranians on nuclear transparency.
Barack Obama should build up on this late found pragmatism and follow up on his stated desire to meet with even some of the most vocal anti-American critics. If he can break bread with Joe Lieberman, the most sanctimonious douchebag in US politics, who at every step belittled him in the presidential elections, meeting up with Ahmedinejad and Hugo Chavez should be relatively easy to digest. In 1997, the Islamic Revolution came to an end on the backs of an unprecedented show of youth power. Change was in the air, a break from Iran's decades long theocracy which had suffocated progress and reform. Much like this year's election showed an engaged youth vote ushering in Obama to clean up the cesspool accumulated over the last eight years. The Republicans continued to invoke 9/11 to push war all the while equating diplomacy with palling around with terrorists. Their stridency shutdown even moderate voices within the Republican establishment like Brent Scowcroft and Thomas Kean. The hardline attiude did not pay dividends in the ME with Iran's Islamists returning to power defeating Khatami. Ironically, they used the Iraq War to marginalize the reform movement.
We have to realize that in 1998, the US was in a position of power, flush with economic success and political capital. The US competing with other centers of power like Europe, Russia, China, and India was unthinkable. Its a vastly different equation now. We have to start building new relationships.
Obama should explore confidence building measures which are out of the box between the two countries, like popular and high profile sporting contacts. He does not have to wait for an incidental World Cup match to do so. It could be an exchange of friendly matches between Iran and USA at first. He has a great cache of support within FIFA and USA Soccer to make this happen. He also has a ready audience in the soccer mom demographic who went for him decisively after becoming increasingly disillusioned by the war and John McCain's choice of Palin. But the most powerful moments will come from the players themselves as they realize that they are part of a transformational process of changing the perspective of their countrymen to the other. To show that they go beyond politics, to shake hands, help each other up when fouls occur, and kick the ball out to stop play so that an injured player can get help. To shine their country in the best light. As player diplomats. As James Reston said of the Iranians during the 1998 match.
"I mean, not only did they have to play the game well but they carried the dignity of Iran and also the dignity of Islam onto that field."
Obama is the most plugged in presidential candidate we have had. He's surely seen sports as a powerful tool which not just divided but also in the end built bridges between the races in this country. We can explore elements of that transferability in addressing an even more challenging task.
Pim Verbeek looked like he wanted to pluck every nose hair off Harry Kewell. Why Kewell remains on this team is beyond me. He lacks speed and gives up the ball too easily.
Then again he wasn't the only Socceroo who looked like he was on Mary Jane. The Socceroos somnambulated through the match. Josh Kennedy drifted in deeper and deeper into midfield as the supply lines were cut off by the hustling opposition.
Bahrain should have gone up by at least three or four goals but they were woeful in their finishing. They swarmed the defense keeping Schwarzer on his toes. Salman Isa adroitly exploited the weak right flank. Chris Coyne and Lucas Neill were woeful.
But fate is cruel. After besieging the Socceroos for most part of the match, Bahrain was undone by a last gasp goal by Mark Bresciano, who did what the Bahrainis could not do all match long, finish of the chance.
Terry Butcher has to now live with the fact that Maradona will be the topic du jour of the soccer world and the subject of pundit chatter everywhere.
What can he do to exact revenge for that goal?
He can hire a fat man wearing a Maradona mask to run onto the field after the match, drop him with a sliding tackle, and then administer an enema all the while looking at El Diego. P.S: Terry should first time himself and the fat man on a 5 foot run before hiring him.
He can hire Tonya Harding to whack Maradona on the hand after the match. Rumours are that she is looking for a job.
He can sneak up to Maradona's hotel in the night and after overpowering security proceed to glue Maradona's hand to a ball. No not down there.
He can erect a hundred foot statue of Maradona in Trafalgar Square and pay a thousand people to pull it down. He can then payoff a breathless CNN commentator and a cameraman to record it for posterity.
He can photoshop Maradona's head on Titus Bramble's body and send those doctored video clips onto the internets. Then he photoshops Bramble's head onto Maradona's body (don't forget to photoshop the jersey too, Terry) and make it like own goals in the 1986 match which should make everyone feel better. After it generates 95 million hits on You Tube, the official match report will be consigned to cyberspace.
Anyone else got any more suggestions to make Terry feel warm and cuddly inside?
Add another blow to Arsenal's nightmarish season.
Theo Walcott is out for six weeks with a shoulder dislocation and further depletes the roster missing several key personnel through suspensions and injuries: Fabregas is out against City; RVP serving his three game suspension; Eduardo not due back till the middle of December; Rosicky's rehabilitation remains shrouded in mystery; Sagna and Toure at also out with injuries.
Walcott had his moments and when on, caused all sorts of problems with his pace and his improved ability to find the back of the net.
We are not even a third into the season and the squad already looks thin and makeshift.
England's friendly against Germany has already led to an testy exchange between Capello with Benitez regarding Gerrard and now Wenger is not going to give out any warm fuzzies either.
The true believers all 120,000 will be praying for their prophet today as he takes on Scotland. Jonathan Franklin gives us a vivid insight into the Church of Maradona. They are a cult joined in their passion for El Diego. They even have their 10 Commandments.
1. The ball is never soiled.
2. Love football above all else.
3. Declare unconditional love for Diego and the beauty of football.
4. Defend the Argentina shirt.
5. Spread the news of Diego's miracles throughout the universe.
6. Honour the temples where he played and his sacred shirts.
7. Don't proclaim Diego as a member of any single team.
8. Preach and spread the principles of the Church of Maradona.
9. Make Diego your middle name.
10. Name your first son Diego.
This time Capello does not have to worry if Steven Gerrard will be able to combine with Frank Lampard for the friendly against Germany.They are both on the injured list.But he has several other worries.On the missing action list are Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Wes Brown, Joe Cole, Ashley Cole, Emile Heskey and Joe Hart.The latest english player to be carted off to hospital is Theo Walcott - who dislocated his shoulder in a training session.
Maradona measures the miss in the 1966 final
I had no idea that Argentina was playing England.
A proxy war has broken out between the two rivals with England a bit sniffy at the Scottish adoration of the one that broke their hearts with the most infamous goal in the game's history.
Terry Butcher will not shake hands and now Maradona says that England should not have won the 1966 World Cup because the ball did not cross the goal line. The goal continued to spark debate until recently when HD replays clearly showed that the ball did not cross the line. The picture above tells us that Maradona came prepared to attack questions on his Hand of God goal.
England have their game own game tomorrow against Germany and maybe a few fans there are also nodding approvingly at Maradona's remarks. Michael Mancienne's inclusion should be generating a lot of buzz but all the focus has shifted to the north where Maradona holds court.
The overwhelming response to Bayern's visit in May this year when 120,000 fans came to see Oliver Kahn play his last match obviously did not go unnoticed. And so Karl Heize Rummenigge, one of soccer's legends and Bayern's executive director paid a visit to Kolkata to sign a MOU for a soccer academy to be set up in Burdwan on 25 acres of land.
"Our philosophy is different from other clubs of Europe who go into Asia for making money. Our slogan is to create friends and have long-lasting commitments. The way we saw Oliver Kahn being felicitated here when he played in farewell match in Kolkata also showed us how people of West Bengal loved football," he said.
This is so much more a worthwhile project than bottling up already congested Indian roads with millions more cars.
The good thing about this project apart from the technical help with building the academy infrastructure, is that coaches and players get trained by the Bayern staff. To transfer this into actual improvement in performances, Bayern also proposes exchange programs and participation in age group tournaments which would expose the players to the best in Europe. We need dedicated youth academies which commit students so that they can sleep and breathe soccer as well as get their education.
German involvement in another nations sport has had its success stories.
Turkish soccer saw its renaissance when Jupp Derwall, the coach of the 1982 German World Cup squad turned down the chance to coach in the Bundesliga and came to Galatasaray instead. He introduced the club and the rest of Turkey to his training and tactical methods. Even more importantly he passed this knowledge to the present generation of coaches amongs them Fatih Terim, the present coach of the Turkish squad who had such a brilliant Euro. Derwall is widely credited for turning around Turkey and making them a respectable soccer playing nation.
I look forward to the day when an Indian player can play all 90 minutes and perform a sliding tackle.
Finally, it would appear that the Kolkata clubs, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan are showing signs of life. East Bengal ran out winners against league leaders Sporting Clube de Goa, 3-1 while their city rivals Mohun Bagan beat JCT, 2-0.
They are now bunched in the middle of the table along with minnows Mumbai FC who have not been able to sustain their fantastic start and have lost some momentum in recent weeks losing to Air India and drawing with Churchill Brothers.
For the price he is asking for. Not at this time.
Zabeel Investments backed out of spending money on the Addicks which was going for a far cheaper price than Newcastle. They are a big moneyed player in the ME which is in far better shape than the English economy now projected to be in a deeper recession than previously forecast. How this affects club ownerships is a guessing game right now. But prospective owners are probably in wait and watch mode looking for bargain basement deals.
As for Philip Anschutz, the owner of the LA Galaxy who was supposed to be one of the interested parties obviously had a bad phone connection with Ashley because the price they are quoting is $225 million which is what Ashley paid for Newcastle when he bought it in 2007. He is probably best known in the UK as the developer of the newly opened O2, the previous version: The Dome, proved to be a symbol of neo-liberal excess for the Blair government.
Anschutz would be a good owner but there are reasons he is not interested in buying Newcastle at the price that Ashley wants.
His commitment to sporting ventures is commendable even as they have lost him money. He at one time owned a number of money losing clubs in the MLS before selling them off to concentrate on the LA Galaxy, which has enjoyed a boom with David Beckham pushing attendances to record levels. However the Galaxy have not been successful in reaching the playoffs and there is concern that this could adversely impact viewership. Financial woes in this country are also taking its toll on Anschutz's business empire that keep afloat his movie production business and soccer clubs.
Anschutz lost billions of dollars in the 2002 collapse of Qwest Communications in an accounting scandal and it continues to bleed money in these recessionary times. His entertainment company, Regal Entertainment Group, the USA's biggest owner of chain movie theaters, stock is sharply down. He also faces an unpaid IRS bill of over $143 million in capital gains tax from previous business deals.
Given the grim outlook of the present financial markets and pundits saying that this take a year or more before things start to look up, Ashley will be faced with a few choices. The easier and most desirable choice, he heeds Dave Whelan's advice and sells at the price he bought Newcastle. The tougher one which might cost him a fortune in security fees, sees him riding out these troubled times faced with the prospect of never entering his club without protection, a virtual prisoner, to sell at a later date for the price he thinks he could get. It could mean endless vitriol from fans, the prospect that managers who otherwise could be enticed to coach would keep away, and little money for transfers. Of course there is a third option, a sort of reverse Stockholm Syndrome, by that time fans will have forgiven him enough for him to keep ownership of the club.
Ibisevic scores his Bundesliga leading 14th goal as our favourite team 1899 Hoffenheim continues its dream run beating Wolfsburg, 3-2. They have scored the most goals, 34 in all with hefty contributions from Demba Ba and Chinedu Obasi.
Bayern was poised to take three points as they were coasting to a 2-0 victory over lowly Borussia Moenchengladbach before Rob Friend got one back from a header in the 79th minute. Two minutes later Bradley made it level when he placed a header perfectly off a cross by Roberto Colautti.
Jurgen Klinsmann was livid."It's very, very annoying that we let in two goals and are going home with just a point." Bayern had just picked up steam after a terrible start and were on track to make it a three way horse race with Bayer Leverkusen and 1899 Hoffenheim also on top of the table.
Meanwhile Landon Donovan appears to be auditioning for a spot in Bayern as a potential replacement to Lukas Podolksi who is unhappy with his limited appearances and has asked for a transfer.
Anytime you talk about Arsenal, you have to qualify it with the paeans that Arsene Wenger so richly deserves. We did not see this sort of soccer in England as a system till he came on the scene. But Jason Burt clearly lays out the head in the sand mentality that seems to have taken hold of Wenger.
"Not really, we had no player we really wanted and for now we have no regrets," he said. "You cannot explain the own goal of [Gaël] Clichy by the fact we haven't an experienced player in midfield."
That Clichy's goal was not crucial to the scoreline seems to have eluded Wenger.
All these issues have been around for some time – the need for an experienced centre-half, for more power in midfield, for greater strength in attack – and they all came back to haunt Wenger on Saturday. Quite why he feels so strongly that recruiting would inhibit the development of his young players is only something he can explain. Buying one or two surely wouldn't stop the cream from rising?
My sentiments exactly. In fact, having a mix of experienced players can be beneficial in maturing young players more quickly. What we have right now at Arsenal is a stochastic process.
Al Ahly scored first as Ahmad Hassan cleverly flicked a Mohamed Aboutreika cross into goal. Abdoul Karim Lassina equalized and then Ousmaila Baba put Coton Sport ahead. Al Ahly evened the score once more after Mohamed Barakat was brought down in the box and the resultant PK was converted by captain Shady Mohamed.
Congratulations to Al Ahly for their record achievement.
Real is ruled by a cabal of madmen and amoral shysters straight out of Herzog's Aguirre, The Wrath of God. They have no allegiance to anything or anyone, not even to a title it would appear.
Real's vote of confidence in Bernd Schuster should be taken with a huge grain of salt. Vincente Del Bosque, Real's most successful coach in recent history was fired the day after he won them the Liga. Then Real went on their Los Galacticos irrational exuberance which failed to win a title, changing seven coaches in four years till Fabio Capello came and whipped the players into getting them one and was then promptly let go.
The ungracious Calderon had this to say after Capello's departure.
"We sacked Capello because it wasn't him that won the league but the players," Calderon said of England's new manager. "Schuster's team play better football."
Schuster is now under tremendous pressure as Real have slipped to fourth after losing to Real Valadollid. One has to ask Calderon whether he still believes they are playing better football because they are not. But then one has to ask this question to a sane person, not a psychotic.
One of Schuster's biggest fans is Maradona who got to know him well through his days at Barca. "They tried to pass the German as mad to kick him out of football. He was crazy, just like me: he was my partner in the struggle against Nunez and an extraordinary player all over the pitch." (Excerpted from Maradona: The Autobiography of Soccer's Greatest and Most Controversial Star').
Schuster should leave Real because he is running up against an establishment that makes Josip Nunez look reasonable.
Lots of Terry Butcher who would like nothing better than giving Maradona a black eye and jail Scottish blaggards who give Maradona their unconditional love.
Diego Maradona landed in Scotland just before Wednesday's game and with a curt "I don't speak English" blew by TV crews, hundreds of reporters, and throngs of adoring fans hoping to catch a glimpse of the most famous name in soccer. (Video here)
He was protected by a dozen police officers and private security guards who escorted him to a waiting bus. A few lucky fans got jerseys and posters signed sending them into raptures.
All this Scottish adoration is thanks due to the "Hand of God" goal that shattered England's 1986 World Cup hopes. Maradona had made an earlier stop in England to Liverpool and Man Utd's training facilities which had players lining up to pay unabashed homage. His trip included tapping Mascherano for the captaincy and some career counseling for Tevez who appears to be anxious about his place on the Man U squad.
But there were others not so forgiving including Terry Butcher, the Tartans assistant manager. "I'll never forgive him. It's not nice to lose a World Cup quarter-final under those circumstances, but that was 22 years ago and this isn't about that game." Butcher has not resolved the trauma of his flailing legs fruitlessly chasing Maradona on his way to his second goal. You Tube preserves Butcher's agony.
In the midst of all this Maradona has filed a court case against Google to stop links to pornographic websites that appear to contain images of him.
The match is of secondary importance. Scotland might lose which would make Butcher very unhappy but for many fans it will be a small price to pay to catch a first glimpse of the man who provided them fond memories of England eating humble pie.
Sinisa Ubiparipovic should now be worth more than his $33,000 annual salary.
One of the standouts in NY's historic playoff march has been Ubiparipovic. And he is a flesh and blood person, although his name suggests a character out of a Dostoyevsky novel.
Ubiparipovic was an in and out presence on both attack and defense during the regular season stepping in for the fading Jorge Rojas and provided two invaluable game winning assists, including the one that scored the fastest goal in club history in the season opener against Crew in April. He then scored his first goal against DC United in the Red Bulls largest win this season.
During the playoffs he assisted Dane Richards in his first goal against defending champs Houston Dynamo in the deciding second leg. Ubiparipovic proved to be such an admirable replacement for Rojas, Osorio decided to link him with Luke Sassano, the holding midfielder and the duo combined well in dumping out the Dynamo.
Osorio seems to have taken the midfielder under his wings guiding him during his less than stellar moments. This summer was hard on Ubiparipovic with a 47% cut in salary and a place on the bench once Osorio's highly touted summer signings came in at no small cost to the club.
"This is not luck with Sinisa, this is all pure hard work," Osorio said. "We've been working a lot in trying to convince him that when he plays effective football – meaning no back heels, no outside flicks and giving simple inside passes – he can compete and play at this level."
The emphasis on simplicity seems to have paid off as the South American talent at Osorio's disposal did not pan out as planned. Especially Jorge Rojas, who could not sustain his fast start. Seth Stammler, the veteran midfielder was also lost to the season with knee surgery. It was left to the efforts of players like Ubiparipovic, Luke Sassano, Dane Richards, and Danny Cepero to pull out the wins that got the Red Bulls to their first ever finals. Ubiparipovic's compelling history also adds to the Red Bulls fairy tale run.
The man best known for ending Brandon Pollard's career shows no love for his former coach, Juan Carlos Osorio. After RSL's loss to the Red Bulls there will be should be even less love.
For the record there were three players in the RSL squad with connections to the Red Bulls/ Metrostars who took the field in the Western Conference finals.
Arsenal vs Villa was supposed to showcase the best and brightest talent. But only one team showed up to play and it was not Arsenal. Yet again.
Arsene Wenger deservedly receives many plaudits for encouraging youthful talent but on Saturday we were reminded that Martin O' Neill has been no slouch in that department either. In fact, Arsenal seemed dissipated and overcome with ennui. This after an energetic display against Man Utd the previous weekend which saw the squad beating the champions and raised our hopes.
Villa should have won by more. Ashley Young and Gabby Agbanlahor put on a clinic in speed and high desire. Apart from Gallas racing in to save a putback from Almunia's PK stop, he and Silvestre were left backpedaling all day. Even that PK miss did not dampen the Villa attack as they continued to push and probe the embattled defense.
Bakary Sagna impaired by a bad ankle drifted by the sidelines seemingly a spectator. Clichy's highlight moment was the own goal. And in a perfect summation of the match, Agbanlahor latched onto a Laursen long ball from the Villa end then blew by Gallas in a show of muscle for the second goal. On attack we were equally pathetic with no real chances except for a Fabregas shot which Friedel spilled but there were no opportunists to take advantage of it. Lots of lateral passing but no real forward progress.
Our defensive woes continue to mount. Sagna did not recover enough putting more pressure on Gallas and Silvestre to defend. Wenger's choice of Silvestre continues to boggle. The man has no foot speed and was caught out of position time and time again. Toure has been subpar but he is better than Silvestre. And even Djourou deserves a chance. In addition, he brings some height into the mix. With Sagna out for three weeks, Djourou will be pressed into service.
Fabregas has been having a less than stellar season. He appears lost. Flamini's departure seems to have taken the drive out of the midfield. Denilson has been inadequate as a replacement. Up front, Bendtner provides a physical presence but lacks the timing to finish. Walcott disappointed with another enigmatic absence of contribution.
We are presently rudderless, vulnerable, and bleeding respect. Wenger can do little more than exhort his players from the sidelines but we need an on field presence to provide leadership. Gallas is reactive and with Fabregas struggling with form, it will be premature to put this burden on him. Arsenal was at their best when they had a mix of creativity and workman like players. We lack the roll up the sleeves sort like Tony Adams or Martin Keown who kept other teams honest.
Jones puts a crimp on Gazza
Man City is in the midst of collective player angst and Elano adds to the chorus who have abandonment issues with Mark Hughes.
The problem is that City lacks gritty players who so populated Hughes' Blackburn squads. These squads were always bit discomfited with the finer aspects of the game. Hughes is a meat and potatoes kind of manager whose only concession to creativity was Morton Gamst Pedersen, a player linked to Arsenal quite a few times. City's defense have been a huge concern giving up 20 goals which is unlike a Hughes coached team.
Previously we had said that Hughes would look out of place in this high priced squad and its sleek players and so far it appears that the co-existence is not working too well. Man City's owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan has agreed to support Hughes in the January transfer window.
On Hughes radar, Roque Santa Cruz, whose robust presence upfront and aerial prowess is well known to him from his Blackburn days. Also on the wish list a bunch of hard men, including Stephen Warnock and Torsten Frings. Looks like a version of Blackburn is on its way to the Eastlands.
Now it is Oscar Ruggeri.
Maradona wants the former Boca defender and 1986 team mate as his assistant. Ruggeri, an outstanding defender for his country has a poor record in managerial positions. It has led to a standoff between Julio Grondona and Maradona, with threats that he will resign if Ruggeri is not included. Grondona does not like Ruggeri's face and says its a personal thing.
I have a feeling that the Albiceleste themselves have suspended match practice and are watching these episodes slack jawed. How could you not? Maradona's selection is the next biggest idiotic thing since John McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate but it does not make it any less fascinating.
The UK is probably going to get shafted if this is true.
Obama's election as president has so boosted the US in the eyes of FIFA honchos that if it turns out infrastructure and organization are similar between the leading contenders, the deciding factor could be Obama in awarding the 2018 World Cup.
"How can it not make a difference?" the source told Yahoo!'s Martin Rogers. "Now when you think of America, you don’t think George W. Bush or war. You think of this man, Obama, who has made history and given hope to millions."
This is in tune with soccer's ideals to the world. In fact Obama's presidency could help re-affirm those ideals.
Obama's grassroots campaign relied on millions donating small amounts of money which built an unprecedented and unparalleled fund of cash allowing him to outspend John McCain in most of the battleground states. He took his message to the people and they came out in record numbers. Which fan does not dream of influencing his club the same way. Ask Liverpool.
Obama has stressed the primacy of diplomatic negotiations to resolve conflicts rather than relying on military power. Soccer has created its fare share of imbroglios but it also presents the world with its biggest opportunity every four years for countries with contentious histories to shake hands on the field. No other sport comes close to claiming that distinction. We must not forget soccer's transformational nature as we were so reminded of Obama's in these elections.
These statements should be treated as a conspiracy against Arsenal to lull them to sleep. How many opposing managers have said similar things in order to fatten the heads of William Gallas & Co. only to see them fall in the next match. Its become psychology 101.
A preamble to present day Arsenal games now means cradle snatching Wenger trotting out ever younger squads with every season. We marvel at their wins. In this edition, Carlos Vela, Jack Wilshire, and Jay Simpson walloped hapless Wigan prompting Steve Bruce to say what he said. What else could any one say.
We are flying high again. Wins over Man U and Wigan. Lets enjoy these moments. But to continue this streak means that Wenger has to instill a sense of iron discipline in his squad to tune out these elegies and play a match at a time.
A flurry of articles examining Obama's relationship with soccer.
David James believes Obama's transformational presidency will be good for the game.
Obama's club of choice, West Ham sends this "We are delighted that Barack Obama has an association with West Ham and are sending him our congratulations and an invitation to attend a match whenever he is in Britain."
Jonathan Spector from Illinois added "From a personal perspective it certainly would be something special to welcome him to West Ham."
From what I have gathered they would also love to be part of the $700 billion bailout.
Obama's daughter Malia plays soccer and he shows up for her matches. He did win the soccer mom demographic convincingly.
Remember Alexi Lalas and his grandiose pronouncements on how Becks would single handed turn the MLS into a world beater. It seems like eons ago. Well, he isn't too happy at the way his man has inveigled his way to Milan (Sports Business Daily, Nov 7, subscription needed).
“Hello, a courtesy telephone call, a little bit of respect to call the coach so that head coach Bruce Arena knows what’s going on, knows that you’re being shopped around.”
Look, its not as if we did not tell you so. For Becks it was always going to be the national squad that was the priority. If it meant walking all over the MLS to do so. Arena can be easily mollified considering you have lived through a manager reportedly kicking a shoe into your face in anger for showing loyalty to country and not club.
Here is the rub. Beckham can walk out of the Galaxy a full two years before his 5 year multi million dollar contract with the club is up. Bet you did not know that. A clause in the contract says that the man can walk out without any penalties. I would have never ever thought I would feel sympathetically towards Alex Rodriguez and his ball and chain gig at the Yankees but I do. The worst is when people talk about Becks staying as contingent on the club finding its winning ways. Isn't that what he was hired for?
Whether he states that he want to come back for the 2009 season and ends up looking munificent for doing so is immaterial. He has this clause in the contract which so loads it against the MLS it makes your head spin. That should be the story. Informing Bruce Arena about your plans to move to Milan. Pshhhhttttt. Fuggedaboutit.
New England Revs drew 5,221 fans for their first leg game against Chicago. Just woeful. The other games were somewhat better but it is an overall problem with MLS playoffs. Don Garber pathetically defers to better TV ratings and media coverage compensating for the no shows in the stadium amongst the spectators.
Richards puts on the burners
The NY Red Bulls came through for the greatest win in their 13 year history. Leading the charge was Dane Richards who had the game of his life and a hand in all three goals. He scored the first goal, was responsible for the PK that Juan Pablo Angel converted for the Red Bulls second goal, and then sealed the deal when his pass was converted by John Wolyniec for the third and final goal. The Dynamo were done for blistered by Dane's pace.
The Red Bulls move to the Western Conference finals where they meet RSL who neutralized Chivas, 2-2 to win on aggregate, 3-2.
A vote of no confidence.
George Gillett, the less Dick Chenysque partner of the Gillett and Hicks duo says now that they were not committed (Sports Business Daily, subscription required) to the club and the financial crisis continues to muddy their future.
Gillett said that he "has been embarrassed by the way he and [co-Owner] Tom Hicks have coped with the club's financial difficulties."
"You feel a responsibility and an embarrassment on occasions when you haven't provided all you might have. There's a level of embarrassment and you want to correct it quickly."
Though Gillett has refused to say how long he will remain at Liverpool, he admitted that the financial crisis "had affected his sporting interests."
His sporting interests have moved to India which obviously factors the newly rich middle class which numbers in the millions and likes their sports and more importantly can pay for it. Clubs are cheap and overheads are relatively low. Gillett must have been swayed by the overwhelming success of the Twenty20 format, i.e., cricket on crack, that has catapulted India's domestic league, a hot sports commodity, with business houses vying with each other for ownership.
The AP's Rob Harris as part of a profile of Gillett noted Indian sports are on Gillett's "radar after several trips to the subcontinent".
Today, in the longest time, the US will get to that mountain top.
I suspect we are in for many morning afters. It was Stoke this time. We are getting to the point where it is hard to say who showed up to play or who should have done what or what the next excuse will be. There is a giant feeling of unsettled in the squad.
Arsenal has already proven susceptible to open field shots and this time it was Rory Delap's throw ins that were their undoing. What is inescapable is that teams are finding ways to beat us or being allowed back into the game.
The promoted teams are all teeing off on Arsenal and the Baggies are licking their lips at their chance. Next Saturday comes the Man Utd showdown which should have signaled the tough stretch of the season but the way we are performing this started at the very outset.
Maybe the Gunners did not quite recover from the Spurs shocker but it is Wenger's responsibility to get them prepared. The midfield looks unsettled with Song, Diaby, and Denilson providing company to Cesc, the only quality player that we have. Wenger's experimentation with Song is not paying off. Cesc is not getting the support he got from Flamini last season which is unfortunate on so many levels. Cesc is superb but Flamini's unflagging commitment just behind and across him meant that he was free to deploy upfield. This season, Cesc is having to take care of the blind spots on his own. It has shown in his distracted performances. We still have enough possession to command attention but it all unravels at both ends of the field.
RVP's sending off is a reflection of his season. He has problems remaining upright and stealing the ball from him has become easier than taking candy from a baby. It was a terrible way to react and he deserves his three game suspension. I also realize that Wenger does not have too many options up front at present but Bendtner should be a sub, not a starter. He seems to do enough to find opportunities in the box but he is not a finisher.
We also have a defense that allows opposing players too much room. I have seen Arsenal backing off when they should be attacking the ball which has allowed a number of open field goals against them. 12 goals conceded is not going to get you any title. Wenger's signing of a Man Utd cast off as central back was a band aid. The central back pairing has been slipshod. Clichy has been error prone and Sagna has struggled with injuries.
Arsenal is playing in a very narrow bandwidth. They have way too many loose pieces and injuries right now to gel effectively. The squad is also rudderless lacking any meaningful captaincy. It is too early for a blanket statement but so far our new signings have not impressed like Sagna or even Eduardo did last season. Nasri has had limited opportunities under Wenger.
It is over. I hate to say it, it makes me sick to the stomach to say it, but I don't see Wenger's way out from this season. If it were a temporary loss of confidence because of a few uncharacteristic performances, I would still be optimistic. We have a crisis of confidence because of deep personnel issues. I agree with Arseblog, Wenger has to think beyond his vanity project. It would be flattering to have a headline like "Wenger's boys clobber giants on their way to the title" but we have to look beyond the wonderment at their talent and see the downside in their inconsistency. It is no knock on them, that is the way we are at that age. More experienced players leaven that inconsistency and provide an exemplar. We need some proven players and if you have to splash the cash and get into a bidding war with some of the fancier clubs, so be it. Arsenal has to prove that they are hungry enough to win another title.
The Wizards went ahead with a 53rd minute goal by Arnaud and then played the last 15 minutes a man down when Hercules Gomes was sent off with a red card. They stemmed the tide of chances till the very last minute when Steven Lenhart scored of a Moreno pass in the 92nd minute.
KC travels to Columbus for the second leg to play the team with the best home record. Gomes will be missing for this match through suspension.
It was a good result for KC considering the Crew have the best attack in the MLS amongst the playoff teams, although they might rightly feel that they were robbed of a win. The match stats were all in favour of Crew but KC created the closer chances. Arnaud's goal was the end result of great hustle after a nice give and go between the midfielder and striker, Claudio Lopez.
The hottest team in the MLS is without Josh Wolff but Claudio Lopez is peaking at the right time. Lopez is vying for newcomer of the year with Darren Huckerby and Andre Rocha. He has scored six goals and assisted in seven more. They meet Columbus Crew and Guillermo Barros Schelotto in one of the marquee playoff matches.
Schelotto was singled out for praise by Diego Maradona, Argentina's new manager.
"Guille is a real footballer. He has the cunning so characteristic of Argentinian football. When everone else gets nervous, he remains unfazed."
KC will have to keep Schelotto quiet while pushing forward with Davy Arnaud and Claudio Lopez. Jack Jewsbury has been very effective in his new attacking role just behind Arnaud, having provided some valuable goals and even more valuable assists.
The defense led by captain Jimmy Conrad, nominee for Visa defender of the year has bottled up explosive attacks like LA and the Crew. Conrad also adds an attacking flair which has led to six goals, the most by a central defender since Lubos Kubik in 1998. Conrad will have to be prepared for some blistering counter-attacks from Robbie Rogers and Eddie Gaven. Kevin Hartmann will have to be sharp under the bar against Alejandro Moreno, who is deadly accurate.
KC have come away with two losses and drawn one while conceding 8 goals and scoring 4 of their own in the matches they have played with Crew this year. But that was the old KC before Kurt Onalfo made all those midfield changes with his squad and Claudio Lopez really heated up. This will be a great match and a win for KC is within the realm of possibilities.
The words exchanged between Sir Alex and Ramon Calderon might escalate into a diplomatic fracas between the Spanish and British government. It re-opens wounds.
With Spain electing one of the most progressive governments even by Western European standards, it has since actively embarked on distancing itself from Franco's totalitarian legacy. The Spanish parliament recently passed a landmark bill that condemns the Franco years and demands compensations for its victims, the exact number remains unknown but could well be over 500,000 dead. Sir Alex's invoking of the dictator might constitute a fourth rail word.
Real Madrid's icon Alfredo di Stefano was not amused by Sir Alex's dig at the club and in a press conference tried to humorously pass it off as saying that Franco played as an "inside left" for Deportivo and played well in that position. He also said that at that time what were they supposed to do, govern the Franco government? As players they could do little except play good soccer, win titles, and make people happy. All of which made the Bernabeu a special place.
Sir Alex maybe guilty of inflammatory comments but isn't it strange that Cristiano Ronaldo who has been called a modern day slave, is in the center of the storm over a debate on Spain's less savoury history. This is definitely above his pay grade. We truly are at the crossroads of civilization. I think it was better when Ronaldo was cavorting around with hooker girl friends. Happy days. Better pictures.
Marca's cover morphs Sir Alex into the Franco of Manchester
Man Utd boss Sir Alex Ferguson came off the sidelines accusing Sepp Blatter, FIFA's president for acting like an African despot and then lambasting Ramon Calderon, Real Madrid's president for behaving as if the club were still run by Generalissimo Francisco Franco.
On Blatter:
“I think Sepp Blatter is in danger or has reached a point now where he is being mocked within the game,” Ferguson said of the 72-year-old Blatter. “Whether he is getting too old I don’t know but these things can happen to people in power. Look at some of the despots in Africa.
On Calderon:
"The endgame was to get Ronaldo. What made it really obscene was that Madrid, as General Franco’s club, had a history of being able to get whomever and whatever they wanted before democracy came to Spain.”
Today Calderon fired back at Sir Alex calling him "a bit senile"
Calderon has since claimed Madrid's pursuit of the winger is over "forever", and in response to Ferguson's comments, told Marca: "I won't waste time answering him. I admire his history but recently he has gone a bit senile."
We have a war of words swirling in soccer and politics in these last days invoking fear and besmirching character.
Talk about smear tactics. John McCain should have hired Sir Alex and Ramon Calderon to run his campaign. Steve Schmidt has nothing on these two gentlemen.
Arseblog speaks for all of us. Simply unacceptable.
Arsenal: 22 goals for, 10 against
This draw was not caused by a lack of height, Arsenal has been done in by sudden snap strikes from yards out. Geovanni, Ledbitter, Bentley, Jenas, Lennon have capitalized on this Achilles heel. Admittedly some of the goals were nigh impossible to stop but it also points to a familiar lack of defensive focus allowing yards of open space to players not afraid to have a go.
The rest of the big four continue to be stingy with Chelsea conceding just four, Liverpool six, and Man Utd five.
The present Premiership season's best goal. The match of the season too. Bentley's whinger status remains unchanged. Clichy just made a hash of a simple clearance but Song and Silvestre were caught flat footed on that third goal. You can see the rest of the goals here 1-1, 2-1, 3-1, 3-2, 4-2, 4-3, 4-4
88 minutes: Arsenal leading Spurs 4-2 seemingly coasting along and then the whole world falls apart as Arsenal implode allowing Spurs to draw the match in the last two minutes of regulation. Clichy blew it when a simple clearance should have sufficed. Full marks to Spurs for staying in this game and scoring some fabulous goals but this should have been an Arsenal win.
If Maradona can take Boca out of their current neurosis and put them on top of the table, I will be one step closer to believing that he can guide Argentina back to the days of the 1986 World Cup.
After all there should be no shortage of inspiration since La Bombanera is Maradona's stomping grounds. Anytime Martin Palermo feels the sting of his 34 year old legs, all he has to to do is look at the stands for a glimpse of the maestro to get his second wind. However, the club's success and failure falls squarely on the shoulders of Carlos Ischia, Boca's present manager who has to find his way without his front line striker and not even the benediction of a transformational figure can heal Palermo's torn ACL soon enough.
Maradona has never had any substantial managerial experience on any level and inspiration does not pad this thin resume. If it were, he should be Argentina's mascot and travel with them every World Cup to lift them to better results than the ones they have become used to. So far there is nothing to compare him to Carlos Bianchi who as Boca's manager led them to nine titles and should have been a clear favourite for the coaching job. Maradona had this to say about Bianchi, " I shake hands for what he has done with Boca as manager." This is not the full quotation because Maradona also offered something less flattering about Bianchi's personality.
It is quite like Maradona to have an opinion of anyone and everyone that has played the game. Part of this oracle like routine is to weigh in on his legacy and successor. Which has led him to make pronouncements on a bevy of players like Veron, Ardiles, Aimar, Saviola, Tevez, and finally Messi. And these are just the Argentinian nominees. It makes for perfectly good breaking news. Without any official capacity he remains very influential having offered Boca's coaching job to Bernd Schuster and instrumental in luring Martin Palermo from the Serie. He also hosts one of Argentina's most popular TV program that has him pitting his opinionated views against guests like Pele. He has had to fight his demons from his days at Napoli which have taken a toll on his health and personal life.
Maradona has championed mirror images of him everywhere, every underdog fueled by familiar chords of resentment and paranoia, shafted by an unfair system. It also clouds any objective assessment both on Maradona's part and the public who follow him. His idols are Carlos Monzon and Ayrton Senna, outsized personalities who excelled at their sports, lived full throttle, ended their lives destructively, and 'never took the cats milk'. This euphemism runs recurrent in Maradona's palpable dislike of players whom he thinks sold him out or turned against. His well publicized feud with Passarella has led Maradona to divide players into opposing camps on the basis of their support. Maradona also dislikes players who appear dispassionate on the field. He singles out Redondo, Zidane and Platini. On that note alone it would be hard to find Riquelme a spot on Maradona's XI.
I love Maradona as a player. He is incomparable. No one has fought harder for the rights of players. He has bloodied Sepp Blatter and the FIFA establishment time and time again. But he is an ideologue. All of the above suggests a view that brooks no shades of gray. If you want a telenovela that all Argentinians follow avidly, by all means go for Maradona. Yet, it is the Marcelo Lippi's of the world who win World Cups. Cool, pragmatic, and versatile in their thinking. They dip into their persona as and when the need arises to supplement inspiration or encouragement, all the while laying the onus on team performance. Carlos Bianchi would have been a far better choice.
FC Barcelona signed CAA Sports, the agency that represents David Beckham and Fredrik Ljungberg to represent the club in many areas including marketing its slogan "More than a Club" and advising it on the MLS expansion process. CAA Sports could also be involved in the development of a Barcelona franchise in Miami if the city is awarded an expansion team in Miami. This would include marketing and jersey sponsorships.
The "More than a Club" is part of Barcelona's vision which sees the club using its reputation as the people's club to address the humanitarian and political aspirations of many around the world. Its genesis lay in the club's historical front line activism in promoting Catalonian autonomy and a progressive Spain.
The club "donates 0.7% of its income to the to the FC Barcelona Foundation in order to set up international cooperation programmes for development, supports the UN Millennium Development Goals and has made a commitment to Unicef’s humanitarian aid programs through the donation of one and a half million euros for the next five years and now wears the Unicef logo on its shirts."
Ljungberg signs on with Seattle
Seattle Sounders signed ex-Arsenal midfielder and one time Calvin Klein undie model Frederik Ljungberg for their expansion team. Ljungberg was in the market after agreeing to terminate his four year contract with West Ham playing just one season.
He comes on as Seattle's DP in a two year deal worth approximately $20 million. The deal was made more attractive with Ljungberg's retirement from international soccer which would mean that the club would not have to contend with national squad duty absences.
Ljungberg is counted as one of Arsenal's best 50 players and made his mark in the 2001-2002 season which saw the club winning the Premiership as well as the FA title. He was known for some stunning goals and his spectacular red stripe in his hair.
The Sounders will get a midfielder who is comfortable playing down both flanks but more at home on the left or as a slot striker. He has slowed down considerably due to injuries and was used at West Ham as a sub where he showed occasional flashes of his slashing acceleration, cutting in from the flanks or crossing from the wide out area. At this stage he would be physically incapable of playing 90 minutes in the EPL but the MLS with its slower pace might still be manageable.
The reasons Zabeel Investments gave for not pursuing the Addicks were concerns regarding foreign ownership and the economic downturn in the UK. However, the financial crisis has also left Dubai vulnerable.
The booming real estate market that has changed its landscape has been fueled by a ballooning debt which tops $47 billion and is expected to grow further leaving Dubai exposed to the vagaries of the financial crisis. Yesterday, the stock index dropped to its lowest point in 3-1/2 years.
Although Zabeel Investments prides itself a diversified company, it rapidly made its mark as a big time player in the booming UAE real estate market before moving onto investing in other sectors. It continues to invest heavily in commercial real estate development and management which have been hard hit in this downturn. They have ambitious projects in the pipeline developing hotels and luxury apartments both nationally and internationally.
Zabeel Investments also has a close relationship financially with Dubai International Capital, with big stakes in a multi-billion dollar fund run by DICAM which is its asset management arm. DIC is the entity that was the front runner buying out Liverpool before David Moores sold out to the present US ownership.
The move away from buying the Addicks reflects the fragile state of the global economy which threatens Zabeel in its own backyard. An ambitious company like Zabeel probably has more pressing priorities now. The financial implosion also has repercussions on DIC's pursuit of Liverpool which might now be dead on arrival.
Harry Redknapp gets points right away for ass kissing Daniel Levy, on whose feet this whole mess should be placed.
Lets see what Redknapp can do with a dysfunctional team which seems to be busier with its own infighting than on playing well.
On the other hand, you have to feel for Juande Ramos, who probably wishes that he never had given in to Levy's pursuit. He was a successful manager at Sevilla with an indisputable track record for nurturing young talent.
Some crucial mistakes were made. One of them was Berbatov's departure which was shockingly mishandled given that he had telegraphed his intentions the previous season, mainly by Comolli but one also by Ramos who could have been more forceful in these personnel decisions. The other one was the more public cultivation of Gus Poyet as the team's mouthpiece which unfortunately sidelined the low key Ramos. His training decisions have also been questioned. But this leaves the impression that Ramos was ill prepared for the back breaking expectations that Spurs had placed on him with their bust the bank acquisitions.
One positive from all this is that Levy has essentially closed the two tier system at Spurs and given Redknapp carte blanche on player transfers. It has proven disastrous to the club and I am glad to see it go.
I have to hand it to Eduardo and his rehab team that have made this early return possible. In three weeks according to Wenger. However, Rosicky is not expected back till after the new year.
Remember that huge flap about Arsenal defenders being short of height after their loss to Hull City. Well, we discover that Gallas in addition, is short of breath.
This would be the best news in the world. Let it please be Arsenal in some capacity or the other. When Bergkamp retired, a little part of me died.
The bottom ranked team in the EPL loses to the second ranked Serie team. Udinese reminds one of what the Spurs looked like a couple of seasons ago as they provided the players that could be deemed the future English squad. Now they are a polyglot of ill fitting foreign players, toothless on offense and waffling on defense. Such a display led Woodgate to promise bodily harm to his fellow players.
At this point, there is no shame losing to Udinese. They represent the future of the Italian squad. A number of U21 players like defenders Damiano Ferronetti, Andrea Coda; midfielder Gabriele D'Agostino; strikers Fabio Quaglierella and Simon Pepe have found their way into the club squad. Some of them have already transitioned into the national squad with Quaglierella included in Italy's Euro 2008 team. Pepe, the ex-Palermo striker has caught Marcelo Lippi's eye in Italy's quest for World Cup qualifications. Quaglierella is supported in the slot by Antonio Di Natale who has already seen extensive international experience.
The person most in the dark appears to be Bruce Arena who woke up to the news that his prized midfielder was shipping out.
"The first I heard about it was today but I would think, given the position the Galaxy is in and the fact that we're rebuilding our team and trying to have a successful year, it would seem very odd to me if we were loaning out our top players at the start of the season."
This encapsulates how the Galaxy have fared this season. The management and the players have frequently been out of sync. The end result; another missed opportunity.
In a very fundamental way this goes back to why Beckham actually moved to the MLS, if indeed his focus was to keep his place in the England squad alive. The MLS was never going to be the league for him purely from those standards. He now has Fabio Capello to keep his Peter Pan aspirations up for the 2010 World Cup, a personal quest which would wipe out the memories of the last one that ended so poorly for him. Capello has emphasized regular appearances and physical fitness key issues in player selection.
With Capello's belief in Beckham seemingly vindicated with his cameo performance in the Belarus match, one can only extrapolate that there might be pressure to make the Milan loan a permanent one, since it was Capello pulling strings at Milan who have gone nowhere this season. Beckham might be able to actually impact a team's performance in a meaningful way filling for the injured and off colour Pirlo.
Beckham's loan contract will also need to be worked out so that he does not miss the first three months of the 2009 MLS season. Usually loan contracts are for six months.
Whichever way you look at the Beckham situation, the MLS comes off as a way station.
Score one for Phil Gartside who has obviously noted that this is as precious a time as any to question the infallibility of a system. Even without a formalism, the EPL has essentially been polarized into two tiers for a long time. Blackburn's title is an anomaly. Akin to Iraq which is essentially split into three autonomous divisions loosely held together by a nominal central authority.
Staying on in the EPL nowadays brings no joy to owners who have nurtured their clubs with their own money only to see them fade to irrelevance or get buffeted aside by money rich foreign buyers. The fans know it's the surefire way to buy yourself a title. As the world celebrates the EPL, the joke is on the English owner or fan who is basically told by the likes of Richard Scudamore to abandon his club. Join us or get out of the way. All in the way of trademarking the CL and becoming a version of Wall St.
It was a goal fest as Adebayor, Walcott, Diaby, Song, and Ramsey scored for Arsenal while Silvestre (own goal) and Guiza put Fenerbahce on the board. The Gunners gave Wenger something to cheer about on his 59th birthday. Fabregas was all laser like precision and his passes led to Adebayor and Walcott's goals. Roberto Carlos looked a day late and a tackle short. Aaron Ramsey picked up his first goal at age 17, the third youngest player to score in the CL. It was Arsenal's free flowing style at its finest. Even the Sukru Saracoglu faithful were magnanimous in their appreciation.
Some decisions for the EPL following the Shinawatra sentence. Since the proper and fit test applies only to convicted criminals and not to ongoing investigations, this should mean that Shinawatra gives up his minority stake in Man City, steps down as honorary chairman, and his surrogates yield their board positions.
But on a larger level this conviction is also an embarrassment of sorts to the EPL whose desire to make the league the centerpiece in the world makes it overlook obvious warning signs. It is fortunate that the ADUG came to the rescue within a heartbeat as Shinawatra found his economic position untenable. This conviction will undoubtedly further fuel Lord Treisman's desire to introduce reforms and seek changes to the 'fit and proper' test.
The British government will unlikely grant him asylum because he was given every occasion to show up for the trial, skipped bail, and is being charged for tax evasion and fraud. Since it is a government padded with Shinawatra cronies, his life as such is not being threatened on political or religious grounds. The tolerance for economic offenders is very low right now and Britain's reputation for welcoming criminals on the lam sends the wrong message. The EPL should be wary of becoming a conduit for rehabilitating such careers.
Shinawatra is also in danger of forfeiting $2.2 billion in assets which Thai prosecutors have asked the Supreme Court to seize and place in state coffers which will happen if he does not return. The prosecutors might be willing to work out a compromise if he does jail time.
Glad to see that Daniel Levy is jettisoning Damien Comolli from his position. We have been saying what a pox he has been for a while. While we are at it lets also dismantle the two tier system which so far seems to only provide an advantage when deflecting blame.
The manager's job description should include the final decision on which players to get. The director of football operations provides a second opinion and the chairman the budgetary limitations. But there should be no doubt as to who runs the show.
A very favourable match up for Arsenal:
Theo Walcott vs Roberto Carlos
Roberto Carlos, a former Galactico pitting his 35 year old frame against the blistering pace of 19 year old Theo Walcott down the left. Carlos has lost a step or two and this should be Walcott's day on the field to exploit the space provided. Look for a very active day down this flank. Walcott should not be hesitant to pull the trigger since it seems to take RVP and Adebayor a lot longer to warm up in these international fixtures.
The X factors:
Emmanuel Eboue vs Kazim Kazim
Emmanuel Eboue in his more circumscribed role as right back. Lets hope he remembers that his primary role is to defend. He will be dragged out wide by Kazim Kazim aka Kazim Colin Richards in his English version. Eboue should eschew his penchant for nifty foot skills in 50- 50 situations for an old fashioned clearing boot deep into opponent territory.
Mikael Silvestre vs Dani Guiza and Semih Senturk
Mikael Silvestre: Short of recent match experience and coming back from injury. Will have to pair Djorou to stop the opportunistic Dani Guiza and Semih Senturk with their talent for out-positioning their markers and scoring goals through deflections and headers.
An Aragones statement caught on camera calling Thierry Henry a "black s**t" to Jose Antonio Reyes four years ago prefaces any encounter with Arsenal. It provided a backdrop to the Spain vs France encounter in the 2006 World Cup.
Wenger has since then moved on after concluding that the Spanish coach was guilty of an over the top comment but not inherent racism. He intends to shake hands with Aragones. But Aragones, known as the Wise Man of Hortaleza, with his pride at stake, has never apologized to Henry.
When Aragonés was asked yesterday whether he would apologise to the forward in person tonight, he said: "No, no, don't go down that road. Henry knows through Reyes, through everything [how I feel]. I won't talk about it for another second. It's a topic that isn't worth talking about. Why? Because it's not like that. I have black, Gypsy and Japanese friends, including one whose job is to determine the sex of poultry."
Aragones has had less success with Fenerbahce, his first overseas club and the Turkish side have struggled in the domestic league. Arsenal are missing three out of four starting defenders with Sagna, Gallas, and Toure sidelined. A rejiggered defence with Silvestre, Song, and Djourou will be called upon to provide an answer to giving up eight goals in four CL away games.
Fenerbahce will feature Dani Guiza, Spain's super sub whose goals provided a spark in Euro 2008 and the crafty Semih Senturk playing just behind him. Their attack will have to compensate for missing Emre and Josico in midfield.
Evincing a genuine concern about mounting debt in the EPL unleashes an unhinged rant from Martin Samuel on Lord Triesman. I wonder why he even bothers to call him Lord PleasedMan. Lets just call him Lord Treason since Samuel keeps playing up his former Communist Party ties. Sure, the EPL is the cynosure of the soccer world but so was the US in the global economy. And that's gone swimmingly well, hasn't it?
The connection to the EPL is not hard to make. Banks lend money to clubs and insurance companies underwrite those loans. When there is a credit crisis it affects clubs which are already deep in debt. The one who keep their head afloat in a crisis are the one who manage their debt not add on to it. Simple. Its amazing that liberals bring up the issue of fiscal prudence while right wingers want to keep on spending like drunken sailors. Even a trogdolyte recognizes the need for reform.
I think I will take Brian Glanville's word on Brian Barwick over Martin Samuel who bemoaned Barwick's departure. Triesman was right to boot out Barwick, a good friend of the EPL, not so much of the national squad. Barwick would be well known for his short shrift of the national squad, his timorous coaching selections, and his bottom line on TV deals.
Samuel praises Bill Miller, Texas lobbyist. The appellation should raise a red flag, especially on how money influences politics. It is the old boys network. This Bill Miller. Samuel's argument against Triesman is thoroughly undercut.
The new darlings of the I League continue their merry winning ways beating Mahindra Sporting, 1-0 through a goal scored in the 23 minute by Kalia Kulothangan. Mumbai FC now lie just behind Sporting Clube from the top spot, separated by goal differential. This is Mumbai's third win in a row after beating East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, the perennial Kolkata powerhouses.
East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, and Mahindra now languish at the bottom of the table without recording a single win.
Trivia: FC Mumbai's manager David Booth managed Grimsby Town which was also Chima Okerie's former club from his days playing in the English league. Okerie now manages second division club Osian's New Delhi Heroes.
RBS was nationalized today as part of the British government's efforts to shore up ailing banks that are unable to find investors. Sir Fred Goodwin stepped down as CEO. It is hoped capital infusion and government guarantees would lower LIBOR to allow banks to begin lending to each other. How this affects Liverpool's financing plans for a stadium or the re-financing of its buyout loan secured through RBS is unclear.
However, with governmental control, loans will be available but in reduced amounts, at higher interest rates, with heavier down payments, and less tolerance for defaulting on loans. All of this could further delay Liverpool's stadium and push up costs.
The media goes ballistic at the English squad. Rio is unhappy with the fans. This on the heels of a 5-1 drubbing of Kasakhstan. The 4-1 beating of Croatia seems to have raised the bar a whole lot higher. England does not have a holding midfielder and to pretend Gerrard, Lampard, or Barry would fill the role is pretty wishful thinking on Capello's part. That and the defense had a collective lobotomy performed on them.
England won because of some nice whipping crosses that the pint size Kasakhs were unable to get their heads on or away. They won the aerial game.
Not a very good Thanksgiving for Canadian soccer fans.
Canada lost to Honduras, 1-3 and their World Camp campaign came to a screeching halt. Much of the damage had been done already with some squad members speaking out against Dale Mitchell, the coach. Apparently the CAS had canvassed the players. A really classy move.
Dwayne De Rosario had this to say "I don't know how someone who coached the under-20s to not score a goal in the World Cup was put in charge of the national team," said De Rosario, the Houston Dynamo playmaker."
Jim Brennan, Toronto FC's captain also declared that he would never play for Canada as long as Mitchell was the coach.
Compounding the dissension with their coach was the fact that Canada was missing key players in De Rosario and Adrian Seroux due to suspension; Julian De Guzman with a thigh injury.
The main problem appears to be Mitchell's inability to take advantage of a fairly talented team that should have at least gone on to qualifying for the final round. However most of the finger pointing should be directed at the CAS who entrusted the coaching job to an uncharismatic coach lacking tactical experience who appeared nonchalant about the team's performance.
In some good news the Vancouver White Caps won the USL -1 defeating the PR Islanders, 2-1.
Hank Paulson announced yesterday that distressed banks would undergo partial nationalization by the US government taking equity ownership. A move last seen in the Great Depression about 80 years ago. The US government took its cue from a rescue plan announced by Britain last week which has now been adopted by Germany, France, and 13 other countries to unfreeze the credit markets. The US taking a page from those European socialists! Good heavens!
It is interesting to note that similar noises are emanating out of the FA to rein in the Wild Wild West nature of English soccer. The FA chairman, Lord Treisman called for a swath of reforms, changing the archaic fit and proper test for club ownership, improve transparency in takeovers, reduce debt by imposing restrictions on ballooning wages and transfer money. Michel Platini wants more drastic action and the UEFA is considering proposals to ban clubs that fail to solve their debt problems. Increasingly I hear calls for salary caps and a player draft to boost weaker clubs and create a more egalitarian environment.
Salary caps? Player draft? The FA and the UEFA seem to be taking their cues from the socialist NFL. A big part of the NFL's success and popularity comes from its revenue sharing structure that ensures a fair shake for all the competing teams. Only four teams have won the EPL since it began in 1992-1993. In the same time frame, ten teams have won the Super Bowl. Lord Treisman's proposals aren't that radical, he is not proposing a pot of money split up equally twenty ways. But these measures are already ruffling Richard Scudamore's feathers, who does not quite see the spillover affecting the EPL.
Of course, staving of an economic crisis that threatens all of us is more of a priority than saving a club that goes belly up but the parallels are quite striking. The days of laissez faire capitalism seemingly numbered; and at least for the present moment, a move borne out of expediency rather than an ideological shift.
England's goalie may not be on Hank Paulson's shortlist for pulling us out of the financial crisis but even he gets how serious it is and his criticism on how the sport is dominated by a few big players is spot on. It is also a refreshing change to hear NFL style drafts being commended for introducing parity.
I have to say Richard Scudamore seems to be a very thin skinned individual.
The US cruise into the final round of World Cup qualifying as Beasley (2), Donovan, Ching, Altidore, and Onyewu scored at will against the Cubans. The match also provided an additional highlight in the first cap for Jose Francisco Torres, the American born midfiedler playing in the Mexican first division for Pachuca, who chose to represent the US at the international level over Mexico.
They meet the Colorado Rapids today in a do or die match today. Without Landon Donovan and David Beckham the prospects look bleak. Even if Becks was not away on international duty, he would not have played this match having been suspended.
The Rapids are in strong contention for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Their attack is not exactly overwhelming, the exception being their first encounter against LA, a 4-0 blowout. Conor Casey their most potent striker is out with a suspension. Omar Cummings is out on international duty.
If the Rapids need to blunt Edson Buddle and Alan Gordon, they will turn to their back four, proven reliable during this season and ably marshaled by Pablo Mastroeni playing holding midfielder. The Galaxy also have problems dealing with crosses and forcing corners so I imagine Mastroeni and company indulging themselves. It will be crucial for the Rapids to blunt the Galaxy attack in the first half as they are not a comeback team. On the other hand when they score the first goal they are virtually unstoppable.
Iceland moved closer to national bankruptcy as its highly leveraged banks reel from defaulting loans and failed investments. For years, Iceland's banks gave away loans like drunken sailors with very few questions asked. Today, the government sent out an SOS to Russia for a loan to bailout its economy and the central bank pegged the currency to others. It also set about an aggressive nationalization of its banks.
Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson, the CEO of Landsbanki, Iceland's second largest bank stepped down after the government took it over. Gudmundsson is West Ham's owner and the move threw the club's future into disarray. The immediate result is a fire sale of its players to bring wages down. The club is also attracting a number of investors who believe that Gudmundsson will sell the club to recoup his losses. On the transfer block, players like Hayden Mullins, Nigel Quashie, Calum Davenport, and Lee Bowyer who have failed to make an impact.
West Ham might also have to pay more than £30 million to Sheffield United in the Carlos Tevez affair should the ruling from the FA's independent tribunal stand if the CAS decides it does not have jurisdiction. Money it can ill afford to lose at this moment.
Its too early in most of the world leagues but the results have been entertaining.
Little Cagliari almost pulled off a win against powerhouse Milan today as Lazio remains on top of the Serie. Roma flirts with the relegation zone.
In La Liga, Barca and Real have announced their intentions with emphatic wins but for now Valencia, Valencia, and Sevilla remain on top as the only undefeated teams.
The Bundesliga top spots are contested by Hamburg and virtual unknowns 1899 Hoffenheim. Meanwhile Juergen Klinsmann's new age approach leaves a groggy Bayern mid-table.
The Premiership has already seen Hull City climb to third position with wins over Arsenal and Tottenham.
In Argentina, San Lorenzo is running away with the Apertura with Newell's Old Boys in second place. River Plate has only one win and remain two spots away from bottom dwellers, Rosario Central and Argentinos Juniors.
In Mexico, it is San Luis, a recent entrant to the Primera on top with Atlante who finished 15th in the 2008 Clausura. More decorated teams like Chivas Gualdajara and America languish mid table.
In India, Mumbai FC, a hitherto second division club provided the early shock in their debut season in the I League winning against East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, both teams considered the equivalent of Man Utd and Liverpool of India in terms of success. They lead the I-League.
The Yids have been on Sol Campbell's case with an added edge. Their club's terrible start compounded by their loss to Portsmouth last week. They could do with a historical check on their chants.
You have to go back 96 years.
Spurs lost to Hull City, 0-1 after a Geovanni free kick struck from 30 yards lodged the ball in the top corner reducing Heurelho Gomes to a bystander. With rumours linking Mark Hughes and Terry Venables to Spurs, Juande Ramos is in hot soup. An easy target for the fans when everyone in the front office from Damien Comolli to Daniel Levy's job should be on the line. It is a collective failure.
Martin Jol will be forgiven for thinking that there is justice in the world.
Hull City is in third place in the standings. Amazing considering their GD is -1, reflected in their 0-5 thrashing against Wigan as their only major embarrassment. They have played tight defense since then and their offense has provided some spectacular goals.
Some nice Donovan and Buddle highlights but Crew struck through Moreno's header. Then the Crew defense and Hesmer at goal took over.
Watching Liverpool come back from a two goal deficit and win against Man City, one wondered where the much heralded Brazilian trio that rule the midfield and the attack disappeared. By the 85th minute they were all gone with Martin Petrov replacing Elano. But they were figuratively missing from this match too. What I do remember of them is not particularly edifying.
Robinho flashed a cross from SWP over the goal. I also remember Robinho flopping on the ground after handling the ball, pretending he had been fouled. Jo lying on his back after Skertel inadvertently hit him on the side trying to clear a ball. Other than an occasional camera pan onto his stoic face, Elano did not remind anyone that he was on the field.
Full marks to Liverpool. They never lost faith. Torres being a beast at the box helped immensely. His equalizing header was sweetly timed. Dirk Kuyt broke his goal scoring drought scoring the winner.
Also full marks to Peter Walton, one of the more circumspect referees in the FA who officiated impeccably. His red carding of Pablo Zabaleyta was spot as shown in the replays. It was a dangerous two footed tackle on Alonso.
Add Paul Ince to the roster of Man U alumni who have failed in their bid to put one over their former master. Steve Bruce, Roy Keane, and Mark Hughes came, saw, but failed to conquer Sir Alex.
But given the way Man City is playing against Liverpool, it might be Hughes who has the best shot.
Alecko Eskandarian, the ex DC United player has been Preki's go to guy
Chivas vs DC United's encounter boiled down to which team would rally better from missing key personnel.
Injuries and suspensions have crippled DC United's bright start to the season when Luciano Emilio was virtually unstoppable. Jaime Moreno's suspension meant that the potent one-two strike force was missing. Ben Olsen's injury also left a hole in midfield. Marcel Gallardo just recovering from an adductor strain was pressed into midfield service. Thabiso Kumalo and Santino Quaranta replaced Moreno and Emilio.
As DC United's hopes took a dive, Chivas hopes for a playoff berth rose with three straight wins after their inglorious drubbing at the hands of the Revs. They too were missing Zach Thornton, Ante Razov, Paulo Nagamura, Raphael Wicky, Maykel Galindo, and Jonathan Bornstein amongst others. Preki had to rejigger his defense introducing Shavar Thomas and Claudio Suarez. Dan Kennedy took over goal keeping duties from Zach Thornton.
They were also going up against their poor record at RFK.
But Alecko Eskandarian, the former DC United player, and a fan favourite in their 4 seasons for them, was Chivas answer to these concerns.
Preki's acquisition of Sasha Victorine and Dejair also proved crucial. Crayton's bewildering giveaway had Dejair's setting up Eskandarian's strike against his former club. Eskandarian had a part in the second goal as his cracking shot was spilled by Crayton which a prowling Victorine gratefully accepted. And in the 68th minute Dejair put the ball away after Peralta and Crayton's lack of communication failed to deal with Eskandarian's probing long ball. Thereafter it was some fine keeping from Dan Kennedy to keep the expected United surge at bay. It did not get better for Tim Soehn's club as Gallardo and Fred went off the field after aggravating their injuries. It was left to Quaranta and Peralta who tried everything at their disposal but failed to get their team on the board.
Colorado just lost to the Houston Dynamo and a sigh of relief was heard from the Galaxy. The loss gives them a sliver of a chance for the playoffs after muffing up their chances against the Crew. Even at this late a stage, the MLS does not have a definitive idea of the playoff picture.
Josh Wicks, a sieve for the Galaxy made way for Josh Saunders at goal and Pat Noonan, proving that no player is irreplaceable, made way for Schelotto, his first start in three matches. But it was the overlooked Alejandro Moreno who scored the only goal for the Crew and then Chad Marshall and Danny O'Rourke took over to render the Galaxy toothless. The most potent offense in the MLS, except for some Buddle highlights, remained quiet.
The Galaxy continue towards a third consecutive playoff exit barring a miracle or some real help from teams like the Dynamo.
Was it the lack of height that got Ledbitter the goal or the abject abandonment of good defending and tackling? This was atrocious. Song actually put up his hands in apology for the incidental bump on Ledbitter instead of tackling him on the spot. This after Richardson poached the ball right back from the clueless Song.
I just saw Wenger's post match reaction to the Sunderland game and I got the distinct impression that he was delighted with the point. It has come to this. Games we are supposed to win are slipping away because of crucial lapses in defense.
And its not just set pieces that Arsenal has trouble defending. It has become the depository for spectacular open field goals that make the goals of the week category.
Wenger on the match:
“They congest the middle of the park and we wanted to use a bit more of the flanks. We finished with a 4-4-2 in the last 25 minutes and we looked more dangerus because it suits us a bit more. But it is always difficult to rate whether it was because we were a bit tired or because of the shape. It's difficult to know.”
So is this surprising? Haven't other clubs done that before to us successfully. Crowd out the middle. Last season it was Birmingham and then Newcastle. You widen the game, introduce unpredictability by the occasional long ball, take snap shots from the open field. Why does it all have to narrow down to the area in the box for the final tap in?
Remember last season when Spurs boss Daniel Levy went behind Martin Jol's back and claimed that he had not offered Juande Ramos the job even as the Sevilla manager contradicted his statement that the club had made a "dizzying" offer. Jol left with a bad taste in his mouth.
Looks like the Spurs have the shiv out for Juande Ramos.
It is happening again. All of this does nothing except reflect poorly on the club. Ramos was Comolli's choice. If Ramos goes then Comolli should be thrown out on his ear too. His acquisition of Darren Bent for a mind boggling £16.5 million now appears to be a criminal waste. Levy has said that he will hold Comolli responsible if Ramos did not work out. It is time for Levy to put up or shut up.
Spurs seems to be going Newcastle's way of never being satisfied with their managers.
Chris Klein might have his hands full with Schelotto
This week the team with the most potent offense in the MLS travels to Columbus to play against the team with the best home record. A must win situation for LA to remain in contention for the playoffs. Their last encounter was a thrilling one with the Crew coming from behind to force a 3-3 draw
Bruce Arena's tenure at LA seems not to have produced the much needed improvement in LA's woeful defense. They have given up 12 goals in his six matches. 54 goals given up in 26 matches would make any team head for the exit except that the Galaxy still have a slim chance of making the playoffs just because the offense keeps producing. 50 goals to be exact. Their key is to score more goals than the defense gives away. That is what happened in the win against DC United two weeks ago, their first in 14 matches.
The Crew have scored five fewer but their offense is far more versatile with goals coming from 14 different players. This is underscored by the fact that despite the loss of Schelotto, the team catalyst with 18 assists, they have still managed to win. They also have one of the tightest and cleanest tackling teams with Chad Marshall in outstanding form. Opposing teams have only managed 120 shots on goals and William Hesmer has been sold with 87 saves for an 1.19 average. Such balance on both attack and defense have given a MLS best of +14 in goal differential.
A shootout favours LA with Donovan, Buddle, Beckham and super sub Alan Gordon scoring in in clumps in past games. Donovan may become the first MLS player to record 20 goals and 10 assists which might give him an extra impetus. However the questions in the back remain. Arena has managed to settle his back four recently with Troy Roberts and Sean Franklin occupying the central defense and Ante Jazic protecting the left flank. Only Chris Klein on the right looks assured. Vanney has been used all over the map in central defense and left midfield. Josh Wicks has been inconsistent in goal and has given up 10 goals for a 2.22 average.
The X factors: Landon Donovan, David Beckham, Alan Gordon, Brandon McDonald, and Greg Vanney are a yellow card away from suspension. Guillermo Barros Schelotto could return in time for the match to help the Crew.
Asked about the economy, Palin suggested talking to a parent at a soccer game. "I'll betcha you're going to hear some fear in that parent's voice," she said. Asked who was to blame for the subprime lending crisis, she said, "Darn right it was the predator lenders."
But Palin was totally at sea when she was asked why the LA Galaxy despite having Beckham and Donovan are struggling to make the play offs. When pressed on the reasons, she punted, “I’ll try to find you some, and I’ll bring ‘em to ya.”
Well, its hard for a hockey mom in five weeks to bone up on why the Galaxy suck. But she did manage a wink and a nod.
"The referee is a useless, interfering, grandstanding bastard. "
Steven Wells lays the guilt trip. Not all referees are as described above. But some certainly are. I have seen some matches (good or otherwise) overshadowed by heavy handed or incompetent refereeing. Cue Graham Poll or Valentin Ivanov.
But the article misses the point. If you want to make the case for human error do not imbue the referee with a messianic complex.
The actual philosophy should be; the referee is right unless proven otherwise. We need to establish that burden of proof. Wells is certainly correct when he says that referees are pure of motive but they are not free from pressure exerted by certain managers and players adept at gaming the situation. They are also not free of parallax.
Contrary to Wells assertion, there has been no drop off in excitement or spontaneity in NFL games where video reviews have been used. Apart from Norv Turner who was was rightly steamed in a post match interview with a call that cost the San Diego Chargers the game, the NFL has been relatively free of officiating controversies, allowing coaches to correctly focus on player performances or coaching tactics.
In contrast, referees making a bad call in many Premiership matches in an otherwise well refereed match become the target of a manager's tirade in the post match wrap up. This lets off players who might have played badly. In the Bolton match, Fabrice Muamba missed an absolute sitter that should have tied Bolton but Megson latched onto Styles "catastrophic cock-up." Styles decision also does very little to dispel the notion that the big four come off better against smaller clubs when it comes to officiating controversies.
So yes, lets not forget the invaluable service of referees to the game. In fact, their role has been used as an analogy for better regulation of the financial world, for those who argue against less. But lets not get carried away. If the players are God, the owners are God, the managers are God, and the referees are God, then what are we as fans? Chopped liver?
Some of the best known names in soccer were born that year in September. Simon Kuper has more on their commonalities and differences.
My observation is that being amongst the first generation of globalized players seems to have impacted their personal philosophy as much as their game. Certainly, Totti, of the four, in his loyalty to his club, stands out as a refreshing anomaly.
Juande Ramos is feeling the heat because the hapless Spurs are losing every match. It really blows when you have someone like Damien Comolli make the ultimate decisions on player transfers which bomb and yet escape the wrath of Daniel Levy because the buck can be passed onto the manager. Quick, someone give me this job.
If the traditional role of the manager as the final arbiter on determining the final shape of the squad is being undermined by proactive directors of football operations who wield the big stick on transfer decisions under the guise of the more complex business machinations of the soccer world, they too then should face the consequences of failure. Even more so. Roman Pavlyuchenko. Darren Bent. Luka Modric. Vedran Corluka. Heurelho Gomes. Benoit Assou Ekotto. Michael Dawson.
If Spurs lose to Hull then Comolli's job should be on the line too. Fair is fair.
Players from opposing teams who exceed this height and weight need not enter the Emirates because Arsenal has a size problem. This message approved by Arsene Wenger and Kolo Toure.
P.S. We are also working on away games too.
Remember this from last season: Chelsea vs Liverpool
Not good news for Spurs who are scraping the bottom of the barrel. The last thing they need is an blundering referee who snatches victory from them.
Styles has an uncanny ability of becoming the headline whether through incompetence or attention seeking behaviour. His latest cock up had pundits and Bolton fans screaming for his dismissal. The FA in all fairness should permanently demote him to officiate youth academy matches considering the clangers he has made in the past.
The Wall St financial bailout collapsed today and amongst the banks that could be hit hardest is Royal Bank of Scotland who would have been amongst the largest beneficiaries. The bailout would have allowed RBS to offload billions of dollars of toxic assets and loans. This year itself RBS wrote down $10 billion in losses from worthless subprime securities. Its ill timed and expensive buyout of ABN Amro with other partners led to a loss of $21.7 million. Today's 777 point drop on the Dow pushed RBS stock prices to $2.75, an 80% drop from its peak.
Given its dire straits, the basic question is whether RBS has the funds to refinance the loan in 2009 for the stadium. Tom Hicks and George Gillet are offloading the repayment of the first $600 million loan on to the club, which costs it a staggering $50 million in interest alone every year. LFC supporters are asking the bank to stop financing the owners.
The two owners have very little collateral which I would hazard a guess have been further eroded by Wall St's huge losses. The club's finances lie on shaky grounds and it could default on its loan repayments. The financial bailout even if it comes through, carries with it considerable oversight provisions which could mean that it may not be in RBS hands to give out another loan even if it so desires.
What does this mean for Liverpool? Finding an owner who is independently wealthy to buy out the club as soon as possible, assume the debt and repay the loan, have enough funds to finance the stadium and player transfers, and earn the confidence of the fans who are tired of ownership that sees their club as a cash register.
Update: RBS share prices further plummeted after Fortis their partner in the controversial and ill timed ABN AMRO takeover was nationalized.
Its difficult swallowing losses to Fulham and now Hull. Especially after that wonderful mid week dismantling of Sheffield Utd at the hands of the youngsters.
Admittedly the goals that sunk the Gunners were top notch. Almunia, even if he had morphed into a giant octopus with flailing tentacles, would have had a tough time keeping Geovanni and Daniel Cousin from the back of the net. Hull were energetic and unafraid. But the more basic question was that these players were allowed to get so open.
What we saw was a team that did not finish chances. They were a step slower and pass happy in the box despite innumerable chances. It is an old failing. But what was more disturbing is that the team as a whole did not appear to get it. These are matches they need to win with the present stretch being against easier teams before the season tightens up against tougher opposition. The onus falls on Gallas to clearly state that imperative. He has to lead as a player and captain. On both fronts he has found wanting. Not protecting the near post, allowing Cousin his opportunity which he gratefully took. Adebayor and RVP were anonymous through the match, only waking up in the last minutes of the match.
Wenger has promised changes in the squad against Porto.
I think some shock therapy is in order as also a policy of performance based selection. Gallas and Toure are a few inches short in size and in confidence. It is clear that the central pairing is not working. Arsenal looks very vulnerable in protecting against set pieces. Against Fulham, Gallas was once again the culprit conceding the ball to Hangeland for his game winner. Gallas can sit this one out with Djourou filling in his spot.
Up front we need someone quicker than Adebayor and RVP. Vela should get a start. Samir Nasri will be back and should replace Eboue. Aaron Ramsey should partner Cesc in place of Denilson having proven his distribution skills.
But this bemoaning the lack of height in central defense is too simplistic and convenient. If that were indeed the case, then Senderos would be on the first XI of every top team.
What we have in Arsenal is a reactive defense which lacks height. Yes, height can compensate for such lapses but every seasoned defender will tell you it is inattention and a lack of focus that cause these dangerous situations to occur in the first place. Also as a unit, pairing is of utmost importance. Between Per Mertesacker and Christoph Metzelder, we had 13' of central defense for Germany which looked out of depth in the semifinals against Turkey and then the finals against Spain in Euro 2008. That is why John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho are the best in the business. They know what it takes to distribute the threat on set pieces and force the attack to go around them.
I remember matches last season when Arsenal would go a goal up and then concede the match because Toure and Gallas would commit bone headed fouls or leave a player open. In particular, the match against Chelsea sticks out when Gallas handled the ball and Toure failed to cover Drogba. Even Clichy was part of this folly. It was not a lack of inches that failed to keep Hangeland, Geovanni, and Cousin out. It was poor defensive instincts that let us down.
Yes, I am saying it like it actually is. We need a smarter defense. One that can snuff out threats before they hurt us. Gallas and Toure have fallen short collectively.
Update: Wenger seems to have cooled to the idea of punitive changes against the Porto match.
The bizarre saga of Newcastle continues. Its too bad that the FA is not launching its own bailout plan.
In a game of musical chairs, Terry Venables ducked out of the coaching job before Newcastle turned to Dennis O'Leary booted out of Villa unceremoniously two years ago. In the end it was Joe Kinnear last seen at Nottingham Forest in 2004 came out of nowhere.
The appointment provided a much needed moment of mirth for suffering Toon fans.
Its as one of the comments pointed out a lipstick on a pig moment.
And Kinnear admits he will be an unpopular choice on Tyneside: “The fans will be disappointed, I understand that, but I can’t do anything about. I will just be doing my very best because I am desperate to get back into the game.”
An inspired substitution from Mourinho allowed Inter Milan to stay top of the Serie A table with a 1-0 victory over Lecce at the San Siro .Substitute Julio Cruz - brought in right at the end of the game scored this goal.And Mourinho got the goat of the assembled media persons by bunking the press conference afterwards.
Michel Platini's hate for Wenger is visceral. Here is some unrestrained character assassination for you.
On Wenger's commitment to developing youthful talent:
“Me, I only want to talk about football, he (Wenger) only cares about business. We must shut up with Wenger and everything. He is an extremely selfish person.”
On Wenger's insistence that goal line technology be used:
“I would not mind if the technology is introduced, just as long as Arsène Wenger is not around to see it. (Smiles)”
Another dig at Wenger's supposed business instincts overshadowing the game:
“The fact that Cluj beat Roma is very interesting don’t you think?, this is the beauty of football, where the small beats the big, something Wenger does not like.”
Platini has been a long time critic of Wenger's philosophy. But his thinking reveals a vacuum.
"I do not like the system of Arsene Wenger. In France, Italy and Spain it is easy to buy with money the best players at 14, 15 or 16. I don't like that."
"If the best clubs buy the best 15 or 16 players that is finished for all the clubs in Europe," said the UEFA chief. "If my son is playing at Millwall and at 16 Manchester come in for this player then when will Millwall have a good team?"
It is strange given that Arsenal regularly loses its players to bigger poachers, the UEFA president should try and blame Wenger for soccer's vagaries. Given that simplistic logic, Milwall should just refuse and it would miraculously win the Premiership next season. Wenger's philosophy is not new, many have tried their hand at it but it requires patience and a belief in one's abilities to spot and develop that talent.
It is not a one way ticket either, competition for first team squad spots gives talented players from the Arsenal youth system opportunities in other teams. One of them was Jay Simpson loaned out to Millwall where he helped the club last season with his fine performance earning him the PFA League One player award. A couple of seasons ago, a trio of Arsenal reserves Nicklas Bendtner, Fabrice Muamba, and Sebastian Larsson helped Birmingham achieve promotion. So Wenger's philosophy actually creates a secondary market of player transfers which help clubs in need of inexpensive improvement of their squad.
I would have taken Platini more seriously if he had anything substantive to say about how Real Madrid and Chelsea are responsible for skyrocketing transfer prices. Or Newcastle's micromanaging ownership interfering with the duties of a manager. Or racism against Emile Heskey by Croatian fans. Or the regular outbreaks of violence in the Serie. And yes, serious reforms in the sport which include minimizing the plethora of ugly fouls, dubious goals and offsides by introducing video technology and replay. Running your mouth is cheap and we have seen nearly a decade of that under Sepp Blatter.
Vedad Ibisevic is on fire.
FC Hoffenheim's striker has scored 6 goals and assisted in two more in his club's blazing start in this years season. Hoffenheim lie in second place behind Schalke.
Its a fairy tale start for a perennial second division team that was promoted for the first time in club history to the Bundesliga. And its success is making waves. Tiny Hoffenhiem with a population of 3,272 does not even play in its own stadium which is 30 miles in Mannheim. The club will get its own stadium in January 2009.
Ibisevic originally from war torn Bosnia and Herzegovina came to the US with his family in 2001 via Switzerland. Already an accomplished youth player playing for the Bosnian U-16 team, he joined Roosevelt High and played for Busch select team, before earning
a scholarship to St. Louis University. It was not an easy transition with Ibisevic struggling with the language. For him soccer provided an escape from the trauma of war and an unfamiliar country. But despite these hardships, his talent on the field was unmistakable.
"After just 10 minutes in his first practice with Busch, I realized how good this kid was," Ibisevic's Busch soccer coach Mike Turner said. "He has got to be one of the top college prospects in the Midwest. He is an excellent attacking forward and the best natural scorer in the area. There is no doubt that he will have a terrific career at St. Louis University."
St Louis has always been a fount of talent for US soccer with the quintet of local players celebrated in the movie, The Game of their Lives, the story of the memorable win over England in the 1950 World Cup. St Louis University was part of that tradition, the strongest NSCAA program with 10 national titles. The players were overwhelmingly white and Catholic. Soccer saw a decline in the 1980s and 1990s as these folks took off in an urban white flight to the west. Vedad Ibisevic, on the vanguard of mostly Bosnians and Hispanics immigrants have re-energized the scene to some extent.
Ibisevic's SLU career was stellar and he shattered fellow Billiken Brian McBride's rookie record scoring 18 goals and assisting in 4 others in 22 games. He was named the NCAA Freshman of the Year, as well as a first team All-American. He also became Conference USA's Freshman of the year and was selected to the first team.
In the 2003 C-USA tournament, he set a record with four goals and nine total points against UAB in the semifinals. He was profiled in Soccer America as one of the 25 hottest recruiting prospects and while still in college he joined St Louis Strikers in 2003 before moving onto the Chicago Fire Reserves, both teams being part of the Player Development League, the amateur league of the USL.
A player of such talent did not go unnoticed in Europe and during the off season while training with the U21 Bosnia squad he was spotted by Paris Saint-Germain F.C.'s Bosnian manager Vahid Halilhodžic, who quickly signed him to play for the renowned French team for the coming season. This was the launch for Ibisevic's European career seems to have accelerated forward in dizzying fashion with FC Hoffenheim.
What a lovely word. Germanic in origin, universal in application. The warm fuzzies one gets when reveling in the comeuppance of others. Usually the 'others' are the ones who gave you grief in the not too distant past. An emotional state that Germany find themselves against England since their 1966 World Cup loss.
Chris Hughton takes over Newcastle Utd as caretaker manager after being unceremoniously booted out with Martin Jol from Spurs, in a coaching purge that ushered in Juande Ramos and Gus Poyet. For all their off season splash Spurs are still looking for a win. Meanwhile Newcastle had a bright start to their season with an inspired display against Man Utd before the Mike Ashley- Dennis Wise tag team overreached.
Rudderless with big holes at the back, they have eked out a win and are a spot above dead last Spurs. Hughton needs to tighten up the defense and instill confidence in his players. I still see Newcastle as a decent team which should pull its way to mid table.
Newcastle meet Spurs tonight in a Carling Cup encounter which should prove interesting.
Martin Jol has guided Hamburger SV to its brightest start in 9 years. They lie fourth in the Bundesliga.
It just does not get easier at White Hart Lane. After splashing the cash (£16.5 million) on Modric in the hopes that he would fast track Spurs to a CL spot, it appears that Ramos and Damien Comolli are are losing faith and are targeting Andrei Arshavin for the January transfer.
How quickly Sir Alex forgets. On Possebon's injury.
'You don't want to see things like that and I hope I never see anything like it again,' said the United boss.
Its nice for Sir Alex to come up with some nice trite explanation but these sort of injuries have happened many times before and will happen again, so to say that he hopes he never has to see it again is pretty glib. He has seen it before.
Sir Alex had to say this when Eduardo had his ankle broken in gruesome fashion following a tackle by Martin Taylor in February 2008.
"The English game will change now after the tackle against Eduardo. It has to change because of that."
"In Europe, you get far more protection for the player with the ball. In our game there seems to be an attack every three seconds, so there is always a risk of more tackles at pace and more risk of injury" – Ferguson added.
Not as far fetched as it seems. The AIG shirts that they wear, the most overt symbol of the club, are now owned by the US government to the tune of 80%. Paradoxically, in the most capitalistic sports market, the Man U players are now the poster boys of the socialization of risk.
Ramos was the pick of the Premiership managers last season.
But this season at Spurs is not going swimmingly well. Spurs lost to Aston Villa, 1-2 and now lie at the bottom of the table. Their worst start in 34 years. The good news is that the Premiership season is just a month old. However, the loss of Berbatov and Keane have sapped Spurs attack of its potency and Ramos must hope that Roman Pavlyuchenko's learning curve is a short one. So far they have managed to score just four goals.
Their defense has not been much better.
Ashley Young, continually sliced and diced his way through ex- Man City defender Vedran Corluka. New goalie, Heurelho Gomes had a forgettable match. Luka Modric limped off at half time, singularly ineffective.
In a sign that the media might be wearying of the Gustave Poyet appearances, some are questioning Ramos inability to learn the English language and introverted style. Of course, all this fades if Spurs start winning again and Ramos phlegmatic personality will be celebrated and his success in England as proof that soccer enjoys a universal language or some such nonsensical abstraction.
It seems that Freddy Shepherd is feeling his way back to Newcastle. And he says that Ashley should reinstall Kevin Keegan.
Shepherd really brings a lot of baggage and I don't think this is a good move. He held the fans and the players in contempt while at Newcastle. And he never once took responsibility for getting it wrong.
Some memorable Freddy highlights:
“Newcastle fans are mugs for paying £30.00 for shirts that cost us £5.00 to make.”
“Alan Shearer, he’s boring isn’t he? We call him Mary Poppins.” - Freddy Shepherd and partner in crime Douglas Hall insult Newcastle’s then new £15m man
“Geordie women are dogs” - Freddy Shepherd and partner in crime Douglas Hall on why they prefer the company of the opposite sex in a Marbella brothel to their ‘own’ womenfolk back home.
But here is the killer:
“But there is no one to blame for us not getting other players in before the transfer deadline. It’s the window to blame. It is absolutely ridiculous and really a restriction of trade and I would like to see somebody challenging it.” - Freddy blames this summer’s transfer window debacle on the transfer window.
FIFA again punishes a national team by intruding into a local federation affair.
The general assembly of the Ethiopian football federation voted to get rid of their president Dr Asheber Woldegiorgise in January and replace him with Ahmed Yasin because of the dismal record of the national squad. FIFA and CAF did not recognize the change because the EFF had failed to notify them about this meeting. A plan was drawn up to reinstate Asheber. EFF rightly rejected FIFA's intrusion.
"Fifa officials have taken a hasty decision before properly assessing the facts and documents submitted by us," the EFF said in a statement.
"Their decision was biased and one-sided."
The matter was not resolved to FIFA's liking and they suspended Ethiopia in July. Now, Ethiopia forfeits its four qualifying matches. Rwanda and Morocco are favourites to go through to the third stage.
Its getting to be a pattern. Can you say double standards?
The national squad's performances isn't impressing the FIFA head.
Sepp Blatter, president of world soccer governing body Fifa, says he is "really disappointed" at the abysmal showing of Bafana Bafana, and plans some straight talking with local soccer bosses on the issue.
An implicit condemnation of Joel Santana's managerial career.
In Brazil we trust. The SAFA is coming of looking like a bunch of chumps who vetted Santana as rigorously as John McCain did Sarah Palin. Not. His certification was provided by Alberto Parreira, the previous manager and fellow Brazilian, who strung along SAFA and made some big money in the process. It's called a con job and SAFA bought it whole.
Santana's record; he managed 27 clubs in 27 years. He won state titles and never managed a national side. Which does not make him a bad coach, just an untested one. So unknown was he, when appointed as manager, the CEO of SAFA, Raymond Hack mistakenly introduced him as Carlos Santana. An amusing slip. But maybe a few incendiary riffs from the legendary guitarist would have provided the perfect wake up call for an attack which seems to have lapsed into eternal somnolence under his less charismatic namesake.
How bad is it? When Jomo Sono and Clive Barker, two of SA's outstanding managers say that they have lost confidence in Santana's abilities, it is time to pull the plug. Of course, as is the case, the people most in denial are the ones who fell for Parreira's bait, Raymond Hack and outgoing SAFA president Molefi Oliphant.
The acid test should have been SA's ability to qualify for the ACN. This was important for a squad with few competitive options. The ACN would have given a chance to meet some quality opposition in nations like Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt and Cote D'Ivoire. But Santana's squad never made it, falling to Nigeria. He should have been sacked right away.
It is befuddling that a nation spending billions of rands on World Cup infrastructure should shortchange its national squad so. Yes, a longstanding criticism of this team is its ineptness in scoring goals but SAFA should have tried going in for someone who could communicate effectively with a proven record of success as a tactician. Someone willing to take chances and help the moribund attack produce.
You only have to look home to find Clive Barker, the manager who led them to the 1996 ACN title or Jomo Sono who managed the incredible feat of leading them to the final of the 1998 ACN after SAFA fired Philip Troussier on the cusp of the tournament. Homegrown managers in African nations like Samson Siasa and and Hassan Shehata, have led Nigeria and Egypt to recent success.
For the naysayers who dispute that national talent would not be enough to take them to the next level, SAFA could have courted the likes of Marcelo Lippi or Juergen Klinsmann, till recently available. Both are excellent motivators and both believe that attack is the best form of defence. If these two were unavailable, Zico should have been tapped, if blind faith meant going Brazilian.
Santana's saving grace is that there are now a bunch of friendlies which will further reduce expectations on him. He only real test is the Confederation Cup which SA barely qualified for and provides some quality international competition with Spain, Italy, and Brazil's participation. At this point Otto Pfister, the original rolling stone looks like a better bet. He managed Cameroun into the ACN final against Egypt this year.
There will be a backlash against rich owners ( with questionable assets) with no previous connection looking to taking over clubs purely for financial gain and leaving their supporters with no voice.
Efforts like ShareLiverpoolFC, the co-operative venture now have a better chance of succeeding when heavy hitters like Andy Burnham and John Barnes throw their weight behind a worthy cause.
AIG sponsorship of Man Utd in jeopardy
AIG is in a financial mess and is asking the Feds to pony up a $40 billion loan to stave off credit agencies downgrading its stock which will bring it a step closer to bankruptcy or to the preferred takeover. With the Feds deciding against bailing out Lehman Brothers and leaving the company to file for bankruptcy, there is no sure bet that AIG's lifeline will be met. AIG lost 64% of its stock value today as it failed to give a plan to save its rating.
Man Utd's shirt sponsorship is worth $25 million a year. Its the richest sponsorship of its kind in the world. Chump change for a financial behemoth but these are exceedingly troubled times. Even well to do firms like Goldman Sachs have cut down on incidentals like free sodas and water for their employees. They have to buy their own. There is no guarantee that AIG will honour their sponsorship as they look to restructure and save on expenses that do not tangibly increase their assets.
An attempt at black humour >>
With Thaksin Shinawatra having acceded Man City for a minority stake, Mike Ashley keen to sell Newcastle of to the highest bidder in exchange for his life, the next in line should be the two cowboys (requisite stereotype needed) in charge of Liverpool. The stadium construction has been put on hold indefinitely and Rafa's transfer choices are continually questioned.
Even the conservative Times has seen enough.
It has been a frustrating Barca season so far. They ground out another draw against Racing Santander in a match that proved to be disastrous for Aliaksandr Hleb who had to stretchered off with an ankle injury. The Belarus midfielder is likely out for three weeks. Looks like another ex-Arsenal player whose off to a rocky start. Thierry Henry did not even get to play a minute.
All of Carlo Ancelotti's high powered summer acquisitions were on display. Flamini, Ronaldinho, and Sheva started for Milan but they ran out of gas as a lively Genoa team ran their legs off. Genoa won through Sciulli and Milito's PK in stoppage time. This is Milan's second loss and Ancelotti must be second guessing his high priced transfer choices. Kaka made some runs but he looked like Riise with his finishing. Maldini and Zambrotta were awful.
Mathieu Flamini was replaced by Pato in the second half who had his team's best chance. It has not been the dream debut for the ex- Arsenal midfielder.
Getty Images
Mike Ashley makes a statement:
He added: "One person alone can't manage a football club and scout the world looking for world class players and stars of the future.
"It needs a structure and it needs people who are dedicated to that task. It needs all members of the management team to share that vision for it to work.
"Dennis and his team have done a first-class job in scouting for talent to secure the future of the club."
What bets that the last part of the statement is the one that Keegan objects to most strenuously. The first two parts may be meant as a reminder to Keegan that in his second time around, the world of soccer is a far more complex place from the days the manager called all the shots. True enough. However, to pat yourself and Wise with such a definitive statement without the input of the person with the straightest line to the squad sets up an extremely high bar for a successful Keegan return.
Keegan is not coming back.
Kevin Keen took on the caretaker role today with Zola looking on at his new club. Their attack was pretty decent but their defending was pathetic with Chris Brunt making Upson look silly in his match winner 7 minutes from the end. The Baggies first strike came when an unmarked James Morrison with all the time and space in the world blasted home Valero's cross.
Robert Green has been having a substandard season and his careless spilling of a cross and his subsequent tackle of Barrett led to the Baggies going up through Bednar's PK conversion.
Two areas of concern for Zola:
His club's haphazard and slow to react defence. He has been trying to get Steve Clarke from Chelsea to join him in addressing that issue. But his former club is stalling for more money for his services than West Ham can afford. Clarke has resigned and West Ham is planning to go to court to secure his services.
Physical fitness. In Zola's estimation, the Hammers ran out of gas against the faster and younger Baggies in the second half which led to a few crucial lapses.
Arsenal made the return up north to face a team that has posed so many problems in the past. But this was an Arsenal team that had an ascendant Theo Walcott brimming with confidence and newly found decision making skills. You could see it in the way he asserted himself in the match.
Blackburn was at the receiving end with Walcott laying down a crisp pass to the flying Dutchman who had the honour of notching up Arsenal's first strike. Denilson gets into the act as he floats a cross towards Adebayor and the Togolese striker guides the ball with his head. Then it was Walcott launching himself in a display of blistering speed and guile leaving the Rovers defenders flat footed, having a go himself, an effort parried out by Friedel. Eboue is brought down and Adebayor converts the PK for his second goal. A hat trick is complete as Aaron Ramsey isolates Adebayor who side steps Friedel and taps the ball into goal.
We always damn Arsenal with faint praise when transfer season ends with "but it could be much worse" yet Wenger takes such untrammeled delight in contrasting our club with the rest. On a day when a complement of overpaid superstars played each other in the Chelsea vs Man City encounter, it was refreshing to see someone like Jack Wilshere make his debut at 16 year and 256 days. 'I bring them out slowly, these English players,' smiled Wenger. 'He's another one who will soon play for you.' Yes, the heart and soul of English soccer does lie in Arsenal from its ownership down to the young talent unfolding under Wenger's tutelage. England has been the beneficiary. Who can deny that at the present moment?
I read Shaka Hislop's article on the emerging club vs country debate that the US faces. At this point the US is cruising to World Cup qualification. They have had some less than flattering performance but lets face it, other than a total meltdown, the US should guarantee themselves a spot.
Hislop points out that it is a good time for Bob Bradley to give a chance to some of the more deserving candidates like Chad Marshall or Edson Buddle. I agree but that does not make it a club vs country debate.
There are two points. The US will qualify for the World Cup from now to eternity as they face competition in one of the weakest conferences. With four spots, they can choose which position to come in at.
When you have the luxury to rotate your squad every other game, it does not inconvenience your club to lose a player every now and then. It does make a difference when you have to put your best starting XI to secure qualification. Look at England, Italy, and France sweating bullets in the Euro zone qualifiers. Now that is a real hardline club vs country debate. One only has to look at the verbal spats that have taken place in the past between Sir Alex and the FA or Jose Mourinho and the German soccer federation. Or what took place between the Nigerian FA and L'OM with Taye Taiwo in the Beijing Olympics.
The other point which is much more fundamental to the debate, if there is one, is that the MLS does not raise stakes as high as the European leagues. This has much to do with the unitary structure of MLS ownership, revenue sharing, and caps on transfer fees which establishes financial parity between clubs. There is no relegation system, consequently there are no penalties involved for a club's poor performance other than missing the playoffs or conversely, a stellar season that guarantees playing with the big boys and the financial payoff that comes with it.
Of course, Bob Bradley might not want to tinker with the squad too much from a practical standpoint. There is just a finite number of opportunities that you get to coalesce your final starting XI to do World Cup duty which might mean some MLS clubs missing key players regularly but still given that there are lower stakes involved, I don't see a basis for a club vs country debate.
The poor global economy continues to take its toll.
Ah! Big Phil is not above playing mind games. And he does come off as a hypocrite.
Just before the big game pitting the world's richest clubs against each other, he reveals that Man City offered him the managerial job. But he turned it down because "at that time I was with Portugal and I said I needed time to think."
Talk about rubbing salt on a wound.
Obviously that reason was not good enough to turn Chelsea down which he was negotiating with while Portugal prepared for the Euro. They must have come to him with a briefcase full of cash and a glossy brochure of South Kensington mansions. When Chelsea tactlessly leaked Scolari's signing up in the midst of Portugal's campaign it did not faze him one bit. Rather than an obvious distraction he stated that Portugal would have lost anyway. Nice.
Given his squad will be missing a number of key players for the match his dismissal of Robinho appears to be too glib.
Reality check time with Wenger.
"There's still a lot to come. From 19 to 23, you become a real man - at 19 you're still a boy."
Ouch. Does this man never let up?
Football (the real deal) aka soccer is what the US does not get. And US politics is what the world does not get. Eight years of misery and John McCain still gets a stinking chance in hell becoming the president even as he has aided and abetted the Bush regime to the utmost. Even as is his presidency will result in saving only those who don't remember how many homes they possess. Hello, Ohio!
Can a ball and the cult of personality ever be intertwined? According to Werner Heisenberg, football aka soccer will never be popular in the US till Barack Obama is elected. Niels Bohr take a hike! Russell Brand tries his darndest but every time you have to explain yourself to something so instinctual, you've lost the race.
Theodorus Walcottus Awesomus
Arsenal meets Blackburn this weekend, another team that believes in Josip Simunic style of tackling. Here is hoping that Walcott gets the start after his barnstorming performance against Croatia which should have boosted his confidence to stratospheric levels.
Wenger should take note of what Capello said:
“I decided to put Theo into the first team because I saw the game against Andorra at the weekend and also how he was in training – and at this moment he is fantastic psychologically and physically."
The best thing about those goals was their decisiveness. No hesitation in pulling the trigger. I think Walcott has come of age and this will be a huge season for him. Wenger should not hesitate starting him. Who is betting 15+ goals?? This young man also has his head on his shoulders and comes off as measured and introspective.
Nicklas Bendtner also had a big game scoring a goal against Portugal as the Danes beat Nani and company. Which is all good because we need Arsenal's attack to score when it gets those chances. Samir Nasri looks questionable with a knee injury further depleting Arsenal's midfield.
The comparisons between Beckham and Walcott are quite amusing although when it comes to the women in their lives, its hands down Melanie Slade. She is studying to be a physiotherapist and will be a nice addition to the Arsenal team in that department. Here is looking to a lot of injury stoppages.
England beat Croatia as Slaven Bilic's team hit the dirt with Walcott peppering them with some fine marksmanship. Walcott walked off with three goals and a porn star in hand. But this is better news for Arsenal as it needs Walcott to pull the trigger more often.
Capello's men forgot to hit the self destruct button as they entered the Maksimir Stadion. The Three Lions stood proud and blunted Luka Modric and the busy Ivica Olic. The turning point was the ugly Robert Kovac foul on Joe Cole which led to a spigot of blood as Cole collapsed on the field. I was reminded of anatomy class. Kovac got his deserved marching orders. The English squad took the Croatians to task after that. David James held firm as there were no Paul Robinson like bloopers.
Read on >>
I have no idea why the French federation continues to repose its confidence in a manager that his team has stopped responding to.
Raymond Domenech might be relieved that Maximilian Robespierre and the Jacobins are not around. But it is hard to to avoid bad puns. The embattled France manager finds his neck on the line and against a good Serbian side, he is minus Samir Nasri.
Domenech also probably suffers from a finely tuned sense of persecution that the media is out to get him. After all the team's shoddy showing at the Euro 2008 and the defeat against Austria did not really happen. This really takes living in a bubble to the extreme.
SA's preparation for the World Cup has already been subject to intense scrutiny but their team continues to lower the bar on already low expectations. They lost to Nigeria, 0-1 and were eliminated from ACN contention. Yesterday, they lost to Guinea in a friendly, 0-1.
Joel Santana resignation/ firing countdown begins.
Spurs manager Juande Ramos must have been watching this game closely.
The Russia vs Wales game just got over without any injury to Roman Pavlyuchenko which makes Juande Ramos a very happy man. Guus Hiddink had ignored Spurs pleas not to include Pavlyuchenko because of a suspected ankle injury.
According to Sergei Rebrov, it might be off the field conditions that Pavlyuchenko needs to fear.
Slaven Bilic sporting his Mads Mikkelsen look
It is a telling sign that Joe Cole, England's best player has to fight for a starting spot in the squad. What perversity is this? I know Capello is a bit of a martinet and Cole might have ignored his instructions but his goals provided the victory against Andorra. So let it go.
Capello might conveya silent rage at England's ineffectual display against Andorra which is infinitely better than the mottled look of bemusement of a Steve McLaren or the emotional register of a doormat that Sven Goran wore during their managerial career. But what good is it if you do not recognize which players give you your best chance in a match as important as this one. Joe Cole and Theo Walcott should start. There is art and craft in their game that should make Croatia ponder.
Croatia on the other hand has weathered the Eduardo injury well. Ivica Olic and Mladen Petric carry the brunt of the attack as Luka Modric skulks just behind. Slaven Bilic has the utmost confidence in his team. They had a decent outing in Euro 2008 before they were done in by giant killers Turkey in a Euro 2008 quarterfinal match that could provide a few answers for England.
Croatia had a number of chances but failed to capitalize on them. Turkey kept pegging away with undersized and quick Senturk and Turan slipping past the taller Corluka and Simunic to create chances. A lapse in concentration led to Semih's equalizer. I like Cole's craft and Walcott's speed to soften up the Croatian defense. Some clever crosses should see Rooney in scoring position. This would require a certain amount of discipline on Rooney's part holding a high line on attack. Modric's playmaking ability can be disrupted by a well orchestrated offside trap and a tendency to keep the ball to himself. Squeeze his real estate while he dallies with the ball.
A draw would be a great result in the Maksimir which has been a tough venue for visiting teams. It would boost the English squad which at this point lacks self confidence and is on the run from their fans.
Here is an article that explains why Slaven Bilic is too canny to be West Ham's manager. He is apparently after bigger fish.
Zola's face is a cartoonist's dream
Chelsea's greatest player is now West Ham's manager.
What does he bring to the table that Alan Curbishley could not? And what should he focus on?
Zola was the heart and soul of a Chelsea squad that saw success before the Abramovich era completely skewed the Premiership. Those days the playing field was more even. They were good enough to win the FA Cup and enter the CL. With his Chelsea experience in the pre- Abramovich days, he probably knows better what it takes for a smaller club like West Ham to move forward.
As a player he was known for his spectacular goals and his full throttle play. Part of his personality is a Keegan-esque ability to inspire which I think will ultimately overcome some of the reservations that Hammer fans might feel given their extensive rivalry with Chelsea. As an assistant to Pierluigi Casiraghi, he guided a successful Italian U-21 side. Which should prove to be a fillip for the youth talent that West Ham has at its disposal in Freddie Sears and Kyel Reid. The club has not been kind to its younger players and West Ham has a decidedly older look. This should be reversed under Zola.
West Ham's quandary is a less than agile defensive line and inconsistent performances. So far this season they polished of Blackburn after a woeful display against Man City where they looked at sixes and sevens. Zola needs to sort out the deadwood in defense and keep the attack from overworking itself, leaving enough in the tank for the long season. Ashton, Cole, and Bellamy have been on target but Ashton's fitness is fragile and Bellamy is usually a foul away from suspension.
I counsel patience. Zola will prove to be a good long term manager with a view to developing first team opportunities for the youth squad. Björgólfur Guðmundsson should give Zola a free hand with player transfers. Overall these are exciting times for Hammer fans.
Here is another Zola, Emile Zola advising Gianfranco: “The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work.”
Now it is he won't.
If he was to takeover, the fairy tale ending would have been Keegan coming back to Newcastle, Dennis Wise being fired, and a check for 100m pounds to be used by Keegan as he desired on player transfers.
Does this scenario even look remotely plausible? Kevin Keegan agreeing to becoming a club's manager on the condition that he have no control in player transfers?
Which self respecting manager would agree to that especially one who gave Newcastle some of their best years? Now the club insists that the final authority on that matter lay with Dennis Wise, the director of football. The war of words has escalated and Keegan maybe contemplating retiring altogether from soccer. Long time Keegan associate, Terry McDermott also walked out of the club.
Fans are rightly enraged. I hope they hit Mike Ashley hard where it hurts him, in the pocket. Boycott his merchandise and his sporting goods. Of course, the best chance is that Newcastle be bought out by Anil Ambani's Reliance Communications which would mean that fans would see the last of him. Gustave Poyet is in pole position to becoming the new manager. Keegan's exit means Newcastle has seen four managers in as many years.
"Alas, after a certain age every man is responsible for his face." - Albert Camus.
Fabien Barthez and French writer,Nobel Prize winner and philosopher Albert Camus( who incidentally was also a goalkeeper for his university team till he contracted tuberculosis in 1930 - which put an end to his football activities) are the inspiration for a unique French Football academy that aims to instil the values of citizenship in 11-16-year-olds from around the world and from all walks of life.
Mutual respect, discipline, understanding and a sense of team spirit are as important in football, say organisers, as in the communities where they live.
"All that I know most surely about morality and obligations, I owe to football" - Albert Camus.
The academy is based in south-west France, at a school high in the Pyrenees, in the pretty spa town of Luchon.Mr Julia -one of the academy's top coaches says.....
"Every time a child saves a ball it's similar to every difficult situation they will face in life. Every time they jump to catch a ball, or go into a tackle, they need courage and commitment, and it's similar in life".
Mr Julia knows the importance of instilling the values of fair play and discipline within sport, to young people who may have lost their way in life. He has worked in some of the most deprived areas of French cities, known as the banlieue, or suburbs, where disaffected youths became embroiled in crime and other anti-social behaviour.
Young people fought running battles with police and set property and cars alight, during rioting around Paris and a number of other French cities in 2005.
More luck to the new academy and for the good work they plan to do...
Luck to Domenech and the French team too.Fabien Barthez was spotted at a behind-closed-doors training session with Les Bleus at Clairefontaine on Monday, two days prior to the World Cup qualifier against Serbia in Paris.The combination of football and philosophy looks pretty good from here...
Less than two months ago, Mark Hughes was the manager of Blackburn, a team with players more at ease playing soccer's version of the Highland games or rugby. Effete is not the word here. These players played like they wanted to tear another orifice in their opponent and stick a Union Jack in them. Striding on the sidelines, craggy jawed and thin lipped, Hughes looked like he derived vicarious pleasure from such possibilities.
For five years, Hughes embodied the heart and soul of English soccer. Blackburn were faceless, hardworking grunts; hard hitting and physical and at a fraction of their transfer budget, a thorn to the high flying clubs with their Klieg light players. He prided in his core group of English players only allowing the occasional luxury of an exotic name like Roque Santa Cruz.
Now he manages the richest club in the world, a magnet for high priced overseas transfers. With money sticking out of their ears, the club signed Robinho for £34.2m and tried a brazen last minute heist of Dimitar Berbatov while he was en route to Old Trafford. The club is a veritable UN with names like Jo, Kompany, Bojinov, Etuhu, and Garrido. More are set to come. In all this exotica, Dietmar Hamann sounds perfectly English.
So it would be excusable for Hughes to feel a more than occasional sense of disorientation and discomfort. Why is he even here? He was always a champion of English talent, a vocal presence hacking away at the injustices done on a small and financially outmaneuvered club. It was not long ago, Hughes was using Arsenal's foreignness to complain of its practice of the dark arts. Now his club is underwritten by a financial behemoth whose primary mover either in dead seriousness or with a wicked sense of humour casually tosses off £135 million bids for Cristiano Ronaldo.
The financial differences between the clubs are of course the primary point of comparison but even stylistically the club, in the one area that Hughes controls, bears no resemblance to the Blackburn teams perfected under him. The playmakers Elano, Petrov, and Robinho are elusive and cagey in midfield, skillful on and off the ball. Even Richard Dunne and Micah Richards with their undoubtedly rugged looks could never be confused with David Dunn or Christopher Samba. Hughes trademark work on his defenses will have to undergo a change in emphasis in managing and developing some of Britain's best attacking talent in Daniel Sturridge and Ched Evans. He has also promised to carry on the fine work of Man City's youth academy. But with the amount of unlimited money at his disposal and long suffering fans sensing a dramatic turnaround in their fortunes can Hughes influence the selection of his players even if he wanted to. Could he in an atavistic fit turn down Kaka without incurring the wrath of the fans and the management?
The Premiership's co-ordinates have shifted to 53° 28′ 59.3″ N, 2° 12′ 1.08″ W. Can Mark Hughes be part of these co-ordinates?
When you talk about Arsenal's future, it is usually in measured, nuanced terms much like its soccer. Unlike Man City's buyout which has vaulted it to the position of the richest club in the world, the lockdown agreement makes an Arsenal takeover unlikely at least till October 2009. But the Man City takeover has opened up cracks in the iron clad constitution of the Arsenal board.
There has been some not so subtle changes in the thinking of the top brass recently with PHW suggesting that a huge bid from an investor would be hard to turn away by the shareholders. It might crimp the board's favoured method of doing business but the reality is that their hand might be forced by the shareholders.
"The directors don't want to sell but we are a public company. It depends on the price."
This really opens up chances for an Alisher Usmanov takeover.
Recent developments also include the resignation of David Dein from Red and White Holdings in order to bolster Usmanov's chances for an Arsenal takeover. His cloak and dagger tactics had alienated the board. With him gone, Usmanov's bespectacled chubby faced presence might be easier to accept. There is also the confirmed report that ADUG, the investment group that now controls Man City had also targeted Arsenal for a takeover and approached Usmanov to buy out his shares. But the oligarch was only willing to sell a proportion of his shares at a premium and the deal eventually foundered.
His future as coach of Brazil has a big question mark hanging over it after the mauling from Argentina.All those who had said he shouldn't have taken on the Olympic job seeing that Alfio Basile had decided not to coach the Argentine Olympic team are saying things like " We knew this would happen"
Maradona is adding fuel to the flames and salt to the wounds by saying he had never seen Brazil play like that - (meaning it as an insult and not a compliment).Dunga has two World Cup qualifiers in early September -- an away game to Chile and a home game against Bolivia.Why can't he recreate the team that beat Argentina 3- 0 last year when they won the Copa America?That's Dunga's Dilemma....
Before there was David Beckham in the US, there was Cobi Jones, the real deal. He was a lethal combination of talent, charisma, and oomph.
And before MLS decided to anoint Beckham as the saviour of the sport in this country, Jones was already doing more to bring soccer to everyone. A MLS pioneer when the league first started, his entire 11 year career was spent with the LA Galaxy. His blistering pace and eye catching assists are part of MLS folklore along with his undeniable durability.
The big Superclasico against Chivas USA will be the perfect match to win for Cobi Jones to get the Galaxy back on track.
Jones first priority is to stop Galaxy from bleeding goals. It has become an embarrasment of riches for other clubs, who have scored at will even as the Galaxy have themselves kept scoring goals. The Galaxy have lost 7 straight and conceded 40 goals in 19 games.
The Clasico should provide the perfect motivation for the Galaxy players to rouse themselves from their funk. A few points in their favor. Chivas is thin in the attacking department with Sacha Kjlestan and Ante Razov who between the two have scored 9 goals not available for this match. Brad Guzan's brilliant saves which have kept games close has moved to Aston Villa.
But obviously, Jones does recognize there is a certain dysfunctionality about the Galaxy.
"If they don't have passion for this game, they'll never have passion," said Jones. "For me, (the Clasico) was always a battle and a rivalry. I think you'll see that on Thursday and see the guys going out to fight. If you don't have that, you're not going to win any game."
For Jones it is not just managing the talent on the team, he has to find a way to provide the motivation and passion sapped out of the present team.
Today's showdown with Chivas USA at 8PM PT on ESPN2/ Deportes.
Arsenal came back in the second half with Gallas and Adebayor's goal. They were missing Cesc and it showed in most part of the game. Denilson and Aaron Ramsey started and their game picked up in the second half. But it was the veterans who pulled out the win. RVP's swerving free kick which Gallas was able to put his body on and steer the ball into goal and a Theo Walcott (yes, he can be considered a veteran in this Arsenal team) pass to Adebayour to slot the ball home.
Looking back at the difficulties with set pieces that the Nigerians had, one has to ask where was the US team's wing play.
With Brian McBride and Jozy Altidore, the aerial advantage should have clearly been exploited with crosses from the flanks. Indeed, the good chances came through the air. Instead there was a lot of pushing up the middle which the Nigerians were able to stop. If Freddy Adu had been there this would have been an effective option. But in his absence, Steve Nowak should have utilized his big men more effectively.
Michael Orozco's elbow to Solomon Okoronkwo's chest as the two grappled was picked up by the German referee who gave Orozco marching orders. The US were reduced to ten men in the 4th minute.
It was an ill advised foul which happened right in front of the referee and he was forced into taking the more harsh option. The Olympic soccer tournament is after all a more genteel subset of the World Cup.
Orozco's departure left the left flank open leaving the Nigerian attack free to roam. Robbie Rogers rejiggered role saw him doing defensive duty with little success.
“The whole lineup changes, the whole mentality just goes in the trash,” United States Coach Peter Nowak said after the game. “I think maybe the referee rushed the decision to show Michael the red card.”
The pacy Super Eagles penetrated with ease through the defensive gaps with Victor Obinna and Solomon Okoronkwo letting loose a couple of times. The US played reactive defense but Guzan held firm. In the 39th minute, it changed as Ogbuke Obasi, in the move of the match slalomed past Michael Parkhurst and Marvel Wynne towards the endline, dragged the ball back and neatly centered the ball for Promise Isaac to tap the ball in for an easy goal. Another chance just before halftime saw Danny Szetela clearing goal line.
The second half saw the Nigerians getting a bit careless with the ball and giving it up cheaply on occasion leading Marcelo Balboa to exhort repeatedly that the Nigerians would implode. It did not happen but that did not stop Balboa till the Nigerians scored again later in the period.
In fact, they kept passing back and forth in a studied attempt to draw out the US who probably had a half ear glued to the Netherlands vs Japan game. Benny Feilhaber came in for Jozy Altidore who was ineffective and almost gave Nigerian an own goal when Victor Obinna's shot carromed off his leg with Guzan making an incredible save, reaching back to stop the ball. In between Feilhaber and the Brian McBride had a couple of headers that Ambruse Vanzekin managed to save. The Nigerians did look a bit disorganized when it came to dealing with set pieces.
However it was the Nigerians who went ahead as Victor Obinna latched onto another Obasi pass into the box, created some space as Michael Parkhurst lost his footing, turned and shot the ball past Guzan in the 79th minute. More bad news came as Netherlands had gone one up against Japan through a Gerald Sibon penalty kick. So the slim chance that they could advance even with a loss against the Nigerians had evaporated.
The introduction of Dax McCarthy and Charlie Davies made the US more multi-dimensional. In the 87th minute, Maurice Edu was tripped up by Vanzekin in the box and the referee had no hesitation awarding a penalty kick and yellow carding the Nigerian goalkeeper. Sacha Kjlestan converted it coolly. In the last five minutes, Benny Feilhaber's header clanged off the cross bar as everyone held their collective breath and Charlie Davies swerving shot was stopped by a diving Vanzekin. At the other end, Robbie Rogers came close to scoring an own goal under pressure but it too struck the crossbar.
Unfortunately, the US did not have a Gerald Sibon moment of its own that would have sent it to the quarterfinals.
Man Utd is on the verge of landing the Bulgarian. They have eyed him for a over a year. He was their first choice after the end of the 2007 season with his stellar first year at Spurs. They had to settle for Carlos Tevez.
Berbatov was ready to move to a club that guaranteed CL action. With Spurs it is a hypothetical. The sum that Sir Alex had to fork out is in the region of £28m. Nice tidy sum of money that could be used to get Andrei Arshavin and Roman Pavlyuchenko to North London.
The negotiations have soured the relationship between the clubs as Daniel Levy accused Man Utd for “systematically been working to prise [Berbatov from Tottenham] outside of Premier League rules of conduct” . So there might be some extra mustard when these two clubs meet. Berbatov's arrival means that Louis Saha can be safely off loaded and Manucho Gonzalves problems getting a work visa might not matter anymore.
Jozy Altidore meets the Nigerians
A big day in US soccer as the men's national team take on the Nigerians, the 1996 Olympic winners. A win or a draw should see them through the quarterfinals. They had a golden opportunity to seal the deal against the Netherlands but were undone by a 93rd minute equalizer by Gerald Sibon.
The US will have to do this without the services of Freddy Adu and Michael Bradley who picked up their second yellow cards against the Netherlands. These are big losses.
Adu's pace and dribbling skills were responsible for breaking down the Dutch defence on a couple of occasions, one which led to Kjlestan's goal.
In their place Benny Feilhaber and Jozy Altidore. The good news is that Sacha Kljestan, Maurice Edu, Marvell Wynne, Stuart Holden and Jozy Altidore are having a great tournament. A win over Nigeria will provide a great confidence booster to this group of talented players, as good as the US have had in years.
The US has to watch out for the strike duo of Victor Anichebe (Everton) and Victor Obinna (Chievo) who put away Japan.
Their playmaker is captain Promise Isaac. The Nigerians will be missing two of their regular defenders, Onyekachi Apam and Olubayo Adefemi. But they are athletic and pacy and will go on the offense because they need to win in order to advance. Maurice Edu and Marvell Wynne will have to be vigilant and soak up the attacks.
Jozy Altidore with his physical presence and aerial abillity will be the perfect player to exploit mistakes a Nigerian team that over commits to the attack might make. Peter Novak should also start Benny Feilhaber whose attacking instincts and passing ability can be counted on providing the counter offense.
Wenger has made signing a central midfielder to complement Cesc Fabregas a priority. With Flamini's departure, the team has a huge void to fill. His successful partnership with Fabregas in midfield was the salient feature of Arsenal's matchplay.
There have been numerous links to Gareth Barry and Xabi Alonso, both who in my mind lack the speed and industry of a Flamini.
Alonso is known as a playmaker who might not like being overshadowed by the much younger Fabregas. He also has a reputation of being soft on tackles. Barry is not known for his short passing skills which is Arsenal's strength. These were Flamini's strengths. Plus, Benitez seems to have made getting Barry to Anfield a central part in securing their first Premiership title.
Enter Gokhan Inler, the Udinese and Swiss international who had an eye catching Euro 2008. He was also voted as Serie A's best new foreign player in the first half of the 2007-2008 season.His performance attracted Juventus and Newcastle but he appears to have set his heart on playing at the Emirates. He is touted as versatile and can play both halves of the midfield. Wenger has shown a great deal of interest in him. Udinese is asking £8m for him.
A video clip of Inler scoring for Udinese >>
This was not too long ago.
"Alexi Lalas believes David Beckham's legacy can be greater than Pele's for football in the United States."
Exciting times lay ahead. The crowds would come. The MLS could begin to write its epitaph as a retirement league. The LA Galaxy would be on level terms with the European super clubs. All on the strength of a single player, the most recognized athlete in the world.
It is over. Lalas the man responsible for bringing David Beckham to the MLS has been fired. Ruud Gullit has gone too. Despite Beckham's first full season which has been very productive, the Galaxy are now in danger of missing their third consecutive playoffs.
In a sign of mounting frustration, Tim Leiwecke, chief executive of AEG, the company that manages the LA Galaxy had harsh words.
"Unfortunately, you can't fire 22 players," he said, a comment reflective of AEG's considerable unhappiness with the Galaxy and the way it is underperforming. Leiweke had only recently described the team as "dysfunctional," a description he repeated Monday.
"I think they're all responsible," Leiweke said of the players. "What I told them this morning was, 'Now no one has any excuses.' I eliminated all excuses.
Lest you think Leiweke was not sold out on the hype, here he was unfiltered on the Beckham transfer.
"David Beckham will have a greater impact on soccer in America than any athlete has ever had on a sport globally.
"David is truly the only individual that can build the 'bridge' between soccer in America and the rest of the world."
There is another way of looking at Leiwecke's moves. It is a total turnaround against the easy panacea that Beckham's arrival would provide the sport in the US. In the end the equation is more simple. Winning is what matters. If Tim Leiwecke had two good defenders who could prevent goals he would prefer them over some glorious abstraction of 'building a bridge' or a 'legacy.' The LA Galaxy have lost eight straight matches with a defense that is leaking goals, 40 to be exact in 19 matches. If they keep losing the crowds will disappear and playing for the Galaxy might become synonymous with futile. What a climbdown from the lofty expectations a year ago.
Last season, the Galaxy fired Frank Yallop, a perfectly good coach, caught in the balance between the distractions of managing a superstar and his relationship with lesser lights with the inflated expectations that he brought to the team and to the league. Now Lalas and Gullit are gone, a visceral reminder with all its star power at its disposal, it still takes a team to win.
Brandi Chastain: “We have to remember. New Zealand is a small island in the middle of the ocean, so they don’t get a lot of games.”
If only the Ferns moved to a bigger country, everything would be alright. If only Barack Obama as per Cokie Roberts had vacationed at Myrtle Beach instead of an exotic place like Hawaii, he would be considered American. It really is the silly season.
The US won against New Zealand, 4-0 to top their group and avoid a quarterfinal confrontation with defending champions Brazil. They play Canada, a matchup that they should look forward to. In the other group match, Japan humiliated Norway, 5-1
Now if we could only get Chastain to stop making an ass of herself it would be perfect.
I just saw Hope Solo and Lisa Chalupny, in a tentative moment, make the first big mistake as both were unable to thwart Leni Larsen Kaurin's header in the opening minutes.
A few minutes later, veteran Kate Markgraf could only look on as her under pressure backpass found a hustling Melissa Wiik latch onto the astray pass and lash the ball past a hapless Solo into the right hand corner of the net. Two down in the first five minutes. Could the US Women's team mount a stirring comeback against Norway? After all Norway has proven to be the team to beat after their sudden death victory over the US in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. The US has claimed a number of victories since then but this is a US team minus its most potent offensive weapon, Abby Wambach.
It was not to be as the Norwegians sturdy as wood shut the US team down. NBC's crack reporting team was left chastened and questioning on camera. The US hopes to rebound against Japan.
Sir Alex Ferguson on November 7, 2007 arguing for quotas on foreign players.
“For the good of the game in England, it would be good to see more home-based players at the top clubs,” Ferguson said. “There would be opposition from clubs like Liverpool and Arsenal, but I think if you asked a neutral, they would rather see more home-based players.”
Sir Alex Ferguson on August 7, 2008 advocating no limits on foreign player participation.
Significantly, Ferguson disagrees with those who claim the number of foreign imports flooding the domestic game is weakening the England team and cutting its chances of international success.
"It is nonsense to say that England does not have players capable of competing on the international stage," he said. "The hysteria surrounding England's non-qualification for Euro 2008 does not create the right atmosphere for good decision-making."
Yep, when you were behind Arsenal last year, it was alright to complain about the number of foreign players, self servingly couch it in patriotic terms. Now that your top player, a foreigner, after scoring 70 goals in two seasons while leading the club to two Premiership titles, threatens to leave; it becomes dangerous to talk about quotas.
He is worried that the gloom over England's recent stumbles could prompt what he sees as a potentially disastrous decision to meddle with the extremely lucrative, and globally admired, Premier League formula.
"It's vital that the game takes a step back and concentrates on making the right choices," said Ferguson. "We have the strongest and the most entertaining League in the world; we should celebrate that, not denigrate it."
This man should have been a politician. And I am surprised that the Guardian reports this bilge without remarking on his volte face.
In political parlance he is a flip flopper. The fans at the Emirates let him have it when he showed up to play Juve. The only thing that can get Ade back in favour would be to keep a low profile and repeat a 30 goal scoring season. In the end if that leads to meaningful silverware, then all can and will be forgiven.
Here is Arseblog's considerably more forceful take on Adebayor >>
It appears that the sky over Beijing has cleared up to some extent and there is some optimism that the Olympics will take place relatively pollution free. But athletes are not exactly rushing into China as yet.
The Australian Olympic Committee has decided not to force its athletes to compete if they are concerned about the pollution causing long term harm to their health. Athletes at risk are cyclists, endurance runners, and soccer players. Here is a more dire prediction.
Well, my take is the Olympics are for guts and glory. I still remember the heroics of Derek Redmond in the 1992 Olympics, tearing his hamstrings in the 400m, crumpling to the track in agony.
On the track, Redmond realizes his dream of an Olympic medal is gone. Tears run down his face. "All I could think was, 'I'm out of the Olympics -- again,'" he would say.
As the medical crew arrives with a stretcher, Redmond tells them, "No, there's no way I'm getting on that stretcher. I'm going to finish my race."
Then, in a moment that will live forever in the minds of millions, Redmond lifts himself to his feet, ever so slowly, and starts hobbling down the track. The other runners have finished the race, with Steve Lewis of the U.S. winning the contest in 44.50. Suddenly, everyone realizes that Redmond isn't dropping out of the race by hobbling off to the side of the track. No, he is actually continuing on one leg. He's going to attempt to hobble his way to the finish line. All by himself. All in the name of pride and heart.
Slowly, the crowd, in total disbelief, rises and begins to roar. The roar gets louder and louder. Through the searing pain, Redmond hears the cheers, but "I wasn't doing it for the crowd," he would later say. "I was doing it for me. Whether people thought I was an idiot or a hero, I wanted to finish the race. I'm the one who has to live with it."
I remember Redmond's father running onto the track and holding his son as he painfully limped along to the finish line. There was not a dry eye left in that stadium or in the millions on TV watching this extraordinary act of courage unfold. It was one of the purest moments in sporting history, one that brought home with stunning clarity, in an all too rare moment, what the Olympics stood for.
Some countries have more ideal conditions than others. None are perfect. China is trying to reduce its pollution in time for the Olympics and there is a chance that seeing more blue skies and its health benefits might have a sobering effect on its government, introducing environmental safeguards even as it continues its blistering pace of industrialization. I know Brazil and Argentina whine about the high altitude being detrimental to their players health every time they play Bolivia at La Paz. FIFA obligingly tried banning high altitude matches to make sure that none of their players suffered a breathless moment. But no player has suffered any adverse health even as both countries have gone onto win 7 World Cups.
So for those doubters, suck it up and remember Derek Redmond.
Bentley, an Arsenal product did not leave on the happiest of terms as he could not break into Arsenal's first team. He appears to have carried a grudge and joining Spurs seems to have loosened his lips.
On October 29th, Spurs visit the Emirates and as per Bentley he is relishing the encounter. "I just want to stick it up the Arsenal."
Well those are fighting words and I am sure Gunner fans will be waiting to give him a 21 gun salute. Bring it on, Bentley!
Andrew Jennings explains. Many in the 24 member executive council responsible for awarding the World Cup have been tainted by kickbacks and illegal ticket sales. Some were courted by England in their unsuccessful 2006 bid, giving the FA a bit of a black eye when the ISL investigations began.
The FA is in a tight spot because it is bidding for the 2018 World Cup and wants to do it without the suggestion of impropriety. But Sepp Blatter has transformed the FIFA into a giant pork barrel project where votes can be bought to award the World Cup. It's the usual order of business. The danger is that if the FA runs a clean as a whistle campaign, then it essentially takes it out of the running.
Hmmmm. Eighteen years since they won their last title. Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler, Emile Heskey, Milan Baros, Luis Garcia, Peter Crouch, have come and gone. Both Fowler and Owen are in the Premiership top 10 goalscorers list.
Admittedly, Keane brings some serious firepower, getting many goals from deflections and spills. He has a knack of being at the right spot and the right time. But he is also very streaky going through goal scoring droughts, injury prone, and if he has to think too much usually flubs it.
It would be useful when Keano gets streaky that he scores goals that win Liverpool matches which they really need to win rather than proving to be a statistical supplement to Torres. Having Torres last season added +10 goals to their 2006 - 2007 season of 57 goals which actually resulted in them moving down one spot to fourth. Liverpool also drew 13 matches that seriously slowed them down. So a quality striker like Torres is not going to do it by himself.
The other issue will be where does he play in the 4-2-3-1 scheme that Rafa employs? Well, Rafa seems to think that Keane can be quite versatile. "We can play 4-4-2 with Keane and Torres or someone, or 4-2-3-1 and Keane can play on the right or on the left or as a second striker. It won't be a problem."
Keano can't play on the left or right, he plays pretty much straight down the pipe, hanging off the last defender. So it will have to be behind Torres.
Robbie Keane goal compilation >>
Dileep Premachandran points out that cricket is not the only sport that captures the imagination of the Indian public. In a phenomenon that is an inextricable part of the rise of the Indian middle class, soccer the global game, has caught on, creating a fanbase that is probably as knowledgeable and argumentative as any.
Indians sport Arsenal jerseys and plunge into animated discussions on whether Cristiano Ronaldo will leave Man Utd. Millions stayed up well past midnight to watch the recent Euro Cup as ESPN/ Setanta telecast them live. In this globalized world, Indians co-opt Brazil as their national team and follow them just as passionately. If Richard Scudamore had to play one of his widely panned 39th Premiership game in India, there would be riots on the streets of Kolkata to get tickets. He would also earn enough money through advertising and merchandising through that single match to pay a nice parachute payment to a relegated club.
As much this reveals the hold of soccer in contemporary India, it also says much that the nascent passion that animates Indians is directed at soccer played elsewhere. Unlike cricket which continues to make its pantheon of heroes an indigenous one, from Vinoo Mankad to Mahender Singh Dhoni, the Indian soccer fan has chosen to live vicariously, finding heroes overseas. This is in part to the sporadic nature of any meaningful success in the international arena as well as the moribund nature of our national Premier league which attracts hundreds of thousands in metros but few audiences beyond the big centers. Soccer heroes have been few and hard to come by and enjoy nowhere as near the adulation of the cricket superstars.
This was not always the case and an earlier generation of Indians remember the Indian teams of the 40s, 50s, and 60s that threw up stalwarts like Sailen Manna, Chuni Goswami, Peter Thangaraj, PK Banerjee, Jarnail Singh, Sawoo Mewalal, Altaf Ahmad, and Neville D'Souza. India first garnered attention in the 1948 London Olympics as the barefoot team dazzled the opposition. They went onto win (with shoes) the 1951 and 1962 Asian Games and entered the semi-finals of the subsequent two Games. In the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, Neville De Souza's hat trick earned them a famous 4-2 victory over Australia as they came in fourth. India also finished runners up in the 1964 Asia Cup losing to S.Korea. Four of their players made the All Asian Stars XI in the mid 1960s. In those days, there was talk of Goswami moving to Tottenham Hotspurs.
It is not a stretch to say that our trajectory in that era was similar to Iran or S.Korea but who have since then left India in the dust with a number of Olympic and World Cup appearances with S.Korea finishing third in the 2002 World Cup. In fact, we have steadily slid from a FIFA ranking of 94 in 1996 to 153 today. Despite the AIFF president's prescient prognostications, India did not qualify for the 2010 World Cup.
"So we have taken up the national youth development programme as priority for the last eight years. I'm very confident that we have launched a mission that India must appear in 2010."
It comes as no surprise that Priya Ranjan Das Munshi is also India's union minister of propaganda. It should also come as no surprise since taking over the AIFF fourteen years ago, under Das Munshi's helmsmanship India has failed to qualify for either the Asia Cup, Olympics, World Cup, or do anything of note in the Asian Games. Even our more regional aspirations have looked far from reassured. The 80s onwards, we had a number of talented players but it has not translated into any significant success. Atanu Bhattacharya, Prasanta Banerjee, IV Vijayan, Krisanu Dey, and Bhaichung Bhutia impressed on an individual level, without India making any impact internationally. The trend seemingly continues with promising youngsters like Steven Dias, Climax Lawrence, and Sunil Chetri under Bob Houghton, giving of fine performances even as a team our chances fade away.
Meanwhile, S.Korea has an equally passionate fanbase that follows Premiership soccer but they follow it through the prism of their own representation, a quartet of players led by Park Ji Sung of Man Utd. They in other words, have a horse in the race, and their success in soccer is a result of a confluence of different factors, such as nationalistic pride, unified vision, and tactical advances. This localized input into a global phenomenon energizes their own national league. Other young players are inspired to follow Sung's footsteps, raising S.Korea's standards. It is a flesh and blood relationship full of realizable outcomes, not based on an expedient longing to be connected to a larger world. The adulation that stunned Oliver Kahn in his India trip therefore has a comic book quality to it. Its strange but India that has long prided itself in its self sufficiency and routinely uses its clout in the cricketing world as a reminder that the colonial days are over, seems to have no problems handing the keys to the global game. It may give us instant access and a series of 'but soccer is so popular' articles but one would like it better if India and Indians stepped back and became more serious about creating their own heroes. Next time you put on a Ronaldo jersey think about how Climax! looks better.
Think Rovers and the adjectives that flow are tough, uncompromising, physical, ugly, and effective. Part of the rorschach was a unyielding defense whose fail safe option at the back was Brad Friedel. I am sure that there are thousands of fans who feel a bit choked up at Friedel's departure for Villa which opened up once Paul Robinson was signed up by Paul Ince.
Peter Garrett like, Friedel's 6' 4" frame was an unshakeable and umistakable visage at Rovers for the last 8 seasons. I seriously think that Friedel counts for 80% of the few warm fuzzies left in the UK for the USA in these anti Bush days. See Pew polls >>
During his time and because of him in large part, Rovers made the transition to the Premiership in his 2001 inaugural season. The men from the North West gleefully stuck it to clubs taking themselves too seriously even as they cemented their place in the Premiership. Friedel's lightning reflexes, penalty saving instincts, and leadership at the back became a trademark.
It all counted for some unforgettable moments for Rovers fans. As an Arsenal fan, I remember the FA Cup fifth round match against us last year as Friedel kept the Gunners at bay with a wondrous double save. To my chagrin, the match ended in a draw with Rovers taking it to the next leg. This year, April 19th, 2008, he kept swatting aside Man Utd's attack as they circled around goal like sharks tasting blood and it took a 88th minute Tevez strike to breach the citadel. Thanks to that equalizing goal, Man U kept a crucial 3 point lead over Chelsea. Later, a relieved Carlos Queiroz praised Friedel's performance.
And who can forget his match against Spurs when they won the 2002 League Cup final, their first in 72 years. Friedel was at his best. This is what Paul Doyle had to say in his six great goal keeping displays of recent years.
"You could say this was the match in which Brad Friedel repaid his transfer fee ... if it weren't for the crazy fact that he came from Liverpol for free. Graeme Souness, then, at least made one inspired signing in his long and ludicrous managerial career."
And in another memorable moment, he scored his only goal against against Charlton in 2004, a dextrous piece of opportunism that would have made Gary Lineker proud.
I have never seen a drop off in Friedel's intensity and his willingness to give it his all in the years that he has played for Rovers. 287 matches started, most club appearances in the Premiership with 172 matches, a selection to the 2002-03 Premiership all team for keeping 15 clean sheets and leading them to a 6th place finish, good for an UEFA spot.
Friedel's brilliant goal against the Addicks >>
Friedel two times Arsenal >>
Fare thee well at Villa but ye shall be remembered fondly at Rovers.
Freddy Adu, June 2006 >>
"It's still open, you never know," he said. "The way Ghana is playing right now [at the World Cup finals], they're a good, good team."
"Because you never know, maybe I might not get a chance to play for the US national team."
Freddy Adu, June 2008 >>
Adu said he very much enjoys starting, especially for the U.S. national team. “It really does help my confidence when the coach really believes in you to start the game off,” said Adu after a training session for the Argentina game. “It means a lot to me.”
Adu must have been channeling Steve Nowak with whom he had a testy relationship at DC United. Nowak believed Adu had a lot of growing up to do and gave Adu very few starting opportunities as a disciplinary measure. Adu in turn believes that his marginalization at DC led to his non-inclusion in the 2006 World Cup.
Playing for the MLS was never going to be enough. Adu's RSL stint was a disappointment and it appeared to reinforce the perception that he had little motivation to stay on in the MLS. This was contrary to his attention grabbing performances in the U-20 World Cup last summer. There was a lot of grumbling that he had saved his best to attract the European heavy hitters.
Adu might be perceived wrongly or rightly so, as self serving in his career. He chose to market himself internationally which led him to Benfica and now to Monaco. However, this is not in itself a bad thing if in the long run it improves your game. And it appears to have paid off.
He looked good in the Argentina friendly. Not to put too fine a point on this but it might have had to do with sitting out in Benfica for huge parts of the season. A sign that Adu might be ready to move on to a more mature and constructive phase in his soccer playing career, motivated less by personal ambition than making the best of the starting opportunities that have come his way.
Lord, can we wrap Hleb's vocal cords around his neck? For someone who disdained London's decibel levels, Hleb is creating his own noise pollution. He better worry about himself. If he performs like he did at Arsenal, Pep Guardiola might ship him out faster than he could say surplus.
John Graham Mellor aka Joe Strummer of Clash fame was a Chelsea fan but that was when it was a club for the working class. His songs railing against fascism, racism and menial jobs resonated with millions in Thatcherite Britain. And his dictum of affordable music for fans almost bankrupted the group. It is clear that Roman Abramovich never took any inspiration from The Clash. Strummer's polemic was aimed at people like him.
So it is a valid question as to whether he would have remained a Chelsea fan in the Abramovich era. We will never know because he died in 2002 before Abramovich took over the club. But I am sure he would have expressed his dismay by penning a not too complimentary song about the oligarch in his inimitable style.
Here is Career Opportunities
They offered me the office, offered me the shop
They said I better take anything they got
Do you wanna make tea at the BBC?
Do you wanna be, do really wanna be a cop?
Career opportunities are the ones that never knock
Every job they offer you is to keep out the dock
Career opportunities, the ones that never knock
I hate the army and I hate the RAF
I don’t wanna go fighting in the tropical heat
I hate the civil service rules
And I won’t open letter bombs for you
Career opportunities are the ones that never knock
Every job they offer you is to keep out the dock
Career opportunities, the ones that never knock
Bus driver!
Ambulance man!
Ticket inspector!
I dont understand!
They’re gonna have to introduce conscription
They’re gonna have to take away my prescription
If they wanna get me making toys
If they wanna get me, well, I got not choice
Career opportunities are the ones that never knock
Every job they offer you is to keep out the dock
Career opportunities, the ones that never knock
Careers
Careers
Careers
Ain’t a-never gonna knock
Quick which one? Or both?
As per Chelsea, two days ago it was Robinho that was supposed to alight on Stamford Bridge on a bid of £40m. Today it is Kaka for double the price. How about importing the whole Brazilian and Portugese team and rendering the Premiership moot? Having Big Phil makes these pipe dreams possible.
But first. What happened to the cost cutting Roman Abramovich? The one that was feted for his 2007 freebies, Claudio Pizzarro, Steve Sidwell and Tal Ben Haim and like the Grinch, stole Mourinho's X'mas. When that happened there was a glimmer that maybe Chelsea wasn't into buying a title. Well, this year Mr Moneybags reverted to type and has already blown 50m on Anelka, Jose Bosingwa, Deco, Branislav Ivanovic, and Franco Di Santo. With Scolari as the gaffer, Abramovich has re-discovered his giddy schoolgirl days which went missing in the monochromatic Avram Grant era which got him bupkis. In this courtship dance with Scolari everything feels pretty, oh so pretty!
Big Phil Scolari knows that there is a downside to doing business with owners like Abramovich where every investment has a depreciative value. This is his moment to be shrill and demanding because he must have observed Rainieri and especially Mourinho wane in power as the years went by. He benefits from a straight line between a deep pocketed owner and a manager at the present moment with his transfer demands.
Jose Bosingwa and Deco's arrival have enhanced Scolari's status and further emboldened him. Public calls to bring on caliber players like Kaka and Robinho puts the onus on the Chelsea owner because a season from now Scolari might have difficulties buying a ball of string.
A reflective moment for all Gunner fans as Gilberto, our stout hearted defensive specialist departs for Panathinaikos. He spend many seasons shielding Arsenal from quick counterattacking teams while providing invaluable goals through set pieces.
His calm leadership during Thierry Henry's injury absence in the early half of 2007 steadied the ship and his ten goals scored through a bunch of penalties and headers kept Arsenal ticking. Many remember this as his finest season which came on the heels of very strong rumours that he was to leave for Juventus that winter.
Just when it appeared that Gilberto was on track to finish his career in Arsenal a few crucial developments took place at the beginning of the 2007-2008 season. Wenger brought in William Gallas and made him captain and Mathieu Flamini's form landed him the starting spot behind Fabregas. Gilberto was relegated to the bench.
He was not happy about these developments but rather than whining about it and demanding a transfer he decided to fight for his spot. Even as his minutes dwindled and his frustration mounted he still gave his best as a substitute. As Arsenal's chances nosedived in the 2008 half, Gilberto came up with some strong starting performances in April. In retrospect, Gallas captaincy was undermined by his petulant outbursts and combativeness on the field. It was not a wise choice by Wenger.
With Flamini leaving for Milan, it would appear that Gilberto's services would be required to fill the gap. Wenger also indicated that he would be loth to see Gilberto go. However Wenger in a tactical move is developing new transfer Aaron Ramsey into a defensive specialist playing behind Fabregas which would mean reduced minutes for Gilberto once again.
Gilberto will be remembered for a number of highlights in his Arsenal career including scoring the fastest goal in UEFA history against PSV Eindhoven and the first ever goal for the club in their new home, the Emirates Stadium.
From a larger perspective, Gilberto's departure means that Arsenal and the Premiership lose one of the few players who were not defined by their mercenary interests or jarring histrionics but by unselfish devotion to club. A fine player and an equally fine human being. Gilberto was also deeply involved in fighting for the homeless. We shall miss him. Best of luck, Berto.
Chris Harris, reporter for Arsenal.com pays tribute >>
This weekend we saw Sepp Blatter clutch the Emancipation Proclamation to his breast as he impassionately spoke about the need to free slaves. He dispatched Ramon Calderon who swept through Manchester and set the slaves in United free.
Chief amongst them was Cristiano Ronaldo who living on a paltry £120,000 a week had suffered the horrors of once passing through council houses. Ronaldo would have kissed the earth but he was wearing an ankle cast having been beaten severly by his slave master, Sir Alex Ferguson with a sealed contract.
The nightmare for Ronaldo began when he approached Sir Alex with "Please Sir, can I have some more?" As Sir Alex looked at him disbelievingly, Ronaldo fell to the ground, writhing and moaning, pawing his gonads. A man wearing shorts and a whistle ran out of nowhere and showed Ronaldo a yellow card as a faint smell of porridge wafted through the air.
Sepp Blatter, a portly but kindly man had seen enough. Holy Schnitzles! There is too much inequity in the world. That is why he had filched every vote through bribes and scams. Slaves finish last. It was time for not just Ronaldo but Adebayor, Hleb, and Lampard, good men all to get their 40 yachts and a country. But this would never happen under their present slave masters. If pigs could fly, David Coverdale would be Ian Gillan or Snoop Doggy Dogg.
We have to feel for these schlubs. Hleb lives a miserable life quarantined in Hempstead's claustrophobic silence and stomach turning leafy foliage. Look up chaos. It's west of Vietnam. Lampard's visit to Abramovich's yacht unhappily remindshim of life in Darfur. Ronaldo's slave wages only allows for a £835,000 Bugatti Veyron but because of his grinding poverty he never will get to see an asteroid. That is left to Sergei Brin who can afford to spend £3m on a space flight. Brin is the co-founder of Google which many slaves use to find the address of Ramon Calderon. Surreptitiously.
But here is Sepp Blatter aka Abe Lincoln clear as a bell "I think there's too much modern slavery in transferring players or buying players here and there. If a player wants to leave, let him leave." Immortalized, July 10th, 2008. Wunderbar.
This Euro had England's pundits a twitter with the perceived lack of quality players in their national squad. Who could blame them? Spain, perennial underachievers, finally broke the hex leaving England in dire straits as the only big country with a big fat doughnut hole in recent accomplishments.
Arshavin, Villa, Xavi, Iniesta, Senna, Sneijder, Nihat, Altintop, Podolski, Srna, and many others make Gerrard and company look pedestrian. Even players like Cesc Fabregas suffered by association playing second fiddle to Xavi as Luis Aragones reposed faith in the Liga players.
But as per the affirmative action school of thought, it is the influx of overseas players who are responsible for the death knell of English soccer. With top flight managers going for the foreign brand, domestic talent is being squeezed out, bottoming out in the lower divisions. The same thinking permeates in youth academies as overseas talent is considered more attractive in a club's success. The affirmative action school is proactive in imposing limits on foreign representation in the English clubs, especially the Premiership.
Playing for the most globalized league has proven beneficial for a number of players as seen in this Euro or the last World Cup, in terms of representation. In contrast, this cross pollination is virtually absent when it comes to the English squad. The present roster shows a high degree of insularity. Only David Beckham, Owen Hargreaves and Jonathan Woodgate (in a forgettable cameo) have experience playing for an overseas league. From the lack of transfer talk involving English players, save a perennial Frank Lampard move, clearly rival leagues are not exactly enchanted with its talent. But even the handful players who have made a jump have had less than enjoyable experiences.
The lack of positive foreign experiences plus the Premiership's klieg lights have created a risk averse environment in the current lot of players.
This is in direct contrast to the relatively anonymous years of a nascent Premiership which saw a number of English players hungry for recognition going overseas to ply their trade in the bigger leagues.
Paul Ince, Paul Gascoigne, Steve McManaman, and David Platt, the nucleus of England's 1996 Euro team provided them their last substantial lift, all benefited from their Serie and La Liga experience. McManaman and Ince garnered considerable overseas success. Even earlier, Chris Waddle and Gary Lineker translated productive seasons at OM and Barca into stellar performances in England's 1990 World Cup campaign, another banner year as they made the semi-finals.
It is clear that England gains when their players have made the most of their foreign experience. An attribute which should be explored more rigorously by the FA rather settling on the more expedient exercise of blaming overseas players for the predicament of the English game.
Hleb's thumb down to London life does not seem to have discouraged Samir Nasri who arrives in the Emirates. He is all gung ho about playing for Arsenal which he said played the best soccer in Europe. Well, we concur and add that he has already gotten off to a good start.
Nasri cautions against comparing him to Zidane. He has not headbutted anyone yet, so such convenient comparisons should be put on hold. He should not do so but if he decides to try, we suggest the twilight of his career and against Man U, a slave club located in NW England.
Jokes aside. Nasri brings some impressive stats which bear well. He is ahead of the Arsenal midfield in shooting accuracy and crosses completed; level in pass completion. He is behind the curve in dribbling skills but that might be because of Hleb's exceptionality in that department.
However all this is for nought if it does not help Arsenal score and score consistently. Nasri will not be a triggerman. For that to happen we need an out and out scorer, someone with a direct connection between the limbic brain and the neuromuscular junctions of the leg muscles.
Aliaksandr Hleb's departure seems imminent. Well, mentally at least. The man has been complaining for months of living in Oliver Twist's London on thin gruel and fear. Dodging defenders on the field is exhausting enough but he has to do this every day on the chaotic streets of Hempstead with its millions of artful dodgers. Give the poor sod a break. Its not the money, its his mind that might go to pieces.
Here in commiseration for Hleb is Bob Marley's classic >>
Ask Diego Maradona and he will spit in Sepp Blatter's eye when he so self servingly talks about players living in modern slavery. It is as laughable as Phil Gramm's dismissal of the dismal US economy as a 'mental recession'.
In Blatter's case, it is a total derailment of reality. Where was this champion of players rights when Maradona along with hundreds of other players were trying to establish the ground rules against exploitation?
Maradona got under the skin of Sepp Blatter with his demands for labour rights for players. Blatter, a suit, dismissed Maradona by saying "The last star from Argentina was Di Stefano."
Blatter on the same day he created a stir by siding with Ronaldo, a stance that the Man U star gratefully internalized by simply stating he was a slave, also reverted to type by undermining South Africa's preparations for the World Cup. Post apartheid SA cannot catch a break whereas a spoilt, petulant superstar who gets paid millions of pounds is supposedly a victim of an inherently unjust system. But it raises the question, who is the slave here? Isn't Blatter a creature of corporations and national federations?
Blatter's statement expressing doubts on SA's preparation came two days before a vote at the UNSC on imposing sanctions against Robert Mugabe's regime as Zimbabwe spirals into violence and anarchy. His surrogate also used the opportunity to express concern over the deteriorating conditions in Zimbabwe. It is clear that Blatter and FIFA are leveraging the unrest in a neighbouring country to create conditions in addition to national catastrophes that would enable them to move the World Cup to a different country. In short, Blatter threw red meat at European countries, especially Germany and England as well as Australia who in the past have stated their interest in hosting the World Cup should SA fail.
It is not a coincidence that the countries pointing fingers to tardiness in stadium construction and requisite infrastructure are also the ones most displeased with SA's stance towards Mugabe. They are also Blatter's biggest voting bloc essential to his become president. Greasing the palms of powerful office holders with bribes and ticket scams in exchange for their votes has long been a Sepp Blatter speciality.
Brad Guzan becomes the latest addition to the most enduring US export to the Premiership. The Chivas USA goalie joins Martin O' Neill's squad subject to Home Office approval on a £2m transfer.
Guzan bolsters a squad short of experienced goalies with Scott Carson returning to Liverpool and Thomas Sorensen released. Guzan should challenge Stuart Taylor who has been with Villa three season but has seen limited opportunities. With his Chivas USA form behind him he should get a chance to prove himself in the Premiership very early.
That is what Sir Alex must be thinking. Some months ago, Sepp Blatter and Sir Alex were whooping it up coming up with proposals limiting foreign player representation that would put the kebosh on clubs like Arsenal and Liverpool. Right down chummy, sharing photo ops making goo goo eyes while crooning into the mic.
Well those moments were ... just moments. Blatter decides that Cristiano Ronaldo is living in 'modern slavery.'
You could almost feel the blood drain from Sir Alex's face.
Yes, Man U operates a modern day chain gang. On hot days, 11 men emerge from their locker room, shuffle onto a field, their legs inextricably bound by a bag of wind, as an overseer barks out orders, and when the day is done, burst into anthemic songs of exploitation and bad food, which are now sung by Sam Cooke.
Ronaldo could not have scripted this better. What are the odds his agent is nodding his head sagely and replacing loyalty with modern slavery in his letter to Man U?
If this is indeed right the new phenomenon sweeping through Europe augurs poorly for Dunga and his current win at all costs brand of soccer. It makes him look like a Gordon Gekko taking over what was once beautiful and meaningful and rendering it soulless and sanitized.
When will the CFB realize that Brazilian soccer has been on a slow decline ever since the Tele Santana era ended over two decades ago?
This is sad because I have the greatest respect for both Gareth Barry and Martin O' Neill. Two of the fiercest and most uncompromising competitors who when on the same page pushed Villa to the next level. You could relive a match watching O' Neill on the sidelines while on the field Barry impressed with his industry. He was Mr. Versatile. He took over Wilfred Bouma's left back position when the Dutchman was injured and did a yeoman job. But recent events have driven a wedge between them.
Barry upset O'Neill by intimating the Villa boss was more interested in being a television pundit for the Euro 2008 finals than speaking to him over his future.
He said: "It's seven weeks now since the season finished but while the gaffer found time to be a pundit for the BCC at Euro 2008, he hasn't found time to speak to me.
It is especially bitter because Barry served 10 years at Villa and follows another veteran, Olof Mellberg, who departed with O'Neill's praises ringing in his ears.
I wish him luck at Liverpool which is where he appears to be heading if Villa can get their price right.
Arsenal which is now in the business of leveraging its players reportedly offers Adebayor to Milan who are looking to replacing their aging fleet with some sleek new additions. His first choice remains Barca.
Something tells me that these stories will become de rigeur every season following Wenger's statement.
Another season of unsettling news out of the Emirates. Flamini gone to Inter, Ade and Hleb's future looking murky; Rosicky and Eduardo with major injury concerns. In short our attack is stretched very, very thin and needs an infusion in double quick time in order to remain competitive.
It appears that we are linked to either Andrei Arshavin or Klaas Jan Huntelaar, even maybe both for a reported combined price tag of £38m.
But this is to be seen in context of Wenger's bizarre statement: “The strategy of the club is to sell every year and to buy less expensive players.”
Wenger says that this will be the strategy for the next 17 years to pay off the debt on the stadium. This cost cutting strategy will generate a £24m surplus annually. Yes, Arsenal is officially in the business of leveraging players.
In effect too, buying players now is contingent on maintaining the £24m margin. Which means that Arshavin and Huntelaar don't come under the category of 'less expensive players' . And I agree with Arseblog, Wenger's pronouncement makes no sense if Arsenal wants to retain a bargaining advantage. In fact, with this there will be very few "less expensive players" left on the market with clubs cognizant of Wenger's plan. It all seems quite fishy.
Marcos Senna is listed as a midfielder but his usefulness lies in his being a utility player capable of coming forward on attack, falling back to defend, and controlling midfield. He is strong in the air, very capable with free kicks, burns up the outside turf to slice in a cross, quick and decisive in his tackling, and shows some dribbling chops too, turning and twisting his way through defenders.
A time motion study (Bloomfield, et. al, 2007) analyzing purposeful movements of players playing specific positions show clear demarcations with midfielders covering more ground, defenders spending more time running backwards and laterally,and strikers turning more. Midfielders also play more short passes as defenders go for the long ball. They also spend significantly more time in skills such as tackling as compared to other positions. Strikers and defenders spend more time in high intensity physical contact as they use their body strength to advantage to head or break or make tackles.
A player like Senna probably washes out the significant differences between positions, successfully melding midfielding capabilities with aspects of defending and striking skills to create a physical and protean presence on the field.
I always think that international competitions like Euro or the World Cup provide much needed correctives.
Fernando Torres muscled his way past Philip Lahm in one of the more indelible images of Euro 2008 to provide Spain's winner. The Liverpool striker was one of the heroes in his country's win against Germany. However his Premiership compatriots Cesc Fabregas and Michael Ballack had a more muted final as the players from the Bundesliga and La Liga provided the most highlights. The final showed Iniesta, Xavi, Senna, Silva, Ramos and Marchena at their sparkling best as they ran over Germany who relied once again on Podolski and Schweinsteiger to spare the blushes.
When you compare the big four contribution to national squads, La Liga and Serie contributed 38 apiece and the Bundesliga topped out with 59 players with the largest numbers going to their own teams. The English league even without England's participation provided 47 players, far ahead of La Liga and Serie. Squads with large representations included Portugal and Netherlands, who despite their bright start could not take their game to the next level. This in some aspects is a reprisal of the 2006 World Cup where the English league found its influence on the wane as the tournament went deeper despite the FA touting publicly the maximum number of players to the national squads.
One wonders why this is so? The English League is overwhelmingly the largest in terms of viewership and revenues. With many of its clubs under the control of deep pocketed ownerships, it doles out the biggest chunk of change for the best talent and the largest overseas contingent of players is evidence of where the sport has shifted. Their clubs took three semifinal spots in the CL cup this year.
But all this is for nought because once again as demonstrated in the Euro it was the other leagues that provided the impact players when national pride was at stake.
One of the biggest differences between the English league and other leagues is the intensity of scheduling and the amount of recovery time it gives its players. The English league with its packed domestic fixtures and international obligations for revenue reasons does not give a winter break to its players, a month which finds other leagues enjoying a breather and players recuperating from niggling injuries. This is especially crucial in years when international competitions take center stage with little lag from the end of the league season. For elite Premiership clubs playing this year's CL, recovery gets even more abbreviated. Players from Man U and Chelsea hyperventilating from the grueling CL final literally flew into Klagenfurt or Geneva from Luzhniki Stadium the next day to start their Euro campaign. Fatigue is cumulative and fresher legs do count for a lot more.
The other reason is more controversial and insidous. The English League's combative attitude frequently pushes players to choose club over country. Jose Mourinho was so incensed by Michael Ballack's ankle surgery peformed by German doctors that he was seriously considering shipping Ballack off. Jogi Low had to eat humble pie. Everton's David Moyes threw a fit when he said that witch doctors were trying to force Tim Cahill's recovery for Australia's World Cup 2006 opener against Japan. Sir Alex considered a lawsuit against the FA if Rooney came back as damaged goods from the World Cup. Obviously such measures are protective in nature and serve the club's self interest but they also sub-consciously create conditions where players have to choose between their bread and butter and abstractions such as national pride. Doubts like these can lead to fluctuations in motivation and performance as can levels of fitness and fatigue.
Factors such as these are partly responsible for England's failure on the international level apart from a whole horde of tactical shortcomings and perceived lack of talent. But all these factors put together also affect English League overseas players when they play for their national squads.
" Barcelona have made it clear that their priority this summer is signing a striker with physical presence, after sanctioning the departure of Samuel Eto'o."
I never thought about Adebayor as a physical presence. Yes, he is tall and he does play with his back to goal but an adjective such as physical is an inaccurate descriptor. He is no Viduka or Drogba. He does not bull his way through or possess a rasping shot that catches a goalie out of position. In fact, there is a languid sort of quality which is both an advantage and a disadvantage. His long legs add a deceptive dimension to his less than blazing speed, enabling him to direct in a memorable goal after a nifty Fabregas pass against Man Utd a couple of seasons ago.
Ade's style is indirect and more finesse. When he is sharp, he can kill defenses with well timed deflections or re-directions through opportunities created by Arsenal's busy midfield. It resulted in a 30 goal breakthrough season. He was more productive than Ronaldo who had far more chances. However against more aggressive defense, Ade frequently shows a heavy first touch which results in a number of balls taken away. At a crucial time last season, Ade's output deserted him. Arsenal could not buy a win as their reliance on moving through the middle rendered them predictable and stacked up defences successfully isolated Ade. As demonstrated many times over, Ade's success is contingent on Arsenal's midfield ascendancy.
Thierry Henry's transfer had less impact than expected. With Deco moving to Chelsea, good luck to Barca if they believe Ade can provide the Terminator role.
I have tears of joy. Watching Spain get over their mental block against their more heralded European rivals, doing it their way, playing beautiful, attacking soccer and finally winning what was rightfully theirs. There is a God occasionally and he chose the right time to be munificent.
There was Ballack his face streaked with congealed blood and the nonplussed Metzelder and Mertesacker, their faces frozen in disbelief and dismay, as they contemplated another championship without a title. Ballack is now the eternal stepchild, having lost out on the World Cup, Premiership, Champions League, and now the Euro.
It was Germany that came out in the first 20 minutes looking sharper and crisper as the Spanish backpedaled to keep the ball away from Podolski and Klose. But the defense gained in confidence as they won some hard fought 50-50 tackles. And slowly Spanish superiority in the midfield exerted itself. It was El Nino who created the best chance as he went up against Metzleder and guided a header which fortuitously hit the goal post after beating Lehmann and bounced out of harm's way. Germany was suddenly the team with their backs against the wall.
As it was with Turkey, Philip Lahm again donned the mantle of scapegoat as he went toe to toe with Torres, and got blistered. Torres turned the corner and then toed the ball past Jens Lehmann who over committed himself, telegraphing the little faith he had in his defenders. It was the 32nd minute and the Spanish were ascendant. There was Iniesta, Xavi, Fabregas, and Ramos stringing together fantastic passes and relying on flicks, sleight of foot, and peripheral vision to tease and torment the Germans.
Spain should have gone about three goals up as Sergio Ramos's header was parried out by Lehmann, Senna flashing a nanosecond late following a beautiful one- two with Iniesta heading down a cross from Silva across goal, and Ramos whistling a shot just past the far post.
Viva Espana and congratulations to them. We will see them again. And its onwards full speed for Aragones boys to the World Cup.
The newspapers in Spain are touting the new muscular and sleek Spanish team, unified in purpose. The future lies bright as Luis Aragones has molded a team that is young and resilient.
"Spain must decide whether it wants to be a bull or matador", proclaimed Cesar Luis Menotti.
This Spanish team has found ways to be both. Under Aragones and his successor in waiting Vincent Del Bosque, they are now a serious challenge to German and Italian supremacy.
Expect David Villa not to be in the line up, the Valencia striker has a muscle tear in his thigh and has been ruled out.
Expect Cesc Fabregas to start. Arsenal's maestro has been having quite a tournament
Expect Michael Ballack to be a gametime decision.
Expect a foul filled initial 20 minutes as the Germans try and break the rhythm of the free flowing Spanish midfield.
Expect very few aerial balls from Spain as the longer limbed Germans would have a field day.
Expect Germans to loft the ball to Klose and Ballack to beat out the shorter Spanish defence.
Expect the German left flank with Lahm and Podolski to be hyperactive in attack.
Expect David Silva to be a thorn in Arne Friedrich's side, and in general, the whole German side
Expect Jens Lehmann to cause a few heart attacks on either side.
Expect Fernando Torres to break his Luca Toni like dry spell.
Expect Cesc Fabregas to stamp his authority in attack.
Expect Per Mertesacker and Christoph Metzelder to look nonplussed.
Expect Tommy Smyth to have an orgasm everytime Germany touches the ball.
Expect Angela Merkel in German face paint and a beer in her hand.
Expect Spain to beat Germany.
Germany will be feeling a bit relieved as Spain will be without David Villa who has been ruled out with a muscle tear in his thigh. But they still have Torres and Guiza to contend with. And Silva, Fabregas, Iniesta, Xavi, Senna, and Ramos.
This Spanish team is not afraid to let it fly from long distance and Lehmann's reflexes will be sorely tested. He was not upto the task when he deflected a shot onto the post and the ball came back to Ivica Olic for Croatia's second goal. Against Turkey, Lehmann could not stop Ugur Boral's weakly struck shot.
I expect the Spanish team to come out smoking, creating chances with their clever interlocking play as they pull and probe the German defence and soften them up with their 20-30 pass sequences. Lehmann better be on top of his game to keep the Germans competitive. He has looked tentative, been caught out of position and not clean with his collection.
Marcos Senna is being celebrated as a find, a player finally giving teeth to the much maligned Spanish defence, a noteworthy ally in its potent attack. But he is in a minority because this Euro shone a spotlight on the number of flatfooted defenses which became red meat for swift counter attacks. Teams could not hold onto leads. Goals were given up by defenders without thought. And attacks were sustained by the inability of the defenders to clear the ball effectively. In basketball terms, the advantage lay with the team making all the offensive rebounds.
Many examples abound, Gianluca Zambrotta's interception of a Razvan Rat long ball which he mishit into Adrian Mutu's direction that the Romanian striker gobbled up gratefully. Or Sergio Ramos whose problems staying upright led to Zlatan Ibrahamovic scoring a goal. In between we were treated to Florent Malouda defending in vain against Dirk Kuyt's goal. Or Philip Lahm's atrocious defending against Sabri that led to Semih equalizing for Turkey. The Czech defence kept Nihat onside enabling him to score the game winner. These defensive lapses became de riguer and costly to the team's chances.
Managers discovered that experience was an over rated attribute and that age and attrition had sapped players of the quick reflexes resulting in porous defenses breached repeatedly by a fast counterattacking style. Many teams too were forced to employ a makeshift defense because of injuries to their first line.
The French relied on Lilian Thuram and Willy Sagnol, players brought back from retirement, which saw the Dutch shredding them in one of France's worst defeats. In turn, the Dutch led by Andre Ooijer and Wilfred Bouma at the back, slowed down by injuries and age, were no match for Arshavin and company. Italy in Cannavaro's absence patched its defense pairing the 36 year old Christian Panucci with the much younger Andre Barzagli or Giorgio Chiellini at the center, to ultimately no avail. The Czech Republic's defensive line boasted 242 caps, a lifetime of experience which counted for nought as the Turkey embarassed them in the match of Euro 2008. The Turks repeated their performance against Croatia, another team with a veteran defense, with Dario Simic one shy of a century of caps for his country and Robert Kovac and Josip Simunic accounting for another 143.
Spain will try and exploit a German side that has had trouble keeping the ball away from the back of the net with Croatia, Portugal, and Turkey giving plenty of heartburn. Age and injuries can slow down a defense but these are not the excuses for a German team that has a group of young defendees who should have no problems with speed or reflexes. But their team has been found wanting. Per Mertesacker and Christoph Metzelder as the sentinels in the center have looked slow and tentative. At right back Jogi Low has tinkered with Lahm, Fritz, and Friedrich but they have proved inadequate. Lahm has used his attacking prowess down the left flank effectively but his defense has been questionable. Even with Torsten Frings giving additional cover, the Germans look shaky. Given that Jens Lehmann has been having some problems with motor co-ordination, this does not bode well for a team having to stop the likes of Villa, Torres, or Guiza.
The eternal greed machine that is club soccer just outdid itself. The present over-correction in the market which reversed club domination now finds players without any shred of guilt opting out of multi- year contracts and hold out for more money. Arsene Wenger believes that the present course is out of control reminiscent of a Wild West mentality.
It is interesting he makes these observations in the context of the Ronaldo saga. The only way clubs can be forced to make further concessions is to paint them as being the entities that wield ultimate power which is what Ronaldo and his agent are doing.
Ronaldo feels that leading Man U to two Premiership and a CL title is enough price to be paid for his independence. It seems he reportedly pursued his dream of joining Real since December of last year. His perfomance seems to be partly fueled by the perception that if he had a great season which resulted in winning Man U its titles that the club in its gratitude would have no problems releasing him.
Naive or calculatingly conniving? Does Ronaldo really think that Man U would let go of its golden goose, the one player chiefly responsible for its success and give Chelsea and Arsenal snapping at its heels, a huge leg up.
Or is Ronaldo calculating that Man U comes off looking like an ungrateful slave master with a sketchy conscience, forcing players into servitude, unwilling to negotiate even with Real ready to break the bank. The only way they can redeem themselves is to re-negotiate his five year club contract agreed upon just last year to give him more money. Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes believes that Man U will make that happen in order to help Ronaldo renew his passion to play for the club.
Either way Real is ready to offer a sum which is making most pundits and managers sick to the stomach. The asking rate is worth €200m (£158m) for his services. The so called best player in the world is worth more than Werder Bremen's valuation.
It is obvious as daylight that Germany's Lukas Podolksi and Philip Lahm operate with a right brained attitude which is at polar opposites to the rest of the team. Germany's creative zest arises from the left flank. Four goals and a hand in three more. But the intuitive right brain is also prone to blunders. And so it is with Podolski and Lahm, especially Lahm whose defensive gaffes have proven embarassing. Opposing teams have been punished by them but they have also found that the door is left open.
Tommy Smyth is an execrable piece of humanity. After the Turkey - Germany match, he condescendingly dismissed Turkey's performance as "No one will remember who played the semi-finals, it only matters who won, and Germany won." He then went into a paean on how Lahm scored a goal which strikers would be well advised to watch. There was no praise for Turkey and their effort.
Kudos to Julie Foudy who smacked him down by saying that there would be many who would remember Turkey and their never say die spirit. Smyth looked like he had swallowed an "auld onion bag."
Why ESPN continues to tolerate Smyth is beyond me. Keith Olbermann should do a Worst Person segment on this buffoon.
Semih Senturk did it again. He guided the ball exquisitely between Lehmann and the goalpost for a 86th minute goal after Sabri turned Philip Lahm inside out at the sideline and then slid the ball across. Semih was at hand to beat out Lehmann and Metzleder. The magnificent Turks had stormed back after they familiarly looked defeat in the face from a Miroslav Klose goal in the 80th minute. The match looked like it was heading to extra time.
The loss of TV transmission at crucial intervals of the second half added to the tension and the fast changing scoreline had to be updated by the studio crew. We could not get to see Klose and Semih's goal live but the link came back in time to see Philip Lahm's dagger in the waning minutes of the match to dash Turkish hopes. Lahm atoned for his embarassing mistake by speeding down the left flank as he left Kazim Richard sprawling on the turf. Hitzlsperger was at hand to receive his pass and in a clever 1-2, relayed it back to Lahm who had continued his run. Lahm finished off with a curling right footer that Rustu had no chance of stopping. The Turks were caught napping and Mehmet Topal, the makeshift center back could not react in time. The link went dead again. Fatih Terim's thin roster, attenuated by injuries and suspension, could not pull of a miracle this time.
The most crucial play was the one that Rustu gambled on and lost. Lahm, from the left floated a cross towards Klose and Rustu, from a full 10 yards rushed out. His effort was a nano second too late as Klose headed the ball into an empty goal. If Rustu had held his ground he would have had an easy collection.
The Turks were everywhere in the first half as the Germans looked like the makeshift team. Under siege, the Germans cracked. From a Kazim Richards floater which hit the cross bar, the ball fell to Ugur Boral. Fortunately for him, his weak shot caught Lehmann off guard, and the ball squeezed past the goal line. The Turkish celebration was shortlived as four minutes later the Germans in their only good moment of the first half came back when a Podolski drive across the goal saw Schweinsteiger reaching before Topol and flicking the ball past Rustu.
Fatih Terim's remaining men rallied magnificently. Mehmet Aurelio did a fantastic job reducing Michael Ballack to a bystander. Kazim Richards was a force on the right. He could have easily had two goals if the crossbar had not come in the way. Semih Senturk with his guile slipped past the twin towers of Mertesacker and Metzelder with ease. Ugur Boral resurrected Tuncay with his hard running, down the left to attack and falling back on defense. Gokan Zan provided a physical presence in the middle. Hamit Altintop although not quite having the game as he did against Croatia, marshalled the midfield, to enjoy an advantage in first half possession.
This Euro shall be remembered for the Turks and their indomitable team. They not only played with courage and an unflagging spirit but they did so with a sparkling display of creative and attacking soccer. They might have lost this match but they won the admiration of milions around the world. And which team would not love to have such passionate fans engulfing the stadium with chants of Turkiye Turkiye. We know you will be back.
When Germany and Turkey meet tomorrow on the field it will not be just another soccer match but one which reflects deep socio-political connections between the two countries largely though the prism of the 2.5 million people of Turkish ethnicity living in Germany.
Tomorrow's match raises to the fore, the heated issue of German attempts at Turkish integration and its success. Both countries will get to see Hamit Altintop and Hakan Balta, German born players of Turkish ethnicity, who have opted to play for their country of origin. This is the first major clash between the two countries, and on the eve of the match, many on the political left believe that the two players chose to play for Turkey because assimilation has not gone far enough. Politicians from the right tout Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski as success stories in German integration, which seems to be a bit of a stretch, given that they come from Poland, a neighbouring country, where German is the second language.
The answer lies in the way Germany set about ignoring the citizenship claims of hundreds of thousands of Turkish guest workers invited by Germany in the post World War II reconstruction phase, once they settled down, learned the language, began families, and started the process of assimilation. Germany then shut down the guest worker program in the early 70s and then tried to get rid of the existing workers, even giving them cash awards to return. The immigration laws were not very kind to the subsequent generations also leaving the status of German born Turks in limbo.
German laws till very recently, did not grant citizenship to children of foreign born parents, even as German Turks enter their third generation. In fact, only about 30% of the population have been granted citizenship. New federal laws passed in 2000 under Gerhard Schroeder sped up the process of naturalization but left it up to the state to decide on how immigrants were perceived to uphold the constitution. The southern state of Baden Wurttemberg now requires that potential citizens from Muslim countries answer questions pertaining to their cultural beliefs, grounds for disqualification if they are anathema to Western tenets. The large Turkish population in that state sees this as racist and discriminatory, and a further obstacle to their integration.
More recently, tensions between Angela Merkel and Tayyip Erdogan flared up over rules which increase the bar on family re-unification. Turks joining their families have to now learn basic Deutsch. This marginalizes families from more remote regions of Turkey where German classes are not readily available.
Erdogan's visit wih Merkel came at a time when German - Turkish community relations were already at a low ebb. A fire had killed nine Turks, five of them children, in the German state of Hesse. It was widely suspected but not proven to be a hate crime. Erdogan to allay Turkish fears, in a populist speech, exhorted the Turkish community to remain aloof from German society and to take pride in Turkish culture and its language. To many Germans, already suspicious of Muslims following 9/11, it appeared that Erdogan, a devout Islamist, was fueling the feeling of alienation which many Turks publicly acknowledge. His first visit ended with widespread condemnation by the German media. The talk of attending Turkish language schools should be seen in the context of German dismay with the erosion of its world rankings in reading and math largely because of the poor performance of its "migration background" children. This illustrates the quintessential Turkish conundrum. In order to assimilate, the Turks learn German, the benefits of which have not paid off in terms of citizenship, higher education or employment. Germany nationalists are quick to blame the Turks for their country's high unemployment rate, increasing crime, and falling educational standards. However, embracing the Turkish language and culture, would be perceived as reactionary, the genesis of a parallel culture which many Germans see as responsible for breeding radical Islam.
It is not just Germany's foot-dragging of the immigration issue that has disenchanted millions of Turks in Germany but also the larger issue of Turkey's integration into the EU. Angela Merkel and the CDU want a more diluted version of full membership, in which Turkey will be accorded special privileges, with cultural and economic caveats.
Even Hamit Altintop acknowledges that this is not just a soccer match, its implications are far more significant, and that he dances a delicate dance.
"It will be a very special game for me," Altintop said. "I have Germany to thank for a lot -- actually for everything…. I would be very happy if every fan were to see Wednesday's game as a huge folk festival between the two countries. Regardless of the result, the game is an excellent opportunity to take another step toward the much-discussed goal of integration."
I don't think German fans will be so sanguine if he scores the winning goal. In soccer, rationalization is best left to managers and pundits.
Arsene Wenger is pursuing the Zenit St. Petersburg striker with deadly intent notwithstanding his coy statements. To do that he has to cloud Arshavin's mind by blurring Arsenal's style with that of Barca (which remains Arshavin's first choice). Having Cesc Fabregas team up with the Arshavin on display in this Euro should be a mouthwatering proposition for Arsenal this season.
So far La Liga has not paid much interest to Arshavin whose age appears to be a factor. The Spanish league loves to catch 'em young, watch them grow, unless you happen to be RVN or Thierry Henry, proven superstars. Barca is also shopping their surplus in Deco, Eto'o, and Ronaldinho, and some of the money in that trade will be used to woo Adebayor, also being pursued by Milan.
Here is how I see it. Arsenal's attack stems from the midfield. Other than RVP, the rest of the strikers rely on clear supply lines. Man U's distinct advantage lies in the fact that their strikers are more adept at creating goal scoring opportunities unlike Adebayor or Eduardo. I have seen Rooney and Tevez go deeper than Adebayor to nurture attacks. Rooney has honed his short passing skills to great effect. This is in part because Scholes and Giggs, in their waning moments, are not the crisp passers they once were and Anderson and Nani, their potential replacements, are still in the showboating phase of their development. Man U's stutters in midfield are glossed over by their accomplished striker corps.
Arshavin does everything. He drops deep to fuel an attack with his efficient passes (54 passes completed out of 72 attempts), he uses his speed and ball skills to split the game wide, as his zigzagging run found Dmitri Torbinski for the second goal against Netherlands, and he has shown great opportunism, zipping between Andre Ooijer and Wilfred Bouma, for the third goal. At age 28, he is a late bloomer but with his UEFA exploits and now the Euro, he appears to be in a hurry to cement his legacy. He could be the right antidote for Arsenal's now familiar late season swoon.
The man who has made it a mission to bleach Brazil of the memories of the Tele Santana era and has some success doing it his way with his system of prizing workman like players and sound technical skills over artistry and attacking play is having a hard time motivating Brazil in the World Cup qualifiers. They are presently 5th in the group with nine points, having survived a dreary draw against Argentina. The Seleccao have dropped points with draws against lowly Peru and Colombia, and then losing to Paraguay. Their one bright spot is a 2-1 win over Uruguay and a 5-0 drubbing of Ecuador.
The Brazilian press and the public have hammered Dunga's approach.
Dunga's playbook revolves around creating a seamless connection between the attack and the defense through his system of holding and attacking midfielders. Elano, Julio Baptista and Gilberto Silva figure as the featured players. The defense has cemented around Lucio, Juan, Dani Alves, and Maicon, with a decidedly physical style of play (Argentina learned this the hard way at the 2007 Copa America). However, in this scheme of play, it is the attack that has been susceptible to Dunga's vagaries and has a decidedly unsettled look.
Earlier tinkering saw lesser lights Vagner Love, Daniel Carvalho, Rafael Sobis, and Luis Fabiano getting the call once Dunga was made manager in the aftermath of Brazil's poor showing in the 2006 World Cup. This was probably natural as none of the marquee players played to their capability. Dunga did eventually recall Kaka. But Dunga's initial rejection probably accounts for the AC Milan star's lukewarm national commitment. Robinho's performance of late has been abysmal, Adriano and Ronaldinho's hard partying has attracted more news media than their no shows on the field. Fred has had a look in but the Lyon striker is not the easiest to discipline. Alexandre Pato remains the one bright spot having an impressive first season for Inter. The attack therefore has been very patchy going through goal scoring droughts.
Dunga has also shifted his emphasis from open field goals to set pieces and Elano, Julio Baptista and a 6' defense offers Brazil their best chance of scoring such goals. This leaves Brazil exposed to fast counter attacks which takes advantage of slow reacting or an out of position defenses. Paraguay was able to win through such means.
Just when Andrea Pirlo was showing his best form in a while, against France, he picks up his second yellow card and misses his match against Spain. In the absence of Italy's medio, you have to fancy Spain's chances. Previous meetings have been exercises in futility for Spain whose fragile psyche will be tested by the Italians who thrive on opportunism. But this is a Spain whose midfield is so gifted, that Cesc Fabregas comes on as a substitute for Xavi Fernandez. They also have Andres Iniesta who has had a muted tournament so far.
The find so far has been David Silva, a diminutive winger, who has been a live wire with his versatility, speed and outstanding ball control. He stretches the game out wide and uses both flanks equally well. Swedish defenders had a hard time stopping his crossing runs one of which led to the Torres goal.
Spain's game is very circumscribed. Their success lies in their midfield creating chances for Torres and Villa to score, rarely do they themselves avail of scoring opportunities. Against Sweden it became de riguer to watch 20- 30 passes strung together as the midfield probed the Swedish defense seeking supply lanes for the strikers to score. The Swedes were very good at crowding them out.
The tie was broken in heartbreaking fashion in extra time as David Villa latched onto a long ball beating the Swedish defenders. They will have to employ the same unorthodox methods against Italy which will be gearing up for Spain's control of the midfield. Italy on the other hand have won even with their biggest scoring threat, Luca Toni registering no goals.
Spain's weakest link remains the defence. Carlos Puyol and Carlos Marchena provide bulk but also a great deal of inertia, Puyol in particular has been slowed down by niggling injuries, Sergio Ramos has great pace but his defensive instincts are somewhat suspect. The one bright spot has been Marcos Senna, whose defensive organization is similar to that of Gilberto, while providing a threat on set pieces too.
There it is. If Portugal had beaten Germany, Chelsea's announcement on their website, announcing Big Phil's hiring during the Euro, would have been overlooked. But they lost and the Portugese football federation quickly heaped plenty of criticism at Chelsea for their inopportune timing. It was a distraction to the team and a motivational dampener to the players. That well maybe. Chelsea's act was self centered and crass. And it just adds to its reputation as a club that believes money buys everything.
However, we have seen so many Portugese teams overloaded with talent, crash and burn in the past that these statements from the federation are mere rationalizations. The Portugese defense failed to apply themselves against the German set pieces, their approach was disorganized, and the marking shoddy. The Klose goal should never have happened. Ricardo's indecision resulted in a tentative hand which did nothing more than deflect the ball into goal.
Go up a goal against Turkey at your peril. Because you will lose. Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and now Croatia.
After 122 minutes of a grueling match, it was suddenly over in a flash. Semih Senturk's last second equalizer seemed to have drained all the life out of Croatian legs as the penalty shootout unfolded. Modric and Rakitic tiredly sprayed it wide and Petric's shot was saved by Rustu. On the other end, for all too brief a moment it appeared that Stipe Pletikosa had turned away Turan's PK but the ball jammed its way through. The rest of the PKs were converted with ease.
Turkey had snuffed out Croatia's hopes. In the end, it was the team with the greater mental strength that prevailed. A bereft Darijo Srna was comforted by Slaven Bilic, his face contorted with grief, his anguished wailing painful to watch. It had gone so swimmingly well in stoppage time as Luka Modric's cross drew Rustu yards out of position, Klasnic headed the ball as Rustu scrambled back unsuccessfully. Fatih Terim could only gesticulate in dsigust. Two minutes left and not even the resilient Turks could dream of coming back. But Rustu blasted the ball towards the other end, and as the ball dropped from the sky, the Croats fell away, and in a dream sequence, Semih garnered the ball and gratefully drove it past a diving Pletikosa. Bilic ran onto the field apoplectic at the referee's apparent tardiness with the clock. The Turks were galvanized.
Bilic's first order of business post Euro will be to rebuild his team's self confidence. They have to get on very quickly with the business of qualifying for the World Cup. England, no doubt will be watching very closely, their ability to rebound.
But Turkey has been the wonder team of this Euro. Fatih Terim's pugnacious personality permeates this team. He looks like a prize fighter when he stalks the sidelines punching the air, willing his team to another level. But Terim's task is made easier with a player like Tuncay Sanli, who apparently only needs the motivation of playing for his country. The man motors tirelessly up and down the field. His job description is that of a striker and to the great relief of all of Turkey, he does not take that seriously because he is also one of their best midfielders as well as defenders. He is in short, omnipresent.
He will be missed against Germany as will be Adhar Turan and Volkan Demirel, their first choice goalkeeper. But Germany better watch out. Their reputation as a team that can never be counted out is seriously being challenged.
I watched the LA Galaxy clobber the San Jose Earthquakes last weekend thanks to Edson Buddle's hat trick. David Beckham's name was barely mentioned a half dozen times, he was that inconsequential in the win. So far he has been rugged, injury free, playing almost a 1000 minutes, scoring some important goals, and assisting in half a dozen more. He also leads unsurprisingly, the fan balloting for the All Star MLS team. He is an important reason for the LA Galaxy's top spot in the Western Division.
But his contribution has been overshadowed by Landon Donovan, Alan Gordon, and Edson Buddle, who between them, have scored 20 goals and assisted in a dozen more which comes as a great relief because it means that the MLS is more than just Beckham. It also proves the preening braggadocio of Alexi Lalas and Don Garber when Beckham came into town. With the advent of Becks there would be no daylight between the MLS and the Premiership.
As it stands, Beckham is not even in the running for the Golden Boot. A marked climbdown for the anointed saviour of the MLS.
We need a striker. Period. Someone who puts the exclamation point to all the artful text that we scribe on the field. Waiting for Godot is exquisite but we need some culmination. Get Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.
We lost Mathieu Flamini who I thought Wenger should have done his utmost to retain. We are in danger of losing Hleb and his masturbatory exploits with the ball, sans goals. We had Lassana Diarra for two seconds.
But we still have Cesc Fabregas to steady the ship. Spain's maestro should lead a midfield, a combination of youthful talent and experience, into the next season. Aaron Ramsey has signed up. Fran Merida is assured of Wenger's green signal. Nacer Barazite is ready for the big transition. Denilson will be a year more experienced. Walcott is coming into his own. Diaby and Song have signed new contracts. On the other end of the spectrum, Tomas Rosicky is healing from his injuries. Gilberto will still be there for cameos when called for experience or a leadership role. And Hleb with all of his smoke and mirrors, will remain a Gunner. Midfield congestion abounds.
What is not known is Eduardo's return to top flight, Van Persie's durability, Bendtner's equation with the rest of the team, in particular Adebayor. In a nutshell, up front we have many questions, few solutions. It would be reassuring if Wenger seemed to be as serious filling a real void in the striker corps, as a perceived one down field.
All hail Guus Hiddink. The man is a maestro. S.Korea, Australia, and now Russia. Each country tasted success with him at the helm.
Today the Russians beat Sweden in their biggest post Soviet era win. The pick of the players was Andrei Arshavin, back from suspension, and his blistering pace ran the Swedes ragged, forcing them into defensive contortions that Harry Houdini would have had problems getting out of. A hand in the first goal and then shutting down the Swedish comeback with a goal of his own.
But leave it to Hiddink. He is not resting on his laurels.
Its a pretty empty studio at halftime for the last round of matches. Rece Davis with Julie Foudy. Its a relief not to hear or look at that gnome Tommy Smyth who pound for pound is the most obnoxious and annoying sports pundit. His buffoonish attempts at humour are usually swatted away by Derek Rae with , "I won't go there." Rae is a decent bloke and his commentary is usually on the mark. Nothing spectacular but he takes the edge having to listen to Smyth and his “bulges the corner of the auld onion bag”.
Andy Gray is a bit more palatable, but by not much. He comes across as judgmental. He has this penchant of saying "Italian nation" as if it is some metaphysical place. He belittled Austria's effort against Germany saying that they did not have any quality. Well, apart from Ballack's free kick, I saw very little quality from the three time Euro and World Cup champions. Austria would have loved to have the chance that Mario Gomez so execrably missed. A colicky baby kicking his legs could have gotten that ball across. Adrian Healey, the commentator, provides a soothing balm.
Julie Foudy does sum up the game nicely in broad strokes but she knows very little about tactics and even less about the teams and its players. I am surprised that ESPN with access to so many ex-players and coaches does not try and get some aboard. Juergen Klinsmann may have turned down the US coaching job but he could be courted as an analyst. He lives here. Ever thought about that, ESPN?? And does the halftime show have to become the news source for other sports like Willy Randolph's firing or peddling the NBA finals on ABC. Did we get to hear Stan Van Gundy or Mark Jackson reminding us to turn to ESPN Classics for the Sweden vs Russia game?
Klaas- Jan Huntelaar this time, folks! Another player with a strong id comes through for the Oranje as they pile on the goals. Nine so far. The nonplussed Romanians could only gawk.
Filed under snark
Thierry Henry loves to get cute in front of goal. All flashes and finesse touches. And today he scored a stunning goal just that way. Unfortunately, it was into his own goal as he stuck out an instinctive foot to a Daniel De Rossi free kick and deflected it neatly into the right hand corner. From the replay it was evident that the ball would have gone wide if Henry had not tried to intervene.
But France was going to have to do some heavy lifting as their play maker Franck Ribery was carted off with what appeared to be a knee ligament tear. Samir Nasri was brought in. It got worse as Eric Abidal barged into Luca Toni like a drunken sailor and brought him down in the box. Andrea Pirlo banged home the PK. And then Domenech substituted Nasri with Jean Alain Boumsong. What? You just substituted your creative force for another enforcer? Where would your attack flow through? It must have encouraged the Italians too as they put their foot on the accelerator and Luca Toni proceeded to miss three more opportunities spraying the ball just wide each time. How many chances has this man had? If Toni was a stock with his P/E index, it would be a sure sell.
Benzema provided some uplifting moments and a neat curler that Gigi Buffon had to extend to parry away late in the game stands out. But highlights were few and far in between for the Les Bleus fans and once the news that the overmatched Romanians were down a goal early in the second half, they looked deflated. But then the camera panned onto the most gorgeous woman in the Euro and it reminded everyone why we play soccer.
It was a cruel match and France did not deserve to be bundled out of the tournament this way but when you look at the overarching theme of their campaign you see a manager who played it too safe, sacrificing innovation and talent and promoting the status quo with players like Sagnol, Thuram, Malouda, and Toulalan. It is the oldest team and they looked creaky.
All the talk of Italy and France in their biggest encounter could be mere piffle if Romania wins against the Oranje.
The Oranje may decide to take their foot off the accelerator for this match, inconsequential to their advancement. If they do, then Romania has a chance.
Well, as good a chance as any, considering their ball possession will be similar to Bush's approval rating. So they have to make it count.
One way to do it would be to exploit Van Der Saar's noticeable unease with sudden, powerful, open field shots. He either reacts a bit late or parries it back into play. We have seen this in the Premiership and as an Arsenal fan I wish my team would do some more of it. I am looking at Gabriel Tamas and Christian Chivu laying the hurt on VDS hands. Tamas came close against Buffon. Mutu might be able to cash in on a slip up.
Another way to do it would be to float long balls Mutu's way and wait for an offside trap mistake or a mis-hit. Against Italy, Mutu pounced on Zambrotta's mistake to score a goal. The weak link in the Dutch defense is Andre Ooijer, not the quickest or sharpest tool and liable to commit cheap fouls. He should come under some pressure from the deep passes. Joris Mathijsen should also have his hands full against Nicolita's pace.
But it will be left to Bogdan Lobont and the Romanian defense yet again to keep them in contention. In the Euro qualifiers they were able to win against the Netherlands and it will be up to Goian and Rat to blunt Sneijder, the fulcrum of the Dutch attack. Nistelrooy's fox in the box instincts with his new found altruistic inclinations have made him deadly. He needs a shadow. Contra will have to be extra sharp.
This news would have been exciting three years ago
It will be the tale of the two keepers. And who will be more effective in keeping the ball away from the crypt. If that is the case then you would take Buffon over Gregory Coupet in a heartbeat. Coupet's heedless charge led to the Robben goal and his delayed reaction could have stopped Van Persie. On the hand Buffon against Romania showed why he is the best in the business.
Coupet vs Buffon: Advantage Buffon
The Azzurri come front loaded with Luca Toni accumulating all the frequent flier miles and Fabio Grosso and Zambrotta raining in crosses from wide positions. The Italians will stretch out their attack as they try and soften the shorter Les Bleus with an aerial assault. With a distracted defense, Del Piero could slip in something from a Toni knockback.
Gallas vs Toni: Advantage Toni
The key player in the midfield matchup will be the wily Claude Makelele, whose sharp mind and sharp elbows will be called upon to disrupt the Italian attack. Enabling the speedy midfield led by Malouda and Franck Ribery to push through the flanks and feed Thierry Henry.
This is the one game that Raymond Domenech should throw caution to the winds. Start Karem Benzema just behind Henry. Start Lassana Diarra. Start Patrick Vieira. The French game gets infinitely more creative and attacking. Toulalan is more of an enforcer and if you want to knock a few bodies to the ground, fine. But don't expect to win matches. Gallas and Vieira should keep the Italians honest through their aerial presence in set pieces.
Makelele vs Pirlo: Advantage Makelele
The feeling is the Italians come to this game with a bit of wind on their backs. They should have won the Romania match and were done in by some poor refereeing decisions. I expect that they will win this match. And should it go to PKs, then the advantage again lies with them.
Mario Gomez's footwear is not built for speed
So far under Joachim Low, the Germans have looked flat in the first big tournament in the post Klinsmann era. The mojo is missing and it is missing badly, especially from Mario Gomez who missed an absolute sitter. All it required was a tap in from a Klose pass. Instead he scooped the ball for a Garics goal line save. After that miss, Gomez looked like Grima Wormtongue and so did Joachim Low.
Super Mario was super bad. But the rest of the Germans were not much better. It seemed likely that Austria could force a draw. But as expected it took Ballack's power packed free kick in the 49th minute to get the Germans ahead. The Austrians pushed the German defense but lacked the final finish to really threaten.
Germany now meets Portugal and its high powered attack. It will be interesting to see how the German defense holds up.
The biggest question is not Big Phil's management of Abramovich or Arnesen or even whether Chelsea becomes a version of Bolton on the Thames. Daunting themes to contemplate, no doubt. It has to do with seemingly the simplest relationship which in actuality is the most complex task. Can you go unscathed in the largest media circus? The unrelenting on crack fish eye world of British tabloids? Even media savvy Jose Mourinho was upended by the constant scrutiny. Even if he had wanted otherwise, the media had internalized his fractured relationship with Abramovich. It made for great theater. Reconciliation was out of the question.
Scolari has so far managed to escape the public limelight in his club management. He has been peripatetic, managing 17 clubs in double quick time, most of them operating in a minuscule media market with limited global appeal. The perfect antidote to escaping scrutiny of your personal vagaries. It was his success with Gremio and Palmeiras, the two big Brazilian clubs that propelled him to the national stage.
Most of Big Phil's transgressions are known through managing Brazil and Portugal. His commitment to his players was unquestioned even though his temperament on the field was. Much of it was overlooked because of his success with these teams. But the Premiership is one of the most claustrophobic leagues. It packs the most games and commands the largest fees and salaries for big time players. It also has the largest fan following and bandwidth devoted to it. Big Phil also comes at a time when many pundits are bemoaning the dearth of English players and managers in the top flight. And if Cristiano Ronaldo cools off, the tabloids will be screaming that Scolari is practicing the dark arts from the sidelines. It is a giant fishbowl and one does not know whether a manager such as Scolari accustomed to his space would be able to take it or even tolerate it.
One team must have pricked up their ears hearing the Czech Republic's elimination at the hands of Turkey. This is Austria's big moment against Germany. Unlike the genuine Polish antipathy, the Austria's performances playing their vaunted neighbors have bordered on schizophrenia. Cozy and complicit on the one hand and a spoiler in the other.
Hans Krankl's side stopped W.Germany from advancing in the 1978 World Cup as they defeated them, 3-2 in their group match, even as they stood eliminated.
Four years later, the 1982 World Cup was marred by an infamous match involving these two teams as both playing the numbers kept Algeria from advancing out of the group stage. Algeria prior to this match defeated Chile garnering four points from three matches. The Germans had four points and the Austrians two. In their final match, the German squad went down to Austria early , 0-1 and for the remainder of the match both teams proceeded to play lackluster soccer. The result ensured both teams went to the second round on superior goal difference. FIFA could not prove any conspiracy but after the 1982 World Cup, far reaching changes were made with deciding group encounters played simultaneously to ensure against collusion.
This time around the Austrians have no choice but beat Germany.
Luckily for them, this German squad's form has been underwhelming. Their two big men up front have disappeared. Mario Gomez suffering somnambulism, gets caught offside time and time again. Miroslav Klose is playing ball retriever. In midfield, Michael Ballack has looked insipid and uninspiring in play and leadership. Against Croatia, Ballack was at his petulant worst. Lukas Podolski, their only goal scorer has been the opportunistic beneficiary of some defensive mis-hits and lapses.
If the attack has been woeful, the defense has looked disorganized and error prone. The left back position has been especially problematic. Marcel Janssen is slow and foul prone. Philip Lahm is quick but shows a reluctance to track back and tackle and Thomas Hitzlsperger fancies himself as a striker even though his day job lists himself as a left back.
Jens Lehmann so far has vindicated Wenger's decision to bench him while at Arsenal. Per Mertesacker and Christoph Metzelder, the twin towers have looked flat footed against speedier teams.
Under Joachim Low, this German squad looks dispirited and tired. Bastian Schweinsteiger is the one bright spot and introduced some needed urgency in the German attack.
Austria has some bright spots. Martin Harnik has made scintillating runs down the right. I fancy his match up against any of the German left backs. Roman Keinast has shown some aerial ability and will be called upon late in the game to outjump Mertesacker and Metzelder. Sebastian Proedl and Martin Stranzl have been more effective at center back than their German counterparts at blunting the inside game.
The only way Germany wins this is through their superior set pieces and it will be a Ballack conjuring up a perfect free kick or a Metzelder putting his head on a Lahm corner. Garics and Pogatetz are also liabilities against a speedy Podolski or Lahm.
But I think Austria will prolong German futility for a third Euro in a row.
Ruud Van Nistelrooy. Robin Van Persie. Arjen Robben. Most people can safely say that these three do not play with a sense of charity when they get the ball. The me first mentality of these players is quite pervasive. There was great relief at Old Trafford when RVN departed for Real. Robben was criticized during the 2006 World Cup by his team mates and fans for being a ball hog. RVP, a talented striker, is an exception to Wenger's selfless scheme of play at Arsenal. He appears to have tunnel vision when he gets the ball.
Yet the second goal which Persie scored against France was the product of unprecedented co-operation between these three players. First, Nistelrooy's artful drag back from the sideline and pass to Robben, who then charges upfield and to the left, dragging out the French defence, he looks up and sees Persie and Sneijder swiftly closing down on goal, lays down a perfect pass across goal which Persie crisply volleys. It had enough power to trickle home after Coupet got a hand to it. France is down two goals.
Andy Gray said "This is the best I have seen seen Turkey play." Me thinks he held back a bit. It would not have been awry if he had said that this was the best any team could have played. In the second half the sea of red breached the white shores time and time again. The 25,000 Turkish fans raining down Turkiye Turkiye provided a lifeline to their players, and not even Jaroslav Plaisil's goal could snuff out what now looks like destiny. Tuncay Sanli embodied the Turkish renaissance. There he was blasting a 20 foot piledriver, running back to tackle Jans Koller, laying a pass for Nishat to score a goal. And so when Volkan Demirel was red-carded, Fatih Terim without hesitation gave the goalie jersey to his most omnipresent player. By the time the match ended, Tuncay had played every position known to soccer.
Tuncay was magnificent. So was Nishat. So was Turan. So was Altintop. The Turks tore up the Czech defense in the second half reducing them to bystanders. Aeons had passed since the Jan Koller and Jaroslav Plasil goals gave Bruckner's team a comfortable 2 goal lead. The Czechs were well on their way to the Geneva pubs to cement their reputation as the hardest drinking nation.
Two things took place to derail that celebration. The Turks kept coming in suffocating waves mostly down the right where Marek Jankulovski and David Rozenhal gave away generous clumps of real estate which Sanli and Altintop exploited to feed Nishat and Turan. And under the unrelenting pressure the normally adroit Petr Cech crumbled.
Cech barely caught a whiff of the Turan goal. And minutes later he had an even more unforgivable mistake as he dropped an Altintop cross and an opportunistic Nishat cashed in on the mistake. The Turks had stormed back. This match was going to PKs. Or so everyone thought. Tuncay Sanli had other thoughts and lofted a pass that Galasek waffled on. The result was an onside Nishat who smartly angled the ball to the right of Cech. In a short span of 14 minutes the Turks scored three goals to turn conventional wisdom on its head.
And the other match saw Hakan Yakin, a Swiss player of Turkish origin, score two goals against Portugal as the hosts ended their Euro run on a positive note. Everyone is talking about the obligatory Brazilian in the national side. How about the obligatory Turk?
So I ask this question. Turkey is unwanted by the EU. Why would they want membership when they perform best with that chip on their shoulder?
Mourinho had them rolling the aisles and cheering wildly in his first press conference.He spoke for the most part in Italian - which he claimed to have learned in a few weeks.
Excerpts :
When a reporter from La Repubblica wanted to know how he could speak Italian so well. ...
"Never one for false modesty, Mourinho replied "because I'm very intelligent", bringing the first laugh of the morning."
On being asked to commit himself on whether he would try and shift Chelsea players to Inter...
"Then followed the morning's longest pause, as Mourinho carefully pondered his reply. Eventually he delivered a classic piece of Milanese slang. "Non sono un pirla" – "I'm not a dickhead". The room exploded in laughter and brought Mourinho his first round of applause on Italian soil. "
Rest of that story here..
After eight months in the wilderness Mourinho is back.He will cost Inter Milan £7 million a season.His answer to the theory that it was Abramovich's wealth that had created Chelsea's success was "The finance is not the most important factor. It's a big help but it's more about creating a squad, creating a team."Here are some faces from his old team - He will be joined at Inter by Rui Farias, Silvino and Andrei Villas Boas, all three of whom were part of his coaching staff at Stamford Bridge Rumours:Frank Lampard , Michael Essien, Ricardo Carvalho and Didier Drogba are moving to Inter later....
Every year, the United States Refugee Program welcomes refugees into this country so that they can escape the harsh realities of the war-torn countries that they have fled. They are expected to transition into our country regardless of language barriers, cultural differences and harsh economic realities.
The Fugees Family started three years ago as a soccer team for refugee boys in the Clarkston area. Volunteer coach, Luma Mufleh, quickly realized that the needs of this particular team were going to be unique. Mentoring and after-school help were implemented the second year. Recognizing that as one single volunteer she couldn't begin to address the complex needs of the players and their families, in fall 2006, Luma helped found the Fugees Family.
Get involved >>
Let's start a rumor.
Now that Avram Grant's been shown the door by Peter Kenyon cuz he couldn't fill Mourinho's shoes, who do you think could or should?
My answer: Mourinho!
Unfortunately, that ain't happenin. Mourinho is going to Inter. And he hopes to take Lampard, Essien, and Drogba with him...
Is Abramovich a fool? No, just another boss with an ego the size of Siberia. So hang in there, Chelsea. You could be getting Hiddink or Rijkaard.
Hleb has not endeared himself to many Arsenal fans after being discovered that the he has been secretly hawking himself to other clubs. Be that as it may, and do feel free to throw all the derogatory stuff possible at him, but it is an inescapable fact that he is one of the players that redefined Arsenal's midfield as a tower of strength and possession. His twinkling toes might not have yielded many goals but as long as Helb was on the field there was the potential for others to score. But his role on the field was doomed to be an anomaly. He would never replace Bergkamp as the definitive slot striker. And he did not have the speed to play wide. Nor did he have the holding capabilities of Gilberto.
Wenger never defined the position Hleb actually played. This would not be problematic in itself, as his elusiveness could have proven dividends. However, unlike Fabregas who firmly established himself as the locus of the attack, Walcott's grooming as a winger, and Flamini's industry which saw him naturally usurping Gilberto, Hleb's ghost in the machine approach never caught on. Flamini's departure is a real loss and he will be hard to replace. Hleb if he should go, leaves a void in those enviable possession stats. However what he accomplished at Arsenal remains something of an enigma.
Manchester United over Chelsea on penalties:
The best part of the game - Ronaldo's header to start the scoring in the first half:
Sir Alex is happy...
Personally I felt the game was rather lame. A few flashes of fun, for sure - but uninspiring is a good word to describe this "classic" that wasn't.
John Terry takes the penalty as his feet give out on the slick Luzhniki Stadium turf. The ball flies wide of the left upright. The Man U faithful who had turned blue with a world record in bottled up breath after the Cristiano Ronaldo miss some centuries ago, breathe a collective sigh of relief that could be heard around the world. As it turned out the better team lost but the team that wanted it more, won. We could certainly say that of Ryan Giggs whose age has not dimmed his competitive ardour. Bobby Charlton well past his bed time was at hand to see his protege and present all time leader slot the ball past Petr Cech. Seconds later, Anelka misses his chance. Man U win.
There can be no crueler game than soccer. Its not theory as much as axiom.
I followed the 2004 ALCS game between the Red Sox and the Yankees as George Steinbrenner's boys crested 3-0 in the series. Cruel as it was, the demise was gradual as the Sox exerted their will and the Yankees crumbled under the pressure of finding that elusive last win. The Sox's stirring comeback was taken by John Kerry as a harbinger for the presidential elections. But as it turned out, Dubya had the "mandate."
The Pats were overwhelming favourites in Super Bowl 2008 against the Giants till Eli Manning's throw threaded into traffic found an off kilter David Tyree whose wondrous grab sealed their win. Bill Belichik's sour face was a visage for the ages.
But these deflating moments in other sports are far fewer compared to the number of times that soccer has proved to break hearts.
Time and time again, soccer shootouts prove that there is very little correlation between the way the game is played in regulation time. Chelsea was head and shoulders, the better team. And when Ronaldo missed his penalty, it appeared to be a fitting culmination of how the game was played. We would have applauded the outcome.
Soccer is fickle. Fickleness is another form of cruelty. Ronaldo spread eagled on the field prone, relieved after Anelka's miss, as eons earlier he was consecrated to eternal damnation for his miss. Before that Terry's team mates high five him as his timely header glanced off a sureshot Man U goal moments before the end of extra time. After the game ends, Grant could barely console the weeping Terry. One moment we are up; the next, down. And the cycle goes on.
I am back. I have missed my passion as my dissertation kept me away but I will be back to dissect soccer in its every shape and form this summer. Arsenal, keep your chin up!!
Well, Man U should be up 3-0.
Instead, we have them tied at 1-1.
Ronaldo and Rooney looked great on a field-long combination, but blow the chance at goal. Tevez also misses a sitter. Ouch.
Lampard's junk-yard goal at the end keeps Chelsea in the game. Ugly, but effective.
Are these missed opportunities going to come back and haunt Sir Alex in the second half?
The Beeb is liveblogging this rather well >>
Ariel Ortega has always been a pesky fellow and he raises hackles wherever he goes or whomever he plays. Just ask Van Der Saar or the coaches for the number of clubs he has interred in. But he is one of the smartest dribblers of the ball and his short tireless frame keeps going. As long as he does that he can keep River going even as the club struggles with its self confidence. They have had a disappointing Clausura so far and their Copa Libertadores outings started shockingly with a loss to newbies Universidad San Martín in Lima.
Today's match against America was huge. Ortega's last gasp goal gave River a 2-1 win after the America defenders made a sloppy mess of a run of the mill clearance. The attacking midfielder says he is coming back to form. River's Fernando Belluschi has left for Olympiakos and in his absence Ortega and ex- Udinese striker Alexis Sanchez have a monumental task ahead of them.
Thaksin Shinawatra returned to Thailand today and was taken into custody, released on bail, and will stand trial before the country's Supreme Court on March 8th on corruption charges which include tax evasion and nepotism. He returned because the country's political environment changed in his favour.
Some immediate questions. If Thaksin is found guilty, does this mean that Man City will lose out on the some £800m frozen by the military junta? Even if his assets are released, would it benefit the club in time?
An encouraging sign is the agency responsible for freezing his millions is coming under increased scrutiny and it appears that the present government will close it down. That could lead to his assets being released.
Precious money that could keep a club afloat. Thaksin has been a low profile but unmistakable presence at Eastlands since he took up ownership; instrumental in hiring Sven Goran Erickson and getting the players that make a difference. City's chances of achieving an UEFA spot have never been better. In February they beat rivals Man Utd twice for the first time since 1968.
I think the answer becomes more clearcut if he decides to stay on and re-enter politics. He has denied an interest but he and his party, the PPP represent the interests of the millions of working class Thais, in opposition to the military junta and conservative forces which have been in a battle for ascendancy since Shinawatra came to power in 2001. They took advantage of his absence at a UN General Assembly meeting in 2006 to stage a coup.
The PPP came back as the majority partner in the coalition government last December but their fortunes could evaporate because of increasing disarray. The Prime Minister, Samak Sundaravej faces charges for a cover up in the assault of pro-democracy activists in 1976 that led to a number of deaths. Another leader faces charges of electoral fraud which has been upheld by the Election Commission and the election result could hinge on a Supreme Court verdict.
Most importantly, the populist agenda that Thaksin built around his party appears to have come unglued since his absence. His re-entry on the ground should rally his party under his leadership and keep the public pressure focused on dismantling the roadblocks that the military junta installed.
His presence is important because the media which has never been kind to him on his human rights violations will try and sway public opinion currently siding with him. There are a number of court cases including the Supreme Court's corruption and conflict of interest charges against a land deal involving him and his wife. The Attorney General's office has filed another charge of concealment of shares in a real estate holding company. Most previous charges filed by the military junta have proven unfounded.
Thaksin's millions of supporters and his acolytes in the present government are asking him to take up the political reins once more. His comeback will put pressure on the Supreme Court to acquit him, since in the court of public opinion, he has already been exonerated. If successful, it should put the nail in the agency's coffin. The money could be released quickly enough to reassure anxious Man City fans. Their owner will be now free to come and go as he pleases. Which is more than I can say about Tom Hicks who probably requires a security detail to come to Anfield.
Jesse Fink argues why Vukovic's case be treated differently. The referee Mark Shields made a hash of the penalty that Coastal clearly had.
Personally, anything more than a 3 game suspension would stink. Referees need to be protected but a blanket ban without any regard to the extenuating circumstances or to a player's career is unjustifiable. The soccer referee is a god compared to the rugby league or NFL officiating crew who regularly consult and do TV reviews to get a decision right.
This really looks like a 'clumsy tackle'.
Its taken little time but the media seems to be internalizing Martin Taylor's tackle as 'clumsy'. We can debate that. Its better than stupid or dirty. Blame it on a disobedient limb, on a transient mind-body disconnection. Be that as it may, the media circus that followed was clumsy. Richard Scudamore could not even take a break from defending his plan to voice regret.
Usually injuries of such a nature which threaten to end a player's career call for some introspection; to make the game safer, which really should be the issue. The Premiership is a huge draw for the world's best players. But there are other leagues that compete for them too and a player's decision to join hinges around a myriad of factors. One of them is surprise, surprise, the ability to remain healthy. Are we doing enough to protect them? But the singular lack of such debate which instead focuses on Wenger's reaction, Gallas's flare up, or Taylor's character is glaring. I used to think American talking heads were brain dead. Their counterparts across the pond are proving to be equally lobotomized.
There are international repercussions too. The Croatian media has been all over this story. They have pursued Taylor, fans have issued death threats, and to top it all, Slaven Bilic is one unhappy man. His star striker made the English defense look like penguins with two left feet, scored the most goals for their team, and led them to a top spot, after his team administered England's Euro coup de grace is now gone. Less than a year ago, Eduardo's Premiership departure was being hailed in his club as a breakthrough. A recognition of his skills with the possibility of becoming even better.
He is coming back with a crippling career ending injury. Yet, English fans are squabbling over Wenger's hyperbole, Scudamore is busy touting his 39 steps to more greed, and the media is closing ranks around Taylor. Where is the humanity?
There is enough hint of a conspiracy to make one suspect that some Croatian players might be tempted to test the 'clumsy tackle' theory themselves when they meet England next which will be soon. They might hold back for a less consequential meeting but there is every potential that it could happen. There are different types of payback.
The Premiership is on its way to becoming a giant echo chamber. This was an instance for the powers to be to acknowledge that there are countries who define themselves through their national team. But once Scudamore got the memo that Taylor's tackle was just 'clumsy', there was nothing left to say or do. Move on. Greed is indeed clarifying.
The key issue is as Michael Gleeson explains the AFL and Rugby League working around the World Cup schedule to free up the stadiums. The question is why would they. Soccer poses a serious and credible threat to their popularity.
Its been a climb since Johnny Warren wrote his memoir documenting the biases of the rabid fan base of Aussie rules. Some of it still persists but Australia is not the isolated outpost of yore. The hinterland might occasionally simmer but there is no escaping a thriving country very much part of the global economy, a huge driver of quality education, with a relatively transparent immigration process that attracts thousands.
From a soccer standpoint, Australia is now part of the Asia zone where millions follow soccer. It is a much tougher group of countries to play against. Most of the nancy boy derision that soccer faced was because of the weak competition in the Oceanic zone where they would run up scores against Western Samoa. Politically too, there is a change. John Howard's us and them fear mongering was fiercely rejected by a majority. The new PM, Kevin Rudd has ushered in a new era of reconciliation with a long due apology for the inequities suffered by the indigenous people of Australia. A mere band aid with much more to do. But it is a start. Soccer is part of Australia's re-evaluation of the past and its ability to move forward.
For what it is worth, Aussies are sports lovers. If a sport has a chance to flourish, introduce it in Australia first. There is nothing that they do not play and they become incredibly good at it. Every sport has a well supported niche and soccer has after a rough start, established itself. There is also no drop off in rugby's popularity in countries that also play soccer. Both sports enjoy separate audiences.
In the end, the AFL and Rugby League stand to look pretty small minded and insecure if they do not work with the World Cup bid committee to sort out this scheduling issue. Their fears are unfounded.
Beckham looks to be in good nick. Galaxy won 2-1 over Sydney FC coming third in the inaugural Pan Pacific championships. You can keep the commentary down if you don't want the usual jingoistic chest beating.
Today's A- League final ended in a controversial win for the Newcastle Jets over Central Coast
Goalie Danny Vukovic was sent off for striking referee Mark Shields after he failed to award a penalty to Central Coast following a handball by Newcastle's James Holland in the goalbox. He was charged with violent misconduct (Video here)
Under the FFA's national disciplinary regulations, such a charge carries a recommended sanction of a one-year ban to life suspension.
Makes you wonder about the slap on the wrist maximum 3 match suspension that Martin Taylor faces while referees seem to get a sliding scale benefit depending on the provocation.
William Gallas should comport himself as Arsenal's leader. He was understandably frustrated with the penalty decision and Eduardo's injury that saw a game slip away. But the occasion demanded that Gallas not take that armband lightly. Instead, he acted out in an unseemly fashion. What sort of example are you setting for players like Eboue and his impulse control problems?
At this stage, more than anything else, Arsenal's young team needs a rallying point in their quest for the league title. I agree with Arseblog that do this for Eduardo would be powerful motivation. The pundits wrote off Arsenal at the beginning of the season and here we are end of Feb at the top of the table. There would be nothing sweeter than seeing Eduardo hoisting that silverware with the rest of his mates in May. We can do this.
The reports are that Sir Alex is drooling over Karem Benzema and has made signing him a priority this summer. He saw an electrifying Benzema stick it to Man U before Tevez bailed them out again.
Jean Michel Aulas, Lyons owner and one of the shrewdest deal makers, says bring it on. He is used to smelling desperation in the morning. After all he made Roman Abramovich sweat bullets over the Michael Essien deal. Expect the same for Benzema.
But Aulas is being himself. What really gets your goat is Sir Alex prostrating himself to get Benzema. It was not so long ago when Gallas' equalizer got his lips flapping over the demise of the English game, blaming it on Wenger and his damn foreigners. He led a chorus of managers who said the same. A nice photo op with Sepp Blatter establishing quotas followed. It made you think the saviour of the English game was going to go to Shropshire to sign the first person with boots on. Yeah, right.
Can we kill this meme. Sir Alex is as interested in saving English soccer as Dylan Thomas was in keeping a story straight.
You can put lipstick on a pig......
Corpulent shareholder Alisher Usmanov has become Arsenal's largest shareholder, moving past Danny Fizsman, positioning himself for a club takeover. His takeover will pave the way for David Dein.
Remember how Dein had used the Henry transfer to justify that the wheels were falling off, surreptitiously maneuvering a takeover, first with Kroenke and now with Usmanov.
Usmanov's potential buyout benefits no one, least of all the club, as it has gained financial strength (Arsenal climbed to 5th in the world's richest clubs) without a takeover. Furthermore, Arsenal is in a good position to win silverware this year without adding any costly transfers to the squad. The financial future of the club remains strong.
We should remember that Arsenal has managed very well without these so called well wishers. The club should not be used by those who want to whitewash their baggage.
CL first leg. Arsenal vs AC Milan at the Emirates. 7:15 GMT.
Arsenal should take full advantage of the goalkeeping situation in Milan. Dida, the first choice is out with a back injury. Zeljko Kalac, Milan's back up has a dislocated finger and is questionable. Valerio Fiori, the third stringer has not played a competitive game in five years.
Kalac is a bit like Lehmann. He makes great saves but gives away the occasional goal through boneheaded moves. He will start if Ancelotti decides he is match fit but Arsenal should test that theory.
So if I were Arsenal some unexpected hefty swipes at goal amidst all that fine passing would be in order. Arsenal has also successfully surprised opponents by mixing up the long ball using Eduardo's speed up to threaten the goalkeeper. They should do the same through Clichy and Sagna to catch the slower, older Milan defense out of position. Marek Jankulovski has been vulnerable in the past as he has been slower to track back and an adventurous Sagna should be able to exploit that. Oddo does a lot of running up the right flank but fades away as the game goes on. The center of the defense with Nesta and Kaladzhe is Milan's strength and that might prove harder to breakdown especially if Arsenal go down the center. Ancelotti has rotated a lot of his peripheral defenders with Bonera and Favalli also receiving substantial minutes.
Milan's goalstrike might have been more dire if it was not for the late surge by Alexandre Pato scoring 4 goals in his last five apperances and Alberto Paloschi's stunning Serie debut against Siena. Ancelotti's attack has been quite conventional and Milan's 34 goals have forced a number of draws and low scoring wins.
For history buffs, Goal.com has a fascinating account of the last time these two played each other. Actually, the only time they faced each other was in the 1995 European Super Cup final which Arsenal lost 0-2 on aggregate. Milan's coach was Fabio Capello. It was Beauty vs Beast (Sorry, no You Tube highlights available, I'm afraid).
Arsenal had little regard outside of England. Its strength was its tough workman like defence coached by George Graham and led by Tony Adams, Nigel Winterburn, Lee Dixon, and goalie David Seaman. Dull but effective soccer. AC Milan, European powerhouses, one of the most decorated names in the world, boasted artists like Donadoni, Desailly, Savicevic, Baresi, Maldini, Costacurta, Massaro, and Boban. A different time, different coaches, and different approaches.
Today, we have two teams reknowned throughout the world for their artistry. This should be a great game.
As usual you can pretend to work while enjoying all the action at
www.livefooty.com
Did Nani showboat or showoff? Video here
Soccer players are entertainers. Brazil used to do that regularly before Dunga came along and our avenues to see this sort of stuff remains pretty limited. More power to Nani that he chose to do what he did. It looked good and it was effective. Sir Alex and Wenger need to lay off the sauce. Let me also say that Arsenal played like a bunch of hacks. Gallas should have gone and Eboue should seriously seek counseling.
THe NYT has an article highlighting the flood of kids with ACL injuries requiring surgery or bracing to restore knee stability. Conventional wisdom is that children break bones more easily than incur ligament damage. At stake is the mythic strength of children's ligaments. The article opens up many more questions.
An obvious question is how far have imaging studies contributed to a correct diagnosis? What used to be called a 'trick' knee is now correctly an ACL injury, which means that this increase in incidence could potentially be a false positive.
Is the popularity of soccer taking its toll on children's health? In other words, the rise of soccer could have a less salubrious effect too. The article does not breakdown the sports which cause these injuries. It would be helpful to establish a comprehensive database.
Interestingly, the majority of these injuries is non-contact, i.e., they occur off the field and involve twisting of the knees. Have potholes become more numerous or attention spans decreased?
Actually, one could argue that these ligament tears are possibly an accumulation of a series of microtears incurred on the field which compromise ligament integrity. Twisting your knee falling into a pothole is the last straw. One should try and correlate these non-contact injuries with the frequency and intensity of sports played to get a clearer understanding of whether and if ligament injuries are really on the rise.
This much is clear, ligament transplant surgery involving children's growth plates can potentially throw the leg out of alignment leading to shortening. Alternative methods are more cumbersome and the long term efficacy of these procedures are not known. Bracing runs into compliance issues and children are notoriously brace aversive. So methods of restoring knee stability in children have systemic problems.
However, this highlights the prevention is better approach. Most children are sent to the field without proper muscle conditioning. Muscles serve a protective function when it comes to prevention of injuries in unguarded moments. A half hour of plyometrics, e.g., jumping on a trampoline, on and off wooden blocks of different heights, with and without weights, with different knee and body angles, in a fun and festive atmosphere would be better than just lifting weights. Lower muscle tone might be one of the reasons girls seem to be more prone to knee injuries than boys.
And parents. Living life out vicariously or padding a child's resume becomes a bit less palatable when confronted with these injuries and their long term damage. So stop pushing them onto the field when the child complains of knee pain or swelling. It might be serious.
After a week of intense training with 35 players at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Pia Sundhage has released 11 players, re-assigned one to the U-23 Women’s National Team, and called up three additional players, making for a group of 26 players that will train from Feb. 9-17 at The HDC. Following the completion of training camp, Sundhage will choose a 20-player roster for the 2008 Algarve Cup, which will be held March 5-12 in southern Portugal. The four matches at Algarve Cup are the next international games for the USA and the final official matches before the USA enters the CONCACAF Final Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament being held April 2-13 in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.
Here's a videomercial w/ some of the new faces:
PRISTINA, Kosovo, Feb. 17
Kosovo declared its independence today from Serbia.
And that my friends should be another welcome addition to the soccer world.
Kosovo follows in the footsteps of Montenegro which broke off from Serbia weeks before the 2006 World Cup although the soccer team played under the unified banner of Serbia- Montenegro.
Kosovo will be FIFA's 209th member. They have a long standing team as yet unrecognized by FIFA and UEFA because Kosovo was occupied initially by Yugoslavia before NATO forces intervened in the Balkan crisis in 1999 and handed its administration to the UN. The most visible way to announce to the world that Kosovo is a independent entity is to get ratification from UEFA and FIFA and become eligible for the Euro and the World Cup.
Thus begins a dilemma for many Albania squad players born in Kosovo who might be eligible for the new Kosovo national team. This includes Lorik Cana, the captain of Olympique Marseille and Besart Berisha who recently transfered to Burnley FC from Hamburger SV, and Samir Ujkani, the U-21 goalie who plays for Palermo.
There are also a number of Kosovar Albanian players scattered throughout Europe in Switzerland, Sweden, Norway and Germany who may be tempted to become part of the Kosovo national team. Players such as Valon Behrami of Lazio who has already played for the Switzerland national squad, Liverpool's hottest youth prospect, Astrit Ajdarevic, a Swedish U21 international, and Faton Toski, of Eintracht Frankfurt, a member of Germany's U-19 squad.
For those history buffs the provisional Kosovo national team played its first game against Albania losing, 0-3 on Feb 14, 1993.
Finnish international and human bulldozer, Shefki Kuqi at present on loan to Fulham is Kosovar Albanian in origin. But he may not switch his allegiance from the land of Koskenkorva and Sillanpaa.
Globoesporte's: What now?
Ronaldo is down and out with a torn knee ligament for the thousandth time. Globoesporte would like its readers to opine. What now?
Option C:Hang up your boots and enjoy your millions.
Option D:Maybe Ronaldo can call up Adriano and see if there is a spot available in the rehab clinic.
If I was Ronaldo, Option C would be a no-brainer. But there is always the MLS. They love over the hill stars and their injured knees and ankles. So don't give up hope yet, Ronaldo! Let your people call up Alexi Lalas.
Corinthians greatest striker will be part of the celebrations
Corinthians, relegated to Division B, play their 5000th game against Braga at the Morumbi today. The club was founded in 1910.
In a special celebration the club will honour its stars. Biro-Biro, Neto, Sócrates, Zé Maria, Tião, Marcelinho Carioca, Geraldão, Basílio, Mauro, Vaguinho, Wilson Mano, Ronaldo, Zenon and Wladimir. Corinthians has the largest following of supporters in Brazil with an estimated 35m fanbase.
Soccerblog writes how Corinthians, the people's club, was the revolutionary vanguard leading the charge against the corruptive influence of the cartelos in Brazilian soccer finally succumbing to the very culture that it previously fought against.
Give me your Hoddled masses.
Glenn Hoddle, midfield general, phlegmatic former England manager, born again Christian; talks to Simon Kuper about creating a youth academy for teenage players, club rejects, who desire a second chance.
Seems like a 180 turn from his insensitive comments on disabled people for which he was sacked as England manager.
The FT highlights the rise of Keta Sandlanders, a small Ghanian club which has seen its fortunes rise thanks to the worldwide reach of the internet and offers a model of success for small clubs who are part of the local community but are struggling to survive.
The club shut down a decade ago as coastal erosion ate up the town of Keta but is up and running thanks to an online initiative which is attracting a membership base around the world.
Barcelona's co-operative system has been the inspiration behind such ventures. The spate of foreign owned soccer owners in the English league and elsewhere had created a backlash as fans desire a greater degree of control in their hands and to invest in a club that is part of the local community.
The internet has given a renewed impetus to such initiatives. We now have the Share Liverpool FC plan modeled after Barca which is utilizing Liverpool's global reach to end foreign ownership. Their goal is to raise £500m. Ebbsfleet United, the largest such online venture, is supported by more than 50,000 members who pay £35 for the right to vote on any matter related to the club, including transfers and team selection. Hapoel Kiryat Shalom, an Israeli sixth division club goes one better. The coach is advised tactical changes as the games are streamed live, by an online viewership of 10,000 members.
Alisher Usmanov sighting. He has become Arsenal's second biggest stakeholder behind Danny Fiszman. A difference of a few shares. Usmanov is positioning himself as the biggest stakeholder before the lockdown agreement expires in April 2009. He will be in pole position to increase his exposure to 30% triggering an automatic takeover bid. He can buyout Stan Kroenke's stake or team up with him to get to that level.
We can then look forward to Arsenal playing friendlies with the Karimov XI in Uzbekistan.
The aftermath of the bitter and divisive 2000 US presidential elections spawned a myriad of political blogs disillusioned with the bias of the mainstream media (MSM) narrative. On either side of the divide, blogs became agents of change challenging the MSM and supporting candidates who hew more closely to their vision. Blogs have become a potent counterpoint to the Washington echo chamber, a tight knit cabal of talking heads who push narratives like McCain is a maverick and tensions between Hispanic and African Americans voters will determine Barack Obama's candidacy. An establishment that now appears to be on the defensive as millions turn to blogs who espouse a more unfiltered point of view, frequently are quicker on their feet, and do the legwork to expose fallacies and inconsistencies. Blogs have become so influential that candidates solicit their financial support, post up their opinions, and participate in their yearly conventions. The 2006 mid term elections that saw Democrats capture the House and Senate was engineered by the election of many candidates supported by progressive blogs. Many MSM outlets now have their own talking heads who write blogs or invite prominent bloggers to guest column. Blogs are now an accepted part of the political environment with a proven track record of influencing election outcomes.
By the same token, we do not have a similar seminal point in sports blogging. Deadspin, an anti-corporatist website that rails against ESPN, Fox Sports, and other mainstream sports media (MSSM) outlets has been chiefly set up to knock down sports as nothing more than providing entertainment. It is thus irreverent and tongue in cheek, mocking self important talking heads. Deadspin would be required reading for those sickened by Bob Costas and his saccharine sweet jingoism which grates every Olympics, ane event coming up soon. However for all its popularity, Deadspin has not forced a change in the narrative of the MSSM which is driven by above said Bob Costas and Bryant Gumbel who eulogize athletes with crushed ribs and bad parenting.
Deadspin is a US based blog and as such it is targeted primarily towards American sports. Fortunately, the winds are changing, more specifically towards a soccer based activism. Blogs that follow EPL clubs lead the way which makes sense as it is the most widely followed league in the world with more than 200m followers. The enormous bile towards the Premiership proposal of expanding its matches to overseas markets is forcing Richard Scudamore to rethink his proposal. Managers, sports pundits, and administrators have come out against the proposal. The FA hardly an activist organization is dead against the soccer expansion. But it is blogs who have coalesced fan anger, accusing the EPL of being anti-player in its mercenary pursuit of exploiting new markets for merchandising.
The process of forcing change has long been hampered by the fact that fans rarely have a say in the economic matters of the club or its club ownership. But last summer proved to be a milestone as blogs exposed the shady past of Alisher Usmanov as he tried engineering an Arsenal takeover. These Arsenal friendly blogs helped disseminate an unflattering article written by a Craig Murray, a former British ambassador to Uzbekistan even as Usmanov's lawyers sought to muzzle them in a cease and desist motion. The club's governing board was forced to action and installed a lock down agreement that would prevent a hostile takeover. In contrast, Liverpool's takeover proceeded with little opposition. However, later on, the US co-owners dubious solvency and irresolute behavior gave anxious Liverpool fans enough reason to believe that their club would once again be on the market. Blogs channeled this widespread discontent which led to a proposal by a group of committed Liverpool fans to buy out the club and run it as a co-operative. The proposal was passed onto blogs and their readers who crashed the group's website.
Wenger defends his use of cardboard cutouts to play Man U in the FA Cup fifth round. Arsenal lost 0-4.
"Its the economy, stupid. "
"Newcastle looks good except for the scoreline."
"They can't do sliding tackles but otherwise they are alright."
"Cardboard cutouts are a natural progression from underage players."
"Not all of them are cut out for the big matches but you would never know until you try them."
"Rio called me up and said he had wood."
"The cardboard cutout who was in Dances with Wolves, he was nominated for the Oscar."
"I was preparing them for the 39th game."
"Yeah, it would be easier knocking down a strawman."
"I am the decider."
Anyways, all this does not take away from a superior Man U display. But Arsenal were abject and deserving of all scorn.
Arsenal takes the afternoon off
FA Cup: Man U up 2-0 within 20 minutes as the Arsenal defence seems like its waiting to be airlifted to another time zone. Another one of those classic Arsenal meltdowns. Hoyte and Gallas have been awful. Its been Rooney, Nani and Fletcher. Yes, Fletcher. Its that kind of a day for Arsenal.
Huddersfield just scored against Chelsea. Its 1-1 all and this could turn out to be another historic match a la Barnsley.
Update: Man U, 3-0 up as Nani scores. Arsenal's defence does a re-enactment of the Keystone Kops.
Liverpool's season just took another body blow as Barnsley created history ousting the Reds in the FA Cup fifth round. The heroes for Barnsley were many.
Martin Devaney's spectacular cross set up Steven Foster's equalizer, Robert Kozluk's scrambling legs kept a sure Dirk Kuyt goal out after the Barnsley defense was caught out of position, Luke Steele's heroics in goal stopped Yossi Benayoun and Harry Kewell, and Brian Howard nailed the door shut with 30 seconds left as his 25 yard left footer beat Charles Itandje The match ended with Anfield engulfed by boos from LFC supporters.
Rafa Benitez's comfort zone just got a lot smaller. For FA Cup junkies, another reminder that the tournament keeps throwing up some of the most memorable and entertaining matches.
FA Cup fixtures usually fall victim to CL and Premiership aspirations. However, today's encounter with Man U may not be as insignificant as guano in the Galapagos because of its Premiership and CL implications. In the Premiership we have witnessed a very tight race between the teams before a suddenly vulnerable Man U team ceded five points to create some daylight. The psychological boost provided by an Arsenal win today would be tremendous ahead of its April return to Old Trafford.
This match is important too for Arsenal's overseas challenge. They meet Milan midweek for the start of the CL knockout phase. Milan, the present CL champion beat out Man U last year in a memorable semi-final, after falling back in the first leg. Milan has revived its Serie season with Ancelotti's new signings providing a shot in the arm. And of course the triple threat posed by Kaka, Seedorf, and Pirlo remain intact. Last season Arsenal's chances ended prematurely against PSV. A win over Man U would be a nice confidence booster in its CL match up with Europe's best.
Deloitte's 2008 Football Money League report puts three Premiership clubs in the top five richest spots for the first time. Real continues its most moneyed status followed by Man U, Barca, Chelsea, and Arsenal. The Gunners made a huge move from ninth to fifth. The catalyst was the tremendous growth in gate receipts due to the increased Emirates capacity.
There are six Premiership clubs in the list which also includes Liverpool, Tottenham, and Newcastle. It is estimated that the Premiership will provide half the top twenty clubs in the next couple of years.
The Serie continues it slow slide. Milan fell out of the top five as the San Siro suffered a significant decline in attendance. It was partially offset by its strength in broadcasting revenues. Inter's story is similar following a drop off in season and match day ticketholders. Last year's third position holder Juventus fell out of the top ten following Calciopoli. AS Roma was the only only club that improved but that was because of its strong CL performance. The Serie's strength comes from its broadcasting revenues.
But the big story is that the Bundesliga continues to benefit from the World Cup as Werder Bremen joins SV Hamburger, Schalke, and Bayern in the top twenty. The World Cup expanded Europe's largest economy with new and improved sponsorships fueling the clubs growth as commercial revenue increased. This despite the Bundesliga having the smallest broadcasting market. Bayern benefits from Adidas stake in the club and a huge sponsorship deal with Deutsche Telekom.
More on the Deloitte football money league with club highlights >>
The Newcastle fans had their say. Owner Mike Ashley brought in the man and his inspirational leadership. But has it paid off?
Keegan's first four matches: 2 losses, 2 draws.
Allardyce's first four matches: 2 wins, 2 draws.
Under Keegan, the Magpies have given up 8 goals and scored two. Under Allardyce, they scored 6 goals and gave up three. Since taking over from Allardyce, Newcastle has trended downwards slipping from 11th to the 13th spot and are just six points from relegation. Out of the remaining 12 matches left, only four are to lower placed teams. Less than a month ago, Keegan was aspiring for a UEFA spot. Unreal, no?
On the other hand, Roy Keane realized that it was not just inspirational leadership that was going to get Sunderland out of the woods, it was going to be his players. Kieran Richardson's January return has kickstarted their climb up from relegation and they are trending up from 18th to the 14th position, just below Newcastle. They too have some tough matches ahead and it will be interesting to see where these clubs end up at the end of the season.
Richard Scudamore's plan has a caveat. Asia's millions know Man U, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, and possibly Man City. The EPL is a global brand because of these clubs. If you really want to humiliate clubs like Reading or Wigan, send them out to these countries and watch them disprove the popularity of the EPL brand. No offense meant to either club but they have problems attracting an audience at home. How about we start here?
Arsenal polished off Blackburn with goals from Senderos and Adebayor.
It increases the gap between Man U and Chelsea as the season heads to its fatiguing climax of FA, CL, and league fixtures. Great win!
Egypt's sixth ACN title cementing its position as the dominant African soccer power underscores the success of its vibrant and fiercely competitive domestic league. While successful Western African talent is leaving flooding the higher profile and more lucrative European leagues, diluting the domestic game. In comparison, the Egyptian players stand out for their seeming reluctance to abandon their domestic league, even as many are offered attractive deals to do exactly that by well to do foreign clubs.
Mohammad Aboutreika might be the most courted African player not to leave his club, Al Ahly, as he continues to set an example with his commitment to his club and country. On the strength of his incandescent play, the Cairo club came third in the Club World Championships two years ago, the first African club to progress so deep. He also led Al Ahly to its fifth CAF title, another record. Soon after that he was nominated for the African player of the year award competing with six others including Samuel Eto'o, Barca's talisman and Didier Drogba, Chelsea's standout who led their scoring in their successful title repeat. He was rejected in the final balloting setting off a firestorm in Egypt. Eto'o who had not played any meaningful minutes with his frequent injuries sailed through to the final stage before Drogba was eventually declared the winner.
Critics saw this as a sellout undermining a true hero whose accomplishments shone a light on a successful and relatively unknown African league as opposed to candidates playing for European brands which already enjoy global recognition. In essence, Aboutreika was the sort of player the CAF should be championing, given its African pan nationalist origins and its founding mission of unifying African soccer.
The fierce reaction to Aboutreika's rejection echoes Egypt's unique place in Africa and its abbreviated colonial history as compared to generations of rule in other African countries by Western European powers. These colonial associations are being turned to an advantage by clubs like ASEC Mimosas which feeds the exodus of Eboue, Toure, Zokora, Kalou and other players from its from youth academy to the European leagues.
Egypt has not benefited from these colonial associations, in fact, actively spurning them through a mix of nationalistic ambition and suspicion of Western motives. Britian's brief interlude in Egypt collapsed as its army met a series of sustained and fierce resistance from the citizenry. In 1952, Farouk I, a pro- British monarch was removed in a coup led by Gamel Abdel Nasser who went onto become Egypt's Prime Minister. And Britain's bluff was called when Nasser sought to successfully nationalize the Suez Canal. Nasser's forceful articulation of pan-Arabism drew them inexorably closer to the political and ideological center of the Arab world after years of uneasy co-existence. His feat wresting the Suez from the hands of Britain, England, and Israel made him a hero from Amman to Baghdad.
While most African countries were still struggling with the effects of colonialism, Egypt was sharpening its nationalistic credentials, becoming the leader of the Arab League, seeking common ground with countries like India and Yugoslavia during the Cold War, creating an independence from NATO and the Warsaw Pact countries, even at it moved towards Soviet style heavy industrialization, educational, and agrarian reforms. Egypt has benefited from relative stability, a largely self sufficient economy, and making peace with Israel. West Africa has seen its share of countries torn apart by harsh ethnic strife, warring neighbours, and burdened by crippling debt.
Such strong national ideals which informed Egypt's place in the post colonial world were also at work in the formation of Al Ahly in 1907, a student soccer club, whose membership led an active resistance to the occupation. It was the first club for Egyptians under British rule. Zamalek's original character as a club for expatriates changed under the tide of nationalism. By 1930 it had expelled its European membership.
The success of the Egyptian league clubs in the CAF competitions winning 11 titles with Al Ahly and Zamalek leading with five each underscores its strength compared to other African leagues as it continues to retain its talent. This despite the fact that its players are not well paid and the Egyptian league continues to be plagued with old stadiums and indifferent organizations. Its viability depends on a combination of government subsidies and private entrepreneurship.
In the end Hassan Shehata did not need EPL stars like Mido or Ghaly to win the ACN. Mohammad Zidan, the Hamburger SV striker was an exception but got no favours for returning as a star. He had to prove that he was part of the national team just like the rest of the players.
Congratulations to Hassan Shehata and the Pharoahs as they overcame the Lions and Samuel Eto'o.
Zidan came on the 60th minute for Emad Moteab and the move paid off twenty minutes later as he dispossessed Rigobert Song, squaring the ball to Mohammad Aboutrieka, the hero of Egypt and Al Ahly who made no mistake.
The goal was just enough to snuff out the battling Lions.
The match has started and it promises to be a fitting finale to one of the freest flowing and attacking expositions of soccer of all times. Egypt met Cameroun in its Group C encounter and won, 4-2. Samuel Eto'o scored both goals but he was overshadowed by the sensational Mohamad Zidan and Hosni Abd Rabou.
Egypt and Cameroun have defied all odds and expectations to reach the finals as Ghana, Ivory Coast, and Nigeria have fallen. Two coaches with very different trajectories, Hassan Shehata, the long time Zamalek player, for the last three years coaching the only national team in his career goes head to head with the most itinerant coach on the planet, Germany's Otto Pfister, last seen as Togo's national coach in he 2006 World Cup. Cameroun is Pfister's 17th coaching job. He was also Zamalek's coach from 1999- 2002 and led them to the CAF title as well as a league championship. So there is a bit of history interconnecting the two teams.
Arsenal's Alexander Song who has had a fantastic competition will hold the back four as Cameroun look to absorb Egypt's potent attack led by in form Mohammad Aboutreika, Ahmed Fatih, Amr Zaky, and Hosni Abd Rabou. Their best chance lie in counterattacks with Samuel Eto'o, their talismanic sharpshooter providing the exclamation point.
Cameroun: 1-Idriss Carlos Kameni; 3-Bill Tchato, 8-Geremi, 4-Rigobert Song, 5-Timothee Atouba; 10-Achille Emana, 15-Alexandre Song, 19-Stephane Mbia, 14-Joel Epalle; 12-Alain Nkong, 9-Samuel Eto'o
Egypt: 1-Essam Al Hadari; 5-Shady Mohamed, 6-Hani Said, 20-Wael Gomaa, 14-Sayed Moawad; 8-Hosni Abd Rabou, 7-Ahmed Fathi, 17-Ahmed Hassan, 22-Mohamed Aboutrika; 10-Emad Moteab, 19-Amr Zaki
A minute silence was observed by 76,000 fans at Old Trafford before the start of the Manchester derby to honour those killed on Flight 609. It went of without incident, as traveling City fans once feared as spoilers, paid their respects without fuss. They had come to pay homage to one of their own heroes.
Frank Swift, a News of the World reporter was also Man City's goalkeeper from 1933 to 1949 making 376 appearances, winning a FA Cup title in 1934 and a league championship in 1937. He is considered as one of England's finest goalkeepers alongside legends Gordon Banks, Peter Shilton, and David Seaman. He made 19 appearances for England, twice as captain and was the sentinel in a great pre-war team that boasted luminaries like Stanley Matthews, Joe Mercer, Tommy Lawton, Raich Carter, and Jimmy Hagan. His exploits in goal earned him a spot in the 100 League Legends list along with fellow City players Bert Trautmann, Billy Meredith, and Colin Bell.
James Mossop in his tribute to Frank Swift writes:
"Frank Swift was a huge, athletic goalkeeper with a dry, clown's outlook on life, gloveless hands that spread as wide as a tennis racket and who, history tells us, was the best in the world at his job. The huge mitts became custodians of a deft pen as he turned to journalism before dying with seven other writers who had become friends and rivals."
The gentle giant stood 6' tall, weighing 200 lbs, and with a 12'' handspan he easily enveloped the ball with one hand. His looming presence and quick reflexes made life difficult for opposing strikers to score goals.
It was Swift who became the innovator of the long throw out to start an attack rather than the more conventional hoof up the pitch that most keepers of the day used. A technique that dramatically improved possession and jump started quick counter attacks. We now see goalies use it all the time but it was first put to use more than 60 years ago by a Man City legend.
Update: Man Utd lost to City, 1-2.
Well done City fans! They did the right thing by holding their peace and honouring the twenty three, including one of their legends. Maybe Joe Hart imbibed Swift's spirit because he made some great saves. City walked off deserving victors as an enervated and dispirited Utd team left their charge a bit too late, 1-2.
"It's a strange and comical idea," Platini said. "I laughed because it will never be received by Fifa, by the fans and the national associations. It's a nonsense idea. It's like if I am the president of Uefa and I put the house of Uefa in China. It's ironic. Soon you will have in England no English presidents, you already have no English coach and maybe now you will have no clubs playing in England. It's a joke."
Platini reacts to the EPL overseas expansion plan.
Personally, I think he was being a bit of an ass with that hyperbolic comment. It is a limited number of games and the idea of playing EPL matches abroad reflects its status as the most watched league and its huge fan base around the world. It is not an indictment of the English game.
Most of the criticism comes from managers left in the dark over the EPL scheme. Naturally, they are cut up about it. The league has to address manager concerns over a spectrum of logistical and player problems, from fatigue brought on by too much overseas travel to potentially racist fans. The plan can only survive if the managers sign onto it. The first step would be to bring the managers on board. But the EPL has to pay closer attention to some of the more substantive objections coming from the domestic leagues in the countries that they plan matches in.
Many countries including the USA have national leagues that have climbed a hard road to establish themselves as viable sporting entities. They are just beginning to come into their own.
So what does it say when an EPL match could potentially attract upto 120,000 at Salt Lake Stadium while the Indian Premier League struggles to attract a percentage of that audience? A failure of branding of course and questions of survivability for the domestic game. But it does not necessarily have to be that way.
If handled well, it could be a different message. I liken it to the Indian economy opening up incrementally after decades of anemic growth crippled by governmental regulation and under performing public sector underakings. Multinational firms initially gained access to the buying power of India's huge middle class by developing associations with the local economy, leading to public sector reforms and the rise of the private sector causing a much improved economic environment. The result is that there is now a flood of foreign investors in India's economy as the government continues its process of cautious deregulation.
Having players of the caliber of Ronaldo, Torres, Drogba, and Cesc playing in Asia will bring out their enormous fan base which so far relies on TV broadcasts without ever seeing their heroes live.
The EPL first mission would be to plan matches which don't intrude with international and domestic fixtures. In addition, it would be useful to work towards a more equitable revenue sharing plan with the domestic leagues. But these measures by themselves do not guarantee the sustainability of the plan.
The idea that the Indian fan will keep buying Fernando Torres merchandise blindly on the strength of a yearly Torres sighting is a fallacy. I can confidently say that Asians in general are discriminating buyers and to become a viable plan with a sustainable future, the EPL needs to part with something more intrinsic in value than just a temporary presence marketing games and merchandise.
It has to develop a more permanent relationship with the local game to lift its levels. For e.g., India already has a long term plan to improve soccer under the auspices of the Asian Football Federation. Individual EPL clubs could supplement that mission by offering their deep and excellent resources. Training camps to improve coaching, fitness and techniques would be a good way to begin. Another way would be to send promising local youngsters on scholarships to train at English youth academies. Just imagine what it would do to India's game if even a few were trained at Liverpool's or Man Utd's excellent youth facility.
This long term relationship will bring dividends to the EPL beyond the projected games even as Asian audiences get a short term fix of seeing their favourite stars in action. The league can quell the uneasy reception to its overseas expansion by articulating its symbiotic aspects.
It is often said that you can never count out Man U till the final whistle is blown. As if on cue, last Saturday, Carlos Tevez stuck a dagger into the heart of Spurs in the final seconds of the match as Man U walked away with a face saving draw after their opponents put on a magnificent display.
The indestructibility of Man Utd soccer has its genesis in the horrific events of the Munich air crash that took the lives of 23 players, staff, reporters, and crew on February 6th, 1958.
Yesterday, on the 50th anniversary of that great tragedy, a sombre audience observed a minute's silence in their honour before the Switzerland game. At Old Trafford, Sir Bobby Charlton, a crash survivor and record goal scorer for his club and country, attended services of his fallen team mates. Alongside him were fellow survivors and mates Albert Scanlon, Bill Foulkes, Kenny Morgans, and Harry Gregg.
Eight players, the Busby Babes, representing the future of the club were killed. Players like Duncan Edwards, barely 18, in his short lived career already touted as England's best player. We laud Arsene Wenger with his eye for youthful and cheap talent but it is useful to remember that fifty years before Matt Busby was doing the same with English players from gritty working class neighborhoods. Only days before Man Utd's teen squad had played Arsenal and won their league game, 5-4.
John F Burns quoting the Telegraph reports of the match:
“The Babes played like infants in paradise. The ball, it seemed, had been placed in the arena for their own amusement. With the utmost abandon and cherubic cheerfulness, the Manchester United marvels kicked, headed and dribbled among themselves. When, on rare occasions, an Arsenal player knocked them sliding into the mud, or momentarily took the ball away, it was all part of the fun.”
In addition to Edwards; Man Utd lost Liam Whelan, David Pegg, Roger Byrne, Tommy Taylor, Geoff Bent, Eddie Colman, and Mark Jones. Two other players Jackie Blanchflower and Johnny Berry had their careers cut short because of the severity of their injuries. Their manager, Matt Busby lay in the hospital near death with multiple injuries. In one shattering moment, the club had lost its core.
Out of that great tragedy, great tenacity of purpose was born.
Man Utd soldiered on. The team was able to complete their season and in its first match after the disaster beat Sheffield Wednesday, 3-0 playing with their reserves and youth squad. They lost their league matches but were still able to reach the FA Cup final against Bolton, losing 0-2.
It took a generation but the second version of Busby's Babes which included Denis Law and George Best took them to the 1968 European title, the first English club to do so. From the smoldering embers of Flight 609, the team rose to its pinnacle. Fittingly under a manager who had been administered his last rites, not once but twice. Charlton was the captain of that team, scoring two goals as Man Utd beat Benfica, 4-1. As the first survivor to walk out of the hospital and his reputation as a talented striker, there was an immediate expectation that he help re-build Man Utd. There was no time to grieve for his fellow team mates, for David Pegg who he had exchanged seats with before takeoff.
But the price that the surviving players paid was enormous. Kenny Morgans, 68, recalls the almost brutal dressing-room mood in the months afterward.
The victims, he said, became nonpersons: “It was as if they had never played for United. There was nothing like grief counselors or anything like that. We didn’t talk about it among ourselves. Nobody did. We wanted to blank it out. You always wondered why you were alive and others were dead.”
At the risk of sounding Tolkien-ish, it was a simpler time. The tragedy took place a decade after the end of World War II amidst a generation limping to normalcy from the Battle of Britain and its fear inducing air raid sirens heralding death and destruction. Grief counselors for working class players when an already stretched country needed collective therapy? It was a time to hide grief behind closed doors. Stoicism was a celebrated value. A far cry from the locker rooms of now, the richest and most widely watched league where every sulk and tantrum is seemingly encouraged and deconstructed by an avid media. Publishing houses have become proxy grief counselors and PTSD is a fashionable byword which Wayne Rooney suffers from endlessly at the hands of Mark Clattenberg and Rob Styles.
I am not sure given these present times, a club undergoing Man Utd's magnitude of tragedy suffered fifty years ago would survive, let alone go on to nirvana like accomplishments. The system of checks and balances has long gone. We live in an age of Bosman transfers and financial fluidity. Player fealty is harder and a team is measured by its titles. Clubs have collapsed living beyond their means.
It is a good time to remember even in the moment of this great tragedy, that the game was carried on the backs of players like the eight who died and those who survived. On February 6th, for a day, we became Man Utd fans.
Fela 'Anikulapo' Kuti, the pioneer of Afrobeat music. Musician, political activist, human rights campaigner, and mesmerizing performer. Here he sings Army Arrangement. To my great regret I never got to see him but his music lives on through his sons Femi and Seun. I have heard Antibalas, a NY based Afrobeat group, at Columbia. Just great music. Fela Kuti's music inspired Ginger Baker, Roy Ayers, and Branford Marsalis. Here is a 1971 clip from Ginger Baker's documentary on Kuti and Afrika 70.
Update: Ghana just beat Nigeria, 2-1 in the first ACN quarterfinal.
Jermain Defoe made an instant impact at Pompey as the ex-Spurs scored a goal on his debut from a Baros flick. It was Pompey's first goal against Chelsea in ten EPL games. The game was played end to end at breathless pace with scores of chances and near misses. Lassana Diarra, the disgruntled ex-Gunner who complained of his playing minutes at the Emirates also turned in a fine performance, orchestrating the midfield.
Wigan got a win over the Hammers through a Kevin Kilbane goal but it was tireless midfielder Wilson Palacios, a Deportivo Olimpia import who caught the eye. He was everywhere chasing balls down, tackling, starting an attack, keeping the Latics cohesive and dangerous on the counterattacks.
Spurs played magnificently for 93 minutes before being cruelly done in by a Tevez goal which nullified Berbatov's 21st minute strike. Alan Hutton, the ex-Rangers right back and Jonathan Woodgate, the ex-Boro center back effectively bottled up the Man U attack with Hutton in particular having an outstanding match.
The big story doing the rounds was Wenger's admission that Arsenal was inches close to signing Cristiano Ronaldo before the Portugese midfielder decided to move to Old Trafford as his club Sporting Lisbon broke off Arsenal's offer for a bigger bag of donuts from Sir Alex.
Wenger mentions that there is no better person than Ronaldo himself to give us the lowdown on what actually transpired. These tidbits are the stuff of biographical revelations. But there is a suggestion that Ronaldo would shockingly reveal himself a closet admirer of Arsenal soccer but stopped short from coming out with the threatened loss of his private parts at the hands of Sir Alex.
Anyways, the timing is really interesting. Ronaldo, the player instrumental for leading Man Utd's charge this time as well as winning last season, is revealed to have considered Arsenal as his first choice before the Carlos Queiroz cabal moved in. Many know the story but Wenger makes it a point of highlighting it at a sensitive time. In a tight race that is as much played on the sidelines as it is on the pitch, these sort of stories feed the trope that Man Utd might attract the big players but it is Arsenal that plays the better soccer. Score one for a moral victory.
Man City lost its first EPL home game continuing its downward trajectory as it took on a re-configured Arsenal which still had enough in its tank to put one over Sven and his men. Arsenal was missing Almunia in goal with Lehmann getting a rare look in. Apart from missing Toure and Eboue at the ACN, Arsenal were without Rosicky and RVP. But Adebayor is almost automatic now and his two goals with a little beauty from Eduardo ensured the Gunners victory.
Gabby Agbonlahor is now an English squaddie
Gabriel Agbonlahor's inclusion in the England squad is cause for celebration. He has been a stand out for Villa and his combination of blistering pace, damaging crosses, and timely headers should make for a more potent England offense which looked toothless in the Euro qualifiers. His equally dangerous bookend Ashley Young also received a call along with three other Villa players.
Michael Owen got a reputation call. Capello probably settled with a bag of chips and some Peroni, saw some old 1998 World Cup footage and Liverpool's 2001 FA final against Arsenal and decided that the more portly and damaged Owen had some legs left in him.
Capello had no room for Beckham who surely must be ruing his move to the MLS as Capello abundantly made clear that his lack of match practice was at the heart of his exclusion. The MLS season gets over in December. At stake is a personal milestone of a 100 caps. The training at Arsenal did not help Beckham. In fact, Arsenal's contribution remained a dismal zero as Walcott was singled out for praise and not for selection. Spurs got in Woodgate, Jenas, and Ledley King.
So begins the Capello reign. England take on Switzerland in a friendly next Wednesday. Under the new rules, friendlies are considered akin to trench warfare. This match should be a good indicator of the England squad's newly minted aggressive psyche.
Pim Verbeek assumes the mantle of the Socceroos coach in the wake of the disastrous Graham Arnold tenure which led them to crash out of the Asian Cup with reasons ranging from the dreadful heat to defensive meltdowns. Unlike the Australian cricket team, Harbhajan Singh thankfully, was not involved in this debacle and no team had to threaten to charter a flight out of Thailand.
Verbeek does the Socceroos no favours. He is not an improvement over the Arnold system. There are two very important reasons why a Verbeek management would be wrong as presently laid out.
Any manager who owes blind allegiance to a system without looking at what the players do in it should be hanged, drawn, and quartered. Yes, it might be an accurate characterization that the European leagues have a standard of training that the A-League can only dream of but it is equally fallacious to say that the players become better by simple association. So Josh Kennedy and Michael Beauchamp answer Verbeek's call even as they struggle to play any significant minutes for their German club teams because in Verbeek's eyes they are part of a superior system.
Second, Verbeek's boldface assumption is the A- League is an inferior recruiting ground. This is a major slap across the face because it assumes that domestic leagues other than European ones have very little part to play in player development. The A League saw the exploits of Nick Carle and David Carney attracting the attention of the European leagues before moving on. They are presently the hottest prospects for the Socceroos.
Verbeek implicitly suggests that the A- League is less worthy than the J-League which became the primary driver for the Japanese national team under Ivica Osim. His template for success was to draw down the European based veterans and highlight the J- League through its youthful contribution. It worked well for the 2007 Asian Cup before the Iraqis stole it through a combination of pre-ordination and good soccer. But Japan was a recharged team relying less on Celtics Nakamura and Eintracht's Inamoto, and more on Yuki Abe, who led the Urawa Reds to the FIFA CWC, and is widely seen as Japan's future point man.
In fact, his success with the Korean national team in the 2007 Asian Cup relying on a group of domestic players further underscores his contempt for the A- League.
Verbeek's willingness to gamble fatigue and jet lag in his European imports even with A-League players at his disposal to play Qatar is yet another indicator of his singular rejection of the A-League. It would make Hiddink blush to find that players like John Aloisi, Craig Moore, Ante Covic, and Archie Thompson who found a place in the World Cup team are being declared persona non grata simply because they returned to the A-League. This comes when David Moyes makes the usual noise releasing Tim Cahill to play for his national team.
Verbeek is little more than a band aid in the changing face of Asian soccer and his brand of soccer is very short sighted. It has gotten a lot more competitive than the time of the 2006 qualifications and the first aim of a good manager should be to get through Asia. To do that one has to understand the failures of the Asian Cup. It was the European veterans with over inflated expectations and their aging legs that failed the Socceroos. I am not sure if Verbeek understands this but as a veteran journeyman with apparently little time to turn things around, he apparently believes this is the best way to go about it. Deja vu all over again.
Seems like the cross over of US based owners into buying out English soccer clubs continues even as their experience of the game remains limited.
The interesting thing about General Sports and Entertainment (GSE), the Michigan based company, the new owners of Derby is the NBA affiliations of its top executives. Andrew Appleby, the CEO is a former VP of the Detroit Pistons and its sports and entertainment division. The management team put into place at Pride Park includes Tom Glick, a former marketing chief for the New Jersey Nets, who is leaving for Derby as the CEO and president. His exec- VP is Tom Hinchey a former VP of the Charlotte Bobcats, another NBA franchise.
The point man who orchestrated the deal is Roger Faulkner, the VP of soccer operations, a new recruit for GSE, and a lifelong Derby supporter before he moved to the USA. He has been instrumental in popularizing soccer in the Detroit area. His activities have included founding and serving as a general partner in the Detroit Express of the North American Soccer League in 1977, serving as president of the 1994 World Cup Detroit Host Committee, and serving as a council member of the United States Soccer Federation and president of the Michigan Soccer Association. Faulkner will assist GSE with the Derby County operation.
This should be welcome news for Steve Nash, the Phoenix Suns point guard and former MVP, in his future plan to buy out Spurs. He has to first find a consortium to foot the £300m bill but given his love for the game and as a lifelong Spurs supporter, he should be a refreshing change from the Abramovichs, Glazers, and Hicks and Co. presently taking over the EPL, saddling their clubs with debt and furthering their images as soulless investors, more interested in making a buck than any genuine passion for the game.
The welcome part of the Derby takeover is that the new owners have followed Randy Lerner as their role model and bought out the club through their own cash. No speculative loan and putting the debt onto the clubs books a la Hicks and Gillett, the source of much heartache for LFC fans.
The future looks a bit grim though. Derby is relegation bound unless the Red Sea parts waters again. Their advent to the EPL and its mammoth pool of TV money enriches its coffers by at least £20m or more even if they finish at the bottom. The parachute money will give them some cash to buy new players but the following seasons sees its share of TV money plummeting south. Derby's advance to the EPL came after many years in Division 2 and the Championship. So their immediate return to top flight is not guaranteed unlike the Addicks or Mackems, who seem to make as many entries as exits.
The future of Benny Feilhaber and Eddy Lewis is uncertain and its a bit difficult at this point, seeing them stay on. Feilhaber has been a bit out of depth in Paul Jewell's team and Eddie Lewis is used sparingly.
This time around Adebayor had company in scoring Arsenal's goals against Newcastle. Fabregas scored his sixth goal and his first since November 3rd against Man City. He was on target as Bendtner fed him a nice little pass within the box. In the past Fabregas has missed a number of chances from close. Even better was the perfectly placed Flamini goal which the French midfielder lashed past Shay Given from about 20 yards out.
What is welcome is Arsenal's ability to score goals from opportunities created from the flanks and the long ball. Adebayor headed a ball in from a Flamini cross down the right. Fabregas' goal was set up by a long ball from Clichy. They are mixing it up becoming less predictable.
The lone loss against Boro and the drawn games with Portsmouth and Birmingham was a result of an over reliance on attacking down the middle. The opposing defence stacked up as Arsenal played out one pass too many looking to break them down.
Arsenal needs to continue to play like this against a stingy Man Utd defence in their forthcoming FA Cup fixture. Hopefully we can get more ammunition in the form of RVP slated for a return next week. It was good to see Adebayor and Bendtner back together on the field at the same time erasing memories off their dust up in the loss against Spurs.
On FSC Super Sunday, Max Bretos came all fired up taking the CAF to task for organizing the ACN at a bloody inconvenient time with all the important European league matches during this period. The solution should be to push the two yearly tournament to the summer. European leagues with many African players in their clubs have also asked for a change. Fair enough.
The CAF's contention is that the unbearably hot African summer will be hard to take by the players.
Bretos dismisses it as a reason. The heat might be a factor since he has never experienced an African summer. But here is where Bretos goes for the anal probe. The CAF's reasoning is suspect. He bases his observation on the exorbitant broadcasting fees that the CAF is charging for the ACN matches due to which some African countries have refused to air them. It is riddled with nepotism and inefficiency. There are problems with ticketing and transportation. It is time to listen to the European grown ups. The CAF should swallow their pride and move the ACN up.
Look, Max, don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. The CAF is making a good point when it says that the weather is unbearably hot. They live in Africa and they should know better. The first ACN was held in 1963 much before the EPL was organized and before the present exodus of African players took place to the European leagues. So it is not pride that keeps them from changing but a genuine problem. Much of Northern and Equatorial Africa bakes in the sun at 115 to 120F in the summer. As this article shows, players found it hard to play in the heat with temperatures reaching the mid 90s at the 1996 ACN organized in SA, a relatively cooler country.
Here is a thought for you, Max. These players play despite the ACN not being shown in 200 countries because the tournament is a showcase for nascent African talent and there is enormous pride in winning the cup, as badly organized as it maybe. The CAF is doing its bit by ensuring the players show up to play in good health. Because in the African summer, dehydration and cramps take their toll. A sunstroke in 115F heat becomes a possibility.
Of course, when that happens, then Bretos will be blaming the CAF for being bone headed AND inefficient and corrupt. The more realistic club managers already have contingency plans to deal with the cyclical loss of African players which makes much more sense to me.
" I have always wanted to play football, but I didn't know where or how I wanted to play. I had no idea. I started out as a defender. I always was and I am still seduced by playing as a libero, even now that I'm hardly allowed to touch a ball for fear of my heart exploding. As a libero you see everything from the back, the whole pitch is in front of you, you get hold of the ball and you say pim let's go that way, pim, let's look from another perspective. You're the owner of the team. But back in the beginning, libero schmibero. All I wanted was to run after the ball, to get hold of it, to play. Playing football gave me a unique peace. And that same sensation has been with me always, even today: give me a ball and I'll have fun. I'll stand my ground, I'll tussle. I'll want to win and I'll want to play well. Give me a ball and let me do what I know best, anywhere. True, people are important and people motivate you but people are not on the pitch. And that's where the fun is; on the pitch with the ball. That's what I have always done, whether at Wembley or the Maracana, with a hundred thousand watching. And that's what we did in Fiorito."
Thus, Maradona's autobiography begins. It is an extraordinary account of the best soccer player the world has known and may possibly know. The language he speaks is so unguarded and brutally frank that there appears to be a megaphone between his heart and his lips. Maradona seems to relive every minute of it and he takes us on that compelling journey. And just like the way he played soccer, it is entertaining, it is infectious, it is mesmerizing.
Marcela Mora Y Araujo, whose exemplary translation preserves the cadence of Maradona's unique tongue and ear for language, explains this gift comes from the use of lunfardo, a patois which fuses the language of Italian immigrants with words of peasant origin and native terminology.
She refers to Bronca, a word that Maradona uses frequently in the book, is at the core of his emotions.
"It is an Argentinian word that denotes anger, fury, hatred, resentment, bitter discontent..... For Maradona it is his most familiar emotion, and he constantly refers to it as his motivator, his fuel, his driving force."
Maradona's comments on fellow soccer players (a hundred of them) gives an insight into how he valued passion, a rebellious spirit, a commitment to beautiful soccer, and to the game beyond the pitch. He detests prevarication and politesse. His best friends are the players who reminded him of him and forged a deep and long lasting friendship on and off the pitch through his darkest days. He reserves his respect for players who fought for the rights of players to be treated as humans, not commodities. Of course, in this day and age of ridiculously inflated wages it is hard to fathom a time when soccer players had to scrape by.
The rebels:
On Kevin Keegan: He was my idol for a long time. I loved to watch him play. He was short and stocky like me. He orchestrated matches on his own.
On Eric Cantona: A partner, a friend. Also, more importantly, crazy and a rebel just like me. They suspended him for being honest. And his game wreaked havoc. Ask the Manchester fans: they always chose him as number one.
On Bernd Schuster: They tried to pass the German off as mad to kick him out of football. He was crazy, just like me: he was my partner in the struggle against Nunez and an extraordinary player all over the pitch.
His nemesis:
On Daniel Passarella: The best defender I ever saw in my life, too. The best at heading the ball, and at both ends, something that Argentine soccer is missing these days. What goes on between us off the pitch has nothing to do with what I think of him as a footballer.
His rival for the greatest title:
On Pele: As a player he was the best, but he didn't use his talent to glorify football. He thought politically. He thought he could be the president of Brazil. And I don't believe that a footballer, or an ex-footballer, should think about being president of a country. I would have liked him to propose that he preside over an organization which defended players' rights like I did. I would have liked him to look after Garrincha instead of letting him die broke. I would have liked him to fight against the powers that be which were damaging for us players. I've never compared myself to him, I've always maintained that, and I'll say it again here. And when I say that I don't compare myself to him, I'm not just talking about footballing matters. I've had the opportunity to meet him many times. The first, in 1979, was when El Grafico took me to meet him. Later, we met in testimonial matches, that kind of thing. The last time we saw each other was in '95, when we had the opportunity to go into business together. We just never clicked, we always rubbed each other up the wrong way; we would see each other and sparks would fly.
The French strike out:
On Michel Platini: Great skill, a phenomenon. In Italy, he won everything, but it always seemed to be that he didn't have fun playing football. He was cold, too cold.
On Zinedine Zidane: I want to defend him, because he has such extraordinary vision, but he looks to me as if he feels less like playing every day that goes by. He's just like Platini; he doesn't have fun. They both lack joy when they play.
Platini's testimonial to Maradona was anything but cold:
"People talk about how great Zidane is, but Maradona could do what Zidane does with an orange. That's how great Maradona was."
On David Beckham:
Another one too pretty to go out on the pitch. Although he worries too much about his Spice Girl, now and again he finds the time to play and he can play well, really well - he's got a great touch. He won everything with Manchester United. And he had eat the hen hat El Cholo Simeone sold him in France '98. But he paid us back.
Beckham however fared better than Milan's legend, Paolo Maldini:
Another great player who chose the wrong profession. He should have been an actor; he's too pretty to play football.
On Peter Shilton who was on the receiving end of that unforgettable match:
The thermos head got cross because of my hand goal. What about the other one, Shilton, didn't you see that one? He didn't invite me to his testimonial..... oh, my heart bleeds! How many people go to a goalkeeper's testimonial anyway? A goalkeeper's!
You might disagree with Maradona on a lot of his opinions but they are disarming in their candour. He bears grudges. He carries his scars, his warts and all, wearing them proudly like a badge. The emperor wears no clothes in El Diego's court. This is the player that got under the skin of Sepp Blatter with his demands for labour rights for players. Blatter, a suit, dismissed Maradona by saying "The last star from Argentina was Di Stefano."
The Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano, a keen and passionate purveyor of the game said it best.
"When Maradona was finally thrown out of the '94 World Cup, soccer lost its most strident rebel. And also a fantastic player. Maradona is uncontrollable when he speaks but much more so when he plays; no one can predict the devilish tricks this inventor of surprises will dream up for the simple joy of throwing the computers off track, tricks he never repeats. He's not quick, more like a short legged bull, but he carries the ball sown to his feet and he's got eyes all over his body. His acrobatics light up the field. He can win a match with a thundering blast when his back is to the goal, or with an impossible pass from far off when he's corralled by thousands of enemy legs. And no one can stop him when he decides to dribble upfield."
Maradona: The Autobiography of Soccer's Greatest and Most Controversial Star is an amazing book and a thoroughly enjoyable read.
While the ACN showcases the incredible African talent in soccer, here is African legend, the late Ali Farka Toure with the majestic and uplifting Ai Du, bringing us the beauty of Niafunke or Malian delta blues. A tete a tete with Toure who reminds us that R&B has a common soul. His musical legacy continues with his son Vieux Farka Toure, who I had the good fortune of hearing at Joe's Pub. He has the guitar licks of his father but he is a bit short on the pathos. Here is his tribute to his father, his rendition of Ai Du.
It was a relief to see Arsenal regroup and play the sort of soccer that they are capable of against Newcastle in their 4th round FA showdown. After the dispiriting loss against Spurs and the fracas involving Bendtner and Adebayor, it was a week filled with lots of post match distractions and potential recrimination.
The FA took a closer look at Bendtner bloodying at the hands of Adebayor. Even Bendtner's father got into the act, sending Adebayor a clear lay off my son message.
But Adebayor's timely apology defused the situation. Things looked up as the FA found nothing incriminating in the video footage, so there were no punishments meted out. But Wenger wisely kept Bendtner away from this match. He was not needed as King Ade responded magnificently with a brace.
He has been the one consistent scorer. Eduardo had a little outburst previously but the woodwork of late, has been very unfriendly. But Eduardo has revealed another side of him, his hand in assisting others score. Against Fulham, Rosicky was the beneficiary. This time it was Adebayor.
Fabregas last scored in November and his timing in front of goal continues to be off. Bendtner, Rosicky, Flamini, and Hleb have had their moments. RVP's rehab continues but he is still out for at least another week or so. Gallas saves himself for the big occasions. It is Adebayor's presence that is keeping Arsenal's spigot from completely drying up, making circumstances less dire.
To keep abreast on the latest developments, here is Arseblog's take. Also drop in to learn more and if possible help with fund raising for Ray Kennedy, who scored some big goals for Arsenal in the late 60s and early 70s.
Having secured the £350m loan that will keep them as Liverpool's owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett have now turned to Rafa Benitez to secure his continuation as the club's manager. The financial roller coaster in the last month exposed Tom Hicks and George Gillett's own financial weakness and reluctance to part with their money. In addition, more disturbingly, to thousands of fans, they were found short in the goodwill department, having decided to approach Jurgen Klinsmann to replace Rafa, in an underhanded move. For Liverpool fans this was the last straw.
The £350m used to cover the initial loan, players transfers, existing debt, and the first phase of the new stadium, raises the question of how Liverpool will generate sufficient amounts of revenue to help pay for those massive £30m annual interest repayments. A look at the enormous benefits of winning the CL title shows why the American owners can ill afford to lose Rafa.
The 2005 financial highlights show that Liverpool increased its cup competition revenues by a staggering 480% based just on the CL title. From approximately £5.5m to £38m in a year, this increase more than made up for losses from TV revenue, merchandising, and Reebok's sponsorship dispute. Liverpool recorded a 32% increase in revenue from £91.6m to £121m and turned 2004 loss of £21.9m into a £9.5m profit in 2005.
The feel good factor continued in 2006 even though Liverpool failed to advance in the CL but their appearance in the Coca Cola FIFA CWC because of the 2005 Cl title ensured a fair chunk of change. As did a substantial increase in merchandising with many thousands of jerseys sold following the Istanbul triumph. The sustained boost in these sources of revenue and a small increase in ticket prices resulted in a marginally smaller turnover of £119m in 2006 as compared to the previous year. Liverpool recorded a £5.9m loss after 2005's profit £9.5m mainly because of the hefty amount paid for new transfers and wages of surplus players. However the point is that the benefits of winning the CL title carried over the following year and mitigated further losses.
This underscores how Liverpool's success is predicated on doing well in international competitions. Some analysts are predicting that the unsettled global economy will sap further soccer TV subscriptions and merchandising essentially leading to a smaller pot of cash from these two sources. This will most likely result in a hefty and unpopular rise in ticket prices similar to Man Utd following the Glazers buyout. Amongst the big four, Liverpool has the most affordable ticket prices.
Rafa may have his problems with the PL but his success in the CL and its significant effect on Liverpool's financial well being should be well understood by the club owners. It ensures their own survival.
I am going to break Soccerblog's New Year's resolution of not mocking David Beckham. Sigh. It took a little over three weeks but it beat out my vow to not call my apartment building super a piece of human excrement by two days. But Becks is a gold mine.
Becks and Posh were judged to be the worst polluters having won that dubious distinction a second time in a row. They have the biggest carbon footprint amongst humans. The couple have 15 gas guzzlers; Becks' flights in the last year for soccer football matches logged more than 250,000 miles, advertising commitments, and Spice Girl support were more than equivalent to a trip to the moon, Carbon Trust calculated.
"His hectic travel schedule has notched up a staggering 163 tons of CO2, compared with the 9.4 tons of the average Brit."
And now environmentalists are calling on Becks to give up the gas.
Peter Cranie of England's Green Party remarked, “A celeb like Becks, who claims the need to travel on such a massive scale, should be making an effort to counteract the damage he is doing.”
Here is Becks carbon footprint:
Just when that LA smog was a thing of the past!
It is befitting that the current ACN is hosted by Ghana to be followed by the World Cup in two years time in SA. In both countries, soccer played an invaluable part in organizing resistance to colonialism and apartheid, respectively. Under Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana's first prime minister and the first African leader in a post colonial era, soccer was not seen as just a sport but an organizing force towards a potent pan African nationalism.
In the 1950s, Ghana began institutionalizing soccer as part of a policy introduced by Nkrumah's industrialization of Ghana. Nkrumah was a technocrat who believed that the path towards Ghana's path towards leading Africa was to invest in hydro-electric plants and heavy industries that would change Ghana's hitherto agrarian landscape and make them a force to reckon with in the world. Soccer was a part of that change which would allow Ghanian players to compete with their former colonial masters and best them in the sport that mattered most. This is pure conjecture but the embarrassment which England suffered at the hands of the Magyars in 1953 at Wembley must have emboldened Nkrumah to believe in their former overlord's fallibility.
The Black Stars, Ghana's national team was inspired by the clandestine shipping line started in 1919 by Marcus Garvey, the American civil rights activist who saw repatriation of African Americans back to their land of origin, as part of the fight against slavery and segregation. Such a percieved anti-national effort met with the opprobrium of the FBI honcho, Edgar Hoover, at the zenith of the second Red Scare, who then infiltrated the Black Star shipping line with his agents, and effectively shut down the shipping line.
Nkrumah was one of those responsible for starting the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the organization behind the ACN. This was his clarion call:
“Africa can ill-afford to lag behind in any sphere of life. I therefore charge you to organize Africa’s version of the European Cup for club championship with this trophy.
“With efficient organization, I am certain this competition will add to the soccer maturity of Africa and help propel our dear continent into the lime-light….I hope that this competition will help bring African soccer into maturity and earn for our dear continent a greater respectability and recognition at the universal level.”
To this effect he directed the rebuilding of Ghana's soccer legacy to Ohene Djan, his new director of sports, and the impresario who orchestrated Ghana's dominance in the early years of the ACN. Ghana's domestic league was the yardstick in those early years. A rigorous scouting network which would single out talented players from village games, a league which paid its players handsomely, and a league team eked out of the best players from each club, in effect a surrogate for the national team , ensured that Ghana was the dominant African power. Djan was able to get a well known pharmaceutical company, R.R. Harding and Company, to sponsor the domestic league.
In 1960, the Black Stars held Real Madrid, the European champions, boasting stars like Alfredo Di Stefano, and Ferenc Puskas, to a 3-3 draw, and entered the consciousness of Europe indelibly. The 1960s were the golden years of Ghanian soccer as they won two ACN titles and went to four consecutive finals. In comparison, in oil rich Nigeria, the life of a soccer player was a life of penury. It was a sore point for Nigeria who looked on with envy at their neighbours and its players who rode expensive cars and wore the best clothes. The Super Eagles were the country cousins to the Black Stars.
In 1963 the Black Stars won the inaugural ACN six years after its independence. In 2007, Ghana celebrated 50 years of freedom and the 1963 victory was a big part of the celebrations. In an interview with BBC sports, Joseph Agyeman-Gyau who was a striker in the winning squad reminisces:
"That victory was very good for Ghana because it united the whole country," the sexagenarian told BBC Sport.
"One of the purposes of (Ghana's first president) Kwame Nkrumah was to tell the whole world that we can do things for ourselves and achieve positive results.
In a visionary move, Ohene Djan's strong emphasis on developing talent paid of as Ghana's youth teams won significant world titles and ensured Ghana's perpetuity even as its senior teams failed to qualify or win any meaningful title in the late 80s and 90s. Those dry decades saw the rise of future stars like Michael Essien, Steven Appiah, Sulley Muntari, and John Pantsil who led the Ghana team to the 2006 World Cup and were instrumental in getting to a second round appearance. Essien leads the present Ghana team. He plays for Chelsea and like many others, he is as part of an ever growing armada of African players, plying their trade in the higher paying and high profile European leagues. It is now part and parcel of European leagues to have African players in their clubs and a measure of their indubitable success that this years ACN has become a flashpoint, depleting clubs wholesale of key players, volunteering for their national team, leaving their clubs adrift of their title aspirations. As an Arsenal fan, the loss of Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue has robbed the club of defensive dynamism, leading to the leaden performances against Birmingham and more recently, the shellacking at the hands of Spurs.
The pioneer as with most of African soccer was a Ghanian player, Charles Kumi Gyamfi aka CK who left Hearts of Oak for Fortuna Dusseldorf in 1960. He was the first African player to do so.
"When he played for the national team against the visiting Fortuna Dusseldorf team from Germany, the German team offered C K the opportunity to play professional football in Germany. In his debut, he scored a goal for the German team and the fans soon nicknamed him "Tunda Vita" which means Thunder Weather due to his shooting power."
In a measure of the hold of the heady pan nationalism that Ghanian soccer engendered in those years, CK decided to spurn the limelight and lucrativeness of European soccer as he was called onto coach the Black Stars. He was supported in this endeavour by Ohene Djan. CK became the most successful national coach as he led the Black Stars to three ACN titles. A feat as yet unsurpassed. Charles Kumi's exploits led the European leagues to open the doors to the first duo of African superstars, Tony Yeboah and Abedi Pele in the 1980s.
As any Leeds United fan in their club's chequered history would tell you, Tony Yeboah is as good as they get. He scored one of the most stunning goals in league history and it is safe to say that English soccer had not seen the sort of athleticism, ball skill, and lethal power, that Yeboah brought to the game. Leeds fans are known for their cockiness and much has to do with the fact that Yeboah epitomized the glory days at Elland Road before the decline into bankruptcy and ignominy. Before the Leeds United transfer, Yeboah was a standout with Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga where many Ghanian players received their start.
His compatriot in the Black Stars, Abedi Pele aka Abedi Ayew, per the cognoscenti is Africa's best striker to have never played the World Cup as Ghana failed to qualify in those years of his prowess. Strangely enough, Abedi Pele was spurned by the Ghanian clubs but was accepted by French Ligue club, Chamois Niort FC before moving to Lille and Marseille. He proved to be a journeyman and ended his career at Saudi Arabia's Al Ain. In between he was voted as the best foreign player when he played at Torino. He top scored for the Black Stars with 33 goals. His performance in the 1992 ACN saw Ghana enter the finals and the quality of his goals earned him the sobriquet of the African Maradona. In 2004, Pele inducted him into his list of the top 125 players of all times.
The fierce clash between Yeboah and Abedi Pele was a harbinger of the rank divisions that play out between the entrenched and internecine rivalries between tribal ethnicities which surfaced and undermined Ghanian soccer in the post Nkrumah days. The Black Stars suffered as these two big egos squabbled over the captaincy of the national team. For a generation, Ghanaian soccer went into a vacuum after the retirement of these two superstars, as the Black Stars failed to do anything notable.
In addition, the advent of these two superstars and the big salaries they enjoyed made a generation of younger players spurn national ambitions in lieu of the big money of the European leagues The same dispiriting signs were in place in the qualifiers to the 2006 World Cup as Sammy Kuffour, a standout at Roma made known that he would not consider a starting position. Luckily, the Ghanaian Football Federation threw its weight behind newly appointed coach Ratomir Dujkovic in his decision to suspend Kuffour. The tough love tactics worked and in a unprecedented build up to the World Cup, Ghana finally won its place to the World Cup for the first time.
Ghana began its ACN campaign against Guinea fittingly in the shining new Ohene Djan stadium at Accra, dedicated to the visionary who shaped Ghanaian soccer. As with every decision, renaming the Ohene Djan stadium was also mired in controversy. In recent times, Ghana has been overshadowed by the exploits of Roger Milla and Cameroun; Senegal and its band of merry men; Egypt, Al Ahly and Aboutreika, but Ghana's soccer occupies a unique place in African history, rooted in the precepts of nationalism and a strong and united Africa and as an incubator of past and contemporary talent.
The deal is in the bag and Eddie Johnson, K-City's striker leaves for Fulham, a haven for US players, joining the ranks of Brian McBride, Carlos Bocanegra, and Clint Dempsey.
Good move and hopefully Fulham will reap the benefit of Johnson's great strike rate. They need it desperately as Ray Hodgson tries to stave of relegation. They have used Clint Dempsey as the lone striker but he is more of a attacking midfielder. With EJ they will get an out and out striker. He does best when you feed him the ball and it will be left to Fulham's makeshift midfield to figure how to service him.
The deal is reportedly $6m and it is the most money paid for an MLS player.
Once in a blue moon Spurs gets to win over Arsenal. Yesterday, was the day. They won big because the Gunners did not show up to play and the Spurs did. They obviously wanted it more than us.
Anyways, to give a perspective, Newcastle under King Kev administered a drubbing to Man Utd, 5-0 about a decade ago, a result which would appear to be in a different era altogether. The point is that these blowouts do take place but they are aberrations. It does hurt more when it is to a team like Spurs.
Here is Arseblog's perspective. Always refreshing. Always to the point.
Commentators: Thanks for pointing out it is Halley not Hailey. Spurs fans who take exception to this analogy need only to look at how long it took Spurs to finally beat Arsenal. I think your great attacking talent came together yesterday. Berbs is back to his stellar self.
Yesterday, Ivory Coast got past their toughest competition, Nigeria. Today the Pharaohs beat up on Cameroun. Mohamed Zidan scored two goals as the Egypt team turned in a sparkling display even though they were missing key players in Mido, Ghaly, and captain Ahmad Hassan. Samuel Eto'o pulled two goals back but it was too little and too late.
Super Sunday on FSC has the trio of Andy Houlihan, Gary Richards, and Christian Miles. They discuss the Premiership, MLS, and the Serie matches at a studio done up as a pub. Richards makes it interesting with his anti- Arsenal comments and pungent criticism of Newcastle fans who have gone ga-ga over Keegan's return. He also analyzes clips of the games and talks tactics. Houlihan is an unmitigated disaster and aside from one refrain "they need more players" adds very little, usually getting shunted aside by Richards. Miles is a glorified time-keeper. It can't be mistaken for MOTD.
And please can we not have an "interview" conducted by Max Bretos. He is the Chris Matthews of the soccer broadcasting world, tone deaf, in love with his own voice, and not particularly insightful. The victims this time were Paul Caliguiri and his university soccer team, Cal Poly Pomona. We never got to know them as Bretos continued his backslapping fest and constant patter.
We got to know that he kept up with Caliguiri because they called a few games together. Having not had the same luxury, my only hope would have been to rely on Bretos to bring us up to speed with Caliguiri. I was rewarded when Bretos informed viewers that Caliguiri was a good coach and a good sort or words to that effect.
Christian Miles would inform us grandly after every commercial break that they had the Cal Poly team in the studio which would lead to great expectations that they were not just there to just provide the decor but finally, we would get to know whether anyone of them had gone to see the Spice Girls in their re-union tour. But sadly, it was not to be. I only hope they got to drink enough Bass Pale Ale because Max Bretos can drive you to drink and a bad hangover.
Contrast this with the face time that football programs get.
Man Utd fans will get a chance to follow the exploits of Manucho, their latest signing, in the Africa Cup of Nations. He has been the top scorer in the Angolan league the last two seasons and he will get to show his talent in the match against South Africa.
The news coming out of the Bafana Bafana camp is that first choice goalie Rowen Fernandez is injured and will be replaced by Moneeb Joseph. Apparently, Carlos Alberto Parriera is none too impressed by his players in their practice sessions and he is worried that their limitations will be exposed against a very physical Angolan side. Bryce Moon, the exciting new prospect in defence from Ajax Cape Town will make his debut.
The NY Giants are going to Glendale for Super Bowl 42 after defeating the Packers, in a game which reminds us that redemption is a huge part of sports. And if you follow the NFL, the topic du jour is Lawrence Tynes and his field goal.
Third time luck as Lawrence Tynes, the NY Giants kicker booted the ball 47 yards through the uprights to lead his team into the Superbowl. It was the longest field goal in Lambeau Field history and when it went through, the stadium fell pin drop silent. The Giants were in. Brett Favre and the Packers, overwhelming favourites to win the NFC title, were stunned. It was a game full of drama and lead changes. Tynes had shanked his field goal attempts on his two previous occasions. Had Tynes second kick gone through, the Giants would have been through to the Super Bowl with seconds left in regulation. It was a painful miss as it gave the Packers a new lease of life and with Favre as a QB well known for pulling of miracle wins, it could also have been the end of the road for the Giants. Yet another hard luck story for long suffering Giant fans. But Corey Webster's interception ended the Packers hopes for a quick overtime win.
It was with a lot of trepidation that Giants fans watched Tynes run onto the field when Eli Manning's drive was stalled short of a better field position. With 4th down and 5 to go, many fans could have been forgiven for beseeching Tom Coughlin go for it rather than trust Tynes leg again. Unlike the second miss, Jay Alford's snap was good, Jeff Feagles brought it down perfectly, and Tynes made history. It was -24 degrees when the Giants iced the game.
If you thought that his first kick had a familiar Shunsuke Nakamura swerving quality to it, you would not be far amiss. Tynes is a Celtic fan. He was born in Greenock, Scotland and spent the first decade of his life in Campbeltown where he grew up on Celtic soccer and accompanied his mother and his siblings to club matches.
"I remember being soccer mad, being absolutely crazy about soccer. I remember going to Parkhead to watch Celtic play Hearts and I loved it."
In the US, while in high school, he and his brother were much sought after for their soccer skills. It was his strong leg that attracted the attention of talent scouts who turned him onto gridiron. At Troy State he broke the school record of Ted Clem scoring 262 points. He debuted for NFL Europe's Scottish Claymores before going to the CFL's Ottawa Renegades. He joined the NFL Kansas City Chiefs in 2004 before being traded to the NY Giants in 2007 where he replaced Jay Feely.
His time with the Giants has been rocky with Coughlin critical of his misses. After the first miss against the Packers, Coughlin's beet red face turned purple and when Tynes ran back to the sidelines it appeared that the Giants coach was contemplating major disemboweling surgery.
But the sideline drama has become a metaphor for Tynes life and there are good reasons why his kicking career with the Giants was less than stellar.
"What Tynes says is different, of course. Yeah, his form is off but there are reasons for that. As far as the pressure thing goes, he doesn't feel it. He knows what stress is and getting paid $1.3m a season for kicking a ball between two sticks 'aint it. "
Stress that no one would wish for. The article provides a context to why Tynes had his share of poor moments. But it also gives an insight into Tynes stoic demeanour after his unruffled kick won the game for the Giants. He turned and ran 75 yards through the opposite end zone, through the tunnel and into the locker room. He ran alone. There was no exuberant whooping or pumping of fists. No waiting for team mates to jump on his back.
He also has a strong continuing faith in soccer and he is less than enchanted with NFL efforts to popularize the sport in England.
“I don't know what the NFL are trying to accomplish by bringing a game to England but it'll be fun. I understand them trying to spread the appeal but it's not going to change anybody's mind about soccer over there that's for sure. The idea of some guys in the NFL thinking they can challenge soccer one day is kinda amusing."
His previous highlight was beating outlegendary kicker Morten Andersen (presently second in NFL scoring and a former soccer player himself) for the starting position on the Chiefs team. A feat that Tynes is justifiably proud of. With his field goal leading the Giants to the Super Bowl, this highlight dwarfs the earlier one. Not bad for a Celtic fan.
Here is Soccerblog's article on how European soccer players revolutionized the NFL kicking game >>
In short, an inspirational figure. Will the good times roll in Newcastle?
Watching Kevin Keegan’s heroic visage on the Newcastle bench one could almost see him wear a bandanna, a muscle T shirt, cradling an Uzi in his arm getting ready for his Rambo remake as We will Rock You blares on the PA system. He is an inspirational figure. All square jaw. In a world of controlled messages, he is a throwback.
It was as if Keegan and Newcastle had spent a decade in the wilderness after parting company. Stints at Fulham and Manchester City, lifting them to the next level and initially promising, faded away. As England manager Keegan had the worst winning percentage. Newcastle briefly resuscitated themselves under Bobby Robson and then went through a number of managers. In psychiatric terms this is the equivalent of a fugue where a person wanders away from home only to return months or years later not knowing where he went or what he did in the intervening period of time. An amnesia rooted in a severe collective neurosis.
So is Keegan’s appointment rooted in any realistic expectations or is this another Newcastle exercise in thumb sucking. For Newcastle’s new generation of players it must be a bewildering experience having Toon fans ooze out the amount of pheromones for one manager. Keegan had the likes of Andy Cole, Alan Shearer, Peter Beardsley, Les Ferdinand, David Ginola at their attacking and attractive best and on his watch Newcastle humiliated Man Utd in one of their worst defeats. Such memories are powerful and hard to let go in a club desperate for success. The Geordie Messiah and Newcastle were known for their entertaining soccer. Michael Winterbottom could have very well made a movie on Newcastle soccer with Steve Coogan as Keegan and the Toon fans filling up St James Park as their rave scene.
But if fans were looking for memories to ignite their season they had to be disappointed in the match against Bolton. It’s a different decade, the game is faster, and defence wins matches. Keegan would love to attack and allow Newcastle creative license. Playing full throttle is his style. But he does not have all the pieces. He has some players to work with but others are a huge question mark. Charles N' Zogbia has great talent, Milner has his moments, Martins can be a game changer, Emre is creative but disappears under duress, Owens is a shadow, Ameobi, Duff and Viduka are prone to injuries. Newcastle is an amorphous configuration of re-jiggered players, a collection of players of unfulfilled promise and constant injuries. In short, Keegan has a monumental task in front of him.
Allardyce wanted to make Newcastle into a fortress and shift the responsibility to the other team to breach them. It proved to be an effective philosophy at Bolton. He curtailed the club’s natural attacking ethos. Emre and Martins did not get much face time. Big Sam wanted to plod his way to some semblance of respectability. This did not go down well with the fans. However, Keegan would be naive if he did not take defence seriously and his past record has been one of inspirational leadership both as a player and manager but his tactical skills are suspect. It allows for a fast start but sooner or later the wheels fall off. Losing 12 points and allowing Man Utd to win the Premiership could be called a criminal enterprise but Keegan's aura remained intact. But Newcastle's quandary is that it is now not a club that needs promotion. It aspires to a title and for that the club needs not just an aura, more importantly, they need a nucleus of players who play like a team. Hopefully with Keegan as a Mike Ashley appointment they can afford those players, considering he has already spent a huge chunk of his own change lifting Newcastle out of debt.
Two good things happened today as Arsenal eased past Fulham.
Eduardo showed he was more than a fox in the box with some great foot skills, turning into a provider on two occasions. Rosicky was the beneficiary of a Eduardo pass after the Croatian had dummied his way past three Fulham defenders from the left, his shot unfortunately hit the woodwork. But there was no denying Rosicky the second time as he volleyed Eduardo's second offering after the striker served up another cross from the edge of the box.
Good things happen when Arsenal widens its game. The Gael Clichy cross swung in from the left was just perfect and Adebayor timed his header to perfection and caressed it into the corner. Just before halftime Aleksandr Hleb's cross from the opposite flank found Adebayor powering the ball in. Two crosses, two headers, two goals.
The difference from the terribly disappointing match against Birmingham last weekend was clear. Instead of the incessant playing through the center approach which the Blues effectively bottled up, this time Clichy, Eduardo, Hleb, and Sagna went wide and gave the Fulham defence plenty to think about. Its also clear the Fabregas is getting his touch back but his shooting skills which accounted for a number of goals early in the season continue to desert him.
In fact, Arsenal's goals in recent matches have come through a variety of long balls and crosses. Clichy to Eduardo and Adebayor in the Everton and West Ham matches come to mind. This is what Arsenal have to do because the center approach becomes too predictable even when Arsenal is on top of its passing game. When the operational real estate narrows, all the opposing team has to do is to stack up the numbers and force Arsenal to isolate a player through a perfect pass. As seen in the Birmingham and Portsmouth game, its a self defeating cause.
So what does this augur for the rest of the season. Right now, it sticks in the craw but Man Utd have the upper hand. They came through with a win against Reading and the way they are playing, hoping for another upset inflicted on them by the Hammers or another team would be expecting too much. It might come down the Old Trafford showdown between these two teams and Arsenal's continued winning form against other teams. Another slip up would be the veritable nail in the coffin.
Allardyce falls a victim to Newcastle's collective madness
A nice spin: Its called mutual consent nowadays. Both get a gun. One works, the other shoots blanks.
Its sad when someone of the caliber of Sam Allardyce is given so little time to set things right. The Newcastle fans and Mike Ashley delivered their verdict. Think about this. Its an injustice any which way you see it. A team which last won a noteworthy title almost four decades ago wants a complete reversal in their fortunes in just half a season. Did Allardyce get all his players? No. Newcastle also has had its share of crippling injuries with Duff, Owen, Viduka, Barton, Emre, Taylor, Carr, Faye out at various points of time. It was a season in which many factors played a part in Newcastle's indifferent form. And to think that Allardyce could still have been in Bolton sticking it to clubs like Newcastle.
Yes, that is what Big Sam wanted. To leave a club where he remade a team of castoffs into a perennial thorn in the sides of the big four, led the Trotters to the UEFA cup for the first time, to go to a bigger club with more money to spend, only to be shot between the eyes in less than six months. Compared to this Isiah Thomas lives in a socialist dreamworld where he gets paid handsomely for leading the New York Knicks to the cellar the last two seasons even as fans constantly call for his head.
Newcastle will not win a fig because they have such little faith in their managers. They have averaged a manager a year for the last decade. Bobby Robson was an exception but even he could not get them a title. The fair thing would have been to give Allardyce two seasons to work with. Get him his big ticket players and then see what he could do with them. Of all the firings this season, Allardyce's was the least deserved.
Nigel Pearson and Mike Ashley could just look on as Man Utd pounded Newcastle into jelly. It makes one wonder if Allardyce had been there the damage might have been restricted to a couple of goals, the Magpies could still have gone home with their heads held high. But we will never know because he was never given a chance to even complete a full season. Such is the pity.
Arsenal: A team full of funny sounding names. Routinely pilloried for being anti-English. Emirates. Small budget. Inexperienced and young. A bunch of no names. Beautiful and flowing soccer. The usurpers. The agents of change.
Man Utd: Wayne Rooney, Darren Fletcher. Fish n' chips. Old Trafford. Money no objection. Savvy and street smart. Mega stars. Powerful and muscular soccer. Salt of the earth. The status quo.
Barack Hussain Obama: Man with a funny sounding name rhyming with Osama. Exotic. Kenyan father, white mother. Small money donors. Inexperienced and young. Articulate and poetic.The usurper. The agent of change.
Hillary Clinton: WASP. The quintessential Washington insider. Mega donors. Experienced and battle tested. Hawkish and trenchant. Electable and establishment. The status quo.
As Arsenal and Man Utd duke it out, we are privy to two teams that are disparate in their character and composition as are Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in their political constellations. At stake, the Premiership and the Presidency, respectively.
Hillary was initially supposed to have run away with the Democratic nomination as polls anointed her. Obama was touted as an also ran. The pundits in the beginning of this season pegged Arsenal as sliding to fifth below Spurs hastening their inevitable demise with Man Utd as an overwhelming favourite to retain the title. But Arsenal stiffened their spine and came up fighting forcing Sir Alex to splutter about foreign players destroying English soccer. Obama laid siege to the status quo and promised a change in DC prompting voters to desert Hillary. She responded with an emotional breakdown replete with tears. We now have a fight. Even Obama and Wenger's insinuations that Hillary and Sir Alex are playing the ethnic card is uncannily similar.
Anyway, its fun to make a glib connection between US politics and soccer even though in the end it seems as goofy as a dog following its own tail. I bet you the Guardian gurus never quite thought about it this way. We hope to keep you hugely entertained. I am back to share my motley insights into the soccer world and its nether parts.
Well, well, well. Who says the Germans can't change? Who says Uli Hoeneß isn't a "Queerdenker" himself? And this after giving Klinsmann such a hard time at the last World Cup...
And to think it came down to Mourinho vs. Klinsmann.
Here's a brilliant commentary from Raphael Honigstein at the Guardian, and another from the Canadians.
Bad news for Sepp Maier. And Ollie Kahn?
Now that some of us at Soccer Blog have finally recovered from our New Year's celebrations, it's about time to start breaking our New Year's resolutions.
My football-related resolution for 2008 is to stop giving David Beckham a hard time on this blog.
I gotta hand it to him, he doesn't quit. He's got a serious protestant-work-ethic thing going.
Here he is hanging out with the Bash Street Kids, er, Arsenal >>
Capello's going to appoint him captain, says Beck's ex teammate Roberto Carlos.
That's not exactly what our candidate for change, as we like to call Capello here on Soccer Blog, should do perhaps, but Capello knows Beckham's work ethic is sound (despite what Sir Alex says).
Happy New Year everybody!
PS- Anish is goofing off in Africa and Shourin is taking a well-deserved break, so you'll have to put up with me for a while.
Great game. Theatrical and nail biting. Chelsea is down through two early Shaun Maloney goals. Phil Dowd very harshly red cards Zat Knight as Villa are reduced to ten men. Chelsea claw their way back with Sheva's double and then finally take the lead through Alex's goal. But Martin Laursen guides a beautifully swinging Ashley Young free kick past Petr Cech and parity is restored. Carvalho is red carded for a two footed lunge on Agbonlahor and both teams are even. Ballack again puts Chelsea up through a cracking free kick. Surely its all over for Martin O' Neill and his brave men. Not yet. A goal mouth melee ends with Ashley Cole batting the ball away with his hand. Dowd awards a penalty and red cards Cole. Barry steps in and coolly slots the ball past Cech who dives the other way.
Too many passes and too few to pull the trigger. Unless you count Tomas Rosicky who can't buy a goal.
Arsenal looked jaded in the first half against Portsmouth. This is the third game in a row where a lot of their passes just went adrift. Adebayor was all dinks and deflections which look pretty but prove useless when there is no one to meet the ball. They improved in the second half but never really looked threatening. The final ball into goal let Arsenal down. Cesc was short with his corners and passes all evening long. Hleb and Eboue's crosses were either mis-hit or found no one. Portsmouth bottled up the middle when Arsenal decided to attack down the pipe. It was not until Nicklas Bendtner's late introduction that the attack looked like it was going to accomplish something. I think Bendtner simplifies the game a lot providing a big target. For a big lad he moves very swiftly and proved dangerous in the goal area. Gallas got close and Roiscky even closer with the ball hooking away from goal.
A real pity because Pompey looked innocuous throughout the match apart from one heart stopping moment when Benjani beat the offside trap and raced towards goal. Almunia and then Clichy did enough to avert disaster. It was a very good result for Redknapp considering his team was creamed by Liverpool this weekend.
This was a wasted opportunity. With Man Utd going for the jugular, Arsenal can ill afford to take their foot off. I know Arsene has again mentioned that he does not want to go for any transfers, seemingly content to rejigger available players but the title is now on the line. RVP is not fully fit, Eduardo has disappeared, and Adebayor is carrying a full load. Even that would not be a big problem if goals were being scored by the likes of Hleb, Flamini, and Fabregas who have proven so wonderfully assertive in front of goal so far. But their production has worryingly dropped off.
So we lose the lead to Man U and now have to go to Everton who are in amazingly good nick at home. Today they demolished Bolton as they cranked in about 15 shots on goal.
Almunia's huge moment when he stopped Robbie Keane's penalty probably sealed his first place position permanently. Jens Lehmann has seen the light and reportedly on his way to Wolfsburg. With younger players like Timo Hildebrandt and Manuel Neuer pushing their claims for a spot on the German national team, its important for Lehmann to begin making regular appearances.
However, what do you make of the Almunia's desire to play for England? Can we deconstruct this in terms of what is happening in England today? The PFA and many English managers fault the influx of foreign players for the decline in national team fortunes. Fabio Capello's hire has English managers champing at the teeth with some loud nationalistic chest beating going on. The manager establishment is feeling a bit beleaguered now.
Now, a foreign goalie is volunteering his services for the national squad. I know most English goalies can't stop goals for toffee (in those matches that matter) but dear Lord, did the foreign players not get the memo? This does not auger well for homegrown talent which is what this fracas is all about. Powerful national squads with a surfeit of talent at their disposal can potentially shut out players from national representation but open up opportunities for players elsewhere when they fulfill their residency requirements. The Premiership is particularly rich in these sort of opportunities. A foreign manager under pressure to produce results might pay less attention to the nationality and focus more on a players performance to bolster a struggling national team.
Yet another wrinkle to consider in the ongoing debate in what is best for English soccer nowadays.
Fox Soccer Channel has a special on Arsenal's greatest moments starting at 1 PM today. I can't think of a better Xmas present. Well, I can but its complicated.
The Iraq national team wins the Asian Cup
If we could provide an example of a definitive moment which soccer brings a nation together, this would be it. A country riven with sectarian divisions caught between an unpopular occupation and a remorseless insurgency is brought together by a group of soccer players and a Brazilian coach who took over just months before, their lives constantly threatened on and off the field. The Iraq team with one victory after another brought the country closer and exceeded all expectations by winning the Asian Cup. Iraq paused its violence as the world took notice.
The coming of Beckham to America
The British invasion came and went but it left an everlasting musical impression. The MLS turned to David Beckham to revamp its image as a retirement league. The multi-million dollar move had the chattering masses divided over his actual motive. Would he deliver? Unfortunately it would be his ankle that provided the final twist as his influence fell far short of the hype. Injuries kept out Beckham and the LA Galaxy failed to make the playoffs. But the move rejuvenated his wife's career and guaranteed Kevin Harmse a job as Beckham's on field bodyguard. The world will have to wait a little longer for his actual contribution to the MLS.
Off field violence and corruption rock Italian soccer
The murder of Filippo Raciti, a police officer in the Catania and Palermo derby, precipitated an orgy of violence in February that led to hundreds injured and forced Italy's soccer federation to suspend matches for a week. Deja vu. In November, Gabriele Sandri, a Lazio fan was killed by a policeman trying to sort out a fracas between Lazio and Juve fans. The incident leads to riots as as hundreds of fans battled the police. Matches are suspended again as Italy goes through a process of self recrimination and soul searching. Foreign players openly question the future of the Serie. The Calciopoli fallout continues as the first hearing for 37 suspects indicted for sports fraud and criminal association is held on December 15. The Azzurri book a berth to Euro 2008 finals beating out a tough Scotland, proving yet again, there is no news like bad news, to motivate them.
The death of Antonio Puerta
In August, Antonio Puerta, Sevilla's 22 year old midfielder collapses in a match against Getafe. He lies unconscious for three days in hospital with multiple organ failure and irreversible brain damage. Puerta's death shocks the world and highlights an invisible killer, a type of cardiomyopathy that afflicts athletes in their prime and previously taken the lives of Mark Vivien Foe and Miklos Feher. Tragically, his girlfriend was expecting their first child. His jersey number is provisionally retired only to be used by his son born October 22, in the event he plays for Sevilla.
Thierry "Titi" Henry leaves Arsenal
The topscorer for Arsenal with 226 goals finally leaves for Barca nine seasons and two Premiership titles later. Titi Henry was Arsenal's talisman in a team shorn of superstars. He cites the departure of David Dein and the uncertainty surrounding Arsene Wenger's future at Arsenal as instrumental in his break from Arsenal. In this crisis, fans bitterly divide between the no one player is bigger than the club camp while others fatalistically predict Arsenal's imminent fall from the Premiership's stratospheric reaches. Arsenal's critics highlight Henry's departure as an example of Arsenal's failure to retain quality players due to Wenger's small potatoes mentality. Suddenly what had worked wonderfully in the past looked out of touch and antiquated in the new "break the bank" approach of the Premiership.
The Special One resigns
Mourinho is Chelsea and Chelsea is Mourinho. Or so we thought. Roman Abramovich obviously thought differently as his rift with Jose Mourinho deepened despite Peter Kenyon's pre-season Kumbayah pronouncements. In September Mourinho shockingly resigned and sportswriters, fans and players went into crisis mode. No more Mourinho as newsfodder. Who else could game the referees, condescend to the likes of Ferguson, Wenger, and Benitez, prowl the sidelines, grace Amex commercials, charm the ladies in a muffler and a three day stubble, and piss all over a multi million pound star squad and their godfather, Roman Abramovich? Yea, Mourinho was all chutzpah and brought loads of oomph to the Premiership. Avram Grant: He has nothing on ye, Jose.
Real Madrid steals an unforgettable title
The Serie and the Premiership were locked up long ago. Boring. La Liga proved to be the watering hole for all those interested in seeing a race to the wire. The Merengues were seemingly dead with losses to clubs like Celta Vigo, Recreativo, Levante, and Racing. Bitter fans barracked Ramon Calderon who used the media to label them as ignorant and undeserving. Fabio Capello mocked Beckham for his move to the MLS confining him to the sidelines even when healthy. Guti was old. The midfield was full of starlets. Van Nistelrooy was the only one scoring with Jose Antonio Reyes a ghost. And then something happened on the way to the forum. Guti found his feet and Capello brought back Beckham as Real turned their way around. On May 12th Real finally took the lead winning a close one against Espanyol. Barca and Sevilla slipped. Fast forward to the last day, Real tied with Barca, just ahead on tie breaker. Playing Mallorca, the first half finished a goal down, RVN their top scorer limped out with injuries, and it all looked bleak. But this was destiny as Capello brought on Reyes in place of Beckham at half time and the substitution paid off as the ex-Arsenal striker scored an equalizer. It was not going to be enough as they needed a win. Diarra gave Real the lead before Reyes struck again to seal the win and calm those palpitating hearts. Real had won their first title in four years. Fabio Capello was sacked, Reyes transfered to Atletico Madrid, and Barca was forced to ponder what their fate would have been if Messi had not resurrected Maradona in his performance complete with a Hand of God goal against Espanyol. La Liga was the best of the best in 2007 in performance and dramatic content.
Jupp Derwall: The revolutionizer of Turkish soccer passes away
Derwall's Euro and World Cup accomplishments for West Germany could well have been enough to merit a mention in 2007's soccer events of the year. W.Germany won the 1980 Euro and made it to the 1982 World Cup finals losing to Italy. These accomplishments were overshadowed by his cynical orchestration of the match against Austria which led to the Algerians being eliminated in the group stage of the World Cup. Derwall's brand of soccer fell out of favour when Germany was eliminated in the 1984 Euro but surprisingly saw it being resurrected in Turkey when he accepted the position of Galtasaray's manager. His style of coaching introduced new tactical ideas and training methods to Galtasaray and Turkey. Fatih Terim, Turkey's present coach who trained under Jupp Derwall considers him influential in the changing the fortunes of Turkish soccer as it burst forth in the 2002 World Cup with the exploits of Hakan Sukur, Umit Davala, and Hasan Sas.
Small Argentinian clubs upend the big ones
Lanus wins the 2007 Apertura beating out big time clubs like Independiente, San Lorenzo, Boca Juniors, Racing Santander, and River Plate. It was their first domestic title in their 92 years of existence. Following them was Tigre, the runners up, a club that was making its first top flight appearance in 27 years. A week later Arsenal de Sarandi won the Copa Sudamericana beating San Lorenzo, Goias, Guadalajara, River Plate, and in the finals Club America. It was their first ever major title, their previous one being winners of Division C. Arsenal was forced to play the Copa finals in a different stadium because their venue fell way short of CONMEBOL's seating requirements of 40,000 for a major final. It was not Martin Palermo, Rodrigo Palacio, Fernando Belluschi or the usual suspects who created waves but a little known striker called Jose Sand for Lanus whose 15 goals in 15 matches was instrumental in their winning the Apertura. And in the Copa Sudamericana, a midfielder named Martin Andrizzi became the hero for Arsenal scoring the goal that gave them the title.
Corinthians are relegated
A club championed by the millions of working class Brazilians and whose players organized a historical resistance to military dictatorships and the culture of paternalism falls from the premier division. The outcome of a fly by night operation when Kia Joorabchian's MSI bought big name players whose 2005 title winning exploits convinced Corinthians to give MSI majority financial control over the club in exchange for permanent league glory ala Galacticos. A fools gold that proved elusive once MSI decided to sell of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano to the higher paying Premiership. MSI backed out as it became the target of money laundering investigations with arrest warrants issued for Kia Joorabchian and his partner, Boris Berezovsky. The promised influx of big name players dried up. Corinthians had to play this season with a number of second and third leaguers. Their fall has been dizzying considering that seven years ago they won the Club World Cup with names like Marcelinho, Edu, and Luizao.
Thierry Henry contemplates the crystal ball and sees Barca
Bolivian president Evo Morales makes his case for high altitude soccer
Iraq celebrates its win and Sunnis, Shias, and Kurds alike loft their silverware
Nani defies gravity as Fergie tries to keep him earthbound
Some really great pictures. For more Reuters pictures of the year (these were the soccer ones) >>
via The Telegraph (AP)
"Make eye contact, Tom and give us the real scoop. Are you in or not?"
The growing sense out of Anfield is that the American owners of Liverpool might be struggling to keep hold of the club. There are many worrying signs but chief amongst them is banks are increasingly cagey in giving out the full loan to finance the new stadium, relying more on a piecemeal approach. It looks increasingly likely that the financing for the stadium will be put on hold till 2009.
The owners have already reneged on their original promise to keep Liverpool from becoming another Man Utd and as in the case of the Glazers, rather than relying on their own assets, loans are now needed to finance Liverpool's buyout burdening it with debt. The huge interest repayments will eat a significant chunk of the revenues. More alarmingly, Hicks seems to have developed cold feet on the whole Liverpool financing ordeal and is seeking a takeover of his share.
For Hicks, Liverpool is another cog in the wheel. Soccerblog has documented his hard nosed business dealings in some detail. He is a legendary leveraged buyout specialist, buying piecemeal and then sell high. In the 90's, Hicks juggled a myriad of business ventures with his venture capital firm. He is a risk taker, a gambler, for other people's money, and he has a solid track record.
These however are changing times, the economic situation in the US has turned precarious with a jittery and volatile stock market reacting to the sub prime mortgage meltdown and the weakening dollar. Houses are being re-possessed as loan defaults escalate and banks investing in mortgage based securities are reporting massive losses. Morgan Stanley reported its first quarterly loss in 72 years and Bear Stearns is expected to follow suit. Citibank and Merrill Lynch's CEO recently resigned after billions of dollars in write downs following losses in the real estate market. In a worrying sign, analysts have not yet been able to gauge the extent of the damage but it is widely expected that the worst is yet to come. The Feds lowered the interest rate to shock the market back but it had the opposite effect as the reduction was considered paltry.
Hicks company, Hicks Holdings also owns the Texas Rangers, the Dallas Stars and a 50 percent stake in Liverpool Football Club. It also has a real estate unit and a business pursuing corporate acquisitions and real estate development in Argentina.
In this context, since buying out Liverpool with George Gillette in February, Tom Hicks has teamed up with Gatehouse Capital to develop hotels and luxury condominiums in Dallas and Los Angeles. He has also bought a 40% stake in Safemed, a company that optimizes clinical decisions based on a number of patient attributes.
In June 2007, Hicks entered the SPAC market. Special purpose acquisition companies are blank check or shell companies which raise money from the public with the sole mission of buying a company — whose identity is unknown at the time of the I.P.O. The deal making prowess of the manager is central to the perceived success of the SPAC. Hicks Investments, the SPAC started by Tom Hicks looks to raise $400m. He has since raised $552m but is still looking for a company to buyout. As per the IPO prospectus he has another year and a half to do this otherwise the SPAC will be liquidated and the money returned. SPACs are more transparent than most other investment strategies but the downside is that they ask investors to buy their stock on the strength of a management team, rather than a solid investment plan. They ask investors to provide them funds to invest in a company that has not yet been chosen. The risks therefore are considerable and not for the faint hearted. So far SPAC's have not been particularly successful in buying out companies.
Undoubtedly Tom Hicks is a successful deal maker and most of his investments have paid off but in the present uncertain financial state of the global markets and the recent risky investments that he has made, it is natural for banks to take a harder look at Liverpool's owners and decide whether they are doing the wise thing by loaning the money, to owners who might their own cash flow problems. Contrast this with Randy Lerner's low key buyout of Aston Villa where his own money guarantees a far more secure future.
Horrible defending by Birmingham gifted all three goals as Gary Megson and the Trotters can look forward to Xmas with three points. Arsenal's Johan Djorou was culpable in the second goal as his back throw to Maik Taylor fell way short and Anelka pounced on the ball scoring his 100th Premiership goal. Congratulations to Anelka who remains a transfer target for many top clubs.
Dean Whitehead beats up on the Reading mascot but Reading has the last laugh as Stephen Hunt's volley is judged to have crossed the goal line before Craig Gordon palms it away. It looked dubious and no doubt the FA will replay this a number of times.
John Obi Mikel is scythed down by Peter Crouch in a two footed tackle and the Nigerian midfielder is unable to continue the game. Crouch was red carded and rightly so but he made clear that Mikel was play acting. It would have been fine if Crouch had confined himself to these remarks. But then he went onto say.
What I'm thinking is if you go in on Frank Lampard or John Terry would they roll around like Obi Mikel did? I don't think they would have done.
"Would someone like Carra [Jamie Carragher] have gone down like that? I think it's safe to say that he wouldn't.
"Foreign players have brought a lot to our game but that's something you don't want to see. I didn't catch him but he's gone down like he's been shot."
Crouch's remarks come on the heels of an English establishment consciously putting out a mantra that the present woes bedeviling their soccer is due to the influx of foreign players. The media have gotten into the act.
The Premiership has become the most watched league in the world for a number of reasons, one is the undeniable skills of its foreign players. Crouch's ignorant remarks deflect another reason why Premiership soccer is so popular, foreign players have benefited too from the relatively clean style of soccer played in England by curtailing their diving. Its a two way street. Avram Grant is right, Crouch did the right thing by acknowledging his mistake and should have left it at that. He should have not used it as an excuse to indict foreign players but maybe his remarks are a reflection of the present climate of conveniently pinning the blame on foreigners.
The storyline: Two clever back heels, Almunia, and a soaring Bendtner.
Arsenal pull it off. An enervated Gunner team coming off an exhausting Chelsea win replete with post match recriminations that spilled into the week from John Terry bitter over the Eboue tackle to Mark Hughes accusing Arsenal over practicing the dark arts, to confront their bitter North London rivals. Spurs were riding a high with a win over Portsmouth and Man City.
Fabregas after misfiring most of the match produced that little bit of magic backheeling a pass to the onrushing Adebayor who coolly slotted it past Robinson. On the other end it was Keane's version that led to Berbatov's toeing the ball from the tightest of angles over Almunia. About five minutes later Spurs should have gone ahead with Toure bringing down Berbatov with Rob Styles signaling a penalty. Almunia read the ball right, dived right, and stopped Keane's low effort.
Wenger brought in Nicklas Bendtner in the 74th minute and it paid off in minutes as the Danish striker lifting himself over the earthbound Spurs defence, turned in a Fabregas corner past Robinson.
Spurs were six feet under and 21 games without a win against the Gunners.
Watching the highly distilled You tube clips of Karim Benzema, one admired his speed, his clinical finishes, and the ease with which he scored those goals. But looking more closely there were a number of occasions when the defense were caught out of position, slow to read or react, and failed to put in a timely tackle. Against a quality defence, Benzema, even with his impeccable nose for goals, would have been pegged back a notch or two.
You go into the Ligue numbers and it becomes clear that teams are conceding far too many goals. Apart from Lyons and Nancy, the top two teams, who have healthy goal differentials, the rest of the teams live on wafer thin margins. The third and fourth placed teams are giving up 20+ goals which in the EPL would have dropped them down to 10th and 11th spot. In comparisons the other Leagues, the Serie, La Liga, and the EPL, the top placed teams on an average enjoy much larger margins of safety. The top teams, even in a more comparable league like the Eredivisie, give up far less goals.
When you consider how many top defenders have left the Ligue it is not surprising. Out of the 7 defenders that did duty for the national squad in the Euro qualifiers, 5 play outside. In the recent call ups, only 3 out of the nine play for the Ligue. So out of total of 16 defenders who represented Les Bleus in the last year, 11 came from some other League. Experienced defenders like Eric Abidal, William Gallas, Willy Sagnol, and Lilian Thuram have plied their trade for a while overseas. This trend continues in the next generation of defenders with Phillipe Mexes, Patrice Evra, and Bakary Sagna moving to the bigger and more lucrative leagues.
A club like AJ Auxerre's defender corps was decimated this season as Bakary Sagna and Younes Kaboul signed up for Arsenal and Spurs. They now lie just above the relegation zone. The exodus is not just confined to players of French nationality but it includes players from the former French colonies and other smaller leagues who transfer to Ligue clubs like Lens or Marseille like Ivory Coast's Abdoulaye Meite who saw an extensive Marseille career before partnering Abdoulaye Faye in Sam Allardyce's bruising defence at Bolton. Faye from Senegal spent a number of years in Lens before being brought over to Bolton. When Sam Allardyce left Bolton to manage Newcastle he induced Faye to come along. In fact, Allardyce has rebuilt the Newcastle defence through a number of ex-Ligue players like Habib Beye, David Rozenhal, and Claudio Cacapa.
Lyon in the beginning of the season lost Eric Abidal to Juve and Claudio Cacapa to Newcastle. They also lost Cris, their best defender and Gregory Coupet, their international goalie to injuries but they recouped through Fabio Grosso and Anderson. The makeshift defence took sometime to gel and Lyon saw a very shaky start sliding to the 11th spot giving away some cheap goals before the defence under Grosso, Squillaci, and Anderson toughened up. But Lyon is an exception. This year's league positions show a reversal and clubs like Marseille, Rennes, and Auxerre who did well last year have slipped drastically losing some key defenders to the bigger leagues.
Sorry for the dog ate my homework post.
We have been swamped by spam and in the process of cleaning up, some of the comments directed towards the Nery Castillo post inadvertently got deleted. I apologize to the Man City fans who took the time to comment. Being an Arsenal fan, I promise this is not an attempt at getting back at you for Micah Richards. Please feel free to comment on Nery and we will post it up.
Mark Hughes channels HP Lovecraft and Necronomicon or is he digging on the "foreignness" of Arsenal's squad. With Hughes one suspects the latter. Whatever it is, it does make for a very quotable quote.
“Certainly in the past, teams have put comments out leading into games in an effort to influence the refs. It’s a touch of the dark arts, I suppose.”
A case of the pot calling the kettle black or ummm... dark.
Anyways, its been a week of playing clubs who have had a testy time with Arsenal over the years, Chelsea, Blackburn, and this weekend it is Spurs. So look for more dung to be flung.
Suggested Xmas present for Mark Hughes: America's gasbag Bill O'Reilly in Culture Warrior.
We always think of John Terry as this indestructible player who shakes of a tackle which would have destroyed a lesser mortal and plunges right back into the thick of things. Probably true. It was quite illustrative to hear FSC's Arsenal vs Chelsea fan coverage after the Eboue tackle, when the Chelsea fan waxed confidently on the recuperative powers of Terry only to be surprised that he had to be taken off.
Terry is now out 6-8 weeks with a fracture of the third metatarsal and the cuneiform bones of the right foot. The injuries are piling up thick and fast. He was operated for a chronic back problem last winter due to a herniated disk which knocked him out for about three months. He was supposed to have comeback in a month but despite the back surgery he continued to suffer pain. He came back for the Porto CL fixture in which he sustained an ankle injury which in all probablity should have ruled him out for the Carling Cup final against Arsenal in February this year but he forced himself back into the squad. That bitterly contested final saw Terry knocked out cold from an inadvertent kick to the face by Abou Diaby which led him to swallow his tongue and had to be rushed to the emergency room to clear his airway. He was forced to idle the sidelines for two weeks. In all Chelsea missed Terry for about 4 months and they cite Terry's injuries as a major reason in their failure to retain the Premiership last season.
In October this year, Terry suffered a knee cartilage injury leading to swelling and pain. The long term treatment involved knee surgery and weeks of rehab. But McLaren was in a bind with England fighting Croatia, Russia, and Israel for a Euro berth. It was decided that Terry would recuperate through rest and conventional methods. He missed the all important match against Russia in the Euro qualifiers. It proved to be fatal as the English squad suffered a humiliating defeat. Prior to the knee injury Terry was playing with a sculpted mask to protect a cheekbone fracture inflicted by a Dempsey elbow and at the same time nursing a broken toe. Not surprisingly, it coincided with Avram Grant's painful transition into the Premiership in the post Mourinho phase.
This time around with the Premiership race in danger of tightening to a two horse race and one can understand Avram Grant's concern that Chelsea's chances are slipping away. But this is the time to be responsible and say enough is enough.
The human body is a system of carefully constructed bio-mechanical linkages. What goes on in the spine affects the lower body and vice versa. The problem is that John Terry has been given this super mythic status in which his availability visibly affects both Chelsea and England. He plays through the pain barrier and the managers and fans love him for it. He can take it on the chin unlike the other namby-pambies. But a time will come when Terry may not be able to play at all because of the cumulative effect of all these crippling injuries. Take it on the chin might win you the battle but it will surely lose you the war when you don't get time to recuperate and get the right medical attention.
Wenger, you might want to cough up some cash for this guy. He is supposed to be one of the players you admire and he is in cracking form for Boro.
Kaka won the FIFA best player award as he beat out Ronaldo and Leo Messi. Maybe he deserved it but it is no secret that Sepp Blatter and FIFA heavily weight CL and the Club World Championship titles above domestic and regional titles. The CWC is a championship that one rarely watches but the current edition is Sepp Blatter's brainchild, restarted after five years with 7 teams representing their respective conferences. In some warped way it represents his ambition to see lightweight conferences achieve some sort of parity with the heavyweight conferences. So far the David Goliath feel good factor has been missing.
Go to the website where glowing recommendations like "Kaka does the honours", "Kaka soars above the competition", "Milan lights up Yokohama", "Dominant Milan rule the world" and you realize that the FIFA best player award is a foregone conclusion. It does not make a difference that the player who actually led Boca to the CWC, single handedly winning the Copa Libertadores title was not even there. He is in the midst of a contract dispute with Villareal.
Ronaldo might be responsible for winning the Premiership for Man Utd but the Red Devils did not win the CL and if they had then we would have seen Ronaldo's name substituted for Kaka's and he would have been crowned king on the basis of two matches. Leo Messi might have actually played for Argentina in the Copa America, the competition that Kaka cried off citing fatigue and led them to the final. They did not win. End of story.
Its a simple formula really - win CL, win CWC, win best player award. The website really does that best.
Marta Vieira da Silva quietly won the women's player of the year award while all the networks hailed Kaka, her countryman's achievements.
In all the hoopla about beating Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi, we forget that this diminutive woman has made Brazil into a force to reckon with in women's international soccer, eclipsing traditional powerhouses like the USA and Norway.
She scored seven goals in Brazil's march to the World Cup finals and is the top scorer for the Swedish club, Umea IK as they win the 2007Damallsvenskan title on the strength of her 20+ goals. In October there were rumours that she would join the LA Galaxy becoming the first woman to play professionally in a men's league.
So Marta, we salute ye!
Nikolai Dimitrov just had his Arsenal trial
Arsenal has already been linked to Yoann Gourcuff, Ibrahim Affelay, Karim Benzema, Hatem Ben Arfa, Luka Modric, Samir Nasri, Diego Capel, Miguel Veloso, and many others. I suppose the number of players Arsenal is linked to every transfer season is the downside to the reputation that Wenger has garnered over the years buying inexpensive but talented youngsters.
Of this list only Karim Benzema as a striker and Hatem Ben Arfa as a bonafide left winger really makes sense, the rest are central midfielders which Arsenal has plenty of (cf: a disgruntled Lassana Diarra wants out). What Arsenal needs is a striker and a good one at that as Eduardo has failed to justify being the summer's most expensive signing. RVP has just returned from injury, Adebayor is out with one, Bendtner is already complaining about his paltry minutes, and so the striker corps looks a bit brittle.
Benzema has been huge in OL's turnaround from 11th position to the top of Ligue1 and Jean Michel Aulas would be insane to part with him. He has figured prominently in their CL campaign and scored a double when Lyon dismantled Rangers, 3-0 in their group encounter. Wenger loves the lad and from all that we have seen of him, Benzema has a unerring nose for goal but at this stage Wenger is looking at a price tag of 25m euros or so. If Ben Arfa is included then it will set Arsenal back 40m.
There is some rumblings including Lassana Diarra to sweeten the transfer but Lyon also has a surfeit of talented midfielders so that really won't be their priority. However the grapevine has it that the Arsenal board maybe in a mood to splurge 70m. Lets face it with all the talk before the season began, Arsenal should not even have been close to first place. Remember Spurs were supposed to vault over us and push us out of a CL berth. If Wenger really wants to seal the deal on this season's Premiership then Benzema needs to be brought in. He could fit into Arsenal's intricate combination play. But Arsenal has not really approached OL so all this is just conjecture.
A surer bet would be Nikolay Dimitrov, Levski Sofia's highly rated left winger whose club has given permission to Arsenal for a trial. Eastern Europe is now the hottest fount for cheap but very talented players and this year four of them made it to the 2008 Euro. Bulgaria was very good too just being beaten out by Netherlands.
Tresor Mputu just had his trial a few weeks and he impressed Wenger. The former Cameroon and present Congo coach Claude Le Roy who picked Samuel Eto'o as a 17 year old for the national team says that Tresor could be better than Eto'o. He is 22 years and plays for league club TP Mazembe and the DR Congo team. Arsenal has reportedly offered a transfer fee of £500,000 for him.
With Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue out on duty for the ACN next January, Wenger needs to get a couple of strong central defenders. Phillipe Mexes at AS Roma would be a great candidate. He's become an integral part of Spaletti's team. Mexes is strong, physically aggressive, possesses good tackling skills with a great aerial ability, and shows that he is unafraid to go forward. I have seen him motor all the way from the opposite end and snuff out a play taking place 40-50 meters downfield. I also fancy Micah Richards but Sven will never part with him. He will have to shift to central defence as he is played as a right back at City. But he is IMO, the best young talent that England has in defence right now.
Here is the you tube clip on Nikolay Dimitrov
Blistering pace, abrupt changes of speed, good ball skills, powerful left shot and not bad with his right either, sets up decent crosses. I think he would fit right in.
Tresor Mputu's you tube clip
Check out the goalie's celebration.
The one year loan deal for Nery Castillo appears to be finalized with the usual haggling going back and forth on the loan amount. Shakhtar's owner Rinat Akhmetov wants 5m euros with no options. However Castillo was on hand to see his new team play Bolton.
He will immediately jockey for a position with the in form Rolando Bianchi who says he is not looking to go anywhere in the transfer season. Castillo was a major force at Olympiakos before being transfered to Shakhtar for a record 20m euros but proved to be an expensive bust failing to score in eight games. His scintillating display in this year's Copa America took Mexico to the semi-finals.
Its widely known that Castillo is a temperamental and self centered player and his earlier career was marked with disciplinary problems at Olympiakos where he fell out with Rivaldo who was favoured. His behavior and performance markedly improved when Rivaldo retired. It will be interesting to see how he fits in with Bianchi who has earned himself a starting spot after being sidelined in the early part of the season with Darius Vassell as Sven's preferred striker. Bianchi sees his future with Man City.
I can see Sven's need to boost his striker corps and score more goals on the road which is Man City's most pressing need but Nery Castillo represents a big gamble considering his past record of not getting on with his team-mates. Still, Castillo has single handedly changed matches with his deft touch and opportunism.
A very astute observation.
"I believe that English people and footballers have a will to win and a love for their country. It's just a question of getting it out of them. I really hope to be the man who can do that."
There are very interesting and obvious parallels between England and Russia, ironically the country that beat them out to a spot to Euro 2008. Guus Hiddink saw the same self defeating mechanism at work with the Russians whose national team always faltered when on the verge of success. A culmination played out when Russian fans went on the rampage after their team was beaten by Japan in the 2002 World Cup ending their run. Their failure to advance led to a widespread mood of despondency with fans staying away from national fixtures. They turned to supporting their local club. With private ownership, increased TV revenues, and a booming economy, playing for the Russian league become attractive to a number of international stars who in turn attracted an ever increasing domestic audience. Supporting CSKA Moscow and Lokomotiv was infinitely preferable in the new economy. The result was that the national game was in the doldrums with players going through the motions of playing matches.
When he became Russia's manager Guus Hiddink first order of business was to get the national squad believing that they could win and bring back the fans. In this he was helped by Roman Abramovich, the owner of CSKA Moscow and the man underwriting Russian soccer.
There are similar parallels to English fans who are much more heavily invested in seeing their clubs win rather than in some sort of abstract expression of nationalism. There are no obvious dividends when a national team wins other than a warm feeling and a lump in the throat. A club on the other hand gets more TV revenue, better players, a new stadium, and a family day. It has led to the most financially successful league. But other countries have learned to balance this better. A lot of it has to do with England not winning a major title since 1966, whereas Italy, Germany, and France have had regular success, with fans suspending their club allegiance when their national team is on display. Nothing succeeds like success.
Capello is on the right track with the essential trope of self belief and nationalism. His journey is much more complex than Guus Hiddink's though, whose managing has been simplified by the more unitary nature of Russia's soccer where success is fueled by private investment. In the English league these relationships have been traditionally more inimical and fragmented with many competing interests. He has to make friends with the PFA whose control over players can be quite suffocating. He also has to allow for English representation in his coaching staff otherwise it does in its present form sound like a tightly contained cabal and a future cudgel to be used for those who believe his hiring went against English tradition.
Here is some sage advice for Capello from a former England manager:
"To be England manager you must win every game, not do anything in your private life and hopefully not earn too much money" - Sven-Goran Eriksson offers some advice to Fabio Capello
Svennie has a long memory. Stay away from TV announcers, eat your Weetabix, live in Tooting, win against Croatia, and you will be right as rain, Fabio.
Lassana Diarra wants to be transfered as he is finding it difficult to break through the talent the Gunners have in midfield. He says he was given reassurances by the recruiters who said he would be a very important part of the team. I think Diarra was a bit blinkered in his assessment. Its a very crowded midfield and you have to be very, very good to break into the starting squad.
He did not look very impressive in his matches against Villa, Newcastle, and Boro. Arsenal now have different priorities with Eboue and Toure off next month for the ACN, Wenger should put him up in the transfer market and start looking for some big name defenders to fill the gap. Phillipe Senderos does not look assured and Wenger might not want to extend Johann Djorou's loan to Birmingham.
One mistake and that was the difference.
William Gallas is becoming a giant killer coming up with big time goals. This time the normally sure handed Petr Cech made a hash of hauling in a corner by Fabregas letting the ball get away as a lurking Gallas headed it in at the stroke of halftime. Gallas did it the same way against Man Utd scoring a last gasp equalizer.
Gallas goal cannot be understated because Arsenal was missing its deft touch with Fabregas showing a bit of rust as he found some of his passes going astray or being intercepted.
Meanwhile the Emirates gave Ashley Cole an earful and some of the Gunners also put some extra mustard in their tackles. The match ended with Cole swinging at Fabregas after being brought down trying to clear the ball from the Chelsea end. It was a snapshot of the whole match as a testy match saw 10 yellow cards and 30 fouls committed. John Terry and Emmanuel Eboue had to leave the game with injuries after some tough tackles.
The Arsenal attack got an immediate lift when RVP was introduced as Hleb was a bit understated and Adebayor had his hands full with the Chelsea defense draped around him. He loves attacking through the left which was where Arsenal pushed their way forward. Clichy and Rosicky were very active on that flank. Eboue provided most of the activity through the right.
Full marks to the Gunners as they fought through the second half as Chelsea threw everything into the attack. Almunia was outstanding saving a Mikel piledriver and then keeping away a Sheva freekick. On the other end Petr Cech made some fine reflexive saves denying RVP and then Fabregas. I thought RVP's goal was disallowed on a dubious offside call (Rosicky supposedly drifted away) and the Gunners should have gone two up. A bit later Adebayor's effort was denied as he had made a foul earlier which on the replay looked a bit ticky tacky.
Anyways, great win and the result is Arsenal regain the top spot over Man Utd. Liverpool's chances look bleak and Chelsea have a much tougher go as they are now seven points off the pace. The Gunners now need to win the matches that they need to win and next Sunday they meet Spurs who are coming off a ego boosting win against Pompey.
The news coming out of the Emirates is that the midfield trio of Cesc, Hleb, and Flamini have been declared match fit and will play Chelsea. RVP will be on the bench as Hleb starts in the slot behind Adebayor.
Man Utd just put the lumber on Liverpool's Premiership chances winning 1-0, setting up a bit of a sticky situation between Rafa and his American handlers in their much anticipated meeting.
Two goals by Pippo Inzaghi was the difference as Rodrigo Palacio and Alessandro Ambrosini (own goal) kept Boca in the hunt. Kaka and Nesta also scored. Congratulations to the Rossoneri for "officially" becoming the best club in the world.
Andriy Shevchenko scored a goal in the win against Sunderland last week and he celebrated like had scored his hundredth goal. It was only his fourth this season in 14 appearances.
But it was the way he scored that was very different and Arsenal should make a note of it. The goal was scored through an acrobatic header from a very assertive and confident looking Sheva. It looked like he had freed himself from the shackles of his senior strike partner Didier Drogba who is out of the lineup with his knee operation. We forget that Sheva is a very athletic striker because in comparison to Drogba everyone comes off as flatfooted. In Drogba's absence Sheva is showing signs of his AC Milan form where he scored 127 goals.
Arsenal has to be careful not to underestimate Sheva. He is no Drogba but he is no slouch either.
Barca drubs Valencia 3-0 with Eto'o scoring two goals and Eidur Gudjohnsen getting the third. Watch out for here comes Eto'o sidelined for so long with injury looking determined in making up for lost time. Excellent for Barca, very bad for the rest of the league. The first goal was a beauty. Valencia goalie Sebastian Canizares looked like he had swallowed a bitter pill.
Beautiful cross by little Aaron Lennon to Berbatov who puts it past David James. High flying Pompey is brought down to earth. Lennon again served a reminder why Fabio Capello should consider him for a starting spot on the England team. He is too good a player to drift in and out.
Two hat tricks with Roque Santa Cruz ending a 7 game drought in style in a losing effort for Blackburn and Marcus Bent for Wigan which got the Latics their first win in 13 games. In between Mark Clattenburg issued nine yellow cards, ejected Emerton, gave Benni McCarthy a penalty on a dubious foul, denied Morten Gamst Pedersen when he was definitely brought down in the penalty area, and should have sent off Julius Agahowa after he illegally blocked a David Bentley freekick.
It was a thoroughly entertaining match and the sad eyed Steve Bruce had much to celebrate while Mark Hughes granite face looked a bit more careworn after Blackburn stumbled once again. His much vaunted defence has sprung a leak letting them down once again with Steven Warnock and Christopher Samba the culprits this time.
As for Mark Clattenburg, he really loves the limelight, doesn't he?
Last time fans wanted to greet Cashley Cole with these bank notes
Arsene Wenger is optimistic that the midfield trio of Cesc, Hleb, and Flamini may well be fit to play Sunday's match against Chelsea. All three players have been training and with RVP playing Steaua Bucharest midweek, we might have the luxury of a full compliment of starters for a long time. Theo Walcott will not be available because of a knee strain picked up in the Bucharest game.
Wenger also appealed to fans not to take their anger out against Ashley Cole who will be making his first return since leaving Arsenal acrimoniously in August 2006. The focus should be supporting the club and remembering Cole's contribution. Well, I think the circumstances in which he left would be enough for the drying up of any goodwill. To add insult to injury he then snitched on Wenger in his book. So I think Cole is fair game for any sort of reception that he might get short of bodily injury.
Betting odds are mixed as Boylesports puts Arsenal at 8/5 favourites to beat Chelsea and Ladbrokes offers a 9/4 in favour of Chelsea. In 15 games at Arsenal, Chelsea have only one once, drawn five, and lost nine. The return of the midfield trio will increase Arsenal's chances and the odds will be redrawn once Wenger announces his lineup. Chelsea will be without Didier Drogba, Michael Ballack, and the indefatigable Michael Essien.
Ray Houghton gives Arsenal a 4/1 odds to win with Adebayor scoring the winning goal. He also expects Liverpool to win which would be nice for the Gunners who would like a bit of separation at this stage from Man Utd in points.
Two managers met today. One Sam Allardyce moved away from being axed and the other Lawrie Sanchez moved just so much closer as Fulham fell in the last minute of extra time to Newcastle. Its become something of a hallmark for the Cottagers to give up late game goals and this match was no different. This time Elliot Omozusi fouled Alan Smith while both scrambled for the ball a few feet away from Antti Niemi. Joey Barton stepped up for the penalty.
It was quite heartbreaking because Fulham actually played very well with Hamir Bouazza and Clint Dempsey giving the Magpies and Shay Given plenty to think about.
Fulham are now in the relegation zone keeping company with Wigan and Derby.
The Belfast Telegraph reports that the Newcastle match was make or break for Sanchez and owner Mohammed Ali Fayed would begin looking for a new coach.
Derby is everybody's favourite punching bag. So it was no suprise that Middlesbrough won against them but the goal that gave them the win was quality. And it was none other than Tuncay who has come up big against Reading, Arsenal, and now Derby. Tuncay scored a beauty after 38 minutes, meeting Stewart Downing's cross with a magnificent first-time volley.
Match report >>
That's a cute way of saying numero uno
On Capello's state of mind...
" Imagine José Mourinho on steroids."
Derek Richey has developed a system to rank clubs. It takes into account both domestic and international matches played by the club in 2007. Only the first 100 are included in this list. Some eye openers as Bossman points out, AC Milan is ranked 28th with Hamburger and Bordeaux ranked above it. I wonder if league strength is something that Derek looked into similar to the BCS rankings that rate college football in the USA. The Bundesliga and Ligue1 is consistently rated lower than the Serie, so the AC Milan ranking would be an outlier even though they are well off their pace.
1 Real Madrid SPA 106
Internazionale ITA 106
3 FC Barcelona SPA 104
4 Manchester Utd ENG 102
5 Arsenal ENG 101
6 Chelsea ENG 99
7 Olympique Lyon FRA 98
8 Villarreal CF SPA 96.5
9 Santos BRA 96
AS Roma ITA 96
11 Bayern München GER 95
Boca Juniors ARG 95
13 Hamburger SV GER 92.5
14 Werder Bremen GER 92
15 FC Porto POR 91
16 Girondins Bordeaux FRA 90.5
17 Atlético Madrid SPA 89.5
18 São Paulo FC BRA 89
Liverpool ENG 89
20 Flamengo BRA 85
AS Nancy FRA 85
22 Valencia CF SPA 84
23 Bayer Leverkusen GER 82.5
24 Juventus ITA 82
PSV Eindhoven NED 82
RCD Espanyol SPA 82
Osasuna SPA 82
28 AC Milan ITA 81
29 Grêmio BRA 79
Fiorentina ITA 79
Toluca MEX 79
CF América MEX 79
33 Getafe CF SPA 78.5
34 Manchester City ENG 78
Udinese ITA 78
Racing Santander SPA 78
Benfica POR 78
Sevilla FC SPA 78
39 Everton ENG 76.5
40 Celtic SCO 76
RCD Mallorca SPA 76
Schalke 04 GER 76
43 Lanús ARG 75
Portsmouth ENG 75
Le Mans FRA 75
46 Karlsruher SC GER 74
Real Zaragoza SPA 74
48 Galatasaray TUR 73
49 Aston Villa ENG 72
50 Rangers SCO 71
51 Tigre ARG 70
Valenciennes FRA 70
Atalanta ITA 70
Santos Laguna MEX 70
Guadalajara MEX 70
Ajax NED 70
57 Slavia Praha CZE 69
Blackburn ENG 69
Athletic Bilbao SPA 69
Fenerbahçe TUR 69
61 Houston Dynamo USA 68
62 VfB Stuttgart GER 67
63 Fluminense-RJ BRA 66
Hannover 96 GER 66
Sampdoria ITA 66
66 OGC Nice FRA 65
Feyenoord NED 65
Vitória Guimarães POR 65
Sivasspor TUR 65
70 Banfield ARG 64
Atlante MEX 64
72 Cruzeiro BRA 63
West Ham ENG 63
74 Rennes FRA 62
75 Besiktas TUR 61
N England Revolution USA 61
Sporting CP POR 61
78 Argentinos Juniors ARG 60
Newcastle ENG 60
Hertha BSC GER 60
SC Heerenveen NED 60
Hibernian SCO 60
UD Almería SPA 60
84 Napoli ITA 58
Real San Luis MEX 58
SK Brann NOR 58
87 Palmeiras BRA 57
Birmingham ENG 57
Sporting Braga POR 57
Real Valladolid SPA 57
Chivas USA USA 57
92 Eintracht Frankfurt GER 56
DC United USA 56
94 Club Brugge BEL 55
Internacional BRA 55
FK Teplice CZE 55
Tottenham ENG 55
AS Monaco FRA 55
FC Twente NED 55
Vitória Setúbal POR 55
What makes me think that Paul Robinson will not like meeting Fabio Capello if he makes a mistake?
Urawa Reds made a match of it against AC but the Rossoneri proved to be too good at the end with Seedorf making the winning connection through a nifty pass by Kaka. Yesterday, Boca Juniors put one past L'Etoile Sahel to march into the CWC finals where they will as expected meet AC Milan. Sahel and Urawa Reds will decide third place.
Ian Turner in his NYT article points to a survey show that Italians are the least happy people in Western Europe. There is a feeling of malessere, a collective funk - economic, political, and social. With a stagnating economy, a bloated and insecure bureaucracy, and an aging population, Italy has fallen way behind Western Europe in development. Only 36% of Italians trust their government compared to 64% of Denmark.
When soccer becomes part of that malaise then it leads to the sort of violence that one increasingly associates Italian soccer with.
Which leads us to the interesting corollary, malaise is good for the overall performance of the national team. The Azzurri were determined to erase Calciopoli, a motivating factor in their winning the World Cup. A sense of pride in its achievement brought Italians together.
In France, the perennial question of how "French" constantly plagues the national team. A perceived malaise that is seized upon by Jean Marie Le Pen and the right wing National Front in every election. Les Bleus, use their diversity to rebut that polemic. They won the 1998 World Cup and reached the 2006 finals.
Germany in the 2006 World Cup shed its self effacing image and its collective guilt brought on it by two World Wars. The Mannschaft played lights out soccer and an increasingly assertive German public celebrated its achievement.
The English team comprises a group of self serving and smug soccer players. The only source of malaise within their team is what rank their myriad of badly written autobiographies occupy on the Amazon book ranks. Even Fabio Capello will be hard pressed to put a dent into this infatuated group.
The national game received a comprehensive indictment leaving its reputation in tatters. The Mitchell report has fingered almost 80 players many of them All Stars like Roger Clemens, Andy Pettite, Miguel Tejada, and Eric Gagne for taking steroids knowingly or as an inadvertent victim. They have joined Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi. A few years ago in congressional hearings Mark McGuire and Rafael Palmeiro pleaded guilty. But it is clear that the few known steroid absusers were just the tip of the iceberg as alluded to in Jose Canseco's tell all book. The Mitchell report represents a body blow to the MLB. Suddenly Pete Rose's dastardly act of betting against his own team, the Cincinnati Reds, appears quaint and outmoded. Who is clean in MLB? The system is broken from top to bottom.
Mitchell said the problems didn't develop overnight and there was plenty of blame to go around.
"Everyone involved in baseball over the past two decades _ commissioners, club officials, the players' association and players _ shares to some extent the responsibility for the Steroids Era," Mitchell said. "There was a collective failure to recognize the problem as it emerged and to deal with it early on.
There has always been some suspicion with naysayers in the US, that soccer players are cheaters. Sure, some soccer players are prevaricating creatures too, diving and flopping. Is there a systemic abuse? Not really, as these are crimes that can be caught on tape and penalized. There are corrupt soccer establishments like some in the Serie like Juventus with its match fixing under Luciano Moggi. Measures were taken as Calciopoli sickened even the Vatican. But by and large individual soccer records are clean as steroids and growth hormones don't benefit players. This is not true for sports like MLB and NFL where there is a premium on explosive speed and strength for certain player positions. Having bulked up players helps with bat speed and blocking. The NBA would not benefit either as girth is not much appreciated but ball handling skills and spatial awareness is.
There is also a perceived lack of interest in soccer because the magnitude of its records do not match up to that of the US sports. I would like to see which MLB player can truly hit more than 25 home runs without being juiced. With a audience hooked on seeing the record of home runs tumble (remember the addicted public following the Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire slugfest), next year is going to be very interesting in terms of MLB viewership. The die hards will not give up. But soccer might benefit from a new generation dismayed and turned off by the cynicism afflicting the national game.
Tuncay Sanli is proving to be a godsend for Gareth Southgate. The former Fenerbahce fan favourite scored a goal last week against Reading that resulted in a face saving draw. Today he scored the match winning goal against Arsenal in a win that gave Boro a much needed three points and Southgate a bit more breathing room in his managerial career. Tuncay's goal ended Arsenal's unbeaten run.
Tuncay has been on Wenger's radar ever since he lit up the Turkey- France Confederation Cup match in 2003 in which he called the Fenerbahce player “an upcoming football star” and there were transfer rumours this summer linking him to Arsenal.
He is well known to Man U fans too. In 2004, Tuncay Sanli became the first ever Turkish player to score a hat-trick in the Champions League, in a group game against Manchester United.
Tuncay won three league titles with Fenerbahce scoring 59 goals in 154 matches. He occupies a special place in the hearts of the Fenerbahce fans with his impressive work rate, dribbling abilities, versatility up front, and his never say die spirit. He is called "Cesur Yürek" (Brave Heart) and "Fenerbahçe'nin Yureği" (The Heart of Fenerbahçe.). Many fans were sad to see him leave for Boro.
He came to Boro on a Bosman transfer this summer as big body Mark Viduka headed for Newcastle and Yakubu to Everton. Boro's relief came in the form of Mido but the ex-Spurs striker has been injured opening up starting opportunities for Tuncay and the way he has responded he is well on his way to becoming a fan favourite with the Riverside faithful too. Tuncay says he is committed to bringing Boro back to UEFA competition.
Tuncay Sanli's stats >>
Tuncay Sanli's official fan site >> The English version has not updated since July 2007.
Tuncay Sanli You Tube clip >> This video generated almost a million hits.
I am still waiting for Sir Alex, the self appointed defender of "English" soccer to denounce his player, Cristiano Ronaldo for thumbing his nose at all that is decent in this game. This cynical and manipulative cheat is doing what he does best. Dive. Last weekend he was booked for diving. Rob Styles obviously got it wrong but Ronaldo has cried wolf a number of times. Styles was probably playing it safe after the referees association lambasted him for awarding a penalty kick to Chelsea following a Florent Malouda dive.
Today it was Derby's turn and this time Ronaldo succeeded in bamboozling Chris Foy into giving a penalty, flopping under an innocuous Tyrone Mears challenge. He promptly took it denying Carlos Tevez a chance to score a hat trick. A spoilsport too.
Didier Drogba was taken to task by fans for diving last year. He has since cleaned up his act. If Sir Alex is serious about saving "English" soccer then he should clean his own house otherwise it is just another exercise in self serving lip service. Let him have a talk with his blue eyed boy or let some of his senior players give him a talking to. Otherwise one of these days someone else will take matters into their own hands and attempt a facial reconfiguration on Ronaldo.
Giggs reminds us why he is still one of the best. Congratulations on achieving this milestone.
I think that PFA report has gotten to the Gunners because they really tried playing the "English" version of the game against Boro and failed miserably. But full marks to Eboue, Toure, Diarra, and company for trying. It just isn't their game.
These are dangerous times for the Gunners as the mid season swoon just resulted in their first loss. We are still on top of the table but barely clinging on.
Its been a tough week for Arsenal with two trips up north against teams with embattled managers. Arsenal does not traditionally travel well against Northern teams. What Martin O'Neill's team showed in the second half last week was not lost on Sam Allardyce and Gareth Southgate. Without Fabregas, Hleb, and Flamini, the Gunners rely on a makeshift midfield not very comfortable playing the one touch soccer that is their emblem. Its becoming easy for a hustling Newcastle and Boro team to gain and keep possession of the ball against the Gunners who looked like they had watched a Mark Hughes training video the previous nights and were mistaking Adebayor for Roque Santa Cruz.
Walcott, Diarra, Denilson, Gilberto have all been used but these players have never looked comfortable handling the ball. Diarra was nowhere to be found which meant that a series of hopeful long balls were sent towards the Boro goal. Adebayor was on ball retrieval duty all through the match.
Adebayor has performed magnificently for Arsenal but without RVP in the lineup he really looks like he is bench pressing 200 lbs above his limit. He is not an instinctive striker and his main strength is playing with his back to the goal, creating chances for others to score. Luckily for Arsenal, with Fabregas, Flamini, and Hleb, nipping at Adebayor's heels, goals have been easy to come by. Without them, the Boro match was a reminder of how frustrating a player Adebayor can be because his first touch was not always the best one. Eduardo has not justified his being Arsenal's most expensive signing this season. WIth RVP and Hleb out, a few goals from him would have helped ease the pressure.
The next few weeks are going to be clogged with matches as Arsenal play Steaua Bucharest midweek to try and wrest the top spot from Sevilla in Group H of the CL. But all eyes will be on the match against Chelsea next weekend when they come visiting the Emirates. If all goes well Fabregas, Hleb, Flamini, and RVP will be back from injury along with Diaby. Chelsea will be minus Didier Drogba out with knee surgery.
The fixtures are getting tougher with upcoming matches against Pompey and Everton and a Carling Cup match against Blackburn. Its critical that we get back our starting lineup because the run to the top just got a lot tighter.
Cesc Fabregas presence makes all the difference in the world. And that is an understatement.
Liverpool's comprehensive defeat again raises questions for Rafa Benitez's American handlers. Steven Gerrard continues his awful form and a slow reacting Liverpool defence struggled to contain a hungry Reading team. Full marks to James Harper who just blew by Riise and in a cool finish ended Liverpool's undefeated run. Here is Nicky Shorey's wondrous free kick (Doyle connection) and Nicky Hunt's penalty.
Gerrard's equalizer restored some hope to the Reds before Doyle put Reading ahead and Harper sealed the win.
Socrates and Corinthians democracy; Lula and his embrace of neo-liberal policies
There is a sense of disbelief when you consider how Corinthians were relegated to the B division. What happened to this proud club? The first club founded by the working masses and the most successful of the Paulista clubs. Corinthians were the countervail to the dominant upper crust British soccer culture of yore, were in the forefront of the movement that rebelled against the autocratic military regimes of the 70s, and saw its lifelong supporter, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva aka Lula, elected as the president of Brazil. The club with its estimated 30 million supporters comprise the electoral base of the Workers Party. Socrates, the wondrous midfielder who captained the 1986 Brazil team and the most iconic Corinthian player once said about his club, "they are not a team with supporters, but supporters with a team".
Socrates and team mates Wladimir and Walter Casagrande formed Corinthians Democracy, a players movement within the club that rebelled against the suffocating paternalistic culture prevalent in Brazilian soccer which dictated not only how they played but how they lived their lives. A phenomenon Alex Bellos calls concentrecao or loosely translated "bring together the troops", a microcosm of the authoritarian nature of the military regimes that subjugated the citizenry. The movement was a democratic exercise where players voted on simple daily tasks that affected them like when to take lunch or what time to turn in. 'We decided everything by consensus,' says Sócrates.
But it was not just simple decisions that made Corinthians Democracy a byword in Brazilian soccer history, it was its political role in actively bringing down the military dictatorship. Players voted to wear shirts with 'Vote on the Fifteenth' written on them and bringing huge "Democracia" banners to the pitch. As a sports icon Socrates was very aware that players like him could play a seminal role in arousing the masses to direct action. A very well read man (he was also a medical doctor), Socrates used anarcho-syndicalistic principles which first organized workers rights in the latter part of the nineteenth century. He says thus.
"The process that we went through (Corinthians Democracy) was extremely rich. We were working in a really popular environment ... and we managed to develop a form of action that generated a series of polemics ... in relation to the structure of employers and employees.
In 1982 and 1983, Corinthians won the Paulista championship beating Sao Paulo. During those years, the last military dictator Jose Figueirado, declared that he was committed to opening up Brazil to democracy but government hardliners responded with a series of bombings. Figueirado's failure to bring the guilty to justice coupled with rising inflation, stagnating wages, and increasing debt led to the public's determination to see the end of military rule. In 1984 in an impressive display, millions of Brazilians took to the streets in all the major cities demanding a direct vote (diretas já! ) in the choice of the next president. In 1985, military rule finally ended with Jose Sarney, a civilian and a former ally of Figueirado coming to power. During those tumultuous last years, Lula, as one of the leaders of the Workers Party was at the forefront of the diretas ja! movement, imprisoned for organizing massive workers strikes protesting the pitiful wages.
So when in 2002 Lula finally became the president, millions of working class Brazilians rejoiced to see one of their own elected. The former shoeshine boy was one of them. In addition, he was a Corinthians supporter, who liked nothing better than relaxing with his friends and colleagues playing the beautiful game. Ironically, in soccer mad Brazil, Lula is an exception, a leader, the first in three decades with a genuine love for the game. So it was befitting that his first Presidential act was to take on the cartolas, the corrupt club establishments. Bellos explains
"The sport is run by a network of unaccountable, largely corrupt figures known as cartolas, or "top hats", who have become obscenely wealthy while the domestic football scene is broke and demoralised. The public plundering of football is a constant and very visible reminder of the country's failings." Joao Havelange, the former CBF and FIFA president is one of the major beneficiaries of this system.
In 1998, following the embarrassing defeat of the Brazilian team to France in the World Cup final, a series of investigations into the dealings of the cartolas was launched. A temporary law was passed which demanded greater financial accountability. With Lula in power the fire and brimstone Law of Moralisation in Sport became permanent. In place too was a bill of rights for soccer fans. The bill contained an important statute which mandated that the CBF (the Brazilian FA) would hold at least one national competition in which "teams know before it begins how many games they will play and who their opponents will be." As banal as it appears to be, this statute addressed the hitherto arbitrary nature of the Brazilian domestic league. The cartolas in cahoots with the military dictators used the league to serve their narrow economic and political ends by changing relegation rules every season to keep favoured teams on top.
Lula was quick to realize that all through Brazil's democratization, the cartolas themselves had not reformed, and with these populist measures, used the public dissatisfaction with these cartolas to cement his place in the heart of the ordinary soccer fan. In Brazil where soccer is life itself, Garrastazu Medici, the military dictator, used the euphoria surrounding the 1970s World Cup win, to push the most repressive of measures.
Of course, the CBF and their acolytes, the cartolas fought back immediately announcing a suspension of the league. But Corinthians, on whose board Lula sits as a lifetime director, supported his reform measures. With Corinthians and Lula standing firm, the threat collapsed within 48 hours and the league resumed its matches. The cartolas were defeated and their pernicious influence on the game shaken. The last authoritarian structure in Brazil was given notice by Lula and the Corinthians.
Thus it is in this prism, that the MSI and Corinthian association should be viewed. A Faustian bargain that virtually cedes all financial control to MSI in exchange for some high priced players. A very nebulous relationship which has already led to arrest warrants issued by a Brazilian judge for Kia Joorabchian and Boris Berezovsky, former partners of MSI on money laundering charges. Former Corinthian president Alberto Dualib resigned after it was discovered that he was the recipient of huge MSI payouts. In the two years since winning the 2005 Brasiliero title, Corinthians had morphed into a MSI money laundering front and the promised Galacticos that would put a stranglehold on the title, never arrived as MSI's assets were frozen. Less than a fortnight ago, Corinthians were relegated as they drew Gremio.
Fans went into shock. "It was the saddest day in my life," Corinthians fan Joao Paulo Tonidandel told the O Estado de S. Paulo newspaper. "It (relegation) made me even sadder than when my mother died."
Relegation was the end of a "chronicle of a tragedy foretold," Juca Kfouri, one of Brazil's most respected sports analysts and an ardent Corinthians fan, said in his column in the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper. He blamed Dualib and the board of directors for giving the club away to unscrupulous operators.
So where was Lula in all of this as his club now struggles with relegation and financial debt estimated at $56 million? Surely, Lula with his worker class background, a champion of workers rights, a lifelong activist against entrenched power structures, would have disavowed this arrangement. But it is no secret that the new Lula is the IMFs best friend, a neo-liberal champion, with his overriding priority being free market programs and the flight of international capital into Brazil, ostensibly to alleviate poverty. He was elected on a platform which promised land reform, eradicating illiteracy, promoting health, creating jobs, and building houses which he has largely neglected.
It would be a fair to conclude that Lula's neo-liberal policies must have encouraged the Corinthians board to throw in their lot with MSI and to welcome foreign private investment into improving the club and attracting players like Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano. For a while it worked even though the board knew this arrangement was a double edged sword. MSI could not keep their hands of the till. And a club that once fought the authoritarianism of military rule and supported transparency in soccer was left clutching at straws.
Chalk up another victory for the small Argentinian clubs that are stirring up South American soccer. Arsenal de Sarandi who have never won the domestic league won the Copa Sudamericana finishing level on aggregate, 4-4. But because they scored more away goals they bagged the title. Check out Martin Andrizzi's goal that gave Arsenal its victory. He stumbled, fell, got up, miraculously keeping possession of the ball in the thicket of legs, and with his left foot swept the ball into goal with a well placed shot. Arsenal won its matches with it superb form away from home beating bigger clubs like San Lorenzo, Goiás, Chivas de Guadalajara, and River Plate.
Here is more on their 2007 success >>
Just saw Jose Mourinho on Sky Sports categorically saying "Why not?" to being asked if he wanted to be England manager. He was in Portugal at the time despite rumours that he was in England being interviewed by the FA for the England job. Mourinho as if auditioning for the job also said that the next coach should be supported no matter what and that the FA was doing a great job.
The FA insisted that they have not contacted Mourinho or even drawn up a shortlist which sounds a bit disingenuous and more an attempt at containing rumours.
Lets recap how much things have changed in a year and a half.
During the Sven Goran Erickson transition, there was a constant toss up between Curbishley, Allardyce, McLaren, O'Neill, and Pearce becoming the next England manager. Bookies were constantly changing odds each day. A stark reminder of how the England job is now viewed with most English candidates distancing themselves from the job. The FA shortlist is probably filled with foreign candidates unless Allardyce is kicked out Newcastle, which might push him up the ranks, should he show interest in the job.
I still think there dissension within the FA as sentimental reasons dictate that a homegrown candidate will be infinitely preferable. With xenophobic statements now ping ponging around the soccer establishment of how foreign players have led to a 'meltdown' in English soccer, there is a debate being fueled between nativists and pragmatists as to the future of the English game. Who knew that 200 years ago when English missionaries brought the game to the Brazilian shores that this scenario would be played out in John Bull? Its come full circle.
Whatever comes of the search, the key is to get the best candidate. There is no scope for sentiment and who is to say that an foreign coach will not be successful when results are what counts and not some abstract "Englishness" of the game.
And in another reminder of how strait jacketed English perceptions are, here is Big Phil Scolari.
"That hypocrisy that someone who's born here is a saint and someone born on the other side of the Atlantic is a devil, that doesn't exist.
"It's time to stop that clown show. I'm just like anybody else, I've got two legs, two arms and a head."
It was part of a Beeb article exposing the madcap and bizarre world of Scolari. Some of it is. But the Beeb was more concerned about the image of the coach, not the game. It just led credence to Scolari's above statement. But you know what, I think Big Phil is lighting up a cigar and having a hearty guffaw. As bizarre and madcap as he appears to be, he has always had England's number.
Portugal is in. England is out.
Jose Mourinho showing why he might put some pizazz into the somnolent English team. Here he gets his point across to an opposing player and in this clip Jose shows why he'll stand up to the FA honchos and to whiners like Sir Alex.
Adebayor's outstanding ball control gives the Gunners an early lead. But sloppy passing by Eduardo gives the ball away and Steven Taylor (video clip)equalizes for the Magpies giving a new lease of life to Allardyce
Add Mathieu Flamini to the list of no shows for Arsenal as he joins Cesc Fabregas, Alexander Hleb, and Abou Diaby in the injured list. Flamini was superb in the Villa match having some real meaty blasts at goal.
Which means that the Gunners lack an established central midfielder with Diarra just about getting his feet wet. Gilberto looks like he is already envisioning spending summers in the Copacabana. I still think he should start ahead of Diarra as Arsenal's record against Newcastle has been less than impressive and we need his experience to deal with a side desperate for a victory. Or Wenger might start both and also keep Eduardo and Adebayor up front in the 4-4-2.
Allardyce has long been something of a bogeyman for Arsenal while he was manager of Bolton where their physical style of play would literally knock off stride the flowing Arsenal game. He will probably do the same here too. However this is a different Arsenal side which takes very little guff. If they hold firm then they will have a number of opportunities against a porous defence which has cost Allardyce 24 goals.
Why single out Kaboul? How about loaning out the whole Spurs defence? They have given away 28 goals which is just half a dozen less than hapless Derby.
Michael Dawson looks awful. Ledley King is out again with another long term injury. They don't have a settled center back duo which Jol and now Ramos keep rotating every match. One day it is Dawson and Kaboul and the next Rocha and Gardner. Gareth Bale and Pascal Chimbonda are wingers at heart more interested in pushing forward than perform defending duties, which looksto be an afterthought. Paul Robinson keeps making horrible mental errors giving up goals.
To make matters worse, the in form Robbie Keane is out for the next three matches due to a tackle on Birmingham's Fabrice Muamba. So there goes their attack.
Corinthian fans dismayed with their club's relegation took it out on their players and chairman Andres Sanchez. A disgruntled fan hid in the toilet of the bus ferrying the players to the airport after their match with Gremio and then emerged threatening them with physical injury. Some players were asked to sing the club anthem to prove their fealty to the club. Andres Sanchez was confronted by a angry fan who jabbed a finger to his face called him a waste and someone who had compromised his clubs fortunes with the MSI relationship.
The problem is not just one of fans who might stay away but there are financial implications the Corinthians have to deal with the loss of TV revenue which will cut in half what they earned in the A division. Another worry is that key players may not want to play in the lower division and this is certainly the case with Dodo, a striker with the club whose contract is contingent on remaining in the A division. Veterans Gustavo Nery and Vampete whose contracts expire this year will leave along with defender Kadu. Goalkeeper Felipe whose runner up award to Rogerio Ceni was one of the few highlights of the Timao in their forgettable season also expressed his doubts whether he would be back.
On the other hand the Corinthians relegation is already having a ripple effect in the 13 clubs that comprise the B division who are looking forward to having increased national exposure with stadiums filled to capacity with matches involving the Timao. The president f the B division, José Neves Son also welcomed Bahia back to the fold, stating that Corinthians and Bahia would bring in the crowds.
More news on the PortalCorinthians website
Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano's old club drew with Gremio and was relegated this Sunday. Back in 2004, Tevez was hailed as the first in a long line of Galacticos style of player when he was brought from Boca Juniors by Kia Joorabchian, the club's new owner and a MSI partner. He was joined by Javier Mascherano from River Plate. Their combined price tag was $33m, an unheard of figure in Brazilian league play. In 2005 they won the Championship.
Alex Bellos article recalls those days when Kia Joorabchian was envisaging Corinthians as a global brand. With the most lucrative sponsorship in Brazilian league history it looked as if Joorabchian's plans were well on their way.
Pitch Invasion has more on their Championship rise and their equally rapid descent into relegation three years later as the club and MSI were targeted for investigation for suspected for money laundering and financial irregularities. The result was no big name players made it to the club and they relied on second and third division players.
The relegation of Corinthians is a clear indicator of the pitfalls associated with third party structures. Something the EPL became embroiled for the first time in its history this summer with the Carlos Tevez transfer. In the South American leagues there is an already established history of agencies owning the rights to players rather than clubs. Most of the times it is quite safe. But in the hands of MSI and its English league expansionist plans, Tevez and Mascherano became bait, and Corinthians the victim. The influx of future Galacticos became a pipedream as MSI shifted its focus on the more lucrative EPL and the money earned through Tevez and Mascherano's transfer was illegally offshored into numerous bank accounts to purchase and transfer other players.
Tevez and Mascherano are now prime movers in their clubs Man Utd and Liverpool, respectively, with big fan followings but it was not too long ago that their struggles in West Ham led them to pine for a return to Corinthians. Its a pity because at this stage Corinthians would loved to have a bit of that Tevez magic which saved the Hammers from relegation.
Jorvan Vieira who was last seen leading the Iraq national team to its fairy tale win in the Asian Cup has thrown in his bid to be the next Socceroos coach. Vieira sees a similar situation in the Socceroos as he did with the Iraqi squad. No not in the sectarian warfare between the Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United. Its the short turnaround time before the World Cup qualifiers begins.
In barely two months Australia begins its campaign and this time it will be a tough act to follow with its confidence levels rock bottom after their disastrous Asian Cup outing. But Vieira is confident he can turn things around.
"It was exactly two months before the competition that I took Iraq and we made a great job with the support of the players, and this is what is great about the Australian players. I'm sure they want to erase, what in my view, was their poor participation in the Asian Cup."
Vieira was offered a position by the FFA to work alongside Dick Advocaat in August but turned it down because he wanted to coach on his own terms.
Jesse Fink believes that Vieira is the right sort of coach to lead the Socceroos ahead of Fabio Capello or a Jurgen Klinsmann and takes the FFA to task in its myopic pursuit of these big names.
"And that's the real problem. The same snobbery-cum-myopia that got us into so much trouble at the Asian Cup and Asian Champions League - ie, thinking we're the ants pants when really we know sweet FA about even our closest neighbours in the AFC - is still alive and well at FFA headquarters as it is in broader Australian society."
Vieira agrees that this sort of blinkered vision could get Australia into trouble again.
"Now in Asia there is another level and you see in many Asian clubs and national teams they have coaches from many different nations and different continents. It's important for Australia to be in direct contact with this kind of level to progress," Vieira added.
He is not very enamoured of the FFA frontrunners either.
"Whatever coach Australia takes has to have experience in Asia. Don't think about the big names. I hear about [Jurgen] Klinsmann and Capello. They are fantastic for the marketing department but we're not looking for marketing. We're looking for results."
My two bits. Australia should not get ahead of itself. As proven in the past few years, the rest of Asia is surging ahead in the quality of soccer that is being played. A big name like Capello or a Klinsmann will not bring any leading insight or experience into the Asian game but their reputation will lead to inflated expectations. A dangerous combination. I know John Howard has done untold damage to the Oz psyche but maybe Kevin Rudd can steer them to a less hubristic path.
Romania.
There is a Hindi word called Romanchak that means entertaining and the Romanian squad has been playing that sort of soccer in their 2008 Euro qualifiers. Not since Gheorghe Haji, Florin Raducioiu, Marius Lacatus, Ilie Dumitrescu, Dan Petrescu, and Adrian Ilie in the 90's, have the Romanians looked so good. Of course, they have their established stars in Adrian Mutu, Paul Codrea, and Christian Chivu but they also have a group of rising talent in VfB Stuttagrt's Ciprian Marica and AJ Auxerre's Daniel Niculae who have scored a number of goals in the 2008 Euro qualifiers.
Their midfield is anchored by two Steaua Bucuresti standouts Nicolae Dica and Banel Nicolita. Dica has been impressive with his dead ball skills and has already scored four. Veteran midfielders CSKA Sofia's Florentin Petre and Siena's Paul Codrea's impeccable service has provided Mutu and Marica with many opportunities for goals and the Fiorentina man and his Vfb Stuttgart strike partner have been on target with 11 goals. Mutu has been prolific with 22 goal attempts. Dorian Goian, the 6' 5" central defender has been a force with his defending and his propensity for scoring goals in the box with his aerial ability. His opportunistic goal against Netherlands gave them a vital three points He is now the target of Man Utd transfer rumours.
In fact, the Romanian defence has contributed six goals in the campaign with AJ Auxerre's Gabriel Tamas and veteran Getafe defender Cosmin Contra amongst the goals. Christian Chivu continues to be a threat with his swerving free kicks. Razvan Rats anchors the left back position. Victor Piturca has at times employed five backs in a modified defensive formation with Goian and Tamas going up front.
Romania is in Group C, the group of death along with France, Italy, and Netherlands. You could not have asked for tougher opposition. But the Romanians have already had the measure of Netherlands in the qualifying rounds and the way they are playing they should really be able to push the Italians and the French, and with a little bit of luck thrown in, look capable of getting past them.
Romania's march into Euro 2008 >>
A closer look at the Romania squad celebrating their victory with some terrible singing >>
Jose Sand put El Granate ahead with his fifteenth goal in fifteen games. Martin Palermo equalized for Boca, an effort that was too little too late, giving Lanus their first title.
Lanus Campeons of the 2007 Apertura!
Congratulations to Lanus for winning their first ever title in club history. They had come close on three other occasions but this time they went through holding Boca Juniors to a 1-1 draw at the Bombanera. The draw gave them 38 points ahead of Tigre, another small but overachieving club. Boca Juniors came a disappointing third and surely must be looking forward to Juan Roman Riquelme's return. But the most shocking result must be River Plate's fall from grace as they fell to the 12th spot after being drubbed 0-4 in their final match against Olimpo de Bahia Blanca
Watching the Gunners playing Aston Villa this weekend was watching a movie held together by a bad editing job. It did not make sense. They all but disappeared in the second half and looked like surrendering the game to the Villans a number of times. This after a vintage first half filled with crisp passes and delightful overlapping runs. Even though Craig Gardner put Villa up first, it looked like any moment the Gunners would equalize and go ahead which they did through a Flamini cannon and Adebayor's header. Villa looked in danger of being blown out. The second half proved otherwise.
Lassana Diarra is not the answer. Wenger should have started Gilberto whose limited minutes is leading to transfer rumours this winter. I know that we trumpet the depth the central midfielder role that Arsenal has but Diarra cannot be mistaken for a Fabregas. In the second half with the Villans swarming it was increasingly difficult for Diarra to hold the ball and pass accurately. Diarra's woeful play seems to have afflicted the Gunners and the second half drifted into a series of aimless and misdirected passes. Wenger's choice of Diarra was probably to match Villa's tempo and in the first half it seems to have worked because the Villans themselves were subpar. A fact that the Gunners woke up to in the second half and were found seriously lacking. Sagna had his hands full with Young's quick pace and swerving service into the goal area. Clichy had to contend with Gabriel Agbonlahor.
Starting Gilberto would have helped organize the backfield with better retention of the ball and his experience would have helped dealing with the surging Villans in the second half. He is also very good at losing his marker and scoring goals in set pieces. Diarra on the occasions he had a shot at goal made a mess of it. Arsenal steadied themselves somewhat after Gilberto was introduced but for many minutes they looked like they were on the ropes. Martin O'Neill had every reason to look frustrated and Wenger to look concerned. With injury concerns, the Gunners need to put their best unit available, and Wenger will be better served with Gilberto in the line up.
