Boring.
Chelsea had United on its heels and were unlucky not to score in the second half. Ferdinand is having a terrible game. His flying tackle of Cole in the area should have been a penalty.
Where's Rooney? Or Ronaldo, for that matter?
The game is up for grabs. Let's see who'll step up?
Ronaldo - you can't be the best player in the world if you don't take over.
Giggs passes Bobby Charlton's record in a United uniform - well done!
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 >>
Lubos Michel was the referee who judged that Luis Garcia's effort had crossed the line in the second leg of Chelsea's European semi-final against Liverpool in 2005.Mourinho expressing his displeasure then had called it "a goal from the moon" .Well the same ref will be in charge of proceedings between Man U and Chelsea as they face off and the Blues have lost both games Lubos Michels has previously refereed by a single goal.Superstitious ???
More than 40,000 English fans are expected to converge on Moscow's Olympic Stadium for the Champions League final on 21 May.Here's a bit of the history of that stadium that many will be unaware of.An excerpt from an article titled "Moscow's secret tragedy - hundreds of fans crushed to death"...
"On the evening of 20 October 1982 Spartak were playing Dutch club Haarlem for a place in the last 16 of the Uefa Cup. They would win the match on the way to a 5-1 aggregate victory, but it was also the night on which the greatest disaster in the history of Russian football took place. Officially, 66 fans lost their lives, crushed to death, but several subsequent investigations and eyewitnesses put the death toll closer to 350."
The entire story can be read here....
Daniele De Rossi sending the ball into orbit in Roma's most recent loss to Man .
Here are 5 more youtube videos of similar disasters in the past.
This diving header from João Pinto's against England in EURO 2000 was the overwhelming winner in the vote for the best headed goals of past finals by euro2008.com users.This effort from Henrik Larsson against Bulgaria in 2004 got second place.
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.
Jay Sugarman, Daniel Day Lewis lookalike
Don Garber announced a new MLS franchise in Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. The ownership group is headed by iStar's CEO, Jay Sugarman,one of the best compensated CEO's in the US. One of his partners is Nick Sakiewicz, a two-time winner of the MLS Executive of the Year award, and former GM of the Tampa Bay Mutiny and Metrostars (now NY Red Bulls). Its new home will be a 20,000 seater stadium in Chester, minutes away from Phila. The stadium is also part of a $500m downtown revitalization project.
The new name, logo, and colours are to be unveiled. Any ideas as to what its name could be?
Lets hope it is not the Philadelphia iStars or Quakers or Liberty or something as trite as that. Maybe Jay Sugarman can take some inspiration from Daniel Day Lewis and call it Philadelphia Ripe Foot.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 >>
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?
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.
Egypt beats Cameroon 1-0 (about 8 minutes into the video)
Defending champions Egypt won a record sixth Africa Cup of Nations with a fully-deserved victory over Cameroon.
Read the article on BBC >>
Roundup:
New York Times Egypt Tops Cameroon for 6th African Cup Title
Guardian Unlimited Aboutrika pounces as the Pharaohs reign supreme
Daily Mail Pharaohs are kings of Africa
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.
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 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.
Sick and tired of how clubs give themselves away to ownerships who look on them as mere cash cows, caring little for the fans or club history?
Amidst fears that the Tom Hicks and George Gillett re-financing deal is being loaded onto LFC's books comes an ambitious new plan by LFC supporters who want to take matters into their hands. They want to takeover the club, pooling in their money.
Rogan Taylor, a football academic and prime mover of the Share Liverpool plan, said: “The time is right to offer a different solution to the rising concerns that football fans have about the patterns of ownership developing at our major football clubs.
The Share Liverpool FC plan involves a £500m buyout through the contributions of 100,000 fans who sign up. The plan mirrors Barcelona's ownership by fans. This is the first ever co-operative takeover proposed in English soccer history and it could change the future of club ownership structures.
"It’s one member, one vote. It’s democratic, it’s fair, and it protects Liverpool FC from becoming the target of corporate buyers ever again."
The idea is supported by Supporters Direct, a trust set up Andy Burnham, the culture, media and sport secretary in the Gordon Brown government. The trust encourages fans to become share holders in their respective clubs. Burnham is watching the developments at Anfield very closely.
“The Barcelona model, to me, is how a football club should be run. They are one of the most pre-eminent names in world football, yet the club is owned by its supporters on a one-member, one-vote basis and they control it. That strengthens it because it’s never subject to the whim of one person; it’s a collective endeavour. English football should see that as a big strength. I’d love to see if we could grow the Barcelona model here.”
Kevin Jaquiss of Cobbetts law firm, a lawyer intimately involved in the formation of Supporters Direct, and a specialist in co-operative law is advising Share Liverpool FC in the formation of a constitution.
If this works, it would mean that long suffering Man Utd fans priced out of watching matches could also potentially buy out their club from the Glazers who have also saddled the club with millions of pounds in debt.
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.
courtesy: Tim Roske /AP
Scotland will be watching Super Bowl Sunday as one of their own tries making history.
Lawrence Tynes of Greenock takes the field for the NY Giants. It was Tynes 47 yard field goal, the longest in the frozen tundra of Lambeau field that led the Giants to Super Bowl XLII.
The New England Patriots are on the cusp of making history by becoming the first unbeaten team since the Miami Dolphins in 1972. A dominating performance by any standards. The Pats are favoured by a spread of 13 points.
Despite their superiority, the Pats Super Bowl performances have been close affairs, winning each of their three titles by the difference of just a field goal.
The NY Giants have been the story of the playoffs with solid performances from Eli Manning, Ahmed Bradshaw, and Plaxico Burress on offense and the defensive exploits of Michael Strahan and a highly under rated secondary who have risen to the occasion. RW McQuarters has led the charge with 3 interceptions.
I expect this game to be tight with the Giants pulling off a memorable upset on a Tynes field goal as the clock expires.
No wardrobe malfunctions are expected as Tom "Runnin' Down a Dream" Petty and the Heartbreakers perform the half time show.
A NY Times article on the unsettled nature of the Giants kicking game before Tynes walked in.
Tynes is an interesting story. Here is Soccerblog's profile >>
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.
