Caught just as the 2nd teams in each group were being drawn.
-South Africa v. Mexico the opener. this is what the world cup is about
-England v. USA should be a cracker.
-Charlize is rather chirpy.
-We've got Argentina and South Korea. I fancy us against the Koreans but I'm a bit tired of Argentina.
-Germany's group with Australia and Ghana is shaping up to be a group of death.
-France makes South Africa's rather tame group interesting.
-Deja vu for us as we have Greece. Swap the Koreans for Bulgaria and its 1994 all over again.
-Slovenia round up England's group.
-Serbia rounds up Germany's group...total group of death.
-Denmark and Holland open up Group E. Cameroun will have to play Holland in their last match.
-Brazil-Portugal rounds up a very tasty group. North Korea will be an unknown quantity but I'm going for the mini-league between the Ivory Coast, Brazil and Portugal. Most likely Brazil and one of the other 2. Ivory Coast have an absolutely great chance of qualifying.
Measured look at the groups coming up.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Wenger the genius
Predictably, the aftermath of Arsenal's outclaasing at the hands of Manchester City in the Carling Cup quarter-final was not so much how another generation of promising kids from the Arsenal youth system failed to win the trophy, but how Arsene Wenger failed to shake Mark Hughes' hand at the end of the match.
The post-match handshake between managers is sacrosanct in England. I've always felt it was very silly. Two fully grown men can yell expletives at each other for close to two hours and then after the referee blows his whistle, awkwardly slap hands like two naked studs at an orgy. It does provide some from of interest to see the body language between the managers. West Ham's Gianfranco Zola seems to be well liked. No sterile fishlike handshakes for him...A few words, smiles, a grip of the upper arm and firm meaty handshake.
Most of them though are just sterile affairs where the manager's don't even look at each other. Mark Hughes could probably afford to employ an out of work manager to do the nasty business of shaking hands for him especially in these swine-flu times because really, in the grand scheme of things, it means absolutely nothing.
The sheeplike bleating from the press and management in the aftermath means that no one is questioning the young side. Whether Wenger planned this or not, the fact remains that these youngsters do not have to read excoriating accounts of their failure, their inability to compete with the big boys so soon. Rather, all the news is with their manager.
The post-match handshake between managers is sacrosanct in England. I've always felt it was very silly. Two fully grown men can yell expletives at each other for close to two hours and then after the referee blows his whistle, awkwardly slap hands like two naked studs at an orgy. It does provide some from of interest to see the body language between the managers. West Ham's Gianfranco Zola seems to be well liked. No sterile fishlike handshakes for him...A few words, smiles, a grip of the upper arm and firm meaty handshake.
Most of them though are just sterile affairs where the manager's don't even look at each other. Mark Hughes could probably afford to employ an out of work manager to do the nasty business of shaking hands for him especially in these swine-flu times because really, in the grand scheme of things, it means absolutely nothing.
The sheeplike bleating from the press and management in the aftermath means that no one is questioning the young side. Whether Wenger planned this or not, the fact remains that these youngsters do not have to read excoriating accounts of their failure, their inability to compete with the big boys so soon. Rather, all the news is with their manager.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
In the cold light of day...
I can't rationalise it, and believe me, I've tried. Thierry Henry is a legend to Arsenal fans. Most people also rated him because he seemed to be one of the good guys. He didn't dive or ponce around like Cristiano Ronaldo, or harangue referees, veins bulging and spit hanging off his lips.
Last night was a bit topsy-turvy emotionally. You want to on one hand condemn Henry. Ireland were great on the night and probably deserved to go through. France despite its stars have been poor these past couple of years. On the other hand, the outcry has seen people defend Henry, if not his actions. So basically, last night was sadness over Henry, pity and disappointment for the Irish, anger and disbelief over the hysterical reaction of the British/Irish press and media.
Henry has admitted it was a handball. Handball mind you is a foul and it's up to the referee and his assistants to have called it. Incidentally, how does one end up a linesman anyway? Are linesmen basically the people too crap to be refs?
Fouls get given sometimes and sometimes they don't; at both ends of the pitch. Just recently, Jamie Carragher escaped a sending off when he rugby tackled Micheal Owen. The next week, against Fulham, he wasn't so lucky. To call Henry a cheat is disingenuous because what he did is no different from if it was a corner or free kick and he gained an advantage by fouling his marker. Would people be calling him a cheat if his flick across goal had been preceded, not by handball, but by an almighty tussle whereby the Irish defender was left on the ground. I don't think so. They would have, and have always blamed the referee for now seeing it. So why is this different?
It's not even like a dive. A dive aims to con the referee. This is more akin to a cynical tackle on a person who's left you for dead with a turn of pace. This was a blatant handball, its the kind of foul that when caught usually leaves the perpatrator with an embarassed smile. The brain shuts down and the hand instinctively reaches out to control or smack the ball away.
Of course, the moral police on Sky were incadescent with rage that johnny foreigner had once again conspired to keep out the Irish. Tony Cascarino was almost laughable saying that Henry should have said it was handball. Why? Who does that? The hypocrisy is outstanding coming from a man who represented Ireland 88 times when he is about as Irish as I am.
Nobody would admit to a foul in the buildup to a goal or a foul when scoring a goal. If people did, it wouldn't be news when they did. Or is Henry the first person to set up a goal in controversial circumstances or even score one.
Meanwhile, what is lost in the noise is that Ireland lost the first leg at home and were not ahead at anytime in the match. Who's to say that they wouldn't have gone out on penalties, or that France wouldn't have scored? It would be nice if the French agreed to an unprecedented replay, which would then be conclusively and emphatically won by one team, so that we can avoid decades of Irish bleating but alas this is not to be.
What this shows though is that it is necessary for huge reforms to be done with refereeing. Fifa and Uefas antipathy towards video technology is almost manic but the fact remains that something must be done. It is almost laughable that bad calls or no calls go unpunished. Technology is becoming a part of refreeing in other sports but yet football continues to seemingly revel in the fact that there is human error and that it plays such a big role in officiating. It is no longer cute, rather it is like an eccentric foible in a loved one that has lost its harmlessness.
As for Henry, the Irish would like to think that he is an international pariah, just like some deluded English people believe that Maradona is seen as a cheat worldwide. Well Maradona was a cheat. He dived, retaliated on the pitch, tested positive for banned substances and yet he is still seen as a legend worldwide. Henry hasn't evén done half of that, and I'm willing to be that nobody outside Ireland will care about this cum the world cup.
Last night was a bit topsy-turvy emotionally. You want to on one hand condemn Henry. Ireland were great on the night and probably deserved to go through. France despite its stars have been poor these past couple of years. On the other hand, the outcry has seen people defend Henry, if not his actions. So basically, last night was sadness over Henry, pity and disappointment for the Irish, anger and disbelief over the hysterical reaction of the British/Irish press and media.
Henry has admitted it was a handball. Handball mind you is a foul and it's up to the referee and his assistants to have called it. Incidentally, how does one end up a linesman anyway? Are linesmen basically the people too crap to be refs?
Fouls get given sometimes and sometimes they don't; at both ends of the pitch. Just recently, Jamie Carragher escaped a sending off when he rugby tackled Micheal Owen. The next week, against Fulham, he wasn't so lucky. To call Henry a cheat is disingenuous because what he did is no different from if it was a corner or free kick and he gained an advantage by fouling his marker. Would people be calling him a cheat if his flick across goal had been preceded, not by handball, but by an almighty tussle whereby the Irish defender was left on the ground. I don't think so. They would have, and have always blamed the referee for now seeing it. So why is this different?
It's not even like a dive. A dive aims to con the referee. This is more akin to a cynical tackle on a person who's left you for dead with a turn of pace. This was a blatant handball, its the kind of foul that when caught usually leaves the perpatrator with an embarassed smile. The brain shuts down and the hand instinctively reaches out to control or smack the ball away.
Of course, the moral police on Sky were incadescent with rage that johnny foreigner had once again conspired to keep out the Irish. Tony Cascarino was almost laughable saying that Henry should have said it was handball. Why? Who does that? The hypocrisy is outstanding coming from a man who represented Ireland 88 times when he is about as Irish as I am.
Nobody would admit to a foul in the buildup to a goal or a foul when scoring a goal. If people did, it wouldn't be news when they did. Or is Henry the first person to set up a goal in controversial circumstances or even score one.
Meanwhile, what is lost in the noise is that Ireland lost the first leg at home and were not ahead at anytime in the match. Who's to say that they wouldn't have gone out on penalties, or that France wouldn't have scored? It would be nice if the French agreed to an unprecedented replay, which would then be conclusively and emphatically won by one team, so that we can avoid decades of Irish bleating but alas this is not to be.
What this shows though is that it is necessary for huge reforms to be done with refereeing. Fifa and Uefas antipathy towards video technology is almost manic but the fact remains that something must be done. It is almost laughable that bad calls or no calls go unpunished. Technology is becoming a part of refreeing in other sports but yet football continues to seemingly revel in the fact that there is human error and that it plays such a big role in officiating. It is no longer cute, rather it is like an eccentric foible in a loved one that has lost its harmlessness.
As for Henry, the Irish would like to think that he is an international pariah, just like some deluded English people believe that Maradona is seen as a cheat worldwide. Well Maradona was a cheat. He dived, retaliated on the pitch, tested positive for banned substances and yet he is still seen as a legend worldwide. Henry hasn't evén done half of that, and I'm willing to be that nobody outside Ireland will care about this cum the world cup.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
We're in and that's all that matters.
Jeff Stelling, the charming host of Sky Sports' Soccer Saturday programme stumbled over his words- a rare occurence- but when he finally got them out, telling viewers that Obafemi Martins (2) and Yakubu Aiyegbeni had scored to send Nigeria through, he became legendary in my eyes.
I missed what was probably Nigeria's biggest game this decade but given how the match played out perhaps it was a good thing for the sake of my heart.
In disbelief I searched for results online, before going on facebook to bask and celebrate with other Nigerians. Amazingly, there were some who were negative. "Going to South Africa to be humiliated" was a running theme.
Excuuuuse me???? I beg to differ! We are not going to be humiliated, we are not Saudi Arabia or New Zealand. We probably won't make too many waves even, but the fact of the matter remains that we actually have a concern with the world cup now. If we had not qualified, then the World Cup would have been no different from the Euros or Copa America. A showcase for international football, but nothing more.
If Egypt make it tomorrow night in their winner-take-all match against Algeria in Sudan, Africa will be sending its most formidable line up to the Cup ever (and South Africa). I have faith that while the African teams might not be in that highest level of a Brazil or Spain, they wíll acquit themselves honourably. Tunisia have managed only 3 points from 9 world cup matches and usually just seem to be happy to be there. If we are to ever increase our representation, it is teams like Nigeria that will do it, as opposed to teams like Tunisia or Angola.
Excitement apart, we really need to get settled because we have enough ability to no just be happy to be there. Many have called for the head of the manager, Shuaibu Amodu. This is disingenuous. Anyone brought in now would not have enough time or matches to know his squad. It would have been nice to play a friendly tomorrow evening but I guess that's expecting too much. The NFF hooked their wagons to the Amodu train and they must stick with it.
Next we need friendlies. Luckily, we have the African Nations Cup. All the African teams should have some significant match time to gel. I'm not contradicting myself here, any new manager will have at most 2 matches before the opening game of the ANC. How will he decide which 23 players to take to Angola.
More questions than answers abound over next Summer, but at least we are there...at least we are in the position to be asking these questions.
I missed what was probably Nigeria's biggest game this decade but given how the match played out perhaps it was a good thing for the sake of my heart.
In disbelief I searched for results online, before going on facebook to bask and celebrate with other Nigerians. Amazingly, there were some who were negative. "Going to South Africa to be humiliated" was a running theme.
Excuuuuse me???? I beg to differ! We are not going to be humiliated, we are not Saudi Arabia or New Zealand. We probably won't make too many waves even, but the fact of the matter remains that we actually have a concern with the world cup now. If we had not qualified, then the World Cup would have been no different from the Euros or Copa America. A showcase for international football, but nothing more.
If Egypt make it tomorrow night in their winner-take-all match against Algeria in Sudan, Africa will be sending its most formidable line up to the Cup ever (and South Africa). I have faith that while the African teams might not be in that highest level of a Brazil or Spain, they wíll acquit themselves honourably. Tunisia have managed only 3 points from 9 world cup matches and usually just seem to be happy to be there. If we are to ever increase our representation, it is teams like Nigeria that will do it, as opposed to teams like Tunisia or Angola.
Excitement apart, we really need to get settled because we have enough ability to no just be happy to be there. Many have called for the head of the manager, Shuaibu Amodu. This is disingenuous. Anyone brought in now would not have enough time or matches to know his squad. It would have been nice to play a friendly tomorrow evening but I guess that's expecting too much. The NFF hooked their wagons to the Amodu train and they must stick with it.
Next we need friendlies. Luckily, we have the African Nations Cup. All the African teams should have some significant match time to gel. I'm not contradicting myself here, any new manager will have at most 2 matches before the opening game of the ANC. How will he decide which 23 players to take to Angola.
More questions than answers abound over next Summer, but at least we are there...at least we are in the position to be asking these questions.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
A stay of execution...
I exhaled an expletive. Nigeria had won, somehow meaning that we had one more month of fooling ourselves before ultimate disappointment.
The lump in my throat grew to gargantuan proportions as the minutes ticked away. As I prepared for another summer of casual supporting, Victor Nsofor shut me up. I had just called him every single synonym for stupid I could think of thanks to a few passages of brainless play, in what was already a very frustrating match.
People of my generation have been spoilt. Our parents had to watch years of failure to qualify for the big one. Tragedy- (Sam Okwaraji) and misfortune (Godwin Odiye's own goal) rather than triumph marked our efforts. Until one glorious day in October, 15 years ago.
I was ten and USA 94 was brilliant, although with hindsight, the football was mostly dire. Not from us though, I honestly thought we were one of the best teams in the world. It wasn't youthful exhuberance, we had a group of very good players and a couple of world class individuals. Without wearing green-tinted glasses, I can honestly say that 2nd Rounds in both 1994 and 1998 was something of an underachievement.
2 further qualifications followed even if the performances at the big dance slowly declined. And then, the unthinkable happened. We didn't even make Germany in 2006. I love football, but not having my nation there made the whole experience somewhat empty. Ghana and the Ivory Coast were not able to replace the feelings seeing a Nigerian team would have brought about.
We all said never-again. We'd taken qualification for granted. We'd learn from it- the players said it, the newspapers said it, the fans said it. And here we stand, about to go out again, to play cinderella while another team goes to stink the place up. It's a bit galling that Tunisia will go in our stead. Their groups in 2002 and 2006 were perhaps better known as the Groups of Tedium (Japan, Russia and Belgium in 02; Spain, Ukraine and the Saudis in 06). Tricky groups but not impossible to progress from.
As shocking as we were on Sunday, you kind of get the feeling that against a Spain or Brazil, we'd at least raise our game. Tunisia just choke, as if the effort of qualifying, and bear in mind they are the only team to qualify for every World Cup since Africa got 5 places, has taken it out of them.
The fact however remains that we don't have a divine right to qualify. And yet the organsiation leaves something to be desired. Gone are the days when we could just turn up with a goal in the bag mentally, just because we were Nigeria. Teams don't fear us anymore and to be honest, we aren't even as good as we used to be.
In 1997, there was that charity Africa vs. Europe match that we won 2-1. Nigeria had 4 men in that 18-man squad. Only our influence and size would see us contribute more than one player to such a squad today.
And yet, the NFF remains as crap as it was 10 years ago. Each international break has 2 dates. Nigeria plays one match on Saturday, and that's it. Meanwhile, Tunisia played Saudi Arabia yesterday. The NFF are probably still patting themselves on the back for organising friendlies against France and Ireland six months ago.
And it showed on the pitch against Mozambique, where despite having a lot on the ball we rarely threatened. Nobody seemed to be on anybody's wavelength. there were no off the ball runs, the play was laboured and the passes glaringly obvious.
Perhaps some blame goes towards Amodu. Surely, it should be down to him to set the way we play. If he did, then he deserves at the very least, serious criticism. If he didn't then what exactly is he there for?
Now, we are hoping the Mozambiquans (who lets be fair were no slouches, and had they been more confident or ruthless in front of goal could have punished us) will be able to hold Tunisia on their artificial pitch, while at the same time we do the job in Kenya. We're still alive, but only just...and maybe Nsofor's last gasp winner just illustrates that.
The lump in my throat grew to gargantuan proportions as the minutes ticked away. As I prepared for another summer of casual supporting, Victor Nsofor shut me up. I had just called him every single synonym for stupid I could think of thanks to a few passages of brainless play, in what was already a very frustrating match.
People of my generation have been spoilt. Our parents had to watch years of failure to qualify for the big one. Tragedy- (Sam Okwaraji) and misfortune (Godwin Odiye's own goal) rather than triumph marked our efforts. Until one glorious day in October, 15 years ago.
I was ten and USA 94 was brilliant, although with hindsight, the football was mostly dire. Not from us though, I honestly thought we were one of the best teams in the world. It wasn't youthful exhuberance, we had a group of very good players and a couple of world class individuals. Without wearing green-tinted glasses, I can honestly say that 2nd Rounds in both 1994 and 1998 was something of an underachievement.
2 further qualifications followed even if the performances at the big dance slowly declined. And then, the unthinkable happened. We didn't even make Germany in 2006. I love football, but not having my nation there made the whole experience somewhat empty. Ghana and the Ivory Coast were not able to replace the feelings seeing a Nigerian team would have brought about.
We all said never-again. We'd taken qualification for granted. We'd learn from it- the players said it, the newspapers said it, the fans said it. And here we stand, about to go out again, to play cinderella while another team goes to stink the place up. It's a bit galling that Tunisia will go in our stead. Their groups in 2002 and 2006 were perhaps better known as the Groups of Tedium (Japan, Russia and Belgium in 02; Spain, Ukraine and the Saudis in 06). Tricky groups but not impossible to progress from.
As shocking as we were on Sunday, you kind of get the feeling that against a Spain or Brazil, we'd at least raise our game. Tunisia just choke, as if the effort of qualifying, and bear in mind they are the only team to qualify for every World Cup since Africa got 5 places, has taken it out of them.
The fact however remains that we don't have a divine right to qualify. And yet the organsiation leaves something to be desired. Gone are the days when we could just turn up with a goal in the bag mentally, just because we were Nigeria. Teams don't fear us anymore and to be honest, we aren't even as good as we used to be.
In 1997, there was that charity Africa vs. Europe match that we won 2-1. Nigeria had 4 men in that 18-man squad. Only our influence and size would see us contribute more than one player to such a squad today.
And yet, the NFF remains as crap as it was 10 years ago. Each international break has 2 dates. Nigeria plays one match on Saturday, and that's it. Meanwhile, Tunisia played Saudi Arabia yesterday. The NFF are probably still patting themselves on the back for organising friendlies against France and Ireland six months ago.
And it showed on the pitch against Mozambique, where despite having a lot on the ball we rarely threatened. Nobody seemed to be on anybody's wavelength. there were no off the ball runs, the play was laboured and the passes glaringly obvious.
Perhaps some blame goes towards Amodu. Surely, it should be down to him to set the way we play. If he did, then he deserves at the very least, serious criticism. If he didn't then what exactly is he there for?
Now, we are hoping the Mozambiquans (who lets be fair were no slouches, and had they been more confident or ruthless in front of goal could have punished us) will be able to hold Tunisia on their artificial pitch, while at the same time we do the job in Kenya. We're still alive, but only just...and maybe Nsofor's last gasp winner just illustrates that.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Platini could shoot himself in the foot.
UEFAs long-running plans to curb spending have once again caught the eye. But it seems rather misplaced. Platini has long attacked the Sky 4 for their massive amounts of debt. The new plans basically aim to restrict clubs' spending to what they earn from football concerns- player transfers, prize money, gates, tv and sponsorship deals.
Clubs defaulting on this will be barred from the Champions League. This could be the schism in European football that has been lurking in the corner for the last decade or so. An European super league could conceivably be created. A closed shop that would run against the Champions League competing for TV money. And they would probably win. Manchster United vs. Real Madrid or Rubin Kaazan vs. Debrecen anyone?
The law also seems to go against plans to make the playing field equal. The rise of the Russian or the Romanian teams (and its league) comes from the bankrolling of Russian football by the oligarchs something that would probably be a no-no under these new laws. What will happen with them? How will these teams compete, when they do not have the worldwide brand recognition that teams like Liverpool and Real Madrid do and thus do not have the same revenue streams.
It will be interesting to see what compromise comes from this deal.
*For more information about the new changes planned by UEFA click here
Stay tuned for a review of the Prem's opening fortnight, and a possible podcast on Saturday.
Clubs defaulting on this will be barred from the Champions League. This could be the schism in European football that has been lurking in the corner for the last decade or so. An European super league could conceivably be created. A closed shop that would run against the Champions League competing for TV money. And they would probably win. Manchster United vs. Real Madrid or Rubin Kaazan vs. Debrecen anyone?
The law also seems to go against plans to make the playing field equal. The rise of the Russian or the Romanian teams (and its league) comes from the bankrolling of Russian football by the oligarchs something that would probably be a no-no under these new laws. What will happen with them? How will these teams compete, when they do not have the worldwide brand recognition that teams like Liverpool and Real Madrid do and thus do not have the same revenue streams.
It will be interesting to see what compromise comes from this deal.
*For more information about the new changes planned by UEFA click here
Stay tuned for a review of the Prem's opening fortnight, and a possible podcast on Saturday.
An overdose of hysteria.
With the transfer window still open, it is actually quite surprising that the press have jumped unto a couple of incidents this week to go all out on. I suppose the likes of Huth to Stoke and the long running transfer of John Mensah to Sunderland don't really get the pulse of collective scribes going.
The West Ham-Milwall brouhaha was above average for fan trouble this is true, but to the level in the press? It's not a return to the bad old days. It's West Ham vs. Milwall, it was bound to happen. It would have been newsworthy if the game had passed without incident.
Some of the Cassandra types have even decided that the incidents will hamper England's world cup bid. At the end of the day, England's bid team will have to woo the people who vote for these things, the Executive Committee. The amount of political manouvering involved means that common sense will not necessarily prevail when picking the nations.
Besides, England's hosting the Olympics...much of which will take place on Tuesday's battleground. Total non-starter.
Meanwhile, yesterday's straightfoward tie against Celtic, turned out to not be so straightforward. Yes, Eduardo dived, and yes, it was wrong. But he is not the first person to dive. He is not even the first person to dive in a match on ITV. Those with long memories will remember Steven Gerrard's actions against Atletico last season. If ITV covered that, they need to take a long hard look at themselves as I guarantee there was no way the amount of investigative journalism going on. I guarantee that Rafa Benitez did not have the incident shown and asked point blank was it a dive. Or even Sir Alex. They wouldn't dare.
However, because Eduardo is foreign, its suddenly as if he's the first person to ever dive. Even Tony Hibbert dived last weekend. If he is banned, it would be deserved, as long as there is the same furore and punishment when it happens elsewhere.
This just shows that good start to the season or not, the press are just falling over themselves to stick the knife into Arsenal. But in this case, we're not alone, the media is particularly schizophrenic this summer.
The West Ham-Milwall brouhaha was above average for fan trouble this is true, but to the level in the press? It's not a return to the bad old days. It's West Ham vs. Milwall, it was bound to happen. It would have been newsworthy if the game had passed without incident.
Some of the Cassandra types have even decided that the incidents will hamper England's world cup bid. At the end of the day, England's bid team will have to woo the people who vote for these things, the Executive Committee. The amount of political manouvering involved means that common sense will not necessarily prevail when picking the nations.
Besides, England's hosting the Olympics...much of which will take place on Tuesday's battleground. Total non-starter.
Meanwhile, yesterday's straightfoward tie against Celtic, turned out to not be so straightforward. Yes, Eduardo dived, and yes, it was wrong. But he is not the first person to dive. He is not even the first person to dive in a match on ITV. Those with long memories will remember Steven Gerrard's actions against Atletico last season. If ITV covered that, they need to take a long hard look at themselves as I guarantee there was no way the amount of investigative journalism going on. I guarantee that Rafa Benitez did not have the incident shown and asked point blank was it a dive. Or even Sir Alex. They wouldn't dare.
However, because Eduardo is foreign, its suddenly as if he's the first person to ever dive. Even Tony Hibbert dived last weekend. If he is banned, it would be deserved, as long as there is the same furore and punishment when it happens elsewhere.
This just shows that good start to the season or not, the press are just falling over themselves to stick the knife into Arsenal. But in this case, we're not alone, the media is particularly schizophrenic this summer.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
It's back
So Summer 2009 draws ever closer to its end. With the scantily clad girls soon to be packing up their assets as the temperature drops, football has come back to keep us entertained*.
It's been ten days since I last posted, and I still think it is very hard to say who will end up where. The Big 4 have all lost key players or remained stagnant. Teams like Sunderland, Wolves, Birmingham and Man City have all splashed the cash, but again this has served to improve severely deficient squads. Still, one would hope these teams will at least be competitive especially in matches with the big 4.
Aston Villa and Everton are two sides that have made progress and will expect to be there or thereabouts again, but can they face up to improved investment from teams like Sunderland? You'll notice I've mentioned Sunderland a lot, and I think they will do really well this season. They could be this seasons Fulham or West Ham, as far as being a neutrals favourite especially as Steve Bruce had Wigan playing some decent football last season.
Villa are steadily (and stealthily) strengthening, but the fact remains that they need numbers. I'm also curious as to what morale is like at Everton what with the Lescott saga. Also joining the equation is Spurs who surely won't start as badly as they did last season.
The first days fixtures will be interesting. Finally, we'll have an indication of each team's fortunes this season. If you can't be up for opening day, its fairly obvious its gonna be a long hard season. It won't really give us an indication where each team will finish, but a bad performance will raise doubts. I'm especially interested in the three promoted teams.
Stoke v. Burnley- Owen Coyle's Burnley play attractive football, but their squad looks weak by premiership standards. They've been handed an opening day away at Stoke- never an easy place to visit. A loss is not the end of the world as this is one of the harder trips, but they'll want the performance to be decent. Anything that gives them hope. Stoke have retained much of the same team, with Dean Whitehead the big summer signing. Dave Kitson is also back and looking to resurrect his career.
Man Utd. v. Birmingham- Not get destroyed will be Birmingham's mission. Most of Birmingham's strengthening was at the back and Mcleish is generally a defensive manager. United will be playing their first competitive game post-Ronaldo. Nani was impressive in the community shield- can he be the new Ronaldo? How will Rooney react to being the main man now? More questions than answers exist about Man Utd thus far. I'm also interested in seeing how Owen does when he's not playing the Happy Collectivist Farmers Super 11 or whatever it was United played on their Asian tour. There is the chance that he many have found his level.
Wolves v. West Ham- Championship winners Wolves have the easiest tie of the three promoted sides this weekend. Wolves are at home, and should be able to match West Ham. However, I tipped Wolves to do well last time they came up and they promptly made me look like a mug. I feel that they have a squad that's every bit as strong as Reading's from 3 or 4 seasons ago and they've been busy in the transfer market. West Ham have a bit of a striker crisis- a bit of a player crisis really and with Zola's hands being tied financially and I don't expect them to challenge for Europe this season. That said they shouldn't be in any danger. Also, their academy just keeps on churning out players, and just because they haven't made a splash in the market doesn't make them any less dangerous. In fact, the unknown quanitity of some of the young players they will no doubt unleash on the league could see them do better than I think.
Aston Villa vs. Wigan- This match interests me as i'd like to see what Roberto Martinez does with Wigan. They played some good stuff under Bruce and the football and optimism should be even higher now that former player Martinez returns to his old club. Will his signings continue to shine? Will Jason Scotland cut it in the top flight? Villa, are not too changed greatly from last season. Stewart Downing was a big summer signing but is injured till around october so it's likely that Villa won't have to many new faces in this match. Fabian Delph has been highly rated for about 2 years now, so it would be great to see how he does.
Bolton v Sunderland - Another match where I'm interested in how one team plays and not the match itself. Sunderland have been ambitious under Bruce. The signings are certainly less underwhelming than under Keane. Darren Bent should do well here, and signing Cana and Cattermole means the midfield won't be overrun. Bolton's signings indicate more graft than craft. The midfield battle in this game should be brutal.
As an Arsenal fan, the Everton game interests me, but with six players already out for us and both sides also looking towards mid-week European matches, this could be one to forget. We did start our unbeaten season with a win at Everton (and it was the late game too!).
Has it really come to this- Straw Clutching of the highest order. :(
Good luck everyone. Here's hoping we all have an enjoyable season.
*Potential nominee for most contrived (and sexist) intro of the year.
It's been ten days since I last posted, and I still think it is very hard to say who will end up where. The Big 4 have all lost key players or remained stagnant. Teams like Sunderland, Wolves, Birmingham and Man City have all splashed the cash, but again this has served to improve severely deficient squads. Still, one would hope these teams will at least be competitive especially in matches with the big 4.
Aston Villa and Everton are two sides that have made progress and will expect to be there or thereabouts again, but can they face up to improved investment from teams like Sunderland? You'll notice I've mentioned Sunderland a lot, and I think they will do really well this season. They could be this seasons Fulham or West Ham, as far as being a neutrals favourite especially as Steve Bruce had Wigan playing some decent football last season.
Villa are steadily (and stealthily) strengthening, but the fact remains that they need numbers. I'm also curious as to what morale is like at Everton what with the Lescott saga. Also joining the equation is Spurs who surely won't start as badly as they did last season.
The first days fixtures will be interesting. Finally, we'll have an indication of each team's fortunes this season. If you can't be up for opening day, its fairly obvious its gonna be a long hard season. It won't really give us an indication where each team will finish, but a bad performance will raise doubts. I'm especially interested in the three promoted teams.
Stoke v. Burnley- Owen Coyle's Burnley play attractive football, but their squad looks weak by premiership standards. They've been handed an opening day away at Stoke- never an easy place to visit. A loss is not the end of the world as this is one of the harder trips, but they'll want the performance to be decent. Anything that gives them hope. Stoke have retained much of the same team, with Dean Whitehead the big summer signing. Dave Kitson is also back and looking to resurrect his career.
Man Utd. v. Birmingham- Not get destroyed will be Birmingham's mission. Most of Birmingham's strengthening was at the back and Mcleish is generally a defensive manager. United will be playing their first competitive game post-Ronaldo. Nani was impressive in the community shield- can he be the new Ronaldo? How will Rooney react to being the main man now? More questions than answers exist about Man Utd thus far. I'm also interested in seeing how Owen does when he's not playing the Happy Collectivist Farmers Super 11 or whatever it was United played on their Asian tour. There is the chance that he many have found his level.
Wolves v. West Ham- Championship winners Wolves have the easiest tie of the three promoted sides this weekend. Wolves are at home, and should be able to match West Ham. However, I tipped Wolves to do well last time they came up and they promptly made me look like a mug. I feel that they have a squad that's every bit as strong as Reading's from 3 or 4 seasons ago and they've been busy in the transfer market. West Ham have a bit of a striker crisis- a bit of a player crisis really and with Zola's hands being tied financially and I don't expect them to challenge for Europe this season. That said they shouldn't be in any danger. Also, their academy just keeps on churning out players, and just because they haven't made a splash in the market doesn't make them any less dangerous. In fact, the unknown quanitity of some of the young players they will no doubt unleash on the league could see them do better than I think.
Aston Villa vs. Wigan- This match interests me as i'd like to see what Roberto Martinez does with Wigan. They played some good stuff under Bruce and the football and optimism should be even higher now that former player Martinez returns to his old club. Will his signings continue to shine? Will Jason Scotland cut it in the top flight? Villa, are not too changed greatly from last season. Stewart Downing was a big summer signing but is injured till around october so it's likely that Villa won't have to many new faces in this match. Fabian Delph has been highly rated for about 2 years now, so it would be great to see how he does.
Bolton v Sunderland - Another match where I'm interested in how one team plays and not the match itself. Sunderland have been ambitious under Bruce. The signings are certainly less underwhelming than under Keane. Darren Bent should do well here, and signing Cana and Cattermole means the midfield won't be overrun. Bolton's signings indicate more graft than craft. The midfield battle in this game should be brutal.
As an Arsenal fan, the Everton game interests me, but with six players already out for us and both sides also looking towards mid-week European matches, this could be one to forget. We did start our unbeaten season with a win at Everton (and it was the late game too!).
Has it really come to this- Straw Clutching of the highest order. :(
Good luck everyone. Here's hoping we all have an enjoyable season.
*Potential nominee for most contrived (and sexist) intro of the year.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
State of Unreadiness
As Sky never tires of reminding me the Charity Shield is this Sunday. The traditional curtain opener of the English season means that a new season is upon us. In fact, it will actually begin this Friday with the Coca Cola Championship match pitting newly-relegated Boro against Sheffield United.
Most teams are coming to the end of their pre-season matches and putting the final preparations before starting the 9 month long campaigns and yet it all feels very shoddy.
I'm not saying that every team needs to have spent money or big in the transfer window, there doesn't seem to be much attempt at squad improvement. Usually, by now there would be a sense of optimism in most teams but most seem to be unchanged and quite a few are weakened. It's definately been a quiet window.
Even the so-called Big 4 are not exempt with Arsenal, Liverpool and champions Manchester United losing key components and Chelsea's a year older and creakier. In a way, I think the avoidance of Real Madrid style spending is a good thing and makes the league more unpredictable. Yes, buying players is not a given- Chelsea added Shevchenko and Ballack to their teams in the summer of 2006 and were tipped to get their third title in a row, and yet haven't won it since.
However, this doesn't mean that the Premiership teams should get away with a lack of ambition in the transfer market. Portsmouth for instance don't even know whether they are coming or going. Aston Villa looked to be bucking the trend with their reported chase of Habib Beye, but that seems to have cooled. Given that Villa often played Reo-Coker out of position at right-back, and Luke Young, a right-back at left back. The presence of the rather underrated Beye would have been useful. They've signed Fabian Delph, which gives them more bodies in midfield.
Everton are another team whose signings haven't shown that they intend to push on and this is the problem mostly. Signings are being made at most clubs, but they seem to be more squad players or like for like replacements for departed players.
Incidentally, the teams who have been most busy- the likes of Sunderland (latterly), Birmingham City and Wolves and of course the richest club in the world, Manchester City, are to me, basically trying to improve their rather poor squads to make them competitive rather than being able to upset the apple cart. Spurs are another side that really should be trying to push on, but again they seem to be prioritising the wrong positions in their team although with a rumoured 10 million bid for Blackburn's Chris Samba, they maybe looking to plug holes in their defense. Given that they've got the likes of Keane, Pavlyuchenko and Defoe and latterly Bent (who has basically been replaced by Crouch) links to the likes of Huntelaar and Negredo have been somewhat baffling.
This summer of uncertainty has made the anticipation for the new season even more spine-tingling. the status quo will not change massively. Chelsea will not suddenly finish fifth, and contrary to what most people are saying, City are only making themselves competitive rather than big-4 or title challengers. Despite this, there are still many unnanswered questions and hopefully a few unknown gems who will entertain us, and become the new heroes and/or villains.
Most teams are coming to the end of their pre-season matches and putting the final preparations before starting the 9 month long campaigns and yet it all feels very shoddy.
I'm not saying that every team needs to have spent money or big in the transfer window, there doesn't seem to be much attempt at squad improvement. Usually, by now there would be a sense of optimism in most teams but most seem to be unchanged and quite a few are weakened. It's definately been a quiet window.
Even the so-called Big 4 are not exempt with Arsenal, Liverpool and champions Manchester United losing key components and Chelsea's a year older and creakier. In a way, I think the avoidance of Real Madrid style spending is a good thing and makes the league more unpredictable. Yes, buying players is not a given- Chelsea added Shevchenko and Ballack to their teams in the summer of 2006 and were tipped to get their third title in a row, and yet haven't won it since.
However, this doesn't mean that the Premiership teams should get away with a lack of ambition in the transfer market. Portsmouth for instance don't even know whether they are coming or going. Aston Villa looked to be bucking the trend with their reported chase of Habib Beye, but that seems to have cooled. Given that Villa often played Reo-Coker out of position at right-back, and Luke Young, a right-back at left back. The presence of the rather underrated Beye would have been useful. They've signed Fabian Delph, which gives them more bodies in midfield.
Everton are another team whose signings haven't shown that they intend to push on and this is the problem mostly. Signings are being made at most clubs, but they seem to be more squad players or like for like replacements for departed players.
Incidentally, the teams who have been most busy- the likes of Sunderland (latterly), Birmingham City and Wolves and of course the richest club in the world, Manchester City, are to me, basically trying to improve their rather poor squads to make them competitive rather than being able to upset the apple cart. Spurs are another side that really should be trying to push on, but again they seem to be prioritising the wrong positions in their team although with a rumoured 10 million bid for Blackburn's Chris Samba, they maybe looking to plug holes in their defense. Given that they've got the likes of Keane, Pavlyuchenko and Defoe and latterly Bent (who has basically been replaced by Crouch) links to the likes of Huntelaar and Negredo have been somewhat baffling.
This summer of uncertainty has made the anticipation for the new season even more spine-tingling. the status quo will not change massively. Chelsea will not suddenly finish fifth, and contrary to what most people are saying, City are only making themselves competitive rather than big-4 or title challengers. Despite this, there are still many unnanswered questions and hopefully a few unknown gems who will entertain us, and become the new heroes and/or villains.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
RIP Uncle Bobby
This is not exactly how I wanted to restart the blog but lets face it, if this doesn't move me to write nothing else will.
Considering the amount of football fans on Facebook, who frequently jammed the news feeds in the run-in to last season, it was a bit strange to see no tributes, not even an RIP, to Sir Bobby Robson, the kindly grandad of football.
I guess because he doesn't have any affliation with the Big 4 teams, his death has gone by unmarked, but it shouldn't. Sir Bobby Robson should be mourned by everyone who loves football.
Personally, I've dreaded yesterday for so long now ever since that day, months ago, he revealed that he would die 'sooner or later'- the cancer that he had beaten four times before, had gotten the better of him.
He then spent the last few months of his life campaigning for Cancer-related causes, raising money and using his name yet there was no showiness, no press- whoring, no front pages with Brave Bobby on them. The man died as he lived, with dignity.
As a manager, he was in that top echelon. He was like Roy Hodgson on steroids in the sense that he was an Englishman who overcame the insularity that usualy marks island nations and went abroad. After his successes with Ipswich and England, he could've sat on his laurels waiting for a cushy job in England but instead he chose to challenge himself abroad in teams like Porto and Barcelona where success is not so much expected as demanded. He made friends and gained respect there too. Names like Romario, Ronaldo (the real one), Mourinho all were influenced somewhat by Robson.
He finished up his managerial career at his beloved Newcastle United. Little did we know that the Robson years were the last moderately successful years we'd see from the club that has become an illustration of the word shambles. Within six months of him leaving, Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer were disgracing themselves on the pitch, and the formers Champions League contenders were struggling at the wrong end of the table. It is sad that Robson's last memories of his club will be the pathetic defeat last May to Aston Villa that saw Newcastle's stay in the Premiership come to an end.
In the end, there's not much one can say. But think about this. Bobby Robson's involvement in football lasted over five decades and there isn't anyone who has a bad word to say about him- not the journalists, not his fellow managers, nor the players who played under him, nor even the chairman- nobody describes him as anything other than a wonderful human being.
In the world of football which has its fair share of unsalubrious characters, this is pretty remarkable. As has been this year, when famous people die, there is the tendency to beatify them, but in Robson's case, his life and career has been mostly blameless. For once the beatification does not feel banal and hollow.
Rest in Peace, Uncle Bobby, you will be missed but your legacy will live on.
Considering the amount of football fans on Facebook, who frequently jammed the news feeds in the run-in to last season, it was a bit strange to see no tributes, not even an RIP, to Sir Bobby Robson, the kindly grandad of football.
I guess because he doesn't have any affliation with the Big 4 teams, his death has gone by unmarked, but it shouldn't. Sir Bobby Robson should be mourned by everyone who loves football.
Personally, I've dreaded yesterday for so long now ever since that day, months ago, he revealed that he would die 'sooner or later'- the cancer that he had beaten four times before, had gotten the better of him.
He then spent the last few months of his life campaigning for Cancer-related causes, raising money and using his name yet there was no showiness, no press- whoring, no front pages with Brave Bobby on them. The man died as he lived, with dignity.
As a manager, he was in that top echelon. He was like Roy Hodgson on steroids in the sense that he was an Englishman who overcame the insularity that usualy marks island nations and went abroad. After his successes with Ipswich and England, he could've sat on his laurels waiting for a cushy job in England but instead he chose to challenge himself abroad in teams like Porto and Barcelona where success is not so much expected as demanded. He made friends and gained respect there too. Names like Romario, Ronaldo (the real one), Mourinho all were influenced somewhat by Robson.
He finished up his managerial career at his beloved Newcastle United. Little did we know that the Robson years were the last moderately successful years we'd see from the club that has become an illustration of the word shambles. Within six months of him leaving, Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer were disgracing themselves on the pitch, and the formers Champions League contenders were struggling at the wrong end of the table. It is sad that Robson's last memories of his club will be the pathetic defeat last May to Aston Villa that saw Newcastle's stay in the Premiership come to an end.
In the end, there's not much one can say. But think about this. Bobby Robson's involvement in football lasted over five decades and there isn't anyone who has a bad word to say about him- not the journalists, not his fellow managers, nor the players who played under him, nor even the chairman- nobody describes him as anything other than a wonderful human being.
In the world of football which has its fair share of unsalubrious characters, this is pretty remarkable. As has been this year, when famous people die, there is the tendency to beatify them, but in Robson's case, his life and career has been mostly blameless. For once the beatification does not feel banal and hollow.
Rest in Peace, Uncle Bobby, you will be missed but your legacy will live on.
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