Trudging through my local Co-op in Old Duston village fulfilling my duties simply as a hassled father and husband instead of a coveted Maestro, my eyes were drawn to two bold but contrasting landmark headlines on the New-stand; Peaches Golding became the first Black Lord Lieutenant in Britain serving Bristol today and a gloating Gary Lineker smugly telling all that BT Sport had secured exclusive rights for Champions League Television coverage; not least because his salary will rise even more ridiculously higher. As a man of colour, I was moved by the first story but stunned a little by the second. When I was a child I watched (with my father's permission) the highlights shows, foreign players with fancy hair and strange goal celebrations, supporters who played musical instruments to lead the singing was part of the beauty of European club competition; like the F.A. Cup, everyone always watched the final. The world has changed, choice is gargantuan for the lucky few and the shared experience along with generosity is becoming obsolete. Footballers are no longer just pictures on cards that schoolchildren exchange, they are now 'global brands' with numerous millions following every utterance and pout on various Social Media platforms. Meanwhile in all the haze of consumerism, our national game is drifting away from our gigantic Terrestrial High-Definition Television Flat-Screens and more worryingly the next generation... Arsene Wenger too is drifting uncomfortably away.
The confirmation of his demise was delivered in devastatingly ruthless fashion last night. Many fans of 'the beautiful game' are quietly reflecting that the end of an era has now been confirmed. I had similar sentiments as I trudged away from Old Trafford on Tuesday 5th March 2013 when Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United were well beaten by Real Madrid. The difference is that Mr Ferguson had already announced his retirement to avoid confusion and distraction Losing 5-1 twice to one of the pace-setters of the game, namely Bayern Munich who are managed by an equally hard-bitten veteran like Carlo Ancelotti. His time is clearly up; defeat against a non-league football club bearing my name is unthinkable; let's not go there for now! I am bemused why things have become so bad for a great club such as Arsenal under his tutelage and allowed to simply get worse. Mourinho called him a specialist in failure, we berated him for that comment but after all he might have been correct in his assertion.
Those of you who REALLY know me, will be aware that my love for Middlesbrough was born on Saturday 10th September 2005 at Arsenal's expense at the Riverside. Having been regaled with tales of artistic football that is pleasant on the eye by many 'Gooners' I travelled to the North East in search of a first-hand experience of the brilliance of an Arsene Wenger's team. What I discovered, in reality, despite the beautiful football was the embryo of a soft underbelly that has flourished unchecked for nearly 12 years. Middlesbrough bullied Arsenal on a chilly September evening and with two moments of brilliance courtesy of a debut strike from Yakubu and great trickery from Massimo Maccarone for the second. Incidently, of course at the present time 'Boro would buy moments of magic like that at any price to activate a credible stay of execution for this season's Premiership campaign, but that is a blog for another reflective day. At the end of that 2005-6 season, enthusiastic conversations enthused about a new ground which would help promote a new mindset for the 21st century and the capacity to compete with the big boys of world club football. As time has ticked on, two simple things have endured; the ground is indeed always full (60,000 plus) and the club have achieved consistent qualification for Champions League football every year, usually at the frustrating expense of Tottenham Hotspur. Could you ever imagine Real Madrid, the jewels of the Spanish capital settling for that or the Kings of Catalonia at Barcelona even contemplating such ambitions as 'a job well done!' The Emirates existence has yielded 4 trophies; two F.A. Cups and two Community Shields - a poor return. Could it be possible that Wenger has hood-winked everyone, is he the Modern Day version of that mystical Emperor with the questionable wardrobe attire. Consider this, surely David Moyes at United would have lifted more than two trophies in 10 years but, his status is now lamented as damaged goods and the Sunderland gig is doing him no favors either. Would Arsene Wenger really be faring better at the Stadium of Light?
People talk wistfully of title-winning teams but once Patrick Vierra left the Arsenal midfield their intensity was never the same again. Kante was the talisman for Leicester City last season, this campaign he has joined a superior outfit that, last season, lacked critical focus and the right general to tighten the loose screws; and guess what? Chelsea are topping the league! Wenger's Arsenal lack true game-changers, clinical strikers, leaders and most crucially a winning mindset. Right now and for a long time everything has been nearly. Sturridge and Lukaku nearly made it at Chelsea but were shipped out to Liverpool and Everton respectively and despite honourable endeavor are still operating in nearly environments. A cursory glance at Koeman's defeat at Spurs and Liverpool's capitulation at Leicester proves that.
Am I being harsh? Yes! But football is now a harsh huge business, as is life, and the natives at Arsenal are paying more for their football fix per head than my affluent Middle-Class luvvie friends down the road at the Coliseum, Covent Garden and Drury Lane, and that for me is the bottom line; watching football isn't cheap, If you yearn for an environment to showcase brilliance, and you are granted your wish 'on your terms,' by your paymasters, as he has, then you must deliver. Arsene Wenger once designed a great script for modern footballers, the trouble is that everyone else has surpassed the rehearsal stage now and is delivering upgraded performances and productions. For whatever reason, he has chosen to ignore the fact that the scene-stealers belong to other teams because he and all of those who run Arsenal failed to accept the rules of engagement. The fairy dust needed replenishing a long time ago and has turned to flour. If he does not bow out gracefully, his final curtain call could make uncomfortable viewing. 'Taxi for Wenger!' The ignition has been truly engaged, the only question now is who steps into his shoes?
Tuesday, 7 March 2017
Monday, 25 July 2016
The Euros! In Celebration of Wales; The Football Nation!
I have in a previous blog berated my beloved England team for failing so predictably in yet another tournament. On the other hand Wales, appearing in a their first major tournament since 1958, stormed to the Semi-Finals; topping their group in the first round of matches. So why did Wales succeed where England failed? Let's look at the evidence...
Chris Coleman was an excellent leader on and off the pitch. Although the Euro campaign was a huge emotional assignment for him and the nation, his approach was uncomplicated, his players showed great discipline and the supporters were fabulous. Wales have always had excellent players but rarely had elite ones; Ryan Giggs was in that category but his commitment to International Football rarely matched the desire of his superlative Manchester United contributions; and as a result Wales were becoming a habitual nearly team. Gareth Bale, on the other hand, is brilliant, oozes fire and brimstone and more pertinently regularly stepped up to deliver game-changing performances in the qualifying games. His contribution has created an atmosphere of belief in the Welsh team and despite the blip against England on June 16th, the reaction to despatch Russia so ruthlessly was a real statement of their intentions to progress. Achieving a Semi-Final place by beating Belgium was no surprise, after all their star man whilst Eden Hazard had a patchy season at Chelsea last season, Bale won the Champions League and was no bit-part player. The surprise, was the nature of the execution with three brilliant goals that had me rising out of my seat with elation. Wales were sensational!
Despite the pockets of hooliganism in France, I enjoyed the way supporters of each nation arrived in healthy numbers and heartily cheered on their teams. Although the Welsh supporters were outnumbered by their Belgian counterparts, in THAT Quarter Final, they were never going to be out-sung!! After Ashley Williams equalised, the choir struck up and probably mesmerized not just the opposition fans but the players on the pitch!! There are very few more pleasing sounds on the ears than a Welsh choir; maybe those mischievous Russians ultras were disarmed by the beautiful lyrical phrasing of the fans. It's worth noting that there was no more trouble from them following that match!
Much has been made following my last blog about the number of foreigners 'invading' our Premier League and suppressing English talent. The entire Welsh squad was drawn from the same Premier AND Football League of the English players, but they succeeded and England failed. As I mentioned in that Blog, the Premier League is very strong from top to bottom and I actually expect greater success in the next European clubs' campaign from British teams. Chris Coleman achieved because of his leadership, team dynamics, belief and critically the presence of a world class match winner. In the defining Semi-Final, Cristiano Ronaldo's brilliance was the heart-breaking difference; sometimes you have to celebrate special players and his top drawer contribution was the only thing that could kill off Wales. In the same way Antoine Griezmann despatched the Germans in the other semi-final. On another night that might have been Bale's moment and then the trophy would have been lifted by Ashley Williams.
History one day will put this achievement into context for future generations to marvel. Congratulations Wales for making the summer of 2016 so inspiring for their nation, and the rest of us.
Chris Coleman was an excellent leader on and off the pitch. Although the Euro campaign was a huge emotional assignment for him and the nation, his approach was uncomplicated, his players showed great discipline and the supporters were fabulous. Wales have always had excellent players but rarely had elite ones; Ryan Giggs was in that category but his commitment to International Football rarely matched the desire of his superlative Manchester United contributions; and as a result Wales were becoming a habitual nearly team. Gareth Bale, on the other hand, is brilliant, oozes fire and brimstone and more pertinently regularly stepped up to deliver game-changing performances in the qualifying games. His contribution has created an atmosphere of belief in the Welsh team and despite the blip against England on June 16th, the reaction to despatch Russia so ruthlessly was a real statement of their intentions to progress. Achieving a Semi-Final place by beating Belgium was no surprise, after all their star man whilst Eden Hazard had a patchy season at Chelsea last season, Bale won the Champions League and was no bit-part player. The surprise, was the nature of the execution with three brilliant goals that had me rising out of my seat with elation. Wales were sensational!
Despite the pockets of hooliganism in France, I enjoyed the way supporters of each nation arrived in healthy numbers and heartily cheered on their teams. Although the Welsh supporters were outnumbered by their Belgian counterparts, in THAT Quarter Final, they were never going to be out-sung!! After Ashley Williams equalised, the choir struck up and probably mesmerized not just the opposition fans but the players on the pitch!! There are very few more pleasing sounds on the ears than a Welsh choir; maybe those mischievous Russians ultras were disarmed by the beautiful lyrical phrasing of the fans. It's worth noting that there was no more trouble from them following that match!
Much has been made following my last blog about the number of foreigners 'invading' our Premier League and suppressing English talent. The entire Welsh squad was drawn from the same Premier AND Football League of the English players, but they succeeded and England failed. As I mentioned in that Blog, the Premier League is very strong from top to bottom and I actually expect greater success in the next European clubs' campaign from British teams. Chris Coleman achieved because of his leadership, team dynamics, belief and critically the presence of a world class match winner. In the defining Semi-Final, Cristiano Ronaldo's brilliance was the heart-breaking difference; sometimes you have to celebrate special players and his top drawer contribution was the only thing that could kill off Wales. In the same way Antoine Griezmann despatched the Germans in the other semi-final. On another night that might have been Bale's moment and then the trophy would have been lifted by Ashley Williams.
History one day will put this achievement into context for future generations to marvel. Congratulations Wales for making the summer of 2016 so inspiring for their nation, and the rest of us.
Sunday, 24 July 2016
The Unthinkable Has Happened Twice...
So, after posting my last blog which spoke about how Leicester City might win the Premier League, they achieved it and rocked the football world in the meantime. Could anyone top that? Yes! England were dumped out of the Euros 2016 by a nation of which 10% of the population were watching from the stands; namely Iceland. And here we are as the Olympics approach waiting breathlessly for one of the most anticipated Premier League campaigns ever.
Let's talk about England. In early June, I stumbled upon two significant sporting people from my childhood in a famous American Diner in Northampton. One was my P.E. teacher, an ex Cricket Captain and my sporting mentor as a teenager, the other a serious childhood rival on the football field who become a Professional footballer; both are still working currently at the high end of Professional sport. They are both, like myself, well known locally. It was an absorbing hour of memories, opinions and mutual acknowledgement of each other's individual legacies. England's participation was discussed and it was widely agreed that grass roots football was strong and healthy at present and the current England squad was quietly confident of progressing to the semi-finals. Then, the tournament began. Frustration in match one was followed by desperate relief after match two and disbelief after the concluding third match. My personal trainer Joe Power, a trusted football man, assured me during our session on match day Monday that we would destroy Iceland that night and have enough guile to disarm France at the weekend; I had an uneasy feeling; Iceland won the game and the rest as they say is history. So what actually went so badly wrong? A cursory glance at England's football tournament history reveals that one of the attributes that define us as a nation, consistently fails us in the hostile heat of tournament football; mental strength and indisputable belief. With a highly decorated, talented and experienced warrior like Wayne Rooney as general and rampant goal-scorers like Kane, Vardy and Rashford leading the line backed up by hard-bitten razor-tongued coaches like Gary Neville. Why were we so clueless, when it mattered most? My simple conclusion, after watching Northamptonshire's Andrea Leadsom surrender so meekly and swiftly after fluffing her lines with a seasoned media hack, one emotional weekend in the choppy waters of a leadership campaigning, Roy Hodgson simply, despite a wealth of experience, could not handle the pressure of clinical decision making when it mattered most.
There are many attributes that Roy Hodgson possesses, he is statesman-like, multi lingual, comfortable in foreign cultures, eloquent on camera and respected by the European football community. Sadly the unpleasant odour that defines his history of weakness in high pressure scenarios would have troubled the nostrils of a City Head-Hunter if he were a Merchant Banker. Of course life is too simplistic to say that his failures at Blackburn and Liverpool were a concern; everyone has a bad day at the office. Great leaders roar back from a set-back, objctively. Looking back the Blackburn experience overwhelmed him, at a time when the club should have achieved more; Blackburn went into free-fall just before Christmas 2010 when a certain Sam Allardyce was relieved of his duties for not producing glitzy football and having Ronaldinho's agent in his contact book by those deluded Venky's. The sheer intensity and bravado that Jurgen Klopp exudes at Liverpool, starkly contrasts the meek press conference he tried to conduct, at Ewood Park ironically, before eventually being sacked. Big games require a big a game mentality, on the training pitch, inside the dug-out and then critically during a 90 minute match. I have, in my career worked alongside numerous actors, amateur and professional who have astounded and amazed me in the rehearsal studio only to crumble or resemble something entirely different when they tread the boards in front of a live audience or an intense Television studio. Regrettably Roy is one of those, we found out too late.
Many people have said that the players let Roy down but the reality is that players like any workforce need an enforceable, clear but flexible blueprint that everyone understands. With the exception of the Wales game, which was won by desperation more than guile, Roy failed to make an inspired call during the tournament. Cristiano Ronaldo lifted the trophy on Sunday 10th July for Portugal, but because of his unfortunate injury, the final was actually won by his team-mates who collectively succeeded as a unit. I am relieved that with Sam Allardyce at the helm that will not be an issue for the next campaign for England.
Sam Allardyce has his wish, to manage at the highest level. If he succeeds in winning a tournament, he will simply be awarded the freedom of England. I do not think, he will achieve this but, he will be an improvement on what has gone before because he has been preparing for this moment for the last 15 years! Now is his chance to truly define his philosophy with the national side. My own view is that Sam cannot fail because England are a poor team. Forget those friendlies, we have not progressed to the Quarter-Finals in a tournament for 10 years and since 1966 have reached the Semi-Finals of a major tournament twice - World Cup Italia '90 and Euro '96 losing both on penalties to eventual winners Germany. Can Sam reach those dizzy heights? Is he a 'special' manager? Bobby Robson and Terry Venables were both in that elite class; both succeeded at Barcelona and Robson was also a huge success in Portugal after producing miracles with a small but enthusistic Suffolk club called Ipswich Town. I know that Sam has huge self-belief, intelligence and an obsession to absorb great ideas from revolutionary thinkers. I am reassured that we have the right man. Let's see how he manages when the real business starts in September.
There is nothing like a new football season to wash away the weeds of despair that follow another disappointing tournament campaign. This one has excitement written all over it.My own team Middlesbrough are back in the elite along with Burnley and Hull, humble Bournemouth are there spoiling to fight and scrap like teams such as Stoke, Southampton and Swansea, Watford and West Brom. Newly homed West Ham, and all those teams with new Head-Teachers like Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, Sunderland, and Hull City. It feels like a proper new school term. Then perched on the top are...Leicester City!! Their impossible title achievement has, alongside the huge injection of money to the Premier League raised the bar for every club. Can THEY do it again? "Surely not" everyone cries! Claudio Ranieri will easily achieve his 40 points this season. If he manages 6th place this season after all those additional European fixtures and energy sapping travelling, that will be another amazing achievement. I personally believe that he can, after all, his players have learned the all important lesson of crossing the white line of victory; for me it's still a huge advantage for a well backed club.
In a season when all the big clubs bombed so spectacularly, except Arsenal who quietly finished in second place - let's not forget that(!) much is expected from the big sharks for this coming season. The roster of managers makes very impressive reading: Koeman, Guardiola, Mourinho, Klopp, Comte, Wenger, Moyes, Bilic etc. It is also well worth noting, that Premier League players from all 20 clubs featured prominently in the Euros this summer; the rank and file footballer in our league is very strong. Who will win it? To be honest, for once, I truly don't know because the variables of tactical approaches, mind games, personalities and quality on show will be akin to a wedding reception sweet trolley, it's mouth-watering. The Manchester clubs are going to be strong, so will Chelsea and Arsenal. Liverpool and Tottenham will be in the conversation perhaps but for this coming season, there will alas be no more 'winnable games!' Every club has inventive players, but we won't learn a thing, in earnest, until October when the clocks go back!! Let the madness begin...just like the hot sunny days.
Let's talk about England. In early June, I stumbled upon two significant sporting people from my childhood in a famous American Diner in Northampton. One was my P.E. teacher, an ex Cricket Captain and my sporting mentor as a teenager, the other a serious childhood rival on the football field who become a Professional footballer; both are still working currently at the high end of Professional sport. They are both, like myself, well known locally. It was an absorbing hour of memories, opinions and mutual acknowledgement of each other's individual legacies. England's participation was discussed and it was widely agreed that grass roots football was strong and healthy at present and the current England squad was quietly confident of progressing to the semi-finals. Then, the tournament began. Frustration in match one was followed by desperate relief after match two and disbelief after the concluding third match. My personal trainer Joe Power, a trusted football man, assured me during our session on match day Monday that we would destroy Iceland that night and have enough guile to disarm France at the weekend; I had an uneasy feeling; Iceland won the game and the rest as they say is history. So what actually went so badly wrong? A cursory glance at England's football tournament history reveals that one of the attributes that define us as a nation, consistently fails us in the hostile heat of tournament football; mental strength and indisputable belief. With a highly decorated, talented and experienced warrior like Wayne Rooney as general and rampant goal-scorers like Kane, Vardy and Rashford leading the line backed up by hard-bitten razor-tongued coaches like Gary Neville. Why were we so clueless, when it mattered most? My simple conclusion, after watching Northamptonshire's Andrea Leadsom surrender so meekly and swiftly after fluffing her lines with a seasoned media hack, one emotional weekend in the choppy waters of a leadership campaigning, Roy Hodgson simply, despite a wealth of experience, could not handle the pressure of clinical decision making when it mattered most.
There are many attributes that Roy Hodgson possesses, he is statesman-like, multi lingual, comfortable in foreign cultures, eloquent on camera and respected by the European football community. Sadly the unpleasant odour that defines his history of weakness in high pressure scenarios would have troubled the nostrils of a City Head-Hunter if he were a Merchant Banker. Of course life is too simplistic to say that his failures at Blackburn and Liverpool were a concern; everyone has a bad day at the office. Great leaders roar back from a set-back, objctively. Looking back the Blackburn experience overwhelmed him, at a time when the club should have achieved more; Blackburn went into free-fall just before Christmas 2010 when a certain Sam Allardyce was relieved of his duties for not producing glitzy football and having Ronaldinho's agent in his contact book by those deluded Venky's. The sheer intensity and bravado that Jurgen Klopp exudes at Liverpool, starkly contrasts the meek press conference he tried to conduct, at Ewood Park ironically, before eventually being sacked. Big games require a big a game mentality, on the training pitch, inside the dug-out and then critically during a 90 minute match. I have, in my career worked alongside numerous actors, amateur and professional who have astounded and amazed me in the rehearsal studio only to crumble or resemble something entirely different when they tread the boards in front of a live audience or an intense Television studio. Regrettably Roy is one of those, we found out too late.
Many people have said that the players let Roy down but the reality is that players like any workforce need an enforceable, clear but flexible blueprint that everyone understands. With the exception of the Wales game, which was won by desperation more than guile, Roy failed to make an inspired call during the tournament. Cristiano Ronaldo lifted the trophy on Sunday 10th July for Portugal, but because of his unfortunate injury, the final was actually won by his team-mates who collectively succeeded as a unit. I am relieved that with Sam Allardyce at the helm that will not be an issue for the next campaign for England.
Sam Allardyce has his wish, to manage at the highest level. If he succeeds in winning a tournament, he will simply be awarded the freedom of England. I do not think, he will achieve this but, he will be an improvement on what has gone before because he has been preparing for this moment for the last 15 years! Now is his chance to truly define his philosophy with the national side. My own view is that Sam cannot fail because England are a poor team. Forget those friendlies, we have not progressed to the Quarter-Finals in a tournament for 10 years and since 1966 have reached the Semi-Finals of a major tournament twice - World Cup Italia '90 and Euro '96 losing both on penalties to eventual winners Germany. Can Sam reach those dizzy heights? Is he a 'special' manager? Bobby Robson and Terry Venables were both in that elite class; both succeeded at Barcelona and Robson was also a huge success in Portugal after producing miracles with a small but enthusistic Suffolk club called Ipswich Town. I know that Sam has huge self-belief, intelligence and an obsession to absorb great ideas from revolutionary thinkers. I am reassured that we have the right man. Let's see how he manages when the real business starts in September.
There is nothing like a new football season to wash away the weeds of despair that follow another disappointing tournament campaign. This one has excitement written all over it.My own team Middlesbrough are back in the elite along with Burnley and Hull, humble Bournemouth are there spoiling to fight and scrap like teams such as Stoke, Southampton and Swansea, Watford and West Brom. Newly homed West Ham, and all those teams with new Head-Teachers like Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, Sunderland, and Hull City. It feels like a proper new school term. Then perched on the top are...Leicester City!! Their impossible title achievement has, alongside the huge injection of money to the Premier League raised the bar for every club. Can THEY do it again? "Surely not" everyone cries! Claudio Ranieri will easily achieve his 40 points this season. If he manages 6th place this season after all those additional European fixtures and energy sapping travelling, that will be another amazing achievement. I personally believe that he can, after all, his players have learned the all important lesson of crossing the white line of victory; for me it's still a huge advantage for a well backed club.
In a season when all the big clubs bombed so spectacularly, except Arsenal who quietly finished in second place - let's not forget that(!) much is expected from the big sharks for this coming season. The roster of managers makes very impressive reading: Koeman, Guardiola, Mourinho, Klopp, Comte, Wenger, Moyes, Bilic etc. It is also well worth noting, that Premier League players from all 20 clubs featured prominently in the Euros this summer; the rank and file footballer in our league is very strong. Who will win it? To be honest, for once, I truly don't know because the variables of tactical approaches, mind games, personalities and quality on show will be akin to a wedding reception sweet trolley, it's mouth-watering. The Manchester clubs are going to be strong, so will Chelsea and Arsenal. Liverpool and Tottenham will be in the conversation perhaps but for this coming season, there will alas be no more 'winnable games!' Every club has inventive players, but we won't learn a thing, in earnest, until October when the clocks go back!! Let the madness begin...just like the hot sunny days.
Sunday, 7 February 2016
Can Leicester REALLY win the Premioer League?
It is the question on everybody's lips. Back in the Autumn, the excitement centred around Jamie Vardy breaking the Premier League record for scoring goals in consecutive matches, then once broken he actually did not score, but Leicester continued to find the net and more significantly kept winning and sit on top of the Premier League 5 points clear of Arsenal. It has in equal measure shocked and excited us all. But, can they REALLY win it? Let's look at the evidence...
A fact that no-one can dispute is that, in the past, teams that are leading the league table in February usually go on to win the title. So the simple answer ought to be Yes! they can. Yet, watching the pundits Charlie Nicholas, Paul Merson, Matt Le Tissier and Phil Thompson expertly marshalled by Jeff Stelling on Sky Sports Super Saturday yesterday, you sensed that the cynics still believe that they will tumble, and tumble hard. Watching the ruthless defeats of Liverpool and Manchester City, they were executed with high quality possession play and exquisite finishing. Although I didn't watch the entire match, the league defeat at White Hart Lane of Tottenham was a real head-turner; because Spurs are a team in a rich vein of form, and yet they grafted, rode their luck, muzzled a rampant Harry Kane, and scored a critical winner as though they'd been at it for years!
What about Arsenal? I can hear you gooners loud and clear! Leicester lost at home to a rampant Arsenal side in late September 2-5, who then despatched, alas no! Blitzed Manchester United with a first half demolition the following week only to fluff their lines against lowly Olympiakos days later. On paper, Arsenal ought to easily defeat 'lowly' Leicester, but the team that they meet pack a real punch and after the Valentine's Day showdown, high-flying Hull breeze into town in the FA Cup looking to prove their Premier League pedigree as they (for the moment) sit at the summit of the Championship table, followed by the magicians of Catalonia; namely Barcelona and then a much improved Manchester United; February could make or debilitate Arsenal - history would suggest the latter, which strengthens Leicester's pursuit of the title. But, all of that could be purely academic, after all this is the season of surprises and the biggest one could be Arsenal finally discovering some backbone?
What about Tottenham? For me, they are the only true rivals for Ranieri's Foxes. In Harry Kane they have a red hot striker, in Dele Alli they have a fabulous play-maker and their defence is mean; in short they are an awesome package and are in striking distance of the title...if Leicester falter. Can Daniel Levy hold his nerve when 'squeaky bum time' comes? More importantly, can Spurs the club handle it? I am not convinced myself, Pochettino himself can handle anything, some of his players? I am not so sure; mentally they are new to all of this. Being one step from the trap-door last season and winning the battle will give Leicester an advantage, they are pursuing a positive target this time that has no consequence and Ranieri is the perfect manager to guide them. I need to be convinced about the Spurs collective; maybe an FA Cup instead?
That brings us to Manchester City. For me, Manuel Pelligrini has suffered the ultimate betrayal. He somehow has to continue and pursue four trophies; he may win them all but in all probability may win nothing at all. The speculation involving Pep Guardiola has been as damaging as last season's ill-timed warm weather jaunt prior to the ill-fated FA Cup tie with my team Middlesbrough. Speculation undermined Mark Hughes, then Roberto Mancini but with Pelligrini, it was unforgivable. For the Leicester game, focus should have been 100% on the match. This defeat may define their season; the distraction due to poor news management by the club will be costly. As I have stated in these blogs time and time again, small details can make or break a season. Vanity on this occasion is a curse for Manchester City; the cost of Guardiola's appointment may be greater than the deep pockets Sheik Mansoor can absorb...
The usual suspects like Manchester United and Chelsea are probably out of the conversation in terms of winning the title but may affect the ultimate destination. Both teams are obstacles to the title chasers and I sense that any of the above that can avoid defeat against these powerhouses will lift the Premier League title. For different reasons, both of these teams have rediscovered their DNA but too late to hit the front. I believe that if they negotiate Paris St German, a huge tie Chelsea could be a surprise package in the Champions League, and the Europa Cup could provide silverware and a launching pad for United respectively. Both teams are led by savvy street-wise Dutch Generals in Hiddink and Van Gaal, the latter has shown the depth of his strength and resolve to rescue what at times looked like a total disaster. Recent trips to watch both teams play live and today's fixture between them has been a timely reminder of the depth of high quality present. With both of them still in the FA Cup, do not be surprised if one of them lifts the trophy at Wembley. As one ponders those possibilities, it becomes clear how desperately badly both teams have performed this season. For the sake of their huge army of loyal and high spending fans, not to mention the sponsors, it is imperative that Manchester United and Chelsea restore pride and status as a matter of urgency. But, even with Pep Guardiola at City, these two will be back into the Premier League conversation next season alas! with new managers - expect Box-Office appointments! Jose Mourinho will be at the Theatre of Dreams but who's the other one? Surely not Ranieri? Now that could be VERY interesting!
Talking of great managers, Jurgen Klopp has been a fabulous appointment for Liverpool Football Club. Watching him at work with his intense desire to make good from what is clearly not up to scratch is absorbing, entertaining and refreshing. I love the way greets all the players at the conclusion of a game, his players and opponents alike are given hearty respect and acknowledgement; it's great to be a part of Jurgen's world! Yet, he has edge, and plenty of it. Like Van Gaal, he is always on the front foot with his media briefings, unique, open honest and last week at Leicester he was blunt. Liverpool have been screaming for this type of manager for a long time, and it was apparent to everyone who saw his first media briefing, Jurgen Klopp will deliver. Sunday 28th February could be the springboard that this club has been craving since that Steven Gerrard slip against Chelsea. One way or the other, this will be a watershed season.
Let's get back to the present and Leicester City, because this is their time and their moment. After the Manchester City I believe they will lift the title because they possess collective graft, a great manager, star quality in the penalty area and no fear. For the last game of the season on Sunday 15th May, they are away at the current champions Chelsea. The beautiful game will change forever if they lift the title and parade it around Stamford Bridge; how ironic that the trophy could make two outings in the same venue with different teams! I, like many football fans, want to see all my friends, that follow Leicester City to be drunk with disbelief alongside my mates in Teeside celebrating promotion for Middlesbrough as champions and all the Northamptonians cheering the Cobblers winning the league to move to League One. All the folks in Dorset keep telling me as they watch the Cherries host Premier League fixtures, that dreams really do come true, I want to believe it too! Come on Leicester!
A fact that no-one can dispute is that, in the past, teams that are leading the league table in February usually go on to win the title. So the simple answer ought to be Yes! they can. Yet, watching the pundits Charlie Nicholas, Paul Merson, Matt Le Tissier and Phil Thompson expertly marshalled by Jeff Stelling on Sky Sports Super Saturday yesterday, you sensed that the cynics still believe that they will tumble, and tumble hard. Watching the ruthless defeats of Liverpool and Manchester City, they were executed with high quality possession play and exquisite finishing. Although I didn't watch the entire match, the league defeat at White Hart Lane of Tottenham was a real head-turner; because Spurs are a team in a rich vein of form, and yet they grafted, rode their luck, muzzled a rampant Harry Kane, and scored a critical winner as though they'd been at it for years!
What about Arsenal? I can hear you gooners loud and clear! Leicester lost at home to a rampant Arsenal side in late September 2-5, who then despatched, alas no! Blitzed Manchester United with a first half demolition the following week only to fluff their lines against lowly Olympiakos days later. On paper, Arsenal ought to easily defeat 'lowly' Leicester, but the team that they meet pack a real punch and after the Valentine's Day showdown, high-flying Hull breeze into town in the FA Cup looking to prove their Premier League pedigree as they (for the moment) sit at the summit of the Championship table, followed by the magicians of Catalonia; namely Barcelona and then a much improved Manchester United; February could make or debilitate Arsenal - history would suggest the latter, which strengthens Leicester's pursuit of the title. But, all of that could be purely academic, after all this is the season of surprises and the biggest one could be Arsenal finally discovering some backbone?
What about Tottenham? For me, they are the only true rivals for Ranieri's Foxes. In Harry Kane they have a red hot striker, in Dele Alli they have a fabulous play-maker and their defence is mean; in short they are an awesome package and are in striking distance of the title...if Leicester falter. Can Daniel Levy hold his nerve when 'squeaky bum time' comes? More importantly, can Spurs the club handle it? I am not convinced myself, Pochettino himself can handle anything, some of his players? I am not so sure; mentally they are new to all of this. Being one step from the trap-door last season and winning the battle will give Leicester an advantage, they are pursuing a positive target this time that has no consequence and Ranieri is the perfect manager to guide them. I need to be convinced about the Spurs collective; maybe an FA Cup instead?
That brings us to Manchester City. For me, Manuel Pelligrini has suffered the ultimate betrayal. He somehow has to continue and pursue four trophies; he may win them all but in all probability may win nothing at all. The speculation involving Pep Guardiola has been as damaging as last season's ill-timed warm weather jaunt prior to the ill-fated FA Cup tie with my team Middlesbrough. Speculation undermined Mark Hughes, then Roberto Mancini but with Pelligrini, it was unforgivable. For the Leicester game, focus should have been 100% on the match. This defeat may define their season; the distraction due to poor news management by the club will be costly. As I have stated in these blogs time and time again, small details can make or break a season. Vanity on this occasion is a curse for Manchester City; the cost of Guardiola's appointment may be greater than the deep pockets Sheik Mansoor can absorb...
The usual suspects like Manchester United and Chelsea are probably out of the conversation in terms of winning the title but may affect the ultimate destination. Both teams are obstacles to the title chasers and I sense that any of the above that can avoid defeat against these powerhouses will lift the Premier League title. For different reasons, both of these teams have rediscovered their DNA but too late to hit the front. I believe that if they negotiate Paris St German, a huge tie Chelsea could be a surprise package in the Champions League, and the Europa Cup could provide silverware and a launching pad for United respectively. Both teams are led by savvy street-wise Dutch Generals in Hiddink and Van Gaal, the latter has shown the depth of his strength and resolve to rescue what at times looked like a total disaster. Recent trips to watch both teams play live and today's fixture between them has been a timely reminder of the depth of high quality present. With both of them still in the FA Cup, do not be surprised if one of them lifts the trophy at Wembley. As one ponders those possibilities, it becomes clear how desperately badly both teams have performed this season. For the sake of their huge army of loyal and high spending fans, not to mention the sponsors, it is imperative that Manchester United and Chelsea restore pride and status as a matter of urgency. But, even with Pep Guardiola at City, these two will be back into the Premier League conversation next season alas! with new managers - expect Box-Office appointments! Jose Mourinho will be at the Theatre of Dreams but who's the other one? Surely not Ranieri? Now that could be VERY interesting!
Talking of great managers, Jurgen Klopp has been a fabulous appointment for Liverpool Football Club. Watching him at work with his intense desire to make good from what is clearly not up to scratch is absorbing, entertaining and refreshing. I love the way greets all the players at the conclusion of a game, his players and opponents alike are given hearty respect and acknowledgement; it's great to be a part of Jurgen's world! Yet, he has edge, and plenty of it. Like Van Gaal, he is always on the front foot with his media briefings, unique, open honest and last week at Leicester he was blunt. Liverpool have been screaming for this type of manager for a long time, and it was apparent to everyone who saw his first media briefing, Jurgen Klopp will deliver. Sunday 28th February could be the springboard that this club has been craving since that Steven Gerrard slip against Chelsea. One way or the other, this will be a watershed season.
Let's get back to the present and Leicester City, because this is their time and their moment. After the Manchester City I believe they will lift the title because they possess collective graft, a great manager, star quality in the penalty area and no fear. For the last game of the season on Sunday 15th May, they are away at the current champions Chelsea. The beautiful game will change forever if they lift the title and parade it around Stamford Bridge; how ironic that the trophy could make two outings in the same venue with different teams! I, like many football fans, want to see all my friends, that follow Leicester City to be drunk with disbelief alongside my mates in Teeside celebrating promotion for Middlesbrough as champions and all the Northamptonians cheering the Cobblers winning the league to move to League One. All the folks in Dorset keep telling me as they watch the Cherries host Premier League fixtures, that dreams really do come true, I want to believe it too! Come on Leicester!
Sunday, 10 May 2015
Raheem Sterling - On Reflection...
On Wednesday 1st April 2015 Natalie Pirks conducted an fabulous interview for BBC Television; even she could not believe the footage she and her colleagues were capturing in the can with her brilliantly executed probing questions with Raheem Sterling. As many of you regular followers of my blog will know, I am not a Liverpool fan but I was more than a little concerned by footage I observed that evening. So much was said at the time, I decided to keep my counsel before uttering my own views on what has proved to be a most fascinating insight into the world of Raheem Stirling.
I am going to be frank and honest, a little more than normal because I personally identified with Raheem in this interview. This was a huge interview because very few of us have heard this young man speak before, Had this conversation taken place on-stage as part of a question and answer session at one of the many football dinners I have attended, much of the detail might have been lost in translation. But this interchange happened on the BBC and that changes everything. All Professional footballers, especially Premiership ones, like elite performers are nowadays briefed at some point in their development on how to deal with their media, warned about the pitfalls of their conduct, their associations, pastimes etc. Simply because their every move and utterance is consumed by an obsessive global audience that is served by equally ravenous media outlets that employs pundits by the truck-load to pour over and endlessly debate trivia beyond objective comprehension. Until I subscribed to Sky Sports in the 1990s, the only match that required a measured one hour build up dissecting the personalities of the field of play and their tactics coupled with their rituals was the F.A. Cup Final! Extended debate is now a rite of passage, just check the thousands of forums that are exhausting keep up with and that's before you get to The Maestro Talks Football. My point is that Mr Sterling in taking on this interview should have been better prepared. Having said all of that, we have for once a real gem courtesy of the brilliant and beautiful (in that order chaps!) journalist Natalie Pirks.
Liverpool Football Club is a run superbly by Ian Ayre and backed stupendously by the no nonsense John W Henry. He is the perfect owner; he says nothing but when something needs to be said, his voice sounds...loud and clear (take note Mike Ashley!) No club statements are required, he opens his savvy mouth and tells it as it damn well is! When he said Suarez was not going to be sold back in the summer of 2013, no-one disbelieved him; the story was dead in the water. He will also have noted that Sterling stated that he would have happily signed last season for significantly less money at the end of last season when the team were flying...with Suarez and Sturridge conquering all before them, How very interesting that with £100,000-a-week on offer, he suddenly 'wants to concentrate on winning things for Liverpool.' instead of taking the deal and focussing on that unique footballing education that Anfield provides. Somewhere along the way, he or his advisors have convinced him that like a poker player, his status has assumed greater significance in the absence of Suarez, an injured Sturridge and a departing Steven Gerrard and his stock is worth the waiting game. Is he right? The simple answer is No!
Potential is a loaded word, and history will tell us that a great many players with a trolley load of it failed miserably. Ex-Cobbler Sean Dyche, who sadly failed to keep Burnley in the Premier League this season, had expressed shock earlier in the season at the wages being demanded by unproven teenagers and their parents in Youth Football. Raheem Sterling was a lone success story for England at last year's World Cup but the brutal truth is unlike Pele, Maradona and Cruyff his ability did not single-handedly drag England through to the knock-out stages, nor did Liverpool actually win the Premier League. Football at the high table is defined by small margins. Gareth Bale scored the winning goal in the Champions League Final last May when the deadlock needed to be broken in extra time; but note how he was savaged for his abject display last week against Juventus. He may yet rescue the tie for his club this week and retain the trophy in early June - something no team has achieved in the Champions League; then history will confirm his status forever more! Steven Gerrard is being discussed as the greatest Liverpool player ever because he dragged an average Liverpool team back from 3-0 down to lift the trophy in 2005. Raheem Sterling is not the finished article, nor has he convinced anyone that he might be, otherwise he would have made it 2-1 against Ludogorets Razgrad back in November before being substituted and Liverpool would have stayed in the Champions League or with a burst of brilliance might have created an assist or a goal that would have Liverpool challenging for the Europa Cup later this month or simply smashed Aston Villa at Wembley in that semi-final to set up a fixture with Arsenal for Mr Gerrard's birthday departure; but he hasn't achieved anything.
Liverpool Football Club are a loyal, nurturing football club. Listening to Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports and reading his columns, his insights on Liverpool life are invaluable. Sometime ago, he pointed out in one of his newspaper pieces that improving Liverpool players have their contracts reviewed regularly and improved quietly behind closed doors without outward utterances or fanfare. One simple fact that I discovered within seconds of being engaged for my debut on the Professional stage is that P.R. is a huge but invisible business. Watching a documentary about the political preparations (or lack of) by 'pub landlord' Al Murray to contest the Thanet seat opposite Nigel Farage revealed the exhausting complexities of nurturing and winning public votes. The image that football people want to promote to us humble but significant supporters is a big deal. I personally blame Liverpool Football Club for allowing the story about Raheem's contract to gain any publicity; a Ferguson-led Manchester United always kept such details in-house; Liverpool should have snuffed the story. Whilst it was refreshing to hear the young man naively conduct this rare interview, he should never have felt vulnerable, in the first place, to feel the need to speak out. I also blame his agent Aidy Ward. Ward is also the agent of talented Baggies striker Saido Berahino, another player who has angered his bosses by giving unsolicited interviews to media outlets about 'contracts and future ambitions'; Sterling needs this like a hole in the head! As I said before, if he merited a rise, the Liverpool way would have been to get it done; and keep quiet.
So, does this all matter? The simple answer is yes because since the interview and all that has followed, on the football pitch where it really matters, Sterling has been woeful. He has missed easy chances, his potency has dropped, Liverpool are, as I said earlier, not contesting the Final of the F.A. Cup, and most significantly will not qualify for the Champions League next year. That quite simply is what he will be judged on come the end of the season; by everyone - results. The side-show has ultimately been destructive to himself and his employers - quite simply that is very bad for business.
Brendan Rodgers is a well-respected manager and should be allowed to continue in his role at Liverpool just as David Moyes should still be the manager of Manchester United - but that's another blog! Life though can sometimes become complicated unnecessarily, I sincerely hope that the organisation at Anfield, stand firm back their manager, despite his lack of trophy success and cut Raheem Sterling, and his colleagues, some slack. The environmental stability to reflect, recharge and return next season with an intensity to succeed is a necessary dynamic because the true reality is that Liverpool are not that far from where they need to be. Romantic nostalgic notions, reputations and pedigree have very little currency in the modern world game; you either succeed or you fail. The Premier League is now bursting with well-run clubs, with great potential match-winners amongst their playing staff. By exposing himself to the media glare, he has to hit the turf in August at high tempo, be productive next season and lift silverware or he will be sold to another football club - the sand of allowances, at least publicly, in his egg-timer have ruthlessly run dry. The world's vultures wait for no-one any more, as Nigel Farage, Ed Milliband and Nick Clegg have discovered this week - nearly is now viewed as a costly mistake.
I am going to be frank and honest, a little more than normal because I personally identified with Raheem in this interview. This was a huge interview because very few of us have heard this young man speak before, Had this conversation taken place on-stage as part of a question and answer session at one of the many football dinners I have attended, much of the detail might have been lost in translation. But this interchange happened on the BBC and that changes everything. All Professional footballers, especially Premiership ones, like elite performers are nowadays briefed at some point in their development on how to deal with their media, warned about the pitfalls of their conduct, their associations, pastimes etc. Simply because their every move and utterance is consumed by an obsessive global audience that is served by equally ravenous media outlets that employs pundits by the truck-load to pour over and endlessly debate trivia beyond objective comprehension. Until I subscribed to Sky Sports in the 1990s, the only match that required a measured one hour build up dissecting the personalities of the field of play and their tactics coupled with their rituals was the F.A. Cup Final! Extended debate is now a rite of passage, just check the thousands of forums that are exhausting keep up with and that's before you get to The Maestro Talks Football. My point is that Mr Sterling in taking on this interview should have been better prepared. Having said all of that, we have for once a real gem courtesy of the brilliant and beautiful (in that order chaps!) journalist Natalie Pirks.
Liverpool Football Club is a run superbly by Ian Ayre and backed stupendously by the no nonsense John W Henry. He is the perfect owner; he says nothing but when something needs to be said, his voice sounds...loud and clear (take note Mike Ashley!) No club statements are required, he opens his savvy mouth and tells it as it damn well is! When he said Suarez was not going to be sold back in the summer of 2013, no-one disbelieved him; the story was dead in the water. He will also have noted that Sterling stated that he would have happily signed last season for significantly less money at the end of last season when the team were flying...with Suarez and Sturridge conquering all before them, How very interesting that with £100,000-a-week on offer, he suddenly 'wants to concentrate on winning things for Liverpool.' instead of taking the deal and focussing on that unique footballing education that Anfield provides. Somewhere along the way, he or his advisors have convinced him that like a poker player, his status has assumed greater significance in the absence of Suarez, an injured Sturridge and a departing Steven Gerrard and his stock is worth the waiting game. Is he right? The simple answer is No!
Potential is a loaded word, and history will tell us that a great many players with a trolley load of it failed miserably. Ex-Cobbler Sean Dyche, who sadly failed to keep Burnley in the Premier League this season, had expressed shock earlier in the season at the wages being demanded by unproven teenagers and their parents in Youth Football. Raheem Sterling was a lone success story for England at last year's World Cup but the brutal truth is unlike Pele, Maradona and Cruyff his ability did not single-handedly drag England through to the knock-out stages, nor did Liverpool actually win the Premier League. Football at the high table is defined by small margins. Gareth Bale scored the winning goal in the Champions League Final last May when the deadlock needed to be broken in extra time; but note how he was savaged for his abject display last week against Juventus. He may yet rescue the tie for his club this week and retain the trophy in early June - something no team has achieved in the Champions League; then history will confirm his status forever more! Steven Gerrard is being discussed as the greatest Liverpool player ever because he dragged an average Liverpool team back from 3-0 down to lift the trophy in 2005. Raheem Sterling is not the finished article, nor has he convinced anyone that he might be, otherwise he would have made it 2-1 against Ludogorets Razgrad back in November before being substituted and Liverpool would have stayed in the Champions League or with a burst of brilliance might have created an assist or a goal that would have Liverpool challenging for the Europa Cup later this month or simply smashed Aston Villa at Wembley in that semi-final to set up a fixture with Arsenal for Mr Gerrard's birthday departure; but he hasn't achieved anything.
Liverpool Football Club are a loyal, nurturing football club. Listening to Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports and reading his columns, his insights on Liverpool life are invaluable. Sometime ago, he pointed out in one of his newspaper pieces that improving Liverpool players have their contracts reviewed regularly and improved quietly behind closed doors without outward utterances or fanfare. One simple fact that I discovered within seconds of being engaged for my debut on the Professional stage is that P.R. is a huge but invisible business. Watching a documentary about the political preparations (or lack of) by 'pub landlord' Al Murray to contest the Thanet seat opposite Nigel Farage revealed the exhausting complexities of nurturing and winning public votes. The image that football people want to promote to us humble but significant supporters is a big deal. I personally blame Liverpool Football Club for allowing the story about Raheem's contract to gain any publicity; a Ferguson-led Manchester United always kept such details in-house; Liverpool should have snuffed the story. Whilst it was refreshing to hear the young man naively conduct this rare interview, he should never have felt vulnerable, in the first place, to feel the need to speak out. I also blame his agent Aidy Ward. Ward is also the agent of talented Baggies striker Saido Berahino, another player who has angered his bosses by giving unsolicited interviews to media outlets about 'contracts and future ambitions'; Sterling needs this like a hole in the head! As I said before, if he merited a rise, the Liverpool way would have been to get it done; and keep quiet.
So, does this all matter? The simple answer is yes because since the interview and all that has followed, on the football pitch where it really matters, Sterling has been woeful. He has missed easy chances, his potency has dropped, Liverpool are, as I said earlier, not contesting the Final of the F.A. Cup, and most significantly will not qualify for the Champions League next year. That quite simply is what he will be judged on come the end of the season; by everyone - results. The side-show has ultimately been destructive to himself and his employers - quite simply that is very bad for business.
Brendan Rodgers is a well-respected manager and should be allowed to continue in his role at Liverpool just as David Moyes should still be the manager of Manchester United - but that's another blog! Life though can sometimes become complicated unnecessarily, I sincerely hope that the organisation at Anfield, stand firm back their manager, despite his lack of trophy success and cut Raheem Sterling, and his colleagues, some slack. The environmental stability to reflect, recharge and return next season with an intensity to succeed is a necessary dynamic because the true reality is that Liverpool are not that far from where they need to be. Romantic nostalgic notions, reputations and pedigree have very little currency in the modern world game; you either succeed or you fail. The Premier League is now bursting with well-run clubs, with great potential match-winners amongst their playing staff. By exposing himself to the media glare, he has to hit the turf in August at high tempo, be productive next season and lift silverware or he will be sold to another football club - the sand of allowances, at least publicly, in his egg-timer have ruthlessly run dry. The world's vultures wait for no-one any more, as Nigel Farage, Ed Milliband and Nick Clegg have discovered this week - nearly is now viewed as a costly mistake.
Tuesday, 10 March 2015
Pressure is Cranking Up!
The business period of the domestic football season is upon us; twists and turns, sackings and appointments. Cup upsets have been and gone and now it's the fight for promotion, survival or qualification for Europe. Only those experiencing mid-table boredom are free from attacking the drinks cabinet. From Premiership to League 2, it's a proper scrap and no-one is daring to predict the outcome.
The great Manchester United, masters of the big stage in British football were truly found out in the F.A. Cup by a fluent and eager Arsenal side containing recent discard Danny Wellbeck; who scored the winning goal. The fact that Wellbeck, a player Van Gaal confidently suggested could not score enough goals, executed a crucial one to extinguish his former employers, mentors and heroes (we might be forgiven for saying family because that is what United meant to him) until they dumped him at the Emirates for a measly £16 million bargain. British football has entered a brand new era; the history books will read that Manchester United failed to secure silverware for the second season in a row. At least David Moyes was able to lift the Charity Shield! Watching the entire game on Terrestrial BBC Television, somehow felt properly old-fashioned and free to all without betting adverts bombarding us for a change! The job for Van Gaal though is now critical, philosophy or not the next 5 fixtures locking horns with rejuvinated opponents will surely define his and United's season in ruthless fashion: Spurs, Liverpool, Villa, Manchester City and Chelsea await and the world is watching, Corporate Manchester United is holding it's breath, if not already calling the Samaritans. There really is no more to add, let's wait and see!
So, Chelsea won their first trophy under Mourinho at Wembley, at a canter. It came as no surprise that the clinical juggernaut would roll them over the line and very few of us are looking anywhere else for the winners of the title race, in truth. As it happens, Chelsea have stuttered but so too have their rivals. The true examination of high-end quality at the Bridge comes when they line up against Paris St Germain. So much hinges on this, not least the racial dynamics following incidents on the Paris metro with a certain French commuter of colour. Chelsea have to get all aspects of this game right; on the pitch, the diplomatic front and in the stands; the responsibility of football's morals suddenly sits on their shoulders. But, in reality, it should be a straightforward victory, with the said gentleman being given the treatment of a royal dignitary and sterner tests await in later rounds. This is a trophy Chelsea quietly want to win; and be seen to be winning with all the integrity of European giants. Failure would invite ridicule given the financial investment afforded to Mourinho - many here and abroad especially in Madrid are following closely.
Manchester City have endured a wretched time recently. The artists of Catalonia beat them with such a gulf in class, one had to be reminded that it was a competitive Champions League fixture; viewing was frankly painful. For all his bravado, Pellegrini is fooling no-one with his sound-bytes about being still in the tie; quite simply they are not. Losing at Anfield to the ever improving Liverpool was a double blow and Pellegrini knows it. I feel that his season ended the moment the team chose to return late on Friday night following their warm weather break in the Far East, before losing to my team Middlesbrough at home the following afternoon. I find it inconceivable that Mourinho, Wenger or Ferguson would have made that error and then try to dress it up as trivial nonsense. It is upon such small details that titles are won or thrown away ask Kevin Keegan.
Liverpool are, despite losing Luis Suarez, a realistic proposition for the top four. Their victory over Manchester City was conclusive and Phillipe Coutinho, Jordan Henderson and Raheem Sterling alongside a refreshed Daniel Sturridge are starting to look the part, with each league match. Sadly, they failed to progress in the Europa Cup and also have made heavy work of attempting to beat Blackburn Rovers in the F.A. Cup but one senses that the gathering of experience for future battles is the intention for the club. Improvement is being plotted very carefully and the strategy is quietly effective. How Manchester United must wish that Ian Ayre and not bungling Ed Woodward was their Chief Executive! Steven Gerrard leaves at the conclusion of this season and everyone is hoping that he does with F.A. Cup trophy raised aloft on his birthday at Wembley. Regarding his departure, sentiment had to be second to sound reasoning and a move to America is the best outcome for everyone, will it be with THAT winners medal?
Arsenal remind me of a few thrifty acquaintances that are one step away from really enjoying life to the full if only they would open their wallets and spend some cash! Arsene Wenger is without doubt a very smart man; his press conferences are akin to high level university lectures. He talks a great game, is highly respected etc but now the bar in world club football has been raised and he needs a squad that can compete at the highest level. The victory at the Theatre of Dreams was significant psychologically but the capitulation of the team against Monaco was pitiful, being bullied and out-thought by players such as Dimitar Berbatov did hurt Gunners fans everywhere and watching neutrals. With the belief of momentum begun in Manchester, Arsenal unlike Manchester City do have the ammunition to overturn this fixture. Arsene the academic lives and breathes football for this type of challenge, so expect a robust rearguard action and for Giroud to find his shooting boots with Walcott, Cazorla and Sanchez as his assistants. The Gunners traditionally reveal a soft under-belly around this period of the football calendar but this season, following that timely F.A. Cup boost, a fiercely competitive run-in could become reality.
I want to say that Tottenham will be in the conversation for Champions League football, with Harry Kane scoring for fun and Pochettino running the show but somehow, they just lack the extra ounce of quality to unlock the golden gate to an elite existence. Despite that, their progress this season has been resolute and I expect them to be realistic challengers for the top 4 next season if they fail this time around; as I suspect they will.
I also want to include Southampton in the mix but even with the excellent Ronald Koeman at the helm, something steely, resolute and creative is lacking from their fighting artillery. A Europa place would be a deserved achievement given the negativity that pervaded the air around St Mary's following the huge number of high marquee players leaving last summer. The bottom line is very healthy and the business model is looking a great deal smarter than many of us were predicting but to become and stay a top 6 side they cannot afford another exodus of players.
Mid-table obscurity has been well earned by Stoke and especially West Ham whose manager Sam Allardyce has been nothing short of brilliant - but don't ask the West Ham board to agree with me! Forget playing the West Ham way, forget the romanticism of 'I'm forever blowing bubbles,' if big Sam leaves their expansive football may return but, mark my words, they will drop back to the Championship once again. The Hammers must learn to be careful what they wish for; occupation of that Olympic stadium is getting closer. Gold and Sullivan need to say to Allardyce "Same again Sam, carry on as before. We'll back you!" Otherwise they too will be hoping to appoint Tony Pulis next January for a crash course in survival!
Down at the bottom, the battle for survival is terrifyingly close. Logic suggests that the three sides that came up will return, but my heart wants to disagree strongly. Burnley have learned the ability to compete and roll the dice; it may land in their favour - fortune does favour the brave. Leicester sadly need a cool head on the touch-line and Nigel Pearson has, for me, cracked too many times under pressure and the business end of the season will like nothing he has experienced so far. As for Q.P.R. they just seem to be a couple of notches below the required level in too many departments to survive. I sense that Harry, despite his obvious talent as a motivator is fighting a losing battle. Although I am yet to be convinced by Tim Sherwood as a manager, Aston Villa will stay up as well as Roberto Martinez and Everton. Both managers have a huge task next season especially Martinez whose players simply did not do the business for him. Lukaku simply hasn't delivered enough times for his club and his lack of goals has created tremendous pressure on the rest of the team and sadly challenged the belief system of a very talented and capable squad. On the other hand, Sherwood has to deal with the passengers amongst his playing staff, discard them, re-invigorate them, fine-tune the squad for next season otherwise the Villa will be looking on from the Championship next time around. Hull will always scrape by, but Steve Bruce has an excellent and hard-working squad that deserve to survive and continue to empower the people of Humberside. Further up the coast, Sunderland despite such an array of talent always seem to be one step away from a disaster; Gus Poyet is an excellent manager but like Nigel Pearson, he is developing a talent for self-destruction that he needs to swiftly discard, or he and the Wearsiders could be overtaken by Burnley.
My team Middlesbrough are involved in a tight battle for the top spot with Bournmouth, Derby, Ipswich, Norwich, Watford and Brentford all seperated by 5 points! An impressive group of very slick units marshalled by fabulous managers with excellent play-makers and goal scorers. Because all the top sides are playing one another, the scenario should become clearer by mid-April, but I am ever hopeful for the 'Boro, with their impressive manager Aitor Karanka; a man who everyone is becominging evermore aware that he was Mourinho's assistant at Real Madrid. His quiet but confident efficiency has impressed many and ultimately the big stage of Premier League football will be richer for his presence. Let's be frank, the top league will benefit greatly with any of those managers are striving for glory.
The money pouring into Premier League has made the pursuit of success a desperate cause for some clubs. Greed is beginning to overtake the considered view and one senses that could be a defining moment for a club as they edge towards and ultimately down the trap-door. Although the game we love and adore is a ruthless business, somehow it has retained it's excitement as a spectacle for us the watching fans. One hopes that the substance continues to be given due consideration though because it must be noted that despite that much desired finance, our best teams seem to be getting found out more and more by middle ground European teams at the high table. Let's hope that is a blip and that the greats of Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea can rise again to roar our British presence (cue the music for 'Land of Hope and Glory!') against the best of the rest. Closer to home, it's 'squeaky bum' time as a certain Scotsman used to say! Come on!!
The great Manchester United, masters of the big stage in British football were truly found out in the F.A. Cup by a fluent and eager Arsenal side containing recent discard Danny Wellbeck; who scored the winning goal. The fact that Wellbeck, a player Van Gaal confidently suggested could not score enough goals, executed a crucial one to extinguish his former employers, mentors and heroes (we might be forgiven for saying family because that is what United meant to him) until they dumped him at the Emirates for a measly £16 million bargain. British football has entered a brand new era; the history books will read that Manchester United failed to secure silverware for the second season in a row. At least David Moyes was able to lift the Charity Shield! Watching the entire game on Terrestrial BBC Television, somehow felt properly old-fashioned and free to all without betting adverts bombarding us for a change! The job for Van Gaal though is now critical, philosophy or not the next 5 fixtures locking horns with rejuvinated opponents will surely define his and United's season in ruthless fashion: Spurs, Liverpool, Villa, Manchester City and Chelsea await and the world is watching, Corporate Manchester United is holding it's breath, if not already calling the Samaritans. There really is no more to add, let's wait and see!
So, Chelsea won their first trophy under Mourinho at Wembley, at a canter. It came as no surprise that the clinical juggernaut would roll them over the line and very few of us are looking anywhere else for the winners of the title race, in truth. As it happens, Chelsea have stuttered but so too have their rivals. The true examination of high-end quality at the Bridge comes when they line up against Paris St Germain. So much hinges on this, not least the racial dynamics following incidents on the Paris metro with a certain French commuter of colour. Chelsea have to get all aspects of this game right; on the pitch, the diplomatic front and in the stands; the responsibility of football's morals suddenly sits on their shoulders. But, in reality, it should be a straightforward victory, with the said gentleman being given the treatment of a royal dignitary and sterner tests await in later rounds. This is a trophy Chelsea quietly want to win; and be seen to be winning with all the integrity of European giants. Failure would invite ridicule given the financial investment afforded to Mourinho - many here and abroad especially in Madrid are following closely.
Manchester City have endured a wretched time recently. The artists of Catalonia beat them with such a gulf in class, one had to be reminded that it was a competitive Champions League fixture; viewing was frankly painful. For all his bravado, Pellegrini is fooling no-one with his sound-bytes about being still in the tie; quite simply they are not. Losing at Anfield to the ever improving Liverpool was a double blow and Pellegrini knows it. I feel that his season ended the moment the team chose to return late on Friday night following their warm weather break in the Far East, before losing to my team Middlesbrough at home the following afternoon. I find it inconceivable that Mourinho, Wenger or Ferguson would have made that error and then try to dress it up as trivial nonsense. It is upon such small details that titles are won or thrown away ask Kevin Keegan.
Liverpool are, despite losing Luis Suarez, a realistic proposition for the top four. Their victory over Manchester City was conclusive and Phillipe Coutinho, Jordan Henderson and Raheem Sterling alongside a refreshed Daniel Sturridge are starting to look the part, with each league match. Sadly, they failed to progress in the Europa Cup and also have made heavy work of attempting to beat Blackburn Rovers in the F.A. Cup but one senses that the gathering of experience for future battles is the intention for the club. Improvement is being plotted very carefully and the strategy is quietly effective. How Manchester United must wish that Ian Ayre and not bungling Ed Woodward was their Chief Executive! Steven Gerrard leaves at the conclusion of this season and everyone is hoping that he does with F.A. Cup trophy raised aloft on his birthday at Wembley. Regarding his departure, sentiment had to be second to sound reasoning and a move to America is the best outcome for everyone, will it be with THAT winners medal?
Arsenal remind me of a few thrifty acquaintances that are one step away from really enjoying life to the full if only they would open their wallets and spend some cash! Arsene Wenger is without doubt a very smart man; his press conferences are akin to high level university lectures. He talks a great game, is highly respected etc but now the bar in world club football has been raised and he needs a squad that can compete at the highest level. The victory at the Theatre of Dreams was significant psychologically but the capitulation of the team against Monaco was pitiful, being bullied and out-thought by players such as Dimitar Berbatov did hurt Gunners fans everywhere and watching neutrals. With the belief of momentum begun in Manchester, Arsenal unlike Manchester City do have the ammunition to overturn this fixture. Arsene the academic lives and breathes football for this type of challenge, so expect a robust rearguard action and for Giroud to find his shooting boots with Walcott, Cazorla and Sanchez as his assistants. The Gunners traditionally reveal a soft under-belly around this period of the football calendar but this season, following that timely F.A. Cup boost, a fiercely competitive run-in could become reality.
I want to say that Tottenham will be in the conversation for Champions League football, with Harry Kane scoring for fun and Pochettino running the show but somehow, they just lack the extra ounce of quality to unlock the golden gate to an elite existence. Despite that, their progress this season has been resolute and I expect them to be realistic challengers for the top 4 next season if they fail this time around; as I suspect they will.
I also want to include Southampton in the mix but even with the excellent Ronald Koeman at the helm, something steely, resolute and creative is lacking from their fighting artillery. A Europa place would be a deserved achievement given the negativity that pervaded the air around St Mary's following the huge number of high marquee players leaving last summer. The bottom line is very healthy and the business model is looking a great deal smarter than many of us were predicting but to become and stay a top 6 side they cannot afford another exodus of players.
Mid-table obscurity has been well earned by Stoke and especially West Ham whose manager Sam Allardyce has been nothing short of brilliant - but don't ask the West Ham board to agree with me! Forget playing the West Ham way, forget the romanticism of 'I'm forever blowing bubbles,' if big Sam leaves their expansive football may return but, mark my words, they will drop back to the Championship once again. The Hammers must learn to be careful what they wish for; occupation of that Olympic stadium is getting closer. Gold and Sullivan need to say to Allardyce "Same again Sam, carry on as before. We'll back you!" Otherwise they too will be hoping to appoint Tony Pulis next January for a crash course in survival!
Down at the bottom, the battle for survival is terrifyingly close. Logic suggests that the three sides that came up will return, but my heart wants to disagree strongly. Burnley have learned the ability to compete and roll the dice; it may land in their favour - fortune does favour the brave. Leicester sadly need a cool head on the touch-line and Nigel Pearson has, for me, cracked too many times under pressure and the business end of the season will like nothing he has experienced so far. As for Q.P.R. they just seem to be a couple of notches below the required level in too many departments to survive. I sense that Harry, despite his obvious talent as a motivator is fighting a losing battle. Although I am yet to be convinced by Tim Sherwood as a manager, Aston Villa will stay up as well as Roberto Martinez and Everton. Both managers have a huge task next season especially Martinez whose players simply did not do the business for him. Lukaku simply hasn't delivered enough times for his club and his lack of goals has created tremendous pressure on the rest of the team and sadly challenged the belief system of a very talented and capable squad. On the other hand, Sherwood has to deal with the passengers amongst his playing staff, discard them, re-invigorate them, fine-tune the squad for next season otherwise the Villa will be looking on from the Championship next time around. Hull will always scrape by, but Steve Bruce has an excellent and hard-working squad that deserve to survive and continue to empower the people of Humberside. Further up the coast, Sunderland despite such an array of talent always seem to be one step away from a disaster; Gus Poyet is an excellent manager but like Nigel Pearson, he is developing a talent for self-destruction that he needs to swiftly discard, or he and the Wearsiders could be overtaken by Burnley.
My team Middlesbrough are involved in a tight battle for the top spot with Bournmouth, Derby, Ipswich, Norwich, Watford and Brentford all seperated by 5 points! An impressive group of very slick units marshalled by fabulous managers with excellent play-makers and goal scorers. Because all the top sides are playing one another, the scenario should become clearer by mid-April, but I am ever hopeful for the 'Boro, with their impressive manager Aitor Karanka; a man who everyone is becominging evermore aware that he was Mourinho's assistant at Real Madrid. His quiet but confident efficiency has impressed many and ultimately the big stage of Premier League football will be richer for his presence. Let's be frank, the top league will benefit greatly with any of those managers are striving for glory.
The money pouring into Premier League has made the pursuit of success a desperate cause for some clubs. Greed is beginning to overtake the considered view and one senses that could be a defining moment for a club as they edge towards and ultimately down the trap-door. Although the game we love and adore is a ruthless business, somehow it has retained it's excitement as a spectacle for us the watching fans. One hopes that the substance continues to be given due consideration though because it must be noted that despite that much desired finance, our best teams seem to be getting found out more and more by middle ground European teams at the high table. Let's hope that is a blip and that the greats of Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea can rise again to roar our British presence (cue the music for 'Land of Hope and Glory!') against the best of the rest. Closer to home, it's 'squeaky bum' time as a certain Scotsman used to say! Come on!!
Thursday, 16 October 2014
As The Darkness of Winter Envelopes Us All, Let's See Who's Made of The Stern Stuff...
So, since I last blogged, Manchester City won the league, Real Madrid finally bagged the Champions League and Luis Suarez chewed his way out of Liverpool! The Germans broke the South American hoodoo and lifted the World Cup outside of Europe and David Moyes was replaced by Louis Van Gaal at Manchester United, Alan Pardew is STILL at Newcastle United but Tony Pulis left Crystal Palace before the show got started. So, the soap opera, they call the 'beautiful game' is very much back in town...(and so too is the X Factor!)
The World Cup in Brazil was a huge success except that Brazil and England just confirmed what everyone has muttered for years; one has traded for too long on it's reputation and the other is simply not good enough...period. The Germans did what the Germans do, they put a plan in place and executed it. Their humiliation of Brazil should have shocked us, but in the cold darkness of deepest Autumn, it was inevitable once the poster boy Neymar was out of the picture. For me it was a real shame that Lionel Messi was too exhausted to announce himself on the greatest stage of all in the Final. Many Argentinians will wistfully observe him probably dismantle a Bayern Munich or Borussia Dortmund defence single-handedly at some point during the Champions League fiesta of football in early 2015, and wonder why he failed to deliver the same pleasure for his fellow compatriots. And that my friends is where the modern World Cup will always fall down. The competition has become like midnight on New Year's Eve for my wife, by the time it comes around the players, like her, are too exhausted from the hugely intensive grind of the modern footballer's arduous journey to reach this momentous summit in their sporting lives. But, somehow the Germans can do it, consistently!
Let's quickly talk about England. Firstly, to be positive, Roy Hodgson has to be applauded for his bravery in selecting youth at this year's tournament; Raheem Sterling was a revelation especially in the first match against Italy. I felt that he genuinely frightened the Italians with his fearless runs and speed, but we lacked a clinical end product. Daniel Sturridge is a good striker and so is Danny Welbeck,but Chelsea and Manchester United allowed both players to leave their respective clubs for one reason only. They individually lack that ruthless streak to score important goals in critical moments of a game of football of high importance. There is a point to be made here that I concede may be valid, the fact that they were not given enough opportunities to learn the dynamics of the high-end script at their original clubs may be a significant factor here, but the facts still remain that in the matches against Italy and Uruguay, the winning goals were delivered by players (who fully understood from their English experiences) the significance of getting that goal at that time; Balotelli and Suarez. Gary Lineker and Michael Owen netted huge game-changing England goals, and that for me is simply why both players ended up at Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively. Unfortunately, the rest of the spine around them was never quite good enough to make their respective teams world-beaters. Right now, without Rooney, and I rate him very highly, England are enthusiastic at best and downright tame at worst. I am not overly concerned about whether we can keep and pass the ball 600 times in the course of a phase, what maters is that real menace exists further up the pitch with predatory instincts to trouble the scoreboard. The Euro campaign will teach us very little, but it will give those young men like Luke Chambers and Fabian Delf real international experience hopefully without the negative consequences of a failed qualification, but the real footballing heavyweight nations and Switzerland are NOT one will still pick us off and destroy our deluded dreams, once again I fear.
But the Premier League is back to it's teasingly exciting best. Although just as well-heeled folk venture to the theatre or concert hall in search of great entertainment rather than vegetate on the couch with a Dominos Pizza and absorb the X Factor, the connoisseurs will be accessing BT Sport and SKY for superior technical excellence in Das Bundesliga and La Liga. But the reality is that our Premier League with a few exceptions deliver the greatest matches. The close season sub-plots and constant 'intrigue' have emotionally corrupted the logical mind of football-starved summer months and suddenly once again, despite denials to the contrary, huge debates with strangers over generously delivered pints at all my numerous engagements have become the norm once. So what's really occuring?
The reality is that all the top clubs are sailing in uncharted waters. The mid-table sides can smell the weight of fear. Chelsea should win the Premier League at a canter, but Jose Mourinho will not feel complete until he has won the Champions League. Failing to do that at Real Madrid still rankles with him; and ultimately that inner turmoil may allow Manchester City to defend their title successfully. But, they too have a huge psychological hurdle to overcome themselves in the Champions League, after all Chelsea have already won the thing, thanks to the Munich Miracle, so maybe Pellegrini's pressure is the greater, who knows? Liverpool will slide out of the top four this season; losing Suarez has made the task of reaching fourth a mountain. Poor performances in the Champions League have already confirmed that Liverpool are not ready to live with the real playground bullies, and Real Madrid have yet to meet them in a fixture! I am worried for them. Arsenal will do enough to stay within the lines of top 4 qualification and will succeed in the group stages but Arsene Wenger despite his revered status knows that the time to prove to the Arsenal faithful that he has the ability to achieve real traction is now, His principals are irrelevant, winning meaningful silverware is the only barometer that counts. Being declared the most expensive team to watch in English football will this season create a wide spectrum of attention from the Arsenal public and cynical observers. If the price being paid for the Gunners product does not translate into a superior existence, the ceiling could crash unannounced. Just ask Manchester United who have an army of Corporate Partners whose products demand to be sitting in the blinding lights of global media windows. Louis Van Gaal and his side will use the advantage of not having the 'distraction of European Football' with a star cast and enjoy those greater rest periods. Stealing a ruthless march on their weary competitors and becoming the story, is a minimum requirement and everyone at St Matt Busby Way knows it. Their publicity-hungry allies will puff out their cheeks and chests more in relief than outright delight but that defence has more holes that our sieve and that's their achilles heel; ask any Leicester City fan! It is a critical time in the history of Manchester United and the legacy of Busby and Ferguson is now hanging around manager Van Gaal's neck like an obese albatross; he'll need all his power to win the day here. Everyone is watching.
At the bargain basement end of the table, I am worried for Burnley and Sean Dyche. Sean is loved in these Northamptonshire parts as a great servant to the Cobblers, so we are keen to see him succeed in the Premier League but so far his troops are falling a long way short. Desire and organisation alone are not enough as attributes to consistently win games in the top league. Newcastle United too are currently playing with great willingness, under a suffering Alan Pardew, but losing meaningful assets during the summer has compromised this great club and I sense that with or without the current manager they will slide through the trap-door along with Queens Park Rangers. Mike Ashley needs to offload the club to a wealthy owner who has a proper media presence and a desire to deliver a football team for the Geordie public to celebrate. Right now, the whole affair of Newcastle's demise is squeezing the optimism of a deserving fan-base. Pardew was always a poor fit, but when Hughton was sacked undeservedly, he, to his credit was the only candidate prepared to work under the constraints placed by Ashley. The owner is the true villain of the Magpie's story; but because fans need tangible objects to vent their frustations, poor Pardew is undeservedly copping the flak for his over-generously extensive contract; as I said before it's a very sorry mess. Harry Redknapp, despite his brilliance is, in reality managing a club with a capacity of less than 20,000, this unfashionable minnow in shark-infested Premier League waters is in serious trouble of imploding and I feel that Harry may have to walk away to save himself, and probably the club. For all his tweets and ill-informed opinions about life events, Rio Ferdinand is symptomatic of the kind of distracted characters the club currently has on it's pay-roll and that sadly will cause their demise. Across the River Thames, I do believe that Crystal Palace have just enough guile upfront and belief to engineer another survival; roared on by their impressive home support, that completely unsettled a marauding Liverpool to relinquish control so dramatically at the end of last season. And finally, Leicester City and Nigel Pearson will also despite many scares survive because these savvy battlers have integrated the hugely impressive Leonardo Ulloa seamlessly to create a robust but also imaginative unit with effective end-product; namely goals.
To touch on the pack of teams pursuing mid-table obscurity, many of these sides contain high marquee players. It was great to observe that most of the squads of the participating World Cup nations contained Premier League players and their contributions were significant at all levels of the tournament.
After many years of berating the tactics of Stoke, they are an established elite side along with Aston Villa who have smartly rescued and rejuvenated the much maligned Tom Cleverley to add purpose and stability to their midfield. For the record, I sense that he will be find his feet and in time become an England regular. More importantly, Villa will not be scrapping in the basement any longer; it would seem that they are on the rise, how far they will go depends greatly on Randy Lerner; don't hold your breath in Birmingham! Mark Hughes has much to prove in his role as Stoke City manager, and it remains to be seen if he can inspire the Potteries to feature in higher reaches of this very competitive league. The fact that Sunderland are NOT being discussed at any great length would signify that Gus Poyet is doing a fantastic job of keeping the Mackems simply as a solid Premier League team without any consequence of failure. As a fan of North East football, I would love to see them and Newcastle along with the 'Boro have a great and exciting F.A.Cup run.
Can my teams get promoted? Yes and No! The Cobblers possess real threat going forward but still have a soft underbelly. If they can become more robust in protecting leads, the play-offs are a distinct possibility. Middlesbrough, on the other hand, proved in their marathon game with Liverpool in the league cup that at last, they are team that is better prepared for the task of winning Championship games, and serious contenders. Like the Cobblers, the regular sensation of accomplishment is a habit that must be acquired once more and retained. Aitor Karanka is an impressive manager who has remained off the radar of the general watching public, in joining the 'Boro. Having worked as No.2 to Mourinho at Real Madrid, I am confident that his management excellence will propel the boys for a Wembley Play-off final at the very least! Everything is crossed!
As British Summer Time leaves us to usher in colder and darker times, it is now that we will start to learn about who the real contenders are. The bean counters are both sweating and silvating, because the numbers rewards are big, very very big and getting bigger still. Phases are being worked out, fitness established, pundits delivering cliches. We might be starting to shiver in the cold but the heat is really on...stay warm my friends!
Let's quickly talk about England. Firstly, to be positive, Roy Hodgson has to be applauded for his bravery in selecting youth at this year's tournament; Raheem Sterling was a revelation especially in the first match against Italy. I felt that he genuinely frightened the Italians with his fearless runs and speed, but we lacked a clinical end product. Daniel Sturridge is a good striker and so is Danny Welbeck,but Chelsea and Manchester United allowed both players to leave their respective clubs for one reason only. They individually lack that ruthless streak to score important goals in critical moments of a game of football of high importance. There is a point to be made here that I concede may be valid, the fact that they were not given enough opportunities to learn the dynamics of the high-end script at their original clubs may be a significant factor here, but the facts still remain that in the matches against Italy and Uruguay, the winning goals were delivered by players (who fully understood from their English experiences) the significance of getting that goal at that time; Balotelli and Suarez. Gary Lineker and Michael Owen netted huge game-changing England goals, and that for me is simply why both players ended up at Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively. Unfortunately, the rest of the spine around them was never quite good enough to make their respective teams world-beaters. Right now, without Rooney, and I rate him very highly, England are enthusiastic at best and downright tame at worst. I am not overly concerned about whether we can keep and pass the ball 600 times in the course of a phase, what maters is that real menace exists further up the pitch with predatory instincts to trouble the scoreboard. The Euro campaign will teach us very little, but it will give those young men like Luke Chambers and Fabian Delf real international experience hopefully without the negative consequences of a failed qualification, but the real footballing heavyweight nations and Switzerland are NOT one will still pick us off and destroy our deluded dreams, once again I fear.
But the Premier League is back to it's teasingly exciting best. Although just as well-heeled folk venture to the theatre or concert hall in search of great entertainment rather than vegetate on the couch with a Dominos Pizza and absorb the X Factor, the connoisseurs will be accessing BT Sport and SKY for superior technical excellence in Das Bundesliga and La Liga. But the reality is that our Premier League with a few exceptions deliver the greatest matches. The close season sub-plots and constant 'intrigue' have emotionally corrupted the logical mind of football-starved summer months and suddenly once again, despite denials to the contrary, huge debates with strangers over generously delivered pints at all my numerous engagements have become the norm once. So what's really occuring?
The reality is that all the top clubs are sailing in uncharted waters. The mid-table sides can smell the weight of fear. Chelsea should win the Premier League at a canter, but Jose Mourinho will not feel complete until he has won the Champions League. Failing to do that at Real Madrid still rankles with him; and ultimately that inner turmoil may allow Manchester City to defend their title successfully. But, they too have a huge psychological hurdle to overcome themselves in the Champions League, after all Chelsea have already won the thing, thanks to the Munich Miracle, so maybe Pellegrini's pressure is the greater, who knows? Liverpool will slide out of the top four this season; losing Suarez has made the task of reaching fourth a mountain. Poor performances in the Champions League have already confirmed that Liverpool are not ready to live with the real playground bullies, and Real Madrid have yet to meet them in a fixture! I am worried for them. Arsenal will do enough to stay within the lines of top 4 qualification and will succeed in the group stages but Arsene Wenger despite his revered status knows that the time to prove to the Arsenal faithful that he has the ability to achieve real traction is now, His principals are irrelevant, winning meaningful silverware is the only barometer that counts. Being declared the most expensive team to watch in English football will this season create a wide spectrum of attention from the Arsenal public and cynical observers. If the price being paid for the Gunners product does not translate into a superior existence, the ceiling could crash unannounced. Just ask Manchester United who have an army of Corporate Partners whose products demand to be sitting in the blinding lights of global media windows. Louis Van Gaal and his side will use the advantage of not having the 'distraction of European Football' with a star cast and enjoy those greater rest periods. Stealing a ruthless march on their weary competitors and becoming the story, is a minimum requirement and everyone at St Matt Busby Way knows it. Their publicity-hungry allies will puff out their cheeks and chests more in relief than outright delight but that defence has more holes that our sieve and that's their achilles heel; ask any Leicester City fan! It is a critical time in the history of Manchester United and the legacy of Busby and Ferguson is now hanging around manager Van Gaal's neck like an obese albatross; he'll need all his power to win the day here. Everyone is watching.
At the bargain basement end of the table, I am worried for Burnley and Sean Dyche. Sean is loved in these Northamptonshire parts as a great servant to the Cobblers, so we are keen to see him succeed in the Premier League but so far his troops are falling a long way short. Desire and organisation alone are not enough as attributes to consistently win games in the top league. Newcastle United too are currently playing with great willingness, under a suffering Alan Pardew, but losing meaningful assets during the summer has compromised this great club and I sense that with or without the current manager they will slide through the trap-door along with Queens Park Rangers. Mike Ashley needs to offload the club to a wealthy owner who has a proper media presence and a desire to deliver a football team for the Geordie public to celebrate. Right now, the whole affair of Newcastle's demise is squeezing the optimism of a deserving fan-base. Pardew was always a poor fit, but when Hughton was sacked undeservedly, he, to his credit was the only candidate prepared to work under the constraints placed by Ashley. The owner is the true villain of the Magpie's story; but because fans need tangible objects to vent their frustations, poor Pardew is undeservedly copping the flak for his over-generously extensive contract; as I said before it's a very sorry mess. Harry Redknapp, despite his brilliance is, in reality managing a club with a capacity of less than 20,000, this unfashionable minnow in shark-infested Premier League waters is in serious trouble of imploding and I feel that Harry may have to walk away to save himself, and probably the club. For all his tweets and ill-informed opinions about life events, Rio Ferdinand is symptomatic of the kind of distracted characters the club currently has on it's pay-roll and that sadly will cause their demise. Across the River Thames, I do believe that Crystal Palace have just enough guile upfront and belief to engineer another survival; roared on by their impressive home support, that completely unsettled a marauding Liverpool to relinquish control so dramatically at the end of last season. And finally, Leicester City and Nigel Pearson will also despite many scares survive because these savvy battlers have integrated the hugely impressive Leonardo Ulloa seamlessly to create a robust but also imaginative unit with effective end-product; namely goals.
To touch on the pack of teams pursuing mid-table obscurity, many of these sides contain high marquee players. It was great to observe that most of the squads of the participating World Cup nations contained Premier League players and their contributions were significant at all levels of the tournament.
After many years of berating the tactics of Stoke, they are an established elite side along with Aston Villa who have smartly rescued and rejuvenated the much maligned Tom Cleverley to add purpose and stability to their midfield. For the record, I sense that he will be find his feet and in time become an England regular. More importantly, Villa will not be scrapping in the basement any longer; it would seem that they are on the rise, how far they will go depends greatly on Randy Lerner; don't hold your breath in Birmingham! Mark Hughes has much to prove in his role as Stoke City manager, and it remains to be seen if he can inspire the Potteries to feature in higher reaches of this very competitive league. The fact that Sunderland are NOT being discussed at any great length would signify that Gus Poyet is doing a fantastic job of keeping the Mackems simply as a solid Premier League team without any consequence of failure. As a fan of North East football, I would love to see them and Newcastle along with the 'Boro have a great and exciting F.A.Cup run.
Can my teams get promoted? Yes and No! The Cobblers possess real threat going forward but still have a soft underbelly. If they can become more robust in protecting leads, the play-offs are a distinct possibility. Middlesbrough, on the other hand, proved in their marathon game with Liverpool in the league cup that at last, they are team that is better prepared for the task of winning Championship games, and serious contenders. Like the Cobblers, the regular sensation of accomplishment is a habit that must be acquired once more and retained. Aitor Karanka is an impressive manager who has remained off the radar of the general watching public, in joining the 'Boro. Having worked as No.2 to Mourinho at Real Madrid, I am confident that his management excellence will propel the boys for a Wembley Play-off final at the very least! Everything is crossed!
As British Summer Time leaves us to usher in colder and darker times, it is now that we will start to learn about who the real contenders are. The bean counters are both sweating and silvating, because the numbers rewards are big, very very big and getting bigger still. Phases are being worked out, fitness established, pundits delivering cliches. We might be starting to shiver in the cold but the heat is really on...stay warm my friends!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)