Player plays for big club but doesn’t quite cut it.
So player moves to other big club.
Again, doesn’t quite cut it.
So player moves to another big club, albeit a lesser one.
The destination for Daniel Sturridge.
And now the destination for Mario Balotelli.
It’s remarkable how the careers of these two strikers both transpired to see them end up at Liverpool for their last chance saloon.
Both twenty three at the time.
Both with a lot to prove.
Both having failed to live up to expectations before.
Daniel will argue he wasn’t really given his chance at the Etihad.
In reality, he failed to make the grade at a top club who had a lot of talent at their disposal.
His time at the club will ultimately be looked upon as a failure.
Daniel will argue his wasn’t played in the right position at Stamford Bridge.
In reality, he failed to make the grade at a top club who despite having a lot of talent in the squad, actually struggled up front during his time there.
Again, his time at the club will ultimately be looked upon as a failure.
It was only when he took a step back to join Liverpool did he finally start to fulfill his potential.
He took his chance to light up a club that had finished mid-table three seasons in a row and helped catapult them up closer to where they belong.
Since joining Liverpool, Daniel has scored a quite remarkable 36 goals in 54 games.
He had only 38 goals before he signed and that was from 140 games.
Liverpool went from 8th to 2nd in just under two seasons.
Having only earned 1 cap in 6 and a half seasons at Manchester City and Chelsea, he then earned 15 caps and scored 5 goals in the past 18 months.
Played and scored in a World Cup.
Was selected in the PFA team of the season.
All signs that Daniel is finally ready to fulfill his potential.
All because he took his chance.
Had he not gone this way of course and gone the way he had of his days in blue, his next move would not have been a step forward.
A step back again.
Having already gone backward to a team finishing mid table, a step backward again would see Daniel well and truly out of the top drawer.
A long way back to the top from there.
Even a Champions League club is a long way from there in the Premier League.
And this is exactly the same situation that now faces Mario.
He came through the ranks at Internazionale.
The season they conquered all under Jose Mourinho, his chances were limited as he was continuously dropped from the squad for altercations.
Sold to Manchester City after a largely unsuccessful period in Italian football despite his team’s success.
A team on the up.
Soon to be Champions.
Soon to be too good for Mario to play a starring role.
Another step backward came as he returned to Milan.
This was his time to settle.
His big chance.
He was home.
A sleeping giant in need of waking up.
A giant who ended up happiest with Mario on the day he was sold.
From a £24 million player.
To a £20 million player.
To a £16 million player.
Mario has been missing his chances.
His next chance is to join forces with Daniel at Anfield.
To join Daniel on the same path he was on.
Join Daniel in the last chance saloon.
Mario now faces the same abyss that Daniel once faced.
His next move will be up to the level his new striking partner is hitting and a shot at fulfilling his potential.
Or a further step back to a team more suited to a good cup run and a shot at qualification for the Europa League if the season goes well.
Not much chance of him reaching his potential from there.
Not the same chance he has at Liverpool where after ten Premier League games he has yet to register a goal.
Not the start he would have wanted.
But far too early to make a call.
He hopes.
Brendan Rodgers needs him to start hitting the target.
And Mario needs to start hitting his targets.
His potential goal is being missed.
The same goal Daniel finally found at Anfield.
The same goal Mario must find soon...
Showing posts with label Liverpool. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Liverpool. Show all posts
Tuesday, 4 November 2014
Monday, 22 September 2014
Forget Manchester City and Chelsea - Manchester United are back.
Manchester United are back.
And back big time.
Not that they were really ever gone mind.
It’s just now the fears of them actually going away have been extinguished.
For anyone who ever had any doubt - Louis Van Gaal gave them one hundred and fifty four million reasons this summer.
Each single reason a pound.
A single currency that appears to be Manchester United’s new way of thinking.
Although very much their old one when you give it a moment’s thought.
A lot has been said about how United have become the new Manchester City.
Or the new Chelsea.
Even the new Real Madrid with the phrase ‘The Galáticos’ being replaced with ‘The Gaaláticos’.
Truth is, they were always that.
They just hadn’t flexed this muscle as often in the previous few seasons.
There were clubs who spent more than United during Sir Alex Ferguson’s tenure, sure.
But United were invariably coming from a healthy position of talent.
When they had to spend big to address any discrepancies they may have had - they did.
Sir Alex Ferguson broke the British transfer record five times alone.
Five times.
The only reason it’s not six is because Robinho signed the same night as Dimitar Berbatov.
The Brazilian forward becoming the first major signing to symbolise Manchester City’s ‘buying success’ period.
He cost a mere £1.75 million more than what their city rivals had just paid.
The following summers saw an increase in City’s spending but only because they were starting from a distance back.
They needed to play catch-up first to obtain success before they could try sustain it.
A much more expensive game.
A game of heavy spending that inflation has a habit of distorting.
But just as Chelsea or Manchester City needed to do so of late - United needed to play catch up on Arsenal in the summer of 1998.
It was a huge summer.
A £27 million size summer.
Dwight Yorke, Jaap Stam, Jasper Blomqvist all bought in.
Almost triple the amount spent by their nearest rivals.
An historic treble followed.
A treble funded by the largest outlay any English club had green lighted before.
Manchester City have been the most recent club accused of buying success.
But it’s been a long time since a team hasn’t.
The last of the non ‘big’ teams to win the league was Blackburn Rovers.
Bankrolled by the treasure chest of Jack Walker, they paid huge sums for various players at the time.
The British transfer record was broke to bring Alan Shearer to Ewood Park before they won the title.
Job done.
There’s even teams in the Premier League who have spent massive amounts to ‘buy success’ yet just haven’t achieved the desired results that go with this expression of intended derision.
Liverpool have spent more than Manchester United in the Premier League era.
Tottenham Hotspur have spent more than Arsenal.
The only difference between what they did and Manchester City or Chelsea did is the amount spent in the first few seasons of this ‘new’ money.
Playing catch-up meant they had to spend big to jump up to a level playing field with the established clubs.
But just as this season sees Manchester City spending only £50 million compared to their previous larger amounts - a plateau invariably occurs.
Resulting in spending now that equates little difference to the regular spends of Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal or Tottenham of certain periods in the last 22 years.
£154 million was a huge outlay.
And one suspects there will be more money spent come January and next summer.
But it’s no different to breaking the British transfer record to bring Juan Sebastien Veron to the club for £28.1 million in 2001.
Nor is it any different to breaking the world transfer record for a defender when they brought in Rio Ferdinand for £29.1 million in 2002.
Roy Keane, Andy Cole, Ruud Van Nistelrooy the same.
All 5 times Sir Alex Ferguson broke the British transfer record was an example of a big club buying success.
It’s been that way for a long, long time.
Manchester United haven’t become the new Chelsea.
Haven’t become the new Manchester City either.
And they certainly haven’t sold their soul.
They’re just back to their traditional Manchester United selves.
The original big spenders of the Premier League.
Intent on buying success again...
Monday, 1 September 2014
Does England Have The Premier League?
The hyperbole machine is in full flow this month.
We’ve been told the best league in the world has returned.
We’ve been told the most entertaining league in the world has returned.
We’ve been told the most competitive league in the world has returned.
Problem is - We’re just not sure if it’s returned to England.
The Premier League hyperbole machine will tell us it has of course.
They’ll tell us just about anything about how eminent the league is.
But it continuously fails to mention the most pertinent description it can offer - the best branded league in the world.
The Premier League has an awful lot going for it.
Most fans.
Most watched.
Most money.
Off the pitch it’s unbeatable.
It’s on the pitch the problems lie.
Season after season the best the Premier League has to offer seems to be off to La Liga.
Cristiano Ronaldo was the first major talent to leave in recent seasons.
Manchester United’s main man.
He was followed by Cesc Fabrages.
Arsenal’s main man.
Gareth Bale then picked up both player of the year awards.
Then promptly picked up and left.
The trend continued this summer when multiple player of the year award winner Luis Suarez landed in Barcelona.
Yet when we look at the reverse transfer dealings, it’s not the top players or star men of Spanish clubs that head for the shores of England.
As usual, Diego Costa aside, it was another summer of England’s finest picking off what Spain’s finest decided to cast off.
Barcelona decided Cesc Fabregas was surplus to requirements after they signed Suarez.
Alexis Sanchez too.
Much like when Bale arrived last summer and Mesut Ozil was allowed to leave, this year it was the turn of Angel DiMaria who was free to go.
Available for transfer only after Real Madrid had sufficiently bolstered their squad with the best there was to offer.
When it comes to individual awards, the English league’s top players rarely feature either.
Since 2010, only Wayne Rooney and Nemanja Vidic have made the FIFPro team of the year.
Not that the Germans or Italians have featured prominently either.
It’s the Spanish who have dominated completely.
Of the 44 players chosen since the turn of the decade, 34 have come from the Spanish league.
32 players more than the ‘best league in the world’.
Of course, It’s not just the players who make the league.
The teams are primary.
And right now it’s hard to look past the elite of the Spanish and German leagues.
An all Spanish affair in the final of the Champions League last season.
An all German affair the season before.
In fact, if it wasn’t for Chelsea flying the flag for the Premier League, it would be pretty poor reading in the Champions League over the past three seasons.
Manchester City have gone out in the group stages twice and the last 16 once.
Manchester United have gone out in the group stages, the last 16 and the quarter finals.
While Arsenal have not made it past the last 16 any of the seasons.
Even Chelsea, with their triumph 3 seasons ago have exited the competition at the group stage too.
Hardly statistics to back up the title of best league in the world.
Hyperbole will argue that the Premier League is more competitive of course.
It’s only the big two in Spain and the big one in Germany.
A quick look back over the last 10 years reveal otherwise.
All three countries have had a dominant club in the league - Manchester United (5 times winners), Barcelona (6), Bayern Munich (6).
Followed by a secondary team - Chelsea (3), Real Madrid (3), Borussia Dortmund (2).
And some less successful clubs - Manchester City (2), Atletico Madrid (1), Wolfsburg (1) and Schalke (1).
Tough to argue it’s more competitive when only 3 teams have won the league in the last 1o years - the same as it’s La Liga counterparts and 1 less then the Bundesliga.
The battle for the Champions League places, or top four, is even less compelling reading.
Only 7 teams have qualified from England in the last 10 years.
The supposedly less competitive nation of Germany has had 9 qualifiers.
The supposedly even less competitive Spanish league has had 12.
Examining the top 4 of each league last season pours further cold water on the argument of competitiveness.
The top 4 in the Premier League dropped a combined total of 125 points last season.
Only 3 points more than the combined total of the top 4 in both Spain and Germany - equal on 122.
Hardly convincing evidence that the other leagues are dominated by just the elite.
A look further down the league tables suggests the strength lies in the other two leagues as well.
In the last 3 seasons 5 teams from Spain have made the semi-finals of the Europa League, winning it twice.
Just the 1 English representative here - Chelsea again.
In the week that Hull City crashed out before the group stages even begun, it was another reminder of what little success English clubs have had of late compared to their Spanish counterparts.
It’s not all grim reading of course.
The likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal are still up there with the best in the world.
Likewise players such as Angel DiMaria, Cesc Fabregas and Alexis Sanchez.
Even the clubs that have competed in the Europa League from England are good clubs who have had success in the past.
All pointing to England’s elite competition being one of the best in the world.
But that’s not being questioned.
The English League is no doubt up there with the best in the world.
It may be that it’s just not the premier league...
We’ve been told the best league in the world has returned.
We’ve been told the most entertaining league in the world has returned.
We’ve been told the most competitive league in the world has returned.
Problem is - We’re just not sure if it’s returned to England.
The Premier League hyperbole machine will tell us it has of course.
They’ll tell us just about anything about how eminent the league is.
But it continuously fails to mention the most pertinent description it can offer - the best branded league in the world.
The Premier League has an awful lot going for it.
Most fans.
Most watched.
Most money.
Off the pitch it’s unbeatable.
It’s on the pitch the problems lie.
Season after season the best the Premier League has to offer seems to be off to La Liga.
Cristiano Ronaldo was the first major talent to leave in recent seasons.
Manchester United’s main man.
He was followed by Cesc Fabrages.
Arsenal’s main man.
Gareth Bale then picked up both player of the year awards.
Then promptly picked up and left.
The trend continued this summer when multiple player of the year award winner Luis Suarez landed in Barcelona.
Yet when we look at the reverse transfer dealings, it’s not the top players or star men of Spanish clubs that head for the shores of England.
As usual, Diego Costa aside, it was another summer of England’s finest picking off what Spain’s finest decided to cast off.
Barcelona decided Cesc Fabregas was surplus to requirements after they signed Suarez.
Alexis Sanchez too.
Much like when Bale arrived last summer and Mesut Ozil was allowed to leave, this year it was the turn of Angel DiMaria who was free to go.
Available for transfer only after Real Madrid had sufficiently bolstered their squad with the best there was to offer.
When it comes to individual awards, the English league’s top players rarely feature either.
Since 2010, only Wayne Rooney and Nemanja Vidic have made the FIFPro team of the year.
Not that the Germans or Italians have featured prominently either.
It’s the Spanish who have dominated completely.
Of the 44 players chosen since the turn of the decade, 34 have come from the Spanish league.
32 players more than the ‘best league in the world’.
Of course, It’s not just the players who make the league.
The teams are primary.
And right now it’s hard to look past the elite of the Spanish and German leagues.
An all Spanish affair in the final of the Champions League last season.
An all German affair the season before.
In fact, if it wasn’t for Chelsea flying the flag for the Premier League, it would be pretty poor reading in the Champions League over the past three seasons.
Manchester City have gone out in the group stages twice and the last 16 once.
Manchester United have gone out in the group stages, the last 16 and the quarter finals.
While Arsenal have not made it past the last 16 any of the seasons.
Even Chelsea, with their triumph 3 seasons ago have exited the competition at the group stage too.
Hardly statistics to back up the title of best league in the world.
Hyperbole will argue that the Premier League is more competitive of course.
It’s only the big two in Spain and the big one in Germany.
A quick look back over the last 10 years reveal otherwise.
All three countries have had a dominant club in the league - Manchester United (5 times winners), Barcelona (6), Bayern Munich (6).
Followed by a secondary team - Chelsea (3), Real Madrid (3), Borussia Dortmund (2).
And some less successful clubs - Manchester City (2), Atletico Madrid (1), Wolfsburg (1) and Schalke (1).
Tough to argue it’s more competitive when only 3 teams have won the league in the last 1o years - the same as it’s La Liga counterparts and 1 less then the Bundesliga.
The battle for the Champions League places, or top four, is even less compelling reading.
Only 7 teams have qualified from England in the last 10 years.
The supposedly less competitive nation of Germany has had 9 qualifiers.
The supposedly even less competitive Spanish league has had 12.
Examining the top 4 of each league last season pours further cold water on the argument of competitiveness.
The top 4 in the Premier League dropped a combined total of 125 points last season.
Only 3 points more than the combined total of the top 4 in both Spain and Germany - equal on 122.
Hardly convincing evidence that the other leagues are dominated by just the elite.
A look further down the league tables suggests the strength lies in the other two leagues as well.
In the last 3 seasons 5 teams from Spain have made the semi-finals of the Europa League, winning it twice.
Just the 1 English representative here - Chelsea again.
In the week that Hull City crashed out before the group stages even begun, it was another reminder of what little success English clubs have had of late compared to their Spanish counterparts.
It’s not all grim reading of course.
The likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal are still up there with the best in the world.
Likewise players such as Angel DiMaria, Cesc Fabregas and Alexis Sanchez.
Even the clubs that have competed in the Europa League from England are good clubs who have had success in the past.
All pointing to England’s elite competition being one of the best in the world.
But that’s not being questioned.
The English League is no doubt up there with the best in the world.
It may be that it’s just not the premier league...
Tuesday, 15 January 2013
Daniel Sturridge is the New Andy Carroll
Daniel Sturridge opened his Premier League account for Liverpool on Sunday.
He did so by scoring against their biggest rivals.
Which means he’s now scored as many league goals for Liverpool this season as Andy Carroll has for West Ham United.
It was his league debut.
Liverpool dipped into the January transfer window to sign Daniel last week.
Two years on from signing Andy Carroll at the same stage.
Both attackers.
Both unproven.
Both moving for big money.
The main difference being that Daniel cost almost three times less.
When Andy had signed for Liverpool, he was relatively unproven.
Despite it being his fourth season in the first team, he had only managed eleven goals in the top flight.
He had yet to play for England.
As Daniel signs for Liverpool this week, he too is relatively unproven.
After unsuccessful spells at Manchester City and Chelsea, he comes with nothing more than promise.
It’s only on loan at Bolton that he managed nine goals to bring his top flight tally to sixteen.
Four caps for England.
But both players had potential.
It was never a problem for Liverpool fans that Kenny had bought potential when he signed Andy in 2011.
It was just the thirty five million pound price tag.
The egregious figure that must still haunt every Liverpool supporter the world over.
The corridors of Anfield still reverberating with questions as to why Kenny was supported with a war chest that size when the permanently appointed Roy Hodgson wasn’t.
How Brendan Rodgers could do with that money now as he rebuilds their great and famous club.
A club too great and famous for Andy.
Whereas Daniel didn’t come from a small club like Newcastle who were spending time in the Championship.
He came from the European Champions.
And should thrive with the less pressure on him at Anfield.
He struggled to cope with the responsibilities of playing in a side with aspirations of winning the league and conquering Europe every season.
He knows Liverpool are at least a few years away from that now.
And will hopefully have matured into the side by the time it comes around again.
Andy went from a small club with a big fan base who had just spent time in the Championship.
The step up to a much bigger club under Kenny proved too much for the man who had never experienced that before.
He was used to being the main man at a small club where everything was focused around his strengths.
Liverpool had enough good players to not have to rely on this one dimension.
Daniel will have played with much better players.
The step down will only serve to make it easier.
This all makes him the new Andy Carroll.
The answer to Liverpool’s attacking problems.
The main difference of course, being the price tag.
Andy came as a thirty five million pound player.
That came with all the pressures of being the eight most expensive player of all time.
More expensive than Rooney, Van Persie, even Luis Suarez.
12 million pound more than Luis in fact.
The pressure was too much.
They are both attackers.
Both unproven at Premier league level.
Both signed for their potential.
But luckily for Daniel, both not costing the same...
He did so by scoring against their biggest rivals.
Which means he’s now scored as many league goals for Liverpool this season as Andy Carroll has for West Ham United.
It was his league debut.
Liverpool dipped into the January transfer window to sign Daniel last week.
Two years on from signing Andy Carroll at the same stage.
Both attackers.
Both unproven.
Both moving for big money.
The main difference being that Daniel cost almost three times less.
When Andy had signed for Liverpool, he was relatively unproven.
Despite it being his fourth season in the first team, he had only managed eleven goals in the top flight.
He had yet to play for England.
As Daniel signs for Liverpool this week, he too is relatively unproven.
After unsuccessful spells at Manchester City and Chelsea, he comes with nothing more than promise.
It’s only on loan at Bolton that he managed nine goals to bring his top flight tally to sixteen.
Four caps for England.
But both players had potential.
It was never a problem for Liverpool fans that Kenny had bought potential when he signed Andy in 2011.
It was just the thirty five million pound price tag.
The egregious figure that must still haunt every Liverpool supporter the world over.
The corridors of Anfield still reverberating with questions as to why Kenny was supported with a war chest that size when the permanently appointed Roy Hodgson wasn’t.
How Brendan Rodgers could do with that money now as he rebuilds their great and famous club.
A club too great and famous for Andy.
Whereas Daniel didn’t come from a small club like Newcastle who were spending time in the Championship.
He came from the European Champions.
And should thrive with the less pressure on him at Anfield.
He struggled to cope with the responsibilities of playing in a side with aspirations of winning the league and conquering Europe every season.
He knows Liverpool are at least a few years away from that now.
And will hopefully have matured into the side by the time it comes around again.
Andy went from a small club with a big fan base who had just spent time in the Championship.
The step up to a much bigger club under Kenny proved too much for the man who had never experienced that before.
He was used to being the main man at a small club where everything was focused around his strengths.
Liverpool had enough good players to not have to rely on this one dimension.
Daniel will have played with much better players.
The step down will only serve to make it easier.
This all makes him the new Andy Carroll.
The answer to Liverpool’s attacking problems.
The main difference of course, being the price tag.
Andy came as a thirty five million pound player.
That came with all the pressures of being the eight most expensive player of all time.
More expensive than Rooney, Van Persie, even Luis Suarez.
12 million pound more than Luis in fact.
The pressure was too much.
They are both attackers.
Both unproven at Premier league level.
Both signed for their potential.
But luckily for Daniel, both not costing the same...
Monday, 23 July 2012
Players Only Loyalty is to the Game
Loyalty does not exist in football.
And nor should it.
Yet the topic of players and disloyalty rears it’s ugly head in the transfer window as frequently as players move club.
The problem with loyalty is simple.
The subject matter is always broached from a supporters point of view.
But supporters aren’t in football.
They are always only the support that allows football to live.
Football supporters can be the embodiment of loyalty.
Some will tell you they haven’t missed a games in 30 years.
Others have tattoos of crests twice the size of their heart.
But it is because of this almost blind loyalty that supporters believe their players will feel the same way about their club.
After all, these players are getting to live the dream of so many of these supporters.
They must love the club to do so.
They must therefore be loyal.
After all, every supporter would be - if given the chance to play for their club.
Or so some supporters would believe.
Wayne Rooney grew up joining his boyhood heros Everton.
They gave him Premier League football.
Yet Wayne wanted more.
As loyal as he was to the blue half of Merseyside, he wanted to win major honours.
He joined Manchester United.
He won major honours.
Jamie Carragher has now spent his entire career at Liverpool.
The biggest rival to Everton, whom like Wayne, he also supported.
Jamie would never have won the Champions League with the Toffees.
‘Loyal’ to the reds.
Yet I use the word loyal loosely.
True, Jamie and also Steven Gerard have stayed at the one club their entire careers.
Through thick an thin, supporters might argue.
But the reality is, they both stayed because they were getting something in return.
Their careers were benefitting from playing for a club who regularly qualified for the Champions League.
Who won the Champions league.
Along with numerous other cups.
But even after capturing the biggest club prize of all, Steven’s head was being turned by another team.
Liverpool supporters will say he was loyal in the end when he opted against the switch.
But if winning the Champions League was almost not enough to keep the player who joined them at the age of 10 - imagine what finishing mid-table would have done?
Or getting relegated?
Like the Leeds United team of 2003.
A great team that had taken a gamble on Champions League glory and when success on the pitch wasn’t achieved - the wheels came off rapidly.
A player exodus commenced.
Amongst them was a young Alan Smith.
A Leeds man through and through.
Made up of equal measures of love for his club and hatred for his rivals.
No bigger rival to his team of course was Manchester United.
The team he joined 3 weeks after Leeds left the Premier League.
No championship for Alan.
No, straight to the Champions League for this loyal supporters favourite.
Even those who stayed with the sunken ship cannot claim loyalty.
Gary Kelly hung around for 3 more seasons in the Championship.
Unlikely he could have found another big club at his age.
And he was the third highest paid full back in England after all.
Manchester United have their loyal bunch too.
Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs to name a few.
All loyal one club men.
All achieving every ambition imaginable in the game at one of the biggest clubs in the world.
No sign of the championship for them.
There are of course players who remain ‘loyal’ to their smaller clubs.
Matt Le Tissier perhaps the most overt.
Regularly coveted by larger, more successful clubs.
It would have been easy for him to move on.
But he was the star man at Southampton.
The center of everything.
And he was guaranteed Premier league football.
Finishing his career at Southampton was great to see.
Loyal to the team that gave him his break.
Yet Matt grew up in Guernsey - hardly a haven for Southampton supporters.
Supporters adorn some of the aforementioned players.
They see them as ‘loyal’ servants to the cause as they have remained at their beloved club.
The truth is, the ‘loyal’ ones always made sure it suited them to stay.
This was their career after all.
They don’t support their clubs.
Their clubs support them.
‘There’s no loyalty in the game anymore’ is heard up and down every terrace come transfer window season.
Could it just be that is heard during the period since the Bosman ruling came to fruition?
No longer could the clubs decide where and when the player would go.
Instead the player inherited the power.
The power to remain loyal.
Loyal to the club.
Or loyal to their career...
And nor should it.
Yet the topic of players and disloyalty rears it’s ugly head in the transfer window as frequently as players move club.
The problem with loyalty is simple.
The subject matter is always broached from a supporters point of view.
But supporters aren’t in football.
They are always only the support that allows football to live.
Football supporters can be the embodiment of loyalty.
Some will tell you they haven’t missed a games in 30 years.
Others have tattoos of crests twice the size of their heart.
But it is because of this almost blind loyalty that supporters believe their players will feel the same way about their club.
After all, these players are getting to live the dream of so many of these supporters.
They must love the club to do so.
They must therefore be loyal.
After all, every supporter would be - if given the chance to play for their club.
Or so some supporters would believe.
Wayne Rooney grew up joining his boyhood heros Everton.
They gave him Premier League football.
Yet Wayne wanted more.
As loyal as he was to the blue half of Merseyside, he wanted to win major honours.
He joined Manchester United.
He won major honours.
Jamie Carragher has now spent his entire career at Liverpool.
The biggest rival to Everton, whom like Wayne, he also supported.
Jamie would never have won the Champions League with the Toffees.
‘Loyal’ to the reds.
Yet I use the word loyal loosely.
True, Jamie and also Steven Gerard have stayed at the one club their entire careers.
Through thick an thin, supporters might argue.
But the reality is, they both stayed because they were getting something in return.
Their careers were benefitting from playing for a club who regularly qualified for the Champions League.
Who won the Champions league.
Along with numerous other cups.
But even after capturing the biggest club prize of all, Steven’s head was being turned by another team.
Liverpool supporters will say he was loyal in the end when he opted against the switch.
But if winning the Champions League was almost not enough to keep the player who joined them at the age of 10 - imagine what finishing mid-table would have done?
Or getting relegated?
Like the Leeds United team of 2003.
A great team that had taken a gamble on Champions League glory and when success on the pitch wasn’t achieved - the wheels came off rapidly.
A player exodus commenced.
Amongst them was a young Alan Smith.
A Leeds man through and through.
Made up of equal measures of love for his club and hatred for his rivals.
No bigger rival to his team of course was Manchester United.
The team he joined 3 weeks after Leeds left the Premier League.
No championship for Alan.
No, straight to the Champions League for this loyal supporters favourite.
Even those who stayed with the sunken ship cannot claim loyalty.
Gary Kelly hung around for 3 more seasons in the Championship.
Unlikely he could have found another big club at his age.
And he was the third highest paid full back in England after all.
Manchester United have their loyal bunch too.
Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs to name a few.
All loyal one club men.
All achieving every ambition imaginable in the game at one of the biggest clubs in the world.
No sign of the championship for them.
There are of course players who remain ‘loyal’ to their smaller clubs.
Matt Le Tissier perhaps the most overt.
Regularly coveted by larger, more successful clubs.
It would have been easy for him to move on.
But he was the star man at Southampton.
The center of everything.
And he was guaranteed Premier league football.
Finishing his career at Southampton was great to see.
Loyal to the team that gave him his break.
Yet Matt grew up in Guernsey - hardly a haven for Southampton supporters.
Supporters adorn some of the aforementioned players.
They see them as ‘loyal’ servants to the cause as they have remained at their beloved club.
The truth is, the ‘loyal’ ones always made sure it suited them to stay.
This was their career after all.
They don’t support their clubs.
Their clubs support them.
‘There’s no loyalty in the game anymore’ is heard up and down every terrace come transfer window season.
Could it just be that is heard during the period since the Bosman ruling came to fruition?
No longer could the clubs decide where and when the player would go.
Instead the player inherited the power.
The power to remain loyal.
Loyal to the club.
Or loyal to their career...
Monday, 21 May 2012
The Marginal Victory that is Winning The Champions League
Roman took over Chelsea in the summer of 2003.
Transforming a modest team into one of the top sides in the world.
Traditionalists will cite that what took place over the course of the next nine years was a club buying their success.
Realists will know that this is how football works these days.
Chelsea are no different to Blackburn, Liverpool, Manchester City or Manchester United.
Arsenal would have seen the same success but spent their money on a stadium instead of players.
Barcelona and Real Madrid are funded by Spanish banks and the Government.
And money has dictated the Italian championship a lot longer than it’s European counterparts.
Yet even those who have spent big have still only managed limited success in Europe’s top competition.
No team has ever retained the competition.
No team has ever dominated it.
Sir Alex Ferguson has had 17 attempts at winning the competition yet has only yielded 2 titles.
By his own accord that has not been good enough - but he is still the most successful manager in the competitions history.
Arsene Wenger has had 14 attempts with just 1 runner-ups spot.
Roman has tried and failed with the likes of Carlo Ancelotti, Luis Felipe Scolari, Guus Hiddink, Avram Grant, even Jose Mourinho.
Nothing.
We have witnessed one of the greatest sides to ever come out of England continuously miss out on Champions League glory.
And by the smallest of margins.
John’s slip in the final.
Luis’ goal that never crossed the line.
Eidur’s miss in the last minute.
The penalties at Anfield.
Barcelona-gate.
This squad, more than most, have proved what little margins there are between coming first - or coming last.
For to win the Champions League - everything must go your way.
Everything over the course of the season.
Liverpool were 4 minutes away from elimination in the group stage in 2005.
Not to mention what happened in Istanbul.
Manchester United were losing 1-0 in injury time in 1999.
The same club of course, who benefitted from John’s slip.
And then we had Chelsea in 2012.
How many times had they looked dead and buried in this seasons competition?
Napoli defeating them 3-1 in the first leg.
Then scoring an away goal at the Bridge.
Losing both centre backs in Camp Nou.
Barcelona going 2-0 up.
Lionel stepping up to take a penalty to give Barcelona the lead.
Their opponents in the final playing with home advantage.
Bayern scoring in the 84th minute of the final.
Arjen looked to seal it from 12 yards in extra time.
Juan missing his kick.
Before finally Bastian tipped the competition in Chelsea’s favour.
They were down and out on so many occasions yet they would not die.
Neutrals may not like some of these Chelsea players but they have to have been impressed with their mentality.
They have earned the respect of everyone who really knows about this sport.
Their ‘not knowing when to quit’ attitude was exceptional.
Desire unquestionable.
Every time they looked out, they somehow found something extra special to keep them in the fight.
This is what makes great teams great.
What made Chelsea great.
And Chelsea have been exactly that this century.
It’s just now, they’ve finally got what they deserve - a marginal victory...
Transforming a modest team into one of the top sides in the world.
Traditionalists will cite that what took place over the course of the next nine years was a club buying their success.
Realists will know that this is how football works these days.
Chelsea are no different to Blackburn, Liverpool, Manchester City or Manchester United.
Arsenal would have seen the same success but spent their money on a stadium instead of players.
Barcelona and Real Madrid are funded by Spanish banks and the Government.
And money has dictated the Italian championship a lot longer than it’s European counterparts.
Yet even those who have spent big have still only managed limited success in Europe’s top competition.
No team has ever retained the competition.
No team has ever dominated it.
Sir Alex Ferguson has had 17 attempts at winning the competition yet has only yielded 2 titles.
By his own accord that has not been good enough - but he is still the most successful manager in the competitions history.
Arsene Wenger has had 14 attempts with just 1 runner-ups spot.
Roman has tried and failed with the likes of Carlo Ancelotti, Luis Felipe Scolari, Guus Hiddink, Avram Grant, even Jose Mourinho.
Nothing.
We have witnessed one of the greatest sides to ever come out of England continuously miss out on Champions League glory.
And by the smallest of margins.
John’s slip in the final.
Luis’ goal that never crossed the line.
Eidur’s miss in the last minute.
The penalties at Anfield.
Barcelona-gate.
This squad, more than most, have proved what little margins there are between coming first - or coming last.
For to win the Champions League - everything must go your way.
Everything over the course of the season.
Liverpool were 4 minutes away from elimination in the group stage in 2005.
Not to mention what happened in Istanbul.
Manchester United were losing 1-0 in injury time in 1999.
The same club of course, who benefitted from John’s slip.
And then we had Chelsea in 2012.
How many times had they looked dead and buried in this seasons competition?
Napoli defeating them 3-1 in the first leg.
Then scoring an away goal at the Bridge.
Losing both centre backs in Camp Nou.
Barcelona going 2-0 up.
Lionel stepping up to take a penalty to give Barcelona the lead.
Their opponents in the final playing with home advantage.
Bayern scoring in the 84th minute of the final.
Arjen looked to seal it from 12 yards in extra time.
Juan missing his kick.
Before finally Bastian tipped the competition in Chelsea’s favour.
They were down and out on so many occasions yet they would not die.
Neutrals may not like some of these Chelsea players but they have to have been impressed with their mentality.
They have earned the respect of everyone who really knows about this sport.
Their ‘not knowing when to quit’ attitude was exceptional.
Desire unquestionable.
Every time they looked out, they somehow found something extra special to keep them in the fight.
This is what makes great teams great.
What made Chelsea great.
And Chelsea have been exactly that this century.
It’s just now, they’ve finally got what they deserve - a marginal victory...
Monday, 23 April 2012
Who cares what Liverpool Supporters think
Liverpool 0 West Bromwich Albion 1.
Yet another defeat at Anfield for the mighty Liverpool.
They now sit in the Premier League in a group of teams separated by 3 points that include Norwich, Swansea and West Bromich Albion.
With only a couple of games left to go in the season, I see that as a disgrace for a club the size of Liverpool considering how much they have spent in the last year and a half.
However, I am not a Liverpool supporter.
I have enjoyed watching what I consider to have been great football under Rafa Benitez.
I have enjoyed watching the likes of Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher over the years and would hate to see them retire without winning the Premier League.
And I have enjoyed numerous epic European nights over the last decade.
But I am not a Liverpool supporter.
And I say supporter, as opposed to fan.
For it is they who support the club.
They who pay the entrance fee.
They who are the ones who experience the emotions of both the clubs successes - and failures.
Not me, nor other neutrals.
Who cares what they think about their club - It’s their club.
So as most Liverpool supporters have been staunch in the defence of Kenny Dalglish - most neutrals think it is blind nostalgia towards a hero of yesteryear who is so far out of the game he should not be allowed near a club the size of theirs.
Liverpool supporters believe that because Andy Carroll scored 2 important goals recently - he starting to prove his worth.
Most neutrals think Andy was a colossal waste of money and at €40m, consider him to be one of the greatest flops in the history of the Premier League.
Liverpool supporters believe Charlie Adam is an acceptable signing because he cost only €8m.
Most neutrals think he is nowhere near good enough to even grace the bench of a club that size.
Liverpool supporters believe Luis Suarez is in the World Class bracket.
Most neutrals look at the record of Luis this season - 8 goals in 28 games - and think why?
Van Persie has 27 in 35.
Rooney has 26 in 31.
Even Yakubu has twice as many as Luis and played a game less.
But again, us neutrals are not Liverpool supporters.
The way Kenny brought shame onto the club with his handling of the racism row was again something that we didn’t agree with.
We also didn’t like the handling of Roy Hodgson.
Sacked after only a few months, Roy now sits 1 point behind Liverpool despite not spending €130million.
Most neutrals laughed when Liverpool won the Carling Cup.
We think it’s a trophy that lost all its prestige when big teams, and Liverpool were one of them, started using the cup to blood youngsters and allow recently injured players get back to full fitness.
As Real Madrid defeated Barcelona on Saturday night to almost guarantee them La Liga - I couldn’t help but wonder what has happened in the 3 years since Liverpool destroyed Real Madrid 5-0.
I miss that team.
That for me, was where Liverpool belonged.
Not winning Carling Cups with Charlie Adam and Stewart Downing in their team.
Hammering the greatest club in Europe with World Class players like Torres, Gerard and Alonso.
But alas, as I said, I am not a Liverpool supporter.
It’s them and only them who can make their judgement on their club and where it should be.
If they support Kenny and Charlie, Andy and Luis, plus the Carling Cup and feel all that is good enough for their club - they will get what they deserve.
I just feel they should be aiming a little higher...
Yet another defeat at Anfield for the mighty Liverpool.
They now sit in the Premier League in a group of teams separated by 3 points that include Norwich, Swansea and West Bromich Albion.
With only a couple of games left to go in the season, I see that as a disgrace for a club the size of Liverpool considering how much they have spent in the last year and a half.
However, I am not a Liverpool supporter.
I have enjoyed watching what I consider to have been great football under Rafa Benitez.
I have enjoyed watching the likes of Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher over the years and would hate to see them retire without winning the Premier League.
And I have enjoyed numerous epic European nights over the last decade.
But I am not a Liverpool supporter.
And I say supporter, as opposed to fan.
For it is they who support the club.
They who pay the entrance fee.
They who are the ones who experience the emotions of both the clubs successes - and failures.
Not me, nor other neutrals.
Who cares what they think about their club - It’s their club.
So as most Liverpool supporters have been staunch in the defence of Kenny Dalglish - most neutrals think it is blind nostalgia towards a hero of yesteryear who is so far out of the game he should not be allowed near a club the size of theirs.
Liverpool supporters believe that because Andy Carroll scored 2 important goals recently - he starting to prove his worth.
Most neutrals think Andy was a colossal waste of money and at €40m, consider him to be one of the greatest flops in the history of the Premier League.
Liverpool supporters believe Charlie Adam is an acceptable signing because he cost only €8m.
Most neutrals think he is nowhere near good enough to even grace the bench of a club that size.
Liverpool supporters believe Luis Suarez is in the World Class bracket.
Most neutrals look at the record of Luis this season - 8 goals in 28 games - and think why?
Van Persie has 27 in 35.
Rooney has 26 in 31.
Even Yakubu has twice as many as Luis and played a game less.
But again, us neutrals are not Liverpool supporters.
The way Kenny brought shame onto the club with his handling of the racism row was again something that we didn’t agree with.
We also didn’t like the handling of Roy Hodgson.
Sacked after only a few months, Roy now sits 1 point behind Liverpool despite not spending €130million.
Most neutrals laughed when Liverpool won the Carling Cup.
We think it’s a trophy that lost all its prestige when big teams, and Liverpool were one of them, started using the cup to blood youngsters and allow recently injured players get back to full fitness.
As Real Madrid defeated Barcelona on Saturday night to almost guarantee them La Liga - I couldn’t help but wonder what has happened in the 3 years since Liverpool destroyed Real Madrid 5-0.
I miss that team.
That for me, was where Liverpool belonged.
Not winning Carling Cups with Charlie Adam and Stewart Downing in their team.
Hammering the greatest club in Europe with World Class players like Torres, Gerard and Alonso.
But alas, as I said, I am not a Liverpool supporter.
It’s them and only them who can make their judgement on their club and where it should be.
If they support Kenny and Charlie, Andy and Luis, plus the Carling Cup and feel all that is good enough for their club - they will get what they deserve.
I just feel they should be aiming a little higher...
Tuesday, 10 April 2012
Size Doesn't Matter on Big Decisions
Old Trafford.
Sunday afternoon.
14 minutes gone.
Wayne Rooney slips a little throughball for Ashley Young to run on to.
Big chance to score.
Big chance to put one hand firmly on the Premier League trophy.
Enter Shaun Derry.
The QPR defender inexplicably hauls down Ashley, giving away a clear penalty and earning a stone wall red card.
Usual complaints ensue from the offending players teammates but all falling on deaf ears.
However, as the match is being televised by hyper detailed coverage of Sky Sports, the viewer is about to be afforded the opportunity to review the situation from the best of 24 different angles.
Just as conclusive as Sky is at having an angle to find unequivocal proof, Ashley was a yard offside.
Another big decision.
Another big mistake.
Another example of the decision going in favour of the ‘big’ club when in opposition against the little one.
Only one day before had Branislav Ivanovic taken advantage of this ‘occurrence’ by slotting home for his big club from an offside position even more overt than that of Ashley’s.
Two weeks ago, Manchester United were 1-0 up against Fulham and with only seconds remaining, Michael Carrick upended Danny Murphy in the box.
Again, at first viewing it appeared Michael won the ball as it had clearly changed direction.
Thanks to Sky though, the viewer was able to see upon closer inspection that the referee had again made a mistake.
A goal for Fulham here and the title race might have swung in Manchester City’s favour.
But again, another big decision goes the way of a big club.
However, what most people seem to forget was that Patrice Evra had a clear penalty in the first half not given.
It wasn’t deemed as big a decision as Manchester United went on to win 1-0.
But it was a decision that went against them and it would have been a big one had Danny Murphy denied the leaders 2 points.
The 75,000 shouting at Michael Oliver couldn’t convince him to give Patrice a penalty.
Likewise, I don’t believe the 75,000 influenced the decision not to penalise Michael Carrick.
Instead I look to the attacking statistics in the game.
Manchester United had 60% possession with 21 attempts on goal compared to Fulham’s 7.
Against QPR they had 72% possession with 28 attempts compared to QPR’s 9.
The more possession a team has and the more chances they create on goal, the more likely they are going to give the referee a big decision to make.
It doesn’t matter what size the club is.
It matters how successful they are.
Because the more successful they are, the more time they spend around the oppositions box.
Liverpool are a perfect example.
One of the biggest clubs in the world yet right now they are going through an extremely poor patch.
Suddenly, all the big decisions seem to be going against them.
If the big clubs are getting all the big decisions then Liverpool Football Club must be the anomaly.
Focus on the referees failure to send Mario Balotelli off against Arsenal and the landscape changes further.
One big club got the decision in their favour that time and another one didn’t.
And as most of the decisions they have to make seem to be when the bigger clubs are attacking - they’ve created this stigma around the leagues best.
It’s not the big clubs that get all the big decisions in their favour - it’s the successful clubs.
The more times you ask the referee to make a decision about a penalty incident, the more times you’ll be awarded one.
It’s the law of averages.
Something all the successful clubs have in common.
None more so than the team at the top of the league...
Sunday afternoon.
14 minutes gone.
Wayne Rooney slips a little throughball for Ashley Young to run on to.
Big chance to score.
Big chance to put one hand firmly on the Premier League trophy.
Enter Shaun Derry.
The QPR defender inexplicably hauls down Ashley, giving away a clear penalty and earning a stone wall red card.
Usual complaints ensue from the offending players teammates but all falling on deaf ears.
However, as the match is being televised by hyper detailed coverage of Sky Sports, the viewer is about to be afforded the opportunity to review the situation from the best of 24 different angles.
Just as conclusive as Sky is at having an angle to find unequivocal proof, Ashley was a yard offside.
Another big decision.
Another big mistake.
Another example of the decision going in favour of the ‘big’ club when in opposition against the little one.
Only one day before had Branislav Ivanovic taken advantage of this ‘occurrence’ by slotting home for his big club from an offside position even more overt than that of Ashley’s.
Two weeks ago, Manchester United were 1-0 up against Fulham and with only seconds remaining, Michael Carrick upended Danny Murphy in the box.
Again, at first viewing it appeared Michael won the ball as it had clearly changed direction.
Thanks to Sky though, the viewer was able to see upon closer inspection that the referee had again made a mistake.
A goal for Fulham here and the title race might have swung in Manchester City’s favour.
But again, another big decision goes the way of a big club.
However, what most people seem to forget was that Patrice Evra had a clear penalty in the first half not given.
It wasn’t deemed as big a decision as Manchester United went on to win 1-0.
But it was a decision that went against them and it would have been a big one had Danny Murphy denied the leaders 2 points.
The 75,000 shouting at Michael Oliver couldn’t convince him to give Patrice a penalty.
Likewise, I don’t believe the 75,000 influenced the decision not to penalise Michael Carrick.
Instead I look to the attacking statistics in the game.
Manchester United had 60% possession with 21 attempts on goal compared to Fulham’s 7.
Against QPR they had 72% possession with 28 attempts compared to QPR’s 9.
The more possession a team has and the more chances they create on goal, the more likely they are going to give the referee a big decision to make.
It doesn’t matter what size the club is.
It matters how successful they are.
Because the more successful they are, the more time they spend around the oppositions box.
Liverpool are a perfect example.
One of the biggest clubs in the world yet right now they are going through an extremely poor patch.
Suddenly, all the big decisions seem to be going against them.
If the big clubs are getting all the big decisions then Liverpool Football Club must be the anomaly.
Focus on the referees failure to send Mario Balotelli off against Arsenal and the landscape changes further.
One big club got the decision in their favour that time and another one didn’t.
And as most of the decisions they have to make seem to be when the bigger clubs are attacking - they’ve created this stigma around the leagues best.
It’s not the big clubs that get all the big decisions in their favour - it’s the successful clubs.
The more times you ask the referee to make a decision about a penalty incident, the more times you’ll be awarded one.
It’s the law of averages.
Something all the successful clubs have in common.
None more so than the team at the top of the league...
Thursday, 22 March 2012
Spain are not yet leagues ahead of England
A lot has been said about Athletic Bilbao’s extremely impressive win over Manchester United last week.
Defeating the current English champions both home and away led to a comprehensive score line and a place in the quarter finals.
A lesson in football and incontrovertible proof that the Spanish league is superior to the English Premier - I’m afraid not.
Firstly, it was one tie.
Not 5 seasons of dominance.
Secondly, you have to question the motives of Sir Alex Ferguson and look at the benefits of getting knocked out.
The Europa League is a great competition for the likes of Shamrock Rovers, Stoke City and Athletic Bilbao.
But it quite simply isn’t entertained by clubs the size of Manchester United, Manchester City or Tottenham Hotspur.
Especially when they are going for the league.
They all want to be sitting at the top table with Europe’s finest and if they fail to do so, see very little point in taking part in European competition.
So while Athletic did so comprehensively defeat United, you can’t help but think that Sir Alex was more concerned with his weekend trip to face Wolves.
This season has been a strange one for English clubs.
So dominant for much of the previous 5 years, they now find themselves with only 1 team remaining in the Champions League quarter finals.
Chelsea are the only side performing to a similar level that we have come to expect.
Manchester United took a calculated risk in trying to qualify from a relatively easy group.
Unfortunately for them, they got their calculations wrong.
It doesn’t make them a bad team overnight.
They took a risk and it backfired.
Had they scraped through against Basle however, they would surely be vying for what would have been their 4th final in 5 years.
Manchester City had the misfortune of being drawn in the group of death.
Roberto Mancini’s expensively assembled side is still on a building process and will no doubt be serious contenders for next seasons crown having tasted some Champions League action for the first time.
It’s worth noting however that it was Spanish side Villarreal who finished bottom of that group with 0 points.
Arsenal’s campaign finished with a thumping at the hands of AC Milan in the last 16.
They however, similar to another one of England’s Champions League stalwarts Liverpool, are undergoing a rebuilding process.
A process that the English league seems to be going through too.
This seasons results have not seen the shift in power to Spain.
But rather England’s dominance suffering a blip.
Next season should see the return of Tottenham Hotspur - a team on the up.
The two Manchester clubs will see themselves as major contenders.
And one of either Chelsea or Arsenal, who have both come through a tough season looking that bit stronger will no doubt be looking to reach the quarters at least.
Which league is stronger will not be answered by one victory by Athletic Bilbao.
But it did raise some interesting questions.
English teams, so dominant for 5 seasons now - have had a major blip.
Repeating this next season will cause much concern.
Maybe then the Spanish league will be able to stake their claim as the best in the world.
But for now - they must make do with the best side in the world.
Leagues ahead of everybody else in Europe.
Just not in the best league...
Defeating the current English champions both home and away led to a comprehensive score line and a place in the quarter finals.
A lesson in football and incontrovertible proof that the Spanish league is superior to the English Premier - I’m afraid not.
Firstly, it was one tie.
Not 5 seasons of dominance.
Secondly, you have to question the motives of Sir Alex Ferguson and look at the benefits of getting knocked out.
The Europa League is a great competition for the likes of Shamrock Rovers, Stoke City and Athletic Bilbao.
But it quite simply isn’t entertained by clubs the size of Manchester United, Manchester City or Tottenham Hotspur.
Especially when they are going for the league.
They all want to be sitting at the top table with Europe’s finest and if they fail to do so, see very little point in taking part in European competition.
So while Athletic did so comprehensively defeat United, you can’t help but think that Sir Alex was more concerned with his weekend trip to face Wolves.
This season has been a strange one for English clubs.
So dominant for much of the previous 5 years, they now find themselves with only 1 team remaining in the Champions League quarter finals.
Chelsea are the only side performing to a similar level that we have come to expect.
Manchester United took a calculated risk in trying to qualify from a relatively easy group.
Unfortunately for them, they got their calculations wrong.
It doesn’t make them a bad team overnight.
They took a risk and it backfired.
Had they scraped through against Basle however, they would surely be vying for what would have been their 4th final in 5 years.
Manchester City had the misfortune of being drawn in the group of death.
Roberto Mancini’s expensively assembled side is still on a building process and will no doubt be serious contenders for next seasons crown having tasted some Champions League action for the first time.
It’s worth noting however that it was Spanish side Villarreal who finished bottom of that group with 0 points.
Arsenal’s campaign finished with a thumping at the hands of AC Milan in the last 16.
They however, similar to another one of England’s Champions League stalwarts Liverpool, are undergoing a rebuilding process.
A process that the English league seems to be going through too.
This seasons results have not seen the shift in power to Spain.
But rather England’s dominance suffering a blip.
Next season should see the return of Tottenham Hotspur - a team on the up.
The two Manchester clubs will see themselves as major contenders.
And one of either Chelsea or Arsenal, who have both come through a tough season looking that bit stronger will no doubt be looking to reach the quarters at least.
Which league is stronger will not be answered by one victory by Athletic Bilbao.
But it did raise some interesting questions.
English teams, so dominant for 5 seasons now - have had a major blip.
Repeating this next season will cause much concern.
Maybe then the Spanish league will be able to stake their claim as the best in the world.
But for now - they must make do with the best side in the world.
Leagues ahead of everybody else in Europe.
Just not in the best league...
Monday, 23 January 2012
The Villans have a new Hero
Robbie Keane returned to the Premier League with great impact this weekend.
Two goals against Wolverhampton Wanderers showing he has lost none of his quality since making the move to Major League Soccer last summer.
In only his first start for his new club, Robbie managed to score both the equaliser and the subsequent winner, with two strikes of the highest order from outside the box.
In a team struggling since Alex McLeish took over, Robbie might just well be the difference between an Aston Villa relegation battle and an Aston Villa push for Europe.
For a team that have found goals hard to come by this season, the signing of Robbie couldn’t have come at a better time.
Lose to Wolves on Saturday and they remain in the bottom six, dangerously close to the relegation zone.
Win at Molineux and suddenly the Villans lie just outside the top half on goal difference.
A shrewd piece of business by Alex to supplement his strikeforce of Darren Bent, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Emile Heskey with the type of quality vision that Robbie possesses.
The only thing that surprised me about the transfer was that one of the bigger teams didn’t come in for him.
A team like Liverpool, Newcastle or higher, might have been a better move for the Republic of Ireland captain.
With Luis Suarez suspended for 8 games, Robbie could potentially have been an astute short term solution for Kenny Dalglish.
While not having a very successful period under Rafa Benitez, his time spent there would have made it all the easier to settle in fast, knowing he would only have two months to make an impact.
With their season starting to derail over the last six games or so, Robbie might have been the man to reignite their push for a Champions League place by filling the void left by Luis.
Newcastle of course have just lost their seasons star man - Demba Ba.
15 goals in the league already, he will be sorely missed for the next month.
The addition of Robbie to fill this void for the next few games would surely have helped Alan Pardew retain their push for that last lucrative Champions League spot.
With just his wages to consider, a loan deal for either of these clubs would represent good value for money.
Robbie, of course, is not the only senior player making a return to the Premier League during this transfer window.
Arsenal have taken a chance on bringing back Thierry Henry in a bid to help his team secure fourth place.
Everton as well, have taken back Landon Donovan, having previously enjoyed a loan spell on Merseyside.
Two goals against Wolverhampton Wanderers showing he has lost none of his quality since making the move to Major League Soccer last summer.
In only his first start for his new club, Robbie managed to score both the equaliser and the subsequent winner, with two strikes of the highest order from outside the box.
In a team struggling since Alex McLeish took over, Robbie might just well be the difference between an Aston Villa relegation battle and an Aston Villa push for Europe.
For a team that have found goals hard to come by this season, the signing of Robbie couldn’t have come at a better time.
Lose to Wolves on Saturday and they remain in the bottom six, dangerously close to the relegation zone.
Win at Molineux and suddenly the Villans lie just outside the top half on goal difference.
A shrewd piece of business by Alex to supplement his strikeforce of Darren Bent, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Emile Heskey with the type of quality vision that Robbie possesses.
The only thing that surprised me about the transfer was that one of the bigger teams didn’t come in for him.
A team like Liverpool, Newcastle or higher, might have been a better move for the Republic of Ireland captain.
With Luis Suarez suspended for 8 games, Robbie could potentially have been an astute short term solution for Kenny Dalglish.
While not having a very successful period under Rafa Benitez, his time spent there would have made it all the easier to settle in fast, knowing he would only have two months to make an impact.
With their season starting to derail over the last six games or so, Robbie might have been the man to reignite their push for a Champions League place by filling the void left by Luis.
Newcastle of course have just lost their seasons star man - Demba Ba.
15 goals in the league already, he will be sorely missed for the next month.
The addition of Robbie to fill this void for the next few games would surely have helped Alan Pardew retain their push for that last lucrative Champions League spot.
With just his wages to consider, a loan deal for either of these clubs would represent good value for money.
Robbie, of course, is not the only senior player making a return to the Premier League during this transfer window.
Arsenal have taken a chance on bringing back Thierry Henry in a bid to help his team secure fourth place.
Everton as well, have taken back Landon Donovan, having previously enjoyed a loan spell on Merseyside.
Manchester United have resigned Paul Scholes, having just retired last summer.
While some seem riskier than others, particularly with Thierry and Paul’s age, Robbie looks the best business of all.
Sir Alex Ferguson has opted to treat the problem of Paul’s absence from the game as the equivalent to him having an injury over the last few months.
Arsene Wenger does not seem too worried about Thierry’s game not having that devastating pace anymore, instead hoping his presence in the dressing room can have the desired effect.
Whereas Robbie has no such concerns at the age of 31.
He has been playing regularly since he departed England at the end of last season.
Not to mention captaining the Republic of Ireland to qualification for the European Championships.
Bringing in experienced campaigners during the January transfer window has proved quite popular in the Premier League.
In particular this season.
Each manager hoping these players will give their side a timely boost going into the business end of the season.
While Thierry, Landon and Paul all returned to clubs for second spells, it was the fact that Robbie didn’t return to one of his that proved the most surprising.
What may prove to be Liverpool’s loss, or indeed any of the sides fighting for European places - is most definitely Alex’s gain.
The Villans have gotten themselves a new hero, if only for a short time.
But as Robbie has shown already - he only needs a few games to make all the difference...
While some seem riskier than others, particularly with Thierry and Paul’s age, Robbie looks the best business of all.
Sir Alex Ferguson has opted to treat the problem of Paul’s absence from the game as the equivalent to him having an injury over the last few months.
Arsene Wenger does not seem too worried about Thierry’s game not having that devastating pace anymore, instead hoping his presence in the dressing room can have the desired effect.
Whereas Robbie has no such concerns at the age of 31.
He has been playing regularly since he departed England at the end of last season.
Not to mention captaining the Republic of Ireland to qualification for the European Championships.
Bringing in experienced campaigners during the January transfer window has proved quite popular in the Premier League.
In particular this season.
Each manager hoping these players will give their side a timely boost going into the business end of the season.
While Thierry, Landon and Paul all returned to clubs for second spells, it was the fact that Robbie didn’t return to one of his that proved the most surprising.
What may prove to be Liverpool’s loss, or indeed any of the sides fighting for European places - is most definitely Alex’s gain.
The Villans have gotten themselves a new hero, if only for a short time.
But as Robbie has shown already - he only needs a few games to make all the difference...
Monday, 9 January 2012
One year on - Is Kenny still King?
Kenny Dalglish completed one year in charge of Liverpool Football Club over the weekend.
A lot has been said about how Kenny has had an excellent year when comparing Liverpool’s standing in the league now to where they where when he took over.
But Liverpool shouldn’t be comparing themselves to their lowest point of recent history - rather the height of just a few seasons ago.
Rafa Benitez did have a poor season to finish off his tenure, but he also had 5 great years.
And Kenny took over just 5 footballing months after Rafa.
Any comparisons should be made between Liverpool now and Liverpool under the great Spaniard.
This is where I have great difficulty in believing Kenny has done an excellent job so far.
He is not a patch on the master tactician and while you could argue that Rafa never lifted that elusive league title, that just goes to show how much further Kenny will have to go if he is to realise the dreams of the Anfield club.
Rafa never played the attractive brand of football that has become synonymous with teams like Manchester United or Arsenal, but his defensive set-up and tactical shrewdness meant he endeared himself to the purists of the game.
There was nothing more fascinating to watch than Rafa’s team defy the far superior attacking sides time and time again, bringing great success to Liverpool, namely in the Champions League.
Kenny, having spent over 10 years out of the game, has brought back all the passion, belief and inspiration that is loved on the terraces up and down England.
But he hasn’t added any tactical shrewdness - something that Rafa had in abundance.
The sort of tactical mind that is needed to take a team from being happy to compete for 4th place in the Premier League every season to a team that has their sights set on actually winning it.
What helped Kenny land the job was being a former player and manager of this great club.
If any Liverpool supporter actually thought about it objectively for one moment - handing the reigns of the club over to a man who had been out of the game for 10 years was ludicrous.
All this talk of ‘The return of the King’ was bound to cloud the issues for supporters - given the phenomenal support that Kenny could expect on the terraces from past glories.
Ultimately, they will be judge, jury and executioner for Kenny.
But walking into a courtroom when all 12 men are heralding you as a ‘King’ can only lead to clouded judgement.
For starters, his dealings in the transfer market have been questionable at best.
The signing of Andy Carroll his biggest mistake so far.
£35 million for a player of his quality was a massive misjudgment on his part.
However, his decision to sell Fernando Torres was both shrewd and brave.
An absolute hero to the Liverpool fateful and one of only two genuine world class players at the club.
But Kenny had seen signs of his demise and managed to top up his transfer kitty with £50 million.
Luis Suarez, whilst having undoubted talent, has question marks hanging over him following his 8 game ban for racism and 1 game ban for making an obscene gesture to opposition supporters.
Kenny was already aware of the disciplinary side of the ‘Cannibal of Ajax’, so aptly named by a Dutch newspaper following his 7 game ban for biting an opponents ear in Holland.
He will have his work cut out to make sure Luis doesn’t go the way of someone like Carlos Tevez.
However, the potential is there for Kenny to turn Luis into a world class player, if he can get the best out of his little South American.
Charlie Adam, whilst only costing £7 million, looks nothing more than a decent squad player, looking desperately short since the recent return of Steven Gerard.
Steven has shown immediately in his few games back, what is needed to be a general in the Liverpool midfield.
Good judgement on Kenny’s part was the signing of Jose Enrique, who has slotted in excellently to a defensive unit that Kenny is starting to build for the team.
But Stewart Downing until this weekend, had zero goals and zero assists.
Not the sort of return needed from an attacking winger.
Kenny just can’t seem to get the best out of his signing.
But with only one year in charge, and not even a full season to date, now is not the time to judge him.
He has his work cut out and should be given time during this transitional period.
However, with £115 million having already been spent, he is only in touching distance of fourth place because Arsenal and Chelsea are massively underachieving this season.
In a season without distractions like European competition either.
Kenny has appeased the terraces so far when supporters compare him to Roy Hodgson.
But he has a long way to go before he gets back to where Rafa had this great club.
Let alone to where the supporters really want to be...
A lot has been said about how Kenny has had an excellent year when comparing Liverpool’s standing in the league now to where they where when he took over.
But Liverpool shouldn’t be comparing themselves to their lowest point of recent history - rather the height of just a few seasons ago.
Rafa Benitez did have a poor season to finish off his tenure, but he also had 5 great years.
And Kenny took over just 5 footballing months after Rafa.
Any comparisons should be made between Liverpool now and Liverpool under the great Spaniard.
This is where I have great difficulty in believing Kenny has done an excellent job so far.
He is not a patch on the master tactician and while you could argue that Rafa never lifted that elusive league title, that just goes to show how much further Kenny will have to go if he is to realise the dreams of the Anfield club.
Rafa never played the attractive brand of football that has become synonymous with teams like Manchester United or Arsenal, but his defensive set-up and tactical shrewdness meant he endeared himself to the purists of the game.
There was nothing more fascinating to watch than Rafa’s team defy the far superior attacking sides time and time again, bringing great success to Liverpool, namely in the Champions League.
Kenny, having spent over 10 years out of the game, has brought back all the passion, belief and inspiration that is loved on the terraces up and down England.
But he hasn’t added any tactical shrewdness - something that Rafa had in abundance.
The sort of tactical mind that is needed to take a team from being happy to compete for 4th place in the Premier League every season to a team that has their sights set on actually winning it.
What helped Kenny land the job was being a former player and manager of this great club.
If any Liverpool supporter actually thought about it objectively for one moment - handing the reigns of the club over to a man who had been out of the game for 10 years was ludicrous.
All this talk of ‘The return of the King’ was bound to cloud the issues for supporters - given the phenomenal support that Kenny could expect on the terraces from past glories.
Ultimately, they will be judge, jury and executioner for Kenny.
But walking into a courtroom when all 12 men are heralding you as a ‘King’ can only lead to clouded judgement.
For starters, his dealings in the transfer market have been questionable at best.
The signing of Andy Carroll his biggest mistake so far.
£35 million for a player of his quality was a massive misjudgment on his part.
However, his decision to sell Fernando Torres was both shrewd and brave.
An absolute hero to the Liverpool fateful and one of only two genuine world class players at the club.
But Kenny had seen signs of his demise and managed to top up his transfer kitty with £50 million.
Luis Suarez, whilst having undoubted talent, has question marks hanging over him following his 8 game ban for racism and 1 game ban for making an obscene gesture to opposition supporters.
Kenny was already aware of the disciplinary side of the ‘Cannibal of Ajax’, so aptly named by a Dutch newspaper following his 7 game ban for biting an opponents ear in Holland.
He will have his work cut out to make sure Luis doesn’t go the way of someone like Carlos Tevez.
However, the potential is there for Kenny to turn Luis into a world class player, if he can get the best out of his little South American.
Charlie Adam, whilst only costing £7 million, looks nothing more than a decent squad player, looking desperately short since the recent return of Steven Gerard.
Steven has shown immediately in his few games back, what is needed to be a general in the Liverpool midfield.
Good judgement on Kenny’s part was the signing of Jose Enrique, who has slotted in excellently to a defensive unit that Kenny is starting to build for the team.
But Stewart Downing until this weekend, had zero goals and zero assists.
Not the sort of return needed from an attacking winger.
Kenny just can’t seem to get the best out of his signing.
But with only one year in charge, and not even a full season to date, now is not the time to judge him.
He has his work cut out and should be given time during this transitional period.
However, with £115 million having already been spent, he is only in touching distance of fourth place because Arsenal and Chelsea are massively underachieving this season.
In a season without distractions like European competition either.
Kenny has appeased the terraces so far when supporters compare him to Roy Hodgson.
But he has a long way to go before he gets back to where Rafa had this great club.
Let alone to where the supporters really want to be...
Tuesday, 3 January 2012
Sorry Liverpool Football Club
Not in an apologetic sense.
But the actual sorry state of the club right now.
They are completely wrong in their handling of the Luis Suarez racism situation.
And it’s time to change their staunch attitude towards supporting Luis and try save some grace.
Because the way things are going - they are on course to do some serious damage to the reputation of this great club.
Following the release of the 115 page document from the Football Association, it has become quite apparent just how guilty Luis actually is.
But Liverpool Football Club seem insistent on giving their full backing to a player who has unequivocally being found guilty of racial abuse.
The show of ‘unity’ from the club by wearing t-shirts supporting Luis before the Wigan game was a disgraceful decision.
If they had t-shirts supporting anti-racism - I could understand.
But to stand by a player who has just been convicted of racism, completely undermined the whole idea of zero tolerance against this disgusting side to the sport.
What was going through Glen Johnson’s head as he warmed up for the game?
It was a baffling decision by Glen as an individual - let alone by a club the size of Liverpool.
At the start of this unsavoury incident, it was unclear as to whether Luis was a racist or actually misinterpreted.
To support a player at this stage is what one would expect from most clubs.
But Liverpool, and Kenny Dalglish in particular, must have known from an early stage that Luis was going to be found guilty.
If they didn’t, then why didn’t they instigate an internal investigation immediately?
Liverpool’s defence was built on misinterpretation, because of the different cultures.
Put a Uruguayan and a Frenchman together in England and it’s easy to understand how that could happen.
But as soon as Luis admitted to actually saying all of the numerous different expressions of the insult that he used, it became clear that he didn’t have a leg to stand on.
According to the 115 page report from the FA, Luis admitted to calling Patrice Evra ‘Negro’ seven times.
He also admitted to saying “Because you’re black” when asked by Patrice why he had kicked him.
He continued with “I don’t speak to blacks” and “OK, blackie, blackie, blackie” during the exchange.
Luis and Kenny were joined by Dirk Kuyt and Damien Comolli in issuing statements regarding the incident.
The FA found them to be ‘inconsistent’ and ‘unreliable’.
At least one of them was lying.
The report suggests at least two.
It is both thorough and conclusive.
And the FA should be commended for their handling of the case.
Clearly stating facts and providing hard evidence.
All of it leading to no doubts about Luis being guilty.
100%.
It was one thing supporting a player before his conviction.
But an entirely different situation if you continue to support a player in this way when found guilty.
An appeal now, would be irresponsible beyond belief from a club that has held so much respect in the footballing world for as long as I can remember.
Liverpool Football Club should back down immediately from their current stance.
Because they aren’t just supporting Luis.
They’re supporting racism.
That part of the situation is black and white...
But the actual sorry state of the club right now.
They are completely wrong in their handling of the Luis Suarez racism situation.
And it’s time to change their staunch attitude towards supporting Luis and try save some grace.
Because the way things are going - they are on course to do some serious damage to the reputation of this great club.
Following the release of the 115 page document from the Football Association, it has become quite apparent just how guilty Luis actually is.
But Liverpool Football Club seem insistent on giving their full backing to a player who has unequivocally being found guilty of racial abuse.
The show of ‘unity’ from the club by wearing t-shirts supporting Luis before the Wigan game was a disgraceful decision.
If they had t-shirts supporting anti-racism - I could understand.
But to stand by a player who has just been convicted of racism, completely undermined the whole idea of zero tolerance against this disgusting side to the sport.
What was going through Glen Johnson’s head as he warmed up for the game?
It was a baffling decision by Glen as an individual - let alone by a club the size of Liverpool.
At the start of this unsavoury incident, it was unclear as to whether Luis was a racist or actually misinterpreted.
To support a player at this stage is what one would expect from most clubs.
But Liverpool, and Kenny Dalglish in particular, must have known from an early stage that Luis was going to be found guilty.
If they didn’t, then why didn’t they instigate an internal investigation immediately?
Liverpool’s defence was built on misinterpretation, because of the different cultures.
Put a Uruguayan and a Frenchman together in England and it’s easy to understand how that could happen.
But as soon as Luis admitted to actually saying all of the numerous different expressions of the insult that he used, it became clear that he didn’t have a leg to stand on.
According to the 115 page report from the FA, Luis admitted to calling Patrice Evra ‘Negro’ seven times.
He also admitted to saying “Because you’re black” when asked by Patrice why he had kicked him.
He continued with “I don’t speak to blacks” and “OK, blackie, blackie, blackie” during the exchange.
Luis and Kenny were joined by Dirk Kuyt and Damien Comolli in issuing statements regarding the incident.
The FA found them to be ‘inconsistent’ and ‘unreliable’.
At least one of them was lying.
The report suggests at least two.
It is both thorough and conclusive.
And the FA should be commended for their handling of the case.
Clearly stating facts and providing hard evidence.
All of it leading to no doubts about Luis being guilty.
100%.
It was one thing supporting a player before his conviction.
But an entirely different situation if you continue to support a player in this way when found guilty.
An appeal now, would be irresponsible beyond belief from a club that has held so much respect in the footballing world for as long as I can remember.
Liverpool Football Club should back down immediately from their current stance.
Because they aren’t just supporting Luis.
They’re supporting racism.
That part of the situation is black and white...
Monday, 12 September 2011
Liverpool didn’t deserve to rule Britannia.
Stoke City 1.
Liverpool 0.
Any Liverpool supporter watching their side at the Britannia will feel they deserved something out of the game.
The bad news for them is - they didn’t.
Absolutely nothing.
Another cracking result for Tony Pulis and his boys.
I’m a big fan of Tony.
A really big fan.
Tony set his team out to win the game 1-0 and that’s exactly what he got.
He couldn’t do much else to be honest - if he really wanted three points.
Liverpool are far superior in almost every department.
But this Stoke side are made of something special.
Not the sort of thing you can buy in the transfer window.
The sort of thing you must grow on the training ground.
Through hard work, dedication and most importantly - time.
Stoke will never be able to attract the type of player that Liverpool can.
But what they do get in, are players who never say die.
An attitude of guts, determination and a fighting spirit that brings 1-0 victories over better teams.
They are used to being told they are not good enough so when it comes to getting the chance to test themselves against the players who are, they have some serious issues to prove.
Tony has drilled this into them.
He has been doing it for 6 seasons since his return to Stoke as manager.
And he should know how to drill it into them.
He’s the managers equivalent.
Not quite good enough for the top.
But don’t let that stop him doing everything in his power to still get there.
Tony knew Liverpool would have chances.
Lots of chances.
And they did.
11 shots on target.
20 attempts at goal.
12 corners.
But if these Stoke players defend for their lives, fight for every ball and throw everything they have in the way of Liverpool, they know they can keep a clean sheet.
It’s up to great teams to break this resolve down and grind out a result.
But Liverpool aren’t a great team - yet.
Tony knows this.
He also knew he’d get one chance.
He always does.
Turns out he only got 1 shot on target.
But with the spirit his team has - sometimes that’s all he needs...
Thursday, 7 July 2011
It could be big time Charlie for Liverpool.
Charlie Adam is on the verge of joining Liverpool.
Great move for Adam.
Great deal for Blackpool.
But great business for Liverpool?
I’m not so sure.
Charlie Adam was a revelation last season.
Brilliant to watch.
A real talisman.
Scored 12 goals from midfield in the Premier League.
Add to that, 7 assists.
A great return for a club that ended up relegated.
However, a team in which Adam takes all the corners.
Takes all the free-kicks.
All the penalties.
He was pretty much central to everything Blackpool did.
Everything got played through Adam and it so nearly paid off.
But with relegation, came the inevitability that Adam would move on.
And if QPR, Norwich or Swansea could afford him, I think he’d be a terrific signing for them.
Or Aston Villa, Bolton, West Brom, Sunderland et al.
They could make Adam their focal point.
Build their teams around him.
But not Liverpool.
They have Steven Gerard for one.
Their own talisman.
Takes free-kicks, corners, penalties.
The central point of the team.
Everything gets played through him.
And that won’t change to Charlie Adam.
You can’t compare a man who has had success at the very top for a long time to a 25 year old who has only 11 caps for Scotland.
Liverpool can also call on midfielders like Kuyt, Meireles, Lucas, the returning Aquilani and new £20 million man Henderson.
The won’t feel the need to play through Adam.
Every one of them already has a certain quality to do it themselves.
In fairness though, good players do play better with good players around them and Adam might just excel in this Liverpool team.
He will have to adapt his game drastically though.
No longer set piece man nor the focal point means Adam will have to add something to his game that we haven’t seen from him yet.
The kind of quality that will take him to the next level.
The same quality Liverpool desire.
The same quality he should desire.
Just not sure where he’s going to get it from...
Great move for Adam.
Great deal for Blackpool.
But great business for Liverpool?
I’m not so sure.
Charlie Adam was a revelation last season.
Brilliant to watch.
A real talisman.
Scored 12 goals from midfield in the Premier League.
Add to that, 7 assists.
A great return for a club that ended up relegated.
However, a team in which Adam takes all the corners.
Takes all the free-kicks.
All the penalties.
He was pretty much central to everything Blackpool did.
Everything got played through Adam and it so nearly paid off.
But with relegation, came the inevitability that Adam would move on.
And if QPR, Norwich or Swansea could afford him, I think he’d be a terrific signing for them.
Or Aston Villa, Bolton, West Brom, Sunderland et al.
They could make Adam their focal point.
Build their teams around him.
But not Liverpool.
They have Steven Gerard for one.
Their own talisman.
Takes free-kicks, corners, penalties.
The central point of the team.
Everything gets played through him.
And that won’t change to Charlie Adam.
You can’t compare a man who has had success at the very top for a long time to a 25 year old who has only 11 caps for Scotland.
Liverpool can also call on midfielders like Kuyt, Meireles, Lucas, the returning Aquilani and new £20 million man Henderson.
The won’t feel the need to play through Adam.
Every one of them already has a certain quality to do it themselves.
In fairness though, good players do play better with good players around them and Adam might just excel in this Liverpool team.
He will have to adapt his game drastically though.
No longer set piece man nor the focal point means Adam will have to add something to his game that we haven’t seen from him yet.
The kind of quality that will take him to the next level.
The same quality Liverpool desire.
The same quality he should desire.
Just not sure where he’s going to get it from...
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