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 Premier League. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Premier League. Show all posts
Tuesday, 4 November 2014
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, 14 May 2012
End of Season Awards
Player of the Season:
(1) Vincent Kompany
(2) Robin Van Persie
(3) Yaya Toure
(2) Robin Van Persie
(3) Yaya Toure
Young Player of the Season:
(1) Sergio Aguero
(2) Gareth Bale
(3) James McClean
Manager of the Season:
(1) Alan Pardew
(2) Roberto Martinez
(3) Roberto Mancini
Goal of the Season:
(1) Peter Crouch vs. Man City
(1) Peter Crouch vs. Man City
(2) Papiss Cisse vs. Chelsea (2nd)
(3) Hatem Ben Arfa vs. Bolton
Game of the Season:
(1) Man City 3-2 QPR
Game of the Season:
(1) Man City 3-2 QPR
(2) Man Utd 1-6 Man City
(3) Man Utd 8-2 Arsenal
(4) Man Utd 4-4 Everton
(5) Chelsea 3-5 Arsenal
(5) Chelsea 3-5 Arsenal
Moment of the Season:
(1) Sergio Aguero vs. QPR
(1) Sergio Aguero vs. QPR
(2) Eden Dzeko vs. Man United
(3) Steven Pienaar vs. Man United
Gripe of the Season:
(1) Luis Suarez vs. Man United
Gripe of the Season:
(1) Luis Suarez vs. Man United
(2) John Terry vs. QPR
(3) Roy Hodgsons’ Media Treatment
Reality check of the Season:
(1) Gary Speed
(2) Fabrice Muamba
(3) Stylian Petrov(1) Gary Speed
(2) Fabrice Muamba
Best signing of the Season:
(1) Sergio Aguero
(1) Sergio Aguero
(2) Paul Scholes
(3) Papiss Cissé
Worst signing of the Season:
(1) Stewart Downing
Worst signing of the Season:
(1) Stewart Downing
(2) Charlie Adam
(3) Roger Johnson
Team of the Season:
Joe Hart
Kyle Walker
Vincent Kompany
Johnny Evans
Leighton Baines
Antonio Valencia
Yaya Toure
Clint Dempsey
Wayne Rooney
Robin Van Persie
Sergio Aguero
Joe Hart
Kyle Walker
Vincent Kompany
Johnny Evans
Leighton Baines
Antonio Valencia
Yaya Toure
Clint Dempsey
Wayne Rooney
Robin Van Persie
Sergio Aguero
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...
Monday, 2 April 2012
The Less Fashionable Managers are Setting the Trend
When the manager of the year award gets handed out at close of play - Sir Alex Ferguson will be pretty close to top of mind again this season.
And deservedly so.
Should he take this team to their 20th league title, it would be enough to win him the MOTY award 9 times out of 10.
But while his usual competitors for the crown are nowhere to be seen, it’s the less fashionable names that will come closest to knocking him of his perch.
The Chelsea manager, the Arsenal manager and the Liverpool manager will be more focused on trying to keep their jobs than winning the manager award.
And while Manchester City’s manager would usually have a shout if he took his club to second place, he will now see that as a failure considering the amount he has invested in the squad.
Instead, this seasons contenders will come from managers punching above their weight.
They may not have come close to winning any trophies.
They certainly didn’t do well in Europe.
But they did all exceed expectations at theirs clubs this season.
Who would have thought Brendan Rodgers would be 3 points behind Liverpool after 31 games.
Same can be said of Paul Lambert and his Norwich side.
Both only promoted to the Premier League this season.
And should Blackburn survive then Steve Kean should get an honourable mention.
But for me the MOTY so far has to be Alan Pardew at Newcastle.
Many people scoffed at Alan’s appointment just over a year ago.
Especially considering Chris Hughton had been doing such a good job.
Alan had relative success at teams like West Ham United and Reading but never had he the chance to work at a club the size of Newcastle United.
The club was in a sordid mess since Mike Ashley had began his reign and the way he treated Chris only fuelled belief that things would continue in the same vein.
Alan comes in on a 5 and a half year contract as a show of stability from Mike and all most people could think was - that’s going to be a big payday when he gets fired.
Not only does Alan have to deal with the circus that surrounds Mike but over the coming months and subsequent summer he had to watch arguably the 4 best performers of last season leave the club.
Andy Carroll and Jose Enrique headed to Anfield.
Joey Barton left for Queens Park Rangers.
And club captain Kevin Nolan joined up with West Ham United.
Take the top 4 performers out of any side and they would struggle, let alone an average team like Newcastle were.
Alan had other ideas though.
He wanted to put his own stamp on the club.
The talent in the departing 4 was obvious.
But there was a question mark over the character of at least 3 of them.
Alan obviously felt the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze and aimed to spend the transfer fees recouped on players he wanted at the club.
Demba Ba was picked up on a free transfer.
Demba has scored 16 goals in 26 games so far.
£9m was spent on Papiss Demba Cissé to partner him up front.
Papiss has scored 7 from 7 so far.
Add to this a central midfield partnership of Cheick Tioté with Yohan Cabaye and the team that Alan built was really starting to take shape.
So much so, that after 31 games, Alan finds himself level on points with Chelsea in 5th place.
Still in with a shout of a Champions League place.
And well clear of the chasing pack for European spots.
It’s a remarkable turnaround for a team only promoted to the Premier league last season.
Even more remarkable considering Mike Ashley is still in charge.
Alas, there is still a lot to play for this season.
And if Sir Alex does win the league title this season, it will be hard not to hand him the MOTY award.
But should Alan catch the 2 London clubs to secure Champions League football - the decision might not be so foregone...
And deservedly so.
Should he take this team to their 20th league title, it would be enough to win him the MOTY award 9 times out of 10.
But while his usual competitors for the crown are nowhere to be seen, it’s the less fashionable names that will come closest to knocking him of his perch.
The Chelsea manager, the Arsenal manager and the Liverpool manager will be more focused on trying to keep their jobs than winning the manager award.
And while Manchester City’s manager would usually have a shout if he took his club to second place, he will now see that as a failure considering the amount he has invested in the squad.
Instead, this seasons contenders will come from managers punching above their weight.
They may not have come close to winning any trophies.
They certainly didn’t do well in Europe.
But they did all exceed expectations at theirs clubs this season.
Who would have thought Brendan Rodgers would be 3 points behind Liverpool after 31 games.
Same can be said of Paul Lambert and his Norwich side.
Both only promoted to the Premier League this season.
And should Blackburn survive then Steve Kean should get an honourable mention.
But for me the MOTY so far has to be Alan Pardew at Newcastle.
Many people scoffed at Alan’s appointment just over a year ago.
Especially considering Chris Hughton had been doing such a good job.
Alan had relative success at teams like West Ham United and Reading but never had he the chance to work at a club the size of Newcastle United.
The club was in a sordid mess since Mike Ashley had began his reign and the way he treated Chris only fuelled belief that things would continue in the same vein.
Alan comes in on a 5 and a half year contract as a show of stability from Mike and all most people could think was - that’s going to be a big payday when he gets fired.
Not only does Alan have to deal with the circus that surrounds Mike but over the coming months and subsequent summer he had to watch arguably the 4 best performers of last season leave the club.
Andy Carroll and Jose Enrique headed to Anfield.
Joey Barton left for Queens Park Rangers.
And club captain Kevin Nolan joined up with West Ham United.
Take the top 4 performers out of any side and they would struggle, let alone an average team like Newcastle were.
Alan had other ideas though.
He wanted to put his own stamp on the club.
The talent in the departing 4 was obvious.
But there was a question mark over the character of at least 3 of them.
Alan obviously felt the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze and aimed to spend the transfer fees recouped on players he wanted at the club.
Demba Ba was picked up on a free transfer.
Demba has scored 16 goals in 26 games so far.
£9m was spent on Papiss Demba Cissé to partner him up front.
Papiss has scored 7 from 7 so far.
Add to this a central midfield partnership of Cheick Tioté with Yohan Cabaye and the team that Alan built was really starting to take shape.
So much so, that after 31 games, Alan finds himself level on points with Chelsea in 5th place.
Still in with a shout of a Champions League place.
And well clear of the chasing pack for European spots.
It’s a remarkable turnaround for a team only promoted to the Premier league last season.
Even more remarkable considering Mike Ashley is still in charge.
Alas, there is still a lot to play for this season.
And if Sir Alex does win the league title this season, it will be hard not to hand him the MOTY award.
But should Alan catch the 2 London clubs to secure Champions League football - the decision might not be so foregone...
Monday, 26 March 2012
Mind the Games
So Patrick Vieira has chosen this week as the week to kick off the end of season mind games.
Every season come ‘squeaky bum’ time, the clubs going for the title all look for any little advantage they can get over each other.
What a surprise then that Patrick should open his mouth this week without the care to actually think about what he was saying.
Especially considering the fact that he is a student of a former master of the art - Arsene Wenger.
He should know better.
Arsene usually did.
So used to doing his talking on the pitch, Patrick has opened his mouth to the press and played straight into the hands of Sir Alex Ferguson.
Kevin had ‘Love it’.
Rafa had ‘Facts’.
And if Manchester City capitulate over the coming weeks, don’t be surprised to find numerous mentions of Patrick and ‘Tevez’.
Manchester United were going about their business in their own way and keeping shut - knowing full well that they had the Carlos Tevez card to play at any stage if needed.
Roberto Mancini knew this.
David Platt knew this.
Yet somehow, inexplicably, Patrick judged the situation entirely different to everyone else at the club.
If you are going to fire the first shot of the mind game season - then make sure you have a good defence.
Patrick attacks Sir Alex’s decision to bring back ‘the greatest British midfielder of the last 20 years’ on a free.
A complete legend at the club.
One of the nicest guys in football.
And 9 league games later, having amalgamated 25 points from a possible 27 in the games Paul played, Patrick decides to call it a sign of weakness on United’s part.
In the same period, Manchester City also brought back a player of their own.
A player who refused to go on to the pitch during a key game this season.
A player we were told would never play for the club again.
He goes on a five month holiday in his homeland and is pretty much been condemned from every corner of the footballing world for being the kind of player who personifies everything that is wrong with the beautiful game today.
His return coincides with his team dropping a lead at the top of the table that at one stage was 8 points.
Yet Patrick believes bringing back Paul was the sign a weakness?
A disgusting situation that wouldn’t go away in January despite City’s best attempts to off load their Argentinian has once again reared it’s ugly head thanks in no small part to Patrick’s attempt at mind games.
The last thing Roberto would have wanted is any more press surrounding Carlos Tevez.
He knows himself that by bringing back the player he said would never play for him again - he has invited scrutiny upon his title charge.
Carlos has become a spotlight for weakness.
A spotlight for desperation.
A spotlight that could potentially derail his clubs title challenge.
And it was his own clubs ‘football development executive’ who turned it on.
Patrick has once again demonstrated just how effective a talker he is.
It’s just a pity that Patrick can no longer do his talking on the pitch...
Every season come ‘squeaky bum’ time, the clubs going for the title all look for any little advantage they can get over each other.
What a surprise then that Patrick should open his mouth this week without the care to actually think about what he was saying.
Especially considering the fact that he is a student of a former master of the art - Arsene Wenger.
He should know better.
Arsene usually did.
So used to doing his talking on the pitch, Patrick has opened his mouth to the press and played straight into the hands of Sir Alex Ferguson.
Kevin had ‘Love it’.
Rafa had ‘Facts’.
And if Manchester City capitulate over the coming weeks, don’t be surprised to find numerous mentions of Patrick and ‘Tevez’.
Manchester United were going about their business in their own way and keeping shut - knowing full well that they had the Carlos Tevez card to play at any stage if needed.
Roberto Mancini knew this.
David Platt knew this.
Yet somehow, inexplicably, Patrick judged the situation entirely different to everyone else at the club.
If you are going to fire the first shot of the mind game season - then make sure you have a good defence.
Patrick attacks Sir Alex’s decision to bring back ‘the greatest British midfielder of the last 20 years’ on a free.
A complete legend at the club.
One of the nicest guys in football.
And 9 league games later, having amalgamated 25 points from a possible 27 in the games Paul played, Patrick decides to call it a sign of weakness on United’s part.
In the same period, Manchester City also brought back a player of their own.
A player who refused to go on to the pitch during a key game this season.
A player we were told would never play for the club again.
He goes on a five month holiday in his homeland and is pretty much been condemned from every corner of the footballing world for being the kind of player who personifies everything that is wrong with the beautiful game today.
His return coincides with his team dropping a lead at the top of the table that at one stage was 8 points.
Yet Patrick believes bringing back Paul was the sign a weakness?
A disgusting situation that wouldn’t go away in January despite City’s best attempts to off load their Argentinian has once again reared it’s ugly head thanks in no small part to Patrick’s attempt at mind games.
The last thing Roberto would have wanted is any more press surrounding Carlos Tevez.
He knows himself that by bringing back the player he said would never play for him again - he has invited scrutiny upon his title charge.
Carlos has become a spotlight for weakness.
A spotlight for desperation.
A spotlight that could potentially derail his clubs title challenge.
And it was his own clubs ‘football development executive’ who turned it on.
Patrick has once again demonstrated just how effective a talker he is.
It’s just a pity that Patrick can no longer do his talking on the pitch...
Wednesday, 8 February 2012
Robin 'The Man' Persie?
Robin Van Persie is going through a terrific run of form right now.
It’s lasted about a year.
And he looks like he’s finally fulfilling his obvious potential.
I just wonder whether Robin would be getting as many plaudits if he were playing for a better team?
Since Arsenal have started upon their downward spiral, any competition Robin may have had up front has dissipated.
He is the main man.
Largely due to his form in front of goal.
But you cannot ignore the fact the he has no other competition for places up front.
It’s lasted about a year.
And he looks like he’s finally fulfilling his obvious potential.
I just wonder whether Robin would be getting as many plaudits if he were playing for a better team?
Since Arsenal have started upon their downward spiral, any competition Robin may have had up front has dissipated.
He is the main man.
Largely due to his form in front of goal.
But you cannot ignore the fact the he has no other competition for places up front.
No player that Arsene Wenger can trust anyway.
This gives Robin centre stage every game.
Marouane Chamakh, Chu-Young Park, and Gervinho have made up the rest of Arsenal’s attack all season.
They have 5 goals between them.
In the past, Robin was part of an Arsenal attack that included players such as Emmanuel Adebayor, Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp.
Arsene could afford to rely on players of the same class as Robin and the responsibilities were shared.
But right now, not only does Robin start every game, he is also their main penalty kick taker.
Their main free-kick taker.
And every attack gets played through him.
Rarely does he find himself out wide with the ball trying to create opportunities for others.
His job is to stay central and convert the opportunities created for him.
A job he is doing extremely well.
But if we are to judge Robin as one of the worlds best, and ask if he is the best, then he needs to play on a bigger stage.
It’s one thing being the main man at club who currently lye in seventh place in the Premier League as we enter the home straight.
It’s another being one of the main men at a club challenging for the league.
Wayne Rooney gets ‘dropped’ for two games against weaker opposition over Christmas and Dimitar Berbatov scores 5 goals.
Edin Dzeko scores 4 goals against Tottenham and gets ‘dropped’ for the next game.
Man City can even afford to loan Emmanuel Adebayor out to a main rival, drop Carlos Tevez indefinitely and still have three strikers in the same calibre as Robin.
If any of these players were given the same focus by their teams as Robin is, they would surely be on the same goal tally.
Didier Drogba was the main man at Chelsea yet two of the last three seasons has finished behind Nicolas Anelka in the scoring charts.
Not because Nicolas was the better player, but Didier was ‘dropped’ against the weaker teams, where goals are plentiful, and saved for the big games.
Fernando Torres looked like one of the worlds top attackers when at Liverpool.
The team was based around him.
David Ngog was his only competition for places.
Yet now at Chelsea, they have too many good attackers to play everything through the now hapless looking Spaniard.
No longer the main man.
No longer considered amongst the world’s best.
Which is exactly where Robin finds himself now.
A world class attacker.
One of the best around.
But if he is to be mentioned in the top three instead of just the top ten, he’ll need Arsene to take Arsenal back to where they were.
Or maybe look for a brighter stage...
This gives Robin centre stage every game.
Marouane Chamakh, Chu-Young Park, and Gervinho have made up the rest of Arsenal’s attack all season.
They have 5 goals between them.
In the past, Robin was part of an Arsenal attack that included players such as Emmanuel Adebayor, Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp.
Arsene could afford to rely on players of the same class as Robin and the responsibilities were shared.
But right now, not only does Robin start every game, he is also their main penalty kick taker.
Their main free-kick taker.
And every attack gets played through him.
Rarely does he find himself out wide with the ball trying to create opportunities for others.
His job is to stay central and convert the opportunities created for him.
A job he is doing extremely well.
But if we are to judge Robin as one of the worlds best, and ask if he is the best, then he needs to play on a bigger stage.
It’s one thing being the main man at club who currently lye in seventh place in the Premier League as we enter the home straight.
It’s another being one of the main men at a club challenging for the league.
Wayne Rooney gets ‘dropped’ for two games against weaker opposition over Christmas and Dimitar Berbatov scores 5 goals.
Edin Dzeko scores 4 goals against Tottenham and gets ‘dropped’ for the next game.
Man City can even afford to loan Emmanuel Adebayor out to a main rival, drop Carlos Tevez indefinitely and still have three strikers in the same calibre as Robin.
If any of these players were given the same focus by their teams as Robin is, they would surely be on the same goal tally.
Didier Drogba was the main man at Chelsea yet two of the last three seasons has finished behind Nicolas Anelka in the scoring charts.
Not because Nicolas was the better player, but Didier was ‘dropped’ against the weaker teams, where goals are plentiful, and saved for the big games.
Fernando Torres looked like one of the worlds top attackers when at Liverpool.
The team was based around him.
David Ngog was his only competition for places.
Yet now at Chelsea, they have too many good attackers to play everything through the now hapless looking Spaniard.
No longer the main man.
No longer considered amongst the world’s best.
Which is exactly where Robin finds himself now.
A world class attacker.
One of the best around.
But if he is to be mentioned in the top three instead of just the top ten, he’ll need Arsene to take Arsenal back to where they were.
Or maybe look for a brighter stage...
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, 13 December 2011
Manchester United - Not bad at all for the worst team under Sir Alex Ferguson
I don’t think Manchester United fans should be too worried right now.
Sir Alex Ferguson saw his Champions League gamble backfire, but talk of his team being the worst he has had in his 25 years is well wide of the mark.
Manchester United have come in for a lot of criticism this week.
Rightly so, after their exit from the group stages of the Champions League.
However, talk of the demise of this team, because of the lack of a genuine world class creative midfielder is a tad premature.
Sure, they haven’t found a replacement for Paul Scholes yet.
Nor did they ever find one for Roy Keane.
And Ryan Giggs will not be replaced too easily either.
Because these players are genuine world class superstars of the game.
They don’t get replaced.
There just aren’t enough of them to go round.
This made it a tough summer for Sir Alex Ferguson.
The loss of key senior figures such as Edwin Van Der Sar, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville to retirement was coupled with the sale of John O’Shea and Wes Brown.
Four of those players had come through the ranks at Old Trafford and between them had amassed 68 seasons under Sir Alex.
A rebuilding process was under way even if it was Father Time who had dictated it.
So Sir Alex went out and spent big.
He had also timed the emergence of another crop of youngsters to coincide with the departure of such a senior element of his squad.
Assembling a squad of some of the best young players around.
David DeGea is widely regarded to have the potential to become the goalkeeper of his generation.
Numerous managers have predicted Phil Jones to be the England Captain for many years to come.
Add to that Chris Smalling, Tom Cleverly and Danny Welbeck - you’ve got three stars of the England U21 Championship side.
Then Javier Hernández, Nani, the Brazilian twins are all still quite young.
Mix in the established stars such as Rooney, Vidic and Evra and this team could be around for years to come.
But these young players will take time to adapt.
Some of them need time to adjust to the Premier League.
All of them need time to adjust to the pressures of playing for Manchester United.
Like the pressure they would have experienced against Basel.
There’s no doubting Sir Alex took a gamble on the Champions League group this season.
He felt he could have progressed without having to use his first team in every game.
But when he realised he would need his strongest team going into the last game, most of them were in the treatment room.
Going into a game of the significance of Basel with so many injuries would have handicapped any team.
Hernández, Berbatov, Owen missing from the front line along with a half fit Welbeck.
Carrick suspended, Fletcher, Cleverly, Anderson out and Valencia not yet match fit.
Then Vidic limped off in the first half.
To lose the game with that many players out did not scream of a team in demise but rather a team unable to cope with so many injuries.
Wesley Sneijder would not have made that much of a difference to this team.
A team, who should be judged when they aren’t decimated through injury.
The Champions League campaign can be judged as a disaster alright.
But their defence of the title has just gained a lot more focus.
Sir Alex has always approached the first half of the season as the time to get your injuries sorted.
If you need an operation to get rid of a niggle, you sort it our before Christmas.
His team always start sluggish but comes strong the second half.
All he’ll want is to be within touching distance of Man City when his team hits top gear.
The bad news for City is that United have had their second best start to the season in the Premier League.
Ever.
This without a world class creative midfieler.
From a team in demise.
For all their supposed troubles and loss of form - coupled with City lighting up the Premier League, there is only 2 points between the Manchester rivals after 15 games.
Not bad for a team who starts slowly.
Who’ve played a lot of their tougher fixtures already and have done this through quite a bad spate of injuries.
For supposedly the weakest team under Sir Alex’s reign as manager - making their second best ever start is not bad at all.
The only reason they’re not top is because City have the best start of ‘any’ team to a season.
As for finishing top come the end of this campaign, Sir Alex will be feeling quietly confident right about now - whether he finds another midfielder or not.
Sir Alex Ferguson saw his Champions League gamble backfire, but talk of his team being the worst he has had in his 25 years is well wide of the mark.
Manchester United have come in for a lot of criticism this week.
Rightly so, after their exit from the group stages of the Champions League.
However, talk of the demise of this team, because of the lack of a genuine world class creative midfielder is a tad premature.
Sure, they haven’t found a replacement for Paul Scholes yet.
Nor did they ever find one for Roy Keane.
And Ryan Giggs will not be replaced too easily either.
Because these players are genuine world class superstars of the game.
They don’t get replaced.
There just aren’t enough of them to go round.
This made it a tough summer for Sir Alex Ferguson.
The loss of key senior figures such as Edwin Van Der Sar, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville to retirement was coupled with the sale of John O’Shea and Wes Brown.
Four of those players had come through the ranks at Old Trafford and between them had amassed 68 seasons under Sir Alex.
A rebuilding process was under way even if it was Father Time who had dictated it.
So Sir Alex went out and spent big.
He had also timed the emergence of another crop of youngsters to coincide with the departure of such a senior element of his squad.
Assembling a squad of some of the best young players around.
David DeGea is widely regarded to have the potential to become the goalkeeper of his generation.
Numerous managers have predicted Phil Jones to be the England Captain for many years to come.
Add to that Chris Smalling, Tom Cleverly and Danny Welbeck - you’ve got three stars of the England U21 Championship side.
Then Javier Hernández, Nani, the Brazilian twins are all still quite young.
Mix in the established stars such as Rooney, Vidic and Evra and this team could be around for years to come.
But these young players will take time to adapt.
Some of them need time to adjust to the Premier League.
All of them need time to adjust to the pressures of playing for Manchester United.
Like the pressure they would have experienced against Basel.
There’s no doubting Sir Alex took a gamble on the Champions League group this season.
He felt he could have progressed without having to use his first team in every game.
But when he realised he would need his strongest team going into the last game, most of them were in the treatment room.
Going into a game of the significance of Basel with so many injuries would have handicapped any team.
Hernández, Berbatov, Owen missing from the front line along with a half fit Welbeck.
Carrick suspended, Fletcher, Cleverly, Anderson out and Valencia not yet match fit.
Then Vidic limped off in the first half.
To lose the game with that many players out did not scream of a team in demise but rather a team unable to cope with so many injuries.
Wesley Sneijder would not have made that much of a difference to this team.
A team, who should be judged when they aren’t decimated through injury.
The Champions League campaign can be judged as a disaster alright.
But their defence of the title has just gained a lot more focus.
Sir Alex has always approached the first half of the season as the time to get your injuries sorted.
If you need an operation to get rid of a niggle, you sort it our before Christmas.
His team always start sluggish but comes strong the second half.
All he’ll want is to be within touching distance of Man City when his team hits top gear.
The bad news for City is that United have had their second best start to the season in the Premier League.
Ever.
This without a world class creative midfieler.
From a team in demise.
For all their supposed troubles and loss of form - coupled with City lighting up the Premier League, there is only 2 points between the Manchester rivals after 15 games.
Not bad for a team who starts slowly.
Who’ve played a lot of their tougher fixtures already and have done this through quite a bad spate of injuries.
For supposedly the weakest team under Sir Alex’s reign as manager - making their second best ever start is not bad at all.
The only reason they’re not top is because City have the best start of ‘any’ team to a season.
As for finishing top come the end of this campaign, Sir Alex will be feeling quietly confident right about now - whether he finds another midfielder or not.
Even if it is perceived as the worst team he has ever had...
Monday, 28 November 2011
Do fans really want success or are they just happy to be entertained?
For me, the sport I love has always been about winning.
Whether it’s Ireland in a World Cup or a kick about in the park, winning was all that mattered.
Even if we didn’t play well - winning made the sport entertaining.
I always felt that while the match may not have been an entertaining spectacle, it felt great to play so bad and still win.
Qualification for the European Championships this month was a massive success.
All the hard work, combined with this perceived lack of entertainment, surmounted to winning qualification to a major tournament for the first time in ten years.
The criticism of Giovanni Trapattoni’s reign over the Irish team should have grinded to a halt after his victory over Estonia.
Instead, critics have now turned their attention to telling the public how bad Ireland are going to do at the Championships next summer.
Even if Ireland were to lose every game 5-0, the campaign would still go down as the furthest Ireland have gone in 10 years.
The furthest in the European Championships in 22 years.
Yet now some journalists are saying we will be found out by the likes of Spain, Germany and Holland when we get there.
Found out?
As in the best three teams in the world will prove that they are better than a team made up from the bottom half of the Premier League?
Surely success came in the qualification and anything beyond is even more of a bonus for this Irish team?
Yet a large portion of Irish supporters want Giovanni out.
Sick of the style of football, no matter how successful.
Compare this to the situation at Arsenal right now.
Arsene Wenger, one of the greatest managers in the world, has led his team to play some of the best football the Premier League has ever seen.
Yet he is nowhere near as successful as Giovanni.
Arsene will hope to some day be mentioned in the same breath as Giovanni when it comes to the amount of major honours he’s won.
But right now, he is not even close to adding to his tally.
He is currently overseeing his seventh season since he won a trophy.
But by playing such entertaining football during this barren spell, he was able to keep the terraces happy.
Gordon Strachan and Martin O’Neill is another interesting example at Celtic.
Gordon had the better record as manager.
Yet the supporters never really took to him despite twice taking the Glasgow team to the last 16 of the Champions League and winning the same number of league titles as Martin but in fewer seasons.
Gordon didn’t have nearly as much money as Martin and was forced to work with a weaker squad.
Yet most Celtic supporters will tell you they’d prefer to see Martin back in the hot seat.
Martin and his entertaining ways.
Finally, you have the situation at Chelsea.
There’s no chance Arsene would have been allowed 6 seasons in charge of Chelsea with such a lack of success.
Giovanni would no doubt have had success at the helm but the feeling is that Roman Abramovich demands entertainment and success.
And even when they had that in the shape of Jose Mourinho or Carlo Ancelotti, it only lasted as long as the success was there.
Hefty prices have been paid in trying to obtain both.
And he still can’t win the Champions League no matter how much money he spends.
The aim in football has always been to have an entertaining and successful side.
This is not always possible with the resources some sides have.
Especially in the international arena.
Roman has the right idea about this.
And the resources.
He is just living proof of how hard it is to have both.
Whether it’s Ireland in a World Cup or a kick about in the park, winning was all that mattered.
Even if we didn’t play well - winning made the sport entertaining.
I always felt that while the match may not have been an entertaining spectacle, it felt great to play so bad and still win.
Qualification for the European Championships this month was a massive success.
All the hard work, combined with this perceived lack of entertainment, surmounted to winning qualification to a major tournament for the first time in ten years.
The criticism of Giovanni Trapattoni’s reign over the Irish team should have grinded to a halt after his victory over Estonia.
Instead, critics have now turned their attention to telling the public how bad Ireland are going to do at the Championships next summer.
Even if Ireland were to lose every game 5-0, the campaign would still go down as the furthest Ireland have gone in 10 years.
The furthest in the European Championships in 22 years.
Yet now some journalists are saying we will be found out by the likes of Spain, Germany and Holland when we get there.
Found out?
As in the best three teams in the world will prove that they are better than a team made up from the bottom half of the Premier League?
Surely success came in the qualification and anything beyond is even more of a bonus for this Irish team?
Yet a large portion of Irish supporters want Giovanni out.
Sick of the style of football, no matter how successful.
Compare this to the situation at Arsenal right now.
Arsene Wenger, one of the greatest managers in the world, has led his team to play some of the best football the Premier League has ever seen.
Yet he is nowhere near as successful as Giovanni.
Arsene will hope to some day be mentioned in the same breath as Giovanni when it comes to the amount of major honours he’s won.
But right now, he is not even close to adding to his tally.
He is currently overseeing his seventh season since he won a trophy.
But by playing such entertaining football during this barren spell, he was able to keep the terraces happy.
Gordon Strachan and Martin O’Neill is another interesting example at Celtic.
Gordon had the better record as manager.
Yet the supporters never really took to him despite twice taking the Glasgow team to the last 16 of the Champions League and winning the same number of league titles as Martin but in fewer seasons.
Gordon didn’t have nearly as much money as Martin and was forced to work with a weaker squad.
Yet most Celtic supporters will tell you they’d prefer to see Martin back in the hot seat.
Martin and his entertaining ways.
Finally, you have the situation at Chelsea.
There’s no chance Arsene would have been allowed 6 seasons in charge of Chelsea with such a lack of success.
Giovanni would no doubt have had success at the helm but the feeling is that Roman Abramovich demands entertainment and success.
And even when they had that in the shape of Jose Mourinho or Carlo Ancelotti, it only lasted as long as the success was there.
Hefty prices have been paid in trying to obtain both.
And he still can’t win the Champions League no matter how much money he spends.
The aim in football has always been to have an entertaining and successful side.
This is not always possible with the resources some sides have.
Especially in the international arena.
Roman has the right idea about this.
And the resources.
He is just living proof of how hard it is to have both.
At the end of the day though - Roman shares the same belief as myself.
Football is all about winning.
Yet some supporters of this beautiful game, just don’t find joy in being successful...
Football is all about winning.
Yet some supporters of this beautiful game, just don’t find joy in being successful...
Thursday, 27 October 2011
Watch out Barcelona. Manchester City are coming...
For exactly 100 games now, Manchester City have been going about things the right way.
The constant criticisms of negative defensive football are steadily dissipating.
For the last season and a half, Roberto Mancini has spent his time building from the back, focusing on defensive duties first.
Teaching his ‘team’ how to play as a team.
Slowly but surely he has started to let his team off their leash.
And on Sunday - they exploded.
Against the second best team in the world - Manchester United.
Who’ve reached 3 of the last 4 Champions League finals.
Won 4 of the last 5 Premier League titles.
Yet Manchester City managed to beat them 6-1 in their own backyard.
The 6 goals were not actually the impressive part.
In reality, they were 3-1 up against ten men in the 90th minute.
It was the fact that United had dropped only 2 points at home in the whole of last season.
And suddenly City had taken 3 points off them.
By starting to produce some of the best football seen in the Premier League since it began.
City are on course to overtake Arsenal as the critics favourite footballing side.
For years now Critics have labelled the talented North London side as the best in England.
But while Arsenal were thrilling us with their attacking flair, United and Chelsea were busy lifting trophies.
Beautiful on the eye yet ultimately no substance.
However, Man City are not trying to emulate Arsenal.
They’re aiming much higher than that.
Roberto is building a team full of style and substance.
A team that has just managed to topple the Champions in their own back yard after all.
And when you beat the second best team in the world - there’s only one team you can go after.
Barcelona.
A team they are fast becoming like, but - whisper it - more attacking.
The City formation may well go on to become as synonymous as the Ajax formation the way things are building.
The Barcelona way is to have 4 defensive players, 3 link players and 3 attackers.
City have gone with 4 attackers.
The 4 defenders defend, get the ball to the 2 link players in midfield and in turn they just look for an attacker.
Any attacker.
They all play the same.
Silva, Balotelli, Aguero, Tevez, Dzeko, Nasri, Milner, Johnson.
All can play anywhere across the front four.
All do.
Barcelona use 3 attackers that can play anywhere - Messi, Pedro and Villa.
Roberto has gone with 1 more.
Neutrals should be licking their lips all over the world.
Here is a team, with ambitions of being the best in the world, going about this ambition in the right way.
Humility at management level.
Great handling of a parasite like Tevez.
Even the fans - so long telling us they are the real fans in Manchester - have invented their own unique celebration.
They’re loving every minute of it.
So should we.
And now they are going after Barcelona.
With 1 more attacker in hand.
So good luck City.
We’re all behind you.
Except for Barcelona...
The constant criticisms of negative defensive football are steadily dissipating.
For the last season and a half, Roberto Mancini has spent his time building from the back, focusing on defensive duties first.
Teaching his ‘team’ how to play as a team.
Slowly but surely he has started to let his team off their leash.
And on Sunday - they exploded.
Against the second best team in the world - Manchester United.
Who’ve reached 3 of the last 4 Champions League finals.
Won 4 of the last 5 Premier League titles.
Yet Manchester City managed to beat them 6-1 in their own backyard.
The 6 goals were not actually the impressive part.
In reality, they were 3-1 up against ten men in the 90th minute.
It was the fact that United had dropped only 2 points at home in the whole of last season.
And suddenly City had taken 3 points off them.
By starting to produce some of the best football seen in the Premier League since it began.
City are on course to overtake Arsenal as the critics favourite footballing side.
For years now Critics have labelled the talented North London side as the best in England.
But while Arsenal were thrilling us with their attacking flair, United and Chelsea were busy lifting trophies.
Beautiful on the eye yet ultimately no substance.
However, Man City are not trying to emulate Arsenal.
They’re aiming much higher than that.
Roberto is building a team full of style and substance.
A team that has just managed to topple the Champions in their own back yard after all.
And when you beat the second best team in the world - there’s only one team you can go after.
Barcelona.
A team they are fast becoming like, but - whisper it - more attacking.
The City formation may well go on to become as synonymous as the Ajax formation the way things are building.
The Barcelona way is to have 4 defensive players, 3 link players and 3 attackers.
City have gone with 4 attackers.
The 4 defenders defend, get the ball to the 2 link players in midfield and in turn they just look for an attacker.
Any attacker.
They all play the same.
Silva, Balotelli, Aguero, Tevez, Dzeko, Nasri, Milner, Johnson.
All can play anywhere across the front four.
All do.
Barcelona use 3 attackers that can play anywhere - Messi, Pedro and Villa.
Roberto has gone with 1 more.
Neutrals should be licking their lips all over the world.
Here is a team, with ambitions of being the best in the world, going about this ambition in the right way.
Humility at management level.
Great handling of a parasite like Tevez.
Even the fans - so long telling us they are the real fans in Manchester - have invented their own unique celebration.
They’re loving every minute of it.
So should we.
And now they are going after Barcelona.
With 1 more attacker in hand.
So good luck City.
We’re all behind you.
Except for Barcelona...
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...
Tuesday, 28 June 2011
Villa fans don’t hate Alex McLeish. They hate themselves.
Andy Cole.
Carlos Tevez.
Luis Figo.
Now Alex McLeish.
All joined a rival club at one stage or another in their career.
All hated by the club they left.
All adorned by the club they joined.
Except for McLeish.
The scenes in Birmingham were slightly disjointed this week as all the protests took place outside Villa Park and not St. Andrews as history should suggest.
Birmingham City fans were not protesting that their manager had just left them for their nearest rivals.
And Aston Villa fans were not celebrating.
Quite the opposite in fact.
Alex McLeish is a good manager.
He is.
Success at Hibs led to success at Rangers and subsequently success at Scotland.
3 jobs done well.
Then Birmingham came along with a promotion and a Carling Cup win in just 2.5 years.
Not bad for a club of their size.
But then he got Birmingham relegated again.
Only two years ago, Villa fans were watching their side riding high in the Premier league with a promising young squad under the tutorship of the highly regarded Martin O’Neill.
Fast forward to this summer and a lot has changed.
Three different managers since then for starters.
Free-fall down the Premier League table.
Plus reports of more than one manager saying thanks but no thanks when offered the job of manager this summer.
Villa fans, having so recently tasted the highs of Premier League football, don’t want to admit to how far they’ve fallen.
No longer an enticing destination for managers the calibre of Ancelotti, Benitez, Moyes or even a Martinez but rather a place of reincarnation for a manager of Alex McLeish’s stature.
A good manager.
One who’ll steady the ship.
But not seen as one who could bring Villa back to where they were two years ago.
Or beyond.
Villa fans just see a manager who got their bitter rivals relegated.
But looks like they’ve got the best manager their club could attract.
For once, they don’t hate their rivals for stealing one of their assets.
But rather hate themselves for having to steal one of theirs...
Carlos Tevez.
Luis Figo.
Now Alex McLeish.
All joined a rival club at one stage or another in their career.
All hated by the club they left.
All adorned by the club they joined.
Except for McLeish.
The scenes in Birmingham were slightly disjointed this week as all the protests took place outside Villa Park and not St. Andrews as history should suggest.
Birmingham City fans were not protesting that their manager had just left them for their nearest rivals.
And Aston Villa fans were not celebrating.
Quite the opposite in fact.
Alex McLeish is a good manager.
He is.
Success at Hibs led to success at Rangers and subsequently success at Scotland.
3 jobs done well.
Then Birmingham came along with a promotion and a Carling Cup win in just 2.5 years.
Not bad for a club of their size.
But then he got Birmingham relegated again.
Only two years ago, Villa fans were watching their side riding high in the Premier league with a promising young squad under the tutorship of the highly regarded Martin O’Neill.
Fast forward to this summer and a lot has changed.
Three different managers since then for starters.
Free-fall down the Premier League table.
Plus reports of more than one manager saying thanks but no thanks when offered the job of manager this summer.
Villa fans, having so recently tasted the highs of Premier League football, don’t want to admit to how far they’ve fallen.
No longer an enticing destination for managers the calibre of Ancelotti, Benitez, Moyes or even a Martinez but rather a place of reincarnation for a manager of Alex McLeish’s stature.
A good manager.
One who’ll steady the ship.
But not seen as one who could bring Villa back to where they were two years ago.
Or beyond.
Villa fans just see a manager who got their bitter rivals relegated.
But looks like they’ve got the best manager their club could attract.
For once, they don’t hate their rivals for stealing one of their assets.
But rather hate themselves for having to steal one of theirs...
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